![a male pharmacist prepares a dose of a vaccine in a lab](https://www.uc.edu/news/articles/2021/05/n21005315/jcr:content/image.img.cq5dam.thumbnail.500.500.jpg/1620757378799.jpg)
WLWT: COVID-19 patients total 170 at local hospitals, not a single one vaccinated
UC expert says this should be a 'wake-up call' to those unsure about COVID-19 vaccine effectiveness
A recent report looking at the number of COVID-19 cases in Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky showed that of the 170 patients hospitalized with the virus, none had been vaccinated for it. In a story broadcast by WLWT-TV, Channel 5, Carl Fichtenbaum, MD, of the UC College of Medicine Division of Infectious Diseases said he was not at all surprised by that.
“This is what we expected to see. This is what the data showed. This is why the science is leading us in this direction,” said Fichtenbaum. “It should be a wakeup call to people who said, ‘I’m not sure about this vaccine.’”
The effectiveness of the vaccine is shedding light on one weakness of scientists according to Fichtenbaum.
“For decades and decades and decades, we have not been very good at presenting science to society,” Fichtenbaum said.
Considering how science showed the overwhelming impact of the vaccines on the virus, Fichtenbaum believes there should be far fewer who are vaccine-hesitant.
“We’ve made it this mystical thing that’s somehow magical and you can’t understand it if you’re the everyday man or woman," Fichtenbaum said. "So, that’s not true. We need to do a better job of getting people to understand science."
Next Lives Here
The University of Cincinnati is classified as a Research 1 institution by the Carnegie Commission and is ranked in the National Science Foundation's Top-35 public research universities. UC's medical, graduate and undergraduate students and faculty investigate problems and innovate solutions with real-world impact. Next Lives Here.
Related Stories
UC welcomes its newest Bearcats
![Fox 19 News logo](/content/dam/refresh/uc-news/news-icons/dark/wxix-dark.png)
July 10, 2024
More than 7,500 new students with their families visit the University of Cincinnati between May and mid-July to get a campus tour, meet with faculty, staff and students from various colleges and hear more about college life. Fox 19 spoke with these new Bearcats and their families for a segment on new student orientation.
UC College of Medicine adds Department of Urology
![Spectrum News logo](/content/dam/refresh/uc-news/news-icons/dark/spectrum-news.png)
July 10, 2024
Spectrum News highlighted the recent announcement that the University of Cincinnati College of Medicine has established a new Department of Urology.
Proposed legislation could help students with housing costs
July 10, 2024
Proposed federal legislation would allow eligible students to access the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s Housing Choice Voucher Program — or section 8 housing vouchers — to pay for on- and off-campus housing.