Transcription:
Importance of Getting the COVID-19 Vaccine

Disclaimer: The medical The medical health information provided during this program is for general information and educational purposes only, and is not a substitute for professional advice. None of the given information is for the purpose of diagnosis or treatment. Neither does this program serve as approval for any health product or brand.

This program aims to enhance your personal health and wellness through the adoption of healthy lifestyles and your prompt presentation to the health professional whenever you suspect that you are ill. For treatment and professional advice ensure you consult your physician.

Melanie Cole (Host): Welcome to say Yes to Good Health with Memorial Hospital. I'm Melanie Cole and we're here today to encourage the community about the importance of getting the COVID-19 vaccine. Joining me is Nancy Huls. She's the Director of Integrity and Medical Staff Services at Memorial Hospital. Nancy, I'm so glad to have you with us today.

So, tell us what's going on in the community right now. Are you seeing awareness of the vaccine or hesitancy? What have you been hearing around town?

Nancy Huls, RN (Guest): So, I do think that there is a small number of people within our community, we have just a little over 35% of people vaccinated in Hancock County. We've actually had an increase in our number of COVID cases over the last few weeks. And we feel like we need to educate the public and try to do the best we can to get our community members vaccinated.

Host: So, what do you want to say to folks that are hesitant or maybe unaware of the efficacy and safety of this vaccine?

Nancy: I think a lot of people are not very sure about the vaccine and how safe it is. I think they feel like it got developed so quickly, then it's probably not going to be safe and they don't know long-term effects. But what they don't always realize is COVID can have long-term effects and you can have long haulers issues, with continued shortness of breath. People have trouble with heart rates, multiple longstanding issues associated with COVID and really the best way to try to save people's lives and get them healthy is to go ahead and take the vaccine.

Host: So you mentioned the long hauler effects. And I think it's important to note that while the vaccine may seem like it was rushed, it really wasn't because that technology, that mRNA has been around a very long time. Hasn't it?

Nancy: That's exactly right. They have many, many people working around the clock to discover these vaccines, do trials, try to do everything they can to try to keep people healthy. And they have really put a lot of effort into that to make sure that everyone gets what they need in quickly.

Host: Well, I think that's just such an important point. And getting COVID is certainly worse than getting a little small shot. We've lost so many people in the state. Tell us a little bit about the vaccines so that people get a lesson in them. Tell us about Moderna and Pfizer, how they differ, or what about J & J? Just tell us what you know about the vaccines as?

Nancy: So, really the efficacy of both Pfizer and Moderna have proven to be very good. They are talking that you know, eventually they may need a booster vaccine associated with them. Johnson & Johnson has been very effective. Also the only bad thing about them is that the Johnson & Johnson does not seem like it is quite as effective with the Delta variant, because we are seeing now a rise in the Delta variant and people are getting sicker. It's spreading much easier than what it was previously and people who are younger, people who don't have comorbidities or very many co-morbidities, it's spreading like crazy and people are getting very ill from it.

Host: Well, they're even calling it the most infectious respiratory condition that we know of right now. I mean, they're likening it to chickenpox in its, you know, infection rates and I've been doing a lot of shows like this and I want you to reiterate or tell the listeners about the Delta variant, just a little bit and how it is transmitted.

Nancy: So, it's mainly transmitted by person to person. And so when someone is coughing or they're sneezing and you are not socially distanced, meaning that you are less than six feet apart without a mask on, it is spreading like crazy from person to person and they may get exposed to the virus and they may not develop symptoms for a couple of days.

So, you don't even know you're sick and you can be passing it to your loved ones; 99% of the people who have died from COVID were non-vaccinated individuals.

Host: That's why they're now calling it the pandemic of the unvaccinated. So, tell us a little bit about people who really truly shouldn't get the vaccine or for whom it may be contraindicated.

Nancy: There are a few people with allergies or, if the provider does not feel like they are a candidate, but even those people who have underlying conditions such as cancer, or, maybe some other reason that they have a lot of health issues, those are the people who really need to get vaccinated because they are more at risk for severe illness associated with hospitalization as well as death.

Host: So, I think a question that a lot of people have Nancy is if they already did have COVID maybe they had it a few months back and they recovered. They were lucky. Do they still need to get vaccinated?

Nancy: Yes. I mean, I, for one, am actually a person who developed COVID. I got COVID from working in the hospital and I actually got very ill. I was able to receive an infusion that helped me try to get better, but unfortunately it went into my lungs and I ended up with COVID pneumonia and I was quite ill for a period of time.

And I'm still suffering from long-term effects associated with COVID. I did go ahead and get my vaccine, and I truly think that's the only way that you are going to help prevent the spread of this. I, for one, saw how sick I got. I'm only 44 years old and literally I couldn't hardly go from the living room to the kitchen because I was so short of breath. And so fatigued and have still continued to suffer with a lot of fatigue and shortness of breath with exertion.

Host: I'm so sorry you went through that. I, for one lost my father and it was, he got COVID and was gone just two days later after the positive test. So, I know how truly devastating this pandemic can be for families. And when people ask you about the vaccine and masks, and I hate to even say this, but it has become politicized public health, but it's so important. What do you tell them? As far as still distancing? Because people are tired, they feel like it's done and they feel like they're over it. What do you want to tell them about masks and still trying to social distance and not just assuming that it's gone because it's not gone.

Nancy: I think a lot of people suffer from fatigue associated with COVID. Everybody's tired of socially distancing. They're ready to move on with their lives. They're ready to travel. They're ready for life to get back to normal as we knew it. Unfortunately, we are not there yet. We are seeing another surge of patients who are sicker, younger and overall, it's truly not over. They are really ill people and they are - a lot of people don't appreciate how sick they can get. I've had more than one patient who ended up in the hospital and said, you know, I really thought that this whole COVID was a joke. It was political. And they said, I really wish I would have realized how sick people actually get.

Host: I've heard that a lot myself and really it is quite scary, but this is such an important episode here that we're doing, such an important show to really get this message out. Now, if someone has had the vaccine, can they still shed the virus because this is another myth that we're hearing that you can still transmit the virus or that the vaccine itself is shedding the virus and can spread it even more.

Nancy: So what it is, is people who get the vaccine, what they can do is they can actually be asymptomatic. So, they may be able to transmit the virus from person to person. And they may not have any symptoms, but, you know, I go to visit Aunt Mary and she hasn't been vaccinated and I could spread it because I'd been around COVID positive people and I may not develop any symptoms, but if I go see Aunt Mary, maybe she'll get it if she has not been vaccinated. So, it spreads very quickly.

Host: So two vaccinated people together. And if one of them did carry the virus, at least the symptoms or the COVID itself might be lessened. Right?

Nancy: Correct. Correct.

Host: I mean, how have you seen that? Have you seen that people are less hospitalized, less sick if they've gotten the vaccine and they do happen to come up with this variant?

Nancy: Absolutely. I know for example, one of my coworkers, her husband ended up with a COVID vaccine and then ended up with COVID afterwards. And I truly believe he was not nearly as ill as he could have been had he not get the vaccine because it could have been a death sentence for him.

Host: Well, it certainly could be for anyone. In the last minute here, before we take a break, what would you like to tell your community, Nancy? You're working, you're in the healthcare field. You're a nurse, you saw COVID firsthand. You know, I'm sure that you've seen people that have passed away and you yourself got very ill with this. So, give us your best advice or your life advice on this pandemic that we're seeing and what you want the community to know.

Nancy: Well, I have to say that this has been the most trying time in my nursing career. I've been a nurse for over 25 years. I have taken care of many people over the years, served in multiple different capacities, from working inpatient and doing hospice for a number of years. And seeing these patients come in and knowing that there's nothing that you could do to help them, and they were going to die. It was just heartbreaking, your neighbors, your friends, your family. It was just devastating to everybody in our community.

Host: Well, I certainly agree. And thank you so much for sharing your story with us. So, let's talk about the vaccine again for a minute. What do we know about the safety and efficacy? So, were safety protocols, and this is a question I've heard a lot, Nancy were safety protocols bypassed to develop this vaccine quickly or not?

Nancy: No. Really when everybody around the world is working day and night to try to develop these vaccines, to try to help prevent the spread of illness and try to make people better. I truly think that a lot of effort went into this and they are a fairly safe vaccine. You know, I think there's a lot of unknowns. We don't know for sure how long the vaccine is going to be effective for, there is a potential that we may need a booster shot eventually to make sure that our immunity stays up higher.

Host: Well, as somebody who was vaccinated and lucky enough not to have any side effects, I mean, we've been vaccinating our kids and there are so many vaccine preventable diseases now, right? I think one of things that I've noticed, Nancy, is that when people discuss this, they're not really thinking about the fact. They say, oh, well, we don't have polio anymore. Well no, we don't because of a vaccination. What about smallpox and measles and chickenpox, mumps? I remember my brother getting mumps as a kid, and now we don't see mumps very much anymore. Right? So speak about vaccines in general and how this is just yet another really great tool in our armamentarium of therapies and things that we can do to prevent deadly disease.

Nancy: Yes, I am a firm believer, anybody that has known somebody who has went through polio, I don't think anybody who sees the long-term effects from those type of illnesses really. How important vaccines have been over the years, getting those immunizations are the key to try to eradicate those illnesses.

Over time, different things have evolved. We have come up with solutions to try to help get these people better. And your COVID vaccine is one of those that also can make a huge difference from people getting very ill or dying.

Host: One of the things that I've noticed that we were kind of spared at the beginning of COVID was that young people were really not getting it so much. It was mostly the disease of the older people like my dad and you know, I mean, one of the rare ones in your forties, but you were a frontline healthcare worker. So now, we're seeing Delta and young people are even dying and some states are seeing way high increases every single day, but we're here in Illinois. So, we're really trying to get this message out. And we're not seeing those increased rates like some states are, but yet we are seeing it rise now. Have you been seeing it in young people and what do you want to tell parents of teenagers that are eligible for this vaccine about that fact and those long haul complications that really could affect a child's life for the rest pf their life.

Nancy: Yeah. I just want to say that people don't appreciate how ill someone can become with COVID, whether you're 20 or you're 50 or you're 80. They can affect everybody slightly different, but in the same way that they get very ill and I truly feel like if we want to have any normalcy back in our lives, I would love to be able to sit down and watch a basketball game or a football game and have my kids go to school and not worrying about being sick or on quarantine.

I truly think that vaccination is one of the key proponents to try and make everybody healthy and better so that we can stop the spread of COVID.

Host: Well, I agree with you completely. And now tell us a little bit about once the adults in the family have been vaccinated, but the littler kids have not. What would you like those families to know about being out and about, about starting to wear masks indoors again, social distancing. Tell us a little bit about those families who either are immunocompromised and couldn't get the vaccine or the adults have been vaccinated, but the little kids haven't.

Nancy: So, even those who - adults who have been vaccinated, the kids are still going to need to probably wear masks for a period of time until this spread slows down or stops. We are seeing an increased number of COVID cases in our county, and we have tightened up our visitor restrictions with people coming to the hospital, as well, as I'm foreseeing in the very near future that we're going to see that in our local restaurants, schools, everywhere that everybody's going to need to start wearing a mask again, regardless of your vaccination status. Because the thing about it is, is those of us who have been vaccinated could potentially be spreading the virus to those non-vaccinated individuals and unknowingly are making them sick.

Host: Well, I think one of the most important things we haven't discussed yet is where and when, how can people get the vaccine? When it first came out, it was really hard to get, you had to get in line, or you had to go on a list or call Walgreens and get on a list. Now, how do we get the vaccine?

Nancy: So, all of our clinics are going to start having the vaccine on hand. So, if you were going in for your physical and you thought, well, you know, I just really, hadn't had a chance to go anywhere to get my vaccine. Yeah, I think maybe I'd like to go ahead and get that. When I go for my doctor's appointment, you can call into the clinic that you are going to be attending and let them know that you are interested. We have Pfizer, Moderna and Johnson & Johnson available for anybody that wants to get their vaccine. And so all you need to do is just call ahead of time and we will have the vaccine ready to go ahead and administer to you. And then we will go ahead and get your next appointment set up for your second vaccination.

Host: So, Moderna and Pfizer need two doses, J & J one, but we don't know yet about boosters. Right? We're going out more of that, I think as the fall comes.

Nancy: I totally agree with you. So, Pfizer is the repeat shot needs to be done at 21 days and Moderna is 28 days.

Host: So, will you guys take care of figuring that part out? Cause a lot think of 21 days or 28. What day is that? That's gotta be. guys will help us. right?

Nancy: Yes. So what we typically try to do is go ahead and set you up for that next appointment while you're here so that you can get it on your calendar and know, hey, in 21 days, I need to come back and get my next shot. And you know, if 21 days doesn't work for you and you needed to come in 22 days, then hey, that's okay. The important thing is getting that vaccine in the arms and trying to help prevent the spread of COVID.

Host: Now, we don't have a lot of time left, but side effects, are there any? I mean, I did the tick-tock arm swing thing, so my arm wasn't even really sore, but I literally came out of Walgreens and swung my arm around and I didn't really have any soreness. Are there any side effects that you would like people to be aware of?

Nancy: I think any of your side effects of COVID you can have, but just remember, they're going to be short term side effects. So, you may have a couple days where your arm is sore. You run a low grade fever, body aches, chills, headache, those types of things you can have, but just remember, that's only last two days. When you have COVID you can have symptoms 14 days plus associated with that. So, two days is not very long.

Host: No, it's definitely not and last minute here, Nancy, tell the community what you want them to know, encouraging them to get the vaccine, because it could save their lives and the lives of many people that they know and love.

Nancy: Yes. I think the key thing is trying to encourage your friends, your neighbors, your families, anybody who has especially underlying conditions, or even if they don't, if they have a loved one that had underlying conditions, please go get your vaccine because it can be the difference between life and death.

Host: Well, it can. And Nancy, thank you so much for not only joining us today and sharing your expertise on something that is causing a lot of confusion, even in some schools of thought, anger, hesitancy, any of these other kinds of things, but thank you so much for being a healthcare worker and for going through what you've gone through in this last year with things that some of us cannot even imagine.

And I'm glad that you're feeling better. And I'm so sorry that you've been experiencing some of those long haul symptoms, but maybe your message today and the fact that you did go through this yourself, will get out there and people will say, oh, well, if she can do it even after she got so sick, I think I can do it too, because that's the main message people, is that we have to really spread around the message of vaccines and information.

That's the key is information, quality information like you're getting from the experts at Memorial Hospital. So, I'm Melanie Cole and that concludes this episode of Say Yes to Good Health with Memorial Hospital. For more health tips, you can always visit our website at mhtlc.org or call to get connected with one of our providers. Go get your vaccine call Memorial Hospital. They'll help you set it up. Thanks for listening.  

Disclaimer: The medical health information provided during this program is for general information and educational purposes only, and is not a substitute for professional advice. None of the given information is for the purpose of diagnosis or treatment. Neither does this program serve as approval for any health product or brand.

This program aims to enhance your personal health and wellness through the adoption of healthy lifestyles and your prompt presentation to the health professional whenever you suspect that you are ill. For treatment and professional advice, ensure you consult your physician.