A few days ago, I shared a Texas Monthly news article on Facebook. The article features a prominent anti-vaxxer, Heather Simpson, who ended up getting the COVID19 vaccine (AND who is starting to vaccinate her daughter). It’s a fascinating read. Wellllll…guess who I had coffee with yesterday?! That’s right. Heather Simpson.
Thanks, Katelyn. It is important to meet people where they are. As we look toward getting kids 12 and up vaccinated soon, can you help with another one of their arguments? I see anti-vaxxers, or just political conservatives who read different news sources, make a different argument about kids; I think they're wrong in at least one way (they typically don't cite any evidence), but I'm not sure exactly where they're wrong, and I don't want to just dismiss them out of hand. Here's their argument: 99.9% of kids who get infected aren't harmed by the virus, but some are harmed by the vaccine (or alternatively, the vaccines are experimental so we just don't know if it harms them). Adults will protect themselves by getting vaccinated. Therefore you shouldn't be risking your kids' health by making them get a vaccine. Where is that argument wrong (if it is wrong)? On the risk to kids from COVID? On the risk of the vaccines? On the unknowns? Of course, we need kids to get vaccinated to stop the spread of the virus and the opportunities for it to mutate, but people making these arguments typically don't have the broader public good in mind, so leave that aside for now, if possible.
Thanks, Katelyn. It is important to meet people where they are. As we look toward getting kids 12 and up vaccinated soon, can you help with another one of their arguments? I see anti-vaxxers, or just political conservatives who read different news sources, make a different argument about kids; I think they're wrong in at least one way (they typically don't cite any evidence), but I'm not sure exactly where they're wrong, and I don't want to just dismiss them out of hand. Here's their argument: 99.9% of kids who get infected aren't harmed by the virus, but some are harmed by the vaccine (or alternatively, the vaccines are experimental so we just don't know if it harms them). Adults will protect themselves by getting vaccinated. Therefore you shouldn't be risking your kids' health by making them get a vaccine. Where is that argument wrong (if it is wrong)? On the risk to kids from COVID? On the risk of the vaccines? On the unknowns? Of course, we need kids to get vaccinated to stop the spread of the virus and the opportunities for it to mutate, but people making these arguments typically don't have the broader public good in mind, so leave that aside for now, if possible.
I just want to say ... I found your spectrum graph going from vaccine hesitancy all the way right to lizard people hilarious and apt.