[ericmay]

> However, there is an unquantifiable downside risk as a result of lack of knowledge.

ok... but then you (not you specifically) have to weigh that against the known and real risk of COVID-19. Hundreds of thousands dead, "long COVID", etc. versus an unknown and un-hypothesized risk with unknown bad outcomes.

Like articulate a possible future bad outcome that is realistic due to these vaccines. Can you (or anyone) do that? Like do you think in 20 years people will start wilting away b/c the took the COVID-19 vaccine?

> Well, we have been defending successfully against that risk for about 18 months.

I... wouldn't call our response to COVID-19 all that successful. How many in the US and UK alone have died? a million?

> I was just a bit surprised because you seemed to be suggesting that vaccine skepticism was a new phenomenon.

I'm specifically suggesting that there are loads of new "vaccine skeptics" that are only vaccine skeptics starting in 2020 because they've received enough politicization and disinformation to do so. They weren't skeptics when they were getting annual flu shots or shots for measles or w/e and had no issue with vaccines or the scientific community before.