I added this to my prior post about the COVID-19 vaccine but I thought it was interesting enough to warrant its own post:
About 6 hours after receiving the Pfizer vaccine my wife had an allergic reaction to it in the form of a rash around her wrists. After a brief consultation with her family doctor, she will be seeing a specialist in allergies to decide whether it is safe to have the second injection. Allergic reactions to the vaccine are quite rare, so my wife posted the image below on Facebook.
The “COVID-19 vaccines go through many tests for safety and effectiveness before they are approved” remark was placed there by Facebook – an AI bot, probably.
Now, what my wife posted was a simple fact, one, it seems, that goes against the tide. I’m not a conspiracy theorist, but it’s hard not to see a conspiracy when empirically derived and verifiable facts provoke little notes designed to cast doubt on their veracity. Our current propaganda machine and group gullibility would have been the envy of Joseph Goebbels.
It’s only approved for Emergency Authorization. If the current health emergency orders are lifted, the vaccine cannot be used until trials are successfully completed, in 2023 I believe (depending on the jab) It’s not “approved” in the true sense of the word.
I would be nervous for your wife with the 2nd dose, particularly if given in a site outside of a hospital. What happens if it is an anaphylactic reaction? Wait for 1st responders to arrive at the drugstore…or gymnasium?
David: I am asking you to rethink using this platform to express your personal opposition to the vaccine. I have family members who are working in the health care field attempting to cover the population with what is proving to be a pretty successful attempt to fight this virus, and this sort of opposition causes them much stress. You have every right to your opinion, and I am so sorry your wife has had a reaction to her shot, but perhaps if you had seen someone suffer greatly and die from the virus gasping for breath, you might understand why I am asking this of you. Let’s not have a national or world wide pro and anti discussion on a website I have come to value as a source of ‘church’ news.
MH.,
Hello Marylou,
Thanks for your perspective. As I mentioned in my first post on this, I did not write anything in haste: I have been thinking about this and the implications of my commenting on it for some time.
Now, to be clear, I am not opposed to this vaccine, or indeed any other vaccine. I have no wish to persuade anyone not to take it. My wife decided to take the vaccine and I did not; I am perfectly happy with her decision and she with mine.
While I am not opposed to the vaccine, I wish to be free to make my own decision about whether to take it or not. I am – as I hoped I had made clear in this post – vigorously opposed to massively influential tech companies like Facebook peddling what I can only regard as mindless propaganda.
I too, know of people who have died unpleasantly from this virus. I also know people who have had life threatening reactions to the vaccines (not my wife). I wish neither on anyone.
As to whether I should use this platform to express my views on this or not: that’s why I have it – to express my views on anything I choose. After all, I pay for it myself, I do not ask for donations, there is no advertising, it is not associated with ANiC or my congregation and I force no-one to read it.
I believe that getting a vaccine is a matter of personal conviction, not of right vs. wrong or good vs. evil. According to S. Michael Houdmann, the founder and CEO of the conservative Got Questions Ministries, the COVID-19 vaccine is not the mark of the beast (Revelation 13). Some of the COVID-19 vaccines are at least partly connected to aborted fetal cell lines from the 1960s and 1970s. Houdmann wrote: “If we refused to have any part in anything that had any connection to something unethical in the past, we would likely be very surprised at how many things we would have to give up” (GotQuestions. Blog). He added: “The mRNA vaccines do not reprogram your DNA and the effect they have on your RNA is not permanent” (Ibid.).
I would advise your spouse to skip the second dose. Don’t ask me how I know these things.
I knew there were risks with the mRNA shots, and decided to proceed because I am in my seventies and the risk of the illness (although I am healthy) is statistically much larger for me than the risk of the shot. Younger people who are in good health could very reasonably decide otherwise.
The literature indicates that your wife will have something like 50% immunity, or better, from the first shot, and given the reaction, deciding to stop there might be wise.
On January 8, the U.S. reported 757.6 new cases of COVID-19 per million population. On January 9, Canada reported 255.1 cases per million (MacLean’s, April 8, 2021). But Canada continues to lag in vaccination rollout (53.47 vaccinations/100 people in the U.S.; 20.06/100 in Canada). Thus, on April 9, Canada reported 205.73 new caes per million population, while the U.S. sat at 205.12 (Global News, April 10, 2021). Yesterday, the CDC warns Americans not to travel to Canada. Hopefully, the situation in Canada will improve by the end of June. Personally, I believe the pandemic will be with us for a long time. I have no fear of the Return of Jesus Christ.