How do I deal with the mistrust people have for healthcare and/or the vaccine that I am hearing about in my community? How do I arm people with the right information?

• It is important to identify a trusted person that is well established in the community to speak to vaccination. Sharing their own hesitancy or fears and experience receiving the vaccine would be a message that would be beneficial. Ochsner understands that our patients often want to receive or learn about healthcare from people who look like them and/or speak the same language so they can approach care from possible shared experiences.

• Ochsner recognizes that health inequity, whether due to race, ethnicity, gender or low socioeconomic status, contributes to poor health and is a complex issue that requires careful investigation and novel solutions. To better understand the challenges related to these factors, Ochsner is partnering with Xavier University of Louisiana to develop the Ochsner Xavier Institute for Health Equity and Research (OXIHER).
• In order to achieve herd immunity, we must follow safety protocols. This includes wearing a mask, washing our hands, practicing social distancing and getting vaccinated when the vaccine becomes available.

If I’ve already had COVID-19 and recovered, should I still get vaccinated? How long should you wait to get the vaccine after having the virus?

• Yes. There is not enough information currently available to say how long after infection someone is protected from getting COVID-19 again. In order to stop this pandemic, we must use every tool available which includes the vaccination, social distancing, handwashing and wearing masks.
• If you currently have COVID-19, you must follow the CDC isolation recommendations prior to leaving your home and should also have recovered from COVID-19 prior to receiving a vaccine. It is acceptable to delay vaccination for 90 days as immunity to COVID-19 lasts at least that long.

• Following guidelines from the FDA emergency use authorization (EUA), no one is excluded from receiving the vaccine, even patients who are pregnant or breastfeeding, as there are no medical contraindications except for a severe allergic reaction to this vaccine or any of its components. Contraindication is a condition that serves as a reason to not take a certain medical treatment due to the harm that it would cause the patient.
• In fact, 6-month data for Pfizer just released and vaccine appears to remain effective and they did not report long term concerns.
• Vaccines are approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) after rigorous and extensive development in laboratories, as well as pre-clinical animal studies and testing on human volunteers, to ensure they are safe and effective.
• Monitoring of the vaccine and how it’s produced, including regular facility inspections, must continue for as long as the manufacturer holds a license for the vaccine.
• Additionally, the drug sponsor follows a multi-layered approval process, which includes an investigational new drug application, clinical trials and presentation of data to a special FDA advisory committee.
• Ultimately, it is a personal decision to risk getting infected and having poor health outcomes versus the smaller risk of adverse reaction to the vaccine. Ochsner wants to provide each person with the latest factual information to make the best decision for their situation.

• The claim circulating on social media that the COVID-19 vaccine causes female infertility is FALSE and is not supported by any research. You may review this advice from the Society for Maternal Fetal Medicine for those pregnant or breastfeeding.
• Hear more from our experts on the COVID-19 vaccine and fertility by reading this blog and listening to this podcast.

What do we know about the new strain and the vaccine’s efficacy against it? Is the current vaccine against the new strain of the virus?

• The discovery of new variants of viruses is not an unusual thing. Viruses constantly change through a process called mutation and it can happen any time. In fact, doctors and scientists expect new variants or strains of a virus to occur over time. Sometimes these variants or strains disappear, but sometimes, they stick around.
• Scientists are studying how these variants affect existing COVID-19 therapies and vaccines. In the meantime, the best course of action is still to plan on getting the vaccine as soon as you can.
• Stopping a pandemic requires using all the tools available. The benefits of the vaccine outweigh the risks of forgoing immunization including risk of infection, hospitalization or even death.
• The CDC, in collaboration with other public health agencies, such as the Louisiana Department of Health, is monitoring the variants closely. As new information becomes available, Ochsner Health, and the CDC, will provide updates.