Civilized said:
pineknollshoresking said:
Here's the way I see things...
I was going to get the J&J vaccines. All of sudden, they pulled it from the shelves (well, you know what I mean) and that stopped me from getting it. Now, I could have gotten the mRNA versions; however, they honestly caused me apprehension...
So, I waited to see what was going to happen with the J&J version and started looking at the data. The deaths (even though what's reported is a small percentage) caused me concern. I am not an anti-vaccine person at all. I've had all kinds of shots when I was younger, get the flu shot yearly, and am in no way part of the anti-whatever crowd. Honestly, I am one of the least qualified people on earth to give advise!
Now, we are where we are. At this point, I'm waiting. No reason to get the vaccine as time will give us the real positives and/or negatives of the current trial we are in. I've never signed up for a clinical trial and, at this point, I don't plan on changing that.
So, there you go... that's the way I am looking at this. Thoughts?
My thoughts are that it's mostly a math problem.
Given your age and health, what's your risk of having serious complications or death from Covid versus having serious complications or death from the vaccine?
There are also significant lifestyle benefits of being vaccinated. Does it allow you to travel, eat out, go to State basketball games, etc. more often or with less worry?
In Germany, they have weighed the risks and are not recommending vaccination for those aged 12-17. They have looked at the mortality risk of the virus and compared it to the known health risks for the vaccines and have decided that the risks do not outweigh the benefits for this age group. The only exception are those who have health conditions that make them higher risk if they become infected with the virus. The UK is currently going through the same review now and some advisors to the health system in the UK are urging a similar approach to Germany. In this country, parents need to make the same calculation and if they decide to not vaccinate their children with a vaccine that is not fully approved for use, it is their decision and not the government's. Public schools and other governmental entities do not have a right to require vaccination until the vaccines are fully FDA approved.
The assumption that those at risk are protected by people getting vaccinated is a faulty assumption. The science shows immunocompromised people are at risk from people who are fully vaccinated. Vaccinated people can become infected and studies show a small percentage of vaccinated people can still transmit the virus to others. There are no absolutes. Immunocompromised people are also at risk from a lot of other viruses, such at the yearly flu, but we are not shaming people and coercing people to get vaccinated for all these other viruses to protect the vulnerable.
As many on this thread know, my daughter has Crohn's and has lived with the disease for several years. I have a very good friend who was diagnosed with the disease a couple of years ago. They have both been vaccinated and both have been tested for antibodies, following vaccination. My daughter believes she is sufficiently protected and has started to live her life more normally. My friend is still nervous and when we last ate dinner with her and her husband (at a restaurant, seated outdoors), we wore masks until our food arrived, ate, and then replaced our masks. I am vaccinated and my wife is vaccinated, but my friend was concerned that we could still transmit the virus to her if we were unknowingly infected. While her concern is extreme, it is also valid. Vaccines do not protect the immunocompromised absolutely.
When my daughter was diagnosed and began taking her treatments (one that has been effective, so far), she was made very aware of the risks of the treatment to her overall health. She was told at the time that her risk of serious disease and death would increase. For example, her risk of certain cancers is higher. Her risk of serious illness from the yearly flu is higher. She understands the risks and she has decided to live her life as normally as she can.
