Of Shots And Doubts

      Still thinking about the accusation that I was conflating chip-fearing kooks and "people who have serious doubts about rushed vaccines."

     Nope, I'm not; if you don't want to be at the the head of line because you'd like for there to be more testing before you are vaccinated (though the test groups are huge and testing started very early), I have great news for you: unless you're a medical worker or in a nursing home (or one of a very small number of Continuity-of-Government people who don't really get a choice), you're not at the head of the line.  Nobody's likely to push you there, either.  Hundreds of thousands of people will have already been vaccinated by the time they get around to middle-aged adults who aren't working in health care or other high-exposure jobs.

     Consider, too, the benefits of front-line medical personnel getting the vaccine first: not only are they some of the most at risk and keeping them healthy benefits every patient they will help, they're also a group that will quickly recognize any side effects and they'll be well-connected to receive treatment and provide useful feedback.

     So I don't worry about people with legitimate doubts; by the time their turn comes, we're all going to have a much better idea of what to expect and the convincable will be convinced  I'm also confident that the people in the fancy offices at Pfizer and Moderna (et al) understand that the consequences of bad outcomes will be dire even though they are shielded from lawsuits; and yet they released the vaccines.  So those shots are extraordinarily likely to be safe.

     Meanwhile, the chip-fearing loonies are loud and shiny and it is very much lunatic season.  They're getting a lot of press and they're all over social media.  People who are still making their minds up can be swept along with them.  The crazies can do a lot of harm while reality plods along.  A glittering lie can circle the globe while the the truth is just putting its shoes on.