Get your COVID vaccine. Be proactive. Protect yourself and your family!

COVID Vaccine Line

By Dr. Veita Bland

February 25, 2021 3:05PM
Dr. Veita Bland
Veita Bland

As I start to write this article, the number of Americans that have died from COVID-19 now tops 370,000, a number that I cannot wrap my brain around and truly causes me intense pain. We are losing 3,000 people a day. We are hearing across the country that hospital capacity is at its limit. We do not have the beds for all these ill people, but they keep coming and coming and coming. The activities of the holidays have come back to haunt us. Was it really worth getting together with family and friends and then going through this? There lies a question for the soul.

There is indeed light at the end of the tunnel with the vaccines that have been developed. These vaccines offer a chance at normalcy returning. These vaccines offer a chance at being able to see your family again, going out to shop without fear, going on trips, hugging a friend, just getting together to talk, or going back to worship ― all things that were part of the normal everyday life that were stolen away by COVID-19, things that we could again enjoy only if we tame this pandemic.

The way to tame the pandemic is to, of course, wear a mask, wash your hands, practice distancing and lastly getting your COVID-19 vaccination. It is estimated that we need to get 70 percent of the people vaccinated to accomplish herd immunity.

To say the least, we have had some difficulty in getting the vaccine but with any new procedure, that happens, and we are working through these. The logistics will be worked out. The supply will be there. The demand is high but is it high enough. We have heard many times how the available slots for giving the vaccines are taken up quickly. That response has been encouraging. What has been discouraging is to hear the number of people who refuse to get vaccinated.

We are seeing critical health workers who truly need to be protected refuse to get the vaccine. We are seeing people who fall in the highest risk categories refuse to get the vaccine. When asked why, many have no real reason. Others say they saw videos online that speak of conspiracies to take over their bodies. Finally, there are people who feel they developed the vaccine too quickly for it to be any good.

For those who have no reason, please speak to a trusted medical professional, your healthcare provider that knows and cares for you. See what they have to say.

For those who believe that the vaccine will place little entities in your body that will tell where you are and control you, please stop and think about that again. Know your smart phone is already doing a lot of that. Why does someone want to know where you are and control you?

For those who feel the vaccine was developed to quickly, understand that this technology is over 20 years old. How wonderful that we had this technology when we needed it.

Remember if you really want your freedom back there is a price to pay. Get your COVID-19 vaccine. Be proactive. Remember you are not just protecting yourself, you are protecting your family and reclaiming your life. For those that I know very well I will be very blunt. Don’t be stupid, get the vaccine.

Dr. Veita Bland is a board-certified Greensboro physician and hypertension specialist. Dr. Bland’s radio show, “It’s a Matter of Your Health,” can be heard live on Wednesdays, 5:30 p.m. on N.C. A&T State University’s WNAA, 90.1 FM. Listeners may call in and ask questions. The show is replayed on Sirius 142 at 5 p.m. on Wed. Email Dr. Bland at ideas@blandclinicpa.com.

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