The Case for Resisting Vaccine Peer Pressure
By Caroline Melear
It’s ok if you’re hesitant to take the COVID-19 vaccine. Yes, you heard that right. Despite major corporations, celebrities, public health “experts,” and likely your social circle demanding that you must get the vaccine, it’s ok to both question it and outright decline to take it.
To be clear, I am not an anti-vaxxer. My son receives all the vaccines that are recommended for him just as my husband and I did as children. But I also believe in a more natural approach to health and wellness and try to opt out of unnecessary medical interventions when I can. I am 30 years old. I am a fitness instructor, I get plenty of natural Vitamin D exposure in the sunshine, I do my best to eat well. When I have a headache, I reach for natural methods of pain relief such as peppermint oil. When I gave birth to my son last year, I chose to go natural with no induction and no epidural. I have never received a flu shot and have never contracted the flu. My personal philosophy on health is not a political statement, it is how my family and I choose to live our lives as free Americans.
I would imagine nearly everyone who is skeptical of the COVID-19 vaccine is not “anti-vax.” We are regular, everyday Americans who were never all that worried about the effects of COVID on otherwise healthy individuals. After all, nearly 80% of Americans who have been hospitalized or died from COVID are overweight or obese. Obesity is a serious medical condition that makes you more susceptible to a whole host of deadly diseases and illnesses. Why are our politicians and celebrities not on their soapboxes about this very serious health crisis? Because it would be politically and culturally unfashionable to do so. They don’t sound like people who are truly interested in our health and they are certainly not qualified to give advice on our personal medical decisions.
In today’s hyper-politicized era, the vaccine has become a polarizing issue. But let’s get something straight. The vaccines were developed during the Trump administration in record time, thanks to Operation Warp Speed breaking down bureaucratic barriers impeding its production. President Trump and other Republican leaders were the ones to encourage Americans to get vaccinated. It was then Senator Kamala Harris who expressed distrust in the vaccine while Trump was still in office, sowing doubt about its safety.
Despite what today’s spin would suggest, Republican leaders paved the way for the vaccine’s timely development and approval. It is Republican leaders who are encouraging freedom of choice for individuals to get vaccinated while still allowing their states to be open, functional, and safe. And it is silly displays such as the vaccinated vice president and her vaccinated husband kissing outdoors with masks on that lead some Americans to believe the vaccine was a partisan charade all along.
But those of us who are choosing to abstain from vaccination (or maybe just choosing to wait) have every right to do so. Maybe we’re not interested in being the first adopters, guinea pig some might say, of new medical technology, the long term effects of which are impossible to know now. Many women are concerned about their fertility and reproductive prospects, especially following reports of disruptions in menstrual cycles post-vaccination.
It is possible, even likely, there will be no adverse long term effects. We all hope for that. Most of my loved ones have received the vaccine, and I am happy that modern medicine has made that possible. I am also happy that we have freedom of choice and individual autonomy to decide what is best for ourselves and our families. For me and my family, the COVID-19 vaccine is an unnecessary medical intervention that we are not inclined to engage in at this time.
Vaccines have saved millions of lives worldwide and are, along with sanitation, vital parts of our public health. I am not attempting to stop others from getting this vaccine should they choose to, especially if they are in a high risk category. In fact, I am concerned about the draconian lockdown measures used in a fruitless attempt to slow the spread of COVID, which stopped children from getting their routine vaccinations. This was just one of a myriad of crises that emerged from the lockdowns that should worry us.
After all, the vaccines we took as children and the ones our children take today have nearly eradicated lethal childhood diseases such as smallpox and polio, and have been around for decades. We have had the opportunity to thoroughly monitor their adverse effects over time and weigh them against the effects of contracting the disease they are meant to protect against. For example, when we look at the pros and cons of vaccinating babies against whooping cough, whose vaccine can cause them to spike a fever, but is a disease with a high infant mortality rate, the overwhelming majority will opt to vaccinate. This data is thoroughly fleshed out and widely available. Millions of children have safely taken the whooping cough vaccine over decades.
On the other hand, mRNA vaccines are a brand new form of vaccination, expedited for distribution and approved for emergency use in the United States. COVID poses low risk of mortality and severe outcomes to young, healthy adults. Less than 300 individuals under the age of 18 have died from COVID, which is less than half of those who have died from pneumonia during the same timeframe. Less than half a percent of all deaths attributed to COVID in the United States occurred in individuals under the age of 30, despite accounting for a considerable portion of all positive cases. When we weigh the pros and cons of this vaccine, for many of us, the risks of contracting COVID are not worth the adverse effects, or potential long term adverse effects, of its vaccine.
It is true that mRNA vaccines have been studied for some time, and have been deemed safe and approved for emergency use for COVID-19. This is fantastic news and a true medical marvel in times of desperation for our nation and our world. Just a year ago the experts told us this vaccine would be years in the making. The experts scoffed at President Trump when he asserted (correctly) that vaccine rollout would begin before the end of 2020. Take a look at this poorly aged NBC article for a solid dose of Trump hating journalism that got it completely wrong.
But caution yourself against blind faith in experts and give yourself a moment to think of the many, many times they have been completely wrong: hurricanes, the efficacy of COVID lockdowns, even the safety of FDA approved drugs. When you see the variety and magnitude of failures of these individuals and institutions, it’s entirely reasonable that you be skeptical.
Skepticism is wise for many facets of our lives. We should think critically, challenge the “facts” we hear on television (which change so rapidly), and self-reflect upon our own ideas and deeply held beliefs. We should be focused on our own personal health. Eat well, exercise, and drink plenty of water. Refrain from overindulging in alcohol and other unhealthy habits. Spend more time outdoors and surrounded by loved ones and less time glued to our screens. Should the circumstances change, perhaps a strain of COVID that is far more deadly to the young and healthy emerges, I would consider changing my tune on the matter. But for now, I will wait.
