COVID-19 Vaccinations

Hi, I’m Dr. Todd Shatkin and welcome to this Monday Morning Minute. I’m here to talk to you about COVID vaccination today. It is so important for you and your loved ones and your staff to get vaccinated. Don’t take a chance of getting deathly ill from this virus. I’ve already known several individuals who are friends of mine who have died from the virus. It is not worth it. Get the vaccine. I am on the Western New York COVID Task Force Group here in Buffalo, New York with a group of doctors and health professionals to try to encourage the local community here in Buffalo and Western New York to get the vaccine. It’s now available to almost anyone. All you have to do is reach out and get the vaccine.

There’s been some myths out there, some conspiracy theories about problems it might cause with fertility and pregnancy and things like that. I want to read a statement that we’ve come up with for our community here in Western New York. And this is from the Western New York COVID Group Working Group. Fertility there is no evidence that COVID-19 vaccine affects fertility. The myth started when a conspiracy website posted a factually inaccurate article in December.

The article brought up a hypothetical argument that scientists say is not plausible. Pregnancy. Even though pregnant persons were excluded from the vaccine trials, the American College of Obstetrics and Gynecologists says we should not withhold vaccines for pregnant persons. The risk of COVID-19 are very high and probably exceed any vaccination risk, at least for the high risk individuals. So far, the data shows no increased risk from the vaccines. Pregnant individuals are at increased risk for severe illness from COVID-19. However, studies in animals receiving moderna, pfizer, biotech, or Johnson and Johnson COVID-19 vaccine before or during pregnancy found no safety concerns.

If you are pregnant and have received a COVID vaccine, please consider enrolling in Vsafe’s pregnancy Registry. VSafe is a CDC smartphone based tool that uses text messages and web surveys to check on you after vaccination. Lactation the American College of Gynecologists recommends the vaccine be offered to lactating patients similar to non lactating patients. ACOG recommends that they be free to make their own decisions regarding COVID-19. So these are statements from the Western New York COVID Working Group as well as from the American College of Obstetrics and Gynecology that the COVID vaccine is safe for fertility and for pregnant women and lactating women.

I know you’ll get some pushback from some of your staff members and maybe even some of you out there that are doctors don’t want to get the vaccine. I got mine. My wife got hers. Our three children had theirs. My kids are 21 to 27 years of age. I’ve encouraged every single staff member in my office to get them. They range from 20s, upwards of almost everybody got them. I’d say 95% of my staff has gotten the vaccine. There’s still some holdouts that have not. But I highly recommend it. It can save lives.

If you do get the virus you’re going to be much less ill with the vaccine than without. But the chances are you’re not going to ever get the virus. If you get the COVID-19 vaccine, choose which one you want. Get whichever one is available, get it as fast as you can. And that’s my advice to you on this Monday Morning Minute. I will see you next week on The Monday Morning Minute and thanks for joining me.