Covid, Vaccines and Religion

 https://www.jamaicaobserver.com/opinion/let-s-get-the-answers-on-the-covid-19-vaccine_220864?profile=1096

I continue to be amazed at the foolishness written by what I thought were intelligent and educated people. The Rev Al Miller should be ashamed to be contributing to vaccine hesitancy. He will now be responsible to his God for those who rely on his counsel, hesitate to get vaccinated and then get seriously ill or die. Like many other vaccine or virus deniers, he injects just enough truth in this torrent of falsehood to give his writing some credibility.

I don't know why he raises the issue of 'freedom' because as far as I know, everyone is free to accept the vaccines or not.

The Rev raises the issue of 'time'. The fact is that the vaccine mRNA technology being used has been researched and tested for over ten years and can now be tweaked for each virus that arises.

While it is true that there are 'medical alternatives' to vaccines as the Reverend says, they are risky and can involve a stay in an Intensive Care Unit (ICU). Sometimes, such 'alternatives' do not work and you die. A high proportion of those admitted to an ICU die. It is far better to get the vaccine to reduce your chance of serious illness or death.

People can contract and transmit the virus after vaccination. Ignorance of the effect of vaccines has led to the myth that the vaccines prevent contraction and transmission. This is not true. All vaccines do is ramp up your immune system so that when you get infected the immune system readily responds making it less likely that you become seriously ill or die.

The Reverend gentleman also raises the questions below. All the answers are readily available from your doctor, other health practitioner or, as a last resort, on the internet. However, the internet is also flooded with a lot of crap so it is far better to consult your doctor. Here are the Rev's questions and the answers:

• Are each of the injectables proposed a preventative inoculation against the novel coronavirus? If not, why not? If it does not, and allows for infection and transmission, then can be defined as a vaccine? Already answered - see above.

• Which ones are and what is the purpose of others? All the vaccines provide varying levels of protection against severe illness and death. All vaccines, including long standing ones against polio, etc. have varying efficacy rates meaning that even with a vaccine it is still slightly possible to become ill from the virus being vaccinated against. Why? Because of the immune response which varies from individual to individual. For example, older people and people with underlying conditions, even stress has been shown to affect immune system response.

• What are the contents in each brand from each source? ANSWER: The list of ingredients in each vaccine are publicly available on the internet. Google it.

• What are the known or expected effects and side effects? ANSWER: The most common side effects include, mild pain at the injection site, flu like symptoms for about a day or two. More serious side effects are very rare and include fainting and blood clots. However, the real effects of the virus are much more serious and likely so the benefits of the vaccine vastly outweighs the risks. Source: The Centre for Disease Control (CDC).

• What are the possible long-term effects, since no one knows having not tested it?

ANSWER: According to the CDC, “Researchers have been studying and working with mRNA vaccines for decades. mRNA vaccines have been studied before for flu, Zika, rabies, and cytomegalovirus (CMV). As soon as the necessary information about the virus that causes COVID-19 was available, scientists began designing the mRNA instructions for cells to build the unique spike protein into an mRNA vaccine." In addition, cancer research has used mRNA to trigger the immune system to target specific cancer cells. Decades of studying mRNA have shown no long-term side-effects. So, we know that there are NO LONG-TERM SIDE EFFECTS from the vaccines. Coincidence has been responsible for most serious alleged side-effects from the vaccines meaning that statistically, when dealing with such large numbers of people, some people will develop certain medical conditions following vaccination. This does not have anything to do with the vaccines as these numbers of people normally develop medical conditions anyway. For example, a certain number of people develop blood clots and the same number will develop blood clots anyway - following vaccination or not. The Astrazeneca vaccine seems to slightly raise the risk of blood clots in some people especially women but the vaccine benefit still vastly outweighs the risks associated with the virus.

• Some of the injectables are new technology not used on humans before. Is it true to your knowledge that a shot may be necessary every year and possible altered for mutating strains? ANSWER: The vaccine is not 'new' in the sense that the technology has been known for over a decade and has been used before for flu, Zika, rabies, and cytomegalovirus (CMV). Right now, the vaccines are working for the existing variants. It is possible that if variants vary more than they do currently, booster shots may be needed. Right now, we just do not know. What we do know is the the vaccines work for the variants now circulating. Let us deal with the known now and deal with the future variants if and when they come.

• Why are we imposing these injectables wide scale when there are so many uncertainties surrounding the later possible effects, especially when existing medication can control and so prevent the injection? Would this not allow for proper testing without human casualties? ANSWER: No one is 'imposing' vaccines on anyone. All are free to take or refuse the vaccines. However, all public health agencies are encouraging persons to take the vaccines as 'existing medications' do not always control the virus. There are no 'uncertainties' surrounding 'later possible effects'.

It saddens me that some religious leaders continue to promote paranoia about the virus and vaccines. Instead of being forces for good, these religious leaders are causing much harm. No wonder, more and more people are turning from religion. These religious people are not doctors. Consult your doctor. Ask him if you should take the vaccine then accept your doctor's advice. If you are one of the extreme crazies who does not believe in any doctors and write off the whole medical profession as evil then your craziness will have consequences. You may die. Some would say that is good as we need to cull the herd of crazies....

Raymond D. Grant