Vaccine reluctance & General COVID Discussion

Greene County MO

Because there have been over 600,000 cases of people dying from COVID in the USA, while deaths from the vaccines are extremely rare.

Because so much misinformation has been spread about the potential dangers of the vaccine, that most articles that are posted on these dangers are, indeed, events that are taken out of context, exaggerated claims. At the same time, people, including young people, continue to get sick and die from COVID because they refuse to get vaccinated as the result of these exaggerations and lies.

So yes, people are skeptical of claims of deaths from the vaccinations, and are unhappy with headlines that imply that there is a link between the vaccines and some health issue, when the actual story points to a very tenuous link between the two. In the latter case, people want to make it very clear than the headline’s implications are not actually the reality of the story.

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Actually, the disputed embedded text - “The 13-year-old had received a second dose of the COVID-19 vaccine three days prior to his death” - was taken from the country health department statement and was the entire reason why the CDC was investigating. So it was, indeed, the “reality of the story.” Whether the investigation shows that there was a causal connection remains to be seen. More on the subject here:

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I saw the concentration in that general area which struck me as odd at first but given the low vax rate makes sense. Truly hope they gain control of the situation soon 
 it is scary when the hospitalization demographics shift down. I’d be interested in knowing what they are encountering clinically & how it differs from previous spikes. It’s clearly continuing to be a whack-a-mole situation with flare ups all over the county/world. Then, boosters will enter the picture 
 another even more challenging compliance sell.

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Assuming you mean boosters for variants


The people who got the vaccine ASAP will probably get the booster ASAP.
The people who were slow to get the vaccine will probably be slow to get the booster, or not get it unless something pushes them to get it*.
The people who refused to get the vaccine will probably refuse to get the booster.

If you mean that if the immunity wanes after some time, and boosters are recommended


The people who got the vaccine ASAP will probably get the booster on schedule.
The people who were slow to get the vaccine will probably not get around to getting the booster, unless something pushes them to get it*.
The people who refused to get the vaccine will probably still refuse to get the vaccine.

*for example, if someone they know gets a severe case of COVID-19, or perhaps their physician recommends it

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That’s probably exactly what will happen.

My BIL and his wife are both over 65 and she has diabetes, but neither of them will get the vaccine, in spite of the fact that their adult son who lives with them got COVID and had to be hospitalized a few months ago and an elderly couple in their church died of COVID. They are both suspicious of science generally.

My husband has not seen his brother since last summer (masked and distanced), but they are now talking about going out for breakfast together. I urged him to consider that it will put his brother and SIL at risk, but he points out to me that the brother and his wife already go out to restaurants.

With the Delta variant on the increase, it seems like such a bad idea.

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Very well stated.

To reinforce the point of @MaineLonghorn , it’s so easy to take a few words out of context. However you boil it down, there is no getting away from the irrefutable fact that covid is more deadly than any vaccine, for any age group.

Anyone trying to persuade others that vaccines are a real health risk should consider that ALL vaccines come with potential side effects. Some people will, unfortunately, have bad side effects. But vaccines aren’t contagious, unlike covid, and the numbers of adverse reactions which are definitely linked to the vaccine will always pale in comparison to the numbers of people adversely affected by covid.

I’ll be interested to see if full FDA approval changes anyone’s mind. The vaccines will all be approved. Why wait?

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But what about the science that helped their son recover or the science that caused the death of their fellow parishioners?

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True, but most other vaccines have years of data behind them now - significantly more than the Covid vaccine, and have become standard components of preventive health. This vaccine is still rolling out large-scale using a technology not employed for this purpose before (yes, I know it’s been tested etc but it still hadn’t been introduced for other therapies yet). And, of course as we and the CDC are learning, the vaccine trials didn’t tell us everything. People have the right to additional information as it becomes available. People here aren’t trying to persuade others not to get vaccinated.

It probably will. And full FDA approval might clear the way for state health departments to require the vaccine for schools in their state.

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Boosters for variants to some extent (tough to “chase” those in a timely fashion) but mainly we have been told that regardless, protection would diminish in 6 mos, 1 year etc. requiring a booster.

Given this has unfortunately turned into such a politically divisive issue and there are indeed those who have a level of mistrust - for a variety of reasons - I can see only further escalating “reluctance”. ESPECIALLY to boosters in the near future - and even within the medical community. Here at my local world-renowned hospital, it is shocking that many still have chosen not to receive nor are required to get the vaccine 
 as of today !

No one is saying that for sure. It is not known how long immunity lasts, although the longer we get from the first vaccinations and natural infections, the more we know.

How much of this is due to lack of employee satisfaction and trust in their employer? Lack of such was cited in why some health care workers (particularly the lower paid ones) refused (with resulting issues with nursing home outbreaks).

Well of course nothing is known “for sure” but it is intellectually dishonest to say the narrative from the top (covid taskforce & CDC) to this point has not been “a booster will likely be necessary” - certainly the when is unknown.

As for the reluctance of some (likely a minority) medical professionals to be vaccinated, I’m not thinking employee dissatisfaction or employer distrust is the primary driver, only they know. It is curious that the military, most medical facilities/networks (including my own Mayo Clinic) the CDC and the NIH are not yet requiring it 


Once full approval is gained my guess is things (hopefully) will change as I believe that is a barrier on several levels.

Some people have been trying to do just that. Anyone purposely making wild claims, posting links and citing data from known antivax groups, websites, YouTube videos of quack doctors, etc
, with the intention of instilling doubt about the safety of the vaccines is trying to persuade others that their view is correct. I am doing the exact same thing right now— using rhetoric in the hopes of persuading. I don’t have to state “I believe almost all eligible people should be vaccinated” because my viewpoint is clear.

People posting dubious things are very different from those who say “I want to see all the data before I make a decision.” Nothing wrong with researching the data. To get the bigger picture, people should probably look at all the data, not just the data about adverse effects of vaccines, but also data about covid and how it effects your body in both the short and long term.

In the years to come, there will be even more data, because covid is probably here to stay. I’m sure vaccines will improve and hopefully have even fewer side effects. If time was a luxury we had, it would be great to wait for an even better vaccine.

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I haven’t been on this thread the entire time - checked on it now and then prior to being a more regular contributor. But I haven’t noticed the bias of “vaccine reluctance” dominating the “vaccine enthusiasiam” bias - not by a long shot. So maybe the former was earlier on and I missed. But I thought that the purpose of this thread was to discuss vaccine reluctance, not to talk people into getting a vaccine? I’d put good money on the majority of contributors here either being vaccinated now or happy to do so once more data is in and the vaccines have obtained full-use authorization.

100% agree that in coming years this won’t be much of an issue. But help me out here: what evidence do we have to date that we are running short on time? I’m seeing decent vaccine numbers across the country though obviously that will vary by county or particular population group. The Delta variant is a concern but everything I’ve read suggests that if one is vaccinated then more likely than not they will not end up hospitalized or worse. One can also protect oneself further with masks which most here believe do provide a protective layer. Many are understandably concerned by their relatives or friends who are vaccine-stubborn for whatever reason. But are you seeing a large public health issue looming, or is your worry based more on “what ifs?” It would be helpful to understand that better. Unfortunately, the data earlier this year supported two observations: 1) there is a group that underestimates the dangers of Covid. 2) there is a group that overestimates the dangers of Covid. Both are pretty loud right now. Perhaps most who are “vaccine-reluctant” are just tired of all the shouting.

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A large public health issue has loomed. It’s here, so I am not sure what you mean. The dominant Delta strain is more contagious. A virus can mutate quickly, and maybe in even nastier ways, I guess. I’m listening to the Faucis of the world. How much time before a more deadly version comes along? How much time to make even more effective vaccines? I don’t claim to know any of that. I’m just listening to experts who are concerned. No big mystery about anything I said.

A select line, to add urgent, time-critical context: “We need to vaccinate now. Get everyone vaccinated now,” Offit said. (Dr. Paul Offit, director of the Vaccine Education Center at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia.)

For more support that some are taking the Delta variant seriously:

Sydney Australia is going on partial countdown Sydney Enacts Partial Lockdown as Delta Variant Spreads - The New York Times

And Israel is mandating masks in indoor settings again (they have a much higher vaccination rate than the US and are seeing more breakthrough cases than they are comfortable with): Coronavirus & COVID-19 Overview: Symptoms, Risks, Prevention, Treatment & More

Some US officials/scientists/public health workers expect the US to see another spike in cases in the Fall, which doesn’t bode well for back to school season.

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https://www.reuters.com/business/healthcare-pharmaceuticals/us-fda-adds-warning-about-rare-heart-inflammation-pfizer-moderna-covid-vaccines-2021-06-26/

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@JBStillFlying ^^This is the original post.

I too only check this thread from time to time. However, I read the original post as a plea for help
.help, convincing friends and loved ones who are “vaccine-stubborn” to get vaccinated. Perhaps I misunderstood the original premise.

Some may feel vaccine hesitancy is justified. I get it. However I thought the thread was to address concerns of the unvaccinated to help overcome reluctance.

If certain posters feel people shouldn’t force their beliefs on loved ones, that’s fine. I would skip the thread. The topic might be titled “Vaccine reluctance” but I never thought of it as a debate thread.

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