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The vaccine is safe. COVID is not.

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It's been a year and more than 406,000 U.S. deaths since we first heard of COVID-19

It’s been a year and more than 406,000 U.S. deaths since we first heard of COVID-19.
During this pandemic, we, as physicians and providers at Sanford Luverne, have been echoing CDC guidance to wear masks, social distance, use good hand hygiene and to get tested and quarantine when needed.
We’ve always known that prevention is the best medicine, especially in the case of COVID-19. Much has been asked of the public and we’re proud of how so many of you did the right thing to help ensure the safety of our communities.
There’s just one more step we have to take in order to put this behind us – vaccination.
We hope to clear up a few points that seem to keep people from fully embracing the idea of vaccination.
•We’ve heard a lot of questions about herd immunity. It would take 70 percent of the population to be immune through either vaccination or surviving COVID-19 in order for us to say we have herd immunity. Reaching immunity by 70 percent of us contracting the virus is ugly and avoidable.
•Fetal cells are not used to manufacture or administer this vaccine. Many medicines and vaccines are tested on lab-generated cells, so that is where this myth might have started.
•The vaccine does not change your DNA. It’s not possible. The vaccine uses a protein to induce an immune system response.
•The vaccine does not cause infertility. Several myths discuss blocking receptors in the uterus or placenta. This has not occurred with COVID-19 infection or the vaccine.
The best way to persuade people to get the vaccine is to tell the truth: this vaccine is akin to a cure.
Researchers and physicians hesitate to make promises because in a world of mathematical probabilities and legalities, we can’t say much of anything has NO risks. There is rarely anything in life that we can say is either zero or 100 percent.
But we will say this: whatever you might have heard about side effects of the vaccine is insignificant compared to getting COVID-19. Almost everyone we work with daily has received the vaccine and wants you to get it, too. (Some reported 12-24 hours of mild side effects, usually after the second dose.)
After the vaccine, you’ll be safe from getting the disease and are much less likely to spread it.
We don’t want to undersell this! Get the vaccine so you can much sooner hug your grandkids and go to card club or sit at a bar or attend a sporting event mask-free.
For those who are already convinced they want the vaccine, thank you. And please be patient. We get calls daily from those who are very excited to get the vaccine.
Minnesota is rolling out its plan to vaccinate the general public, and we are not able to keep a waiting list or influence how the priority groups are set up. We’re following guidelines for when and how we can administer the shots … and we’re not finding out about distribution much sooner than you are.
If you’re a Sanford Luverne patient, you should sign up for MyChart if you haven’t done so already. Then you can receive notifications directly from us when you’re eligible for vaccination. Other health systems will use patient appointment messaging however they can.
Until we all receive our doses of the vaccine, please be aggressive in prevention, whether you have already had COVID-19 or have been vaccinated. Wear a mask. Socially distance. Practice good hand hygiene. We have seen people get it more than once and sometimes with worse symptoms.
We hope you will join us in getting a vaccine so we can reach the end of this devastating pandemic.   
 
Sanford Luverne Providers:
Judy Chesley, MD
Stephan Chesley, MD
Diane Kennedy, MD
Zach Nolz, MD
Austin Spronk, MD
Jennifer Thone MD
Nicole Woodley, MD
Myles Tieszen, MD
Jonathan Pap, CNP
Katy Zogg, FNP-C

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