Thread by @TheValuesVoter

I’ve shared several times that I gladly got the COVID vaccine, that my whole immediate family has, that I’m very happy I did and that I jumped to get the vaccine as soon as I could.

What I didn’t share is that this is unusual for me. I had never before been a vaccine person.

I am one of those parents who had concerns about “normal” vaccines (measles/mumps). I didn’t get a flu shot in my entire life until a few years ago - and then swore I’d never get one again because my arm got stiff (I got one since).

But COVID is different. I wanted THIS vaccine.

I would not have characterized myself as an anti-vaxxer. But with other things, I was not the kind of person rushing out to get every available shot.

So why did I work so hard to get the COVID vaccine as soon as I possibly could? I was ready to fly somewhere to get my shot.

I did the math.

Those of you who follow me know that there are few things in life I like more than having something to calculate. I analyze things.

The chances of me dying or getting really sick from COVID were MUCH greater than of having an issue from the vaccine. No brainer!

(The vaccine that, by the way, was given to every living US President. I mean, I have a healthy sense of self-worth, but I don’t think I’m more important to society than them.

No one is saying “it’s safe for every current/former POTUS. But we’re worried about this random dude!”)

https://twitter.com/thevaluesvoter/status/1418008598538506240

The Pfizer vaccine was approved by the FDA on December 11th of last year. The day before, on December 10th, there had been 15,696,634 confirmed cases of COVID in the US and 292,771 deaths. Meaning that 1.87% of the people known to have had it died. Which is insane!

As of right now, 55.98% of the US population has gotten at least one COVID vaccine shot and 48.49% of the population is fully vaccinated. And, with very few exceptions, we're not the ones now dying from COVID and being put in ICUs .
github.com/nytimes/covid-…
ourworldindata.org/covid-vaccinat…

And this new Delta variant, which we have because the virus, a living organism, continues to change and mutate the more people keep spreading it around, is so contagious that every person who has it will, on average, spread it to 6 other people.

The unvaccinated are in danger.

I understand being nervous about vaccines in general. I get it. But COVID isn't the measles. It ain't the flu. It's an airborne virus that spreads extremely easily. It infects folks who don't know that they have it and who feel fine. And it kills a percentage of those who get it.

My decision to get vaccinated was the easiest medical decision I ever made. It's not even close.

I figured that there was decent chance that if I got COVID, I'll get sick at least. Maybe hospitalized. And a higher than acceptable chance that I'll die.

Think about it. If there were a 1 in 50 chance that something would kill you, wouldn't you do something else if you could?

And a comparably infinitesimal chance that something goes wrong from taking the vaccine. The vaccine the wealthy were cutting in line to get (note to black folks who fear vaccines: a good clue it's not some anti-black conspiracy is when rich white folks are taking it first).

Some decisions in life are hard and require a lot of deep thought.

Unless you have some very unusual medical circumstances, getting vaccinated from COVID isn't one of them.

It's a no-brainer.

The virus is out there, wherever you live, continually adapting itself to outwit our bodily defenses and finding any opportunity to get through the air from infected people to not-yet-infected people. If you're not vaccinated, you're a sitting duck.

Please do the math.