Pope Francis Urges Us All to Get the COVID-19 Vaccine
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Pope Francis is the latest world leader to join in on the "It's Up to You" initiative, hoping to increase trust and the use of the COVID-19 vaccine. The campaign was launched in February by the Ad Council and COVID Collaborative. It's featured four former presidents and first ladies—including Barack and Michelle Obama—as well as Bishop T.D. Jakes, Wanda Sykes, Darius Rucker, and Dr. Anthony Fauci.
On August 18, the Pope appeared in a video advocating for inoculation alongside six cardinals and archbishops who represent North, Central, and South America. With words spoken in Spanish, English, and Portuguese, the hope is that the message is received by communities disproportionately affected by the virus in those regions.
"Thanks to God’s grace and to the work of many, we now have vaccines to protect us from COVID-19," he said. "Getting the vaccines that are authorized by the respective authorities is an act of love. I pray to God that each one of us can make his or her own small gesture of love, no matter how small, love is always grand."
The Ad Council said in a press release that this is their first PSA that's aim is to reach a global audience. The organization reported that while in America, 67% of Hispanic adults had at least one dose of the COVID vaccine, Latin countries are seeing increased infection and rising mortality rates as a result of the virus.
As of August 4, the Congressional Research Service (CRS) found that in Latin America and the Caribbean, "Brazil, Mexico, Peru, Colombia, and Argentina had the region’s highest numbers of deaths."
Earlier this month, the CDC found that unvaccinated individuals are more than twice as likely to be reinfected by COVID-19, particularly with the rise of the highly contagious delta variant. They also reported the vaccine is safe and effective, more so than natural immunity. And now, President Joe Biden said the CDC will call for all adults to receive a booster shot eight months after receiving their second dose.
However, while 70% of the adult population in the U.S. has received at least one dose, vaccine equity remains a huge hurdle both domestically and internationally.
"The rollout of vaccines has varied considerably, and there is concern that widespread vaccine access in some countries could be delayed until mid-2022, making populations vulnerable to new waves of the virus and to more transmittable variants," the CRS said. "As of August 4, 2021, according to PAHO’s director, just 18% of people in Latin America and the Caribbean had been fully vaccinated."
As officials work to address the problem, it's hoped that increasing individuals' trust in the importance and effectiveness of the vaccine will strengthen the global fight to end the pandemic sooner rather than later.
"[Vaccines] grant us the hope of ending the pandemic, but only if they are available to all and if we work together," the Pope said.
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