Many people still oppose the coronavirus vaccination; they use different arguments to support their opinions. The greatest doubt among those who do not want to be vaccinated is a lack of confidence in the vaccine’s safety. Some individuals believe that virtually everyone who is vaccinated is, in fact, a test subject. Suspicion is fueled by the requirement to sign a waiver of any claims related to the vaccine effects. People are beginning to suspect that the authorities are simply refusing to take responsibility for a vital matter. The effectiveness of the vaccine is perhaps the second most crucial issue. Various research and health organizations say that those who are vaccinated have a significantly reduced risk of contracting COVID-19 (U.S. Department of Health & Human Services, 2021; Wainwright, 2021). They claim that the disease is much milder and less fatal if they are infected. However, many people have examples from their relatives, co-workers, or even from their own experience, where vaccinated people get just as sick. Besides, the course of the disease was as severe as in unvaccinated people.
Earlier, it was claimed that only unvaccinated people were carriers of the disease, but later, it was recognized that vaccinated people were also carriers and were at risk of infection. For this reason, the authorities of many countries refuse to override current restrictions and return to the previous mode of operation. In addition, unvaccinated people are admitted to hospitals and those who have been given the vaccine are. This fact again leads many to doubt the effectiveness of vaccine testing. Many people are convinced that the government manipulates data through controlled media. They are exacerbating the situation of COVID-19, appealing to data on morbidity and mortality from the coronavirus (Annaka, 2021). However, there is very little information about other diseases and their mortality statistics. At the same time, there are cuts in the healthcare system since, during the pandemic, an extraordinary amount of resources was spent.
Amid controversy about the effectiveness of vaccination, scientists hold the position that it does help protect against coronavirus. However, it does not entirely eliminate the risk of getting sick. Although immunity to the coronavirus weakens for some time after vaccination, protection against the severe course of the disease remains strong. In addition, those who have been vaccinated are 25 times less likely to be hospitalized with severe illness or to die (McCallum, 2021). Because vaccination can significantly reduce the risk of contracting the coronavirus, it also protects against long-term effects associated with COVID-19. Therefore, those who are not vaccinated are more likely to develop these symptoms.
The United States has not yet been able to deal with the aftermath of the pandemic – the country has the highest number of COVID-19 cases and deaths. The delta strain spreads very rapidly, leading to a dramatic increase in morbidity. Journalists of several periodicals believe that the Trump administration initially sought to shift responsibility for combating the pandemic to state authorities. The media also noted the lack of a unified position among representatives of the current administration on the threat of the further spread of the coronavirus.
COVID-19 has been misunderstood in the U.S. for some time as influenza, making it difficult to detect infection early. The U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services warned of the potential severity of the pandemic as early as January 18, 2020, but the White House ignored it. From late January until late March, the White House ignored warnings from WHO and continued to act slowly, leading to a rapid pandemic spread across the country. With the most advanced medical system in the world, the United States failed to prevent and control the epidemic early and paid little attention to it, harming the health of the American people. In doing so, the world was unable to use U.S. best practices in prevention, control, and treatment, and the global capacity to deal with the pandemic was severely compromised.
While most countries imposed strict preventive measures during the pandemic, the U.S. maintained a policy of non-intervention. Some basic steps, including mask-wearing, social distancing, and self-isolation, have not become common in American society. The lack of timely isolation measures hastened the pandemic spread across the United States. In addition, the U.S. military overseas broke prevention rules, accelerating the spread of the virus. Although the pandemic continues to rage worldwide, the U.S. refuses to lift sanctions on certain countries for geopolitical reasons. This makes it difficult for these states to access medicine and humanitarian aid, limiting their ability to contain the virus.
At the same time, the U.S. pioneered recombinant virus research and has unrivaled potential in this field. The U.S.’s numerous research centers have also funded and conducted more coronavirus research than was executed in any other country. As part of the fight against COVID-19, innovators at U.S. universities are developing masks that detect and provide protection against the coronavirus. In addition, together with foreign partners, the U.S. is providing international assistance to help rebuild the economy after the COVID-19 pandemic (U.S. Department of State, 2020). These measures taken by U.S. leaders during the pandemic can be considered adequate.
To date, Dexamethasone is the only drug whose efficacy in treating COVID-19 has been recognized by the World Health Organization. This drug belongs to the corticosteroid group; it reduces mortality among ventilator-bound and severely symptomatic patients. At the beginning of the pandemic, there were high hopes for Hydroxychloroquine. However, they were not justified – taking this drug did not improve the condition of COVID-19 patients.
There are ambiguous reports published about many of the drugs used. Some studies prove the efficacy of some of them, while others disprove it. For example, in the treatment of coronavirus, a drug such as Tocilizumab is used to fight inflammation. There is no conclusive evidence yet of its effectiveness against COVID-19. Still, some countries are planning to use Tocilizumab and Sarilumab to treat COVID-19 patients in intensive care in the near future. The lack of WHO approval of many drugs provokes a debate about their safety for human health, so the issue of treating coronavirus remains controversial.
Of note is the fact that Biden’s vaccine mandate reveals a partisan divide in the United States. Democrats are overwhelmingly for it, while most Republicans are against it. This split demonstrates how controversial the issue of compulsory vaccination in the U.S. remains. Many are convinced that the government has no right to impose mandates on the American people and businesses. They believe that because Congress is exempt from vaccination, it is hard to support such a decision. However, this is easily explained by the fact that Biden’s decree applies to the executive branch, while Congress is the legislative branch. Nevertheless, many people believe that the mandate is excessive and infringes on the individual rights of citizens.
References
Annaka S. (2021). Political regime, data transparency, and COVID-19 death cases. SSM – Population Health, 15, 1-7. Web.
McCallum, K. (2021). Can you still get COVID-19 if you’re fully-vaccinated? Houston Methodist. Web.
U.S. Department of Health & Human Services. (2021). CDC COVID-19 study shows mRNA vaccines reduce risk of infection by 91 percent for fully vaccinated people.Web.
U.S. Department of State. (2020). Foreign assistance for coronavirus (COVID-19). Web.
Wainwright, R. (2021). No, vaccinated people are not ‘just as infectious’ as unvaccinated people if they get COVID. The Conversation. Web.