Hopefully the alternatives to mRNA vaccines which do have sound scientific methods by which they were developed and in record time to say the least but have NO real long term testing and are being administered to millions around the globe with reckless abandon, will work out. This is my own opinion of course and nothing else. It's not like we didn't have products that went through the long and thorough FDA approval and clinical trials only to cause harm years down the road. We just don't know these are 100% safe LONG TERM and anyone who claims otherwise is either a LIAR or an IDIOT. There are many things that the scientists are NOT sure about... We still can't even explain some of the COVID immediate and long term/lingering symptoms...
Hopefully and I pray, that the vaccines really are safe since ALL of my family/important people in my life have been vaccinated. I did not try to change anyone's mind, everyone should decide for themselves what risk level is acceptable and what the potential consequences may be of either getting sick with COVID or getting a vaccine reaction/ultra rare chance of serious vaccine complication/death or some unknown long term adverse effect. It is no different in my mind of each individual deciding what life habits he/she supports/follows. Healthy eating and exercising or eating unhealthy, drinking, smoking, etc...
It is ultimately every individuals choice and no one should be forced to do something they do not feel comfortable with.
Everyone in my family made their choices but since they all are in the medical field, as I was before, they all made their choices to be protected and protect others they come in contact with by getting the vaccine.
I myself am on the fence. I got sick with "something" in 2020 while staying at home and not even going anywhere while everything was under lockdowns anyway. The symptoms were not classic but rare COVID symptoms. I got over it but it messed me up in some ways for many months... I will never know what it was, I had a teleconference with my doctor and decided not to get tested due to the chances of testing false positive being extremely high... I will not get into this part. It has been well covered already... What would have been the point anyways? Fortunately it was not anything that required hospitalization.
Getting back to where we are today... I am awaiting my turn and vaccine phase to open up in my state but am not in a hurry as I am watching everything unfold. I had a chance to get the vaccine very early on being in the medical field but passed since I have a feeling I already was sick with it last year and I could not get a clear enough answer whether people who were sick really should get vaccinated or not! Why is that? Because the scientists don't know how long the antibodies last. Do they know with these vaccines? Nope... Will yearly shots/boosters be necessary? Probably!
The more rational approach IMHO and again, this is my opinion only, would have been to vaccinate those in the immediate risk groups and statistically leave the over 95% population who will either be asymptomatic or have very mild symptoms to go on building up herd immunity in the community, the way nature has always intended it and by which we have made it this far...
In the mean time, there has been some progress which is completely logical. Pills are being developed to be taken at the first sign of COVID, in case someone becomes symptomatic and recognizes that they are sick since many do not even know.
Bloomberg - Are you a robot?
I pray for the sake of millions and millions of the brave "shoulder bearing warriors" in this early COVID war. Let's hope it all turns out well and as I already said, everyone in my family except me has been vaccinated so I genuinely do care and pray.