With 2020 coming to an end, some things are just getting started. Thankfully, a vaccine for the coronavirus is making its way to the public. On Tuesday (Dec. 29), Vice President elect Kamala Harris received her first dose of the Moderna Covid-19 vaccine live on camera
in Washington, DC, and urged everyone else to do the same. Harris' vaccination came a week after President-elect Joe Biden received his on live on national television. According to CNN, Harris' vaccine was administered by Patricia Cummings, a clinical nurse manager at United Medical Center.
After the Vice President-elect had her treatment she said, “That was easy...Thank you. I barely felt it. It is relatively painless. I trust the scientists. And it is the scientists who created and approved this vaccine. So I urge everyone, when it is your turn, get vaccinated."
If you're still not convinced on taking the coronavirus vaccine despite witnessing both Kamala Harris and President-elect Joe Biden take it, there are more credible resources to review who attest to the vaccine's safety and effectiveness.
Dr. Chris T. Pernell, a public health doctor and administrator at University Hospital in Newark, shared that she decided to advocate for the vaccine to honor her father Timothy Pernell who passed in April of this year due to Covid-19.
Dr. Chris T. Pernell spoke with American attorney and television host Eboni K. Williams during an interview on Revolt TV Black News, sharing that she believes this vaccine is "ethical".
“I’m aware of Tuskegee, I’m aware of Henrietta lack, I’m aware of Mississippi appendectomy, I’m aware of enslaved black women objected to surgery with anesthesia. But I knew that this opportunity was being done according to ethical guidelines...consent was upheld.”
According to the Washington Post, across men and women of all ages, Black patients are 37% more likely to die than Whites. Across all age groups: men are 64% more likely to die than women.
Eboni K. Williams also spoke with Dr. Bernard B. Ashby during the interview on Revolt Black News.
Dr. Bernard Ashby is a vascular cardiologist and professor in Miami Florida. Last Wednesday, Ashby shared a live video on Twitter of him also taking the COVID-19 vaccine.
“Because black folks get inferior treatment when it comes to quality...we were a total set up to die at a higher clip from this...Urban hospitals are low on resources, low on staff ...folks were just dying in hallways, their rooms...with no close monitoring.”
In the closing statement of the interview, Williams asked, "What I'm hearing both of you esteemed medical professionals tell me is that it is in the best interest of Black America to avail ourselves to the science and to these vaccines as they become both verified and available. Is that accurate?"
Both Dr. Chris T. Pernell and Dr. Bernard B. Ashby agreed.
Currently, it is not mandatory to receive the COVID-19 vaccine, but the C.D.C (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) states that the vaccination will help protect you from getting COVID-19. You may have some side effects, which are normal signs that your body is building protection. These side effects may affect your ability to do daily activities, but they should go away in a few days.
Gayes, will you take the vaccine? Watch the full interview here. (Start: 16:30)