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Thanks for the post questioning the validity of the vaccine. I wanted to contribute part of the science. It has nothing to do with politics as I define the term. Although a friend just informed me that politics isn't politics anymore, it is now a term used to define when people disagree.
If you contract Delta and are vaccinated, statistically you have a better chance of not having a severe reaction. This is the only reason to get this vaccination.
How many medicines that have been fully vetted have created health problems serious enough to cause recalls? [ https://www.fda.gov/drugs/drug-safety-a ... ug-recalls ] So why would any prudent human take one that was rushed thru in 'warp' time by skipping typical safety precautions? To my mind, its the people that get vaccinated that are open to ridicule. But there is the clear line in the mentality - those that get vaccinated are basically dandelions blowing in the wind and they need to try to reinforce their uninformed decisions, while those that do not get vaccinated have clearer thought processes and don't need to bash the others.
My doctor recommends that I get it because I am 60 and have emphysema and therefore I am in the high risk group. However, my doctor does not have full possession of all the facts concerning my immune system and my precaution taking lifestyle. Therefore, generally I can agree with my doctor, but specifically I will not. The statistical risks of having the vaccine improperly administered resulting in health complications, and the statistical probability of developing serious neurological issues as a side effect, help me in making the decision to not get the vaccination.
This is a personal choice, and why those of us that make the choice 'not to' are constantly harassed and made fun of is a wonder.
I relayed this anecdote to my doctor: When I visited Amity in 1977 to have a swim in the ocean and the Mayor of Amity meet me on the beach and assured me that 'everything is fine, go ahead in the water!'. You know what I didn't do? I didn't go in the water, that's for sure. People call it political, or conspiracy, or flay out nut case mentality, but I call it being prudent and learning the facts so that we can make informed decisions the best we can in these murky waters of misinformation and lies.
You better believe that many politicians and medical people are gaining from this 'Covid Pandemic' and they don't give a care about any of us.

I agree that choosing whether or not to get a vaccine is someone's personal choice and as with anything, experiences on an individual level can vary widely. Vaccinated people are getting hospitalized and dying from COVID, just in very small numbers relative to the unvaccinated when adjusted for the rate of vaccination in the population.

On a personal note, I and my entire immediate and extended family are vaccinated. No bad side effects, just felt a bit run down for a day after each dose. We chose to be vaccinated both because some have health issues that make them more vulnerable to COVID and to try to avoid the debilitation of "Long COVID" which affects a far larger percentage than those that become severely ill. Thankfully, no one in my immediate or extended family has had a bad case of COVID so far and I hope that continues. COVID has hit some of my acquaintances pretty hard unfortunately, as far as I know all the ones that had a tough time were unvaccinated. One of our unvaccinated friends who got it was also extremely sick until getting the monoclonal antibody treatment. Each person has a right to make their own informed decision on this and there are many places where you can seek out the best information both for and against to help make up your mind.

Outside of personal anecdotes, which run the entire gamut of possible outcomes, I think the evidence is clear that overall, on a population level, the vaccines have been very protective against hospitalization and death. Against Omicron especially, they no longer really provide much protection against infection but they still provide a lot of protection from severe disease.

However, vaccination as a topic is unfortunately quite political and any time spent on internet discussion boards or social media over the past year would make that very clear. Therefore, while I would be happy to have a civil discussion about all this, as it has become a politicized and heated topic, it would inevitably end up creating more division here as well. Locking this up.

Regards,

- Erik