There is an interesting opinion piece in the New York Times about Covid vaccinations by a virologist at the Georgetown University Medical Centre. (Angela L Rasmussen) It throws a beam of light on the business. Go here if you want to read the article in full:
https://www.nytimes.com/2021/02/23/o...nsmission.html
I found the following pair of paragraphs illuminating ( and they reinforced my understanding!):
"
When scientists develop a vaccine against a novel virus, it’s difficult to predict whether vaccination will completely prevent infection — what’s called sterilizing immunity. If the Covid-19 vaccines do not provide sterilizing immunity, it means a vaccinated person can still inhale enough of the SARS-CoV-2 virus to develop an infection, and it will be swiftly cleared from the body before becoming Covid-19, but that person could still pass the infection to another person.
There are many vaccines that do not provide fully sterilizing immunity but nonetheless have huge public health benefits. Every year, the flu vaccine saves lives and keeps people out of the hospital despite the fact that it doesn’t prevent infection altogether."
When the vaccine is available I will get vaccinated. Three reasons:
1. The available evidence suggests that, should I get infected, the likelihood of then progressing to the disease is much lower than it otherwise would be, and
2. The period when I might be infectious to others is limited to a much shorter period, and
3. Being vaccinated will enhance my freedoms, mainly because travelling will be easier - especially across or away from Australia. I expect the majority of airlines will end up requiring passengers to show vaccination evidence before boarding - if they have not already.
Eventually, if enough people get vaccinated, the business of suppression will kick in (like it has with polio and small pox) and the risk factor will drop towards zero.
If your choice is to avoid or delay vaccination, and I will defend your right to do either, I offer that you are increasing your risk factor above what it other wise might be.
One report I have read suggests severe adverse reactions (anaphylaxis) run at 11.1 per million vaccinations. I judge that as a reasonable risk for me.
Cheers