Do you believe the vaccines developed in record-shattering time are safe?

Sure,sure as long as I am around the number 100,000 or more before I get mine ,would like to see if the people before start to develop any issues.

Yes. They have been working on some of the science for a while.

If you put enough manpower, money and resources into it you can, in fact, build Rome in a day.

If I remember correctly, two weeks ago you were complaining how long it was taking to approve the vaccines, and I replied that they needed time to do the evaluation and testing.

Now you’re questioning the science that went into the evaluation and testing? Odd.

Yes, if the FDA passed it for emergency use, it is safe to take. Not as perfect as it will be if they had finished ALL testing (the longer phases that search for effects that occur later), but the FDA seems to be pretty confident.

I’m not in an early demographic, so I probably won’t be able to get it until March or April. By then we can see how it works on the people who get it in December and January.

I believe they are safe enough. Let’s put this in perspective. Which is riskier? The near certainty that all of us will acquire this infection in the near future or the off chance of hidden complications from the vaccine? I’ll take the shots and hopefully resume a normal existence.

I think you should wait.

The risks from the vaccines are a joke compared to the hazards involved with the staggering numbers of people here who STILL refuse to recognize the severity and consequences of this pandemic. I cannot tell you the numbers of people who flat out tell me they prefer to take their chances. To them I say, what should you do if offered a vaccine against fools?

Thanks all for your answers. By the way, I should clarify that I have zero doubt about the vaccines’ safety. And I am almost certain that the vaccines are 100% efficacious (the few cases that did occur in the vaccine population were probably errors).

By the time my turn comes around, I will be more confident. I’m not right now, because the CDC director was threatened to be fired if he didn’t approve it. That does not sound good to me.

Enough docs have lined up to take it. And they are not running trials on black prison inmates, or Indian tribes. That’s assurance enough for me.

Two things:
1) “Corona virus” as a type of virus was not unknown. Recognizing the type and properties was not an issue, just this exact species of corona virus.

2) In normal circumstances, an enormous amount of time is spent trying to rustle up enough money to finance the research and testing. At any given research lab, there are many projects vying for limited funding and personnel. In this case, money was no object, and an unprecedented percentage of qualified personnel and resources were devoted to this and this alone.

All of the appropriate protocols were observed, the speed at which it was developed has to do with points one and two, not any compromise in safety.

Yes. One of the vaccines has had around 70,000 tests on individuals.

I’m expecting that. within three weeks of the vaccine rollout, that some people will be bitching about why COVID-19 is still with us.

I’ll likely be receiving it in phase 2 through work. That should be in February-March by my guess. I plan to take it unless there were issues with people reacting to it in phase 1.

The ingredients and vaccine data look straightforward. As @JLeslie said, they are using science that has been around for quite some time. I think the benefits far outweigh the risks, unless you have some particular medical history or concern. I am not bothered by the timeline.

For me, I have Lyme disease, which has practically destroyed my immune system. I’ll be talking to my doctor about whether the vaccine is the best move. But if she says yes, I’ll happily get it.

Thanks, all. It is reassuring to know that Fluther Jellies are more enlightened than the public at large.

However, even the general public seems to be coming round: see

https://thehill.com/policy/healthcare/530333-poll-finds-increasing-number-of-americans-including-black-people-would-take

I think what the speed these vaccines were developed at shows is two things. The first is that if there is a big enough motivation, the resources and focus can be put onto these things to get them done in short order. The second is that when you remove senseless government regulation, it can really streamline the process. The thing with Operation Warp Speed is that the FDA took a look at all their requirements and made an informed judgement as to which were really important and which were relatively needless. The research, the testing, the reviews…all were deemed important. They weren’t going to skimp on those things. But filling out all the forms in triplicate, applying for paperwork that sloshes its way through the bureaucrats, and other administrative blockages could all be removed without sacrificing the important stuff.

@seawulf575 very thoughtful answer.

Breaking my own rule to answer this question.

It is safe. I am getting my first shot on Friday and I can’t wait. I can absolutely 100% guarantee that whatever side effects you feel is less than being stuck on a ventilator for a month with tubes coming out of your mouth, nose, penis, groin, wrist, anus, and neck. Right now I have two (TWO!!!) 29 year old previously healthy patients in the ICU, one of whom is dying of COVID and probably not going to make it. Here in California hospitalizations are doubling every 21 days.

Literally the only thing. The. Only. Thing. That will get us out of this is the vaccine. Otherwise we are all fucked.

Hope that helps. Have a nice day.

@seawulf575 As usual, I think you have hit the nail on the head. The short cuts taken related to bureaucracy and financial risk abatement (doing the steps in parallel instead of in series).

I do have one question: why could the FDA not have streamlined its own process? Were there steps they could have taken in parallel with the Phase 3 studies, in order to shorten the three weeks or so that they took to issue the EUA?

I remain skeptical, but not about either the efficacy or safety of the vaccine. My worry is more about the scant attention and resources dedicated to the distribution aspects of the vaccines. I have little doubt that attitudes regarding the choice to reject the vaccines are going to shift radically as the infection and death tolls climb exponentially. No, it’s far more likely that our country’s notoriously underfunded and scandalously disparate public health infrastructure will be swamped with demand for whatever doses aren’t bottlenecked at choke points in whatever distributive network exists.

^^January! Going to be scary times.