Jim Ross: Vaccine benefits outweigh risks | Opinion
Some of us have friends and relatives who are reluctant to be vaccinated against the COVID-19 virus. When the vaccines came out, I was one of them.
Mind you, people like me aren’t the rabid anti-vaxxers, nor are we people who fear fluoridated water or who see chemtrails in the sky. We’re just cautious about some things. We also don’t like people nagging us constantly to get the vaccine or not get it, to wear masks or not wear them.
Recently the conversation about vaccines has taken a different turn that prompted me to ask a few questions. Through email I contacted an acquaintance who is a retired physician with experience in dealing with communicable diseases. The question: “I have at least one friend who lives in another state who insists she does not need the COVID vaccine because she has had the disease already and thus has the antibodies in her. I also heard a talk radio guy today say there is no reason for people who have had COVID and have the antibodies to be vaccinated, so the vaccine mandates are not necessary for these people. What say you?”
The answer, unedited: “In the phase 3 clinical trials with the Pfizer vaccine, unvaccinated persons who became ill with COVID-19 developed much lower levels of antibody during convalescence than the persons who received two doses of vaccine. The vaccinated persons by 14 days after their second dose developed very high levels of antibody. On this basis I recommend that persons who recover from COVID-19 should still get vaccinated because the higher levels of antibody from vaccination will be much more protective.”
I posted this answer on my personal Facebook page to see what reaction it would get, with the warning that if the discussion got out of hand, I would delete the post. Several people responded. Two of my Facebook friends raised interesting points.
One, unedited: “As the mother of a nursing student in the crush of hospitalized Covid patients, we are all vaccinated. I appreciate those who care enough about my beautiful 21-year-old’s life to do the same.”
Another, also unedited: “I got the vaccine. I was nervous about it but what made my decision for me is it my loved ones become ill, I want to be able to take care of them and if I get sick as well, I want the symptoms to be minimal.”
Next I went to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to see what it recommends. I found a study asking the same question I had. The study’s summary said, “Among Kentucky residents infected with SARS-CoV-2 in 2020, vaccination status of those reinfected during May-June 2021 was compared with that of residents who were not reinfected. In this case-control study, being unvaccinated was associated with 2.34 times the odds of reinfection compared with being fully vaccinated. … To reduce their likelihood for future infection, all eligible persons should be offered COVID-19 vaccine, even those with previous SARS-CoV-2 infection.”
The reasons people had in January for not being vaccinated are melting away. There are more and better reasons to get the vaccine than to not get it. I got mine several months ago, and I don’t regret it. But it’s your decision. Do your own research, do your own risk analysis, and choose wisely.
*** This article has been archived for your research. The original version from Huntington Herald Dispatch can be found here ***
