Quote:
Originally Posted by StewBlu
By the time the vaccine makes it to distribution it was injected in a human months ago as part of a study, likely several studies. The notion that if you're one of the "first in line" to get it that you're actually one of the first to get it is incorrect. You are determining an arbitrary line of when is the appropriate time. Chances are when the CDC, NIAID, NIH, WHO, etc. say it's safe, it is likely safe.
Those that want to be the exception to thew rule or go against the grain of science must ask themselves the question, "What if everyone made the same decision I made? How would that affect the world as a whole?"
I, myself will wait for the "science" to come to a conclusion, read the data critically, and make a decision. It is overwhelmingly likely that I will simply follow the guidance derived from data, reasoning, and best practice. I don't feel the need to make it more complicated than it needs to be.
I'll get the vaccine early on as well.
But in fairness, phase-4 trials consists of monitoring the general public for rare adverse affects once a pharma is approved and deployed to the market. So an early adopter is still part of clinical trials in a way.
Vaccines do carry risks, very small risks for fully vetted and approved vaccines. If you wait and see for a while, especially for something like a covid vaccine which will very rapidly achieve a very large phase-4 cohort, your odds will improve ever so slightly. But even a vaccine (or any other pharma) which had been in use for 100 years does not absolutely ensure that any one individual won't have some rare adverse reaction.
Life is not risk free. You risk the drive to the airport (and whatever health hazards we endure on-the-job in aviation) so as to be able to afford a good QOL. Odds are the health benefits of having and a job and income will outweigh the slightly elevated risk of going to work, since without a job you'd be destitute, homeless, malnourished, and without much healthcare.
Healthcare workers will simply have no choice and guess what, nobody is complaining about that over on medicaldoctorforums.com. In this particular case, we will probably be right behind them in the "early and mandatory" vaccination program. Nature of the business, and you can always find a new business.