UC Medical Society Concerned By Lower Ages Not Vaccinating

Members of The Upper Cumberland Medical Society are concerned about fewer people taking the COVID vaccine, as vaccinations open up to more people.

UCMS President Dr. Dawn Barlow said everyone being vaccinated is the only way out of the pandemic. However, Barlow said that perhaps more could be done by the medical society to get rid of misconceptions.

“I believe that there’s probably some fear in the community of the COVID vaccine,” Barlow said. “Which we as the health care community need to do a lot more education with the public to alleviate those fears. We need to make sure that the public is aware that the COVID-19 vaccines are safe.”

She said people should know medical experts agree that COVID vaccines are the most effective tool available to prevent disease and death from spreading.

“I think the most important thing is to realize that when doctors are offered this vaccine, the overwhelming majority of them get the vaccine as soon as they can,” Barlow said. “This is exactly what we want the people of the Upper Cumberland to do, to get the vaccine as soon as they can.”

Barlow said that if people want a return to the normal way of life, being vaccinated is the only way to reach that point. She said there are only a few medical conditions where vaccinations are not recommended.

“The only true contraindication to the vaccination at this point, is a history of severe anaphylaxis to a previous COVID vaccine or any component of the vaccine,” Barlow said. “It is important to note that common allergens like eggs and latex are not part of the vaccine.”

She said the public should know how serious transmission is a year into the pandemic. Barlow said she sees it first-hand while working as an internal medicine physician at Livingston Regional Hospital.

“I’m still seeing patients in the clinic who have COVID-19, we still have patients in our hospitals who are being treated for severe COVID,” Barlow said. “The people in our community, especially our elderly and people with preexisting conditions, such as diabetes and obesity are still at risk of having severe disease and dying of this.”