{"id":263329,"date":"2021-02-12T08:46:35","date_gmt":"2021-02-12T12:46:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/dominicanewsonline.com\/news\/?p=263329"},"modified":"2021-03-14T16:46:37","modified_gmt":"2021-03-14T20:46:37","slug":"dominican-scientist-medical-doctor-promote-vaccine-acceptance","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dominicanewsonline.com\/news\/covid-19\/dominican-scientist-medical-doctor-promote-vaccine-acceptance\/","title":{"rendered":"Dominican scientist, medical doctor, promote vaccine acceptance"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Dr. Sam Christian<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Dominican immunologist based in Cincinnati, Ohio, Dr. Swinburne Augustine and Medical Doctor, Sam Christian, were among several health practitioners featured prominently in a high-powered Caribbean Community webinar on the COVID vaccine on February 6, 2021.<\/p>\n

Speaking on the issue of trust and trial of the vaccine, Dr. Augustine attributed vaccine hesitancy in the Caribbean and among the black population, to lack of trust arising from the legacy of horrible, officially-sanctioned abuse.<\/p>\n

The Delices native highlighted the importance of ensuring racial and ethnic diversity in clinical trials especially for the Covid 19 vaccines because Covid 19 has taken a very heavy toll on people of color.<\/p>\n

“Diversity within clinical trials for Covid-19 in particular, helps ensure the safety and effectiveness across the population and it helps to increase that confidence and trust among our people. Historically, people of color have been underrepresented in clinical trials for several reasons. and they are all access barriers,” he stated.<\/p>\n

Pushing back against fears of depopulation and genetic modification, Dr. Augustine encouraged minorities to participate in clinical trials. He said the safety and efficacy of the vaccine in blacks are similar to those in whites. Despite a statistically small number of side effects, the scientist contends that deciding not to take the vaccine is like the roll of the dice on your life.<\/p>\n

For his part, Dr. Christian revealed that the 1200-strong Caribbean Virus Defense (CVD), an initiative f his, was founded on Facebook to combat the tsunami of confusing disinformation making the rounds on social media.<\/p>\n

“As the virus marched across the world that’s when we decided to form in the first instance, the Dominica Virus Defence (DVD) but the interest was so great across the Caribbean that we decided to rename it to the CVD and we were focusing on promoting best practices looking at cutting edge strategies from the region and the rest of the world,” he stated, adding that any proactive individual can participate.<\/p>\n

The Dominica-based surgeon noted that with the help of leading Dominican experts, the country has been one of the fortunate few to be spared from deaths, but pointed out that the public is still plagued with the constant threat of misinformation.<\/p>\n

According to Dr. Christian, “this time, our own scientists are in the lead, like Dr. Augustine. Also, having Dr. Carissa Etienne at the head of P.A.H.O. has redounded to our benefit. At the end of the day, it is up to enlightened citizens to keep officials honest, to comply with the protocols and accept the hope offered by the vaccine. Some panelists already had the jab while the rest committed to taking it as soon as it was available in their area.”<\/p>\n

He encouraged citizens to utilize the fact-checkers tools which are available online, to avoid the spread of misinformation as it pertains to the virus, and stressed the need to be more informed on the benefits of the vaccines.<\/p>\n

The webinar was chaired by medical sociologist, Dr. Karen Francis and organized by Jamaican Ambassador Emeritus, attorney Curtis Ward from the Washington DC metropolitan area. Several other doctors provided valuable input. Of particular interest was the key role of churches as trusted messengers to enhancing vaccination response.<\/p>\n

Below is a YouTube video of the entire Caribbean Community Covid Vaccine Webinar.<\/p>\n