Editor,
Perspective is imperative, from a variety of viewpoints, hence I pen The COVID Vaccine – A Physician’s Perspective.
Earlier today, I received my second dose of the COVID – 19 vaccine and in staying afterwards for observation, I had 20 minutes to myself to think, a rare opportunity for a few moments of total quiet.
My mind is usually multitasking, as it has from my industrious younger years, but not this morning.
I reflected on the many earthly lives lost to this virus and the loved ones that remained behind to remember them, including those that have touched me in some way. Why am I here at 8 a.m. on a Sunday morning for a vaccine? ‘Does it work, is it safe, what are the alternatives, will it make a difference,’ I thought to myself. Questions like this are commonplace in the office and, now, I am asking them.
No vaccine is 100 percent effective-they never have been-but the data, so far, on this one is pretty good. World-class, dedicated, qualified scientists put their heads together and created it.
The unvarnished truth is that this vaccine was developed in record time and the safety profile is favorable. There is always a risk when taking a vaccine or any biological, and any medication. Weighing the potential risks and benefits is an individual responsibility. The scales are tipped in favor of the benefits on this one, in my mind.
Alternatives? Few. This is a public health emergency and our tools are limited. What would I do if I came upon a person in a parking lot in cardiopulmonary arrest? I don’t carry my defibrillator with me. I would use the tools and skills available to me at the time. Medical emergency 101: use what you have and make the best of it.
Saving one life is making a difference. Checked that box. As their doctor, I am with many good people on a regular basis. They, in turn, are with others in their day to day lives. I must stay healthy to be of service to them and I don’t want to be a source of spread.
Vaccine supply remains a limiting factor, but that will improve. Public health and other authorities are working feverishly to move that needle forward and your first responders, nurses, doctors, and other health care professionals are sacrificing much to fight this invader. Believe that.
Local health districts are a good source of coordinated information. Stay connected with them and rely on them.
There is sunshine at the end of this dark tunnel and I believe we will get there sooner with vaccination.
With respect,
Peter J. Kambelos, M.D., F.A.C.P.
Dr. Kambelos is a Green Township Internal Medicine Specialist and a Pierce Township Trustee
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