COVID VACCINE BOOSTER SHOTS and the PERSISTANCE OF VACCINE HESITANCY
Only scientific truths should be allowed to illuminate the right path when there is a darkness of human mind.
Before we discuss the necessity and the timing of Covid – 19 vaccine booster shot, we need to discuss a more important issue of why so many people, in every country in the world are refusing to get vaccinated? In the U.S.A, about 30 percent of eligible people refuse vaccination.
Despite overwhelming scientific evidence that the vaccines are safe and effective in protecting them against the deadly coronavirus infection, why do they refuse the vaccination? To better understand these individuals, we must ask some hard questions and try to investigate and deliberate to answer each question:
Who are these people? What reason or excuse do they use to justify their actions? What kind of state of mind and psychological profile do they have? Do they have any enablers that feed them wrong information?
It’s not so easy to answer all these questions, for sure. However, it is very interesting to note that the most anti–vaxxers, in the U.S.A. are encountered in Republican Party leaning Southern Conservative States, and among the rural and less educated population. What does this mean? Is conservatism, like ignorance, against scientific truth and advancement?
As I see it, nowadays, everything (including vaccines) is politicized, mostly by politicians, for the purpose of their re-election. Politics have become a dominant force in every society. Politics is now the main source of every news organization, including the print and digital press, TV, radio, and social media, thereby creating an echo chamber to enforce its importance.
To me, anti–vaxxers have an egocentric state of mind and psychological wiring that makes them to think of nobody else but themselves. They are usually lonely, anti-social, isolated, unsuccessful, and unhappy in their lives. They possess no ability for reasoning; therefore, they are incapable of seeing or accepting the truth.
A recent polling data has found that 17 percent of Americans do not have a single person in their life that they are socially connected with. These people are in desperate need of a social connection and a purpose in life. So, any movements that exist in this regard, which is usually promulgated by social media like anti-vaccine stand, Trumpism, cultism, conspiracy theories, quasi- religions easily attract and free them from their boredom and loneliness. It becomes the only organizing principle in their life and it gives them the opportunity to meet some same-minded people, to end their isolation and loneliness. They stay loyal to the movement, no matter what happens.
One of the most common reasons or excuses vaccine opponents use is to say that “it is my body, my choice, my freedom of expression, my First Amendment rights.” To me this is very distorted logic because their actions affect not only them but the entire society. Unvaccinated people are ‘sitting ducks’ for Coronavirus to infect, to replicate, to renew itself, to infect other people and to mutate by creating a new genetic version. This guarantee’s the virus’ survival in human societies and uses humans as the host. So, not to get vaccinated can’t be considered personal freedom if the well-being and health of the entire society is involved. Therefore, there must be some rules and regulations, mandates, and obligations to protect the society.
At the present, the Delta variant of Coronavirus is more infectious and deadlier and is threatening the world with a second pandemic. It is called “the pandemic of unvaccinated.” Because 97 percent of severe infections that require hospital admissions and most deaths are encountered among unvaccinated people.
Even though fully vaccinated people could get breakthrough infection with new variants, it remains very mild or asymptomatic. However, they could infect other people. Therefore, vaccinated people still should wear a face mask when they are indoors. In addition, that is why almost the entire world population (> 80 percent) must be vaccinated, in order to help form a worldwide herd immunity. This would prevent infections and creation of new variants which could cause repeated epidemics or pandemics.
No vaccine is 100 percent effective. Even vaccine induced immunity starts to wain after certain time. I believe booster shots are needed, as soon as protective antibody levels start to drop in the blood, for vulnerable people with immune deficiency, or people on chemotherapy or organ recipients. For rest of us, it is better to wait for the recommendation of scientific organization of the government (FDA and CDC in America) for evidence-based recommendations. Because needless and unnecessary stimulation of the immune system with booster shots, could trigger undesirable immune responses, such as over-reaction or formation of autoimmune diseases.
