By David Velasquez and Ivan Lopez
We are in a crisis.
Southern California has zero intensive care unit capacity while Palmdale and Lancaster have some of the highest COVID-19 14-day cumulative case rates in the county.
But there is hope. Los Angeles County is currently vaccinating thousands of frontline health care workers, including many in the Antelope Valley, with the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine. Yet, we continue to see anti-vaccine rhetoric throughout social media. So let’s discuss the vaccine and why it is especially important for Antelope Valley residents to get vaccinated when possible.
The Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna (approved on December 18th) vaccines are messenger RNA-based. Unlike DNA, the fundamental unit of our genetic code, messenger RNA is used by our cells to create proteins that build and maintain our body. This means that when a person receives the vaccine, cells tasked with protecting the human body acquire the messenger RNA and use it to create an inactive coronavirus protein found on COVID-19.
Dr. Thomas Frieden, the former head of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, compares this process to, “an email sent to your immune system that shows what the virus looks like, instructions to kill it, and then–like a Snapchat message–it disappears.” In other words, the vaccines give our body a preview of the actual virus (through the inactive protein) and thereby prime our immune system to generate millions of defense cells that protect us against COVID-19.
Like all vaccines, there may be side effects including pain at the administration site, headaches, and fatigue. These side effects are usually caused by our own immune system working to create the defense cells needed to fend off future infection. Dr. Saad Omer, director of the Yale Institute for Global Health relates this bodily response to, “mouthwash–it’s hurting while it’s working.” In clinical trials, participants mostly experienced mild or moderate side effects with both the Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna vaccines. More severe side effects, like life-threatening allergic reactions, were rare and have not been causally linked to either vaccine.
Both vaccines documented an impressive effectiveness rate of over 94% in clinical trials, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention will continue monitoring their safety and efficacy. Clearly, the direct benefit of receiving a vaccine is robust protection against COVID-19, a virus that has taken over 313,000 American lives (in our small community, over hundreds have died). Another direct benefit is its ability to decrease the risk of severe symptoms if you happen to become infected after vaccination–the vaccines significantly reduce the likelihood that you become infected, but there remains a slim chance of infection.
In addition to protecting yourself, taking the vaccine will help you protect others. People with pre-existing conditions, such as diabetes, high blood pressure, cancer, emphysema, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease are at an increased risk of severe illness from COVID-19. In the Antelope Valley, 1 in 7 adults have diabetes and 1 in 3 adults have high blood pressure. Rates for some cancers are higher than the Los Angeles County average and we have some of the highest incidence rates (new cases per year) of emphysema and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease in the country. Our role in protecting others becomes even more prominent when we consider those who may be unable to receive the vaccine due to inaccessible health care and compromised immune systems.
More obvious of a benefit is our return to a bustling economy without restrictions. How quickly we get there, though, hinges on our collective acceptance of a COVID-19 vaccine.
One recent survey suggests more than 78% of Los Angeles County residents are willing to receive a COVID-19 vaccine, but vaccine hesitancy is highest among Republicans, persons ages 30-49, rural residents, and Black adults. Palmdale and Lancaster have disproportionately high numbers of each of these groups when compared to Los Angeles County as a whole, and experts do not know what percentage of people need to get vaccinated to achieve herd immunity. It is therefore incumbent on us to build trust within our community and follow the science.
The COVID-19 vaccine is not dangerous. COVID-19 is dangerous. Let’s not conflate the two as we attempt to move past one of the most devastating public health crises in our history. Instead, let’s adhere to safety guidelines, share evidence-based information, and exercise our privilege when we move to the front of the vaccine line. Our health and the future of our country now depend on us–it begins with believing in the COVID-19 vaccine.
About the authors: David Velasquez is a fourth-year medical student at Harvard and a long-time resident of the Antelope Valley. You can follow him on twitter @davidevelasqu. Ivan Lopez is a rising medical student and a long-time resident of the Antelope Valley. He spent the last three years as a graduate-level scientific researcher at UCLA.
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COVID-20 says
“In the Antelope Valley, 1 in 7 adults have diabetes and 1 in 3 adults have high blood pressure.”
A poor diet and an unhealthy lifestyle…
Waiting says
Don’t trust the vaccine. It takes years to develop any vaccine or drug. I know this because I work for a major drug company. It takes clinical trials and lots of them.
Lae says
the COVID vaccine has about a decade of research behind it: it comes from the vaccine research completed for SARS and MERS, both of which are corona viruses. there are also more than a half dozen companies who are in various stages of clinical trials, all with similar results.
Anne says
Let’s continue with the divisiveness, heaping blame mostly on conservative whites, who, according to your articles, will neither wear masks and social distance nor get vaccinated. Yet, they are not the group with really high rates of positive cases.
I’m confused. Two COLLEGE students are trying to convince people to get the vaccine, all the while insulting them at the same time.
Here’s why people may have misgivings about all this:
https://www.google.com/amp/s/reason.com/2020/12/18/vaccine-cdc-essential-workers-elderly-racial-covid-19/%3famp
This is disgusting!
John (Former Resident) says
Essential workers are exposed everyday. They stock your groceries, prepare your meals, deliver commodities, and most importantly include the front line medical professionals.
COVID19 Deniers, Anti Maskers, and people who proudly defied the guidance of educated medical professionals are the reason we have arrived where we find ourselves.
You can have your feelings hurt, you can post articles from libertarian publications as jstificiation, buti t realyl doesn’t chagne anything. If you are going to let the fact that people telling it how it is, keep you from getting vaccinated, then you ahve earned whatever fate you meet. Conservatives largely ignored all of the warnings, and even proudly defied guidelines, and staged anti quarantine and curfew protests in places like Orange County. They willfully spread harmful propaganda on social media. Of course, they also don’t want to get the vaccine because they don’t like people saying part of the blame is on them.
If you are indeed this petty, which I already know you are, Don’t get vaccinated. Just don’t be surprised or angry when you die waiting for a ventilator that went to a younger person with better survival odds. It was your choice. Just like you chose this nightmarish COVID-19 Christmas we have arrived at.
Or blame the educated who warned you for months.
I already know what you will choose, I lived in that Valley for 16 years, and none of this surprises me.
History will record the following:
COVID-19 killed an unimaginable horrific amount of people, but Dunning Kruger(look it up) was every bit as deadly, and it will remain long after COVID-19 passes.
Dave says
Dunning Kruger/The Peter Principle (think Trump) and GishGallop (when right wingers debate sane people) can be used to describe the current Republican Party.
GishGallop is prominent in posts by Trump supporters here, there and everywhere. They fire so many lies, misinformation from Fox ‘news” aka fake news and falsehoods that it is impossible to keep up fact-checking them or Trump (over 20,000 lies so far and more to come)
Trumpers’ guy won in 2016 and they’ve been b*tching constantly ever since.
“Just like their mothers, they’re never satisfied” apologizes to Prince/When Doves Cry
Now, we’ll give them sonething to whine about the next 4 years…Biden/Harris doing a good job minus the high drama and incompetence. Right Trumpist#1. Take a drink.
If Trump pardons himself and his kids, he’ll be paving the way for President Biden to do the same with himself and his son if it comes to that. So far, no crimes have been put forth. Just right winger speculation. Same with Rep. Eric Swalwell. No evidence of crimes just Fox ‘news’ hour after hour after hour.
The Republicans won’t be able to complain. But they will like Trump never happened while they remained silent. Count on it.
There are a bunch of Adolph Hitler quotes regarding propaganda that apply to Trump and the Republicans. Perfectly. Read ’em and see for yourself.
John (Former Resident ) says
What you call condescension, I call fact. You however were condescending towards an Ivy league scholar and one from UCLA. Have several seats.
Testing has been available to anybody wanting one for months. The shortage right now is relatively new and directly because of the surge.
Your mayor defied state orders against firework shows and wanted to ignore orders about dining. Thr city held a vote of no confidence in Dr. Ferrer. That’s not something to celebrate. This failure of leadership and proud defiance will now be the cause of death.
Cases WERE down. I’ve passed through the AV few times in the summer and early fall and saw stores with half the people unmasked.
My statements about the AV aren’t my beliefs. They are facts I know to be true.
I sympathize for my friends in the area.
Words cannot express my disdain For oeople like you who condescending towards medical professionals, bring up your are trying to lessen safety measures and have the audacity to complain about not being first in line to be vaccinated.
You get no sympathy from me.
Happy Holidays.
Anne says
You can bloviate all you want. You know nothing about me. You know how the saying goes when you ASSume, correct? It just shows your ignorance.
I graduated from college with honors. I know how to read and research. I am a proponent of the truth, which neither party seems to care about. This should not be partisan. Finger pointing and blaming gets us nowhere! In doing so, it lets one side believe they are off the hook. To say this pandemic is solely the fault of Republicans is ignorant and irresponsible. If you must make it political, then be honest—both sides have been caught and share blame. ALL, including media and academia, have responsibilities during this pandemic.
The failure is on the health departments who refused to test unless stringent guidelines were met: travel outside the country, exposed to someone traveling outside the country, exposed to someone testing positive. All boxes had to be checked before they would test. But, it had already spread, and they refused to test people. People were dying who clearly had the symptoms but testing and treatment were not given. And so it kept spreading. Even now they will not test if you don’t have the main symptoms of fever, cough, shortness of breath. Tests can take 3 days to get back, so in the meantime, it’s getting spread more because people don’t know if it’s just a cold, the flu, or the virus.
At my work, someone wasn’t feeling well but came to work anyway because they didn’t know what they had. It then resulted in an entire department being shut down.
My family has followed the guidelines, going out for essential items, the doctor, and exercise. We haven’t been mixing households; haven’t had anyone in our home. My family and I have worn masks since March.
People weren’t able to go into a store in the AV without one.
Contrary to what you believe about the AV, the AV was keeping the numbers down, and even asked to not be included with the restrictions imposed down below. So, your remarks about the people here are unfounded.
Your condescension and insults say more about you than me.
Sophia says
These men are scholars and you are wrong to denigrate them. They have actively learned more about the vaccine than I, as a teacher, know, and have shared their information with the community through a persuasive editorial. May God bless them and our community be thankful for such fine, community minded young men.
Dave says
Oh, Anne
Another Republican dies from COVID in addition to Herman Cain who got it at a Trump rally.
Have you not noticed that its Republcans who have tested postive and/or gotten sick and/or died from COVID much more than Democrats.
Despite Newsome eating at the French Laundry and other unwise moves, it’s the Republicans who have had over 50 positive tests in the White House and in Congress and from Trump rallies and other unmasked superspreader gatherings.
God works in ways that should be a caution to those bible thumpers.
But, you think you know it all Anne, dontcha?