Bechara Choucair, MD is currently serving as COVID-19 vaccinations coordinator, where he focuses on the timely, safe and equitable vaccination of the U.S. population. He joined rolling out o talk specifically to the Black community and those wary of being vaccinated and provide comforting facts about the vaccine.
What should the Black community know while researching the COVID vaccine?
We know that vaccines are very safe and extremely effective. They’re very effective at preventing you from catching the virus and particularly effective at making sure you do not receive severe consequences of the infection, including hospitalization and death. We have more than 190 million that have at least gotten their first shot, and 164 million fully vaccinated and we still have a long way to go.
How do we go about making sure that the Black community can trust the CDC, the government, and trust the guidance on taking the vaccine?
I would start by talking about the importance of people getting answers to their questions. There are a lot of people in the Black community and the U.S. population that still have questions about the vaccine. We want to make sure they are being provided with facts, correct information, and answers. We are seeing so much misinformation that is really impacting people’s ability to make a decision based on facts.
What would you say to our community about COVID-19 fatigue?
It’s been a year and a half of struggling for a lot of people. I understand how difficult it is, but the good news is we know that we have effective, safe vaccines that would help us put this pandemic behind us. The overwhelming majority of hospitalizations as a result of COVID-19 in this country are [among the] unvaccinated. Nearly all deaths related to COVID-19 are amongst those who are unvaccinated. If you get the vaccine there is no doubt in my mind, the science is so clear, that your chances of getting the virus are so much lower. Even in the very rare breakthrough infection, your chances of getting hospitalized or dying are very low.
Where can people go to find the most up-to-date and accurate information about vaccines?
My recommendation is vaccines.gov.
