COVID-19  has screwed with everyone’s lives, whether that’s in small ways or big. It seemed like everyone in the country was patiently waiting for the pandemic to stop, and vaccines were the most likely way that was going to happen. 

   Now that COVID vaccines are available, widespread for people ages 12 and up, you would think that people would be flocking to get the shot, but here we are. Unsurprisingly, in the U.S. getting the vaccine has become a partisan issue, and many people are hesitant to get the vaccine.

   I’ve never understood the hesitations many people have when it comes to vaccines. The only reason I’ve ever heard that I can relate to is a fear of needles, but other than that, it seems pretty simple to me. Why wouldn’t you protect yourself from deadly diseases like polio, the flu, and now, the coronavirus? Interestingly, this hesitation wasn’t always as widespread as it is today.

   When Jonas Salk made a successful polio vaccine on March 26, 1953, people all over the world got the vaccine in massive quantities. Part of the reason so many people got it so quickly was because Salk decided not to patent the vaccine so as many people could get it as possible. The vaccine, if patented, has been predicted to have been worth nearly 7 billion dollars. This decision by Salk helped get the vaccine to the people who needed it as soon as possible without having to jump through financial hurdles. This decision saved countless lives. The reason I bring this point up is that I think it shows where some people’s hesitation comes from towards the COVID vaccine. 

   Moderna, Pfizer, Johnson and Johnson: all these companies have become synonymous with the pandemic, and are trying to stop it. I think involving massive corporations in trying to create a vaccine for COVID has made some people more hesitant when it comes to getting the vaccine. Early on in their development, it seemed as if the companies were racing to make the vaccine quicker than the other, instead of making a safe vaccine. This is why many people decided to wait for the FDA to officially approve the companies’ vaccines. That decision I can understand, but why are some people still waiting? It’s simple: misinformation.

   Vaccine misinformation is as old as vaccines themselves. When the smallpox vaccine was introduced in 1796, there were stories that it would turn people into cows. Back then that was through word of mouth, but now in the digital age, vaccine misinformation can spread like the viruses vaccines try to stop. Social media sites, (specifically Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook) all have a track record of spreading misinformation, conspiracy theories, and other harmful content, but recently it’s been negatively affecting more people than ever. A study by the Center for Countering Digital Hate has found that about 65% of the misinformation posted about the COVID vaccine was posted by twelve accounts. These accounts have been dubbed ‘The Disinformation Dozen’. This group, in my opinion, is greatly responsible for the abundance of unvaccinated Americans, many of which are more likely to die of COVID. 

   Hospitals are filling with COVID patients again, a majority of which are unvaccinated. A recent study by the CDC finds that unvaccinated patients who catch COVID are 11 times more likely to die from it than vaccinated patients. Whatever people’s hesitations, whether valid or not, the risk does not outweigh the reward of getting the vaccine. Not getting vaccinated doesn’t just affect you, it affects everyone in the nation. The more people get vaccinated, the faster all of our lives will go back to normal. 

   Obviously, I am not a doctor, and there are far better people to get COVID vaccine information from than a senior in high school, but I think my point still stands. 

   Get vaccinated.