6 ms·

Not trying to start an argument, but I see this headline and think: "sure, I'll get another booster." I'm confused seeing all the people in the comments saying

by iaaan 3y ago

Not trying to start an argument, but I see this headline and think: "sure, I'll get another booster." I'm confused seeing all the people in the comments saying they won't get another booster. Should I be considering not getting a booster? I don't feel like I'm familiar with any reason not to get one.

netsharc 3y ago
It seems to me at the bottom of it is faith. You either trust the science and numbers, believing they've been accurately compiled and that there's no unseen aspects (like "no long term effects", what if our current methods can't see everything?); or you're skeptical - Is it reasonable to be skeptical without grounds? But you can read all the anti-vax blogs and find out about botched vaccinations (not COVID). And when you start with a basis, you end up with evidence bias, ignoring things that disprove your beliefs ("I bet you they botched that study!"), and accepting (with delight and little scrutiny) things that prove your position to be right. Of course there are morons who said e.g. "all the vaxed will drop dead ny April 2022".. I wonder if the passage of time have humbled them.. some may even thing somebody's hiding all the dead bodies (which isn't that baseless because as far as I know China did that)
- Gud 3y ago
  Don’t conflate these organizations(CDC, Pfizer, etc) with “science”. These are political and economical organizations foremost. Although I agree with your general point.
boppo1 3y ago
I was very much in the pro-vaccine/booster camp. Annoyed at people who were spreading disinfo about it. Didn't think twice about getting my second pfizer dose. I read a variety of studies on MRNA delivery mechanisms and their safety to reassure one of my parents. The morning after, I woke up to scary sharp chest pains that reverberated for a minute or so. This happened about 3-5 more times over the following days. It definitely wasn't psychosomatic as A. I wasn't worried in the first place and B. They hit while I was sleeping. I don't get chest pains normally and am in solid health with regular jogging. When I caught covid ~12 mo. later, it was a really bad flu, but it didn't cause any chest pains. Based on everything I've read, I ought to get one. But after the chest pain, I just can't do it. I'm afraid of it. It's a dilemma because my social set & family are very pro-vaccine and includes a few doctors & scientists. I don't know what I'll say to them. Obviously I can't really talk to other people online about similar experiences.
- sBqQu3U0wH 3y ago
  I started feeling heart flutters days after getting the vaccine. It's like the heart is strongly vibrating, trembling, jerking (nothing like a heartbeat) an lasts from a moment to ~5s. at the time. Happens frequently everyday for 1.5 years now. It's more likely to happen when I exercise (or do something that raises the heart rate), bend down, lie on the left side. Sometimes it happens when I am about to fall asleep, and repeats over and over and over again so I am left without any sleep for a few days. I got tested and was diagnosed with third degree heart block, so I need a pacemaker. I am 26 years old, not overweight nor have any bad habits / addictions, exercise(-d) regularly. It's dreadful.
  - boppo1 3y ago
    > I got tested and was diagnosed with third degree heart block Did you tell the doctors your symptoms started after the vaccine? What did they say?
    - sBqQu3U0wH 3y ago
      I did mention it once, but they didn't say anything at all, as if they hadn't heard me. I suppose there's no shortage of patients, mistakenly or not, connecting their ailments with the vaccine, and I didn't seem to be any different, regardless of the circumstances. After that, I stopped bringing that up. It does not matter now, anyway...
- decremental 3y ago
  [dead]
- sshine 3y ago
  > It's a dilemma because my social set & family are very pro-vaccine and includes a few doctors & scientists. I don't know what I'll say to them. We are Bayesian inference machines. We assess risk intuitively. You have different priors than them. We do this when we eat something and get sick: If you say "I'm going to pass on the banana ice cream, but you guys go ahead. I'm in no way against banana ice cream, I just got sick from eating bananas once, and now my body rejects the thought." -- this presumably wouldn't ostracize you. If you were run down by a car once, you're more hesitant when you cross a street. That doesn't make you "anti-street-crossing", and there is no one correct pace or condition under which to cross a street. We just accept people behave differently. People will generally accept, "Oh yeah, he just had a different experience in life." Somehow not taking a vaccine is categorically seen as being "against vaccines". This is too one-dimensional. I had two shots and one booster. I'm not getting more flu shots. I'm too healthy, a flu won't kill me. If a more dangerous strand comes along, I'll reconsider.
mcmoor 3y ago
In my nation (Indonesia) the concept of "yearly flu shot" is basically non existent. So perpetual periodic booster is going to be a hard sell. Especially when the public basically declares to forget that this pandemic ever existed already.
andreareina 3y ago
Because IIRC the last data I looked at suggested the booster doesn't confer lasting benefits (i.e. beyond the initial 90 or however many days) if you already have the bivalent shot. So absent the new booster being different in this respect, or a significant increase of catching COVID in the next few months, I'd rather not go through the vaccine sides (which have been more than just mild 3/3 times).

by iaaan 3y ago

netsharc 3y ago

It seems to me at the bottom of it is faith. You either trust the science and numbers, believing they've been accurately compiled and that there's no unseen aspects (like "no long term effects", what if our current methods can't see everything?); or you're skeptical - Is it reasonable to be skeptical without grounds? But you can read all the anti-vax blogs and find out about botched vaccinations (not COVID). And when you start with a basis, you end up with evidence bias, ignoring things that disprove your beliefs ("I bet you they botched that study!"), and accepting (with delight and little scrutiny) things that prove your position to be right. Of course there are morons who said e.g. "all the vaxed will drop dead ny April 2022".. I wonder if the passage of time have humbled them.. some may even thing somebody's hiding all the dead bodies (which isn't that baseless because as far as I know China did that)

Gud 3y ago
Don’t conflate these organizations(CDC, Pfizer, etc) with “science”. These are political and economical organizations foremost. Although I agree with your general point.

boppo1 3y ago

I was very much in the pro-vaccine/booster camp. Annoyed at people who were spreading disinfo about it. Didn't think twice about getting my second pfizer dose. I read a variety of studies on MRNA delivery mechanisms and their safety to reassure one of my parents. The morning after, I woke up to scary sharp chest pains that reverberated for a minute or so. This happened about 3-5 more times over the following days. It definitely wasn't psychosomatic as A. I wasn't worried in the first place and B. They hit while I was sleeping. I don't get chest pains normally and am in solid health with regular jogging. When I caught covid ~12 mo. later, it was a really bad flu, but it didn't cause any chest pains. Based on everything I've read, I ought to get one. But after the chest pain, I just can't do it. I'm afraid of it. It's a dilemma because my social set & family are very pro-vaccine and includes a few doctors & scientists. I don't know what I'll say to them. Obviously I can't really talk to other people online about similar experiences.

sBqQu3U0wH 3y ago
I started feeling heart flutters days after getting the vaccine. It's like the heart is strongly vibrating, trembling, jerking (nothing like a heartbeat) an lasts from a moment to ~5s. at the time. Happens frequently everyday for 1.5 years now. It's more likely to happen when I exercise (or do something that raises the heart rate), bend down, lie on the left side. Sometimes it happens when I am about to fall asleep, and repeats over and over and over again so I am left without any sleep for a few days. I got tested and was diagnosed with third degree heart block, so I need a pacemaker. I am 26 years old, not overweight nor have any bad habits / addictions, exercise(-d) regularly. It's dreadful.
- boppo1 3y ago
  > I got tested and was diagnosed with third degree heart block Did you tell the doctors your symptoms started after the vaccine? What did they say?
  - sBqQu3U0wH 3y ago
    I did mention it once, but they didn't say anything at all, as if they hadn't heard me. I suppose there's no shortage of patients, mistakenly or not, connecting their ailments with the vaccine, and I didn't seem to be any different, regardless of the circumstances. After that, I stopped bringing that up. It does not matter now, anyway...
decremental 3y ago
[dead]
sshine 3y ago
> It's a dilemma because my social set & family are very pro-vaccine and includes a few doctors & scientists. I don't know what I'll say to them. We are Bayesian inference machines. We assess risk intuitively. You have different priors than them. We do this when we eat something and get sick: If you say "I'm going to pass on the banana ice cream, but you guys go ahead. I'm in no way against banana ice cream, I just got sick from eating bananas once, and now my body rejects the thought." -- this presumably wouldn't ostracize you. If you were run down by a car once, you're more hesitant when you cross a street. That doesn't make you "anti-street-crossing", and there is no one correct pace or condition under which to cross a street. We just accept people behave differently. People will generally accept, "Oh yeah, he just had a different experience in life." Somehow not taking a vaccine is categorically seen as being "against vaccines". This is too one-dimensional. I had two shots and one booster. I'm not getting more flu shots. I'm too healthy, a flu won't kill me. If a more dangerous strand comes along, I'll reconsider.

mcmoor 3y ago

In my nation (Indonesia) the concept of "yearly flu shot" is basically non existent. So perpetual periodic booster is going to be a hard sell. Especially when the public basically declares to forget that this pandemic ever existed already.

andreareina 3y ago

Because IIRC the last data I looked at suggested the booster doesn't confer lasting benefits (i.e. beyond the initial 90 or however many days) if you already have the bivalent shot. So absent the new booster being different in this respect, or a significant increase of catching COVID in the next few months, I'd rather not go through the vaccine sides (which have been more than just mild 3/3 times).