COVID-19 Accurate Vaccine Information

Disability Matters with Joyce Bender

Tuesday, May 4, 2021

 

#AdvocacyMatters Segment

COVID-19 Accurate Vaccine Information

COVID-19 vaccination rates are increasing across the country due to sometimes heroic efforts on the part of state and local governments, health care providers, and community-based organizations.

As of Monday morning, Pennsylvania’s collective efforts have resulted in 4,226,547 (about 23% of Pennsylvania’s population) people fully vaccinated. 6,444,967 individuals (about 35% of Pennsylvania’s population) have received 1 dose. 10,297,139 vaccines have been administered statewide (about 57% of Pennsylvania’s population. You can get up-to-date vaccination rates in all states by going to our website at disabilityrightspa.org. Our #AdvocacyMatters segment for today has a link to the CDC vaccine tracking page.

Some people have hesitated to get vaccinations because they wanted to wait and see how the vaccines work. Two of the COVID 19 vaccines authorized for use in the U.S. use mRNA. These vaccines are manufactured by Pfizer and Moderna. The CDC reports that mRNA COVID-19 vaccines teach our cells how to make a piece of protein to trigger an immune response and build immunity to the virus that causes COVID-19. mRNA does not affect or interact with a person’s DNA, and the cell breaks down and gets ride of the mRNA as soon as it is finished using these instructions. We have a link with our #AdvocacyMatters segment for your listeners who may want information on mRNA vaccines and how they work.

Johnson and Johnson’s vaccine is categorized as a viral vector vaccine and it uses a modified verion of a different virus (the vector) to deliver important instructions to our cells, according to the CDC.

#AdvocacyMatters and so does being vaccinated. If one of us cannot be vaccinated for health reasons, then it is important to get others around us vaccinated. You will find more information about the vaccines in use in the U.S. as well as link to locate a vaccine provider at disabilityrightspa.org.

 

Additional sources of information to get a vaccine.

Centers for Disease Control vaccination rates nationwide.

Centers for Disease Control information on mRNA vaccines.

Centers for Disease Control information on viral vector vaccines.

Centers for Disease Control – Find a Vaccine