Karina, mother of a high school student in Los Angeles, said that she has not been vaccinated, nor will she vaccinate her daughter against COVID-16 because she does not trust the vaccines.
Karina, who asked not to reveal her last name or her daughter’s name, distrusts vaccines because, originally, they were created for emergency use. The angelina alleged that she had not been able to find data on long-term reactions, despite the fact that there is countless information accessible in serious journalistic media and reliable internet sites, such as the CDC and CDPH pages that offer details and answer questions both in Spanish. as in multiple languages, among others.
The mother said that her daughter had pre-existing health conditions, but did not want to give details or more information about it. According to her, the vaccines could affect her daughter.
“And since I don’t know, I don’t want to take that risk,” said Karina, a single mother who daily balances her work with her daughter’s needs, which include doctor’s appointments and therapies.
“So, if I vaccinate her and God forbid, she has an adverse reaction, who would Will you take care of her if I have to work?”, she questioned.
In reality, people with pre-existing conditions, such as diabetes, are the ones who most need to be vaccinated and protected against COVID, because they are the ones who they are at higher risk of severe illness and complications.
But according to Karina, taking care of her immune system and that of her 16-year-old daughter is enough to avoid contagion and possible severe illness, hospitalization or death from COVID-19. Although her daughter has health problems, the mother prefers to risk the possibility of contracting COVID-19, instead of receiving the vaccine.
She said that they both eat healthy with organic food, without hormones, take vitamins, do yoga, meditate and go to the chiropractor.
“We do many things to make sure that the body, mind and the soul are healthy”, he explained. “Especially because my daughter has had so many problems since she was little and that’s why I don’t want to sabotage or sacrifice her health in any way.”
Dr. Lucia Abascal, a researcher at the California Department of Public Health, said that while a healthy lifestyle such as a good diet, exercise and low stress is beneficial for health, it is not a substitute for medical treatments, such as vaccinations that have saved countless lives throughout the history of mankind.
“Let us remember that hundreds of years ago people were more active, the diet was healthier, but people lived alone 20 or 30 years. The increase in life expectancy has been thanks to scientific advances, mainly vaccines”, Abascal explained.
Does not weaken the immune system
Despite decades of information and scientific data supporting the effectiveness of vaccines against COVID-19, Karina believed that these vaccines weaken the immune system. The mother believes, without scientific data, that if a person receives a dose, then they should receive doses for the rest of their life.
“If you already took the first and second dose, this means that the system is now weak,” he opined, without offering any scientific explanation. “At this moment, thank God, I have a very strong immune system. I haven’t gotten sick with the flu or COVID”.
Dr. Abascal explained that the function of vaccines is to imitate how the body acts normally. When vaccinated, the immune system has the ability to create a protective barrier against viruses or bacteria. mRNA vaccine technology (Moderna and Pfizer) is backed by decades of scientific research.
“Scientists realized long ago that we can imitate this reaction, but without the risk of contracting the disease,” Abascal said. “Let’s remember that in the past children died of diarrhea and this no longer happens because we have the vaccines.”
The doctor said that everything should be done in a balanced way, it is very good to have a of healthy living, but not for that reason ignore doctors and science.
“Vaccines strengthen the immune system to prepare it for the following battles”, he added.
Boxes
MYTH
Karina does not trust vaccines because they were originally created for emergency use and she fears possible secondary reactions. In addition, he believes that a strong immune system replaces the protection offered by vaccines.
FACT
Dr. Lucia Abascal, a researcher at the California Department of Public Health, said that while a healthy lifestyle such as a good diet, exercise and low stress have benefits, they do not they are a substitute for medical treatments and scientific advances.