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> I’m skeptical ...now that vaccination has become political. I'm exactly the opposite -- I'm skeptical of skepticism like yours, because its source often seem
by gwd 4y ago
> I’m skeptical ...now that vaccination has become political.
I'm exactly the opposite -- I'm skeptical of skepticism like yours, because its source often seems to be political / tribal rather than rational. Specifically, it seems to me that some people have started pushing the anti-vax narrative because they find that it gives them power.
> ...am I more concerned about the disease or the vaccine?
Is this an either-or question? We have government institutions like the FDA, whose job it is to make sure that proposed medical treatments are 1) not harmful 2) do what they claim to do. If you have a rational basis for thinking they're not doing a good job, then lobby for change; or at very least present evidence so that someone else might choose to do so.
We also have government institutions like the CDC, whose job it is to come up with policies that will benefit the population as a whole; to weigh the overall benefits of (say) promoting flu vaccination against the costs and risks.
Sure, during the COVID-19 pandemic, the CDC experienced political pressure. But that was because lockdowns are inherently politically unpopular.
I'm not aware of any such political pressure regarding flu vaccination; which makes your skepticism -- particularly without any evidence presented for it -- seem irrational.
- Izkata 4y ago> If you have a rational basis for thinking they're not doing a good job, then lobby for change; or at very least present evidence so that someone else might choose to do so. For one: https://nypost.com/2021/09/01/two-senior-fda-officials-resign-over-biden-administration-booster-shot-plan/ https://nypost.com/2021/09/01/two-senior-fda-officials-resig... > Two senior officials have resigned from their positions within the US Food and Drug Administration over frustrations with the Biden administration’s plans to move forward with recommending COVID-19 booster shots without their prior approval, according to a report. I also remember more where the FDA went against their panel's advice about authorization for children, but am having trouble finding it now.
- gwd 4y agoRight, COVID-19 has caused political pressure related to COVID-19 because lockdowns are politically unpopular. The fact that two senior officials resigned sort of implies that the FDA is still very robust, and takes its mandate very seriously; meaning in the absence of political pressure -- for instance, when talking about the flu -- their recommendations are probably pretty reliable.