A Shot of Hope: Life with the COVID Vaccine TV special
NEW YORK (WABC) -- On Wednesday, April 14, Eyewitness News aired a special presentation entitled "A Shot of Hope: Life with the Vaccine," hosted by Bill Ritter and Sandra Bookman.
The program dug into many of the questions brought about by the arrival of the COVID-19 vaccinations.
It has been 13 months since the coronavirus was deemed a worldwide pandemic.
Our initial shock and sorrow have now turned to cautious optimism.
More than 192 million doses of all three different brands of vaccines have safely been administered in the U.S.
With more and more people getting their shot, more and more questions are coming up.
For example, can your job or school require you to get vaccinated?
Will you need some kind of proof, or 'vaccine passport,' to travel or attend concerts and sporting events?
And what happens if you come down with the virus after you get vaccinated or between doses?
On Tuesday, big questions were raised when the U.S. recommended a "pause" in the use of the single-dose Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine to investigate reports of rare but potentially dangerous blood clots, setting off a chain reaction worldwide and dealing a setback to the global vaccination campaign.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Food and Drug Administration announced that they were looking into unusual clots in six women between the ages of 18 and 48. One person died.
ABC News Chief Medical Correspondent Dr. Jennifer Ashton addressed people's hesitancy towards getting the vaccines.
On Thursday, she hosted a town hall with a panel of experts to answer viewers' questions.
This week, the National Football League said it would require key employees, but not players, to get vaccinated.
Meanwhile, many colleges, like Rutgers University in New Jersey, are requiring all students to get the vaccine, but not faculty and staff.
Also this week, it was showtime for some live music venues in New York City.
Some, like City Winery on the Hudson River, required attendees to scan an app confirming they had had a negative COVID test.
It's an example of health passports which could become as common as a driver's license and which any believe are key to larger audiences returning to live events safely.
Another concern is people contracting COVID-19 after they had received at least one dose of the vaccine.
The CDC calls them breakthrough infections and we don't know exactly how many of these cases there are, but data from states suggests it's in the thousands.
Finally, with so many people feeling the cabin fever from being cooped up in their homes over the last year, many are chomping at the bit to travel.
But take note before spending money and time, so a long-awaited vacation isn't ruined.
7 On Your Side provides tips on things to know before going on that trip.
WATCH THE TOWN HALL:
MORE CORONAVIRUS COVID-19 COVERAGE
New York City COVID-19 Vaccine Tracker
New Jersey COVID-19 Vaccine Tracker
How to get the vaccine in NYC, Tri-State area
Do you have coronavirus symptoms?
WATCH: Eyewitness to a Pandemic
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on coronavirus
Submit a News Tip or Question
