HJAR Mar/Apr 2021

HEALTHCARE JOURNAL OF ARKANSAS I  MAR / APR 2021 37 José R. Romero, MD Secretary Arkansas Department of Health THIS will be important in protecting not only themselves but also their families, friends and communities. Some people may be hesitant to get the vaccine because it is new; however, it is critical Arkansans know the COVID-19 vaccines are safe and effective. Healthcare workers play an important role in addressing the public’s concerns, and there are resources to help. The Arkansas Department of Health (ADH) received its first shipment of the vaccine on Dec. 14 and within hours gave its first doses to front-line workers at the ADH headquarters in Little Rock. The vaccines require two doses given three or four weeks apart. There are a limited number of vaccines available to the state, so there has been a struggle to get enough vaccine for all persons age 16 years or older who want it. Arkansas receives more vaccines each week, and they are made available all over the state. Additional vaccines may also be authorized. Until then, vaccines will continue to be given out in phases that started with healthcare workers, long- term care residents and workers and first responders. The state has since expanded its list of whomay receive a vaccine as supplies have allowed. Remember, it will take months to receive enough supply to vaccinate every adult who wants to receive it. COVID-19 vaccines for children are currently being studied. One important step is to make sure persons receiving the vaccine have the correct information in front of them to help decide whether to get the vaccine or not. Before vaccinations began, the available vaccines had to go through robust safety reviews and clinical trials. The data from those clinical trials have been carefully reviewed, and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) signed off on recommendations that found them to be both safe and highly effective with no significant safety concerns identified. The FDA and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) continue to closely monitor vaccine safety. Each person who receives a vaccine will be given a fact sheet with detailed information about the vaccine. Getting a vaccine will not cause a person to get sick with COVID-19. The vaccine will simply teach a person’s immune system how to recognize and fight the virus that causes COVID-19. This process sometimes will cause symptoms like fever, but this is normal and a sign that the body is building protection against the virus that causes COVID-19. It typically takes a few weeks for the body to build immunity after vaccination. COVID-19 can still spread even as vaccinations are administered in the state. People must continue to wear face coverings, maintain physical distance around others, avoid gatherings with people from outside their household, and wash their hands frequently. Not only is the COVID-19 vaccine safe, but it is also effective.The first two vaccines to be authorized — Pfizer-BioNTech andModerna — have been shown to be about 95% effective in preventing COVID-19 disease in adults. Of the 5% of people who received the vaccine in the clinical studies and still got sick, their symptoms were milder. The vaccine is 100% effective in preventing people from getting a severe case that could lead to hospitalization or even death. People who have already been infected with COVID-19 may also benefit from getting the vaccine. It is not yet known how long natural immunity to COVID-19 lasts, and it is also not yet known how long the immunity provided by the vaccine will last. This added protection is important, because, while no one wants to be sick to begin with, there is also still a lot to learn about the long-term effects of COVID-19. Early studies show COVID-19 causes inflammation to the heart muscle no matter how sick a person is. There has also been a growing number of recovered patients who experienced some type of heart damage even if they did not have underlying heart disease and were not sick enough to be hospitalized. Getting the vaccine is not only important in protecting people but also in helping lower the stress to the state’s health care system. That system has already been affected by its response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Healthcare workers who receive the vaccine are encouraged to share their story with others to help lessen the fear of getting the vaccine. There are also resources available to help. TheADH and other health organizations in the state have worked to create easy-to-understand materials about the vaccine along with vaccine workshops. There are materials available in both English and Spanish. The CDC also has similar materials available as well on both COVID-19 and the vaccine. For more information, visit https://www. healthy.arkansas.gov/programs-services/ topics/covid-19-vaccination-plan. n