The recently formed Veterans Coalition on Vaccination took to Facebook Live on Wednesday to discuss COVID-19 vaccines and how they are working to get the shots in the arms of as many Americans as possible.
Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America hosted the event with Team Rubicon and Dr. Kavita Patel.
“We are honored to work alongside our coalition partners and healthcare allies to raise awareness, expand access, and ensure that all Americans have equitable access to COVID-19 vaccines,” said IAVA CEO Jeremy Butler.
IAVA joined five other leading veterans organizations —Team Rubicon, Student Veterans of America, Team Red, White & Blue, The Mission Continues and Wounded Warrior Project to create the Veterans Coalition for Vaccination, an alliance aiding local and state officials in distributing the COVID-19 vaccine nationwide.
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The Facebook Live event provided an overview of the coalition. Panelists also discussed information about the vaccine and outreach to underserved communities.
Patel believes there is light at the end of the tunnel when it comes to the pandemic
“The good news is that cases are dramatically dropping,” she said.
Patel is a Fellow at the Brookings Institution and primary care physician in Washington, D.C. She also served in the Obama administration as director of policy for the Office of Intergovernmental Affairs and Public Engagement at the White House,
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Three highly effective vaccines -- by Pfizer, Moderna and Johnson & Johnson -- have been developed in a little more than a year to fight the pandemic, she said.
“This is nothing short of a miracle,” Patel said.
Now, the issue becomes how to logistically vaccinate as many people as possible, said Jake Wood, CEO and co-founder of Team Rubicon.
“At Team Rubicon we firmly believe our veterans are an incredibly talented untapped resource and the Veterans Coalition for Vaccination gives us the opportunity to unlock that potential,” he said. “I am excited to see our Greyshirts work shoulder to shoulder with the IAVA members across the country to fight COVID-19. The VCV is truly a force multiplier and will allow us to reach hard-to-access communities to ensure every American who wants a vaccine has access to it.”
Wood compared the development and distribution of the vaccines to the D-Day landings in World War II and the landing of Neal Armstrong on the moon.
“Vaccines aren’t going to get America back to normal,” he said. “Vaccinations will.”
Patel fielded questions surrounding the safety and efficacy of the vaccines. She noted that 72,000 pregnant women have been vaccinated with no adverse impacts thus far.
“We have now seen randomized trials with over 400.000 people in the United States showing it is safe," she added.
Patel urged those with questions about the vaccine to have an open and honest discussion with their health care provider about their concerns.
“It’s valid to be concerned about the safety, but we are getting more and more data,” she said.
The COVID-19 virus is also doing what viruses do in order to survive -- mutate, continued Patel.
“The variants are a signal that we’re not done with our shots,” she said. “It’s not going to be a one-and-done series,” she said.
To see the full discussion, visit the IAVA Facebook page.
Reach Julia LeDoux at Julia@connectingvets.com.
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