[mjbeswick]

The problem is that side effects are massively over reported. I don't have the original source, but I came across a report on a double blind test of one of the COVID vaccines where 50% of the participants received the vaccine verses 50% who received a placebo (saline). I that particular study more than two thirds of the participants reported side effects. Unfortunately most of the time that people do report side effects they aren't real; which creates bias in society and the medical community.

Administering a vaccine to a large population is rather like the trolly problem, as to protect a large number of people you will have to risk a small number of casualties and deaths.

[dent9876543]

Except that, once it had become clear that population immunity was not going to happen through vaccination, what happened? Yep... they ignored it, and continued to insist on vaccination.

They could have opened up. At least the risk taker would then have been able to make an informed choice for themselves.

But no. That would have meant a climb down. Better to continue with those casualties and deaths — its was only a small number after all.

[VagueMag]

It's pretty amazing that after it has become unambiguously clear that there are no herd immunity benefits at all to be realized from the COVID vaccines, many still have the perspective that there is some communal protection benefit that one contributes to by taking the shots.