People Shopping for Different COVID-19 Vaccine Brands
Image: Courtesy SagaCity Media
You may have seen Dr. Katie Sharff on television news and around town. She’s an Infectious Disease Specialist at Kaiser Permanente in Clackamas. We see her as a local hero for being open, honest, calm and highly competent throughout the pandemic at a time of high emotion and confusion. Dr. Sharff has over 13 years of experience in the medical field and graduated from the University of Chicago, Pritzker School of Medicine in 2008. She’s also a native Oregonian.
So, we feel lucky to be hosting her next Tuesday, March 30 for about 20 minutes when she’ll give us the lowdown on the different COVID-19 vaccines as they enter the market. She will be interviewed by Portland Monthly cofounder and CEO, Nicole Vogel.
Image: Courtesy SagaCity Media
Reports around the country show that some people are shopping and deciding on a specific brand between Moderna, Pfizer and Johnson & Johnson. Dr. Sharff will debunk the idea and danger of that approach, with all three vaccines currently available in the United States being safe and highly effective.
“Medical experts are telling us speed is the name of the game, not delaying your shot to wait for what people might think is a ‘better’ brand,” says Ms. Vogel who was already vaccinated in Seattle when a vaccine became available to her. She did not wait and encourages others to tune in to Dr. Sharff on Monday afternoon.
The real risk lies in delaying vaccination according to Dr. Sharff. “The faster we get people vaccinated, the more we reduce the burden on medical resources and lower the odds of new variants emerging.”
As Portland Monthly has shifted to more frequent, digital local news during the COVID-19 pandemic since its outbreak in February 2020, we’ve focused on the physical, emotional and financial health of our residents and regional economy. The most visible example is the COVID-19 Tracker at the top of our website each morning.
We also know that our community residents crave more two-way dialogue and conversation, especially after a full year of working, schooling, worshipping, cooking, celebrating, teaching and socializing from home on our Macs, PCs and headsets. Just seeing real people speak on the most serious and relevant topics that matter makes a big difference.
That’s why Dr. Sharff is joining us, and why Ms. Vogel will be interviewing her. We hope to host other virtual live interviews on community health, and other serious topics most relevant to you. We’d like to hear what matters most to you in the weeks and months ahead. So, drop us a line with your thoughts.
Join Dr. Katie Sharff and Portland Monthly for a Facebook Live event at 1 p.m. on March 30 with Portland Monthly cofounder and CEO, Nicole Vogel for a live conversation on vaccine safety, effectiveness of each of the three brands available, and why taking the first available shot will protect your health and safety of our communities.
