Positive Approaches Journal, Volume 10, Issue 2

Volume 10 ► Issue 2 ► August 2021

Data Discoveries

The goal of Data Discoveries is to present useful data using new methods and platforms that can be customized.

The COVID-19 pandemic has upended how we participate in and interact with our communities. The most effective strategies for staying safe and healthy for much of the pandemic revolved around staying distant from one another, avoiding community locations, and limiting public gatherings. This has caused many to feel isolated, alone, and separated from their family, friends, and community¹. In December of 2020, a new set of tools were added to the public health arsenal to combat the COVID-19 pandemic and aid our transition to the reintegration back into the community: the emergency use authorization (EUA) by the Food & Drug Administration (FDA) for use of several vaccines to prevent COVID-19. Vaccine rollout started out slow, limited to healthcare workers and other essential staff, then to high-risk populations like older adults and those with certain preexisting conditions and diagnoses, and slowly trickling until all Pennsylvanians were eligible for vaccination on April 19^th, 2021 pending the approved ages of each vaccine. As of August 2021, over 5.7 million Pennsylvanians have been vaccinated with the peak of vaccination in the spring².

Despite the now widespread availability of the approved COVID-19 vaccines, the number of vaccinations being administered has slowed. Despite calls to action for vaccination to decrease community transmission of the coronavirus, Americans have been divided in their beliefs about the whether-or-not to get one of the COVID-19 vaccines³. The amount of published research is increasing on the safety of COVID-19 vaccines and the importance of correcting vaccine misinformation and the continued efforts to promote evidence-based information and practices will be critical in in the continued vaccination outreach efforts.

Continued efforts to combat misinformation and promote vaccination will be essential to continue to support efforts for vaccination for all eligible populations. Vaccination remains one of the most effective means to decreasing community transmission and facilitating our ability to reintegrate into our communities to the extent we were able to before the pandemic⁴. For more information about vaccination from the ASERT Collaborative via the AID in PA initiative, visit:

Dashboard Instructions?

The Dashboard below aims to provide resources and information on the COVID-19 vaccination rollout nationally and within Pennsylvania. Navigate the ‘COVID-19 Vaccine Progress’ tab by clicking on an icon to visit the source webpage. The visual displayed on the ‘COVID-19 Vaccine Publications’ tab shows a timeline of COVID-19 publications related to the general public’s attitude towards getting the COVID-19 vaccination. Each circle represents a publication, with the size and color indicating how often the article was cited.

References