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by TeMPOraL 1913 days ago
> the feeling I got from Italy wasn't so much "see! vaccines are dangerous! I am not getting a jab!, but rather "it looks like AstraZeneca may not be entirely safe, I demand a Moderna or Pfizer jab!"

N=1, but example from my own family circles is: "See! Vaccines are dangerous! If AstraZeneca was safe, half of the world wouldn't be putting it on hold! I'm not going to take it, and don't talk to me about Pfizer and Moderna - I don't want an mRNA vaccine, they're too new technology, who knows what their side effects are. If I really, really have to take a vaccine, I'll wait for Johnson & Johnson."

Which, of course, is almost entirely unavailable here (Poland).
1 comments
blub 1913 days ago
Another big reason why the vaccine orders were delayed in the EU was that many governments were unconvinced about mRNA vaccines and wanted a classical vaccine. So your family's in good company there.

They're also right that we don't know what the side-effects are. We're reasonably sure that there are no long-term damaging effects and know that the current crisis justifies the risk of using this new form of vaccine.

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luckylion 1913 days ago
> Another big reason why the vaccine orders were delayed in the EU was that many governments were unconvinced about mRNA vaccines and wanted a classical vaccine.

Which is a weird stance in my opinion. Even if you're skeptical about safety and effectiveness, not ordering them as soon as they're available makes little sense. Yes, it costs money, but significantly less than locking down for a week or two.

It felt a bit like "let's not invest in a backup system yet, we don't know whether we'll need it".

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blub 1912 days ago
I think price + unproven was a big concern for the less wealthy countries.

One has to keep in mind with the EU that we tried our best to avoid splitting the continent into winners and losers based on which countries were the wealthiest. Unfortunately we ended up being on the losing side together, but the driving idea wasn't wrong. :-)

It was also not wrong to want to do a complete instead of emergency certification of the vaccine or pressing e.g. Pfizer to take responsibility for unwanted side-effects. Other countries risked more and it seems that they were favoured by fortune.

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hef19898 1913 days ago
To be fair, even the mRNA manufacturers weren't that optimistic a year ago. Their development speed and efficacy are pleasant surprise.
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