All parents wish to protect their family. We want our kids to be healthy and revel in the activities and milestones of puberty. We long to become old with our partners and have a good time many more birthdays and holidays with our own parents.
This deep-rooted desire for safety and connection spurred lots of us to motion when the COVID-19 vaccine first became available greater than three years ago. After a 12 months marked by isolation and fear for the health of our family members, most Americans eagerly lined as much as get their first vaccinations.
Still, I fear that in 2024 we’ve got created a false sense of security. Seventy percent of Americans were fully vaccinated against COVID-19 in 2022, but only 22 percent received an updated vaccine last 12 months. An updated vaccine designed to assist your body produce antibodies against the most certainly strains of the virus currently circulating offers critical protection against serious illness, hospitalization and death. Unfortunately, our hospitals are already feeling the strain of declining vaccination rates. In 2024 alone, roughly 34,000 Americans have died from COVID-19, 1000’s more are hospitalized and tons of succumb weekly.
Like so many, I felt a wave of relief when my family accomplished our first vaccinations. We could finally enjoy life with a brand new sense of security.
Dangers from the coronavirus
That's why my family continues to get vaccinated yearly. My daughter is receiving her updated COVID-19 vaccine to reduce the chance of illness before her highschool homecoming dance. My wife, who has cancer, knows that a COVID-19 infection may cause serious complications. My elderly parents, each within the high-risk category, are receiving their vaccinations to guard their health. And since I travel incessantly for work, I get vaccinated to scale back the chance of bringing the virus home.
Yet nearly 80% of the general public doesn’t share our sense of urgency. Frankly, the medical and public health industries have struggled to effectively communicate the importance of annual COVID-19 vaccinations. Immunity weakens and the virus mutates; It's not a one-off scenario. For optimal protection from circulating exposures, people need annual updates.
Many people underestimate the hazards of not being vaccinated. Millions of Americans are at high risk, yet many don’t recognize themselves as such. About 7 in 10 adults have a risk factor for severe COVID-19 symptoms. Conditions similar to hypertension increase the chance fourfold, chronic lung disease increases it sixfold and diabetes triples it.
The most vital risk factor for poor COVID-19 outcomes stays age: adults aged 65 and older account for two-thirds of COVID-19 hospitalizations and greater than 81% of in-hospital deaths. What's concerning is that only about 40% of Americans on this age group received a COVID-19 vaccine last 12 months.
Time to act
Even healthy adults and kids can experience long-term symptoms from a COVID-19 infection. As a parent, that is one in all my biggest concerns. The risk of long-term symptoms, so-called long COVID, increases with every infection, even whether it is mild. About 7% of adults within the U.S. — nearly 18 million people — report persistent symptoms similar to shortness of breath, extreme fatigue and brain fog. While there isn’t any known cure for long COVID, recent studies suggest that vaccination can reduce the chance of developing these chronic symptoms by as much as 70%.
No one desires to miss work, school, or joyful moments due to a serious infection or persistent symptoms. We have already lost too many special occasions through the height of the pandemic. We all want to securely gather with our family members on Thanksgiving, go on the holiday we’ve got planned, and have a good time life's joyful moments, be it weddings or the enjoyment of the birth of a brand new baby. We wish to visit our family members in nursing homes without fear of triggering an outbreak. We wish to get along with our friends safely, and we are able to do this more safely if everyone seems to be vaccinated.
COVID-19 vaccines have been shown to significantly reduce the chance of hospitalization and death and have been safely administered to billions of individuals worldwide. As with any health suggestion, it’s comprehensible that individuals have questions on the COVID-19 vaccine – they usually should all the time seek the advice of their doctor or trusted healthcare provider. It's vital that we take our health seriously, seek answers, and have compassionate conversations about vaccinations.
Updated COVID-19 vaccines at the moment are available nationwide, and now’s the time to act. Let's prioritize our health, protect our family members and cherish the vital moments. Together we are able to meet this ongoing challenge with vigilance and care.
Originally published:
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