On The Vaccine
by Roger Pierce
Deciding whether to get the COVID-19 vaccine is a personal choice, but is also a choice with consequences.
Those infected with the COVID-19 virus are infectious before they become symptomatic1, and some never develop symptoms. An infected person can pass the virus to vaccinated individuals as the vaccines,
though very good, are not 100% protective. Knowing this, vaccinated persons may choose not to associate with those choosing to remain unvaccinated.
Decades of research and development of vaccine technology has led us to the present where we were able to develop a safe and highly effective vaccine in a relatively short period of time. Given the highly dangerous nature
of COVID-19 (over 600,000 dead in just the US), vaccinating the population is a clear need. Vaccines not only protect the individual but also the society as a whole. If the current level of persons choosing to avoid the
vaccine continues, we expect that it will allow COVID-19 to become endemic in the US, killing around a 100 people a day for the foreseeable future. We currently accept this level of mortality with traffic crashes, gun violence,
and during a normal season, the flu. With most persons getting the vaccine, we could file COVID-19 with Smallpox and Polio, diseases that have been conquered by vaccines.
After cutting through the rampant rumors and misinformation that is the bane of our current-day society, we know that the available COVID-19 vaccines are very safe. SNOPES reports that there is only one death that is
currently being investigated as possibly connected to the receipt of a shot. This in 140 million persons vaccinated.
In places with low vaccination rates, infections among unvaccinated persons remain at the levels seen at the peak of the pandemic. Vaccinations work, get yours.
1 researchers concluded that about 44 percent of COVID-19 infections spread from person to person before symptom onset. MIT Medical
