Q&A of the Day – Why I’ll get the COVID vaccine & which one I prefer
Each day I feature a listener question sent by one of these methods.
Email: brianmudd@iheartmedia.com
Parler & Twitter: @brianmuddradio
Today’s entry: Are you going to get it? You trust them?
Bottom Line: Yes, and yes. If you’re familiar with my approach to stories and life, you know I’m completely information driven. That’s why I will be seeking out a COVID vaccine as soon as I’m eligible. And as for that vaccine...it’ll be the Moderna or Pfizer. This is simply a case of going exactly where the facts take us. Starting with the safety/trust factor. According to the CDC, there are no known deaths attributed to the three US approved COVID-19 vaccines. Quoting the CDC, “COVID-19 vaccines are safe and effective”. Still, I understand the skepticism and it’s not as though there haven’t been adverse reactions monitored from the vaccines. Here’s what we know: CDC and FDA scientists have evaluated reports from people who experienced a type of severe allergic reaction—anaphylaxis—after getting a COVID-19 vaccine. Anaphylaxis after COVID-19 vaccination is rare and occurred in approximately 2 to 5 people per million vaccinated in the United States based on events reported to VAERS. This kind of allergic reaction almost always occurs within 30 minutes after vaccination. Fortunately, vaccination providers have medicines available to effectively and immediately treat patients who experience anaphylaxis following vaccination.
What this means is that if you applied the maximum margin of error to those who have adverse reactions to the vaccines, your odds of being negatively impacted are 0.000005%. Yes, it stinks if you’re one of those people, but the odds are with you and even then, the adverse reactions have proven to be treatable. That takes me to the vaccines themselves. Here’s a refresh on the efficacy of each.
- Johnson & Johnson: 66% effective at prevention, 85% at preventing severe effects, 100% at preventing death
- Moderna: 94% effective at prevention & essentially 100% at preventing severe effects/death
- Pfizer: 95% effective at prevention & essentially 100% at preventing severe effects/death
While they’re all effective at preventing death, the efficacy to prevent infection is vastly different between the three. My goal isn’t just to avoid death...I don’t want to become infected. That makes the two-step vaccination process worth it to me. Again, it’s just a product of going where the information takes me. Now, regarding “trust”. I’m not sure how helpful this may or may not be but perspective on who you’re trusting might be useful. You’re not trusting the federal government/related agencies because all they’ve done is verify the efficacy of these vaccines and studied outcomes. You’re trusting Moderna, Johnson and Johnson or Pfizer. I’m willing to bet you have at least one product by at least one of those companies in your house right now.
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