{"id":1377,"date":"2021-05-13T17:49:55","date_gmt":"2021-05-13T17:49:55","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/wordpress.thetruthtoledo.com\/?p=1377"},"modified":"2021-05-13T17:49:55","modified_gmt":"2021-05-13T17:49:55","slug":"doctors-urge-americans-to-rely-on-the-science","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/wordpress.thetruthtoledo.com\/index.php\/2021\/05\/13\/doctors-urge-americans-to-rely-on-the-science\/","title":{"rendered":"Doctors Urge Americans to Rely on the Science"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"\"
Dr. Marcella Nunez-Smith<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

By Fletcher Word
\nSojourner\u2019s Truth Editor<\/p>\n

\u201cLet us not pass up the opportunity to benefit from science,\u201d said Dr. Marcella Nunez-Smith during last week\u2019s virtual press conference that brought together numerous black-owned newspapers from around the country with several members of the White House Task Force on COVID-19.<\/p>\n

Dr. Nunez-Smith and her colleague, Dr. Cameron Webb, were invited by the National Newspaper Press Association President and CEO Benjamin Chavis, PhD, to speak with the black press about the impact of the several available vaccines on the African-American community and what the Biden Administration and the community at large can do to overcome vaccine hesitancy.<\/p>\n

Dr. Nunez-Smith is associate professor of medicine and epidemiology at Yale University\u2019s School of Medicine and the chairman of the White House COVID-19 Equity Task Force. Dr. Webb is an assistant professor of medicine and public health science at the University of Virginia\u2019s School of Medicine and a senior policy advisor for the Task Force.<\/p>\n

Nunez-Smith opened the discussion by responding to an inquiry about the causes of vaccine hesitancy among the nation\u2019s Black population. She divided the concerns into two time frames \u2013 historic issues and contemporary experiences.<\/p>\n

The famous Tuskegee Experiment falls into the historic time frame she said, while an ongoing \u201clevel of skepticism\u201d fits into the contemporary experience. \u201cWe are eager to provide facts,\u201d she noted of the Task Force\u2019s challenge.<\/p>\n

Dr. Webb spoke of three issues \u2013 the three \u201cC\u2019s\u201d in the framework of vaccine hesitancy: complacency \u2013 \u201cI\u2019m not going to get the vaccine;\u201d confidence \u2013 \u201cis it safe and efficacious?\u201d and convenience \u2013 whether there is real access to the shot.<\/p>\n

To determine why a person has yet to receive a vaccine, \u201cwe should start the conversation by asking \u2018why are you still in a wait and see mode?\u2019\u201d said Dr. Webb.<\/p>\n

\"\"
Dr. Cameron Webb<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

While vaccine hesitancy has started to dissipate to some degree in the black population compared to some other groups, the numbers indicate that there is quite an issue getting the vaccines into black arms. According to Dr. Webb, in those instances where the breakdown of vaccines by ethnic groups are known, only nine percent of shots have gone into black arms, only 12 percent into Hispanic arms. However, said Dr. Webb, such information has not been provided for about 40 percent of those vaccinated.<\/p>\n

If the Biden Administration\u2019s goal is to see that 70 percent of the population is fully vaccinated by July 4, how can Americans help their fellow Americans reach that goal, the doctors were asked.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s about getting everyone in our social network vaccinated,\u201d said Dr. Nunez-Smith. \u201cYou have to see people you know.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWe have to emphasize what is misinformation and disinformation,\u201d said Dr. Webb. Disinformation, he described as deliberate distortion of facts and science which evolves into a mass spread of misinformation.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe have to understand what\u2019s true and real,\u201d he said. \u201cThe science bears out that these vaccines are effective.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Pfizer and Moderna vaccines are based on the m-RNA science and the Johnson and Johnson vaccine relies on viral vector science. Both sciences \u201cteach the body how to recognize the threat of the virus without introducing the actual virus into the body,\u201d said Dr. Webb.<\/p>\n

This science, which has been in development for decades, is dramatically different from the vaccines, such as the smallpox vaccine, which have been in existence for several centuries.<\/p>\n

Traditionally, vaccines have introduced into the body a bit of the virus in hopes that the body will fight off the small amount and develop an immunity.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe date on the 105 million fully vaccinated tells us how safe these vaccines are,\u201d said Dr. Webb.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe processes are transparent,\u201d said Dr. Nunez-Smith. \u201cThere was a diverse representation of scientists as part of that process. Please go to people you trust for information \u2013 seek voices you know who have your best interest at heart.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By Fletcher Word Sojourner\u2019s Truth Editor \u201cLet us not pass up the opportunity to benefit from science,\u201d said Dr. Marcella Nunez-Smith during last week\u2019s virtual press conference that brought together numerous black-owned newspapers from around the country with several members of the White House Task Force on COVID-19. Dr. Nunez-Smith and her colleague, Dr. Cameron […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[],"wf_post_folders":[54],"class_list":["post-1377","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-health"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/wordpress.thetruthtoledo.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1377","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/wordpress.thetruthtoledo.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/wordpress.thetruthtoledo.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/wordpress.thetruthtoledo.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/wordpress.thetruthtoledo.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1377"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"http:\/\/wordpress.thetruthtoledo.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1377\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1380,"href":"http:\/\/wordpress.thetruthtoledo.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1377\/revisions\/1380"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/wordpress.thetruthtoledo.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1377"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/wordpress.thetruthtoledo.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1377"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/wordpress.thetruthtoledo.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1377"},{"taxonomy":"wf_post_folders","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/wordpress.thetruthtoledo.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/wf_post_folders?post=1377"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}