This is my plan. It only works for me, and it probably would not be the best plan for you. But with all the talk about “planning your vote”, shouldn’t we also have a plan to be vaccinated? I think so, and this is mine.
Having worked as a licensed health care provider for 20 years and working in one way or another in the healthcare industry for over 40 years, I am slightly more educated in medical matters than the average person. So, I thought I would share my personal plan for getting vaccinated for the SARS-CoV-2 virus. Since I am one of those people that have had the Flu Shot, Pneumonia Vaccine, Hepatitis Vaccine, Shingles Vaccine, and a few others at the appropriate time and on the recommended schedule and have not had any side effects, I do plan to get the SARS-CoV-2 Vaccine. However, because politics are influencing the process of getting this vaccine out as quickly as possible and since I do not trust politicians to have my best interest at heart, I am going to follow my plan.
My Six Point Plan
1. I am going to continue to socially distance, wash my hands regularly, wear a mask, limit my exposure to other people and stay safe until I have received the best vaccine for me and have waited the proper amount of time for it to make me immune to the SARS-CoV-2 Virus.
2. I am going to wait until there are at least two different vaccines approved by the FDA for use. Then wait until both of them have at least three months of data from wide spread use, and watch for reports of side effects.
3. Once I have evaluated any reports of side effects and verified their sources as being reliable and not just from John or Sally Doe with no medically verifiable evidence to support their claims, I will make my list of pro’s and con’s.
Items I will consider on my Pro’s and Con’s List
- How strong is the immune response in the average individual? Will I feel sick for a few days, or weeks, or not at all after receiving the shot? Of course not at all is best, but I can deal with a fever and some body aches for a few days.
- How long will the vaccine last? More than a few years would be amazing, at least a year is preferred, but six months is doable. Anything less, for me, is unacceptable.
- Is the drug company that made the vaccine being transparent with the reported side effects, and are they keeping the information up to date and available for the general public to see?
- How often is the drug company or the FDA interviewing recipients of the vaccine to check on them for new side effects?
- What is the incident rate of the side effects? If one of the side effects is “death” but the incident rate is 1 in 2 million or more, then that is acceptable risk for me. But if the death rate is 1 in 100, then I am not okay with those odds.
- If there are side effects are they permanent or temporary? I can deal with some temporary ones but permanent ones may not be acceptable, unless it is just a scar at the injection site. I already have one of those so….
- What is it going to cost me, and how often? Once a year for free or up to $10 would be great. But if the vaccination is going to cost $200, needs to be given every six months, and is not covered by my insurance, that could affect my decision.
- Will I require more than one shot, and if so how many, and over what period of time? Anyone that has a pet knows that it may take a few shots to be fully vaccinated.
- How long before the shot works and I am immune to the Virus? For some vaccines like the shingles vaccine it may take a few shots and a few months. For others it may take only two weeks. Obviously, the quicker it works the better.
- Does the vaccine protect me from all genetic variations of the virus or not? If it only protects from the most prevalent variation and not all of them that might mean that I could get infected with another genetic version and that is not preferred. I want a vaccine that protects me from all the version of this virus.
- What type of vaccine is this? I know that there are live attenuated ones that actually give you a weakened version of the virus, and personally I am not happy with that idea. So knowing what type it is and how it works would be helpful.
- How effective is the vaccine? Have the studies shown that it provides strong immunity in everyone or does the immunity decrease in some people after a shorter period of time?
4. After compiling my list I am going to review the pro’s and con’s and evaluate the side effects to determine if the cost benefit value is right for me. I can live with flu like symptoms for a few days. But I am not going to accept the possibility of a neurological impairment from a vaccine, even if it is a rare occurrence.
5. If there is a viable choice I will get that vaccine. If not, I will wait until another vaccine is available and start the process over again.
6. Then I am going to go get the shot and wait the time period needed to assure that I am immune. Then I am going celebrate like never before with all my friends that have already gotten their shots!
For me, waiting, socially distancing, washing my hands, wearing a mask, and staying away from crowds is not that difficult. I keep in contact with my friends and family more now than I ever have before, and I am retired and do not have a need to get back to work as quickly as possible. Your situation is probably different, but you should make a plan. You should talk it over with your family and do what is best for you. There will be a right time for you to get the vaccine, it just depends on your own personal choices. Never getting the vaccine is probably not the best thing to do as you would be a source for the virus to continue unabated and could cause others to be infected. So, make a plan, and if that plan is “I will not get vaccinated”, then so be it. I just hope that the percent of people with that specific plan is less than 10%.