Vaccines are the way forward out of the pandemic

Vaccines are the most effective public health intervention in human history. Our world is far better because of them. If we wish to resume the lives that we had before the COVID-19 pandemic, and feel safe going to concerts, sporting events, crowded restaurants and large weddings, we must successfully vaccinate most Americans.

Too often people in our society take vaccines for granted in part because of how successful vaccines have been in eradicating diseases such as smallpox from the planet. From 1900 to 1980, about 300 million died of smallpox. Thanks to aggressive vaccination programs, the disease was completely eradicated by 1979. A disease that killed as many as 30 percent of infected people and often left survivors permanently disfigured and blind is now obsolete.

'Another vaccine success is the polio vaccine. In 1988, there began a global effort to end polio through the use of vaccines. At the time there were approximately 350,000 new cases of polio annually. By 2018, there were only 22 polio cases, exclusively in areas where war conditions prevented the vaccines from being delivered.

'Advancements in vaccines in the past 30 years have made the planet much healthier. In their 2017 annual letter, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation reported that since 1990, more than 122 million children's lives have been saved due primarily to the distribution and widespread use of vaccines. The incidence of measles, tetanus, and epiglottis, a life threatening inflammation of the airway, has been drastically decreased through childhood vaccination

'There is no question that vaccines continue to save countless lives. We have the luxury of debating whether to vaccinate or not because of the success of vaccinations.

'There is a lot of misinformation about the COVID-19 vaccine. The truth is the more severe reactions such as Bell's palsy are very rare. People are far more likely to contract COVID-19 than they are to suffer from an extreme side effect of the vaccine.

'Yes, the COVID-19 vaccine is new. Yes, it came together quicker than most people expected, but in third party reviews, the vaccines currently on the market are not only safe to use but they are also extremely effective in protecting people from this virus. They are far more effective than even the flu shots millions receive each year.

'In order for the COVID-19 vaccine to be successful, Americans must take the vaccine on a large scale. Herd immunity is based on the premise that in a large group of people, all will be vaccinated and thus prevent the transmission of disease. Herd immunity will only begin to be reached if 70 percent of Americans are vaccinated. Fear and misinformation are only going to lead to more and more people refusing to take the vaccine, which will delay efforts to stop the spread of COVID-19. As of February 7th, Illinois had recorded 1.15 million cases of COVID-19, and almost 22,000 Illinoisans had tragically lost their lives to this disease. As a geriatric physician who specializes in care of the elderly, I have seen the devastating effects of this illness firsthand, and unfortunately lost patients to it.

'We need only look at the past to understand how to approach the present vaccine situation. The truth is vaccines have been an indispensable tool in improving public health and increasing the life expectancy of our population. The history of success for vaccines cannot be denied. It was research and innovation that brought us the tools to wipeout some of the deadliest diseases on the planet and it is science and innovation that will allow us to wipeout the COVID-19 pandemic that has caused so much harm to our society.

'We can end this pandemic. The path forward begins with mass vaccination. It is a not a road less travelled. It is a path we have already taken many times in our history.

• Dr. Avinash Mantha, M.D., is an attending physician at Edward Hines VA Hospital.