Writer: Siena Iwasaki Milbauer
It’s the end of our second COVID-19 summer. That’s a pretty disheartening milestone. But we are taking this time to pause and take stock of what we’ve been through, what progress we’ve made in the fight against COVID-19, and what needs to happen next to ensure health for our communities.
In Part 1 of our “Pandemic Progress Update,” we examined COVID-19 variants and how they are shifting the COVID-19 situation. In Part 2, we revisited with Adhitya, who shared how the COVID-19 pandemic in Indonesia has evolved since we last spoke with him in December 2020. In this third part, we’re looking at the reason behind much of our positive progress against COVID-19, and one of the biggest tools we have in our ongoing efforts to contain this pandemic: Vaccines.
Well, the title of this piece should be a giveaway, but we will say it again and with enthusiasm: COVID-19 vaccines are working! And they are working very well. Getting the COVID-19 vaccine massively reduces your risk of getting COVID-19, and of suffering the worst side effects of COVID-19 if you do get infected.
Vaccines are also effective against COVID-19 variants, including delta. There is scientific evidence that suggests that vaccines are slightly less good at limiting the spread of delta compared to previous versions of COVID-19. That’s why folks, regardless of vaccination status, are being encouraged to continue masking to protect our communities. But the COVID-19 vaccines still do a great job protecting us from hospitalization and death when it comes to delta.
In Minnesota, around 70.9% of our population 16+ have at least one vaccine dose (both Pfizer & Moderna’s COVID-19 vaccine require two doses). In the United States, the number of folks 12+ (the CDC tracks vaccinations at 12+ and 18+ instead of 16+ like Minnesota’s Department of Health) with at least one vaccine dose is 71.1%.
With vaccines widely available and completely free in the United States, these numbers are something to celebrate but not as high as we would hope. One reason for lack of vaccinations is vaccine misinformation, which is running wild in the United States. This is a very frustrating problem to be dealing with during a pandemic, but we have the tools to slowly but surely push back against misinformation.
Globally, vaccine equity has not been achieved. Mostly wealthier countries are hogging vaccine supply, leaving less developed (and more vulnerable) countries at the back of the COVID-19 vaccine line. Not only is this immoral, it is dangerous for everyone, and will prolong the global pandemic for all. If COVID-19 outbreaks are happening anywhere in the world, this is a tragedy, and it also increases the chances of dangerous variants popping up.
As folks living in the United States, we have the ability to powerfully advocate for global vaccine equity. We must hold our United States government and corporations accountable and demand that they share the vaccine wealth so that we can all be safe and healthy.
Another recent COVID-19 vaccine development is the ongoing creation and gradual approval of COVID-19 vaccine booster shots. Booster shots are an extra dose of the COVID-19 vaccine that is meant to increase folks’ immunity. Particularly for immunocompromised folks, booster shots are a great way to gain more protection against COVID-19.
One challenge with booster shots is that they could increase global vaccine inequity. If vaccine manufacturers are putting their resources into creating boosters shots for wealthy countries where folks are already vaccinated, there will be less resources to create vaccines for countries where folks have yet to even get one shot.
This isn’t to say that there isn’t a reason for booster shots, but rather that we should all listen to local and global health authorities going forward to determine whether getting a booster shot is a good choice for each person. This will also depend on how the pandemic is going in each of our local communities, our evolving understanding of how long vaccination protection lasts, and whether wealthy nations like the United States step up to assist other nations with their vaccine campaigns while they distribute booster shots at home. So stay informed and aware!
If you and/or your loved ones have yet to get your COVID-19 vaccine (including the newly FDA-fully approved Pfizer vaccine!), here’s how to get vaccinated today to protect yourself, your loved ones, and your communities. Thank you for doing your part by getting vaccinated!
-For kids under the age of 12: As of August 24, 2021, no COVID-19 vaccine is authorized in the United States for kids under 12 years old. However, several vaccines are in the process of testing and headed for authorization, so stay tuned for further developments!
-For folks in Minnesota: Visit vaccineconnector.mn.gov to get your vaccine today!
-For folks in the United States: Visit vaccines.gov to get your vaccine today!
Sources:
AP, “Citing vaccine inequality, WHO head argues against booster shots”, Al Jazeera, 23 Aug 2021. https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2021/8/23/citing-vaccine-inequality-who-head-argues-against-booster-shots. Accessed 24 Aug 2021.
CDC, “COVID-19 Vaccinations in the United States”, CDC, 23 August, 2021. https://covid.cdc.gov/covid-data-tracker/#vaccinations_vacc-total-admin-rate-total. Accessed 24 Aug 2021.
Gale, Jason, “Are Covid Shots Working? What the Real World Tells Us”, Bloomberg, 30 July 2021. https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2021-07-30/are-covid-shots-working-what-the-real-world-tells-us-quicktake. Accessed 24 Aug 2021.
Huang, Pien, Lupkin, Sydney, Wroth, Carmel, “COVID Booster Shots Are Coming. Here’s What You Need to Know”, NPR, 19 Aug 2021. https://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2021/08/19/1028594715/covid-booster-shots-are-coming-heres-what-you-need-to-know. Accessed 24 Aug 2021.
Ledford, Heidi, “Six months of COVID vaccines: what 1.7 billion doses have taught scientists”, Nature, 4 June 2021. https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-021-01505-x. Accessed 24 Aug 2021.
Minnesota COVID-19 Response, “Vaccine Data”, Minnesota COVID-19 Response, 19 Aug 2021. https://mn.gov/covid19/vaccine/data/index.jsp. Accessed 24 Aug 2021.
Rouw, Anna, Wexler, Adam, Kates, Jennifer, and Michaud, Josh, “Tracking Global COVID-19 Vaccine Equity”, Kaiser Family Foundation, 21 July 2021. https://www.kff.org/coronavirus-covid-19/issue-brief/tracking-global-covid-19-vaccine-equity/. Accessed 24 Aug 2021.
Sakay, Yasemin Nicola, “Here’s How Well COVID-19 Vaccines Work Against the Delta Variant”, Healthline, 13 Aug 2021. https://www.healthline.com/health-news/heres-how-well-covid-19-vaccines-work-against-the-delta-variant. Accessed 24 Aug 2021.
Salzman, Sony, “How long will your COVID-19 vaccine last? And when will you need a booster?” ABC News, 17 Aug 2021. https://abcnews.go.com/Health/long-covid-19-vaccine-booster/story?id=79430314. Accessed 24 Aug 2021.
Shivaram, Deepak, “Why Pfizer’s FDA Approval Matters And What It Means For Vaccine Mandates”, NPR, 24 Aug 2021. https://www.npr.org/sections/coronavirus-live-updates/2021/08/24/1030267314/pfizer-vaccine-covid-fda-approval-kids-faq-mandate. Accessed 26 Aug 2021.
Stone, Will, Aubrey, Allison, and Palca, Joe, “A Shot Against COVID For Kids Under 12 – Your Questions Answered”, NPR, 18 Aug 2021. https://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2021/08/18/1027035486/covid-vaccine-children-under-12-your-questions-answered. Accessed 24 Aug 2021.
We Can Do This, “Addressing COVID-19 Vaccine Misconceptions”, We Can Do This, 16 July 2021. https://wecandothis.hhs.gov/outreach-tools/addressing-covid-19-vaccine-misconceptions. Accessed 24 Aug 2021.
Keep an eye out for future installments of our Pandemic Progress Update series!
& check out our special New Narratives podcast episode “COVID-19 Community Vaccination Stories, #WeCanDoThis” to hear from Minnesotan Asian youth on their vaccination experiences. Listen on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts!