Let me make one thing clear at the outset: my COVID-19 vaccination and jubilation surrounding it was not crass virtue signaling. Quite the contrary, I see vaccinations as a means to protect others and return to pre-pandemic life. It’s not about virtue: it’s a direct and dispassionate approach to re-claiming the lifestyle we all miss.
Skeptical Of The COVID-19 Vaccine? Please Reconsider.
Some are still not convinced that COVID-19 vaccines are safe. The argument that the vaccines approved for use in the USA and Europe are not effective has been effectively dismantled and laid bare by hundreds of millions of recipients over the last four months.
Still, driven by skepticism and mistrust in the “system” itself, many find themselves reluctant to receive the jab. What I hear is invariably a variation of the following:
We don’t know the long-term effects of this vaccine and this is therefore a risk I am not prepared to take at this time.
Note the “at this time” at the end. I think many are open in theory to being vaccinated, but believe the wait-and-see approach is best.
To them and to you, if that is your opinion, I can only ask you to consider the following:
Short-term side effects are well known and limited
Yes, there is a slight (1 in 100,000) risk of anaphylaxis in mRNA vaccines. That’s why you sit and wait at least 15 minutes after your jab before leaving. Yes, there can be side effects, particularly if you have a fairly healthy immune system. You’ll be sore at the point of injection. You may experience a headache, fatigue, or nausea (I experienced all three). But that lasted 24 hours and was gone. Now my body is far better prepared to fight the virus. Just note the chances of blood clotting are far higher with birth control pills than COVID-19.
Vaccines protect others by greatly reducing asymptotic spread
The CDC notes that vaccines protect you and those around you by greatly reducing the threat of asymptomatic spread. Think 90% effective. In other words, if you feel like you don’t need the vaccine because you are healthy, consider that the vaccine is incredibly beneficial in protecting others who may be much more vulnerable or have existing condition in which the virus could prove far more serious.
Vaccines reduce mutation risk
Very simple concept: the more human hosts, the more opportunities for mutation. Mutations are driving the vicious fourth wave through Europe. Had everyone been vaccinated, Europe would likely be re-opened now.
The faster people are vaccinated, the faster they stop getting the virus, the faster the virus stops mutating.
Getting COVID-19 could kill you or leave you very sick
What gets me most about those who refuse a COVID-19 vaccine is how bad COVID-19 is. COVID-19 kills. That we know. COVID-19 also manifests itself in strange ways. I lost my smell for six weeks. It was miserable! My mother spent two weeks in bed, totally exhausted. It was far worse than any flu. And then there are the longhaulers. I have a friend at church who got COVID-19 around Christmas time and still has no taste or smell, four months later. Are you seriously willing to risk that over a jab that has been tested by over 600 million people worldwide?!
We have a friend who refuses to take the vaccination because she is concerned she will not be able to get pregnant. But it doesn’t take an epidemiologist to note that if COVID-19 is not making women infertile, the vaccination that attacks it certainly won’t. The fear-mongers who push that theory have been fully debunked.
But there’s also something else to consider: we don’t know the long-term effects of suffering from COVID-19, but for many people, it doesn’t look good…look up. Speaking of clotting, we’ve certainly seen links between COVID-19 and blood coagulation.
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And yet I fear this won’t convince many of you. I can already hear the retorts: “Yes, but we just don’t know what the long-term effects of this vaccination rushed through the emergency approval process.”
Conservative Libertarian Ben Shapiro believes that vaccinations should be mandatory. His argument is that your freedom and personal autonomy ends when it negatively impacts someone else. Have a listen, if you’d like:
I’m very sympathetic to his line of reasoning and believe as a person of faith that vaccines show a love for your neighbor, especially those around you who may be more vulnerable.
Take auto insurance, for example. Why is that required if you choose to drive? It’s not just to protect you, but to ensure others are protected. It is not valid to say that I cannot afford it or I am against it. If you want to drive, you need insurance. Perhaps we will reach a point in which if you want to engage in commerce, you will need a vaccination.
While I wish the recent stimulus checks were conditioned upon receiving the vaccination, perhaps there is another reality that will set in. Those “free riders” who refuse to get the vaccine may be left behind. They may not be welcomed in businesses or into foreign nations. Perhaps they will face employment barriers.
Should it be this way? Must society resort to threats? Hopefully it won’t matter because enough people get vaccinated anyway. No, it should not be. But not because such tactics are immoral, but because people should understand that actions do not merely effect them, but effect others.
CONCLUSION
If you are firmly against vaccinations but willing to stay home and isolate from others for the rest of your life, then by all means go ahead. But if you care about your neighbor and want to get back to pre-pandemic life, please reconsider getting the vaccination.
From my own social circle, it seems those most against the vaccination are those most against masks, social distancing, and lockdowns. Perhaps we will look back one day and see that the lockdowns created more harm than help. But there’s a distinct difference between economic loss accepted as a byproduct of protecting (or attempting to protect) human life in the face of an unknown virus and human loss as a result of irrational fear sewn by opportunists who seek to profit off the vulnerable. Your jab can save lives. There is no conspiracy. Isn’t it time to look beyond the fear and see that your small action can play a key role in taming this virus? I would hate to see another wave hit the USA, as it is now hitting Europe.
I am incredibly thankful for scientists around the world who corralled wisdom and discernment to create vaccines in record time. When I posted the picture of my vaccination card or myself being jabbed, it was not to show that I am a good person or even that I am doing my part to slow the spread of this lethal virus. It was to express genuine thankfulness that I live in a place and time in which, God willing, I won’t have to go through a second round of the virus and my parents or grandmother or uncle will not have to face the particular pain of a bad bout with Covid-19.
For yourselves and for others, if you are on the fence about the virus, please stay away from the conspiracy websites and read the growing scholarship on how safe and effective these vaccines are. You’ll really be glad you did.
I got my first Moderna shot this past week and my arm being ridiculously sore (for 24 hours after I couldn’t even lift it) was the only side effect. I was a little fatigued too but nothing that bad.
Not sure if there is an option here. People that don’t take the vaccine will have to live in their basement forever. I got my first shot of Pfizer a week ago. Sore arm for the first 24 hours and suddenly got very high fever, chills and had body ache so bad it felt like I had been hit by a bus. Went to bed early and woke up next day feeling perfectly fine. I guess the first shot was bad on me since I already had Covid. Just hope this nightmare is over soon.
I’ve read the reaction is worst after the first shot if you’ve already had it vs not had it. I (as far as I know!) never got Covid, so my reaction to the first was mostly sore arm and very little fatigue and nothing else.
Thank you for this post. Your tone and outlook was so refreshing in a world that seems to enjoy nothing more than insulting anyone and everyone that does not share experiences and attitudes that precisely match their own. Hopefully others will follow your lead.
Governments are to blame, for not allowing those who are vaccinated to travel freely.
Governments prove that they trust Covid tests more than they trust the vaccines because they still force those of us who are vaccinated to continue to pay for Covid testing.
If governments want to promote testing, my CDC Covid vaccine card should let me travel without paying for tests.
@DC, may be the government knows something you don’t.
This will never happen but I’ll just float the idea for a few seconds: People who get the vaccine should carry immunity passports so they can get unhindered access to public places and public transportation. Those that refuse the vaccine should wear a negative-vaccine badge in public so that health conscious people can avoid them. Don’t hide behind anonymity if you’re going to refuse health measures.
So lovely to hear you imply that anything contradicting the official narrative is conspiracy. Travelers are supposed to be smarter than the regular bunch (travel broadens the mind, they say?). Instead we see travel bloggers parroting the narrative (and may I say spreading disinformation), not having the guts to even question anything. There is no asymptomatic spread; see the scientific studies. There is no “waves” in Europe. It’s really a shame to be part of BoardingArea now.
It would help if Biden and Fauci both got rid of their double masks despite being fully vaccinated for months. It screams we still don’t know if it works.
Miamiorbust, maybe Matthew can write the CDC and state governments to ask why they still mandate Covid testing for those who have been vaccinated?
Why won’t the US government allow vaccinated American citizens back in to the country? Is it because the US doesn’t trust the vaccines?
Why force us to get a Covid test before returning to the US if we already had the vaccine and carry the CDC card as proof?
Very well said, Matthew. The irony in all of this is that many of the people who fight masks, lockdowns, and the like are the ones who will just delay the ability to find some level of total normalcy again. I hope in the end that karma takes over and they are the ones forced to actually continue to wear masks and stay at home as those of us with the vaccine happily go on with our lives with our ability to freely travel, attend sporting events, and enjoy ourselves.
@Ed, that’s a great idea, maybe like a gold star on your arm or lapel if you don’t get the vaccine.
@S: it definitely varies by person. My wife also had Covid and got the Pfizer shot with me. She didn’t even had a sore arm. Absolutely nothing. Go figure!!
@DC The Govt has been clear that they are developing the technology to properly give each person a true vaccine passport, most likely in the form of a phone app. The reason they don’t do it now is because the CDC cards are easily forged and not fool proof as a vaccine passport. There needs to be an accessible database that creates a secure passport.
“I don’t trust what is int it” is something I hear at work from the cigarette smoking, heavily tattooed co-worker. Really? Do you know what’s in that cigarette or permanent ink you willingly had injected under your skin?
My great aunts said of the special snowflake anti-vaccine moms in our neighborhoods, I hope they never know what it is like to see baby sisters and brothers die of vaccine preventable illnesses of our youths.
@Stuart, those of us with the vaccine are Not free to travel. We still have to be tested before flying back to the US. This is US government policy undermining the vaccination drive.
If the US government trusts the vaccines, it should allow those with the vaccine to return to the US without additional testing.
Hawaii, Puerto Rico, Alaska, the USVI, etc. also show that they do not trust the vaccine because they still mandate that those with the vaccine be tested for Covid.
The federal government should force these states and territories to allow those with the vaccine to travel in and out if the feds truly believe the vaccine is effective.
@Stuart, I have the CDC/WHO yellow card proving I am vaccinated against malaria. Even though this paper card is easily forged, the US and every other country respects the card.
The US also continues to issue and respect easy-to-forge paper Social Security cards.
The same US government that created the paper CDC Covid vaccine cards should respect those cards and respect our freedom to travel without mandating additional testing.
The US government is undermining its message by not respecting its own protocols. This is not the work of anti-vaxxers.
Agree with Arthur and DC not in DC to be honest.
Fauci and Biden (and other politicians) double masking in meetings with other vaccinated people is insane. It does nothing but hurt the drive to vaccinate. They are going against CDC guidance that vaccinated people can meet together inside without masks. And requiring those vaccinated to test coming back from the US is the same thing. It disincentives people from getting vaccinated.
So much for listening to the science.
@S, thank you for your comments.
When I travel to Africa, South America and parts of Asia, I confidently produce my yellow paper CDC/WHO card showing I have been vaccinated against yellow fever.
If those countries denied me entry, put me in quarantine or force me to be tested for yellow fever, I would know that these countries did not trust the yellow fever vaccine.
Full disclosure: I get every vaccine available, including seasonal flu, Hep A&B, meningitis, pneumonia, shingles, etc. and I carry proof when I travel.
Well said Matthew.
@Stuart +1
I had Moderna #1 a couple of weeks ago. Slightly sore arm where the needle was inserted (logical), and slightly watery eyes that evening. Next day: nothing at all out of the ordinary.
Looking forward to shot #2. Ready to travel again! 😀
Immense respect for WHO, CDC, Fauci, and the scientists who developed these vaccines!
I’m traveling freely all over the world now, without a vaccine.
I’ll probably get the one shot one, just to shut people up.
But, anyone who trusts the CDC, or Federal Government, or the media – after being so wrong about Covid for 15 months now…. yeah, no thanks.
Biggest disaster in history, all self inflicted.
For over a year, the anti-science Governor of California has forced even vaccinated adults to quarantine for 14 days after arrival at LAX. Newsom won’t allow a vaccinated married couple to eat inside a restaurant together.
Anti-vaxxers aren’t the problem.
Hypocritical government thugs like Newsom care about power, not science. Before he was vaccinated, he sat mask-free next to a non-family member at a restaurant but he won’t let me sit next to my wife at a restaurant in LA even though we are both vaccinated.
Hi Matthew,
I fully echo everything you’ve said, except that point about mutations, which is not 100% scientifically valid. Increased vaccinations actually heighten the pace of mutation because they constitute the imposition of a changing condition, which favors the variants that are best able to withstand it. Darwin’s theories state that genetic variation is a constant: so either there are already vaccine resistant variants out there or it’s just a matter of time before they emerge; their share of the gene pool will increase as vaccinations continue. However, that doesn’t mean that vaccinations don’t save lives: they provide some degree of protection against even the strains of SARD-Cov2 that are more resistant to vaccines than the original Wuhan variant. I got my second dose of the Pfizer vaccine two weeks ago and have a much greater piece of mind because of it as a Biology student. If you’re still on the fence about vaccines, read up on the science in reputable publications and I guarantee that you’ll change your mind
I had my first shot of the Astra Zeneca last weekend. Modest pain at site, slightly foggy head and mild irascibility; nothing of consequence.
Of course vaccination should be mandatory; and if that can’t be enforced, then those declining it hold be denied travel nd access to benefits and services. The greater public good trumps any personal consideration.
Getting my single J&J jab tomorrow. I’ve traveled a couple of times during the “mess”, wore a mask (correctly you chin-strap morons!) and did the social distancing thing as much as possible. 55 years old here, medium risk, I’m good to go.
“Quite the contrary, I see vaccinations as a means to protect others and return to pre-pandemic life.”
Except Fauci and Biden’s handlers tell you that you still have to double mask, you still can’t travel, you still can’t dine indoors, and that if we all behave, we might be allowed to have small outdoor BBQs in our backyards (still with masks and social distancing) by July 4th, maybe. This encourages the public to get vaccinated how exactly?
I got my first shot today, anyway. One, the process here is so easy, I could get an appointment on a Saturday, 10 minutes from my house, and be back pulling weeds in the yard within an hour. Two, my employer said if you’re fully vaccinated, you don’t have to wear masks in the office. Yes, make it easy and give people a real incentive, and the reaction will be positive.
People who accuse others of “virtue signaling” typically have no virtue to signal anyway.
When you are vaccinated you have significantly less chance of catching the virus but you can still catch and transmit the virus. More over you are more likely to be asymptomatic or only mildly ill. For these reasons you still need to wear a mask when you are around people who are not vaccinated.
With over a third of the US vaccinated with at least one shot which weren’t before January it is unlikely that we will see the number of cases filling our hospitals that we saw then especially given the current rate of vaccination.
The non mask wearing non vaccinating segment of our population is becoming less important by the day. Soon the only people who they will be infecting and causing to die will be themselves and those who cannot be vaccinated such as infants and small children if those non compliant prevent herd immunity from occurring.
Matthew what do you think about vaccine tourism? With the rest of the world so behind the US it feels like summer is only going to be normal here.
Alas, I personally know 50+ people from Mexico who have traveled to Texas to get vaxxed. On one hand the US has extra doses, but you guys are still not done vaccinating your own. Still, there’s no citizenship or residency requirement for it, but it still amazes me that people are spending so much money coming to the US to get their shots a earlier.
It sure is an interesting topic and I’d love to read your thoughts on it.
Hey lawyer doctor whatever you claim to be – if it’s a vaccine, why did they have to change the language in the federal register? Why the sleight of hand? Good luck in 3 or 4 years when you have no immune system left. Remember this post.
There are huge side effects if you don’t get vaccinated.
I have been patiently waiting for my turn to get vaccinated and get back to travel just like many others who are younger and in good health. If the government had told me last year that fully vaccinated folks do not need masks and can travel freely, I am not sure I would have wanted to wait for grandma to her dose first. Everyone needs to wait until Summer when hopefully everyone who wants to take the vaccine has had a chance to get it. After this milestone is reached, i am fine with no masks and free travel for fully vaccinated. Not sooner. Scheduled to take my first shot later next week.
As a doctor, thank you for using your reach on this.
Thank you for writing about this. Why this needs to be said is beyond me. I guess the FUDsters have really destroyed the last vestiges of common sense.
@DC – I was just in LA last month and landed in LAX. There is no forced quarantine. It’s a suggestion. We ate inside and outside and everyplace we went was open. Lay off the newsmax.
Also why doesn’t the government allow anyone with a card to travel freely? Because currently, one can easily copy the card and write down whatever information they want. I think we’ll get there where the system is similar to a passport but right now it’s not. This vaccine has only been around for 5 months. Let’s get shots in arms. And only recently did data come out which showed at least 6 mths of efficacy from the vaccination. So at month 7 should we require covid testing?
There’s much more to it than flash my CDC card and keep walking. For right now I agree with this decision.
Well said Matthew!
Got my 1st dose of Pfizer-BioNtech vaccine last week. Had only a sore arm which it completely disappeared in a few hours.
@Matthew, while infertility in women is not a COVID-19 symptom, impotence in men definitely is but is not an issue with the vaccine. If you friend wants to get pregnant, it would be beneficial if she and her partner get the vaccine to guarantee that he can perform when necessary.
I got my first shot of Pfizer-BioNtech last week. I had some muscle pain in the arm bellow the injection site but it went away after a day. I am expecting the second shot to knock me down so I am taking the day off work.