getting vaccinated

I have been vaccinated, and this is from Rick Hanson, whom I follow:

“When I hear about “vaccine passports” for Covid-19, it sounds Orwellian and scary. I don’t want to be forced into taking the vaccine. I fear it will kill me, and I fear for the future for my children and grandchildren.”

I wanted to respond personally to say that I have received the first shot of the vaccine myself and am very glad for it. (I am writing here in late January, 2021.)

Covid is deadly for many – 400,000 Americans alone so far – and it causes lingering health problems for one in eight of those it does not kill. In that context, after getting the second shot, the Pfizer/Moderna vaccine is proven to protect 99.99% of the people who get it from serious symptoms, and 95% of the people who get it from Covid itself or any significant symptoms at all. And by protecting ourselves, we increase the protection of others. These are facts.

In terms of potential side effects, 35,000 people participated in the trials that tested the vaccine, and none of them had any serious side effects, with the possible exception of a few people who developed Bell’s palsy – which a few people out of 35,000 might have gotten anyway. Over a long period, in the millions of people who will get the vaccine, it is possible that a tiny percentage of them will develop serious side effects from it. In this life there are always risks on either side of a choice, and it seems clear to me that the risks to oneself and to others of not getting the vaccine are vastly, vastly greater than the risks to oneself of getting it.

We humans are one single tribe. We breathe together, we touch each other, and we live and die together. We must balance individual choices with the common good.

Personally, I am a very independent, stubborn person who values autonomy and bristles at unnecessary control by others, no matter what banner they wave. Still, I recognize that reasonable people will want to know whether a person who enters their country or workplace has protected themselves and thus others against this plague. I got a little card with my first vaccination and the doctor’s signature, and I’m looking forward to the next line being filled out when I get the second shot. Like a driver’s license or credit card, I’m happy to show this card to anyone who needs to see it; it’s such an easy thing to do.

I respect you and know that you may not agree with me. I have grandchildren. I would simply like to offer that all our children and grandchildren are facing much greater threats and challenges than receiving a proven and life-saving vaccine against a terrible plague that is even now spreading invisibly among us. And despite these threats and challenges, I am very hopeful about the world that these young people will mend and make together.