Families Likely to Face Tough Choices as Race for COVID-19 Vaccine Continues

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Clinical trials are underway for a vaccine to prevent COVID-19. Photo courtesy DHHS

By Jamie Jablonowski, BSN, RN, CIC

As the threat of coronavirus continues to lurk in the shadows, families have been forced to make tough decisions that are as novel as the virus itself for this generation. Whether it’s not visiting elderly relatives or making the decision to step back when someone reflexively goes in for a hug, it’s a new world that continually asks us to be mindful of our actions and make decisions with little information. 

In recent weeks, the race for a vaccine has gained media attention as 27 vaccines have begun human trials and six potential vaccines, including Moderna’s, have moved to Phase 3 of the clinical trial process, the final step before approval. For the average person, this can feel promising, but also brings up a new set of questions, including who will be the first offered the opportunity to get the vaccine, will it be mandatory and, if given a choice, would you get it? 

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) launched a program called Operation Warp Speed (OWS) to deliver 300 million doses of the COVID-19 vaccine by January 2021. This partnership between the federal government and private industry intends to speed up bringing a vaccine to market. 

Nasir Ahmad, M.D., chief of infectious disease and infection prevention at Riverview Medical Center, has been an infectious disease specialist for 17 years and was on the frontlines during the height of the outbreak in Monmouth County. While he stated it is too early to tell if the vaccine will prove to be safe and effective, he said a vaccine against COVID-19 would be beneficial and something he would recommend to his patients. 

“Anything we do in medicine we look at the benefit versus the risk,” Ahmad said. “If you look at the vaccines, the benefit outweighs the risk. There is always some risk in any treatment or prevention that we do, but if the benefit outweighs the risk, we recommend it, and if the risk outweighs the benefit, we don’t recommend it. So, I think if you look at the vaccine as a whole, the benefit to the society at large is more than the risk to an individual person.”

Ahmad recalled his experience treating patients and the challenge of managing a novel disease. “It was emotionally and physically daunting to see these patients die right in front of our eyes despite us doing everything for them,” he said. “Unless you are facing it you can’t understand how serious it can be.” 

Ahmad championed the need for preventative measures. “Obviously it’s a novel virus and it’s a novel vaccine, but again, as I mentioned, there’s a benefit-risk ratio. If the vaccine is safe and efficacious, why wouldn’t you want to take it?” 

In the community, individuals differ in their feelings toward a vaccine, often not thinking only of themselves, but of their family, friends and co-workers.  

The Cavanaugh family of West Long Branch will evaluate all the risks and their responsibilities before being inoculated against COVID-19 when a vaccination becomes available. Photo by Jamie Jablonowski

Kaitlin Deitz of Tinton Falls is an addictions counselor and doctoral student at Montclair State University. For her, the decision would be easy. “I would definitely get the vaccine. I wouldn’t even consider not getting it. I have parents who are 70, and I want to protect myself, so I don’t infect them. That’s the family consensus. The whole family wants to get the vaccine as soon as we can.”

She reflected on her experience with the flu shot in the past. She received the flu vaccine and later ended up catching the flu from a friend. Her friend was hospitalized, while Deitz’s symptoms were less severe. Her doctor told her this was likely because she was immunized and thus avoided hospitalization herself. She added that her mother is a nurse and hearing her stories from the hospital has also had an impact on Deitz’s desire to protect herself from the virus.  

Meaghan Cavanaugh of West Long Branch is a middle school teacher and mother of three and said her decision would be more complicated. She said she would be hesitant to get the vaccine for herself and her family before knowing the long-term effects. “I feel like so many people who get the flu shot still get the flu. Who even knows if they hit the right strain for the COVID vaccine? You’re taking a risk that you’re getting the vaccine, and it might not even work,” Cavanaugh said.

While she explained she leans toward not getting the vaccine, she said certain circumstances would make her consider getting the immunization, including if it became mandatory by her employer, if a family member had an underlying condition that may increase their risk of complications if infected with COVID-19, or if it became required for her children to attend school. 

“I try to talk to doctors and friends that are doctors and try to become as informed as possible and then make the decision,” said Cavanaugh. She added that her decision would also depend on if cases of COVID-19 rise again in our area and if there is an emergence of new strains of the virus. Like Deitz, Cavanaugh’s primary concern was her family’s health and safety. 

Similar to other vaccinations, there will likely be individuals who are strictly opposed to a COVID-19 vaccine for personal or religious reasons. Some individuals contacted for this article chose not to share their beliefs publicly over concern regarding public opinion, reflecting the complexity of this issue. 

“There will be many legal hurdles before the vaccine would become mandatory,” said Ahmad, the infectious disease physician, when discussing the issue of mandatory immunization. The initial trial at Moderna, one of the six companies rapidly moving toward a vaccine, only included 45 patients. Moderna’s Phase 3 trial which began July 27 is expected to include 30,000 participants. Once the results are analyzed and published from this trial and others, organizations and individuals will be able to make a more informed decision.

Until then, the world waits, wearing a mask and 6 feet apart.

The article originally appeared in the August 6 – 12, 2020 print edition of The Two River Times.