LYNN — Confidence about the safety and effectiveness of the new coronavirus vaccines appears to be growing in Lynn, based on residents surveyed during the city’s third COVID-19 town hall.
Only three percent of residents surveyed said they did not intend to get vaccinated for COVID-19, while 48 percent said they planned to get the shots as soon as they became available.
However, nearly half of the residents who responded to the poll said they had decided to take a more cautious approach — 17 percent each said they either planned to wait until a few people they knew had taken it, or after many other people had taken it; while 15 percent said they were unsure if they would be comfortable getting it once it became available.
“For the 48 percent, I am with you,” said Michele Desmarais, the city’s public health director, who added that in her opinion, the quicker everybody gets the vaccine and develops the herd immunity, the better.
“I don’t think there will ever be a normal kind of life, but at least we can go back to some sort of normalcy that we know,” she said. “I would encourage everyone to take the vaccine.”
The poll results surrounding the community’s comfort around the new vaccine — which began to be administered to healthcare workers last week — represent a slight improvement over the city’s second COVID town hall, which was held in late November.
During last month town’s hall, held before vaccines from Pfizer and Moderna had been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), only 38 percent of residents said they planned to get the vaccine right away, 54 percent were planning to wait it out, and eight percent did not plan to get it all.
The people who seem to be most resistant to vaccines are the people who are most at risk of severe COVID-19 illness, such as patients who have been placed in intensive care units, said North Shore Medical Center Dr. Mitchell Rein, a panelist during last week’s discussion.
“It’s important for all of us to help educate the public at large of the safety of the vaccine,” said Rein.
“We have really been hit hard by this,” said Mayor Thomas M. McGee, citing the skyrocketing case numbers in the city, evident by the rate of positive tests, which, at 13.4 percent, is the fifth-highest in the state.
‘The vaccine is our way to really get past this terrible time,” said McGee.
The two new vaccines dominated the discussion, which was hosted by McGee and Desmarais, and featured four local medical experts: Dr. Rein and Dr. Barbara Lambl, both of North Shore Medical Center;, and Dr. Geoff Pechinsky and Dr. Hanna Haptu, of the Lynn Community Health Center.
Seventy-four percent of Lynn residents polled during the town hall said they trusted their personal doctors most regarding the COVID-19 vaccine, indicating that there is not much trust in government concerning the safety and effectiveness of the vaccine.
Eleven percent said they were placing their trust in the federal and state government, and only four percent trusted their local elected officials most. Three percent of people were looking to their local faith leaders and eight percent based their decisions on the advice of family, friends and neighbors, according to the poll results.
“That is very encouraging,” said Lambl. “That makes me feel good. Thanks (to the) Lynn community for placing its confidence in the medical community. We go with the science and the science has really outdone itself this year in terms of the rapidity and the success the scientists have had in bringing a new vaccine to life.”
Residents who submitted questions were also focused on the vaccine, with one person asking if the public would have to get vaccinated for COVID-19 each year, similar to the flu shot.
Pechinsky said the research around that topic isn’t clear yet, but the evidence is pointing toward the COVID vaccine becoming a yearly shot.
“I think the jury is still out on that,” said Lambl, noting that there are approximately 65 types of coronaviruses, and that people who become infected with them are not necessarily immune to a second infection.
“We are concerned the same thing will hold true for this coronavirus that is causing COVID-19,” said Lambl. “Researchers will be following people for two years who get the vaccine to see whether they become ill with other coronaviruses years down the road.”
Haptu said data shows that the vaccine will last four to six months, but noted that the key to preventing infection is to get the vaccine as soon as possible.
While the vaccine was the topic of most interest to residents during last Thursday’s tele-town hall, other questions were raised around the accuracy of COVID-19 tests, and the city’s decision to roll back its economic reopening to an earlier phase last week.
The latter question prompted panelists to discuss the importance of refraining to gather with people outside of their households for Christmas, as the rollback was aimed at limited social gatherings.
Since many people chose to hold a “Zoomsgiving” last month for Thanksgiving, Desmarais suggested that residents give thought to celebrating Christmas in July to avoid large gatherings this month.
“It really is everyone’s responsibility to do what they can to help us move to the end of this pandemic in the shortest amount of time as possible,” said Rein. “We talk about flattening the curve. We know that everyone doing their part will help us in that regard.
“It’s a big sacrifice, but it’s a bit of a down payment. It’s been a very difficult year for all of us but next year will be better and we’ll be with everyone in a much more joyful way.”
“This winter surge that we are currently experiencing is widely believed to be the worst part of this pandemic that we have experienced since March,” said McGee.
The post-Thanksgiving surge that has been seen locally and statewide has shown how quickly COVID-19 can jump to others who are nearby, he said.
“I know these continue to be challenging times but if we continue to make these sacrifices now we can come out of this together,” said McGee.