Suppose you had a sharp pain in your lower right side. You visited your GP and were told that you had appendicitis and needed an operation. If there were no operation, the appendix would likely burst and you would die. Hence, you would very likely move on to see a surgeon and ask to have your infected appendix removed…and then go on to live happily ever after. So, if you would let a stranger cut you open, why would you not take the advice of your GP when urged to get a vaccination?
3 Likes
I think seeker has bolted. Seeker, come on home, kiddo. You haven’t been seen in these parts for days.
1 Like
Vaccination of teenagers is not just about the mortality rate of teenagers.
Many teenagers are suffering from the restrictions due to COVID, lack of normal social life. The results of distance learning have been poor for some kids that would need more advice and support from the teachers. Low grades may affect the future of these children. The teenagers are willing to take the vaccination if it helps to end the restrictions and allow the return to school.
At the population level, the spread of COVID is tied to the number of susceptible hosts. Teenagers are part of the population. If the percentage of people that are vaccinated is high enough, overall levels of COVID patients needing hospital care will drop. After this, there is no need for strict regulations. Normal social life, cultural life, economy - that has a value. Hospitals can again concentrate on other problems, so people get better health care.
When the restrictions end, those that are not vaccinated may suffer but it’s their choice.
As far as I have read, the side effects of vaccination are less severe than those caused by COVID infections. It is possible that some persons will get serious side effects, such as myocarditis. The risk of getting such side effects are higher from a COVID infection than from the vaccination. With the Delta variant, the risk of getting a COVID infection is very high - you will meet the virus sooner or later. So, it’s a question of low risk vs. a higher risk.
Vaccination comes with side effects - mild side effects are a sign that the immune system responds, a sign that the vaccine has a desired effect. Yet, the consequences of vaccination are much better than the alternative, the consequences of not taking the vaccination. Even for teenagers.
7 Likes
Just read from a local newspaper that, according to a meta-analysis, 70% of the young persons getting COVID had at least one symptom that lasted six months, even those that got COVID with mild symptoms.
If a high percentage gets some form of long COVID (at least one symptom lasts six months), this is one more reason to consider vaccination.
5 Likes
My daughter’s friend (15 years old) had a mild case of COVID over Christmas and only recently got her sense of smell back.
And on the myocarditis note, a lot of people throw the word around like it’s this permanent maiming, not really knowing what it means. It means inflammation of the heart and it’s not a permanent condition. It’s associated with an immune response to infections (it can also occur as a result of staph infections, strep infections, or even colds). It is treatable and generally resolves itself in a few weeks. It is treated with routine anti-inflammatory medicine and rest and doesn’t usually require admittance to the hospital.
It is also extremely rare as a vaccine side effect. In 300 million doses of Pfizer and Moderna there were 1200 cases of myocarditis in patients under 30. That’s fewer than 13 cases per million people. .0013%. CDC reported at the end of June that for every million doses given, there have been 67 cases of heart inflammation in boys 12 to 17 (nine in girls of that age group), 56 in those aged 18 to 24 (six in girls), and 20 in males 25 to 29 (three in girls). That is a very rare side effect and over 80% of the small small number of people affected quickly made a full recovery.
Compare that to the death statistics of people under 24 who get COVID: 2.5% are hospitalized, 0.8% need ICU care, and 0.1% died. Compare that to the likelihood of having long term side effects of COVID that do not resolve after six months, which some experts are noting in over half of patients, even people with very mild cases.
That makes the risks associated with contracting COVID far worse than the risks associated with vaccination.
8 Likes
Here’s some more good stats:
Latest studies say if you are unvaccinated you are almost 5 times more likely to get infected and 29 times more likely to be hospitalized if you do get infected.
Vaccines work. They significantly reduce your chance of infection and prevent serious sickness in most cases if you do still get infected. For breakthrough infections “Very few fully vaccinated people with coronavirus infection went to a hospital: 3.2%, of them were hospitalized, 0.5% were admitted to an intensive care unit and 0.2% required mechanical ventilation, the researchers said.”
2 Likes
This topic was automatically closed 6 days after the last reply. New replies are no longer allowed.