The United States, along with the rest of the world, is well into the second year of the Coronavirus pandemic. And the question on everyone's mind is, are we getting back to normal yet?
I'm one of those Americans who didn't hesitate when my turn came up to be vaccinated. It's been over a month since receiving my second Pfizer shot at Hattiesburg's Lake Terrace Convention Center, so I'm fully vaccinated.
The vaccination process at Lake Terrace didn't get enough attention but I must acknowledge how easy it was. Making an appointment involved a simple online process where you choose your location and scheduled your day and time in one session.
As soon as I drove into the convention center in March, signs guided me through the stops — identification, a brief medical questionnaire, and then the jab — all while never leaving my car.
Credit is due to the Trump administration for the speed with which the vaccines were developed. Operation Warp Speed did just that, as American pharmaceutical companies announced the development of their COVID-19 vaccines months before Trump left office. The former president and first lady Melania Trump received their vaccinations before leaving the White House.
Still, many of his supporters are suspicious of getting the shots. To be fair, by smaller numbers, some Democrats are also hesitant about receiving the vaccine.
A CBS poll conducted in April showed that 47% of those polled who identified as Trump supporters said they're not interested in getting the COVID-19 vaccine at all, while 10% of Biden supporters say the same. These days, seems we find a way to put a political spin on just about everything. Does that now include whether we want ourselves and others to stay healthy and alive?
I get it. Some people are wary of the speed with which the vaccines were developed, and reported glitches in the Johnson & Johnson vaccine certainly didn't help.
Still, vaccinating a high percentage of the U.S. population against COVID-19 is essential to finally curbing the pandemic, bringing us to "herd immunity," a phrase you've surely heard by now. What exactly does it mean?
Herd immunity against a particular disease occurs when a large percentage of a community, that is "the herd", becomes immune. That makes person-to-person spread of the disease much less likely, as the entire community becomes protected.
The percentage of a population vaccinated needed to achieve herd immunity varies. The more contagious a disease, the greater percentage of a population is needed to reach herd immunity and stop the spread. Right now, the biggest obstacle to our reaching herd immunity for COVID-19 may be vaccine hesitancy, another phrase you've probably been hearing a lot.
Some people shun the vaccine for several reasons. Those range from fear of possible side-effects to skepticism about its benefits. And considering the times we live in, many refuse the vaccine for political reasons. These people have come to be known as “anti-vaxxers.”
Here's the bad news, though. If we stay below the herd immunity threshold, COVID-19 may continue to proliferate, infecting millions more Americans and, most probably, leading to many more deaths. Worse, continued spread gives the virus opportunity to mutate, evolving into even more virulent, vaccine-resistant strains, prolonging how long the virus stays with us.
As of May 9, more than 257 million doses of the vaccine have been administered in the U.S., since mid-December. As of May 6, more than 108.9 million Americans — 32.8% of the population, had been fully vaccinated, according to government records.
Sadly, the numbers are lower for us here in Mississippi. As of May 9, just 25.1% of our state's adult population has been fully vaccinated.
Locally, according to the Mississippi State Department of Health, numbers are much better in Lamar County, with about 32% of its population fully vaccinated.
Forrest County is substantially lower, at only 21%, a full 10 percentage points below the national average. We need to do better, Forrest County.
Nationally, at the beginning, there were long lines of Americans eager to get their COVID-19 vaccinations. But here's where the news gets less encouraging. The number of daily vaccinations is slowing. We're getting into that vaccine-hesitant group, including those who refuse to get the vaccination altogether. And it's that vaccine hesitancy that may be standing in the way of our return to normalcy.
The COVID-19 vaccines are highly effective in protecting against severe illness brought on by the disease, those requiring hospitalization, and that may lead to death, especially for more vulnerable members of our population.
Will we ever get there, to herd immunity? The short answer is yes and, of course, we hope it happens sooner rather than later.
President Biden has set an ambitious goal, that is, to have 70% of Americans vaccinated with at least one shot by July 4th, a percentage widely recognized by medical experts as necessary to reach herd immunity.
We all have a role to play in reaching that goal. The more people vaccinated, the less opportunity the COVID-19 will have to spread or mutate, creating those more vaccine-resistant strains.
Think of it as being in a race between infection and injection. The fastest way to win the race? It's for each of us to do our parts in the weeks ahead to keep the virus in check. Continue to wear your masks for now. Keep on social distancing. Avoid higher-risk indoor gatherings with crowds. Don't forget to wash your hands frequently. And, oh yeah, most importantly, get yourself vaccinated.
As for Mississippi, statewide, we may be behind the rest of the country but it's time for us to play catch up. A return to our normal lives is waiting.
Are we there yet? Almost.
Elijah Jones is a proud Hattiesburg native who enjoys writing. Email him: edjhubtown@aol.com.
