(WBBM NEWSRADIO) — Why do some people have doubts about the safety or effectiveness of COVID-19 vaccines and maybe even refuse to get vaccinated?
WBBM Newsradio this week is talking with experts and ordinary people about why some members of the U.S. public are not sold on the three widely available vaccines, which have received emergency-use approval from the FDA.
For Terry Roche, a small business owner in suburban Orland Park, there are just too many unknowns.
He said he fears harmful effects from the vaccine more than he fears COVID-19, which he had in October. He couldn’t smell or taste for six weeks.
“For me, I just don’t want to do it. I won’t do it,” the 62-year-old said.
Every step of the COVID pandemic has been a source of anxiety, so it should be no surprise that some people will approach the vaccines with the same level of concern.
The CDC says more than 165 million have received at least one dose of the COVID vaccine in the U.S. Nearly 132 million are considered fully vaccinated.
Anna Stidham of Northbrook, the mother of a 1-year-old girl, had her doubts about the vaccine because she is breastfeeding.
"Over the summer I had been walking with another mom friend and said 'I'm not going to take it, I'm going to see how it works out'," Stidham said.
She said she got the shot after getting more information from reputable sources.
"I ended up taking it because I listened to all the doctors and epidemiologists and public health people who are experts in this," Stidham said.
Dr. Tina Tan, pediatric infectious diseases physician at Lurie Children's Hospital, said some people are impossible to persuade. She said she tries to convince those on the fence about getting the vaccine by presenting it as a ticket back to a normal life.
"It frees you up from many of the restrictions that are in place for individuals who are unvaccinated," Dr. Tan said.