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While we now get the results from various COVID-19 vaccines I see a societal issue brewing up. How will we deal with the perceived uncertainty of the safety of

While we now get the results from various COVID-19 vaccines I see a societal issue brewing up. How will we deal with the perceived uncertainty of the safety of these vaccines and the surrounding (dis-)infodemic? I read recently that in some European country (was it Germany?) the willingness to vaccinate against COVID-19 went down from 80% to 60%. With these numbers policy makers will have a hard time convincing the broad population that they can rely on a due process and be safe. In the meantime there is a proliferation of false information and fake news, while in the past there was not much media coverage of significant side effects from a rushed swine flu vaccine [1]. [1] https://www.vox.com/2015/7/27/9047819/H1N1-pandemic-narcolepsy-Pandemrix https://www.vox.com/2015/7/27/9047819/H1N1-pandemic-narcolep...

LandR 6y ago
If even one gets sick after taking vaccine the media will jump on it and focus on nothing else for days / weeks. I think getting people vaccinated is going to be a huge challenge.
- Tepix 6y ago
  As long as there is a shortage of doses it shouldn't matter too much.
prox 6y ago
Just from a software perspective: never install the big version upgrade. Usually the X.0 versions still has bugs that only come out at huge roll outs. I am inclined to wait a few months to let early adaptors test the vaccine. Medicine is a bit different though and every country probably has institutes checking the vaccines independently. A lot of eyes are on this probably. No company wants to be the company that botched the corona vaccine.
- protoman3000 6y ago
  That option might not be available in the short term. Spain for example aims to vaccinate almost the whole population until summer 2021. What are you going to do when you don’t think it’s version X.1 yet?
  - prox 6y ago
    Wait.
- chippy 6y ago
  It's likely that the majority of people on HN are not going to be early adopters, and that other groups will get the jab first. It depends what's more effective, as these groups are all different: do you jab first those who can most easily spread it, those who would most easily get it, those who would most severely be impacted if they got it, or do you jab those who are most diligent, enthusiastic and first in the queue? I'd even wager that most healthy adults around the world will not be getting the vaccine (but that might be a negative story to run with) but that's at less odds than just healthy, enthusiastic, low risk people getting the jab first.
Guthur 6y ago
For me it's a simple risk proposition, how much at risk do I feel my children or I are from covid. For my children it's a slam dunk; their risk from covid is statistical non existent and weigh that against vaccines that may or may not have long term negative impact on them.
- protoman3000 6y ago
  From my perception it’s not that easy. Recently there have been research papers released that estimate long term effects also with children comparable to young adults. For the sake of argument, let’s assume they are right and that we know that COVID-19 has significant long-term risks for children. How do you outweigh that against the uncertainty of risk of the vaccine?
  - crazyjncsu 6y ago
    >> estimate long term effects also with children comparable to young adults So, like nil then? I still can’t find anything beyond dramatized anecdotes to suggest any special danger beyond what is commensurate with the symptoms.
- alkonaut 6y ago
  This issue seems to solve itself. When the risk is higher/more unknown in the early stage, groups that have high/known risk with Covid can take the vaccine. As time passes, more and more data will be gathered on the vaccine risk so the group that can make the correct statistical call to take the vaccine grows. Whether healthy children will take it in 1, 2, 5 or 10 years deepends on what the statistics turn out to be and whether it's required to protect others.
- mhandley 6y ago
  For me, it's not quite so simple as that. I will vaccinate my children, partly to protect them (though the risk to them is low, as you say), but mostly to protect me and my wife, and more importantly our elderly parents. None of the vaccines are 100% effective, and if I can reduce the chances of my kids bringing Covid into the family, I will. By the time the vaccine is available for my kids, hundreds of millions of people will have already been vaccinated, and there will be very extensive safety data. Part of the requirements for emergency use authorization is extensive monitoring of safety, so if there's any problem with one particular vaccine, it will be known by then.
chippy 6y ago
It depends what's more effective: These groups are different: do you jab first those who can most easily spread it, those who would most easily get it or those who would most severely be impacted if they got it. I think whilst we all want to be safe, ultimately in a year or so, most of the population won't be getting this shot on a regular basis.

LandR 6y ago

If even one gets sick after taking vaccine the media will jump on it and focus on nothing else for days / weeks. I think getting people vaccinated is going to be a huge challenge.

Tepix 6y ago
As long as there is a shortage of doses it shouldn't matter too much.

prox 6y ago

Just from a software perspective: never install the big version upgrade. Usually the X.0 versions still has bugs that only come out at huge roll outs. I am inclined to wait a few months to let early adaptors test the vaccine. Medicine is a bit different though and every country probably has institutes checking the vaccines independently. A lot of eyes are on this probably. No company wants to be the company that botched the corona vaccine.

protoman3000 6y ago
That option might not be available in the short term. Spain for example aims to vaccinate almost the whole population until summer 2021. What are you going to do when you don’t think it’s version X.1 yet?
- prox 6y ago
  Wait.
chippy 6y ago
It's likely that the majority of people on HN are not going to be early adopters, and that other groups will get the jab first. It depends what's more effective, as these groups are all different: do you jab first those who can most easily spread it, those who would most easily get it, those who would most severely be impacted if they got it, or do you jab those who are most diligent, enthusiastic and first in the queue? I'd even wager that most healthy adults around the world will not be getting the vaccine (but that might be a negative story to run with) but that's at less odds than just healthy, enthusiastic, low risk people getting the jab first.

Guthur 6y ago

For me it's a simple risk proposition, how much at risk do I feel my children or I are from covid. For my children it's a slam dunk; their risk from covid is statistical non existent and weigh that against vaccines that may or may not have long term negative impact on them.

protoman3000 6y ago
From my perception it’s not that easy. Recently there have been research papers released that estimate long term effects also with children comparable to young adults. For the sake of argument, let’s assume they are right and that we know that COVID-19 has significant long-term risks for children. How do you outweigh that against the uncertainty of risk of the vaccine?
- crazyjncsu 6y ago
  >> estimate long term effects also with children comparable to young adults So, like nil then? I still can’t find anything beyond dramatized anecdotes to suggest any special danger beyond what is commensurate with the symptoms.
alkonaut 6y ago
This issue seems to solve itself. When the risk is higher/more unknown in the early stage, groups that have high/known risk with Covid can take the vaccine. As time passes, more and more data will be gathered on the vaccine risk so the group that can make the correct statistical call to take the vaccine grows. Whether healthy children will take it in 1, 2, 5 or 10 years deepends on what the statistics turn out to be and whether it's required to protect others.
mhandley 6y ago
For me, it's not quite so simple as that. I will vaccinate my children, partly to protect them (though the risk to them is low, as you say), but mostly to protect me and my wife, and more importantly our elderly parents. None of the vaccines are 100% effective, and if I can reduce the chances of my kids bringing Covid into the family, I will. By the time the vaccine is available for my kids, hundreds of millions of people will have already been vaccinated, and there will be very extensive safety data. Part of the requirements for emergency use authorization is extensive monitoring of safety, so if there's any problem with one particular vaccine, it will be known by then.

chippy 6y ago

It depends what's more effective: These groups are different: do you jab first those who can most easily spread it, those who would most easily get it or those who would most severely be impacted if they got it. I think whilst we all want to be safe, ultimately in a year or so, most of the population won't be getting this shot on a regular basis.