DALLAS — While you decide if you’re going to get vaccinated for COVID-19, doctors and nurses around the state continue to line up for it. Yet, there are still many reasons why people are unsure about the newest possible solution to the virus.
Years of neglect and some abuse to the Black community by doctors and other medical professionals is why some say it’s a hard pass for them on the COVID-19 vaccine. That’s not to say that they’re taking this virus lightly; rather, it means some are putting their health in their own hands and using other strategies to fight it.
To be a hair expert, Courtney Johnson spent 1,000 hours in cosmetology school and years building up her clientele because she likes to make people feel beautiful.
Some folks in the Black community say they are choosing a holistic approach than to get the new COVID-19 vaccine. It’s a decision based on the documented years of mistreatment of black patients by the medical field. Some of these at-home treatments are preferred by some doctors. pic.twitter.com/LjNOZrhkyT
— Bria Bell (@BriaBellTV) December 21, 2020
She feels like she was forced to become an expert on her health after doctors couldn’t tell her why her constant cough and shortness of breathe wouldn’t go away. After being turned away, spending time in several doctor offices, and racking up a $4,000 bill for a blood test, Johnson learned her symptoms were tied to interstitial lung cancer, a disease that’s known to be worse for African Americans. This is why it’s hard for her to trust doctors. This is why she does not want the COVID-19 vaccine.
“They do not treat African American the same when it comes time to vaccinate, or health care, period,” said Johnson.
Johnson is also not a fan of the type of treatment doctors prescribed her for her lung cancer.
“I went towards that way because the medicine I was on made me sick,” she explained.
She found another way to find healing and she says that’s been through a holistic approach with all-natural products and supplements like vitamins C, D and E.
"All-natural vegan base, no GMOs, I’m gluten-free, I eat healthy. I don’t eat things like rice or pasta. Everything I eat is holistic, fruits, and vegetables. I juice a lot - celery juice, I drink that every morning,” Johnson said.
She is also working with a chiropractor to help ease her pain from lung disease. While this more natural method makes sense to Johnson, she understands that not everyone believes in her decision to turn away from medication.
"Some people do agree so it’s like a fifty-fifty. So I feel like I have been enlightened on the holistic side,” Johnson said.
Carmen Bracy is a Black woman and retired registered nurse who disagrees with Johnson and says she will get the vaccine when the time comes. At first, Carmen was on the fence about it, but after losing two of her adult children to COVID and seeing the pain they were in, she changed her mind.
“Talking to people who have researched this, I feel that I would take it. I would, considering my age,” Bracy said.
Whether it’s natural or a new medical treatment, neither side is judgmental. Both women say you have to do what’s best for you and what makes you feel comfortable.