Vax Facts H.S.

Students from Kalani High School and Kamehameha Schools interview state experts on vaccinating teens against Covid-19. Topics include: weighing the risks of vaccination vs. Covid, the science of mRNA vaccines, good information vs. disinformation, and the relationship between vaccine distribution and health justice.

Interviewers:
* Amika Matteson, Kalani High School
* Allison O’Connor, Kalani High School
* Hoakalei Watanabe, Kamehemeha Schools

Public Health and Vaccine Experts:
* Joshua Green, Lieutenant Governor and emergency room doctor
* Sarah Kemble, Acting State epidemiologist
* Taylor Tashiro, Microbiology lecturer, Leeward Community College and Hawai‘i Pacific University; Pearl City High School alumna
* Awupahi Lee, master’s student at the John A. Burns School of Medicine; alumna of Kamehameha Schools

Questions Answered:
0:00 - Introductions
1:09 - How would you weigh the risks of young healthy people getting the Covid-19 vaccine vs getting Covid-19?
2:35 - What would you say to teens who are waiting to see the long-term effects of the vaccine?
3:06 - Are there any long-term effects of the vaccine?
3:43 - What are the long-term effects of getting Covid-19?
4:16 - What would you say to teens who are suspicious of big pharmaceuticals and government officials?
6:23 - What if my parents donʻt want me to get vaccinated, but I do?
7:15 - How are vaccines different than medications, and why do we have reactions to them?
7:36 - Pfeizer v. Moderna v. Johnson & Johnson?
8:09 - How were these vaccines made so quickly?
8:39 - Why are RNA vaccines so fragile?
9:39 - Are there any ingredients that can be of concern?
10:15 - What about foreign objects messing with my genes?
10:45 - What has the past taught us about vaccines today?
11:41 - Should people who have already had Covid-19 still get vaccinated?
12:09 - Should young people and women be worried about reactions to the vaccine?
12:42 - What contraindications should teens know about?
13:14 - How does Covid-19 disproportionately affect Native Hawaiians, and what can be done?
14:08 - Why should Native Hawaiians, in particular, seek out the vaccination?
14:36 - What efforts are being made to vaccinate Pacific Islanders, and what more could be done?
16:25 - Should doses going to US teens be distributed elsewhere?
17:19 - Should teens be given cash incentives for being vaccinated?
17:53 - Once vaccinated, how soon can things return to normal?
19:39 - How is the pandemic affecting the mental health of teens? What about the effects on education?
20:29 - What can teens do to help increase vaccine knowledge in their communities?
21:01 - Why did you get vaccinated, and what hesitancy did you feel?
23:12 - Addition Resources & Conclusion

Sponsored by the Department of Education, Department of Health, Hawai‘i Community Foundation, Kamehameha Schools, and the University of Hawai‘i.

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The Better Tomorrow Speaker Series features incisive conversations on the most pressing issues of our time. The project is a joint venture of the University of Hawai‘i, Hawai‘i Community Foundation, and Kamehameha Schools.