Human nature is an odd thing. One quirky element is that we will always have a segment of people who will vigorously oppose something from which they are benefiting greatly and directly..People sitting in their gas-heated homes after having driven home in their personal automobile, spending their evening at a computer made from petrochemical products and writing in raging opposition to the oil industry. We are in a society where our poorest people are enjoying a lifestyle that kings and queens couldn’t have dreamed of two hundred years ago thanks to capitalism; yet they demand socialism..Now we see a wave of people who enjoying healthy living and looking forward to the long lifespans provided to them by in part by vaccination, yet they dismiss any evidence that a vaccine may be what brings the world out of this pandemic horror story..There are many people who have legitimate misgivings and concerns about vaccinations, and they don’t feel eager to take one that is relatively new. That is fair enough. They should take their time and see what the new COVID-19 vaccinations are all about and what risks they may or may not present. Unfortunately, it is tough for people to find legitimate facts about vaccines when social media is polluted with anti-vax conspiracy theorists who respond to all questions with a barrage of links to unreliable and often non-credible websites. We need to debunk some of these myths so that that rational people can make informed decisions one way or another..There are legitimate vaccine skeptics, and this is not meant to denigrate them in any way. Instead, it’s meant to inform a thoughtful discussion..Myth: Mind Control.To start with, vaccines are not filled with microchips to control our minds, nor are they part of any other kind of conspiracy to control people. They will not turn us into lizard people and they were not developed by aliens. I wish I was exaggerating, but these kinds of myths are gaining a shocking following in the online world..Myth: Vaccines cause autism..I attended an anti-lockdown rally just last week. There were several thoughtful speakers, but one man with the microphone claimed that vaccines cause autism..This myth just won’t die despite it having been widely and thoroughly debunked a decade ago. The myth originated with a report created by the now-disgraced doctor Andrew Wakefield. The myth was then spread by vacuous celebrities and alternative medicine practitioners to the point where it very possibly may have led to the first outbreaks of whooping cough seen in decades as a generation of concerned mothers declined to vaccinate their kids. Due to the pervasiveness of this myth, there have been dozens of studies conducted by many organizations and they all conclude the same thing: vaccines have not, do not and will not cause autism..Myth: The COVID-19 vaccine will alter your DNA.Some of the vaccines use a fragment of the genetic material called RNA (ribonucleic acid). Injecting RNA into a human will not and cannot alter DNA any more than consuming the DNA contained in a medium-rare steak will alter your DNA and turn you into a cow. Genetics and DNA studies are nebulous and complicated fields of work. That, unfortunately, leaves the work rife for misinterpretations and myths to be created and spread..While no RNA vaccine had been approved before now, studies have been conducted on this technology for years. It has now been tested on tens of thousands of people around the world and not one has yet seen any alteration of their genetic makeup.. MORGAN: Smith’s departure a sign of talk radio’s slow death .Myth: The COVID-19 vaccine contains aborted fetal tissue.This one comes from efforts to turn pro-lifers away from vaccinations..This myth is utterly untrue. Cloned cells have been used in production, but they are not from aborted babies. Full stop..Myth: I can catch COVID-19 from the vaccine.None of the latest approved vaccines – including the Pfizer vaccine – use live viruses. They are mRNA vaccines. The only way you will catch COVID-19 from the vaccination would be if the person vaccinating you was infected and transmitted it to you directly, as can happen from contact with anyone already infected..Myth: The COVID-19 vaccine is virtually untested.To quote Matt Meier: “I get that we are all scienticianologists here, but let’s keep some context.”.The Pfizer vaccine has gone through three stages of trials. Phase 3 had 43,661 participants with 41,135 getting a second dose. Of that, only two had serious reactions, and both individuals had a history of reacting poorly to new medications. There were side effects for some, but the vast majority of those were reports of a sore spot at the injection site. That is often to be expected..A vaccine is our best hope to end the lockdowns.These vaccines may be new, but they were created on the backs of a mountain of research compiled over decades..Yes, a 10 year study on long term effects would be nice, but what kind of state will we be in with 10 years of rotating lockdowns? With the scores of widely used vaccines that have been in use for decades, long term effects have not been an issue..I know. Dedicated anti-vaxxers can provide links ad-infinitum to all sorts of anecdotes and conspiracy sites which will claim all sorts of adverse outcomes. Established medical authorities around the world are not reporting this though, and it is doubtful that they have such a well-established conspiracy to give the world a medication with the intent to harm folks..Will a vaccine be effective in containing COVID-19?.Some are asking, “The vaccine is only 95. per cent effective and the virus has a 99.8 per cent survival rate. Why should I take the vaccine?”.That is a valid question. There will never be a vaccine that is 100 per cent effective. At 95 per cent effectiveness – and if enough people take it – the bug can be contained. Seat belts in cars don’t provide perfect protection either, but most people understand that wearing them is a good idea..Should we just left COVID-19 run its course?.Another question is, “If 99.8 per cent of people will survive COVID-19, why not just let the virus run it’s course?”.Well, if we let the virus run its course we would indeed achieve herd immunity, eventually. As we have seen though, states will impose lockdowns and much of the voting public are OK with that. Herd immunity will take years to be mostly effective. What will be left of the economy after all that? What will be left of our sanity? The social costs will be staggering, and we would still face millions of deaths..A good idea. Not a mandatory one..I don’t support mandatory vaccines. No one who genuinely believes in liberty does. We don’t need everybody to vaccinate. We just need enough people to exercise good sense and get the jab. It is a personal choice and if people ignore the anti-vax pap and look at the real science, enough people will choose to get vaccinated without being forced to do so. There will never be a zero risk vaccine but the risks are pretty low..I just don’t see any other light at the end of the pandemic tunnel. Vaccines appear to be the best way to bring this nightmare to an end. If people have any other rational ways to bring the lockdowns to an end within a reasonable amount of time, I am all ears. In the meantime, I plan to get vaccinated when my turn comes up in line and I hope other folks choose to do the same..Cory Morgan is the Podcast Editor and a columnist for the Western Standard
