Editorials
OK, the vaccine now has full FDA approval. Why are you still hesitant? | Editorial
The Food and Drug Administration was a go-to reason — or scapegoat — for many people hesitant to receive a COVID-19 vaccine.
“If the vaccine is not FDA-approved, why are they passing it around?” asked a respondent to a call-out by the Herald Editorial Board asking people why they didn’t want to receive a shot.
Things changed on Monday when the Pfizer vaccine finally received full approval by the federal agency. That means enough data demonstrated that the vaccine, which until then was under emergency authorization, is safe and effective for most people and that the FDA reviewed and approved the vaccine’s manufacturing process and facilities.
This assurance from an agency that analyzed data from 40,000 clinical-trial participants should convince vaccine skeptics, right?
Maybe not enough to convince rally-goers in Alabama who jeered when Donald Trump recommended they get vaccinated over the weekend. But for those who aren’t anti-vaxxers — the Editorial Board believes some of the unvaccinated aren’t necessarily anti-science — this will show whether there’s anything that will change their minds or whether misinformation is more powerful than the FDA’s rigorous process.
Some people will agree with Miami Lakes Mayor Manny Cid and believe FDA approval “is going to have a great impact on folks that are still hesitant.” Cid, who was hesitant about the vaccine until he finally got his shot in July, spoke about his experience during a “Speaking of Miami” panel hosted by the Editorial Board on Aug. 12.
We’re not as hopeful.
Not persuaded
The Editorial Board followed up with some of the people who answered our call-out. Of the four people who responded on Monday, all said they hadn’t changed their minds.
“I don’t care if it’s approved or not, because they can’t guarantee the outcome of the shot in 5 to 10 years,” wrote Edward Minck. “So if I can’t travel or go to any restaurants, concerts or venues, so be it, but I’m not a test dummy for them.”
This is disheartening because people who opt not to get a shot are overwhelming hospitals and filling up beds that could be used for others in need of care. We’re in trouble if this small sample of people is representative of a significant portion of the more than 4.4 million adults in Florida who haven’t been vaccinated.
We hope they aren’t. But just in case, state and local leaders should start thinking of an alternative to drive up vaccination rates.
With the amount of misinformation about vaccines, the only thing that might have a large impact on vaccination rates are employer vaccine mandates. Some have already taken the lead, such as Baptist Health of South Florida, the region’s largest healthcare organization, Nicklaus Children’s Hospital in the South Miami area, Holy Cross Hospital in Fort Lauderdale and the Department of Veterans Affairs.
Employers crack down
Final FDA approval should provide the needed push for more employers to join. Hours after the FDA announcement, the Pentagon said it would accelerate plans to mandate vaccination for active-duty troops; companies and universities across the country announced similar plans.
Miami Police Chief Art Acevedo suggested earlier this month that officers may soon be required to get vaccinated, drawing a strong rebuke from the Miami Fraternal Order of Police, which issued a statement saying that it would “be forced to challenge said mandate,” Local10 reported. The union’s argument of “freedom of choice” is hard to defend when, in the past week alone, at least five South Florida police officers died from complications from COVID, and countless more might have been exposed to the virus.
A poll released in late July by the Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research found that 80% of respondents who aren’t vaccinated probably will not get a vaccine or definitely will not, while 16% said they probably will.
Another survey by the Kaiser Family Foundation in June left us more hopeful:
It found that three in 10 unvaccinated people would be persuaded once full FDA approval happened.
If one-third of the unvaccinated change their minds, that’s roughly 1.4 million adults in Florida. These numbers seem overly ambitious. If the fact that more than 200 million doses of the Pfizer vaccine have been administered with mostly no complications, an FDA stamp of approval might not be the game changer that many people anticipate.
Though hope is everlasting, we must do all we can to ensure that COVID is not.
BEHIND OUR REPORTING
What's an editorial?
Editorials are opinion pieces that reflect the views of the Miami Herald Editorial Board, a group of opinion journalists that operates separately from the Miami Herald newsroom. Miami Herald Editorial Board members are: Nancy Ancrum, editorial page editor; Amy Driscoll, deputy editorial page editor; and editorial writers Luisa Yanez and Isadora Rangel. Read more by clicking the arrow in the upper right.
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The Editorial Board, made up of experienced opinion journalists, primarily addresses local and state issues that affect South Florida residents. Each board member has an area of focus, such as education, COVID or local government policy. Board members meet daily and bring up an array of topics for discussion. Once a topic is fully discussed, board members will further report the issue, interviewing stakeholders and others involved and affected, so that the board can present the most informed opinion possible. We strive to provide our community with thought leadership that advocates for policies and priorities that strengthen our communities. Our editorials promote social justice, fairness in economic, educational and social opportunities and an end to systemic racism and inequality. The Editorial Board is separate from the reporters and editors of the Miami Herald newsroom.
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