Name:   MartiniMan - Subject:   Very important message from Covid Doctor in B'ham. Date:   7/22/2021 9:55:42 AM

If you are asking am I anti-vaccine the answer is absolutely not.  When I went to India on business I got every shot that was available.  I am vaccinated for measles, polio, tetanus and so on.  I don't get the flu shot every year but do in bad years.  I would suggest you look at the number of adverse reactions and deaths that occur from the yearly flu shot compared to this experimental vaccine.  You will be shocked at the difference.  And that is my entire point about the experimental vaccines, there is a significantly greater risk of an adverse reaction and death than with other vaccines.....it's not even close. 

So in making a personal health decision it makes sense to me as a scientist to weigh the risks before getting the vaccine.  If you are younger and healthier you have little to no risk of being hospitalized or dying from the virus.  That may make you conclude that the risk of taking an experimental vaccine is not worth it.  If you are over age 65 and/or have two or more co-morbidities it seems to me well worth the risk and if I were in that group I would have gotten the vaccine as soon as I was eligible.  But someone that is at very little risk of serious complications or dying from the virus choosing not to get the vaccine is not even remotely being an idiot as you claimed.  They are making a rational, logical decision based on their personal circumstances.

I am waiting for more data on the vaccine to make my decision because I am younger, healthier and have no co-morbidities.  As the data comes in and we learn more I will gladly reconsider.  In fact, as we learn more about the very few hospitalizations and deaths from fully vaccinated people I am already leaning toward getting the vaccine.  So no, I am not a rabid anti-vaxxer.  And yes, I think it was miraculous what Operation Warpspeed under President Trump did in getting as far as they did as quickly with these experimental vaccines.  But I have much less faith in the chances for an adverse reaction than I do with fully studied and approved vaccines. Hence my hesitation.  But if I were in your shoes I too would have gotten it.......but I'm not.  My Mom is 89 and has COPD and we took her to get it as soon as she was eligible....for her a no-brainer and very wise decision.  And thank God she didn't have a bad reaction.  But I do have friends that did although happily none died and all were temporary.