Earlier quoted context omitted.
The problem is not the absence of volunteers, the problem is that as the first wave of the epidemic recedes, most volunteers won’t catch the disease by themselves and thus will add no information as to whether the vaccine works. And challenge trials (deliberately infecting people) are apparently a big ethical no-no.
While that's true, it is still possible to get data by giving the vaccine to as many people as possible and seeing if the virus recedes faster than previous models predicted. If the slope of the trend suddenly buckles when people start taking the shots, there's a good chance it did something. Although I'm also strongly against deliberately infecting people, if there is a high chance there is no danger to take the vac…
Yes there’s a non-zero chance of death, but assuming you’re a part of the average population (assuming US or UK for example sake), then you’re more likely to die getting in a vehicle.
Personally I’m for vaccines, but I do not want to be the first 10k they try it on. I’m in good health, so I’ll wait months or longer if one where released in their hopeful expedited timeline. By nature of the pandemic, this is rushed, and the risk to reward ratio favors waiting a bit (for myself), given the low mortality rate for people with no preexisting conditions.
Further, I’m near a hot spot, so it’s highly likely I have the antibodies, given others in my household are less careful, and thus my exposure profile essentially equals the lowest common denominator.