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Poll: Will you take the Covid vaccine?

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Re: Poll: Will you take the Covid vaccine?

#721

Post by guscost »

rglullis wrote: post #709
guscost wrote: post #694

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The principle is simply: It is important to exercise our rights . In a different circumstance, I would probably only get it for convenience, because I don’t really believe in messing with peoples’ immune systems without a much clearer benefit. I’m not convinced about the long-term public health benefit of flu shots either. You may disagree, which would not surprise me. But again, that thinking is irrelevant in this c…

You should really find the comments I made on the thread before jumping to any conclusions about whether I disagree or not. The point I'm trying to understand is that you are basically saying "I am not getting because I don't want to and it is within my rights to not take it", which is totally fine. But I am failing to see how this is a "principled" statement. It's like saying "I will smoke a pack of cigarettes in my…

The glaring difference between this situation and your analogy: There is no faction of “ban smoking in the bathtub” zealots getting ready to bully, intimidate, and otherwise coerce the people who want to smoke in the bathtub.

Like it or not, this is a political issue, and your choice has a political effect.

Re: Poll: Will you take the Covid vaccine?

#722

Post by tux1968 »

cmurf wrote: post #505
tux1968 wrote: post #386

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Those are certainly arguments you can make. But you have to acknowledge that there are huge incentives for the drug manufacturers to have a successful test and a healthy scepticism until they have been truly independently verified isn't unwarranted. Also a pure, as tested, vaccine doesn't magically appear for your inoculation, there is manufacturing, and delivery, and other potential contamination points along the wa…

Trump received the Regeneron antibody treatment. He did not shrug it off. There aren't enough such treatments for everyone who would benefit from it.

That's really not the point.

Regardless, for some rich people those treatments _are_ available. And that may well lead them to the completely rational choice of avoiding the risks associated with a vaccine.

Everyone is different, and can arrive at different decisions completely rationally.

Re: Poll: Will you take the Covid vaccine?

#723

Post by eloff »

petertodd wrote: post #707
chasing wrote: post #554

It's my civic duty to take it as soon as it's offered to me, even if there's some minuscule chance that there will be an averse side effect. That said, I'll likely be towards the end of the line given my health and occupation.

It's my civic duty not to, because people are trying to make it mandatory and we have to set a precedent that mandating it is unacceptable. I honestly think I would have said otherwise a year ago. But after seeing the mishandling of COVID-19, I no longer have faith in my countries ability to use emergency powers scientifically.

I don't think most Western will mandate it. But there is a strong logical case for doing so, or at least denying access to certain public spaces and services if you refuse.

I don't think our politicians generally have the balls to do something that controversial though.

Re: Poll: Will you take the Covid vaccine?

#726

Post by rmk »

radicalbyte wrote: post #27

I'll take it but only later in the year when it is more widely available. People at high risk should go first, then people who are super social (or stupid + spreading the plague). Especially younger people, they need to get pricked. Do you really think they're going to avoid drinking close physical contact in spring? Me neither.

I predict that public employees will wrangle their way to the front of the line, needs be damned. They are very powerful in CA.

Re: Poll: Will you take the Covid vaccine?

#727

Post by Exmoor »

XorNot wrote: post #664
Pamar wrote: post #651

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Can anyone clarify what "allergies" mean in this context? I have a (now really mild) allergy to some pollen; as s child it made me miserable for two months (late April to early June) with nose constantly running, puffy eyes. Now I barely sneeze twice a day and only in some specific areas... never got tested so I don't know which plant I am allergic to (and if it is the plant getting extinct or my body getting better…

Do you have a chicken egg allergy, or have had a significant reaction to any b other vaccine? The former and you probably can't take the vaccines being rolled out at all, the latter and you need to proceed cautiously.

The Pfizer vaccine is not egg-based. I don't believe any of the three in late stage trials are, actually.

Re: Poll: Will you take the Covid vaccine?

#728

Post by reader1211 »

_ink_ wrote: post #606
anonymouswacker wrote: post #564

Why take a vaccine for something healthy people like me fight off in a day or two? It doesn't make sense. I can take a Zinc tablet, and some Vitamin D, or HCQ, etc. Now older and sicker people should think otherwise, or those who interact regularly with those populations. And yes, I know asymptomatics allegedly, potentially, in some rare cases, might possibly spread it to people who may get seriously ill. That is wha…

Because it will take days for you to notice that you have it and you will continue to spread it. Even if you do not die from it, others that caught it from you might. If you are vaccinated it might be that you do not spread it anymore. It seems that there is no data yet for the current corona vaccines, but other vaccines prevent spreading so the new ones might as well.

But those people that may get it and who are at risk should have gotten the vaccine.

Re: Poll: Will you take the Covid vaccine?

#730

Post by petertodd »

schmichael wrote: post #712
petertodd wrote: post #707

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It's my civic duty not to, because people are trying to make it mandatory and we have to set a precedent that mandating it is unacceptable. I honestly think I would have said otherwise a year ago. But after seeing the mishandling of COVID-19, I no longer have faith in my countries ability to use emergency powers scientifically.

You’re ignoring that you getting vaccinated is not about you, but about protecting others. As long as the R value is above 1, every person vaccinated is protecting others more than themselves. Even at 90% effectiveness herd immunity is critical to stopping the pandemic. I fully support people’s right to opt out of social goods like the vaccine, but I’m afraid you should be refused access to many social services your…

> You’re ignoring that you getting vaccinated is not about you, but about protecting others.

No I'm not. I'm not at all worried about contracting covid. At my age and health, the science is very clear that COVID-19 poses almost no risk to me. The only reason I'd bother with a vaccine is to protect others.

But protecting others doesn't just mean protecting others now. It also means protecting others in the future. Bad government is a _serious_ risk.

> I don’t know what country you live in, but many countries have the same assessment of many vaccines.

I wasn't talking about science in relation to vaccines. I was talking about science in relation to the entire policy. I do not believe my government (Canada) is making decisions based on science in its use of emergency powers in general. That's pretty clear by the fact that they're unable to justify so many of the decisions made with actual numbers and models.

Emergency powers are dangerous tools. We hope they get reserved for situations where the benefit is worth the risk. But after seeing how badly, and unscientifically. government has handled the entire pandemic, I want to see those emergency powers further restricted, so they aren't so easy to use in the future.

edit: Note how Trump has told the FDA chief that his options were to approve the Pfizer vaccine or resign: https://www.washingtonpost.com/health/2020/12/11/trump-steph...

What a terrible precedent for science.

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