Why are we letting misinformation about COVID put our children at risk?
On Aug. 23, I was saddened by news from hospitals in Kentucky. Over the past weekend, eight people died from COVID-19 at Ephraim McDowell hospital in Danville. Those in the ICU there with complications from COVID-19 were unvaccinated and fighting for their lives. In Morehead there was no ICU space left; medical staff are pushed to the limits. This is a moment of deep sadness because all this is preventable. Right now, we are not fighting against “manipulated hospital statistics,” “governmental deception,” or “corporate greed.” We are fighting to stop the spread of an unpredictable virus to the children of the commonwealth. If you are an adult and unvaccinated, you decided what is best for you. Children do not have that freedom and even though a small percentage of children end up in the hospital and an even smaller number die from COVID-19 complications, one death of a child is tragic, especially one that is preventable.
As a scientist and health care provider, I struggle with how many people in this commonwealth act on misinformation. To be sure, all of us have dealt with changing recommendations and almost daily discoveries of new information about COVID-19. The uncertainties of science are playing out in front of us, and we seek to know what is true so that we can be safe. Robert Greene said: “the need for certainty is the greatest disease the mind faces.” We live with uncertainties about COVID-19 and want the safe path for ourselves, our families, and our friends.
One thing that is certain is people are dying right now from COVID-19 complications and almost all of them chose to be unvaccinated. Whether or not to be vaccinated is fueled by multiple factors. One of the main issues among those who refuse vaccinations is misinformation directed to their attention. My wife is a family nurse practitioner who has spent hours responding to patients, friends, and family members about things they have heard and read about vaccines. One example is the statement that “over 6,000 people have died from the COVID-19 vaccines.” The Center for Disease Control (CDC) reported on August 17, 2021, that 6,789 deaths have occurred following COVID-19 vaccinations, but these deaths have not, and I repeat, have not, been linked to the vaccinations themselves as the full report from CDC noted. Review of medical records has not shown a causal relationship between vaccinations and death. Yet, even after my wife carefully pointed out the misinterpretation of saying that “6,000 people have died from vaccination,” this statement was repeated by her friend several days later. We can thank multiple sources for our current climate of mistrust, but how do we move forward and protect our children now? What should we expect our leaders to be modeling? One of my favorite sayings is “listen to the talk but trust the behavior”. When leaders won’t wear masks when in crowds during this Delta variant outbreak, why should anyone else?
One way forward starts by using multiple sources to check information and not relying on one newsfeed or website. Don’t forward information to others unless you have read the original research article and made your own informed decision. Second, put your beliefs clearly on the table for yourself and others; read views that are different from your own — be careful of feeding yourself information that confirms your own view. COVID-19 vaccines save lives…these outcomes are not political…it is the unvaccinated who are dying in our hospitals. Finally, accept that some uncertainties are inevitable in this life. An mRNA COVID-19 vaccination has fewer side effects and fewer risks than getting infected by COVID-19. How can we stop this fourth wave and minimize a fifth wave or the effects of a new variant that may likely emerge the longer this pandemic goes on? Get vaccinated. Let’s work together to help our children’s futures now by increasing our vaccination rate and modeling behaviors like wearing a good mask when in public.
Charles R. Carlson, Ph.D., ABPP is the Robert Wood Johnson Scholar and Emeritus Professor at the University of Kentucky.
This story was originally published August 25, 2021 at 11:18 AM.