Essay Sample about COVID-19 Vaccine

The world’s most significant pandemic in recent history is still causing calamity in the economy and the lives of millions of people, but hope is slowly increasing thanks to one factor: the development of the COVID-19 vaccine. For decades, immunizations have saved thousands, if not millions, of lives by decreasing the mortality rate of deadly, infectious diseases. However, several anti-vaccine movements have arisen, arguing that vaccines bring major side effects or even death. The creation of the COVID-19 vaccine has generated additional controversy due to its rapid development and approval under the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Emergency Use Authorization (EUA). Due to the constant debate surrounding the vaccine, people have become hesitant to be immunized. Nevertheless, people should consider how the benefits of receiving the COVID-19 vaccine outweigh its risks even while still under the FDA EUA. 

Many reports exist about the COVID-19 vaccine, but anti-vaxxers are using these reports to spread fear with death tallies arguing the vaccine causes major adverse reactions (Brumfiel). One of the major side effects of the vaccine includes blood clots that have been reported in Europe for at least two of the major manufacturers of the COVID-19 vaccine, Johnson & Johnson and AstraZeneca. An article published by the European Medicine Agency concluded that the “vaccine may be associated with very rare cases of blood clots, including rare clots in the vessels draining blood from the brain,” (Merchant 1). Anti-vaxxers are right about some of these major adverse reactions, but there is one factor they are not considering which is the insignificant percentage of these incidents. The data about the major adverse effects of the vaccine is constantly updated and circulated for public review, and it supports the fact that only a fraction of the people getting vaccinated suffer from these reactions. A recent study published by the British Medical Journal indicates that among more than 20 million people that received the AstraZeneca vaccine only 79 cases of clots were reported. This equates to around one case per 250, 000 people vaccinated (0.0004%) and one death in a million. Furthermore, the study states that in comparison, 1 in 2000 women who take contraceptive pills develop clots and 1 in 1000 people may have the same outcome from air travel alone (Mahase 1). Nevertheless, the risks are always present when receiving an experimental vaccine that was developed in such a brief period, but people should consider the data from an objective point of view. 

From the beginning, people became wary about the COVID-19 vaccine for one main reason: its rapid production and subsequent approval for distribution. Those who oppose the covid-19 vaccine have implied that researchers are using people that volunteer to get vaccinated as “human guinea pigs” while the vaccine still under the FDA EUA (Bates). An article from the American Association for Cancer Research indicates that “In less than 1 calendar year, we have gone from identification of the causative agent of disease to mass production of multiple vaccines capable of eliciting immunologic protection and limiting the spread of this virus,” (Wherry 1). While it is true that the vaccine was developed faster than any other vaccine in history, the process before getting the FDA EUA approval is extensive and intricate. The official FDA website details how the procedure to be approved for EUA involves tens of thousands of study participants to generate the information needed by the FDA to determine whether the benefits outweigh the potential risks of a vaccine (Center for Biologics). Moreover, the fast development of the COVID-19 was only possible due to the global collaboration from science experts and contributions from countries to provide priority for the research of the vaccine. If it were not for the experts’ and countries' efforts, the vaccine would have taken years to develop, and the pandemic would last longer. Thanks to its fast approval, humanity can expect life to come back to normal sooner rather than later, even if some people believe the opposite. 

With the world recovering after the implementation of the vaccine, some people still believe that the COVD-19 vaccine has not decreased the spread of the virus or prevented people from becoming sick. A report from the University Hospital website indicates that several medical experts and scientists think COVID-19 cases are still rising in a new “fourth wave,” while the vaccination rate is increasing (UHBlog). This statement may be argued since the global vaccination process still in its early stages, and even if the number of people vaccinated is increasing in volume, it will be required to administer millions of more doses to reach herd immunity. To reach herd immunity at least 70-80% of the global population needs to be immune, and still, after reaching this point, people may have to deal with another factor, the virus variants. Exposure to these variants, even for those immunized, may still provoke an infection from the virus due to its resistance to the current vaccine alternative. On the other hand, immunizations decrease the effects of the virus on higher-risk populations if they get sick after being immunized. A study published by the journal of Clinical Infectious Diseases reported that “Vaccination markedly reduced adverse outcomes, with non-ICU hospitalizations, ICU hospitalizations, and deaths decreasing by 63.5, 65.6%, and 69.3%, respectively, across the same period,” (Moghadas 2). All these facts prove how beneficial the COVID-19 is to the population and why the government should be educating people about its advantages. 

An increasing amount of people are getting vaccinated, yet a colossal number of individuals are still unaware of the COVID-19 vaccine benefits. As the first person to receive an experimental COVID-19 vaccine, Jennifer Halles has become a fierce believer in the COVID-19 vaccine. During an interview, she stated that “we’re all feeling so helpless, and this was something that I saw that could potentially make a difference (The Race 02:50).” With the mindset of Jennifer, the government should lay more efforts to propagate the same attitude to the population. Shmueli, a lecturer in the Department of Management at Bar-Ilan University, published a study that found that people who intend to get the vaccine to view themselves as being at higher risk of complications if infected with COVID-19, as compared to those who do not intend to get vaccinated. Shmueeli suggests that this proves the need to increase risk perception and severity among the public (10). Without proper instruction, people may not be aware of how this vaccine benefits their family and community. Furthermore, the American public health association warns that “accelerated timelines and active antivaccine misinformation, coupled with distrust of expert opinion and declining trust in governmental agencies, present an unprecedented challenge” (Quinn 4). For this reason, active communication with the public should be prioritized to avoid unfavorable propaganda about the COVID-19 vaccine and ultimately lead to an increase in the willingness of people to get immunized. 

Multiple times, history has demonstrated that people fear sudden changes and are terrified of new proposals, like with the COVID-19 vaccine. However, with medicine, people have more reason to be afraid, for their bodies and even their life could be at risk. While it is true that the COVID-19 vaccine still under research, the benefits of getting vaccinated are more significant to the world population and it outweighs considerably its risks. The government cannot mandate people to get vaccinated, but further education should be considered to avoid confusion and unnecessary fear. As a result, the government will be able to halt the spread of the coronavirus or at least diminish the massive impact the pandemic has provoked on the world.