The younger Salk said he rarely takes advantage of his name – but he felt that this time it would make a positive difference, because now he was getting the Covid-19 vaccine.
“I took a step forward publicly so that I could be vaccinated publicly and have a chance to say something because I hoped it would make a difference,” Salk told CNN. “I was hoping that if I stepped out of the shadows where I normally stay, it would help some people make up their minds. If so, I would be very grateful.”
Salk, who has been feeling good since he received the vaccine, said he was “delighted” to receive his first dose. Part of that is because he has several underlying diseases and is a high-risk patient, he said.
The other part is that he sees it as a feat of modern science. Salk spent years as a vaccinologist studying the creation of vaccines, as well as how to manufacture and transport them.
For him, the decision to get vaccinated was obvious, both for his health and for those around him.
“The chances of you being infected with Covid-19 are much greater than the risk associated with the vaccine,” he said. “It seems like an easy choice for me. I don’t want to risk my life, or the life of someone I love.”
Salk has a message for them.
“The bottom line is that these vaccines are safe, effective and will help us control the pandemic,” he said. “You must embrace the opportunity to be vaccinated and to be part of the solution.”
Polio and Covid-19 dominated the US
The polio epidemic made headlines in the United States, when most children were hit by the disabling disease. He captured the nation’s attention and the thrill of it all is something that people who experienced it in the first half of the 20th century vividly remember.
The Covid-19 pandemic has some of the same emotion, said Salk, but the path of both diseases is remarkably different.
“Polio came on gradually. It was a chronic or endemic disease, and then it became an epidemic as the susceptible population grew,” said Salk. “The Covid-19 virus, on the other hand, appeared, everyone was susceptible and had no experience with it before. It basically spread like wildfire … around the world very quickly.”
Seeing the Covid-19 vaccines distributed made Salk think about his father and how “he would be pleased and excited to see this,” he said.
“I was impressed with the importance of the work my father did, both to stop the epidemic with the vaccine itself, and to demonstrate that you could use non-infectious agents to immunize,” said Salk. Her father used a dead polio virus to create the vaccine.
Living the Covid-19 pandemic had a duality for Salk, who is intrigued and afraid of it.
“I had that kind of push and pull reaction,” he said. “I was scared about it, but I was fascinated to be able to be part of it, see it and live it.”
The US response to the pandemic ‘shames’ it
Simple acts, such as washing your hands, wearing a mask and avoiding crowds, may have controlled the spread of Covid-19. How the United States responded to the pandemic frankly embarrasses Salk, he said.
“It is really a pity that in this country, supposedly the epitome of advanced countries, the response has been, I am sorry, so spoiled,” he said.
“Now we are swimming against the current,” he said. “I am ashamed that the United States is number one in problems with the Covid-19 virus, more cases than anywhere else, it is spreading faster than anywhere else. It is embarrassing to me that this country has not responded adequately. because it was not driven by science. “
The way to keep the virus under control is enough people getting the vaccine, and Salk hopes that Americans will choose to get it.
“Vaccines are safe and effective and should be used widely,” he said. “We are going to get out of this, but it will take individuals doing the right behavior to get rid of it.”