The Importance of Educating Those with Vaccine Hesitancy: Week of April 16th, 2021

Students, Faculty, Residents, Staff, Alumni, Board Members and Friends,

It’s been another busy week at Salus. Our virtual and in-person classes have been continuing to meet regularly and our labs and clinics have all been very busy. It’s been exciting to watch our new LASER lab take shape with Dr. Coyne lecturing students on proper procedures. These state-of-the art teaching and learning opportunities help to differentiate Salus from the rest of our competition. Please take note of what else is happening around campus:

VACCINATION UPDATE: It’s extremely important for all of us to do our part to get beyond the pandemic and get vaccinated. Effective last Tuesday, every person over the age of sixteen is now eligible for the vaccine in Pennsylvania, with the exception of the City of Philadelphia, who will expand their eligibility on April 19th. Montgomery County has opened appointments for everyone who is now eligible. You can register here. There is also an opportunity for up to 150 members of the Salus community who are either classified as Phase 1A or 1B to get the vaccine today, April 16, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at ASPIRA Educational Campus, 6301 N. Second St., Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, 19126. Neither site will be administering the J&J vaccine at this time. If you fall within 1A or 1B, please check here to register for the event.

We are also working with a local pharmacy to try and arrange for a vaccination event on campus sometime within the next couple of weeks that would be open to everyone still needing one. We will keep you posted as we get more information. If you’ve already received your vaccine, please remember to fill out our Vaccine Status form here so we know how many of us are vaccinated. As always, updated vaccine information can be found on our website.

LOOKING OUT FOR KIDS: If you haven’t already gotten your tickets, Salus University’s 14th annual “Looking Out for Kids” fundraiser is right around the corner. It will be held virtually at 6:30 p.m. Saturday, May 1. To purchase virtual tickets or VIP reception boxes online, visit here. Rosemary Connors from NBC 10 recently did a very nice story about the LOFK program that was aired on Wednesday. Click here if you’d like to see it. 

VRT WEEK: This week, April 12 through April 16, is Vision Rehabilitation Therapist Appreciation Week. It is observed every year the week of April 14 to commemorate the birthdate of Anne Sullivan on April 14, 1866. Sullivan is one of the early pioneers of vision rehabilitation and is noted for her work with Helen Keller (1880-1968), American author, disability rights activist and lecturer. To read more, click here. 

DEI COMMITTEE RESTRUCTURING: A reminder from Dr. Juliana Mosley-Williams that anyone interested in serving on the Diversity, Equity and Inclusion committee should complete their applications and send them to her by Thursday, April 22, at diversity@salus.edu. 

HERITAGE SOCIETY: Please take a few minutes to check out the story on our website about Gail and Edward Cordes, OD ‘77, who have recently decided to become part of our Heritage Society. Heritage Society members are those who have made provisions for Salus University as part of their estate planning in the form of a gift, annuity, trust agreement or life insurance. Through their foresight and generosity, these donors help preserve the heritage of the University and build a stronger future for Salus. Thank you, Dr. and Mrs. Cordes! To read more, go here.

RAMADAN CELEBRATION: As our Muslim colleagues and friends celebrate Ramadan, we wish you a Ramadan Mubarak or blessed Ramadan. May this Ramadan bring joy, peace, health and prosperity to you.

TRANSITION TO PRACTICE PODCAST: In Part Two of the “Transition to Practice” podcast Q&A, Ryan Hollister, associate director of Bennett Career Services Center, talks about the resources he provides to Salus students to help them find a career in their field and make it as smooth a transition as possible. Click here to listen.

FINAL THOUGHTS: By now, you all have seen the news that out of an “abundance of caution,” the FDA is advising doctors to pause the Johnson & Johnson vaccine while it investigates extremely rare blood clots, or thrombosis, in the cerebral venous sinus that drains blood from the brain. They investigated an initial six reports of blood clots in women ages 18 to 48. On Wednesday, two more cases were added to the list: a seventh woman who received the vaccine and a man who received it during a clinical trial. If there is indeed a risk of blood clots from the vaccine — which has yet to be determined — that risk is extremely low. It’s about 1 case per million. The risk of getting COVID-19 is much greater.

The good news is there is ample supply of the Moderna and Pfizer vaccines now. The bad news is that I am afraid that those people with vaccine hesitancy will only be more hesitant to get vaccinated because of all of this. As healthcare providers, we play an important role in helping to educate those we care for and this current situation provides a great opportunity to practice that skill. While, I in no means want to minimize the severity of anyone who might be unlucky enough to contract a cerebral venous sinus thrombosis, the odds of that happening are extremely rare. According to the CDC, the chance of getting struck by lightning in this country is about 1 in 500,000. That’s twice the incidence of possibly contracting blood clots from the vaccine. The risk of having a poor outcome from COVID is even higher, especially as one ages or if they have comorbidities such as diabetes, hypertension, COPD or other related diseases. According to the CDC, if you’re between the age of 40-49, the risk of dying from Covid-19 is 7,143 times higher than contracting a blood clot from the J&J vaccine. So, if you have the opportunity to speak to anyone who might be reticent to get the vaccine, especially now, please take the opportunity to explain that the vaccine approval process is working exactly as designed. A rare problem has been identified and it will be appropriately studied. Unless more cases present themselves, the vaccine should again be available with appropriate warning signs that recipients and physicians need to be aware of, in addition to descriptions of possible side-effects, much like most other vaccines and medications currently on the market.

The vaccines that are currently approved under Emergency Use Authorizations are safe, proven to be very effective and they prevent serious disease and death. To avoid getting the vaccine at this point puts everyone at risk and helps to prolong the pandemic, which no one wants.

As you prepare for the weekend, please think about taking some time for yourself to recharge and just relax. We all have been under a great deal of stress throughout the pandemic and taking the time to unwind is not only wise, but an essential tool to keep us all mentally healthy. As a reminder, if you do feel like you’d like to talk about any of the stressors that might be affecting you now, please don’t hesitate to make an appointment with any of our counselors in CPPD if you’re a student or Human Resources if you are faculty or staff.

Please stay safe, and remain SALUS STRONG by continuing to wear your facemask when around others, socially distance and wash your hands frequently. Have a great weekend!

Mike