'13 billion Covid vaccines have been given.
Yes 13 BILLION. Not a typo.
13,000,000,000
It's extremely safe.
Yet anti vaxxers still call it "experimental"
I'm guessing they also think electricity, and the wheel as a means of transport, are also experimental.' Dr Neil Stone, Twitter
@harphat I saw a story recently that anti-vaxxers are more likely to get into more serious car accidents.
But I assume a lot of those folks wont let their kids get the HPV vax either, even if it means their child dying from a preventable cancer
The morbidity and mortality of the vaccines are tiny compared to those of Covid. And yet people still worry about vaccine-induced myocarditis, for example.
Part of the problem is simple innumeracy.
Throughout the pandemic there’s been a series of excuses why not to take the vaccine - experimental gene therapy; PCR doesn’t work; graphene oxide; magnetism; deaths of friends, uncles, hairdressers, or anyone; AESIs are side effects; pregnancy; 5G; dangers to children; we should use ARR not RRR. My bingo card is full
All of it inaccurate but the sad thing is we will see vaccine hesitancy for other vaccines too.
@The_Ouroborus It’s so sad. Irresponsible troublemakers and grifters seeing an opportunity to build a following, or just create chaos, ably supported by a parade of useful idiots. Somehow, the world has to learn how to censor these people without damaging free speech.
Maybe part of the answer is a law criminalising ‘deliberately or recklessly misleading the public’. What Alex Jones does should not be tolerated in an otherwise tolerant society, and it should not be left to civil law to police.
I wish it was just Alex Jones (though he’s the most pernicious) but there’s been a whole load of people who have monetised the pandemic. Dolores Cahill who literally removed someone from hospital who needed a vent & who died of covid 2 days later , Pierre Kory & the FLCCC hawking IVM. Tess Lawrie doing the same, all writing papers which were retracted, some for forgery. Now, Aseem Malhotra who’s gone full anti-vax. All medical professionals & the tip of the iceberg.
@The_Ouroborus @KimSJ didn't Ionnadis, usually a pretty well respected researcher, decide to hop on the anti vaxx wagon too?
One of the pharmaceuticals hesitancy issues is fed by the fact that companies have on several occasions kept selling a drug that harms people. If they'd stop doing that, there'd be nothing for grifters to exploit. Public trust is super important when it comes to this.
Yes, Ionnadis, Kulldorf, Prassad, Malone, Bhattacharya etc I understand what you are saying about the pharma companies but in the biggest public health emergency in our lifetime, to turn contrarian when the science doesn’t support it is horrendous. In the U.K. there was huge support for the vaccines, then Mike Yeadon came along talking demonstrable bollocks & it appealed to those who wanted to think they’re “free thinkers”
@The_Ouroborus @KimSJ having been almost sucked down that "big pharma are making us sick to boost profits" hole myself, the bextra / vioxx etc scandals were very persuasive. As was the fact that most folks aren't aware of how to spot a dud scientific paper.
Too many knowledge gaps added to shady business practices to exploit for people who started out with genuine concerns.
I'm not "anti-vax" but that doesn't even make sense. In what world do we compare medicine/something injected into your body to a physical item?
And for what purpose? If the goal is to convince the "anti-vaxxers" to vaccinate, maybe don't call them names and mock them?
If the goal is to help your FELLOW HUMANS stay informed & safe from #Covid /#LongCovid maybe step outside the Vax Only box & promote other #covidprecautions like #masks #ventilation #quarantine if sick.
@justyourluck @harphat @JessieHart unfortunately much of the pushback against the vaccines comes from people who don't agree with masks, social distancing, or hand washing. Many don't actually believe the virus exists.
Anyway, it should really be a case of using all of these weapons/defences together, because the benefits extend beyond preventing covid then.
The vaccinated have preconceived notions about the unvaccinated possibly more than the unvaccinated have about the vaccinated...
I know a lot of unvaccinated that don't fall under ANY of those categories. In fact they are more careful than almost any vaccinated person I know.
@harphat QAnon math shows that any day now, the world population will be -5 billion!
(Please tell me I don’t need to add a sarcasm tag to that?)
My brother is a Joe Rogan anti Vax "free thinker"
My mom has non Hodgkins lymphoma and is super high risk
My brother refuses to vaccinate but has to live with her because he cannot afford to live on his own. Last year even tho she was vaxxed and double boosted he got covid really bad. Almost killed her because of his ignorance. She legit almost died and now his stance is "see its not so bad"
I cannot wait for her to get away from him.
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