Medical professionals and sports heroes alike want you to have the proper facts about the COVID-19 vaccine.
The summer months are here. The sun is shining and things are starting to feel a little more normal. But COVID cases are also rising in some parts of the country, and many Americans are looking for information about COVID vaccines as they gather with family and friends for backyard barbeques or head out to the ballpark in celebration.
Get all your questions on the COVID-19 vaccine answered and make an informed decision for yourself and your family. Go to www.getvaccineanswers.org.
The Ad Council and the COVID Collaborative coordinated a panel to discuss the COVID-19 vaccine, dispel misinformation about the vaccination process, and educate the public on the health benefits of getting vaccinated.
The panel was led by Dr. Tom Frieden, the former Director of the United States Center for Disease Control and prevention.
He was joined by five world-class athletes who talked about their experience with the vaccine and asked some tough questions that unvaccinated Americans have been asking about the pros and cons of getting the jab.
COVID-19 vaccine facts with Dr. Frieden and his athlete roundtable
New York City FC goalkeeper Sean Johnson, WWE superstar Drew McIntyre, World Series champion Preston Wilson, World Champion Gamer Rocky Stoutenburgh, and former NFL offensive lineman Chester Pitts all joined Dr. Frieden to talk about the benefits of the COVID-19 vaccine and why getting a vaccination is safe and effective.
“Get your vaccines, people,” Pitts said, clapping and hyping up the group. “Come on.”
Perhaps the most important question asked was why should we all get vaccinated?
Johnson led with the question, noting that he knows friends and family members who are skeptical of getting vaccinated and didn’t have the information they needed to make the proper decision.
“Simply put you get vaccinated to protect yourself, your family, friends, and people around you,” Dr. Frieden explained. “The vaccine is amazingly effective. Nothing is one hundred percent, but it’s amazingly effective and very safe.”
Dr. Frieden also explains that getting vaccinated means getting back to your normal way of life sooner and safer. The safety element is something Pitts emphasized as a reason he got the vaccine.
“I love my family,” Pitts explained. “What happens if you somehow still get it (COVID-19), and I come home and give it to one of my kids?”
Pitts noted that he did everything he was advised to do by the CDC to prevent the spread of COVID-19, including wearing masks and socially distancing himself. While many skeptics of the vaccine have argued that what Pitts did should be enough, Drew McIntyre pointed out that he did everything he was supposed to do — including getting tested regularly by the WWE — and he still contracted the disease.
“If I’m following everything to a T, and I still can get it, you can get it too,” McIntyre warned.
You can check out the full panel, presented by the Ad Council and the COVID Collaborative, below: