The ‘vigilance system’ has nothing to say about long term complications yet, hasn’t led to FDA approval, and is neither an accepted nor approved way to test vaccine safety.
Counterpoint: given that millions of people have died the amount of testing the vaccines received was disproportionate. Looking at the immense effect the vaccine had on reducing mortality and the miniscule side effects (including the brain hemmorage deaths from AstraZeneka), I really wished in retrospect we would have accelerated approval so that the vaccine could have been available in the fall/winter 2021. Production capacities not withstanding this could have saved a lot of lives (for instance more than 50.000 in Getmany) and potentially prevented/lessened some of the waves that caused Delta and other variants.
We were overcautious with the vaccines, it has cost us hundreds of billions in economic damages.
I wish I could offer you some more confidence in particular for the mRNA vaccines.
I almost consider your talk about side effects fear mongering when the overwhelming evidence is pointing to a safe and effective vaccine. The mRNA vaccines by now have more evidence on their record than most vaccines when the become available. That should count for something. Vaccine hesitancy will cost us dearly.
Like, after the million of administered doses I would offer you a bet that the side effects are less than 1,000th of the effects a corona infection.
> The mRNA vaccines by now have more evidence on their record than most vaccines when the become available.
Not longitudinal evidence.
I’m not advocating hesitancy. I personally have been vaccinated. The only point I’ve argued for is not mandating vaccination. I strongly oppose mandatory medical treatment of any kind, and that has to include vaccination.
However it is also still true that these vaccines have not received approval, and although widespread use certainly may be better even in terms of lives
lost than the economic damage, that is definitely a very bad reason to mandate medical treatment.
> I would offer you a bet that the side effects are less than 1,000th of the effects a corona infection.
For most people, you may be right. I’m happy for that case to he made, openly, with data. What I object to is forcing people on the basis of that data.
One last point: some countries have formally approved the vaccines already. So your focus on an US FDA approval is a little strange. The European union for instance did not use an emergency approval (which would put liability on the governments) but chose a regular approval with conditions, which put the liability on the manufacturer.
