I got the shot, now I'd like to answer your questions

First off, if you care about this topic, take 16 minutes and listen to this interview by Dr. Zwickey>>>
She's an immunologist and was my immunology teacher in medical school. This is an interview for the Natural Medicine Journal.

Here's the Facebook live I shot, sharing my experience and answering everyone's questions>>>
This was filmed the morning of Monday, Jan. 11th.

Here's the Moderna fact sheet I was given when I received my vaccine:

moderna_covid-19_vaccine_fact_sheet.pdf
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This is the message I sent last week regarding vaccine availability

(and get on my list to get future updates here>>>)

first up, no I don't know when you can get a vaccine

 
My clinic doesn't know. No clinics know. Unfortunately, I don't recommend calling your doctor to ask right now. All medical centers are being inundated with calls about the vaccine. The distribution is just now starting to trickle out to us medical providers outside the hospital setting.

but I can share with you what the plan is


While I don't have the exact when, where, and how of vaccinating our community, I can share what the Oregon Health Authority has planned.

Here's the main information website>>>

The vaccines are becoming available according to Phases. Different people fall into different phases, based on their occupation and medical history.  We are currently in Phase 1A, which includes all of us who see patients in person.

You can read more the specific Phases this local newspaper article from Nov. 19th>>>

but how will I know when and where I can get it???


I get that there is a lot of high emotions around this right now. I get that many want a concrete plan, now! But like so much over this last almost-year, we're having to be flexible and go according to ever-changing time frames.

If you want email updates from the Oregon Health Authority, give them your email in the little pop up box on their website>>>

I will send out further emails when we have reached Phases that are more relevant to my community. I will be sending out as many updates as I think will be helpful. Even if they don't pertain to you, maybe they will be helpful to a friend, family member or coworker, so stay tuned for more details to come.


do I think you should get it? (and variations on this question)


A vaccine, like every other recommended medication, supplement, or any other treatment, should of course always be an individual and informed decision.

There will always be public health recommendations that some cannot or should not follow based on their unique medical history.

So while I won't make a blanket statement telling everyone what to do, I will talk about the joint decision making conversations I have with patients.

You need to weigh the risks and benefits of doing [the thing, whatever it is] with the risks and benefits of not doing the thing.
Add to this conversation your present health status, workplace exposures and potential for family exposure, and there is no one-size-fits-all answer.

With that being said, from a public health standpoint, I am supportive of community-wide vaccination of those for whom this is the right decision.

yeah, but are you getting it?


A lot of people want to know.
Am I getting it?

Yes, yes I am.

If I were a 100% telecommuting person, never seeing any patients in person, and 100% of my loved ones around me were in absolute perfect health, then I may feel like I have the luxury to delay being vaccinated.

But I am not in that position.

Because while of course I am taking care of myself and my immune system in many other ways, I see this as one additional way I can help prevent the spread through my community and through my household. I consider this particularly imperative for the good of my patients I see in person.

But again, this is an individualized decision. I'm just sharing it publicly.

If you have further questions, I encourage you to discuss them with your trusted healthcare provider and come to a decision that is right for you.

Lastly, while you are collecting relevant information and making decisions during this time for you and your family, I encourage you to do a "source audit" on your newsfeed.

Where does it come from?
Who is saying it?
Who else is saying this?
Who are those countering this argument?

There's a lot more I can say about analyzing logical fallacies, but we'll leave it here for now.

I can tell you, from years of reading and interpreting primary literature (published research articles) that if your only sources of information are social media and YouTube, you will be missing out on a lot.

So cast the net wide to make sure you are getting the full picture, not just what the algorithms want you to click on.

More to come later, but that's all for now,
Dr. Angela