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Even if the benefits outweigh the drawbacks for society you cannot make that calculation. You cannot administer a vaccine to a healthy person just because it do
by bjourne 5y ago
Even if the benefits outweigh the drawbacks for society you cannot make that calculation. You cannot administer a vaccine to a healthy person just because it doesn't increase their risk of dying as much as it decreases someone else's risk of surviving. Young healthy men should not be coerced into accepting an elevated risk because getting to herd immunity or whatever might save old and at risk persons.
For children and healthy young people below the age of 30, Covid is mostly harmless (https://www.bbc.com/news/health-57766717 https://www.bbc.com/news/health-57766717). The risk of vaccination may actually be higher since the vaccines currently used aren't fully researched nor fully approved yet. The situation is not black or white. Vaccination may be very useful for people aged 50 and above but at the same time counterproductive for children.
- tptacek 5y agoCan't make what calculation? The one you just conceded I could make?
- 8note 5y agoI don't think that's the right question or comparison. If this young person below 30 gets a side effect from the vaccine, is that side effect worse than what they'd get by having the virus? It should be clear that we aren't going to suppress or eradicate covid, so you shouldn't be comparing getting the vaccine or nothing happening, but getting covid with or without the vaccine
- bjourne 5y agoIt doesn't matter if the virus is worse than the vaccine since the vaccine is intentionally administered. Someone who is cautious might attempt to avoid the virus altogether thus their risk might be much lower than the average. Furthermore, there is no guarantee that Covid won't mutate so that you will have to refill your vaccination every year to stay immune like with vaccines against the flu. If so, mass vaccinations probably won't be employed again and we'll only vaccinate at risk groups.
- nojokes 5y agoGood luck with avoiding it. Scotland had no restrictions and when they opened schools, about 8% of 12-15 children got infected within first 5 weeks. Delta variant is so infectious that it will not disappear until about 90% of all the people are immune to it. For seasonal flu only 25% is required.
- dukeofdoom 5y agoMore precisely shouldn't we be comparing the number of life years lost. If for every young healthy person that develops myocarditis or increases his lifetime cancer risk by 1%, how many 84 year old getting to live another year, is worth the risk to the young healthy person.
- raxxorrax 5y agoThere are additional questions here. How long does vaccine immunity last? How many shots do you need? Does the risk of side effects add up or is an absence of side effects indicative of further shots being safe? With an endemic Covid, how often will people get an infection on average? It isn't a too trivial calculation at all.
- amluto 5y agoThere is a surprising lack of mention of long covid. Good stats from a competent public health agency like NHS would be welcome.
- sterlind 5y agoyour source is about people <18, not <30.