By George Schroeder | Managing Editor, LTVN
Update: At the time of publication, the Pfizer vaccine had not been granted full approval by the FDA.
I am vaccinated against the coronavirus. I believe the vaccine is safe and effective. This article is not an argument against receiving the vaccine, however, I understand why people are hesitant or against getting the COVID-19 vaccine, and it really shouldn’t matter who takes the shot and who doesn’t.
I understand there are absolutely ridiculous anti-vaccination theories out there, but there are also legitimate questions and concerns which should be taken seriously, and not lumped in with the conspiracy theorists.
The vaccine is literally not fully approved by the Food and Drug Administration, but only approved for emergency use. Rare blood clots, unusual vaccine-related deaths, pauses in vaccines, and other issues like these are understandably concerning. Hesitancies from religious beliefs are perfectly acceptable as well.
The unvaccinated pose little to no threat to the vaccinated. Taking the shot is a personal decision involving personal protection. Anyone choosing not to take the shot is essentially only risking their own safety.
Virtually all new COVID-19 cases are from the unvaccinated, and the very few so-called “breakthrough” cases among the vaccinated are at far, far less risk of hospitalization or death. Choosing whether or not to get the vaccine is a personal decision with personal repercussions.
Those screaming at the unvaccinated must come to the realization that this is a matter of individual, not communal, choice. It is not a matter of concern to the health of the general population, because the vaccinated are protected and safe.
Even after taking the shot, you can still carry and spread the coronavirus. However, by all available evidence, the survival rate for vaccinated individuals who contract COVID-19, including the Delta Variant, is essentially 99.999%.
Young people have considerably less incentive than most to take the vaccine. By refusing the vaccine they are risking a <0.1% chance of death, a risk statistically less likely than death by bee sting.
The new COVID-19 safety regulations at Baylor University for the 2021 fall semester aren’t helping the push for vaccinations either. They are in place for everyone, including the vaccinated. Why should someone at basically no risk take a vaccine if their life won’t change either way? I’ll give you the logical answer: they shouldn’t.
We were told for a year that masks and social distancing were necessary until a vaccine was distributed. Now, vaccines are readily available, but apparently masks and social distancing are still necessary to protect ourselves, even those with an immunization.
Spreading out and strapping a piece of cloth to your face, claiming it protects you from a virus that statistically isn’t dangerous to young adults is a joke. But continuing these practices after vaccinations for that virus have become widely available is simply hysteria.
Are masks and social distancing totally safe and effective, or are the vaccines totally safe and effective? By the standard of our supreme overlord, “science,” one isn’t necessary with the other, and combining the two isn’t exactly motivating anyone to take a vaccine.
The vaccine is truly slowing the spread and saving lives, but with the threat of death and severe illness being so low, the vaccinated should not be concerned with the unvaccinated. End the restrictions. End the mandates. Let people make their own decisions, weigh their own risks, and live their own lives.
