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Although the demand for COVID-19 vaccines now far exceeds the supply, Pennsylvania officials are working to convince those hesitating to take the shot when it becomes available.
				U.S. Sen. Bob Casey asked to area doctors how they address vaccination concerns during a virtual discussion Friday.
				&ldquo;We have a lot of inaccurate information all over social media, all over our society like never before, and it creates a real challenge,&rdquo; said Casey, D-Scranton.
				Dr. Wasique Mirza, medical director of the Scranton Primary Health Care Center, said resistance to vaccines in general has been part of the culture for a long time but has escalated in the last year or two, largely due to anti-vaxxer messages and conspiracy theories gaining a stronghold through social media.
				Some online users are quickly glancing at this information and sharing it without fully processing or vetting it, he said.
				Mirza called on his medical profession colleagues to spend extra time summarizing vaccine scientific data with reluctant patients. He noted this probably won&rsquo;t work with those talking about vaccine microchips and mind-altering properties &mdash; fantasies &ldquo;so out there that it&rsquo;s hard to convince them.&rdquo;
				Stressing skepticism about new vaccines is understandable, Mirza said he is bothered about conspiracy theories and political rhetoric that are &ldquo;driving people away.&rdquo;
				Of the 1.1 million COVID-19 vaccine doses administered statewide to date, the side effects have been &ldquo;miniscule&rdquo; and consistent with those of other vaccines, Mirza said.
				He received both doses required for full immunization and said the second was a &ldquo;little big more challenging&rdquo; because of some expected &ldquo;aches and pains.&rdquo; Those effects were a &ldquo;far better prospect&rdquo; than catching the disease and potential complications, he said.
				Dr. Alison Brodginski, another panelist, told Casey fever, body aches and chills are the body&rsquo;s natural response to a vaccine.
				&ldquo;It&rsquo;s basically your immune system doing what it is supposed to do, which is to produce an antibody response to get you that good protective immunity,&rdquo; said Brodginski, Infectious Disease Division Chief at Geisinger Wyoming Valley.
				Geisinger staffers have been working to present valid information so patients don&rsquo;t rely on inaccurate viral posts on social media platforms, she said. For example, Brodginski has been compiling myth-buster podcasts with staff.
				A common misperception is that the vaccine will be incorporated in DNA, which she said &ldquo;absolutely cannot happen.&rdquo;
				There&rsquo;s also no scientific data that speaks to a concern that the vaccine affects fertility, she said.
				No steps were skipped in the &ldquo;extremely rigorous&rdquo; vaccine approval process, Brodginski said, adding that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration is known worldwide for its safety standards.
				Wilkes-Barre Health Director Henry Radulski offered a perspective on those willingly choosing vaccinations at a clinic his department set up at the Wilkes University field house, saying they are &ldquo;very appreciative.&rdquo;
				&ldquo;Some compare it to winning the lottery to save their lives. I can&rsquo;t tell you how thankful they are,&rdquo; Radulski said.
				No negative reactions were reported during mandatory post-vaccine observation at the clinic, he said.
				More vaccine testimonials
				The state health department also showcased vaccine reactions from doctors during two virtual briefings this week.
				Dr. John Kelly, a physician at Penn Medicine in the Philadelphia area, spoke in the Friday briefing, saying he was fully vaccinated a couple of weeks ago and did not have any major difficulties.
				Kelly said he had some arm soreness after the first dose and chills with the second, though not severe enough to miss work.
				Data shows &ldquo;remarkable effectiveness&rdquo; with the vaccination, he said.
				Kelly cautioned there is growing literature on numerous potential residual effects in COVID-19 cases, including respiratory and cardiac issues and symptoms that can last weeks or months &mdash; even in those not requiring hospitalization.
				Speaking during Wednesday&rsquo;s state health briefing was Dr. Riyaz Bashir, interventional cardiologist and a professor of medicine at the Temple University School of Medicine.
				Bashir said he said he was awaiting his second vaccine shot when his wife, a physician, was infected with COVID-19 at work. He was the only one in his family not infected, and he believes the vaccine protected him.
				&ldquo;These vaccines are not only safe, but very effective,&rdquo; Bashir said.

Pennsylvania working to combat COVID-19 vaccine misinformation