Is there a special ring of hell for those who traffic in disinformation?
We wiped out smallpox with vaccination, but in pockets of the world, we still have polio because politicians and religious leaders cast doubt on the vaccine.
Measles is making a comeback. There are multiple reasons for this, but it started with an American doctor and some shoddy research that blamed autism on vaccines. That the doctor lost his license to practice medicine isn’t enough to undo the damage he has done.
Can there be reactions to vaccines? Yes, but they are rare. If you are prone to allergic reactions, take the necessary precautions.
I won’t even mention the outlandish idea that Bill Gates wants to control us with microchips injected with the vaccines. Besides, you can be tracked already with your phones, and no one is giving those up.
As for a special ring of hell, how about one for a president who downplayed the seriousness of a deadly disease while taking the lifesaving measure of antibody treatments for himself, treatments not available to many of the people who listened to him and got sick?
It is a well-organized campaign that is causing people to question the Astra Zeneca and Johnson & Johnson vaccines. Even smart people, leaders of countries, at least one who is a scientist herself, fall prey to disinformation.
Was it a mistake that Astra Zeneca didn’t gather information on over-65s? Yes. But you cannot say the vaccine doesn’t work for over-65s if you haven’t tested them.
Are the Johnson & Johnson numbers different from those of Moderna and Pfizer? Yes, but not where it counts. They all prevent hospitalization and death. And the J&J vaccine has some real advantages. First, it’s easier to get people vaccinated with a single shot than with well-timed doubles. And there’s evidence that it’s effective against the Brazilian [P.2] and South African [B.1.351] variants.
Life will return to normal when we reach herd immunity, when enough of us have either had COVID or are immunized against it. Please, get your shot when it’s available, whichever one is available! Or we can be like those countries where polio still ruins people’s lives.
