1109 Why not vaccinate?

They probably are in every family: Those who don’t want to get vaccinated … either they are anti-vaccers or non-vaccers (fence-sitters). So what are their motivations and arguments? And - more importantly - what are the answers to their vaccination hesitancy?

Those questions warranted going to Dr. Google:

"Why would one want to not get vaccinated against Covid?"

The answers are plentiful, with much information on offer and many different approaches. Below is what I found at Healthdirect ... Free Australian health advice you can count on: 7 reasons people don't get COVID-19 vaccinations, and why you should - right now (... more good info is at Hopkins Medicine, Sydney University as well as The Brink):

1) 'The AstraZeneca vaccine could give me a blood clot'

The AstraZeneca vaccine has been linked to an extremely rare blood-clotting condition called thrombosis with thrombocytopenia syndrome (TTS). But the risk is tiny. You are extremely unlikely to get a blood clot from the AstraZeneca vaccine. By early August, there were 87 cases of TTS in Australia from 6.1 million doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine. Five of those people died. This means that the average number of deaths from TTS caused by AstraZeneca is less than 1 in a million.

The AstraZeneca vaccine is safe and low risk. You're more likely to get a blood clot from COVID-19 itself.

Yes, earlier in the year, the Australian Technical Advisory Group on Immunisation (ATAGI) said that the Pfizer vaccine was the preferred vaccine for people aged 18 to 59. This was due a slightly increased risk of the very rareTTS condition (linked to AstraZeneca) for this age group.

But the situation has changed. So, ATAGI has changed its advice.

If you wait for your preferred vaccine, it may be too late. It’s best to get vaccinated before an outbreak starts so you’re well protected from COVID-19. Also, it takes 7 to 14 days after your second dose of either vaccine before you’re fully protected from COVID-19. So don’t delay.

By early August, COVID-19 had caused more than 4.5 million deaths worldwide. More than 200 million cases have been reported.

COVID-19 can also cause lasting health problems. One Sydney study found that 1 in 3 people with mild-to-moderate COVID-19 were left with symptoms lasting at least 2 months - known as 'long COVID'. Symptoms include fatigue and shortness of breath.

More than 1 in 10 had poor lung function.

It does seem like the vaccines were invented ‘overnight’. But scientists and manufacturers started working together on vaccines as soon as the pandemic started. The AstraZeneca vaccine, for example, is based on years of research by Oxford University in the UK.

The technology behind the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine has been developed over the past 10 years. It was tested on other diseases, such as the flu, and other coronaviruses, such as MERS.

All COVID-19 vaccines approved for use in Australia have been through the same rigorous clinical trials that any vaccine normally would go through.

The trials were just fast-tracked thanks to unprecedented funding.

And as other countries progress with their vaccine rollouts, more and more 'real-world' data is showing that these vaccines are highly effective at protecting people from severe illness, hospitalisation and death.

You might be in an area of low (or no) community transmission. You might think, ‘Why bother getting vaccinated right now?’But restrictions and lockdowns are likely to end once most Australians are vaccinated.

You may be able to flash your proof of vaccination to enter concerts, cinemas or sporting events - while unvaccinated people stay at home.

It’s not their decision - it’s yours.

You should follow the advice of doctors and public-health experts with decades of experience - not unqualified people, even if they mean well.

1107 CoViD Facts and their Sources

These three people are the ones to listen to

about CoViD and vaccinations