Many are worried about possible long and short-term side effects from the COVID vaccination. Recently they reported that rare clotting events could happen. And 5,000 people who had the vaccine have gotten COVID.
The following was in the New York Times:
A law professor described the following scenario to his students.
A god came down and asked the people if they wanted a wondrous, new invention that would improve life and allow people to spend more time with family and friends and do jobs they otherwise couldn’t do. But it came with a high cost. In exchange for bestowing this wonderful gift to society, the god would choose 1,000 young men and women and strike them dead.
Would you take the deal? The members of the law school class said no.
But the wondrous new invention was the automobile. In fact, car accidents kill many more than 1,000 people - usually around 40,000 a year. Yet we accept the risk of getting into the car and turning on the ignition every day.
We often underestimate large chronic dangers, like car crashes, and fixate on tiny risks like plane crashes and vaccine side effects.
We are facing a global pandemic that has changed how we live and what we wear on our faces. It is also avoidable with vaccination, which even though it is not 100 percent effective, significantly decreases the risk of hospitalization and death. Yet many unvaccinated people continue to obsess over the risks, because they are new.
The chance of a serious blood clot is one in one million. Chance of death from COVID is 54,000 in one million for people over 70, and 1600 to-9600 in one million for people aged 20 to-69. If you drive your car 7,500 miles, your chance of death is 30 in one million. Think about it. Are you sure you want to keep driving? Which is safer, driving or COVID vaccination? My money is on the COVID shot.
And now the CDC says, if you’re vaccinated, you can safely get together with family and friends, mask-free. You able to hug your loved ones. You can comfortably enjoy restaurants, concerts, theaters, travel, and communal worship. If you’re vaccinated, COVID becomes one of life’s small risks like riding in a car or taking a flight. Cheers to the summer ahead and a brighter mask-free future for us all.
Guest blogger Georgia Newman sees patients in Oberlin, Ohio. She is accepting new patients.
