Politics or Public Health?
By Ashley Sugar
Within the next few weeks or even days, the Pfizer vaccine should become available to frontline workers and at-risk Americans throughout the United States. Perhaps more controversial than Hunter Biden’s foreign entanglements, the vaccine has proven to be a divisive issue, as Americans debate whether they will elect to take it. After all, the Pfizer vaccine is unlike any vaccine predecessors. Not only was it developed at record speed, but its technology is the first of its kind. With previous pathogens and diseases like tuberculosis and various influenza, vaccination is usually a no-brainer for most people. But much like this year, the coronavirus vaccine is unprecedented. Exercising caution and healthy skepticism when deliberating about the vaccine is not a cause for shame, nor does it make those who do fanatical “anti-vaxxers.” While 61% of Americans say they’ll eventually get the vaccine, according to a recent Quinnipiac poll, only 37% of Americans said they would take the vaccine as soon as possible. With so much going on, Americans need to make the best decision for themselves; here is some information we found helpful in making our own decisions.
If approved by the FDA and administered in the U.S., having already been approved in the U.K., the Pfizer Covid-19 vaccine will be the first human vaccine that uses messenger RNA technology. Traditionally, vaccines are composed of a dead or weakened version or proteins of the virus that elicits an immune response from the body. Instead, an mRNA vaccine uses tiny pieces of genetic code from the virus’ ‘blueprints’ to direct cells to build proteins that are then displayed on the cell’s surface. These proteins trigger an immune system to respond to the virus without exposing the body to the virus itself, like traditional vaccines. The immune system is complicated. Like most before it, this vaccine seeks to prepare the body for the real virus if you were to come into contact with it. Instead of delivering a weakened version of COVID-19 to your body, the mRNA vaccine forces your cell to mimic a feature of the COVID-19 virus. This allows your body to identify the mimicking cells and mount an immune response without any risk of actually contracting COVID in the first place . This mechanical difference between a traditional and an mRNA vaccine is significant and has led to past complications with prior vaccine trials. The vaccine could prompt an adverse response from the immune system, such as an allergic reaction, and could theoretically cause death. This danger has been well documented in RNA vaccine research, and it is one of the reasons an mRNA vaccine has not been approved for human use before. However, there has not been a recorded case of this occurring in the Pfizer vaccine’s limited trials. The FDA has also maintained its commitment to ensuring the complete safety of the vaccine before its approval.
Given the overwhelming socio-economic turmoil the virus has inflicted, there was initially intense international pressure to expedite the development of the Covid-19 vaccine. Traditionally, vaccines take years to develop. Previously, the Mumps vaccine held the record for the timeliest vaccine with a breakneck development of four years. The Covid-19 vaccine’s warp-speed pace, however, is partially due to the convenience RNA technology offers. RNA vaccines have never been widely distributed. Due to the uncanny circumstances of COVID-19, the vaccine speed and rapid approval have expedited the vast amount of human trials typically required for FDA approval. This time around, the FDA granted an avenue for promising vaccines to apply for emergency approval, and the U.S. government invested billions of dollars, at-risk, in ensuring immediate mass production upon approval. Due to the speed of the 2020 process, there is limited information on the vaccine- which has prompted concern in The Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) in the U.K. released a statement discouraging pregnant women and healthy children from seeking the vaccine due to little research available.
The public opinion on the vaccine is ever-changing. Public Officials, such as former President Barack Obama, hope to foster trust in the vaccine among the American people by live-broadcasting their own immunizations. While suspicion around the vaccine has been met with vitriol, some public concern over vaccine side-effects is a normal response from an exhausted population. The media, pharmaceutical companies, and the Federal government need to do their very best to support the spread of accurate facts and data. Everyone is different. For the vulnerable population, this vaccine is groundbreaking. Still, others may feel uncomfortable rushing to inject themselves with an expedited vaccine that harnesses technology that has never been approved for mass vaccine production. It is reasonable for these individuals to weigh their options until more information becomes available.
What is clear, however, is the double-standard that politicians and everyday Americans received for their skepticism. Skeptics on both sides of the aisle have been branded “radical anti-vaxxers,” while politicians question the vaccine’s rapid development and approval unscathed. Where was the outrage when Kamala Harris said she would refuse to take the vaccine if President Trump recommended it? As much as this vaccine has been praised and questioned, it’s also been hyper-politicized. In September, Democrats openly questioned the timeliness and efficacy of a pre-election vaccine to minimize Trump’s potential political capital. Yet, just a month after the election, President Obama and Biden plan to televise their personal vaccinations in the hopes of boosting its credibility. For a party that so readily and commonly accuses the Right of being “anti-science” and “endangering public health,” it had no qualms undermining American public health credibility for cheap political points.
The vaccine was ready for distribution, according to Pfizer, just days after the election. This announcement came after President Trump was repeatedly doubted for his expected timeline for a vaccine. Since the virus arrived on our shores from China, President Trump has been lambasted by the media and his opponents for his COVID policies. Yet, as we speak, American companies have developed and manufactured three viable candidates, and America is on the brink of mass-inoculations. Trump’s diligent work made this possible in record time. My decision on whether I will take the vaccine will not depend on political spin or propaganda, and yours shouldn’t either.
Photo via @intothegloss
