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Comment by Tossitto | Hacker News Reader

My folks don't want the shots, my grandparents refuse to mask any time it isn't critical. Pops wants to get the shit. I don't have an opinion myself, but I'm going to hold off on the vaccine just in case there's some crazy ultra-low probability shit that spontaneously crops up, frankly I'm not concerned with my own risks as judged by probability: I'm inordinately low-risk. Last I heard they hadn't confirmed the vaccines contributed to sterilizing immunity anyways, so for all we know currently there's no strong link that vaccines are going to prevent transmission, but rather will mitigate symptom development and disease severity; so again, I don't see the point even at the resolution of populations.

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Despite that, if you get sick, we will still offer all of you a hospital bed and try our best to help you.

And if you end up with some weird proteopathic disease I'll be (involuntarily) chipping in a large fraction of my meager wages to pay for the publicly funded institutions that will be caring for you.

See, we have each others back, that's what counts.

This is not a very helpful, friendly or gracious response. In fact, this whole comment tree should be removed, as it mostly consists of people yelling at each other in high-IQ ways.

At least people think I'm smart for once.

We are just jabbing and negotiating the lines of personal freedom vs. common good.

Just like I contribute to the health care of people who got deadly ventral diseases through their own actions.

I mean, common, what’s your comment about? What are you implying? That you’re morally superior to the OP because you grant him a hospital bed?

By the OPs admission he does not need a shot, won’t need a hospital bed (look up the odds for young healthy people yourself), and by getting vaccinated he would be taking a shot away from someone who does. In fact, by not getting the shot in lieu of someone who needs it more, he’s lowered the EV of hospitalization.

I’m not getting the shot until every last senior in Africa, L. America, and South East Asia has been offered one. And I’ll very well take my bed at a hospital when I need it.

> I'm inordinately low-risk

By this I assume you think you are in the low risk of dying from COVID-19.

However, that does not mean you can't catch and spread the virus.

With that in mind you also need to consider those people you might come into contact with who are high risk, like your folks and your grandparents.

While you might well be fine, those around you might end up suffering the consequences of your actions.

> Last I heard they hadn't confirmed the vaccines contributed to sterilizing immunity anyways, so for all we know currently there's no strong link that vaccines are going to prevent transmission, but rather will mitigate symptom development and disease severity; so again, I don't see the point even at the resolution of populations.

This is because doctors are consistently silly about absence of evidence vs. evidence of absence. It's reasonable to assume that a vaccine will provide sterilizing immunity because they all do; that's what vaccines are for.

Public health agencies will always assume the worst right up until they see enough evidence. They also think you should cook steaks well done, but you don't have to do that either.

Being hospitalized is not the only threat to you

https://www.webmd.com/lung/news/20210219/a-third-of-covid-su...

This is a novel virus that attacks our lungs and nervous system. We still know very little about long term effects, even if you aren't injury in the short term.

Also, not getting severely ill yourself doesn't mean someone else won't get sick from you. Please be careful.

I can't believe people still only look at the headline mortality figures. My partner is young, fit and in her 20s and she caught it (despite taking every best precuation)

6 months later she still isn't back to herself - gets out of breath, no sense of taste and insists her creative forces just don't fire the same way they used to

This is a fucking scary disease and to see so many people be blase about it is pathetic.

Everyone also saw hundreds of professional players getting positive tests, being asymptomatic and continuing to play at the highest level. I am all in favour of the vaccine (and will take it asap) but the most pathetic thing here is thinking that you will change anyone's opinion by referring to anecdotal evidence, or that someone is pathetic by not doing so. If you really want to contribute positively try to show people proper scientific evidence and don't insult them.

> In a young, low-risk population with ongoing symptoms, almost 70% of individuals have impairment in one or more organs four months after initial symptoms of SARS-CoV-2 infection.

https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1101/2020.10.14.20212555v...

> The five children with potential long COVID had a median age of 12 years (range 9–15) and four were girls. They had symptoms for 6–8 months after their clinical diagnoses of COVID‐19. None were hospitalised at diagnosis, but one was later admitted for peri‐myocarditis. All five children had fatigue, dyspnoea, heart palpitations or chest pain, and four had headaches, difficulties concentrating, muscle weakness, dizziness and sore throats. Some had improved after 6–8 months, but they all suffered from fatigue and none had fully returned to school.

https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/apa.15673

Research into what is being referred to as "long COVID" is early but the signs are not good.

Are you sure of what you're talking? A lot of football (not handegg) fans were literally talking a lot about the lackluster Premier League performance of a lot of stars who caught Covid.

There could be multiple factors, e.g. lack of form due to matches being postponed.

The point is that the low performance of players was clearly visible to the audience.

So very sorry she’s going through that. Have you read anything about how getting the vaccine has improved many long haul covid symptoms? Here’s an article from yesterday: https://www.washingtonpost.com/health/long-haul-covid-vaccin...

Yes! She actually volunteered to be followed up with and tracks her symptoms daily and is due to get the Pfizer vaccine next week.

We're very hopeful that it might improve the situation.

That’s exciting! Best of luck to her.

Thank you - much appreciated

I agree. I'm not someone who is high risk of dying from COVID, but I know a few people who still have long term symptoms months after. No way would I want to put my long term QoL at risk to go out to eat or to a bar.

> for all we know currently there's no strong link that vaccines are going to prevent transmission,

Not anymore. https://www.deseret.com/u-s-world/2021/3/14/22327524/pfizer-...

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