Over a year ago, we were uncertain about how the future would look. The world was dealing with a new virus, and everything was shutting down. Fast forward to a year later: We have multiple vaccine options, and vaccinations are rising. President Biden set a goal for his first 100 days in office and far exceeded his expectations. However, many people are still skeptical. Dr. James Simmons, a nurse practitioner based in California, joined Bold TV to share his experience as a frontline worker and break down some myths about the COVID-19 vaccine.
Should we travel?
With the success of the vaccine rollout, the airport is getting busier, and traffic is coming back. When asked if we should travel, Simmons was on the fence. Vaccination protects you and others from being infected, yet there’s still a chance you can get the virus and spread it. It’s also important to note that you aren’t fully vaccinated until two weeks after the second shot. He worries with variants spreading, there’s a high possibility that people can pass the virus and its variants along to unvaccinated communities.
How did we get a vaccine so fast?
Many people have expressed their concerns about how fast the vaccines were produced. While vaccines typically take 5 to 10 years to produce, Simmons sees this criticism as the biggest misconception about the COVID-19 vaccines. He emphasized that this is a global pandemic; the entire world is affected by this. The vaccines were developed quickly because “drug companies, research institutions, everyone poured everything they had into these vaccines … So, when you have abundant resources like that, going at just one thing, you can pull it off so much faster.”
Be sure to hear everything Simmons told us in the video above!
For more on vaccines and check this out!
