LYNN — While the five healthcare professionals who took part in Lynn’s second COVID-19 Tele-Town Hall Monday night said they would be among the first in line when a vaccine becomes available, residents were a bit more cautious.
The night’s panel discussion, hosted by Mayor Thomas M. McGee and Lynn Public Health Director Michele Desmarais, featured four local medical experts, Dr. Mitchell Rein and Dr. Barbara Lambl, both of North Shore Medical Center, and Dr. Geoff Pechinsky and Dr. Hanna Haptu, of Lynn Community Health Center.
Most of the evening’s discussion centered around coronavirus testing, the promising trial results around the effectiveness of two potential vaccines that are still in development, and the upcoming Thanksgiving holiday.
According to the results of one of the evening’s poll questions, which asked residents whether they would take a coronavirus vaccine once it became available, 54 percent of respondents said they were going to wait it out a bit.
Those respondents said they planned to take the vaccine eventually, but not until there was more data on its effectiveness and potential side effects first, according to the poll results.
Eight percent of residents who responded said they were not planning to get the vaccine at all, based on either their personal or religious beliefs, or because they simply never get regular vaccines, including flu shots.
Only 38 percent of respondents said they would get vaccinated right away, with 24 percent basing their reason on wanting to keep their loved ones safe, and the other 14 percent saying their decision would be based on their doctor telling them it was safe.
“I’m encouraged so few people are planning not to take a vaccine,” said Lambl, adding that there have yet to be any serious side effects from ongoing vaccine trials.
Although Lambl echoed other medical professionals on the panel about her desire to get vaccinated right away, she said, “I too would like to see the final safety reports and what the FDA has to say about these vaccines.”
“The data is very encouraging for the safety and effectiveness of possible vaccines,” said Rein, noting that although people may experience arm soreness and flu-like symptoms for a couple of days, many may find that brief discomfort worth it if it prevents such a serious disease.
“Hopefully that 54 percent will be comfortable by the time a vaccine is available,” said Rein.
Pechinsky likened people’s responsibility to getting vaccinated to being part of a social contract, aimed at slowing the spread of a virus that has already killed more than 250,000 people across the country.
“The way to slow that down is to really get vaccinated and the data so far is very promising,” said Pechinsky.
According to published reports, the two drug companies with the most promising vaccines so far, Pfizer and Moderna, have reported that their vaccines are more than 94 percent effective.
While Pechinsky said the research around the effectiveness of a future vaccine has provided a sense of optimism and hope that people have not experienced in some time, he said people still need to “hunker down” until one becomes available.
Medical professionals expect the availability of a vaccine could still be at least months away. Until that time, McGee said people needed to continue to be vigilant about following COVID-19 safety protocols, such as wearing masks, washing their hands, social distancing and not gathering with people outside of their households.
Another resident wanted to know what number they should call if they see someone not following virus guidelines, and was directed to call City Hall at (781) 598-4000 and ask for the Inspectional Services Department or Health division.
“I do receive a lot of complaints online,” said Desmarais. “I highly encourage anybody to try to report things that they see that they think are not right. If that means you have to snitch on people, I think it’s important because you could be saving somebody’s life.”
Lambl said part of the problem is the American culture, which discourages people from telling other people what to do or how to live their lives.
“In other cultures, it’s very common to give feedback when you see someone doing something that is clearly wrong and it’s harmful to the community, to give them immediate feedback,” said Lambl. “It doesn’t have to be (that) you’re scolding them. It can just be pointing at your nose to try to tell them their mask is falling down. It doesn’t have to be something very, very dramatic.”
All of the panelists urged people not to gather with people outside of their households for Thanksgiving, with the medical experts encouraging residents to instead have a “Zooms-giving.”
“We’ve already seen how COVID fatigue and our lack of responsible action can cause a sharp increase in cases in a short period of time, the second wave of infections that we’re experiencing right now,” said McGee. “I know these continue to be challenging times, but if we continue to make these sacrifices now together, we can get through this with less sickness, less loss and find the light at the end of the tunnel.”
