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Big Island now photo. April 2016.
COVID vaccines will be market realities within a few months, but as pharmaceutical companies move closer to mass production, the American public is declining to a level of confidence that would allow essences to suffocate the virus sufficiently.
Lt. Gov. Josh Green said Hawai’i’s schedule for the arrival of the first vaccines remains in late December 2020 or early January next year. These will be reserved for populations most at risk across the islands, including healthcare workers, first responders and the elderly.
The rest of the population will have access to it in the coming months, although Green has said the state will not force anyone to get vaccinated and a significant number of Hawaiian residents are expected to withdraw – at least initially.
“We would expect between 50 and 70 percent of people to agree to the vaccination in the first year. If we have a vaccine with (a high success rate) it will make a big difference statewide, ”Green said. “If that’s not enough, we are still at risk of (coronavirus) epidemics.”
“If the vaccine is safe, everyone should take it,” he continued, “but it’s still a personal choice. We can’t tell anyone to get the vaccine if they don’t want to. “
The Lieutenant Governor’s projection of statewide participation in the immunization program puts Hawai’i in line with the rest of the country, or perhaps even a little more optimistic about the potential of a COVID vaccine than in one. large part of the continent.
Confidence in the COVID vaccination process declined as summer slipped into fall, according to a Pew Research Center survey. In May 2020, the number of all adults who said they would definitely or probably receive the vaccine was 72%. Four months later, that number had dropped to 51%.
The politicization of the issue in a controversial election year has been noted as a potential factor in the U.S. public’s crisis of confidence when it comes to a coronavirus vaccine. But the numbers proposed by Pew show an even decline along partisan lines.
Democrats who said they would definitely or likely receive the vaccination fell from 79% to 58%, while Republicans fell from 65% to 44%. The data would indicate that the concern around the vaccine then – or at least the increase in concern over the four-month period in question – lies in the medical arena rather than the political one.
Pfizer. Wikipedia image.
Pharmaceutical companies Pfizer and BioNTech announced Monday that phase 3 human trials of their joint vaccine – the clubhouse’s current leader in the mass production race – show an efficacy rate of over 90% for protect the uninfected from the coronavirus.
Although promising, the sample size is small and the research is not over. However, given the circumstances of the global pandemic, companies are expected to apply for emergency use authorization through the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) as early as next week.
Even though Pfizer’s vaccine, and the many others to follow, can maintain a 90% success rate, it doesn’t matter if the public is not confident enough to take it.
“It’s still too new, so more research is needed, and I would wait at least a year before getting the vaccine,” said Patty Kilpatrick-Carlson, a 55-year-old resident of Puna. “I have asthma and would wait another year before getting the vaccine.”
Standard vaccines like those for polio and MMR (measles, mumps, rubella) are widely endorsed by the majority of the American public, although a significant minority of anti-vaccination advocates have emerged in recent years. What makes coronavirus vaccines unique, and less palatable even to those who trust the vaccination process, is how quickly medical researchers push them from the lab to the community.
The vaccine production and verification process put in place by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) typically takes years. With COVID-19, the schedule has been several months.
The Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System (VAERS), which tracks side effects in individuals after vaccinations, will remain involved in the rollout of coronavirus vaccines in the United States. But VAERS is, by nature, a reactive, not a proactive, line of defense.
As part of Operation Warp Speed - the umbrella of the United States Department of Health and Human Services, under which the COVID vaccination protocol is accelerated – the federal government declares that the stages of the verification of the vaccine efficacy / safety is not ignored, just realigned to occur simultaneously. Industrial production will likely start before the verification process is complete, which HHS claims is normal.
No matter how the government’s realignment process is viewed, however, Green said public concern about speeding up the process is justified.
“He was rushed into the market,” he said. “We will control it for security reasons. This causes a pause, and it should. “
Testing for COVID-19 at North Hawai’i Community Hospital. (PC: Lynn Scully, NHCH)
Green expects more than one vaccine to be selected and distributed by Hawai’i when the time comes. He said being a strong supporter of the effectiveness and necessity of routine vaccines – which as a licensed physician Green is – makes it all the more vital for the state government to be successful in its processes. of verification.
“If we see an unfortunate result from this vaccine, which is getting to market quickly, I don’t want people to lose faith in regular vaccines, things like MMR and meningitis,” the lieutenant governor said. “I don’t want people to lose faith in pediatric care.”
Green traveled to Samoa in 2019 to help treat a measles outbreak which he described as “absolutely tragic”. If the American public and the Hawaiian people lose faith in the immunization system, they fear that the same result suffered by Samoa will eventually be repeated here.
“We will be as safe as possible and as careful as possible,” he continued. “Personally, I will take the vaccine as soon as I know it is safe. I’ve even had COVID before, and I’m going to be vaccinated. If people feel more comfortable waiting, that’s okay. But as long as a vaccine meets our safety profile, I will encourage people to get vaccinated. The more people who do it, the more lives will be saved. “
Billye Lindsey, 58 years old living in Kamuela, assumed to think in the same direction. He said he listened to medical professionals, his personal physician and Green in particular, and when they deemed a vaccine safe and appropriate for him, he would not hesitate.
Lindsey, who describes himself as a vital worker who often works closely with locals and those traveling from out of state, said the virus has become such a big part of life it needs to be fought. He’s seen more tourists and more communities spread across the Big Island in recent weeks. These factors, along with his size and age, explain why he said he favored the COVID vaccine. But he doesn’t expect everyone to be.
“Some will watch. Some will stay low, ”he says. “I’m not sure and I have no hard feelings about other people’s decisions.
The people of Hawaii are not interested in the vaccination site, their age, their relative good health, their distrust of the COVID vaccination process, or their religious beliefs, among several reasons.
Green said he understands those arguments, but added that younger, healthier people won’t necessarily take the vaccine for themselves. They would rather do it for their loved ones.
“You might never suffer from the ill effects of COVID if you’re young and healthy, but you probably have a grandparent somewhere you love who it could be bad for. And some children suffered, ”Green explained. “Young people (who get vaccinated) do it for their family members and colleagues, so I recommend everyone to think about it.”
He added that increased participation in COVID vaccination programs will create herd immunity sooner and get Hawai’i back on track economically more quickly.
“Hawai’i faces an existential crisis if we don’t control COVID, and could suffer for many years,” Green said.
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