“We in this country are really privileged to have a very good, very robust system, that looks at vaccine safety. So, before any vaccine goes on the market there’s been months of tests to make sure that it is safe. Those months before vaccine goes on the market are meant to find common side effects that could be serious.
“The vaccine development did happen quickly. Often times the vaccines take years to develop, and this one happened in a much-condensed timeframe with scientists sharing information in real time across the globe, all laser-focused on the same exact problem. I think one of the things that’s been unique is so many people coming together and partnering in new ways.
“Wherever you go, the vaccine’s always free. No one should be charging people for any of the service when they get the vaccine.”
“I’ve heard people say, “Well, I have had COVID so I’ve been exposed. Therefore, my immune system is producing the proteins or antibodies. So I should be good, right?” And we’re even telling the people that have been exposed to get vaccinated because we don’t know how long that natural immunity,
“I have been doing clinical and basic science research for most of my career. I am a clinician-scientist. I started the Center for Women’s Health Research at Meharry, which was the first center that looked at diseases that disproportionately impacted women of color almost 15 or so years ago.
“I was a part of the expert African American panel, which is a group of providers like myself, nurses, doctors, community, people, et cetera. That was created through the NIH to review the various different vaccine protocols for the different companies that were developing the vaccine.
“The vaccines that are currently available were approved through a process called emergency authorization, which we need. We need to have the ability when there is an emergency to have medications on the market to meet that need. There are going to be future emergencies.
It is well documented that African American communities have suffered far more from COVID-19. Chronic diseases such as diabetes, heart disease, high blood pressure, substance abuse, living conditions, poverty, poor access to quality healthcare, lack of access to fresh fruits and vegetables all contribute to an unfair experience with this pandemic.
“I think when people in their mind think of side effects, it’s something that happens that’s not supposed to happen. And when you look at what’s happening after some people get the COVID vaccine the common things soreness at the injection site,
“As of March 2021, we have three COVID-19 vaccines that have been authorized by the FDA for emergency use. Those include the Moderna vaccine, the Pfizer vaccine, and the J and J or Janssen vaccine. The questions I’m hearing from the Black community about the Johnson and Johnson vaccines is,
