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Yeah, it's like the floodgates opened here...all my friends that weren't part of the original group 1 (A, B, etc.) are all now signed up for their first, if not second shots.
Is anyone else concerned about probable variants from India?Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk
It's because pretty much everyone who wants a shot, has already gotten it. Demand has halved since 4/11. Now some states are no longer taking their allocation of vaccine, they just don't know what to do with it. Supply exceeds demand. What's left is the 30% of the population who will be hard to vaccinate. A large portion of which have vowed not to be vaccinated. So now there are incentives. Target is doing the same as they do with the flu vaccine. They'll give a $5 coupon to get vaccinated. Considering that most people during a normal year don't get the flu vaccine, I don't think that will cut it. We are in the carrot phase.
You also have to consider that people who have not yet had the vaccine are those who have health concerns about it. You may not have those same concerns, but they are real to the people who have them. They won't give up their long-term health for the sake of a free donut.
If people won't be allowed to fly out of the country or cruise without a vaccine, that might help motivate some people.
Seriously though, what health concerns? I'm not being judgemental, I'm genuinely curious. There are some people who are at peril with the covid vaccine. It's the same peril they share with most vaccines. They are allergic to some component used to make vaccines. That's rare. There is that blood clot issue with one of the vaccines, but that is exceedingly rare. Just walking on a street in the US is more dangerous to your health. The people with these issues would be so small as to not even register on the overall numbers.
But it's not just one free donut. It's a free donut a day for the rest of the year!Seriously though, what health concerns? I'm not being judgemental, I'm genuinely curious. There are some people who are at peril with the covid vaccine. It's the same peril they share with most vaccines. They are allergic to some component used to make vaccines. That's rare. There is that blood clot issue with one of the vaccines, but that is exceedingly rare. Just walking on a street in the US is more dangerous to your health. The people with these issues would be so small as to not even register on the overall numbers.The larger populations with concerns would be people with compromised immune systems. The concern is that there isn't enough data on those populations. There's no reason to believe it's not safe. There's just not enough data to definitively declare it.Overall, the covid vaccine is very safe. The only people I know of that are recommended not to get it are people that have severe allergies to vaccine components.That's the stick phase. We are currently in the carrot phase. The government strategy is carrot first, then stick. But they have hinted that the stick will come if the carrot doesn't work. Things like preferential treatment at the airport is one thing. It doesn't even have to be an outright ban. It can be that if you are vaccinated you slide through security quickly. If you aren't vaccinated, you have to show up to the airport 5 hours early to get a covid test before you can fly.Private companies will probably use the stick first. They will limit who they serve based on vaccination status. That strategy has been quite effective in other countries with other precautions. No mask, no service. If you have positive covid test, come back later. Other countries have or are making digital vaccine passports for this purpose. We are sticking with a piece of paper with some scribbles on it.
Those are not the health concerns. The health concerns are twofold. First of all, more people have died as a result of taking the COVID vaccine (all types) than have died from all other vaccines combined over the past 15 years. And those stats are from the VAERS database, which is known for being a poor source because it undercounts deaths and adverse reactions. The real issue though is that this vaccine was rushed. The people who don't want the vaccine are for the most part NOT anti-vaxxers. Most of them have gotten other vaccines. But those vaccines were tested for 2-4 years before being approved, which gave enough data to measure long-term side effects. There are studies out there (which are being suppressed in the US) showing that there are likely to be long-term adverse health effects, including significant increased susceptibility to future SARS-type diseases (and you know that these will come... COVID is hardly the first disease to come from a SARS virus). Now all of this is so far unknown, because obviously we haven't been through a proper flu season with a bunch of vaccinated people. But that's the point: we don't know. Maybe there isn't a problem. If so, then the majority of people who don't want the vaccine now will voluntarily take it in a couple of years, after this has been shown. But if there is a possible problem, these people don't want to be the guinea pigs in what is essentially the largest vaccine test in history. I understand that you do not agree with this point of view, but this is the way the vaccine resistors think. The sad thing is, many of these people might be convinced with a proper scientific debate, where medical personnel on both sides (and there are actually many respected doctors and scientists who do not want the vaccine) go through data and studies. But two-sided debate does not exist in this country any longer. Anyone who speaks out about potential problems with the vaccine is silenced or canceled. This makes those who are already hesitant MORE scared. Lack of free speech is the real disconnect here. People think that if those with differing information are being canceled, then there is something being hidden. That's the biggest fear: what is the government hiding? And if they're not hiding anything, why won't they address those who are not eager to take the vaccine? (And no, Obama making a PSA assuring everyone that the vaccine is 'safe' does not assuage any of their fears.)So there's your answer. I'm not trying to start an argument, but I do think it helps in any situation to understand how the other side thinks, and why they hold their opposing viewpoint. That's how productive discussions (and ultimately, productive resolutions) are reached.If you want people to take the vaccine, the answer is not the carrot or the stick. The answer is to have a free and open discussion where there is actual proof that the vaccine is 'harmless', and all points of view and all medical studies are discussed and evaluated equally.