More people decide to get vaccinated as perspective on the issue shifts

By: Josh Archanian

March 12, 2021

With the COVID-19 vaccine having a low supply with a high demand, some people are changing their minds about getting the vaccine.

Mike Memole, an East Greenbush volunteer firefighter said, “At first I was against the vaccine because I am against the government telling me to do something against my free will.”

According to Healio, adults willing to get the vaccine increased almost 10% from September to December 2020.

Mike Memole is one adult who changed his mindset.

“Being someone that has more of the comorbidities, being overweight and having asthma I said what the heck, just go for it and get it done,” Memole said.

According to KFF, about four in ten adults ages 18 and older in the U.S. (92.6 million people) have a higher risk of developing serious illness if they become infected with coronavirus.

Due to his job as a firefighter, Memoleis at an even higher risk of getting COVID-19.

As of March 5 almost 69% of the public intends or has already gotten the vaccine according to Pew Research. It seems as time goes on people are becoming more comfortable getting the vaccine.

Michelle Archanian a Colonie resident said, “Because I work in a dental office, with exposure to patients and to the public, I decided to get it [vaccine].”

Archanian is partly in charge of checking patients in to appointments and taking their temperature at the front desk. While not a frontline healthcare worker, he is still at much higher risk. According to yahoo news, dentists and other dental hygienists/professionals are among the top 5 highest risk jobs for contracting COVID-19 as of October 2020.

A main factor as to why people are hesitant towards getting the vaccine is because of the lack of information.

“I think they should do research, their own research and don’t just go on one website or one source. A lot of people have gotten it [vaccine] and haven't had any symptoms and people need to make up their own mind. People that don’t feel comfortable shouldn’t be forced to get it,”Archanian said.

Most people will come to the conclusion that if they get the vaccine life will get closer to normal. With more and more vaccines given out each day it further shows that most people do not have serious side effects.

Over 92 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines were administered in the United States from December 14, 2020, through March 8, 2021. During this time, VAERS (Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System) received 1,637 reports of death (0.0018%) among people who received a COVID-19 vaccine according to the CDC.

A review of available clinical information including death certificates, autopsy, and medical records revealed no evidence that vaccination contributed to patient deaths.

As of March 11, President Biden said that all Americans over the age of 18 will be eligible for the COVID-19 vaccine as of May 1.

This gives us hope of our country returning to the way we knew it.