The Turnstone: talking about vaccines #18

Reality check

Welcome to The Turnstone: talking about vaccines. Here, I share resources to help you have kind and non-judgemental conversations with people who are uncertain about, or opposed to, vaccination. I send these resources about vaccination every Wednesday and my original articles on Sunday - if you’d like them emailed to you directly, you can sign up to my mailing list.

This week, I bring you a reality check. Vaccination is important, but it’s becoming increasingly clear that vaccines on their own are not enough. The information I’ve shared here will help you have better conversations about how to keep everyone safe in the coming months.

Image credit: Luis Alvarez/ Getty Images

False sense of security (3 minute read)

A reminder from the head of the World Health Organisation that being vaccinated doesn’t mean we can throw away all other public health measures.

‘False sense of security’ around COVID vaccines: WHO | Coronavirus pandemic News | Al Jazeera

A perspective from Guam (5 minute read)

More than 90% of eligible Guam residents have been vaccinated, but in September Guam still faced a Covid-19 surge.

Guam’s vaccination success story turns grim with Covid surge | Guam | The Guardian

Waning immunity (6 minute read)

A good explanation of the way immune protection from the vaccines declines over time

Covid vaccine ‘waning immunity’: How worried should I be? - BBC News

A perspective from California (7 minute read)

A description of life in Los Angeles, post-vaccine.

‘Back to normal’? Yeah, right: A Covid reality check from a New Zealander in LA | The Spinoff

Covid-19 increases in Europe and Asia (10 minute read, 11 minute audio)

A discussion of the factors that have led to an increase in Covid-19 in Germany and South Korea

What's causing the COVID-19 surges in Europe and Asia : NPR

Vaccination in Kāwhia (15 minute read)

An in-depth look at the vaccination programme in Kāwhia, the challenges that it faces and how the community is tackling those challenges.

Kāwhia harbour communities re-establish historic alliance to battle Covid-19 | Stuff.co.nz

On Sunday, I will be bringing you another guest post. This one is from a writer and healthcare professional in the New York metro area. She gives a powerful account of her experience in the early days of the pandemic, when New York was one of the hardest hit areas.

I will be continuing The Turnstone: talking about vaccines as a weekly newsletter until Christmas. After that, I will be publishing it less frequently. Let me know what you think in the comment box below. And if you know someone who might find these resources useful, please share The Turnstone with them.