One of the recurring issues we have been confronted with since the Covid vaccines came on the market under Emergency Use Authorisation has been the concerted effort of journalists and public leaders to depict any questioning of vaccination policy whatsoever
The point you make here is completely rational and it confuses me that people have trouble understanding this.
But to muddy the waters for them (and you), I very quickly went from a trusting, follow-the-vaccine-schedule mother, to someone who finally went through the door held open by all my “antivaxxer” friends for years and years. I’m not amused at what I have been learning, but I am grateful that this crisis of trust has come about just as you explain--without it I would still be under the illusion that most vaccines are “safe and effective” and “save lives.” Perhaps my thinking has become a bit black and white on this subject, just to keep things simple, but I’m done not thinking about it at all.
I have no rancor for people who choose to maintain their beliefs in vaccines. And I wish them the same medical freedoms I claim for myself, inject or abstain freely. But I do plight for true informed consent as you lay it out in this great essay.
I’m sorry you are painted with this broad and technically incorrect brush, but I have started claiming the label with pride! Keep up the great work, and ignore the stupid remarks as best you can!
While I agree that its incorrect to label people as anti vaccine who aren't anti vaccine, it's actually not in any way irrational to be opposed to vaccination generally. The same arguments, lack of informed consent and the one size fits all nature of vaccination in general, apply to every vaccine, not just the Covid vaccine. It's exactly the same, just on a smaller scale because other vaccines were (usually) given in a less coercive environment and because most other vaccines were less unsafe than the covid vaccine is.
Great stance, David, and one I've been making for a very long time, myself and I am a PhD in Biostatistics
The point you make here is completely rational and it confuses me that people have trouble understanding this.
But to muddy the waters for them (and you), I very quickly went from a trusting, follow-the-vaccine-schedule mother, to someone who finally went through the door held open by all my “antivaxxer” friends for years and years. I’m not amused at what I have been learning, but I am grateful that this crisis of trust has come about just as you explain--without it I would still be under the illusion that most vaccines are “safe and effective” and “save lives.” Perhaps my thinking has become a bit black and white on this subject, just to keep things simple, but I’m done not thinking about it at all.
I have no rancor for people who choose to maintain their beliefs in vaccines. And I wish them the same medical freedoms I claim for myself, inject or abstain freely. But I do plight for true informed consent as you lay it out in this great essay.
I’m sorry you are painted with this broad and technically incorrect brush, but I have started claiming the label with pride! Keep up the great work, and ignore the stupid remarks as best you can!
While I agree that its incorrect to label people as anti vaccine who aren't anti vaccine, it's actually not in any way irrational to be opposed to vaccination generally. The same arguments, lack of informed consent and the one size fits all nature of vaccination in general, apply to every vaccine, not just the Covid vaccine. It's exactly the same, just on a smaller scale because other vaccines were (usually) given in a less coercive environment and because most other vaccines were less unsafe than the covid vaccine is.