Misinformation has allowed masks, testing, and the vaccine to become heavily politicized issues, which has led to many unnecessary deaths. Epidemiologist Dr. Debra Furr-Holden sees a new kind of hope on the horizon in Flint. “We now know we can actually rapidly impact and turn the tide on health disparities,” she said. “We can. And the access is there for us to come together. We can use these kinds of multi-sector, multi-stakeholders approaches that also include community at the table."

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Employees tuned in to the first of a series of town halls aimed at helping members of the community make informed decisions featuring featuring MSU President Samuel L. Stanley Jr., M.D and College of Human Medicine Associate Dean for Public Health Integration Debra Furr-Holden. “If you didn’t have a medical home coming into this pandemic, I really encourage people to take that seriously,” Dr. Furr-Holden said.

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The New York Task Force for Vaccine Equity and Education launched Roll Up Your Sleeves New York, The COVID-19 Vaccine Toolkit for Black Communities, on which Dr. Debra Furr-Holden serves. Said CEO Jennifer Jones Austin, “We started this task force in New York to ensure the vaccine is readily accessible to Black New Yorkers and address concerns in Black communities about the safety and efficacy of the vaccine. 

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Associate Dean for Public Health Integration at Michigan State University Dr. Debra Furr-Holden believes getting vaccinated is not a pass to stop taking precautions. “The vaccine is giving some people a sense of false security,” she said. 

Practice the 3 W’s:
Wear a mask
Wash your hands
Watch your distance 

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Dr. Jennifer Morse, MSU MPH '18, Mid-Michigan District Health Department medical director, told CNN that the rollback of restrictions has led to poor mask wearing, and the B.1.1.7 variant have fueled the recent surge in COVID-19 cases in Michigan. 

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With universal vaccine available, Dr. Debra Furr-Holden spoke with The Seattle Times and shared her worry for vulnerable people, who had not gotten a shot quickly enough were inappropriately being made to forfeit their place in line.“The eligibility categories were designed to ensure that those most at risk were served first,” said Furr-Holden. 

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The more Michiganders vaccinated, the quicker the state can open everything back up. “Some of the smaller counties were able to roll out vaccines a lot faster and kind of reach that vaccine threshold. I think there’s a lot of wait-and-see people and some people are completely averse to it,” said Dr. Rick Sadler, a professor at MSU. Sadler said two major factors play into hesitancy and disinformation.

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Dr. Debra Furr-Holden talks with Here & Now. “My hope is that every human being in this country that has a desire to get the vaccine has fair and equitable access to get that vaccine as soon as possible. This issue around hesitancy, we are going to have to ongoingly deal with that...if we can get the vaccine in the arms of the people that have been a 'YES,' what we will see is a cultural shift. 

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Reopening Michigan tied to vaccination rates, or “behavioral economics” as Dr. Debra Furr-Holden calls it, could be a positive incentive for some people. “It’s sort of weighing the risks and benefits in the decision making process in the background that people use to guide their health choices,” said Furr-Holden. 

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Dr. Mona Hanna-Attisha and public health leaders urged parents to get their 12 to 15-year-old children vaccinated with Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine. "During the recent surge in MI, we saw a marked increase in serious pediatric COVID cases requiring hospitalization. As a parent, it’s a relief to know...my daughters are on their way to being protected," shared Dr. Hanna-Attisha.

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Dr. Mona Hanna-Attisha gave six Flint-area teens their first dose of the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine while urging others to receive a shot. “This is a community that knows how to roll up our sleeves and work together when we need to get something done.“I think this is probably one of the most important things I have ever done in my life is to be part of this effort to get our state vaccinated so we can go back to living a normal life," said Hanna-Attisha.

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"Vaccines are the great equalizer when it comes to addressing health disparities, especially around infectious diseases." Dr. Kizzmekia Corbett is a leading coronavirus scientist from Harvard's T.H. Chan School of Public Health, whose research led to the development of the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine. She joins Dr. Debra Furr-Holden and local Flint experts in a conversation about vaccinations.

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