The risks of amputation are relatively well-known and understood.
The risks, especially long-term, of mass, imperfect vaccination, using an entirely brand new development technology; not well known. Not understood. Are there long-term, rare side-effects of the vaccine we don't know about? Will the imperfect nature of the vaccine and its rollout cause wider evolution of vaccine-resistant coronaviruses? We don't know.
Its a ridiculous comparison because one of these things is dangerous; the other has unquantified risk.
That's why "First, Do No Harm" is such an important foundation of medical ethics. We are dealing with systems more complex than you can even imagine; between the human body, multi-human interactions, and planet-scale resource allocation during a pandemic. There is a LOT we don't know.
This doesn't mean you shouldn't get vaccinated. I have. Many people should. The benefits are well-known and understood; they're pretty strong. But it does mean, maybe there's a middleground we need to find which doesn't involve demonizing and ostracizing the people who choose not to. We should be better at understanding each-other, and understanding how dangerous unknown risks can be, especially when we're put into a position of making decisions out of fear.
The risks of amputation are relatively well-known and understood.
The risks, especially long-term, of mass, imperfect vaccination, using an entirely brand new development technology; not well known. Not understood. Are there long-term, rare side-effects of the vaccine we don't know about? Will the imperfect nature of the vaccine and its rollout cause wider evolution of vaccine-resistant coronaviruses? We don't know.
Its a ridiculous comparison because one of these things is dangerous; the other has unquantified risk.
That's why "First, Do No Harm" is such an important foundation of medical ethics. We are dealing with systems more complex than you can even imagine; between the human body, multi-human interactions, and planet-scale resource allocation during a pandemic. There is a LOT we don't know.
This doesn't mean you shouldn't get vaccinated. I have. Many people should. The benefits are well-known and understood; they're pretty strong. But it does mean, maybe there's a middleground we need to find which doesn't involve demonizing and ostracizing the people who choose not to. We should be better at understanding each-other, and understanding how dangerous unknown risks can be, especially when we're put into a position of making decisions out of fear.