Ask Me Anything #17

So, it's hard to get past sense that what's happening among the vaccine hesitant is, given the state of our current information, a failed commitment to the common good. You are helping prolong a problem that need not be prolonged. We know these vaccines work, and we know they are safe enough at this point—certainly compared to the problem of getting COVID with the benefit of getting vaccinated.

We're in the middle of a pandemic. There is no compelling reason, at this point, to be worried about these vaccines. There is a compelling reason to be worried about just letting this pandemic burn through the unvaccinated population.

Many of us still understand that the vaccines are incredibly effective, and all things considered, it is far wiser to be vaccinated at this point than to be running the risk of getting COVID without having been vaccinated.

There's so many things at play here. There's the fact that sticking a needle in your arm really seems like something intrusive. People are afraid of needles; they find the whole thing unpleasant. They certainly find it unpleasant to have someone do it to their kids. And it's interesting to consider how the debate here would be different if the vaccine were delivered as a chewable gummy or as a nasal spray. I think that would feel different to many people.

The failings of our institutions need not lead to a total breakdown of trust in our institutions.