With COVID-19 mutations on the rise, Fort Bragg soldiers discuss hesitancy of receiving vaccine – The Fayetteville Observer

With a mutated variant of COVID-19 gaining traction in the area, Fort Bragg officials are looking atthe reasons why some soldiersare hesitant to get the vaccine.

Fort Bragg health officials spoke on the 18thAirborne Corps podcast Tuesday to dispel misinformation about the vaccine and discussed what the delta variant of the virus means. Some soldiers spoke on Thursdays podcast about why there was hesitancy.

More: COVID-19 cases in Cumberland County rise more than 90% in a week

Among the four Fort Bragg soldiers interviewed, one has recovered from being diagnosed with COVID-19, and another has not received the vaccine.

According to vaccination numbers released on the Department of Defenses website Wednesday, at least 511,940 regular Army,Reserve andNational Guard soldiershave received one or both doses of the vaccine.

There are a little more than 1.01 million soldiers in the regular Army, National Guard and Reserve combined, according to budget documents released by the Army this year.

The Armys own vaccine numbersdifferfrom the DODs, with the branch reporting in May that 636,848 soldiers received either the first or both doses of the vaccine.

At least 70% of regular Army soldiers have at least received the first dose of the vaccine, said Lt. Gen. Ron Place, director of the Defense Health Agency, on June 29.

Locally at Fort Bragg, the vaccination rate for soldiers is at about 60%, a spokesman for the 18thAirborne Corps said.

During Thursdays podcast,Col. Joe Buccino, a spokesman for the 18thAirborne Corps, said he spoke off-mic with 40 soldiers about the vaccine.

With the COVID vaccine, every soldier has a choice, Buccino said. That choice is a deeply personal one, and it is to be respected.

Buccino said he thinks the fourFort Bragg soldierswho agreed to be interviewed represent the broad views across the military and Fort Bragg.

Capt. Javon Starnes told Buccino he was one of the soldiers who hesitated on receiving the vaccine in early January, because at the time he questioned if its rollout was being rushed.

I wanted to do everything to the best of my ability to basically take care of my family things of that nature when it comes to finances, my health and just the betterment of our community, said Starnes, who is a married father of three.

Starnes said that he received a phone call in January asking if he wanted to volunteer for the vaccine, and atfirsthe said no, but later during the conversation, he changed his mind because he questioned if hed be putting his family at risk if he contracted thevirus.

He said coincidentally before he was able to receive the vaccine, he and his wife each contracted it.

He said despite taking precautions, they took off their masks when eating with friends and soon learned the friends were diagnosed with COVID-19.

Starnes said his three children did not test positive for the virus, but he experienced chills and most of the symptoms except for the loss of smell and taste.

More: COVID vaccine open for military beneficiaries 16 and older at Fort Bragg

His wife had all the symptoms including loss of smell and taste, he said.

He said he and his wife havethough theyve recovered from the virus since they were diagnosed in January, but his wifes senses still have not fullyrecovered.

We know we dont want to catch COVID again, Starnes said. So,we made the decision together to get the vaccination.

He said he now encouragesthose who havent received a vaccination to consider itbecause he thinks the side effects of COVID outweigh any potential side effects of the vaccine.

Sgt. Colton Joinerhas opted to not receive the vaccine at this timebecause he thinks unknown risks of itoutweigh his chances of contracting COVID-19.

Now there could be some long-term effects if I get it, and Icompletelyunderstand that, but there could also be some long-term effects 10 years down the road from the vaccine, Joiner said.

Lt. Col. Owen Price, Fort Braggs Force Health protection officer, said Joiner has valid points.

However as more data about the virus comes in, initial thoughts about it only affecting older populations are eroding, Price said.

Data is now showing 25% of people regardless of age or health status are experiencinglong-termhealth effects from the virussuch as loss of senses,fatigueor mental fog,he said.

Price told Joiner that the delta variant of the virus has a double infection rate compared to the COVID-19 strain in the December time frame, when the virus was at its worse.

He said most of the vaccinated populations seem to be OK, but the variant is sweeping through parts of the country with large unvaccinated populations.

The delta variant, Price said, has almost eliminated the alpha variant as the virus replicates and makes copies and the delta variant has become stronger and faster and has a better survival chance.

According to the World Health Organization, the longer the coronavirus spreads among unvaccinated people, the more opportunity it has to mutate into off-shoots like the delta variant.

Price said he cant guarantee there wont be long-term effects from the COVID-19 vaccine, but said short-term effects appear low.

The ingredients in the vaccinea lipid, mRNA protein, salt, water and a stabilizer are not known to have long-term effects on their own, Price said.

Meanwhile, he said COVID-19 has causedmyocarditis, which is a viral infection that weakens the heart.

Price estimated about 90% of COVID-19 patient hospitalizations are those who are unvaccinated.

Fort Bragg has only had one COVID-19 hospitalization of a patient who was vaccinated, but that person had underlying health conditions, he said.

Joiner said the delta variant of the virus might change his view on getting vaccinated sooner if sees the infection rate skyrocketing.

I'm not opposed to the vaccine, he said. I would honestly say maybe two years from now, maybe a year from now or maybe six months from now I would be more open to get it if I see a steady sample of people who have gotten it.

He said its the unknowns andattemptingto make a decision after the past year of COVID-19 has made some weary.

This is a crazy experience, and then for people to have to come out and make these big decisions when theyre still processing things that have happened months ago is a lot, Joiner said.

Joiner said he thinks theres a large group of people who are in favor of the vaccine and a large group opposed to it but said he would like to hear from an honest middle man.

He agreed with Buccino in questioning the risk of thedelta variants impact to schools, gyms and dining facilities that have since reopened at Fort Bragg, if a large swath of people continue to remain unvaccinated and still want to wait.

As much as I want time to make the decision,there isa point to where are you aren't necessarily affordedthat (time) …? Joiner said.Its such apainful decision to sit here and have to debate with myself should I do this or should I not do this.

The two other soldiers Buccino spoke to on the podcast Staff Sgt. Thomas Tran andPfc. Phylicia Jones have each been vaccinated.

Tran said he didnt have a particular reason for why he hesitated to get the vaccine but decided to do so because his wife travels out of country for work.

Jones said though shes heard pros and cons about the vaccine, she personally has not noticed any issues after she received it.

We have to sometimes take a leap of faith even though it scares us and its fearful in order for us to finally reach the goal that we want overall, she said.

During Tuesdays podcast, Price was joined by two other Fort Bragg medical professionals Dr. Sammy Choi, chief of research for Womack Army Medical Center, and Lt. Col.Teresa Pearce, director of Fort Bragg Public Health.

Choi said that according to CDC data, the U.S. went from atwo-weekperiod in early June of seeing 10% of COVID-19 cases with the delta variant, to it increasing to 30%two weeks later and increasing to 58% of the cases for the weekly period ending July 3.

If a spike protein from the virus attaches to a host and mutates, he said it has a nearlythreefoldchance of infecting a child.

Choihadadvice for soldiers who are skeptical about receiving the vaccine becauseit's still in an emergency useauthorizationphase, asmanufacturersawaitlicensingapproval for the Federal Drug Administration.

Do it for humanity, he said. "It may affect the unit. If a soldier getsit andanother soldier gets it, and youre mission-critical it can affect everything."

Choi said he thinks there is plenty of data about the vaccines efficacy, andasks if thosewantinga level of researchscrutinyand research evidence from the COVID-19 vaccine are asking for the same level of data of other vaccines.

Hesaidit seems as if some people want an assurance that there wont be a side effect, but if that were the same assurance for other vaccines, the humanpapillomavirusvaccine to prevent cervical cancer or vaccines against chickenpox,measlesand otherdiseaseswouldnt exist.

In dispelling some of the concernsand misinformation that some soldiers have heard about the vaccine, Choi said it will not make male soldiers sterile.

However, he said the chance forerectiledysfunction is five times greater for those who contract COVID-19.

There is no evidencethatany of the vaccines lead toerectiledysfunction, sterilityorinfertilityin man or woman, he said.

Price said data has indicated that the vaccine has not caused problems for women pregnant during receiving the vaccine or getting pregnant afterreceivingit.

Related to claims that the vaccine might change DNA, Price said the messenger RNA of the vaccine never enters thenucleuscell of wheregeneticDNA material is housed.

There's no interaction between the messenger RNA and your DNA and so theres simply no way that its going to change your genetic makeup, he said.

Related to concerns about the vaccine and faith, Choi saidhe questions what is it about the COVID-19 vaccine that prevents them from taking it according to theirstatement of faith or theology.

He also questioned why some have singled out the COVID-19 vaccine as being opposing to their faith, while other vaccines are not.

For those who say they arent going to get the vaccine because they havent contracted COVID-19, Pearce used alightingstrikeanalogy.

"I dont know anybody and I myself have not been struck bylightning, but it doesnt mean that because of that I go and run around in lightning storms and carry polesaround, she said.

All three medical professionals agreed that they think prevention is still key for fighting the virus.

We're really kind of at a tipping point, andwe're onemutation away from kind of rolling back down the hill,andI know everybody is COVID-spent, Price said. Everybodys over it, but we have to get to a point where theres no safe haven for the virus togo, andwere only going to do that throughvaccination.

Staff writer Rachael Riley can be reached at rriley@fayobserver.com or 910-486-3528.

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With COVID-19 mutations on the rise, Fort Bragg soldiers discuss hesitancy of receiving vaccine - The Fayetteville Observer