OK, then, don't get your second shot. After all, increased resistance is only
a scientific opinion. Eric
________________________________
From: uupretirees-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx <uupretirees-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> on
behalf of hils. <dmarc-noreply@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Sent: Sunday, February 21, 2021 10:29 AM
To: uupretirees@xxxxxxxxxxxxx <uupretirees@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Subject: [uupretirees] Re: Some more opinion
Strange you bring up The Times, as they had to back track on many of their
statistics concerning the virus rate of infection from one period to another
and items concerning the virus to make it look as if it was increasing when it
wasn't.This inflation was probably due to the fact that it fits their
political agenda.
Bob Kasprak
=========================================
-----Original Message-----
From: Eric Russell <ericprussell@xxxxxxxxxxx>
To: uupretirees@xxxxxxxxxxxxx <uupretirees@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Sent: Fri, Feb 19, 2021 8:07 pm
Subject: [uupretirees] Some more opinion
From knowledgeable people. Eric
[https://ci5.googleusercontent.com/proxy/UlQurGBGC-yfHbQCKwaPhBCiVAaWNIHX16yl2R-5blZfd4tsCudoKsy5YiTfeg1UFNvBMEzr6g2Fj7VCg7Z4arShUkJ4b5Xbiz1ll34Ulb9X6GQBnA_s0JwEX7Hk-HoWgqQbwlbzAfM=s0-d-e1-ft#https://static.nytimes.com/email-images/New_Headers/NYT-Headers-N-TheMorning%402x.png]
February 19, 2021
[Author
Headshot]<https://na01.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https:%2F%2Fnl.nytimes.com%2Ff%2Fa%2FhQd9p6_rDW7Lz5y_JQPjUw~~%2FAAAAAQA~%2FRgRiEihQP0S_aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cubnl0aW1lcy5jb20vYnkvZGF2aWQtbGVvbmhhcmR0P2NhbXBhaWduX2lkPTkmZW1jPWVkaXRfbm5fMjAyMTAyMTgmaW5zdGFuY2VfaWQ9MjcyNzkmbmw9dGhlLW1vcm5pbmcmcmVnaV9pZD0xMTkxMzQ1OTMmc2VnbWVudF9pZD01MTk1MyZ0ZT0xJnVzZXJfaWQ9NTE5ZGQ2ZTQ3N2I2MWRiMDFiNmMwNzZkN2M1N2U3NTZXA255dEIKYC1Qoy9gV_C0mFIWZXJpY3BydXNzZWxsQGdtYWlsLmNvbVgEAAAAAA~~&data=04%7C01%7C%7C660b0cb113b2413a861508d8d67d788b%7C84df9e7fe9f640afb435aaaaaaaaaaaa%7C1%7C0%7C637495181668267846%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C1000&sdata=BoizBryclqKUtKRCoaNtbHS7cmWZPk7LZaeAPmOVk84%3D&reserved=0>
By David
Leonhardt<https://na01.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https:%2F%2Fnl.nytimes.com%2Ff%2Fa%2FhQd9p6_rDW7Lz5y_JQPjUw~~%2FAAAAAQA~%2FRgRiEihQP0S_aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cubnl0aW1lcy5jb20vYnkvZGF2aWQtbGVvbmhhcmR0P2NhbXBhaWduX2lkPTkmZW1jPWVkaXRfbm5fMjAyMTAyMTgmaW5zdGFuY2VfaWQ9MjcyNzkmbmw9dGhlLW1vcm5pbmcmcmVnaV9pZD0xMTkxMzQ1OTMmc2VnbWVudF9pZD01MTk1MyZ0ZT0xJnVzZXJfaWQ9NTE5ZGQ2ZTQ3N2I2MWRiMDFiNmMwNzZkN2M1N2U3NTZXA255dEIKYC1Qoy9gV_C0mFIWZXJpY3BydXNzZWxsQGdtYWlsLmNvbVgEAAAAAA~~&data=04%7C01%7C%7C660b0cb113b2413a861508d8d67d788b%7C84df9e7fe9f640afb435aaaaaaaaaaaa%7C1%7C0%7C637495181668277838%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C1000&sdata=RV13eAN%2F6m7meWim3ze4KRa5vls0Sc2eTH4W3t3EVTc%3D&reserved=0>
Good morning. We look at the costs of vaccine alarmism.
[https://ci3.googleusercontent.com/proxy/rkz-FH5NmsQEii67SgQqQdm6FaiIsWs458r1ZN2SjQRNJZ0QNACgnQHxHkSqDUxriyMYVExqwhdadCk8TbpTS12VOFzDa9qEvj-yETVwwAlpIeXGECVvgXNjVnSVN-FiY8jCJmtJPntS9nng7kRiD2rG-mzhc1hdo75ojRo=s0-d-e1-ft#https://static01.nyt.com/images/2021/02/19/us/19-THE-MORNING-lede-2/19-THE-MORNING-lede-2-articleLarge.jpg]
A vaccination site in Connecticut.Christopher Capozziello for The New York Times
A vaccine shot? No thank you
If you’re a regular reader of this newsletter, you’re probably familiar with
the idea of vaccine
alarmism<https://na01.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https:%2F%2Fnl.nytimes.com%2Ff%2Fnewsletter%2F_Sb8ZUrVsyPaCVSBkhdPTQ~~%2FAAAAAQA~%2FRgRiEihQP0T5aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cubnl0aW1lcy5jb20vMjAyMS8wMS8xOC9icmllZmluZy9kb25hbGQtdHJ1bXAtcGFyZG9uLXBoaWwtc3BlY3Rvci1jb3JvbmF2aXJ1cy1kZWF0aHMuaHRtbD9jYW1wYWlnbl9pZD05JmVtYz1lZGl0X25uXzIwMjEwMjE4Jmluc3RhbmNlX2lkPTI3Mjc5Jm5sPXRoZS1tb3JuaW5nJnJlZ2lfaWQ9MTE5MTM0NTkzJnNlZ21lbnRfaWQ9NTE5NTMmdGU9MSZ1c2VyX2lkPTUxOWRkNmU0NzdiNjFkYjAxYjZjMDc2ZDdjNTdlNzU2VwNueXRCCmAtUKMvYFfwtJhSFmVyaWNwcnVzc2VsbEBnbWFpbC5jb21YBAAAAAA~&data=04%7C01%7C%7C660b0cb113b2413a861508d8d67d788b%7C84df9e7fe9f640afb435aaaaaaaaaaaa%7C1%7C0%7C637495181668277838%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C1000&sdata=DKPNsK25jdbv7K4fm1kVAyY%2BhqbcOaiz16b9Kvdt5EY%3D&reserved=0>.
It goes something like this:
The coronavirus vaccines aren’t 100 percent effective. Vaccinated people may
still be contagious. And the virus variants may make everything worse. So don’t
change your behavior even if you get a shot.
Much of this message has some basis in truth, but it is fundamentally
misleading. The evidence so
far<https://na01.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https:%2F%2Fnl.nytimes.com%2Ff%2Fnewsletter%2FMprAudf7zVkH0gHJWngP1g~~%2FAAAAAQA~%2FRgRiEihQP0TvaHR0cHM6Ly93d3cubnl0aW1lcy5jb20vMjAyMS8wMi8wMS9icmllZmluZy92YWNjaW5hdGlvbi1teWFubWFyLWNvdXAtcm9jaGVzdGVyLXBvbGljZS5odG1sP2NhbXBhaWduX2lkPTkmZW1jPWVkaXRfbm5fMjAyMTAyMTgmaW5zdGFuY2VfaWQ9MjcyNzkmbmw9dGhlLW1vcm5pbmcmcmVnaV9pZD0xMTkxMzQ1OTMmc2VnbWVudF9pZD01MTk1MyZ0ZT0xJnVzZXJfaWQ9NTE5ZGQ2ZTQ3N2I2MWRiMDFiNmMwNzZkN2M1N2U3NTZXA255dEIKYC1Qoy9gV_C0mFIWZXJpY3BydXNzZWxsQGdtYWlsLmNvbVgEAAAAAA~~&data=04%7C01%7C%7C660b0cb113b2413a861508d8d67d788b%7C84df9e7fe9f640afb435aaaaaaaaaaaa%7C1%7C0%7C637495181668287836%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C1000&sdata=uuiuBxGbVEAhVTOhsn%2FqXvoE6jFh%2BaKfi0V49ByHU8M%3D&reserved=0>
suggests that a full dose of the vaccine — with the appropriate waiting period
after the second shot — effectively eliminates the risk of Covid-19
death<https://na01.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https:%2F%2Fnl.nytimes.com%2Ff%2Fa%2FNSNTHrvPXJsyO8-X1aTYdw~~%2FAAAAAQA~%2FRgRiEihQP0TWaHR0cHM6Ly90d2l0dGVyLmNvbS9hc2hpc2hramhhL3N0YXR1cy8xMzU2MDc5MDIwODc4Nzg2NTYxL3Bob3RvLzE_Y2FtcGFpZ25faWQ9OSZlbWM9ZWRpdF9ubl8yMDIxMDIxOCZpbnN0YW5jZV9pZD0yNzI3OSZubD10aGUtbW9ybmluZyZyZWdpX2lkPTExOTEzNDU5MyZzZWdtZW50X2lkPTUxOTUzJnRlPTEmdXNlcl9pZD01MTlkZDZlNDc3YjYxZGIwMWI2YzA3NmQ3YzU3ZTc1NlcDbnl0QgpgLVCjL2BX8LSYUhZlcmljcHJ1c3NlbGxAZ21haWwuY29tWAQAAAAA&data=04%7C01%7C%7C660b0cb113b2413a861508d8d67d788b%7C84df9e7fe9f640afb435aaaaaaaaaaaa%7C1%7C0%7C637495181668287836%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C1000&sdata=oAoWDYHb1H%2FEi4sdSPR3qc3wU5gQcRVRszoxgqRy9HY%3D&reserved=0>,
nearly eliminates the risk of hospitalization and drastically reduces a
person’s ability to infect somebody else. All of that is also true about the
virus’s new variants.
Yet the alarmism continues. And now we are seeing its real-world costs: Many
people don’t want to get the vaccine partly because it sounds so ineffectual.
About one-third of members of the U.S. military have declined vaccine
shots<https://na01.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https:%2F%2Fnl.nytimes.com%2Ff%2Fa%2FbWhafQZlck00dEEt6wuQRg~~%2FAAAAAQA~%2FRgRiEihQP0TxaHR0cHM6Ly93d3cud2FzaGluZ3RvbnBvc3QuY29tL25hdGlvbmFsLXNlY3VyaXR5LzIwMjEvMDIvMTcvdmFjY2luZS1zZXJ2aWNlLW1lbWJlcnMtcmVmdXNhbC8_Y2FtcGFpZ25faWQ9OSZlbWM9ZWRpdF9ubl8yMDIxMDIxOCZpbnN0YW5jZV9pZD0yNzI3OSZubD10aGUtbW9ybmluZyZyZWdpX2lkPTExOTEzNDU5MyZzZWdtZW50X2lkPTUxOTUzJnRlPTEmdXNlcl9pZD01MTlkZDZlNDc3YjYxZGIwMWI2YzA3NmQ3YzU3ZTc1NlcDbnl0QgpgLVCjL2BX8LSYUhZlcmljcHJ1c3NlbGxAZ21haWwuY29tWAQAAAAA&data=04%7C01%7C%7C660b0cb113b2413a861508d8d67d788b%7C84df9e7fe9f640afb435aaaaaaaaaaaa%7C1%7C0%7C637495181668297825%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C1000&sdata=Mu8P2QFkcii2h%2BRj%2FATLV7gbGAJUChUjJWJQWSkuph4%3D&reserved=0>.
When shots first became available to Ohio nursing-home workers, about 60
percent said
no<https://na01.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https:%2F%2Fnl.nytimes.com%2Ff%2Fa%2F0OSP1n6snFeIPi7kUuoBOA~~%2FAAAAAQA~%2FRgRiEihQP0T_aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuYnVzaW5lc3NpbnNpZGVyLmNvbS9jb3ZpZC0xOS1oZXJlcy13aHktaGVhbHRoY2FyZS13b3JrZXJzLWFyZS10dXJuaW5nLWRvd24tdGhlLXZhY2NpbmVzLTIwMjEtMj9jYW1wYWlnbl9pZD05JmVtYz1lZGl0X25uXzIwMjEwMjE4Jmluc3RhbmNlX2lkPTI3Mjc5Jm5sPXRoZS1tb3JuaW5nJnJlZ2lfaWQ9MTE5MTM0NTkzJnNlZ21lbnRfaWQ9NTE5NTMmdGU9MSZ1c2VyX2lkPTUxOWRkNmU0NzdiNjFkYjAxYjZjMDc2ZDdjNTdlNzU2VwNueXRCCmAtUKMvYFfwtJhSFmVyaWNwcnVzc2VsbEBnbWFpbC5jb21YBAAAAAA~&data=04%7C01%7C%7C660b0cb113b2413a861508d8d67d788b%7C84df9e7fe9f640afb435aaaaaaaaaaaa%7C1%7C0%7C637495181668297825%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C1000&sdata=HwYR54pOgdpiTaICTPCvBVE9x7mcP0X%2Fvw4VehY56q8%3D&reserved=0>.
Some N.B.A. stars are
wary<https://na01.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https:%2F%2Fnl.nytimes.com%2Ff%2Fa%2FMA2NVT6JrqSUBWmY6qvagQ~~%2FAAAAAQA~%2FRgRiEihQP4QAAWh0dHBzOi8vd3d3LmVzcG4uY29tL25iYS9zdG9yeS9fL2lkLzMwOTE4Mzk2L3NvdXJjZXMtbWFueS1uYmEtcGxheWVycy1oZXNpdGFudC1wcm9tb3RlLWNvcm9uYXZpcnVzLXZhY2NpbmVzP2NhbXBhaWduX2lkPTkmZW1jPWVkaXRfbm5fMjAyMTAyMTgmaW5zdGFuY2VfaWQ9MjcyNzkmbmw9dGhlLW1vcm5pbmcmcmVnaV9pZD0xMTkxMzQ1OTMmc2VnbWVudF9pZD01MTk1MyZ0ZT0xJnVzZXJfaWQ9NTE5ZGQ2ZTQ3N2I2MWRiMDFiNmMwNzZkN2M1N2U3NTZXA255dEIKYC1Qoy9gV_C0mFIWZXJpY3BydXNzZWxsQGdtYWlsLmNvbVgEAAAAAA~~&data=04%7C01%7C%7C660b0cb113b2413a861508d8d67d788b%7C84df9e7fe9f640afb435aaaaaaaaaaaa%7C1%7C0%7C637495181668307824%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C1000&sdata=W4nD5%2BIioO7UmNGIGGbXXGT4Uu9x3yi%2FzYZjU%2BxzvYI%3D&reserved=0>
of appearing in public-services ads encouraging vaccination.
Nationwide, nearly half of Americans would refuse a shot if offered one
immediately, polls
suggest<https://na01.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https:%2F%2Fnl.nytimes.com%2Ff%2Fa%2F-Ik0iR_6d0VXS790dJT5Xg~~%2FAAAAAQA~%2FRgRiEihQP0T2aHR0cHM6Ly9raG4ub3JnL25ld3MvYXJ0aWNsZS9wb2xsLW5lYXJseS1oYWxmLW9mLWFtZXJpY2FuLWFkdWx0cy1ub3ctd2FudC10aGUtY292aWQtdmFjY2luZS1hc2FwLz9jYW1wYWlnbl9pZD05JmVtYz1lZGl0X25uXzIwMjEwMjE4Jmluc3RhbmNlX2lkPTI3Mjc5Jm5sPXRoZS1tb3JuaW5nJnJlZ2lfaWQ9MTE5MTM0NTkzJnNlZ21lbnRfaWQ9NTE5NTMmdGU9MSZ1c2VyX2lkPTUxOWRkNmU0NzdiNjFkYjAxYjZjMDc2ZDdjNTdlNzU2VwNueXRCCmAtUKMvYFfwtJhSFmVyaWNwcnVzc2VsbEBnbWFpbC5jb21YBAAAAAA~&data=04%7C01%7C%7C660b0cb113b2413a861508d8d67d788b%7C84df9e7fe9f640afb435aaaaaaaaaaaa%7C1%7C0%7C637495181668307824%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C1000&sdata=Fx9u6YK5LWTpprHZae%2F4J8BGsey51ANYz%2BsXR%2FarwHw%3D&reserved=0>.
Vaccination skepticism is even
higher<https://na01.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https:%2F%2Fnl.nytimes.com%2Ff%2Fa%2FHkl10Qi4RnkOaO0fZROEeQ~~%2FAAAAAQA~%2FRgRiEihQP0TlaHR0cHM6Ly93d3cubW9ubW91dGguZWR1L3BvbGxpbmctaW5zdGl0dXRlL2RvY3VtZW50cy9tb25tb3V0aHBvbGxfdXNfMDIwMzIxLnBkZi8_Y2FtcGFpZ25faWQ9OSZlbWM9ZWRpdF9ubl8yMDIxMDIxOCZpbnN0YW5jZV9pZD0yNzI3OSZubD10aGUtbW9ybmluZyZyZWdpX2lkPTExOTEzNDU5MyZzZWdtZW50X2lkPTUxOTUzJnRlPTEmdXNlcl9pZD01MTlkZDZlNDc3YjYxZGIwMWI2YzA3NmQ3YzU3ZTc1NlcDbnl0QgpgLVCjL2BX8LSYUhZlcmljcHJ1c3NlbGxAZ21haWwuY29tWAQAAAAA&data=04%7C01%7C%7C660b0cb113b2413a861508d8d67d788b%7C84df9e7fe9f640afb435aaaaaaaaaaaa%7C1%7C0%7C637495181668317817%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C1000&sdata=BrqBqCf4cNxFDBuS%2BcmISoSoti4XktGKZ9bnWzodt6o%3D&reserved=0>
among Black and Hispanic people, white people without a college degree,
registered Republicans and lower-income households.
Kate Grabowski, an epidemiologist at Johns Hopkins, told me that she has heard
from relatives about their friends and co-workers choosing not to get a shot
because they keep hearing they can still get Covid and pass it on to others —
and will still need to wear masks and social distance. “What’s the point?” she
said, describing their attitude.
The message from experts, Grabowski said, is “being misinterpreted. That’s on
us. We’re clearly doing something wrong.”
“Our discussion about vaccines has been poor, really poor,” Dr. Muge
Cevik<https://na01.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https:%2F%2Fnl.nytimes.com%2Ff%2Fa%2FjbLETqelBh6GdNLrlnWjAg~~%2FAAAAAQA~%2FRgRiEihQP0SyaHR0cHM6Ly90d2l0dGVyLmNvbS9tdWdlY2V2aWs_Y2FtcGFpZ25faWQ9OSZlbWM9ZWRpdF9ubl8yMDIxMDIxOCZpbnN0YW5jZV9pZD0yNzI3OSZubD10aGUtbW9ybmluZyZyZWdpX2lkPTExOTEzNDU5MyZzZWdtZW50X2lkPTUxOTUzJnRlPTEmdXNlcl9pZD01MTlkZDZlNDc3YjYxZGIwMWI2YzA3NmQ3YzU3ZTc1NlcDbnl0QgpgLVCjL2BX8LSYUhZlcmljcHJ1c3NlbGxAZ21haWwuY29tWAQAAAAA&data=04%7C01%7C%7C660b0cb113b2413a861508d8d67d788b%7C84df9e7fe9f640afb435aaaaaaaaaaaa%7C1%7C0%7C637495181668327809%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C1000&sdata=nTp0kl%2FQryGs7AU9K78CaFBQUhmW1k%2FYCbE7lx1Z4fo%3D&reserved=0>,
a virologist, told me. “As scientists we need to be more careful what we say
and how that could be understood by the public.”
[https://ci3.googleusercontent.com/proxy/uK121POP7DtGR8D-Hr_6GPlBa-1Cy2v-mmW2zzwBiz6gb3Eg2I-oxdemcGfOu5z990vUzVUYaop-LJJOLqiXXF1yVZFxNK0NVkU9Xu71zvt4pJws-TBUnwuATgjMsn6GhkTcgZ4WwmHRzwSM_E1Nu2CBtxcvu7ia56M99SVBjZ9HA37WdYLWP-bjVo4YxVi87inumG9BH7_OeYmMvDb04xkv6Z5K=s0-d-e1-ft#https://static01.nyt.com/images/2021/02/19/multimedia/19vaccine-themorning/merlin_183565746_ef9bdbc6-aeb2-49ad-8759-5e9b785be635-articleLarge.jpg]
An 83-year-old woman receives a vaccination in Idaho this month.Janie Osborne
for The New York Times
The cost of confusion
Many academic experts — and, yes, journalists too — are instinctively skeptical
and cautious. This instinct has caused the public messaging about vaccines to
emphasize<https://na01.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https:%2F%2Fnl.nytimes.com%2Ff%2Fa%2F8v1cNYOpVWgXiMXYBM9P6g~~%2FAAAAAQA~%2FRgRiEihQP0T4aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cudGhlZGFpbHliZWFzdC5jb20vYW50aS12YXh4ZXJzLWFyZS1ub3QtdGhlLW9ubHktb25lcy1zZWxsaW5nLWNvcm9uYXZpcnVzLXZhY2NpbmVzLXNob3J0P2NhbXBhaWduX2lkPTkmZW1jPWVkaXRfbm5fMjAyMTAyMTgmaW5zdGFuY2VfaWQ9MjcyNzkmbmw9dGhlLW1vcm5pbmcmcmVnaV9pZD0xMTkxMzQ1OTMmc2VnbWVudF9pZD01MTk1MyZ0ZT0xJnVzZXJfaWQ9NTE5ZGQ2ZTQ3N2I2MWRiMDFiNmMwNzZkN2M1N2U3NTZXA255dEIKYC1Qoy9gV_C0mFIWZXJpY3BydXNzZWxsQGdtYWlsLmNvbVgEAAAAAA~~&data=04%7C01%7C%7C660b0cb113b2413a861508d8d67d788b%7C84df9e7fe9f640afb435aaaaaaaaaaaa%7C1%7C0%7C637495181668327809%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C1000&sdata=Qa93C76rZFKbHHjO%2B51WA6aq7ikTTZGUFSzEdTkagbc%3D&reserved=0>
uncertainty and potential future bad news.
To take one example: The initial research trials of the Moderna and Pfizer
vaccines did not study whether a vaccinated person could get infected and
infect another person. But the accumulated scientific evidence suggests the
chances are very small that a vaccinated person could infect someone else with
a severe case of Covid. (A mild case is effectively the common cold.) You
wouldn’t know that from much of the public discussion.
“Over and over again, I see statements that in theory one could be infected and
spread the virus even after being fully vaccinated,” Dr. Rebecca Wurtz of the
University of Minnesota told me. “Is the ambiguous messaging contributing to
ambivalent feelings about vaccination? Yes, no question.”
The messaging, as Dr. Abraar Karan of Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston
said, has a “somewhat paternalistic” quality. It’s as if many experts do not
trust people to understand both that the vaccines make an enormous difference
and that there are unanswered questions.
As a result, the public messages err on the side of alarmism: The vaccine is
not a get-out-of-Covid-free card!
In their own lives, medical experts — and, again, journalists — tend to be
cleareyed about the vaccines. Many are getting shots as soon as they’re offered
one. They are urging their family and friends to do the same. But when they
speak to a national audience, they deliver a message that comes off very
differently. It is dominated by talk of risks, uncertainties, caveats and
possible problems. It feeds pre-existing anti-vaccine misinformation and
anxiety.
No wonder that the experts’ own communities (which are disproportionately
white, upper-income and liberal) are less
skeptical<https://na01.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https:%2F%2Fnl.nytimes.com%2Ff%2Fa%2FvuQEFHg86TRPSwSyK4l7vw~~%2FAAAAAQA~%2FRgRiEihQP0TsaHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuY25uLmNvbS8yMDIxLzAyLzA0L2hlYWx0aC92YWNjaW5lLXRydXN0LWJsYWNrLWFkdWx0cy1uZmlkLXN1cnZleS9pbmRleC5odG1sP2NhbXBhaWduX2lkPTkmZW1jPWVkaXRfbm5fMjAyMTAyMTgmaW5zdGFuY2VfaWQ9MjcyNzkmbmw9dGhlLW1vcm5pbmcmcmVnaV9pZD0xMTkxMzQ1OTMmc2VnbWVudF9pZD01MTk1MyZ0ZT0xJnVzZXJfaWQ9NTE5ZGQ2ZTQ3N2I2MWRiMDFiNmMwNzZkN2M1N2U3NTZXA255dEIKYC1Qoy9gV_C0mFIWZXJpY3BydXNzZWxsQGdtYWlsLmNvbVgEAAAAAA~~&data=04%7C01%7C%7C660b0cb113b2413a861508d8d67d788b%7C84df9e7fe9f640afb435aaaaaaaaaaaa%7C1%7C0%7C637495181668337805%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C1000&sdata=yLh96WumptqHv9dqGNLYvS%2F7DjXZQkpffndkYVKmGws%3D&reserved=0>
of the vaccines than Black, Latino, working class and conservative communities.
Over the next several weeks, the supply of available vaccines will
surge<https://na01.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https:%2F%2Fnl.nytimes.com%2Ff%2Fnewsletter%2FEtjjyFqVVCOfoSi2keEItQ~~%2FAAAAAQA~%2FRgRiEihQP0T0aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cubnl0aW1lcy5jb20vMjAyMS8wMi8xNy9icmllZmluZy93aW50ZXItc3Rvcm0tdGV4YXMtYmxhY2tvdXQtYWZnaGFuaXN0YW4tbGF0aWZhLmh0bWw_Y2FtcGFpZ25faWQ9OSZlbWM9ZWRpdF9ubl8yMDIxMDIxOCZpbnN0YW5jZV9pZD0yNzI3OSZubD10aGUtbW9ybmluZyZyZWdpX2lkPTExOTEzNDU5MyZzZWdtZW50X2lkPTUxOTUzJnRlPTEmdXNlcl9pZD01MTlkZDZlNDc3YjYxZGIwMWI2YzA3NmQ3YzU3ZTc1NlcDbnl0QgpgLVCjL2BX8LSYUhZlcmljcHJ1c3NlbGxAZ21haWwuY29tWAQAAAAA&data=04%7C01%7C%7C660b0cb113b2413a861508d8d67d788b%7C84df9e7fe9f640afb435aaaaaaaaaaaa%7C1%7C0%7C637495181668337805%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C1000&sdata=nNZ3OVId4WcjIT9mlVqa%2FBORDNE24nH39zadjtmrlZE%3D&reserved=0>.
If large numbers of Americans say no to a shot, however, many will suffer
needlessly. “It makes me sad,” Grabowski told me. “We’ve created this amazing
technology, and we can save so many lives.”
What should the public messaging about the vaccines be? “They’re safe. They’re
highly effective against serious disease. And the emerging evidence about
infectiousness looks really good,” Grabowski said. “If you have access to a
vaccine and you’re eligible, you should get it.”
