A Doctor’s Story

Dr. Jacqueline Jones is a physician with a mission. It began outside a surgical suite at the prestigious institution where she works in Manhattan in January of 2021.

Dr. Jones, an otolaryngology (Ear-Nose-Throat) surgeon, was between procedures and, per the usual, struck up a conversation with her colleagues. Not surprisingly, the topic was the new Covid-19 vaccines. She was surprised by some of the comments.

One nurse, in her mid-thirties, said, “I just can’t do it. I can’t take the vaccine. I don’t want anyone experimenting on me.”

Another RN then said, “I’m going to wait until a few million people get it.”

Dr. Jacqueline Jones

Then what really surprised, if not shocked, her was a comment by one of the anesthesiologists: “I’m still nervous about getting it.”

Later that day, she went to the hospital lunchroom where, of course, the vaccine was on everyone’s mind. By her count, one-third of the people in the room expressed some skepticism.

If highly trained medical professionals are hesitant, she thought, what about everyone else?

“I was flabbergasted,” she said. “These people had been through the worst of it. Last April and May they were deployed in the hardest hit places like Elmhurst, Queens and the Bronx. They had seen the devastation up close, yet still had reservations.”

That’s when her crusade began.

“Covid-19 has wreaked havoc on all of our lives,” said Dr. Jones. “How many of us have denied ourselves the ability to be close to our families, our loved ones, our dearest friends? Not only is this horrid disease exacting a toll on our physical health, but also our mental health. There has to be an end to this.”

“The data is clear. All of the current vaccines have been proven safe and effective, endorsed by the FDA, which is much more stringent than other medical regulatory agencies around the world.”

On the medical advisory board of Castle Connolly’s Top Doctors, Dr. Jones used her position to ignite her mission. “Each year, Castle Connolly compiles a list of the top one percent of the nation’s doctors. So, we sent out an email to them and asked them to sign a statement encouraging everyone, all Americans, to take the vaccine. 1200 of the Top Doctors in America signed on.”

Now Dr. Jones is using the power of this overwhelming endorsement as a call to action.

“There’s light at the end of the tunnel,” she said. “There will be an end to this. It’s just around the corner. But for that to occur, everyone has to cooperate. This is a highly contagious disease. Each infected person can infect ten more and then each of those ten can infect another ten. The rate of infections for the flu and other common viruses is much lesser in magnitude.”

Her message is abundantly clear: When you vaccinate, you’re not only doing it for yourself, but you’re doing it for your family, your friends, your loved ones and everyone.

“There is no way medical professionals can predict the degree of severity of Covid-19 on each individual. Some people in their twenties can contract the virus and their symptoms are no more severe than the common cold. For others in the same age group with the similar profiles, the disease can be fatal.”

“There’s only one way to make this terrible disease go away,” Dr. Jones said. “As a community, as a nation, as a world, for our loved ones, we all need to vaccinate.”

“So don’t hesitate. Vaccinate.”