Leave vaccine issues to the pros
Time to ignore noise swirling around various brands
Before the promised flood of vaccines flows in, we are apparently condemned to a deluge of often confusing information about the efficacy of one brand and the optimal use of others.
As laypeople, we can try to process all that information and, perhaps in the glow of modest self-enlightenment, form what we think are informed opinions about the vaccines.
Or, we can adopt a less mentally taxing approach, ignore the noise swirling around the various vaccines and leave it all up to the pros.
As you can probably tell by the presentation of the two opposing approaches, the latter, lazier choice is the preferred option here.
Almost from the outset of the pandemic’s extended run, a couple of things became clear. One is that much of what we think we know about this virus is subject to change as new evidence emerges. The second is that the pros — the scientists, from researchers developing vaccines to public health experts devising safe practices — are on top of this, make real-time corrections and are charting the only course presently available to get us through this mess.
TRUST THE SCIENCE
What that means when it comes to getting vaccinated should be fairly selfevident and really quite simple.
We wait for our age-determined number to come up, book a vaccination and, when it is time, go get the shot of whatever vaccine is on offer.
They’ll tell us when to come back for the second dose.
In other words, trust the science and trust the scientists.
Another good reason to embrace the simple vaccination process described above is that it will almost certainly be the only option available, which makes ruminating over the relative merits of the approved vaccines not just moot but a total waste of time, worry and anxious energy.
At this moment, there are questions about the AstraZeneca vaccine’s efficacy among older people. And, it seems likely that the second dose of the other vaccines approved for use in Canada — Pfizer’s and Moderna’s — can be delayed to allow a lot more folks to get their first shot much sooner.
There is real world evidence — as opposed to clinical trials — that suggests the AstraZeneca product is the victim of some bad press and that it works great at keeping folks of all ages from becoming seriously ill with COVID.
And, again, real world evidence suggests that the recommended 21-day interval between the first and second doses of the mRNA vaccines developed by Pfizer and Moderna can be safely stretched out to as long as four months before the booster is required. A single dose of those vaccines is now thought to provide a very high level of protection against COVID that lasts for many months.
MIRACULOUS
Merely summarizing the main points of contention or under consideration reinforces my conviction that this is a job for the experts and the experts alone. We should be grateful that we have a bunch of them working on it full time.
Although it seems longer, in Nova Scotia we’re less than 10 days shy of the first anniversary of COVID being detected in the province. It happened last year on the ides of March.
And here we are on the verge of a steady supply of multiple vaccines that prevent serious illness and death from COVID. That is miraculous.
The vaccines may not vanquish the coronavirus, but they are the means to a most desirable end, namely the return of uncomplicated — formerly known as normal — human contact.
Any discussion of vaccines this week in Nova Scotia would be remiss without some mention of the glitch in Nova Scotia’s vaccine rollout.
The website that cost Nova Scotian taxpayers a reported $1.2 million crashed on Monday, instead of taking appointments for Nova Scotians aged 80-plus like it was supposed to.
Thousands of people were frustrated, angry and suffered heightened anxiety over their inability to book a vaccine for themselves or a loved one. They will have more opportunities to book those appointments in the weeks ahead.
The problem has reportedly been fixed and, if it stays that way, it will become just a bump in the road leading toward an end, if not of the pandemic, at least of the worst it has to offer.
And that can’t come soon enough.