We ran a letter against the COVID-19 vaccine and this is what happened | Editorial
A letter to the editor claiming that the COVID-19 vaccine is unsafe ran in the Tri-City Herald’s opinion section last week and the backlash was swift and fierce.
That’s a good thing.
It means people are taking the vaccine seriously, and they want their neighbors to take it seriously too.
Many readers were downright angry with us. Several fired off letters of their own, saying we were irresponsible for perpetuating such a dangerous and unfounded message.
We understand where the fury is coming from. The vaccine is our best chance to get back to our pre-COVID lives, and too many anti-vaxxers could derail that effort.
The only way we can hope to fully reopen our economy, our schools, and our churches is if enough people get their COVID shots and protect themselves against this terrible disease.
At the moment demand for the vaccine is greater than the supply, but that could change. There are many people hesitant to get the COVID shot even if they believe in vaccines in general.
In December, the Pew Research Center reported that four U.S. adults out of 10 (39%) said they would not get a COVID vaccine, although about half of this group said it’s possible they would decide to get it later.
In addition, 21% said they do not intend to get vaccinated and are “pretty certain” they will not change their mind, according to the same report.
The challenge is convincing those on the fence to get the vaccine. We need to get the message out that the corronavirus vaccine has been thoroughly tested, and it would not have been authorized by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration if it had been deemed harmful.
Those still doubting the vaccine’s safety should consider that doctors, nurses and others at the front line of treating COVID patients already have been vaccinated, so they aren’t asking others to do something they wouldn’t do themselves.
Even so, too many people would rather believe random stories from friends, family and the internet rather than their doctor. Anti-vaxxers have started to picket at the fairgrounds, so the controversy is likely to continue.
And that was our reasoning in running a letter against the COVID-19 vaccine last week. We thought it was important to launch this critical conversation out in the open. Debate is the best way to change people’s minds — especially if they are still wrestling with their decision.
We publish a variety of views in the Herald’s opinion section, including those we disagree with or that we know will be unpopular in the community. The back-and-forth in our letters section is an ideal place for such dialogue.
Many readers were concerned, however, that by publishing this particular letter we were legitimizing an anti-vax position. That was not the intent, but in light of the backlash we decided to pull the letter off the website — not because of the authors’ point of view, but because it included unfounded claims.
What may promote vaccine safety most off all is what is going on at the mass vaccination site at the Benton County Fairgrounds. It is running so efficiently that close to 8,000 COVID vaccinations were given in the first two weeks of operation, and as of last Friday the site had provided more shots than any of the other four drive-thru clinics in the state.
Organizers have increased efficiency since the Tri-City site’s opening, and now it can give up to 200 vaccinations an hour, which is an amazing feat.
And in other good news, just this week health officials reported that new COVID cases in Benton and Franklin counties are finally dropping to levels we hadn’t seen since last October.
The community appears to be on the right track, and we want it to stay that way.
We hope a public conversation in our letters section will be a help, and that it will encourage people to get their COVID vaccine so we can beat this lethal disease. The Tri-Cities is on the right path, and we will do our part to keep it there.
This story was originally published February 10, 2021 at 4:54 PM.