While many health care workers are eager to receive the new COVID-19 vaccine, some are apprehensive about how quickly it was developed. | stock photo
While many health care workers are eager to receive the new COVID-19 vaccine, some are apprehensive about how quickly it was developed. | stock photo
As the COVID-19 vaccines begin to arrive in Michigan, the very first doses will be distributed to health care professionals and hospital workers.
One worker shared her eagerness to receive the vaccine, saying, “My husband and I have been talking about this for [a] very, very long [time]. He's also in health care. We’re just excited to be able to protect ourselves, our children and, hopefully, try to protect our community,” according to Bridge Michigan.
However, while many are anxious to receive the vaccinations, others have expressed their hesitation in taking the first doses. The Pfizer vaccine, which was not part of the White House’s "Operation Warp Speed" project, was tested and approved at an unprecedented rate, which has left some unsure about its effectiveness and safety.
Jessica Romanowski, a surgical technician at McLaren Flint Hospital, is torn on whether to receive the vaccine.
“Having personally lost a loved one to COVID, it’s quite terrifying to imagine myself alone or dying on a ventilator. I want to protect myself and my family, especially my immunosuppressed mother,” she told Bridge Michigan. However, one of Romanowski’s primary concerns lies in the lack of research for pregnant and breastfeeding women in the initial vaccine trials. “My husband and I are also looking to start a family soon, and what long-term side effects would this vaccine present to myself -- or my child?"
Recent Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) surveys illustrate a majority of health workers are feeling positive about the vaccine. Approximately 63% were confident that a COVID-19 vaccine would be effective and safe to take. But only 34% of workers would voluntarily receive the vaccine if they were not required to.
Health officials have also been working to reassure their staff members that the side effects listed for the vaccine -- such as fever and headaches -- are common for most vaccinations.
Dr. R. Dale Jackson of Sparrow Hospital in Lansing said, “And [the side effects are] your body recognizing the vaccine and developing an immune response. The end result is you’ve developed antibodies to fight off any future coronavirus infection.”
The first batch of 84,000 Pfizer vaccines will be arriving this week, and that will begin Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s goal to vaccinate at least 70% of Michiganders.
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