“I think this (the J & J vaccine pause) is just a testimony to how seriously we take safety.”- Dr. Anthony Fauci
The recent Johnson & Johnson vaccine pause badly scared some Americans. But this temporary pullback should have done exactly the opposite. It should have simply reaffirmed their faith in the CDC, the FDA and our federal government to do what is right. And not what is always politically easy. Clearly, a new more scientifically oriented Administration is now in charge.
It would have been simple for the Biden administration to just ignore and deny the side effects (like President Trump ignored and denied the COVID pandemic which, over a year ago, he repeatedly stated was soon to be gone). After all, the CDC indicates that only 6 in more than 6 million people who were vaccinated with the J & J shots have experienced adverse effects. And J & J represents only about 5% of the shots administered in the U.S. thus far. However, the Biden administration chose the honorable path, asking for a pause in the J & J shots, even if it costs them votes and media scrutiny.
Credit: contributed
Credit: contributed
And it should be noted that the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines are made utilizing an entirely different technological process. Whatever the shortcomings of the J & J vaccine, it will not have any impact on the efficacy of these two vaccines, responsible for the vast majority of U.S. vaccinations.
So then, why has the right wing been criticizing Biden and the vaccination program, even before this latest bump in the road? Don’t they want America to achieve herd immunity via vaccinations? After all, the entire Trump family has been vaccinated and his followers often do what he advocates.
I believe that The New York Times had it right in an Op-Ed, “Apocalyptic warnings about the vaccine feed into the far-right narrative that the government cannot be trusted, the sentiment also at the root of the Jan. 6 Capitol riot.” In other words, extremists have no faith in basic American democracy.
And some of these “anti-vaxers” are state senators and representatives. In Florida, for example, two were slated as keynote speakers at an anti-vax rally. On the national level, U.S. Sen. Ron Johnson of Wisconsin invited an anti-vax M.D. to appear before a Senate Committee. That particular outlier M.D. recommended hydroxychloroquine instead of vaccinations, despite the firm scientific evidence to the contrary. And the only GOP senator on the committee commenting to Newsweek on Johnson’s actions was Mitt Romney.
But what about GOP voters? Well, I am sorry to say that as of April 12, the findings are not good. While only 4% of Democrats say that they will refuse the vaccine, 42% of GOP voters tell Civiqs pollsters that they will not get it.
I understand why some people choose not to be vaccinated; it’s become political. I have well-educated, conservative friends who refuse the shots.
But, as for me, I stand with science.
Jack Bernard was the first director of health planning for Georgia. A Republican, he’s a former chairman of the Jasper County Commission.
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