Pittsburgh Physicians Appear in National Video Urging Patients to Get Vaccinated for COVID-19

PITTSBURGH, March 3, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- With nearly a third of the U.S. population admitting they may not, or simply won't, get the vaccine, Preferred Primary Care Physicians (PPCP) has teamed up with physicians across the nation in a viral video initiative inciting Americans to "roll up our sleeves together" and help stop the spread of COVID-19.

Feeling a duty to their patients and fellow Americans, PPCP has joined forces with doctors from Syracuse, New York, to Honolulu, Hawaii, to create the "Roll up Our Sleeves" website and video campaign. The goal is to educate those who are expressing doubt or opposition and urge everyone that "it's time" to get vaccinated and help save lives.

Already, COVID-19 has taken the lives of over 500,000 Americans, and over two million worldwide. Despite this staggering—and growing—number, a recent poll by The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Research shows about one in three Americans definitely or probably will not get a vaccine.

"We are seeing some hesitancy regarding vaccine administration," says Frank Civitarese, D.O., President of the Board of Preferred Primary Care Physicians. "We are actively encouraging all of our patients to get vaccinated. But we wanted to do something on a larger scale to urge Americans to get the vaccine and help create herd immunity, which ultimately will permit us to return to some semblance of normalcy."

'Herd immunity,' or 'population immunity,' happens when a population is immune either through vaccination or immunity developed through the previous infection. The World Health Organization recommends creating herd immunity by vaccination. Anthony D. Fauci, M.D., Director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases and Advisor to the Biden Administration, reports that 70 to 85 percent of the U.S. population would have to be vaccinated in order to obtain herd immunity.

Reasons for the opposition are varied, ranging from concerns about safety and effectiveness to the belief that the vaccine has not been thoroughly tested.  For people of color, who have made up nearly 60 percent of COVID-19 hospitalizations in the U.S., the message is especially urgent. According to research released by the Kaiser Family Foundation, 35 percent of black Americans have expressed hesitancy towards getting vaccinated.

The public service initiative is a combined effort between agilon health, an organization that champions the roles of independent physicians, and primary care doctors representing more than 50 independent physician practices across the country. Their goal is to combat the doubt felt by an alarming percentage of Americans who say they have no plans to get vaccinated. 

The video highlights the effectiveness of vaccinations over the past century, such as polio, mumps, and measle vaccines, which have wiped out infections and drastically reduced mortality rates. The website contains information about the effectiveness of the COVID-19 vaccines, side effects, phases of eligibility, tips about how to sign up for vaccines, and resources for healthcare professionals.

View the national video here.

View the PPCP video here.

About Preferred Primary Care Physicians

Preferred Primary Care Physicians consists of 41 board-certified physicians and 25 practice locations covering the South Hills, Pittsburgh, Charleroi and Uniontown.. For more information, visit www.ppcp.org. 

SOURCE Preferred Primary Care Physicians