Are you ok? Where is this trust in authority coming from?
In a sea of US culture, which consists of mixed feelings about the Covid-19 vaccine, why did I not have major worries about getting vaccinated or sharing with others how they could get it…essentially recommending it for those who were interested?
If I am a usually pessimistic and questioning authority type of person, where did that trust come from?
I think it comes from noticing how other cultures around the globe are perceiving the vaccine as well as having peer-connections with US institutions. Israel is an interesting case study because they have the lead on vaccinating the highest percentage of people as of the date of this publication (57% of its population fully vaccinated, 23 April 2021). As a country that values self-preservation, I can’t help but think that their push to vaccinate the population as a safety measure indicates a need for and trust in the vaccine they created. The country has one of the highest ratios of GDP spending on civil research and development as well as one of the highest ratios of scientists and technicians per 10,000 employees. If they aren’t worried about a vaccine’s effects on their population’s health, maybe I shouldn’t be either.
I also see the envy that citizens of other countries have of the US’s vaccine capability right now. A German friend was appalled that the US — with all it’s chaotic mask/no mask/questioning science summer of 2020 — was able to come up with a vaccine and get it rolled out so quickly. The Peruvian former president, Martín Vizcarra, was just banned from holding public office because he “jumped the queue to receive a COVID-19 vaccine.” More personally, my friend in Peru expressed limited hope in getting the vaccine in the next two years. These perspectives rely on the premise that a vaccine is needed at the least to keep hospitals below capacity, and, at the most, to protect ourselves and our families.
Additionally influencing me is that my perception of US federal institutions has a peer feel rather than a distant and unfamiliar questioning of exactly who is making these vaccines and what are their motives.
When I think about who is doing the lab work and writing up reports about the safety and efficacy of the vaccine, I think of someone I know and trust. Someone I called and talked to because I needed their input on a report. Someone who sent back sympathetic line edits on my paper, ensuring I had the technical wording right. This person was probably 10x smarter than me and could interpret epidemiological data in their sleep.
Before I started at the Central Intelligence Agency, I was offered a job at the Centers for Disease Control (CDC). I also had CDC and National Institute of Health connections through the work I did with the Department of Homeland Security. I studied Homeland Security with a focus on Public Health for my masters degree at Penn State and was taught by practitioners with decades of experience advising US leaders on global health issues. If I really wanted to know what was going on in these institutions I’m probably only a few connections away on LinkedIn.
Although I was quick to accept the vaccine, I don’t think I’m brainwashed, although that is what a brainwashed person would say. I think I am anything but naïve. I accept that there is a possibility of a long term effect occurring, but trust that the decision I am making (along with others) in this time is the right one given my experiences, observations, and what I know up to this moment.