I am dealing with autism in the pandemic, and none of it gets any easier. Even with measures in place, the UK government isn't allaying my fears.
News of the virus affects me
News around the virus affects me, it's why I write about it on my blog. Now with the Covid vaccine being rolled out, I still have questions, like does having the vaccine stop someone from catching and spreading the virus, or does the vaccine just stop people from getting ill from Covid. Also, they haven’t said, or intimated how protective the vaccine is for different age groups.
Too many unanswered questions
There are too many unanswered questions. Whilst I appreciate it is important the vaccine is rolled out, what is usually a 10-year turnaround, has turned out to be a 10-month turn around. With the UK now not in the EU they have no reason to wait to roll the vaccine out, as long as it is signed off by those responsible for producing it.
The Covid-19 vaccines
As far as the vaccine is concerned, The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory (MHRA) has now approved the Pfizer vaccine for use. The UK is the first country in the world to do so, with mass vaccinations in nursing homes starting yesterday.
Today the government announced it expects at least 1 million people to be vaccinated before the end of 2021. In the US, President Elect Biden has promised 100 million vaccinations in the first 100 days of office.
However, while the full safety data and clinical trial results have still not been published by Pfizer and neither has any technical analysis by the MHRA, its chief executive has told a press conference that the public could be confident there had been an “extremely thorough and scientifically rigorous review."
The Department of Health
The Department of Health confirmed to The Independent newspaper that it has given Pfizer indemnity from being sued by patients and that the jab has been authorised under emergency regulations, specifically the Human Medicine Regulations 2012, which allows a rapid roll out of unlicensed medicines to tackle a public health emergency such as a pandemic.
The long-term side effects
Then there are the long-term side effects, which I know very little about. It's early days, there isn’t anyone out there quantifying what that may look like. It also doesn't bode well that the Department of Health has given Pfizer indemnity from being sued, just in case something goes wrong.
That in itself sparks debate and speaks volumes. (Source: https://www.theindependent.co.uk)
Loudly and clearly, health officials have communicated that Covid-19 is a very infectious deadly agent. Yet people are going about their daily lives as if the virus doesn't exist. That is the very definition of insanity.
As for the vaccine, there is no way to know at this time how the vaccine will affect us. While experts continue to conduct more studies, death from this virus far outweighs potential side effects we may experience. We need something to fight this virus if we are exposed.
Of course, I completely understand your concerns about the vaccine Ilana, you are not alone.
Thanks Tim. Given I already deal with a disability, I am not sure how the vaccine will work with everything that I deal with.
My health is not one hundred percent. I might struggle more than most with side effects. That said if the vaccine is the only way we can reduce the virus, I think it is something most of us should think about.
As scientists have already indicated, all countries must be protected for the virus to dissipate. Honesty comes from the scientists. Yes, we are exposed, we need something to fight the virus, but we need the facts laid bare.
As mentioned, there are still questions to be answered. Even if I said I would take the vaccine, I would still need the blanks filling in.
I am delighted there are now approved vaccine choices, but personally concerned about the speed with which they have been developed.
I completely agree with Tim that we need to be able to halt the spread of this killer disease and quickly. Being cautious I am happy to continue to be as safe as possible, while at the same time waiting to see the effectiveness and safety of these vaccines before making my decision.
For me it is a matter of when rather than if, but there is a lack of information as you say, and I am not 100% comfortable with the information I have seen to date.
I think your approach is both sensible and responsible. Because the vaccine has been developed in 10 months and not 10 years, there will be people who still need to be convinced.
I also think a lot of the damage around Covid had been done in the early weeks, which the government haven't rectified, so people are reluctant to take their advice.
Government scientists also don't seem to be able to agree with the independent scientists, so until issues have been ironed out, there will be less people taking the vaccine.
As a general rule, people tend to go with other people's logic if they agree. I like you still have concerns, through questions that remain unanswered.