Did you get your Covid-19 vaccination if eligible?

I continue to be amazed when I hear that people I know who are eligible for the Covid-19 vaccine are choosing not to get it and choosing not to wear masks.  The reasons I hear are varied, but mostly it is political, and that we “all have choices” and “I trust my immune system.” I also hear that people are afraid of having side effects. In particular, I hear mention of Guillain-Barre, a very rare neurological condition in which the immune system attacks the nervous system and can lead to paralysis. 

Guillain Barre has appeared following the Johnson and Johnson vaccine.  As with all scientific data, let’s put this in perspective. Forty-two days after getting the shot, there have been 100 cases documented. Ninety-five of the hundred people were hospitalized, and one died.  Typically, there are between 3000 and 6000 cases a year of diagnosed Guillain-Barre following either a bacterial or viral infection (i.e., Covid 19).  As a result, your odds of developing Guillain -Barre are much greater if you catch the Covid virus than if you receive the vaccine.

I also hear, “I was vaccinated, so I don’t need to mask,” which we now know isn’t true.  The disease has mutated. We have variants such as the Delta variant, which are much more able to be spread, in fact, as contagious as chickenpox, which is no longer a problem.  And why is chickenpox no longer a problem? There is a vaccine for it! 

We need to protect ourselves. We need to protect those who cannot be vaccinated because they are not medically able to have the vaccine.  There is only a small percentage of people who cannot safely receive the Covid vaccine. We also need to protect our children until it is determined safe for them to receive a vaccine. 

Please, please, get your shot, mask up, and together we can beat this.