“I’m not fundamentally against the vaccination, but I would like to think about it. I don’t like being put under pressure.”
Nobody wants pressure or compulsion – as far as understandable. However, with current incidences, the likelihood of becoming infected increases with each passing day. You can expect complete vaccination protection about two weeks after the second vaccination, which in turn is possible at the earliest three, better four weeks after the first vaccination. So whoever decides to be vaccinated today will not have complete vaccination protection for five to six weeks.
“The vaccination does not help, people who have been vaccinated can become infected and pass the virus on.”
That is true, but fails to understand the magnitude. It is true that no vaccination can provide comprehensive, one hundred percent protection against infection and transmission. But: “Vaccinations not only protect the vaccinated person from infection and serious illness,” writes a corona expert group around physicist Viola Priesemann, virologists Sandra Ciesek and Ulrike Protzer, infectious diseases Leif Erik Sander and epidemiologists André Karch and Kai Nagel in a current statement. “They also reduce the transmission of the virus from vaccinated people to their contacts.” If there is an infection, the symptoms are less severe or nonexistent, the viral load is lower and you are contagious for a significantly shorter time.
So it becomes particularly problematic when the virus circulates among vaccinated people and then infects an unvaccinated person who then becomes seriously ill. But that’s exactly what it’s about – to reduce the number of seriously ill patients: Intensive care units are currently struggling to take in even more patients. Every person who survives a mild infection outside of a clinic therefore also protects the capacities in the healthcare system.
“I am young and will not get seriously ill. I am – if at all – only worried about my fellow human beings. That is why I test myself every two days.”
It is true that the risk of a severe course increases with age, but unfortunately 30-year-olds can also die from the infection. The idea of testing yourself regularly is a good one, only: rapid antigen tests are not one hundred percent safe, for example you can be infectious before the test works – if it works. With the help of tests, an infection cannot be prevented, if at all the probability of passing on the virus is reduced. Tests are therefore not a substitute for vaccination, but are an additional safety measure.
“One expert says so, the other so, so it is a matter of opinion whether the vaccination helps.”
No it is not. The alleged argument of science is a misunderstanding. What is true: Especially at the beginning of the pandemic, little was known about certain details, such as the transmission path via aerosols in the air or the effect of masks. One could also come to different conclusions about the sense of school closings. In the meantime, however, there is a large consensus among serious scientists on the core questions: Everyone in Germany will come into contact with Sars-CoV-2 sooner or later. And vaccination is so far the only way that protects against serious illness or death.
“The booster debate shows that the vaccinations are working badly. Should I get vaccinated every winter now? No thanks!”
No, the discussion about the booster vaccination shows that the human immune system is not a machine. The vaccination protection is very good after two injections, but it is not always sufficient, especially in older people, and it also seems to decrease somewhat after months. A refresher is therefore useful in order to maintain the protection and, also for younger people, to limit further transmission as much as possible despite the vaccination.
“When 2-G comes everywhere, I just make sure I get infected somewhere. Less effort than the syringe.”
The effort involved in getting vaccinated is now not particularly high. In numerous cities and municipalities there are mobile vaccination teams and vaccination centers that offer vaccinations without an appointment and do not turn anyone away. It is of course also possible to become infected, but there is a risk of a severe course and possible long-term damage such as chronic fatigue, breathing difficulties or heart disease. In addition, every infected person potentially infects other people who, in the worst case, become seriously ill or die. The fact that you previously had a “strong immune system” is no guarantee that you will not get sick.
“It’s all going too fast with the vaccinations. I’m afraid long-term consequences. Who knows what they’ll do to my body in ten years.”
In fact, the development of corona vaccines has been rapid – which is not unusual in the wake of a global health crisis. The technology of the mRNA vaccines itself is decades old and has been researched around the world. It is not a corona invention. And the concern about long-term damage after vaccination is unfounded, since very rare side effects, if any, occur directly as a reaction of the immune system to the vaccination. And that within minutes, days or a few weeks. Precisely because more than seven billion vaccine doses have already been injected worldwide, the very rare side effects of the order of 1:30,000 were only noticed.
With other vaccinations, if side effects took years to become known even though they came on early, it is because they were so rare. The vaccine had to be administered for years before the problem could be assigned to the vaccination.
“I think it’s creepy how pharmaceutical companies make big profits with vaccinations. The capitalist thing bothers me a lot. If there were non-profit vaccines, I would give it a second thought.”
Companies had to factor in significant costs and risks when they embarked on vaccine development. At the time, it was unclear whether the safe product would be ready for the market – at Curevac in Tübingen, for example, this has not yet worked despite great expertise and early planning. Research and development are usually more expensive than the ingredients for the vaccine and the production itself.
In addition, the argument applies that it was precisely the prospect of scientific fame and decent profits that was the additional motivation that several effective and safe vaccines were developed so quickly – which at least save human lives. The small, innovative companies have dared to take this step, the big ones have helped as cooperation partners in production and sales.
“Vaccination to relieve the hospitals? Well, there are 22,000 intensive care beds in Germany. Why should 2500 or 5000 Covid intensive care patients be a problem?”
Nationwide, intensive care units report fewer than 2500 free intensive care beds, which is just eleven percent of the total capacity. 14 percent of patients in intensive care units are sick with Covid-19 – and their number is growing exponentially, i.e. doubling within a few weeks. There are currently around 2600 Covid patients, if growth continues, it could be 5000 in three to four weeks. But there are no more intensive care beds, and above all more nurses. In Bavaria the situation is even more dramatic. 24 percent of the intensive care beds are occupied by Covid 19 patients, just eight percent are still free.
The problem: The intensive care physicians speak of an overload when less than 15 percent of the beds are available. The average intensive care unit has ten to twelve beds. One of these must be kept free for emergencies. After all, accidents or strokes cannot be planned. As a result, many hospitals are already overloaded and have to postpone operations that can be planned and are not absolutely necessary. However, this is especially dangerous for those patients who are not sick with Covid, but who actually need urgent treatment for other reasons.
“I think gene vaccines are creepy. I’d rather wait until there are other vaccines that can do without the gene stuff.”
There is a little “gene” in every vaccine. It is correct: the mRNA vaccines smuggle a blueprint for the surface protein of the coronavirus into the cells – as it occurs in nature. The cells then build this protein according to the “instructions” and show the result to the immune system. This is forewarned. If the real virus comes by, the immune system can attack earlier and more effectively. The blueprint itself disintegrates, it does not stay in the body, and the mRNA is no longer detectable after just a few weeks. And anyway, it never gets to the genes of humans in the cell nucleus. So he can’t do any harm there, even if he wanted to. Read more about it here …
“I still prefer to wait for a dead vaccine, they are currently being developed.”
Preferring a dead vaccine is medically unconvincing. These must first be cleaned of other substances and also often contain potentiators that have caused undesirable effects in the past with other vaccines. It also takes time for clinical studies to show that they are safe and effective.