Confidence in COVID vaccine varies among residents

Since COVID-19 vaccines began in December, multiple headlines have appeared illustrating concern and uncertainty from many U.S. residents.

Area residents appear to be no different when it comes to having mixed opinions on the safety and effectiveness of the vaccines and whether or not they want to receive one.

Roosevelt County resident Meggan Trudeau said she does not intend to get the vaccine. She said she does not believe the COVID vaccines are dangerous, but she does not believe they will be effective.

"I think it just gives people a peace of mind. With this COVID shot, it's just a guessing game. We don't even know if it works, and I think it came out way too quickly for them to really have tested and gotten accurate results. It's like the flu shot, and there's a 50/50 chance it will help or not help," Trudeau said.

"I had one flu shot my entire life, and I'll never do it again, because I got the flu and got really sick. They said they gave me the wrong strand so, again, it's a guessing game."

As for those who are more susceptible to the virus getting the vaccine, Trudeau said, "If it gives them a peace of mind, I'm all for it."

Farwell resident Carl Smith has already received both of his Moderna vaccine shots. And while he has concerns about the safety of the vaccine, Smith said he is "less concerned about the shot than about having COVID itself."

"I don't fall into any of the categories that has anything to worry about if I do catch it (coronavirus). It's more for my grandparents when I go visit them," Smith said. "And if the vaccine is going to have some severe side effects, better for it to do so with me, a perfectly healthy person, than with someone more vulnerable. Not that I expect it to."

Smith said he read about the Moderna vaccine before taking it, and said he learned it had already been in development for some time for another coronavirus and was simply modified to use against COVID-19.

"I'm pro for optional release," Smith said. "I would be against it being required, because it should be somebody's choice. It's just like the flu shot. This isn't the end of the world. This is a serious illness that people should take seriously, but how they handle it should be up to them."

Portales resident George Rowan said he doesn't care if anyone else chooses to get a COVID vaccine, but he won't be getting one.

"As far as I'm concerned, I've had the flu shots over the years, and they don't work. I recently read that two politicians who took the (COVID) shot ended up with the virus, so it doesn't seem like it works either. And it seems to me that they came up with this miracle cure way too quickly," he said. "To me, this is nothing more than a high-dollar flu."

Rowan said he does not agree in general with anyone being told what they can or cannot do in regard to their health.

"I don't care what any of you do. My thing is just leave me alone," he said. "Don't tell me I have to wear a mask just to get up and go to the bathroom. Don't tell me where I can and can't go. And don't tell me I can't go to a restaurant to eat and don't tell me I can't have more than five people at my house. That's what pisses me off."

Meanwhile, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports that over 80 million vaccines have been administered in the U.S., which is over 20 percent of the population. More than 800,000 have been administered in New Mexico.