I doubt you’re going to be able to change anyone’s mind, but “experimental gene therapy” is debunked on the fact check link I posted about in this thread (#370).
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The main reason I hear from the few who don’t want to be vaccinated is that it’s new and they don’t know what’s in it coupled with the belief that Covid, itself, isn’t that bad.
“Not knowing what’s in it” is amusing considering those I know will drink Energy drinks, eat at fast food, and sometimes vape.
Humans are strange creatures sometimes.
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Hope this is ok to post.
I was noting this weekend a message from our Catholic diocese re: vaccinations. (we are Catholic but I will admit to being somewhat off the Catholic train due to various statements from the Catholic church/members). They said that possible choose Pfizer or Moderna due to the stem cell controversy in J and J.
Assuming that the US has a good % of Catholics I wonder if this is at all skewing people waiting to get a vaccine wanting to NOT get the J and J with fetal cell lines.
Was just a thought/observation.
I talked to an acquaintance last night who has been a respiratory therapist for many years. She is exhausted. She said right now, at the smallish hospital where she works, there are FOUR people in the ICU with COVID. Two of them are men in their 40s who are runners. They are very ill. She said they came within a hair’s breadth of needing to be on life support. She thinks they will skirt that, but it’s not certain. She is discouraged that people don’t understand how serious this virus is.
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That’s weird. We had a letter to the editor in our paper from a devout Catholic saying just the opposite. (J&J was bad due to derivation from fetal tissue. The other two were ok.)
That was followed a couple days later by a medical research person saying all were fine and what Person #1 said wasn’t true. The cells used in question for all were older, now “accepted” by the Catholic church.
I only know what I read in those two letters, so if anyone has more info, feel free to post. I’m curious. I’m wondering if it’s all misinformation, but being put out there in different versions.
Here’s a link I could find about the Catholic Church and the coronavirus vaccine. I’m also under the impression that there is stem cell controversy over the Johnson & Johnson vaccine and not the other 2 presently approved in the USA
Check out this article from USA TODAY:
Fact check: COVID-19 vaccine ‘morally acceptable,’ Vatican says, but some claims missing context
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Sorry I totally wrote that wrong - that’s what I get for multitasking! Will edit. 
Fetal cell lines = J and J.
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The Catholic church has also said that if an individual is not able to choose which vaccine they take, it’s morally acceptable to take the J&J vaccine. Getting vaccinated is a pro-life action as it protects you and those around you from the disease which has killed far too many.
“While we should continue to insist that pharmaceutical companies stop using abortion-derived cell lines, given the world-wide suffering that this pandemic is causing, we affirm again that being vaccinated can be an act of charity that serves the common good.” - US Conference of Catholic Bishops
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@Creekland this is the actual quote from @abasket:
“They said that possible choose Pfizer or Moderna due to the stem cell controversy in J and J.”
I edited it to that version - I posted incorrectly first which is what @Creekland responded to - my bad not hers!!! 
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A 22 yo girl that I know from a more rural part of the state has stated that she is not getting the vaccine at this point because she is afraid that she wants children one ay and how do we know that later on we wont find out that the vaccines cause birth defects, as they are new vaccines. So she wants to wait. She is young and feels like Covid is not a risk to her, or at least as large a risk right now. In our state this is very prevalent in the rural areas and there are tons of vaccines going unused. (which are going to be moved to urban areas hopefully)
We are all vaccinated except my 20 Yo son. He is also very hesitant right now and wants to wait. If push comes to shove, he will take it, but wants the JnJ as it uses previous technology.
The publicity issues with the Astra Zenica has not helped
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Oh, this is good.
Yes. I have a relative in a very large metro area in a very blue state who is a healthcare provider. Might be the same area, @seal16 - might not. But they related the same information. A huge proportion won’t get the vaccine and very few wear their masks properly. They are simply of a different mindset about Covid and the vaccine.
More likely it’s due to large population and aymptomatic or pre-symptomatic transmission. Viruses spread. In the end social distancing etc. will only be partly effective. Hence the push for vaccination.
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More like dense population and continuing shortage of vaccine (only about a third of the population has been able to get any vaccine, and only half of them are fully vaccinated) combined with more people giving up and wanting to go back to normal even with the vaccine just a few months away. We saw this nationwide in the winter with traditional family gathering holidays and weather that caused many people to gather indoors instead of outdoors.
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My mil called and said that her nephew, my husband’s first cousin and his wife are not getting the vaccine. He’s a principal and she’s a teacher. My mil told her sil that she was disappointed that they chose this route.
Unfortunately there are physicians who have decided (like millions of others) that this pandemic is no big deal and that they are choosing not to be vaccinated. I think that the head of the practice has a large influence over his staff. We have an immunologist in my town who has this philosophy and he and his staff were anti mask.
Fortunately, I have a choice to never ever go to him. I feel lucky that I am able to have that choice.
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If medical people are not following known preventative measures and promoting the myth that vaccines are useless they definitely get credit for Covid in their area being worse than it could be. A lot of people listen to their doctors. They don’t necessarily fact check what they hear/see.
@Creekland, not sure they think vaccines are useless, just that they aren’t a uniform panacea. Obviously the elderly and those with co-morbidities should get vaccinated. But if you aren’t in those groups, goes the thinking, then it’s prudent to wait for more study before opting for vaccination. What they are seeing based on their clinical experience is that repeated exposure for some populations isn’t correlated with severe disease (or any disease) but that even mild contact can be deadly for other populations. No one knows why the virus is attacking this way - is it culture? Environmental? Genetic? As to masks, healthcare providers are probably far more expert on how helpful or useful they truly are. We can’t rule out masks as a disciplinary measure (ie wear a mask but also do other things because building in multiple redundancies is a good idea here). In my state we have a very highly respected epidemiologist who believes that masks are ineffective. He’s definitely gone against the grain on that issue. Personally, I think that masking, social distancing, washing hands, etc. are reasonable measures for minimizing the spread. But I also realize that despite these efforts people still get Covid. It’s a highly infectious virus.
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Yes, and I read the AMA’s (American Medical Association) reports often. There is no doubt at all that masks are highly effective when worn properly. There have been multiple tests at this point proving it.
Locally around me those catching Covid are those who haven’t been trying to stay safe (on purpose or for lack of knowledge) along with some workers who have had no choice but to be in harms way.
partially correct. No question that low income folks in the inner cities have multi-generational families living under one (small) roof and few of those can work from home.
OTOH “fully vaccinated” is not all that relevant since the first dose alone is extremely helpful in reducing serious infection only after a couple of weeks.
Most probably base their perceptions on the conditions on the ground. There are studies supporting their use and studies citing that they are ineffective. Anecdotally, our household ended up exposed numerous times to Covid both before mask wearing and during. None has contracted the virus (and about half of us now are vaccinated with the majority to be so when available). We are but a small sample. Anecdotally, I prefer masks - is that comfort or is that effective? I don’t know, but it does send a signal to others not to come up and give me a hug 
The epidemiology team at my kids’ university has been very sensible and managed to provide sufficient guidance to keep the virus from shutting down the place this year. They recommend masks in the context of several stacked measures - they are not viewed in isolation, nor should they be. Masks are not a panacea either.