Awful stories like this need to get out to encourage the need to get vaccinated. Sometimes people under age 50 in good health get incredibly sick from COVID-19.

24-year-old who needed double lung transplant wishes he'd been vaccinated for COVID-19 https://www.msn.com/en-us/health/medical/24-year-old-who-needed-double-lung-transplant-wishes-he-d-been-vaccinated-for-covid-19/ar-AAMa0PJ?ocid=msedgntp

COVID-19 vaccines are not experimental and they have not skipped trial stages (https://www.reuters.com/article/factcheck-covid-vaccines/corrected-fact-check-covid-19-vaccines-are-not-experimental-and-they-have-not-skipped-trial-stages-idUSL1N2M70MW)

Handful of facebook myths are addressed. Including:


CLAIM 4 - “None will complete a research trial for 2-3 years”  

This is not true, and likely stems from misinformation shared elsewhere which equates “estimated study completion dates” on clinical trial websites to the actual end dates of clinical trials. 

For Pfizer, this estimated date is listed as Jan. 31, 2023 (bit.ly/3vvVPiz), while Moderna is Oct. 27, 2022 (bit.ly/3aSmb6y).

However, these dates do not mean clinical trials will continue for this long, and instead reference continued safety monitoring after the vaccine has been approved and rolled out, which is standard practice within the industry. 

Basically, if someone is confused or concerned about getting a COVID vaccine, they should close their social media app, turn off cable news, and just call their doctor and ask them. That's what they're there for.

PhiAlpha. In my personal experience not getting vaccinated because you had COVID is a risky venture.
I had it in April 2020. I donated convalescent plasma so was tested for antibodies each time I donated. I had high levels at first but by mid-August they had dropped too low to donate any longer. Then in November I got this ?$&@ again!!!!! Still not really bad but considerably worse than the first time. And I still have severe anemia and tachycardia that I never had before November.
So I'm not going to hit you with politics, social morality or anything like that. I'm just going to suggest that I wouldn't rely on having had it to feel protected. Unless you personally have regular antibody tests done to assure you are naturally protected.

Aren't the trials long since finished and we have subsequent millions and millions of doses given that further show the safety of the vaccines?

All available vaccines in the US have completed stage three clinical trials. Some are confusing continued monitoring with clinical trials.

And 334 million doses have been given in the US. 3.42 billion doses have been given world wide.

Hopefully Stitt doesn't do this.

https://twitter.com/KassieMcClung/status/1415786383466184708


Inbox: A group of Oklahoma state representatives is asking Gov. Kevin Stitt to bar health care facilities from requiring health care workers get the coronavirus vaccine. This comes as several hospitals have announced requirements for employees.

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/E6XiK2wWUAQEVdE?format=png&name=large

I remember wondering about this exact issue a few weeks ago.

A group of Oklahoma state representatives don't know the law?

Shocking.

not surprising if some people want a vaccine to actually have its trials finished and be FDA approved before they take it .. especially if they are healthy or young or both ..

This is such a nonsensical argument. The FDA is the one which granted emergency authorization because they believed the vaccines are the best way to protect public health. Gaining full approval is just a matter of having more data. But the data is already definitive and overwhelming. There could not be more research on this. Nothing new is going to show up. Every excuse like this is just an effort to rationalize your politics. There's no good health argument not to get vaccinated. It's incredibly simple.

^

You are all over this thread making comments about how people you know died suddenly after the vaccine, minimizing the impact of people who do not want to take it for nonsensical reasons, and now refusing to do so yourself because you had Covid even though the CDC states in direct terms you should absolutely be vaccinated.

So, when you keep posting things like that you are going to get called out. And rightfully so given the fact those 'opinions' are exactly what is leading a huge percentage of Americans from not getting the shot which has led and continues to lead to thousands of easily avoidable deaths.

For the record, I’m not just NOW deciding to wait to get vaccinated…that’s been my stance the whole time if you look back through my posts. Also it is a fact that the people i know who have died didn’t have any known preexisting conditions and died within a week of getting the first or second vaccine. It was an ‘opinion’ when i said that it very well could just be a coincidence. Just to be clear, what is your definition of a nonsensical reason?

The CDC makes the most conservative and best recommendations they can based on current knowledge. They don’t know for sure exactly how long natural immunity lasts so they recommend getting vaccinated even if previously infected. That is absolutely the safest recommendation for them to make. They can’t say “well several recent studies suggest that immunity from a previous infection may last over a year but we’re not sure yet because we haven’t had enough time to study it so maybe you don’t need to get vaccinated if you already had it.” Several recent reports have said that it’s inconclusive as to whether natural or vaccination induced immunity lasts longer but that natural immunity likely offers strong resistance for at least a year and reinfection happens (just like breakthrough infections among the vaccinated) but is rare. It’s also not known for certain yet whether getting vaccinated in addition to natural immunity provides a guaranteed benefit. I’m young, am still under 8 months from recovery, know with reasonable certainty how I’m affected by COVID and the symptoms I have at the onset of infection and have a fairly strong immune system and frankly want to see if that’s enough to prevent reinfection. I don’t want to have to add an additional immunization every year if it’s completely unnecessary. I’m sorry that bothers ya so much but again, unless I become a outlier…I’m still immune to it. :wink:

PhiAlpha. In my personal experience not getting vaccinated because you had COVID is a risky venture.
I had it in April 2020. I donated convalescent plasma so was tested for antibodies each time I donated. I had high levels at first but by mid-August they had dropped too low to donate any longer. Then in November I got this ?$&@ again!!!!! Still not really bad but considerably worse than the first time. And I still have severe anemia and tachycardia that I never had before November.
So I'm not going to hit you with politics, social morality or anything like that. I'm just going to suggest that I wouldn't rely on having had it to feel protected. Unless you personally have regular antibody tests done to assure you are naturally protected.

Hey Bill, you are the one person I personally know (well kind of) that has gotten it twice and I’m really sorry that happened. Sounds like it was rough. Hope your longer term symptoms are improving.

There are more factors than just antibodies that go into preventing reinfection. Though I would like to get an antibody test just to see where I stand with it and probably will do so. This article explains some of it: https://www.goodrx.com/blog/how-long-does-covid-19-immunity-last/

That was written before Delta, and studies show Delta reinfections are higher (for the same reasons it's able to produce more breakthrough infections). Relying on out of date blog posts to justify natural immunity when the vaccines are plentiful and available is a sucker's bet.

That was written before Delta, and studies show Delta reinfections are higher (for the same reasons it's able to produce more breakthrough infections). Relying on out of date blog posts to justify natural immunity when the vaccines are plentiful and available is a sucker's bet.

Here’s an article from 4 days ago…sucker :p

https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.news-medical.net/amp/news/20210711/SARS-CoV-2-immunity-due-to-prior-infection-or-vaccination-is-similar-study-says.aspx

Also, with such a long time period in which they’ve had to study the delta variant and such a large sample size, I’m sure anything related to those numbers is a foregone scientific conclusion by now. Thank god we’ve been able to figure out reinfection rates caused by a variant that’s been prevalent for a whole month and change beyond any reasonable doubt.

Oooh thanks for that, I hadn’t seen that before.

I guess I’m not understanding the purported Risk of the vaccines.
There’s just an enormous amount of data out there to support efficacy and safety.
This will go down as one of the sadder periods in the country’s history.

Oooh thanks for that, I hadn’t seen that before.

You’re welcome lol.

I guess I’m not understanding the purported Risk of the vaccines.
There’s just an enormous amount of data out there to support efficacy and safety.
This will go down as one of the sadder periods in the country’s history.

I tend to agree. I wish more people understood or tried to understand why so many people are refusing the jab. I feel like this split it deeper that this particular medical intervention. Additionally I tend to think the Republican politicians are reflecting their constituent's opinions and that they do not hold these opinions themselves because they have been vaccinated.

I feel like we need to better understand why the poor, black, young, uneducated, and rural person (according to the CDC Data) is against the jab. Simply making a rap video with an old rapper isn't going to cut it. Here is the referenced rap video.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=Bm-alwwq2qE

Just look at the comment section.

I guess I’m not understanding the purported Risk of the vaccines.
There’s just an enormous amount of data out there to support efficacy and safety.
This will go down as one of the sadder periods in the country’s history.

Probably cause healthcare officials went all in on 100% "safe and effective", then you had those cases of myocarditis that forced them to say oh well, its mostly safe and effective.

The biggest elephant in the room is the large is the VAERS data. They never really explained very well why this data "shouldn't matter".

For the record, I am vaccinated. So I certainly hope the original sample studies are correct.

The biggest elephant in the room is the large is the VAERS data. They never really explained very well why this data "shouldn't matter".

Because it is user submitted and unvalidated. It might as well be anon posts on 4chan.

Probably cause healthcare officials went all in on 100% "safe and effective", then you had those cases of myocarditis that forced them to say oh well, its mostly safe and effective.

The biggest elephant in the room is the large is the VAERS data. They never really explained very well why this data "shouldn't matter".

For the record, I am vaccinated. So I certainly hope the original sample studies are correct.

All instances of myocarditis healed with no long term effects, and side effects from COVID are vastly worse than any from the vaccine, even in younger folks. The vaccines are safe and effective, and those choosing to not take it have 0 good reasons for doing so (excepting those who are immunocompromised). Other than perhaps getting COVID to own the libs.

https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/volumes/70/wr/mm7027e2.htm

The biggest elephant in the room is the large is the VAERS data. They never really explained very well why this data "shouldn't matter".


If you wanted to, you could very easily find out why VAERS data is not a reliable indicator of vaccine-caused adverse effects and why it's not an "elephant in the room." 99.9% of people who cite VAERS and the data within (just like those who cite the vaccine injury fund) have no idea whatsoever how VAERS works and what it shows. But that information is widely available, so that just demonstrates, once again, the bad faith of the anti-vaccine or "just asking questions" crowd.

You know what else causes myocarditis in some patients? COVID-19.

There is a statistically significant correlation between party ID and vaccine uptake. Blue states, and even counties, are more vaccinated while red states and counties are less vaccinated. It really is that simple:

https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2021/04/17/us/vaccine-hesitancy-politics.html

There's a reason why this most recent delta outbreak is occurring in deep-red Missouri, Arkansas and other locations

Politics had nothing to do why I was on the fence about getting vaccinated until late March. It was just plain old fear of what might happen. The falsehoods and fear that anti-vaxxers put out was certainly no help. Probably groundless fear, not politics drive them. But I eventually came to reason it would be okay, since I've never had a bad reaction from vaccines in the past and never came across horror stories from test subjects of the vaccines. It would also be good to feel safer when masks requirements expired. I bet some people who haven't been vaccinated feel stuck between a rock and a hard place about what to do.

^

But you did get vaccinated and in March.

Here we are in July and the people still refusing to do so are largely driven by their politics and the 'news' outlets they follow. Try watching Fox News some evening, let alone Newsmax and others. Non-stop diatribes about how the vaccine is a 'control mechanism' and somehow an infringement on freedom.


All this rationalizing you see for not getting the shots or excusing others who refuse to do so is just an attempt to deflect from the core reason, and everyone knows it.

^^^^ it’s all very bizarre. I know people who are vaccinated watching hosts like Tucker Carson who is vaccinated go on rants about the vaccine and how it’s ineffective or is used to control people. It’s very weird.

^^^^ it’s all very bizarre. I know people who are vaccinated watching hosts like Tucker Carson who is vaccinated go on rants about the vaccine and how it’s ineffective or is used to control people. It’s very weird.

No more bizarre than the constant claims that the presidential election was 'stolen' or that there was widespread voter fraud when there is zero evidence. This is still going on all day every day.

It's all part of just choosing an alternate reality and having news Fox News and others repeat it over and over.

It's the definition of gaslighting and incredible to imagine it would be effective in this day and age. And even worse when it is directly costing thousands of lives.

Politics had nothing to do why I was on the fence about getting vaccinated until late March. It was just plain old fear of what might happen. The falsehoods and fear that anti-vaxxers put out was certainly no help. Probably groundless fear, not politics drive them. But I eventually came to reason it would be okay, since I've never had a bad reaction from vaccines in the past and never came across horror stories from test subjects of the vaccines. It would also be good to feel safer when masks requirements expired. I bet some people who haven't been vaccinated feel stuck between a rock and a hard place about what to do.

You may not have felt like your hesitancy was motivated by politics because, I assume, as a rational and intelligent person, you had never considered politics when making medical decisions before this, because that's just a stupid and irrational thing to do.

However, the problem is that 'fear' is today's most potent political capital, and also an incredibly reliable generator of ratings and attention. Generating fear equals generating an audience which equals generating revenue. In turn, it also generates votes. Which is how you get power in the US and, therefore, that's what makes fear such a formidable political tool.

The "plain old fear of what might happen" is just human nature and totally reasonable. Its completely normal and understandable. And, normally, I assume, when fear occurs as a result of a situation someone doesn't know much about, the rational person turns to someone who has extensive knowledge about that 'rock and a hard place' they're in to try and figure out a way to navigate the situation in a way that has the best chance of resulting in a good outcome.

This is why there are plumbers.

This is why there are electricians.

This is why there are mechanics.

And this is why there are doctors.

You don't ask your politician or watch cable news or favorite celebrity to find out how you should deal with an electrical fire, or a busted pipe, or a flat tire. Because they don't know what the **** they're talking about. But, if making you scared of those things and the people who know how to deal with them will make you pay more attention to the them than the people who know what they're talking about, that's what those talking heads will do, because that's their currency. That is what they know how to do.

Once you decided to put aside your completely normal fears and learned more about the vaccines from people who actually know about it, you made a rational decision to get it. That makes sense.

I get that you feel that your original fear was not about politics, but it can not be denied that the politics of fear is keeping many from doing their part and participating in a proven, safe and, effective effort to end the COVID-19 pandemic.

At the end of the day, if someone is unsure whether they should participate in that effort, they should start by asking someone who actually knows what they're talking about rather than seeking out solutions on infotainment news networks or social media.

They should just ask their doctor. Simple as that.

If anybody says they haven't had COVID-19 vaccine because their physician told them not to then, of course, that's the right call. But if anyone is not getting it because they watched Tucker Carlson or they were convinced by a facebook thread not to get it, then they probably need help making life decisions that goes way beyond the simple decision of whether or not to get vaccinated against COVID-19.

No more bizarre than the constant claims that the presidential election was 'stolen' or that there was widespread voter fraud when there is zero evidence. This is still going on all day every day.

It's all part of just choosing an alternate reality and having news Fox News and others repeat it over and over.

It's the definition of gaslighting and incredible to imagine it would be effective in this day and age. And even worse when it is directly costing thousands of lives.
Yet you still have people dismissing the vaccine even when their neighbors die:

https://apple.news/AlhBc3RPjTqW8N6_IDVJpAA

I hate to think it but we might just have to ride another wave and make sacrifices because of people’s ignorance.

I can understand the initial hesitancy, but we are now a year into actual shots in arms with very few serious side effects. It's a very low-risk proposition at this point; driving to the pharmacy is probably the highest risk involved. But at this point, I am done arguing with people about it. It was safe enough for Trump to get it, mostly all of the Republican leaders have gotten it, I read that Fox News required it of their staff in order to work on location, etc. Those same people are going on TV and Twitter and harping on about how unsafe it is despite them having no objections to getting it themselves. That's where we need to draw the line and call it what it is: misinformation designed to inflame the political divide. There is no reason that this had to become political. This pandemic was the perfect opportunity for us to have a 9/11 type of unification to bring the country back together for a few years. When Americans all pull on the same end of the rope we can do some pretty amazing things. But from the get-go, this was turned into a political show from the former President and has turned what could have been a simple science-based response into a hodge-podge of political stalemate that has caused half a million dead Americans to end up in cemeteries.

Outstanding summary overall. Thank you for highlighting the bolded portion. It is an outrage that this kind of hypocrisy is happening, and because it is, people are dying as a result. Total misinformation for purely political reasons. it is the most outrageously vile and unacceptable politics I've ever seen.

I have been seeing this website posted in different message boards.

https://www.openvaers.com/covid-data

Can anyone provide some context and resources?

VAERS is open source and anyone can anonymously post on it. Little of the data is actually verified and even before COVID anti vaxxers would flood the system to spread their conspiracy theories. https://www.vice.com/en/article/qjpmp7/anti-vaxxers-misuse-federal-data-to-falsely-claim-covid-vaccines-are-dangerous

Please don't post links to misinformation sites.

VAERS is open source and anyone can anonymously post on it. Little of the data is actually verified and even before COVID anti vaxxers would flood the system to spread their conspiracy theories. https://www.vice.com/en/article/qjpmp7/anti-vaxxers-misuse-federal-data-to-falsely-claim-covid-vaccines-are-dangerous

Thank you, I will pass it on.