Doctors with the Medical Association of the State of Alabama answered questions from 200 callers Thursday about the safety and effectiveness of COVID-19 vaccines during newscasts on WBRC Fox 6.
Viewers of the television station’s newscasts from 4 – 6:30 p.m. were invited to call in and speak one-on-one with a doctor about the vaccines.
“We were grateful for this opportunity to answer questions, allay fears and encourage people to get vaccinated. It’s perfectly understandable to have questions and want more information. As physicians, we want to do all we can to answer those questions and assure people that the vaccines are safe and effective,” said Dr. Aruna Arora, the President of the Medical Association.
Many callers had questions about potential side effects of the vaccines, as well as how getting vaccinated could affect their underlying medical conditions. Others asked how long protection from a COVID-19 vaccine lasts, if the vaccines are safe for children, and if they needed to get vaccinated after already having had COVID.
The Medical Association is planning to do more vaccine call-in programs with television stations throughout the state. The next one is scheduled for Tuesday, June 8 with WKRG News 5 in Mobile.
“We want to do all we can to help people get factual information about the vaccines,” said Dr. Arora.
In addition to Dr. Arora, other doctors who participated in the effort were:
Dr. Hernando Carter
Dr. Aubrey Coleman
Dr. Candice Dye
Dr. Michael Saag
Dr. Wesley Willeford
