Changing Our Narrative
By: Michael Reel
During our March 2020 interview with Dr. Tasha Dixon, Lead Attending, Martin Luther King Jr. Outpatient Center in Los Angeles, there was no mask mandate in place and the nation was just learning about the deadly coronavirus pandemic.
In early 2021 Reel Urban News conducted our second exclusive interview and profile with Dr. Dixon as the number of COVID-19 deaths in the U.S. surpassed 320,000 people in the wake of the 2020 holiday season.
“The science has not really changed but the severity of where we went in terms of transmission and the spread of the disease has changed dramatically,” said Dr. Dixon. “Where we were in March no one would have fathomed that this is where we would be at this time.”
As the death toll continues to reach astronomical numbers the question remains, how is this deadly pandemic being spread so rapidly from one person to another?
“The virus is most commonly spread by those in close contact and the common way I think the virus is being spread is through droplets and small particles such as those that are in aerosol – like when someone may cough, sneeze or blow their nose.”
We spoke with Dr. Dixon while standing on the outdoor breezeway that connects the Martin Luther King, Jr. Community Hospital to its sister medical site, the Martin Luther King Jr. Outpatient Center, situated directly to the west. At the time, vaccines that were tested and approved by the Federal Drug Administration (FDA) were criss-crossing the nation and the globe with the goal of vaccinating the masses.
In March 2020 Dr. Dixon was confident a vaccine would be discovered sooner rather than later due to the pace in which scientific research was tracking and collecting COVID-19 data.
“We’re learning more and more about COVID-19 every day. Scientists are studying the virus as fast as we can.”
Nearly a year later Dr. Dixon disclosed why she felt in March a vaccine would be available to combat the onslaught of COVID-19.
“I wouldn’t have expected anything less of true science. When we see the soaring number of deaths that we have and the number of patients that were lost due to complications from COVID-19 or because of the chronic conditions that complicate their infections, I’m not surprised, I’m extremely proud of science and where we’ve come.”
Michael Reel of Reel Urban News referenced the Tuskegee Syphilis Study, the unethical study of untreated syphilis conducted by the US government on African African men between 1932 and 1972, to pose a question to Dr. Dixon.
“Why should people who look like you and I trust these vaccines?” Reel and Dr. Dixon are African American.
“I wasn’t here for the Tuskegee Experiment but I’ve heard so much about it,” Dr. Dixon replied. “What I will say is I would like to believe that times have changed and what I will say is that I understand and empathize with distrust in the medical community. Being a physician myself I can tell you that it’s different. I’m here to lead by example.”
