WEBVTT 00:00.840 --> 00:03.670 Oh , hey doc Lucky . I'm glad that you 00:03.670 --> 00:05.837 stopped by today and have a discussion 00:05.837 --> 00:08.370 about vaccines . And our airmen are 00:08.380 --> 00:11.380 weighing and no , it's it's pretty 00:11.380 --> 00:14.140 remarkable . And what less than a year 00:14.150 --> 00:16.350 of vaccine was developed . I'm sure 00:16.350 --> 00:18.350 your time , medicine , nothing like 00:18.350 --> 00:20.461 that has happened right now . This is 00:20.461 --> 00:22.572 the first time ever in history . It's 00:22.572 --> 00:24.517 pretty , pretty remarkable . And I 00:24.520 --> 00:26.800 think it was about a month and about a 00:26.800 --> 00:28.800 month ago , I got my first shot and 00:28.800 --> 00:30.967 then several weeks ago I got my second 00:30.967 --> 00:33.022 shot . So I'm fully vaccinated now . 00:33.340 --> 00:35.830 And you know , I have to be honest , it 00:35.830 --> 00:38.390 was not a quick decision to get 00:38.390 --> 00:41.700 vaccinated . There was a lot of prop 00:41.700 --> 00:44.930 that went into that and I think I 00:44.940 --> 00:47.030 recognize that within our way , the 00:47.030 --> 00:48.919 decision of whether or not to get 00:48.919 --> 00:50.752 vaccinated . First of all , it's 00:50.752 --> 00:53.030 voluntary and it's also a big decision , 00:53.030 --> 00:55.330 but I don't want to share my story of 00:55.340 --> 00:57.340 kind of some things that were going 00:57.340 --> 00:59.396 through my mind when when I made the 00:59.396 --> 01:01.562 decision to get vaccinated . And , and 01:01.562 --> 01:03.673 ultimately I want to encourage all of 01:03.673 --> 01:05.840 our members of the ones that I thought 01:05.840 --> 01:07.507 if I want to consider getting 01:07.507 --> 01:07.200 vaccinated , I think it's good for 01:07.210 --> 01:09.099 three reasons . I think it's good 01:09.099 --> 01:11.266 because is going to end the pandemic a 01:11.266 --> 01:13.432 lot quicker , which I think we can all 01:13.432 --> 01:15.654 agree that the day that we can get back 01:15.654 --> 01:18.870 to normal is great and we all know that 01:18.880 --> 01:20.936 more folks that are vaccinated , the 01:20.936 --> 01:22.991 quicker the pendulum is going to end 01:22.991 --> 01:25.180 more on personal , lovely night as so 01:25.180 --> 01:28.280 many people , I had a family member was 01:28.280 --> 01:30.391 in the hospital for several days back 01:30.391 --> 01:32.502 to North Dakota . He's a couple years 01:32.502 --> 01:34.613 older than me and very healthy and it 01:34.613 --> 01:37.000 was scary . It was not a good situation . 01:37.080 --> 01:39.730 He overcame it . And I also know that 01:39.730 --> 01:42.280 many family , many airmen and now we 01:42.280 --> 01:44.730 have lost family members and I'm very 01:44.730 --> 01:48.660 tragic and and to suffer that 01:48.660 --> 01:52.440 kind of loss . So the loss , the 01:52.450 --> 01:54.672 destruction to our lives is very real . 01:54.840 --> 01:57.110 And so I felt like anything that I 01:57.110 --> 01:59.790 could do to help my family , help the 01:59.800 --> 02:03.560 community so that more folks can get 02:03.560 --> 02:05.850 vaccinated would would be good . And 02:05.850 --> 02:08.370 then lastly , I thought from our 02:08.370 --> 02:10.426 mission perspective , we think about 02:10.426 --> 02:12.648 the disruption to our mission . When we 02:12.648 --> 02:14.759 had to go into split shifts . I think 02:14.759 --> 02:16.840 about The importance of our mission 02:16.840 --> 02:19.130 here of turning out 15 pilots of 02:19.130 --> 02:20.970 serving over supporting combat 02:20.970 --> 02:23.460 operations . You know , it really hits 02:23.460 --> 02:26.150 home when we have to reduce our flying 02:26.150 --> 02:28.240 schedule . We have to reduce our 02:28.240 --> 02:30.750 maintenance schedules . I want to 02:31.240 --> 02:33.710 confront this pandemic and the more 02:33.710 --> 02:36.150 folks I get vaccinated more than we can . 02:36.540 --> 02:39.090 Now , I'll get back to normal , brings 02:39.090 --> 02:41.090 a lot of peace of mind to me now on 02:41.090 --> 02:43.090 that . You know , if I'm exposed to 02:43.090 --> 02:46.850 somebody who's positive , um if I'm 02:46.850 --> 02:48.961 fully vaccinated , which I am now , I 02:48.961 --> 02:50.906 don't have to quarantine . Right , 02:50.906 --> 02:53.720 correct . So I can continue to come to 02:53.720 --> 02:56.460 work normal in . I know for many folks , 02:56.460 --> 02:58.627 including myself being able to come to 02:58.627 --> 03:00.849 work was to keep morale boost . Right ? 03:00.849 --> 03:03.730 So getting back to seeing our appears 03:03.740 --> 03:07.170 our teammates are women here on base is 03:07.170 --> 03:10.260 important and in my life and everybody 03:10.260 --> 03:13.980 else . No , I really understand that . 03:13.980 --> 03:17.190 It's a big decision to get vaccinated 03:17.190 --> 03:19.350 by the end . I think it's a great , 03:19.360 --> 03:21.471 it's a great opportunity and they got 03:21.471 --> 03:23.360 vaccines available for the wing . 03:24.040 --> 03:27.870 But in the end , like I said , I think 03:27.870 --> 03:30.120 it helps bring the end of the pandemic 03:30.120 --> 03:32.064 quicker if we all get vaccinated , 03:32.064 --> 03:33.898 helps our families and helps our 03:33.898 --> 03:36.820 communities . But I do recognize it's a 03:36.830 --> 03:38.719 big decision and there's a lot of 03:38.719 --> 03:40.830 factors that are weighing on people's 03:40.830 --> 03:43.052 minds , right ? It's very big , it's on 03:43.052 --> 03:45.219 that . I would agree with a lot . Well 03:45.219 --> 03:46.997 what you said so far , but as a 03:46.997 --> 03:49.108 physician , my biggest concern at the 03:49.108 --> 03:51.330 moment is that the longer this pandemic 03:51.330 --> 03:53.497 goes on , the more likelihood that the 03:53.497 --> 03:55.750 virus will have further mutations , you 03:55.750 --> 03:58.830 know , we already know of of hundreds . 03:58.840 --> 04:00.729 There's three big ones that we're 04:00.729 --> 04:02.951 watching . But there have been a lot of 04:02.951 --> 04:05.118 mutations already to the virus and the 04:05.118 --> 04:07.062 longer it's allowed to stay in the 04:07.062 --> 04:09.118 community , the more likely it could 04:09.118 --> 04:11.284 only make things worse than what it is 04:11.284 --> 04:13.680 now . So it's it's a big decision for a 04:13.680 --> 04:15.791 lot of people . And I'm sure that for 04:15.791 --> 04:17.700 some people it's it's as big of a 04:17.700 --> 04:19.922 decision as if , you know , considering 04:19.922 --> 04:22.070 having surgery and they , you know , 04:22.070 --> 04:24.820 they recognize that it may not be , 04:24.830 --> 04:27.510 although it's it's it's a very safe 04:27.510 --> 04:29.677 vaccine no matter what we do , there's 04:29.677 --> 04:31.677 always a risk and that they have to 04:31.677 --> 04:33.899 make that decision for themselves as to 04:33.899 --> 04:36.050 whether or not they think the small 04:36.050 --> 04:38.630 risk that there might be is worthwhile 04:38.640 --> 04:42.500 to getting vaccine for them . Right ? 04:42.500 --> 04:45.880 And like you said , it's a big decision . 04:45.880 --> 04:49.090 And I know for me when I confront big 04:49.090 --> 04:51.257 life decisions , which I think this is 04:51.257 --> 04:53.368 it's important to reach out to family 04:53.368 --> 04:56.560 and friends to co workers because we 04:56.560 --> 04:58.393 can all look at the data and the 04:58.393 --> 05:00.560 numbers . But there's that comfort and 05:00.560 --> 05:02.782 reaching out to somebody who might have 05:02.782 --> 05:05.116 already been vaccinated , Right , Right . 05:05.116 --> 05:07.171 And we have a large Number of people 05:07.171 --> 05:09.227 that when that happened backstage is 05:09.227 --> 05:11.504 700 and so far . So I think , you know , 05:11.504 --> 05:13.616 sometimes it's good . Just ask your , 05:13.616 --> 05:15.616 your teammate , your friends , your 05:15.616 --> 05:17.671 family members , you know , I always 05:17.671 --> 05:20.500 like to get vaccinated , you know , and 05:20.510 --> 05:22.570 to share their story as well . That 05:22.580 --> 05:25.560 kind of helpless to to gain a 05:26.670 --> 05:28.726 an understanding of how other people 05:28.726 --> 05:30.448 approach this too , because it 05:30.448 --> 05:32.750 definitely isn't using , you know , 05:35.040 --> 05:37.330 especially if you have concerns about 05:37.330 --> 05:39.580 risk levels and there's so much 05:39.580 --> 05:41.691 information out there that can become 05:41.691 --> 05:43.858 overwhelming , right ? Oh sure . And a 05:43.858 --> 05:46.080 lot of the information that's out there 05:46.080 --> 05:48.358 right now is not very good information . 05:48.358 --> 05:50.191 Um , you know , there's a lot of 05:50.191 --> 05:52.136 stories out there um regarding the 05:52.136 --> 05:55.170 potential for microchips or for uh , 05:55.180 --> 05:58.230 the possibility that it might have been 05:58.240 --> 06:01.340 developed in association with fetal 06:01.340 --> 06:04.250 tissue from aborted babies . There are 06:04.250 --> 06:06.306 so many scary stories out there that 06:06.306 --> 06:08.417 have no relevance to the truth at all 06:08.417 --> 06:10.639 and how these vaccines were developed . 06:10.639 --> 06:14.220 Even some of the less um troublesome 06:14.230 --> 06:17.280 is , you know , the story 06:17.280 --> 06:20.530 that these M . RNA vaccines are 06:20.530 --> 06:22.690 completely brand new that that we've 06:22.690 --> 06:24.912 never done this before . And and that's 06:24.912 --> 06:27.134 not true either . I mean , this is this 06:27.134 --> 06:28.968 um , technology has been used in 06:28.968 --> 06:31.620 veterinary medicine for quite a while 06:31.620 --> 06:34.000 now and we've been working with the 06:34.000 --> 06:37.990 technology for At least 10 , 15 years . 06:38.000 --> 06:40.820 These are the first ones to actually be 06:40.820 --> 06:43.470 successful , but they're successful . 06:44.080 --> 06:46.080 And we've now at this point , we've 06:46.340 --> 06:49.470 We've administered the vaccines to more 06:49.470 --> 06:51.359 than 40 million people across the 06:51.359 --> 06:53.248 United States just in the last 34 06:53.248 --> 06:56.030 months . And there has not been any 06:56.030 --> 06:58.810 pattern at all to actual safety 06:58.810 --> 07:01.450 concerns . Short of what we would 07:01.450 --> 07:04.380 expect with any other vaccine , right ? 07:04.390 --> 07:06.760 And my understanding and part of my 07:06.760 --> 07:10.320 decision matrix was extremely low risk 07:10.330 --> 07:14.280 of an adverse reaction . And but I 07:14.280 --> 07:16.502 would say most people know from talking 07:16.502 --> 07:19.580 their friends or family that you might 07:19.580 --> 07:21.747 encounter some side effects right from 07:21.747 --> 07:23.858 a vaccine just like always possible . 07:23.858 --> 07:26.120 And for myself , I'll be completely 07:26.120 --> 07:28.176 honest , I have a sore arm after the 07:28.176 --> 07:30.640 first one , the second one , I kind of 07:30.650 --> 07:33.280 felt pretty run down the next day , so 07:33.280 --> 07:36.510 did I , and it didn't come on 07:36.520 --> 07:38.576 immediately , but the next morning I 07:38.576 --> 07:41.220 woke up , I felt pretty run down and I 07:41.230 --> 07:44.110 didn't have a fever . Uh I remember 07:44.110 --> 07:46.500 thinking , okay , I'll get through this 07:46.500 --> 07:49.950 and next day I woke up fine and uh 07:50.340 --> 07:53.070 I still think that the minor discomfort 07:53.070 --> 07:55.348 for that day is totally worth it to me , 07:55.740 --> 07:57.990 knowing that I'm fully vaccinated . And 07:58.640 --> 08:02.140 I think , like I said , the 08:02.150 --> 08:05.670 risk overall was very , very low for a 08:05.680 --> 08:09.260 serious reaction . So to me that 08:09.940 --> 08:12.210 was something good behind me . But I do 08:12.210 --> 08:15.840 acknowledge that no many people are 08:15.840 --> 08:17.840 going to be looking at all the risk 08:17.840 --> 08:20.860 factors and and 08:22.090 --> 08:23.979 ultimately it's going to be their 08:23.979 --> 08:26.034 decision , right ? This is voluntary 08:26.034 --> 08:28.201 and that's one of the common questions 08:28.201 --> 08:27.950 that we hear is just going to be 08:27.950 --> 08:29.950 mandatory . Is there gonna be a day 08:29.950 --> 08:32.061 when this is gonna be a mandatory and 08:32.061 --> 08:34.228 answers no . And this is each airmen , 08:34.228 --> 08:36.228 Each teammate came to the field , I 08:36.228 --> 08:38.690 really want them to discern what is 08:38.690 --> 08:41.650 right for them . My personal belief , 08:42.140 --> 08:44.560 I think it would be great as we can get 08:44.560 --> 08:46.710 as many airmen and teammates here , 08:46.720 --> 08:48.609 Kingsley vaccinated as possible , 08:48.609 --> 08:50.720 definitely bringing into the pandemic 08:50.720 --> 08:52.990 soon as best for our mission , in my 08:52.990 --> 08:55.212 opinion , the best for our families and 08:55.212 --> 08:57.268 as evidence , you know , I think one 08:57.268 --> 08:59.580 thing that was Doly significant is 08:59.580 --> 09:01.960 there's a large percentage of the 09:01.970 --> 09:04.620 pilots that are now vaccinated quick , 09:04.630 --> 09:07.770 very large percentage and that's huge 09:07.780 --> 09:09.947 because our business is Harry Kingsley 09:09.947 --> 09:13.020 is to train a 15 pilots . So if any one 09:13.020 --> 09:15.710 of them were exposed , that could 09:15.720 --> 09:18.220 seriously put it after our mission . 09:18.640 --> 09:20.751 And for a group of folks that are the 09:20.751 --> 09:22.862 most concerned about their health and 09:22.862 --> 09:24.918 being able to continue to fly , they 09:24.918 --> 09:26.640 were the first to stand up and 09:26.640 --> 09:28.751 volunteer for the vaccinations at the 09:28.751 --> 09:30.807 moment . They heard there was even a 09:30.807 --> 09:33.084 possibility we would have them on base . 09:33.084 --> 09:35.251 They were calling to get scheduled and 09:35.251 --> 09:37.307 to get in as soon as possible . So I 09:37.307 --> 09:39.362 was very impressed with that group . 09:39.362 --> 09:43.130 Yeah . I just want to also acknowledge 09:43.130 --> 09:46.750 that really thankful for people that 09:47.340 --> 09:51.070 our uh willing to share their story . I 09:51.070 --> 09:53.750 think that's important . So we have 09:53.760 --> 09:56.093 people on the way to the bank box in it . 09:56.093 --> 09:59.640 So as I'm encouraging everyone to get 09:59.640 --> 10:01.751 the facts , make their own decision , 10:01.751 --> 10:05.260 but recognize the value in it to reach 10:05.260 --> 10:09.220 out , reach out . And because , like 10:09.220 --> 10:11.470 I said , often times in life when we're 10:11.470 --> 10:13.026 encountered with what seems 10:13.026 --> 10:15.248 overwhelming amount of information , we 10:15.248 --> 10:17.303 go to the people that we know and we 10:17.303 --> 10:19.470 trust the best , especially the people 10:19.470 --> 10:19.410 that have been to that experience . And 10:19.410 --> 10:21.466 after that perspective , and I think 10:21.466 --> 10:23.577 the more that we are willing to share 10:23.577 --> 10:25.688 our story , our decision process that 10:25.688 --> 10:27.700 got vaccinated , uh more of our 10:27.700 --> 10:29.867 teammates may consider stepping up and 10:29.867 --> 10:32.080 getting vaccinated . And I would hope 10:32.080 --> 10:33.747 that if anybody does have any 10:33.747 --> 10:36.020 significant questions that they just 10:36.020 --> 10:38.020 don't feel like they can get enough 10:38.020 --> 10:40.187 information about that they're willing 10:40.187 --> 10:42.298 to reach out and contact me as well . 10:42.298 --> 10:44.464 I'm more than happy to talk to anybody 10:44.464 --> 10:44.460 and just simply give them the truth and 10:44.460 --> 10:46.870 let them make their own decisions . I 10:46.880 --> 10:49.730 also , I'm not too concerned . I would 10:49.730 --> 10:51.952 hope that everybody would be vaccinated 10:51.952 --> 10:54.063 but I'm not going to be too concerned 10:54.063 --> 10:56.174 about trying to pressure anybody into 10:56.174 --> 10:57.952 it because it is a decision for 10:57.952 --> 10:59.897 themselves . And hopefully we will 10:59.897 --> 11:02.340 never have an adverse event here at the 11:02.340 --> 11:04.430 base and we have not yet with the 11:04.430 --> 11:06.597 several 100 that we have vaccinated so 11:06.597 --> 11:09.180 far . But there is always that risk and 11:09.180 --> 11:11.513 always keep that in the back of my mind . 11:11.513 --> 11:15.080 So it is a gamble . But hopefully the 11:15.090 --> 11:18.610 gamble has a lot more reward than there 11:18.610 --> 11:22.550 is potential risk out of it . And you 11:22.550 --> 11:24.850 know , fair men want to receive the 11:24.850 --> 11:27.110 vaccine is pretty easy , right ? It's 11:27.110 --> 11:29.054 very easy . All they need to do is 11:29.054 --> 11:31.560 reach out and contact the med group we 11:31.560 --> 11:33.480 have been sending out now both 11:33.490 --> 11:35.970 telephone contact numbers as well as an 11:35.980 --> 11:38.560 email now in the weekly updates that 11:38.560 --> 11:40.830 Colonel Orgeron is sending out and all 11:40.830 --> 11:42.886 they need to do is contact us and we 11:42.886 --> 11:45.170 will get them at least add them to the 11:45.170 --> 11:46.892 waiting list . If not get them 11:46.892 --> 11:48.781 scheduled , You know , there is a 11:48.781 --> 11:50.892 little bit of complication on our end 11:50.892 --> 11:53.059 with the med group in the fact that we 11:53.059 --> 11:55.226 do need 10 people at a time to open up 11:55.226 --> 11:57.114 a vial . Um but you know , we are 11:57.114 --> 11:59.226 trying to make it as easy as possible 11:59.226 --> 12:01.337 for everybody on base because we know 12:01.337 --> 12:03.337 it's you know , it's a big step for 12:03.337 --> 12:05.392 somebody to even raise their hand in 12:05.392 --> 12:07.614 the first place . So if they're willing 12:07.614 --> 12:07.230 to go that far , we'll try to make it 12:07.230 --> 12:10.650 as easy as prospect for them 12:11.340 --> 12:14.420 you got then um you know , I 12:14.430 --> 12:18.010 think your comment already , but you 12:18.010 --> 12:21.370 know , I think you mentioned kind of 12:21.370 --> 12:23.460 your decision matrix and getting 12:23.460 --> 12:25.404 vaccinated . What were some of the 12:25.404 --> 12:27.571 things in your mind that you thought , 12:27.571 --> 12:29.682 this is what's leading down down that 12:29.682 --> 12:32.070 path to get vaccinated for me ? I 12:32.080 --> 12:35.090 haven't had somebody close in the 12:35.090 --> 12:37.360 hospital or dealing with Covid yet , 12:37.640 --> 12:39.990 but as a physician , I actually did 12:39.990 --> 12:42.101 have an opportunity where I talked to 12:42.101 --> 12:44.580 several of the physicians face to face , 12:44.580 --> 12:47.140 who were in new york city last year , 12:47.150 --> 12:50.190 in the heat of it , in the middle , you 12:50.190 --> 12:53.010 know , dealing with people passing away 12:53.010 --> 12:55.100 on almost a daily basis in the 12:55.100 --> 12:59.100 hospitals in new york city . And and 12:59.110 --> 13:01.850 it really hit them hard . I mean , and 13:01.850 --> 13:04.072 that's the thing with Covid is a lot of 13:04.072 --> 13:06.183 people talk about , well , you know , 13:06.183 --> 13:08.250 the fatality rate isn't as bad as 13:08.250 --> 13:10.600 influenza or it's the same as , but 13:10.600 --> 13:12.822 there's so much more to this . I mean , 13:12.822 --> 13:14.878 you know , I know lots of people who 13:14.878 --> 13:16.878 now are suffering from PTSD because 13:16.878 --> 13:19.044 they've been in the health care system 13:19.044 --> 13:20.933 in the thick of it , dealing with 13:20.933 --> 13:23.900 people passing away from Covid . And 13:23.910 --> 13:26.590 there are also , you know , non 13:26.600 --> 13:29.270 fatality , um , side effects of the 13:29.270 --> 13:31.300 actual illness as well . You know , 13:31.300 --> 13:33.300 some people are suffering from long 13:33.300 --> 13:36.460 term nerve damage just because uh , 13:36.470 --> 13:38.810 they had Covid and it was a rather mild 13:38.820 --> 13:40.987 illness . But you know , the virus can 13:40.987 --> 13:43.690 affect other things than just giving 13:43.690 --> 13:45.801 you those , those flu like symptoms . 13:45.801 --> 13:47.860 So to me , you know , I mean , 13:47.870 --> 13:50.092 fortunately with my background , I have 13:50.092 --> 13:52.037 a much better understanding of the 13:52.037 --> 13:54.300 vaccine technology . I was perfectly 13:54.300 --> 13:57.570 comfortable with it and knowing the 13:57.580 --> 13:59.800 significant impact that Covid has had 13:59.810 --> 14:01.810 on the community and the world as a 14:01.810 --> 14:03.990 whole . You know , I didn't even 14:03.990 --> 14:05.823 hesitate with the possibility of 14:05.823 --> 14:07.990 getting vaccinated because I knew this 14:07.990 --> 14:10.157 is the only way we're going to get out 14:10.157 --> 14:12.268 of this in the next couple of years . 14:12.268 --> 14:14.490 Yeah . You know , and I think we've got 14:14.740 --> 14:17.220 friday's ahead . I think we've got a 14:17.220 --> 14:21.170 great opportunity here for our team to 14:21.180 --> 14:23.380 volunteer to get vaccinated again . 14:23.390 --> 14:25.830 Thanks for the conversation today with 14:25.830 --> 14:28.052 you doc . I think you've given a lot of 14:28.052 --> 14:29.997 great perspective and sharing your 14:29.997 --> 14:32.108 story and some of your insights and I 14:32.108 --> 14:34.219 look forward to seeing as many of our 14:34.219 --> 14:36.386 teammates step forward if they want to 14:36.386 --> 14:38.608 volunteer to get vaccinated for them to 14:38.608 --> 14:40.719 do so in the near future , appreciate 14:40.719 --> 14:42.560 your time today . Yes , sir . Thanks .