Episode 46: The COVID Vaccine (Again) - Vaccine Hesitancy and the Delta Variant

Well, we didn’t want to do another episode on COVID-19, but….with the Delta variant, the rise in cases across parts of the country, and all the misinformation floating around social media….we kinda had to.   For Episode 46, host Joe Buccino brings back Dr. Sammy Choi, the Chief of Research at Fort Bragg’s Womack Army Medical Center, and Army Lieutenant Colonel Owen Price, Fort Bragg Force Health Protection Officer. You may remember Owen and Sammy from Episode 13, our first foray into COVID. These two are joined by Army Lieutenant Colonel Teresa Pearce, a Preventive Medicine Physician and the Director of Fort Bragg Public Health.     Joe leads our experts in an illuminating discussion that will answer any remaining questions:   How concerned should we be about the delta variant? Am I safe if I’m unvaccinated but already contracted COVID-19? Will we go back into a shutdown? Are we going to receive a booster shot? Is Johnson & Johnson safe? Have any Soldiers experienced concerning side effects of the COVID vaccines? Which is the best, most effective, safest vaccine? What are the risks of myocarditis associated with the vaccine?   This episode comes at a critical moment for the Army. Over the past six months, the Army has clawed its way out of a terrible position with COVID. Most bases have lifted restrictions, children are back in school, and facilities are reopened. With the Delta variant, however, which we know to be twice as transmissible as the strain that caused the winter surge, we’re in danger of losing all that we’ve gained.   Most concerning, the Army now has a number of COVID cases among fully-vaccinated Soldiers. Further, the Delta variant appears to generate much higher viral loads, and unvaccinated individuals may be twice as likely to be hospitalized.   Please listen to Episode 46 and pass this around to anyone who remains unvaccinated or is concerned about the virus.   About Episode 46’s guests:   Choi is a graduate of the University of Oklahoma School of Medicine; he completed a combined Internal Medicine and Pediatrics Residency at William Beaumont Army Medical Center, Fort Bliss, Texas. Owen Price is an Army Lieutenant Colonel and a graduate of Oklahoma State with a degree in Entomology; He is an Army Environmental Science and Engineer Teresa Pearce is, like Owen, an Army Lieutenant Colonel. He is a Preventive Medicine Physician with a Masters of Public Health.