Week seven’s lecture discussed more recent events regarding Covid-19, more specifically the
vaccines that have been introduced to the public. Nonetheless, the public has been a bit hesitant
with the production of these vaccines, as they are notably newer than most vaccines in regards to
other viruses) on the market. According to one news station, a poll conducted suggests that 23%
of individuals do not plan to be vaccinated. ((Vaccine hesitancy: Who is refusing the shot and
why? n.d.) Furthermore, this hesitancy expands across the board, with decisions leaning toward
rejection in more specifically POC communities. Nonetheless, this is due to a deep-rooted
history of distrust due to many medical scandals, such as the Tuskegee Trials and Henrietta
Lacks. (Young, 2021). Many issues are surrounding the topic of this vaccine in regards to
hesitancy. Thus, I will discuss the mechanisms and application, as well as the tradeoffs of the
vaccine.
So what is a vaccine? According to the CDC, a vaccine is a treatment containing the
same germs of the disease, but has been modified ( weakened or killed) so that the individual
does not become sick when inoculated. Thus, we can gain immunity to the disease without going
through the struggle and the trauma of overcoming the disease. Ultimately, vaccines are meant to
prevent diseases, not cure or treat them. (CDC, 2019). When an individual receives a vaccine,
antibodies are created to identify the virus. Ultimately, after introduced by the vaccine, we gain
adaptive immunity through innate immunity. Innate immunity utilizes nonspecific defenses
which are a response to general foreign chemical properties. (Introduction to Immunology
Tutorial, n.d.) During this time, the immune system responds with inflammation and cytokine
