GateAgent007

That's a fine summary. And I will continue read and sometimes roll my eyes at your posts.

But for all of those words, you didn't answer my question.

Will you take the vaccine when it's available to you?

Excargodog

Most probably yes. By then I figure we’ll have another six months or so of experience with it - millions of person-years - and while even that cannot really match the experience of our of older vaccines (some effects may have longer latency and take years (or as with denguevax, a reinfection event) to make their effects known), in six months those most early vaccinated will have 8-9 months experience and assuming no serious problems manifest, no real reason not to take it. It will be interesting to see what the duration of immunity produced by it is though. I’m no more fond of hypodermic needlesthan the next guy. I’m hoping it gives longer immunity than the nine months or so natural immunity. Although I think if the immunity is short lived enough to require annual boosters we’ll probably see a nasal vaccine ultimately replace it.

but the fact that I will likely take it does not mean it’s no risk, just that I consider the cost-risk-benefit favorable for taking it. That isn’t the case with all vaccines. Rabies vaccine is apparently an excellent vaccine, but unless you are a dog catcher or a vet it’s difficult to justify preexposure immunization for most of us. Tetanus on the other hand - or yellow fever if you travel into areas where it’s endemic - that’s a no-brainer. Right now COVID is not just endemic but pandemic..

Oh, and a good optician might be able to do something about your eyes...

GateAgent007

I agree with everything you just said. I also hope that it will have long lasting effects and that the vaccine, especially the mRNA vaccine, comes with a "master key" like antibody.

It may come to pass that there's a large swath of the population that will neglect to get the vaccine, especially if COVID numbers start to drop and the threat subsides. But a sustained PSA campaign, incentives, and enough restrictions on those who haven't gotten their shots might just be enough to get us to a place where COVID isn't a threat anymore.

Don't be such a Gloomy Gus.

Excargodog

I’m not a Gloomy Gus, merely realistic.

And immunizations are always a hard sell because of the free rider effect. The first guys in a susceptible population derive huge benefit, but the benefit decreases as more and more of the population gets immunized because there are fewer and fewer potentially infectious people to give it to the fewer and fewer susceptible. The final person actually derives no benefit at all from the immunization because there was no one left to give them the disease.

And sometimes it seems like everyone wants to be that last guy.

And I am not unique in my concerns. One of the docs on the CDC recommendations board didn’t want to give high priority to those people in nursing homes and long term care facilities because those people die at a rate of 35% per year anyway and she feared the antivaxxers would use their high mortality rate after vaccination to justify not getting vaccinations at all. The one-third of a BILLION Americans are a diverse population and you just can’t assume everybody looks at the world like you do, because no matter what your opinion, millions won’t agree. Even if 95% agree with you, that’s going to be 17 million opposing you.

HIFLYR

But somehow you are qualified to opine about the same topic?

rickair7777

Well I did work in biotech, have advanced technical education, and know how to find, digest, and comprehend relevant literature that's not available on facebook, youtube, or twitter. So I probably have better insight than the hired help at your podiatrist's office. But you're free to disregard anything I say.

HIFLYR

Seriously, I have a technical degree also and know how to investigate issues also. The article was interviewing a MD who was admitting concerns, pretty sure she might have insight on the vaccine. I get it your the guy who has to be right and belittle opposing opinions. Regardless what you think it’s just a opinion as you had nothing to do with the actual creation of the vaccines, just as mine is a opinion.

rickair7777

I never said my opinion was anything but an opinion. But unlike your MD I did once make pharma and have kept abreast of developments (in case I ever needed a job, but especially lately).

There are no absolute guarantees with biology, just you like you might keel over dead from a stroke later tonight. You might also have a reaction to any vaccine or other pharma.

But the technology and process for the covid vaccines are no better or worse than any other pharma (just much better funded), but every tin-foil hat with or without any relevant knowledge is coming out of the woodwork on this... like we don't have enough problems as it is, we have alleged medical "professionals" fueling anti-vax flames. The professional approach would be to let phase-4 play out, because we'll get plenty of data from all the first responders before any of us even have to make a decision. Medical professionals don't have much of an option, like soldiers they don't get to "opt out" just because their peacetime gig suddenly turned into a war. They need to take the vaccine and get back to work or they should have their licenses revoked... they are at very high risk for not only getting covid but also spreading it to potentially weakened patients in their care.

rickair7777

FDA thinks vaccinating 20M Americans this year is ptractical (both Moderna and Pfizer would need to be approved)...


https://www.reuters.com/article/us-h...-idUSKBN28E1RL

Excargodog

Pfizer is already saying they won’t be able to meet their initially promised deliveries due to raw material problems.


https://www.cbc.ca/news/world/pfizer-vaccine-supply-chain-target-slashed-1.5827779



Please God, don’t let them pull a KC-46 on us...