I am not sure who is supposed to be skeptical then if these were not directed at all of us. And again, I am not sure why I am qualified to be questioning much related to the vaccine. I suppose you can argue there is a spin on everything and to try and take that away, I guess I trust the public health community to avoid doing this.
Frankly if you cannot provide some science as to why the vaccine is harmful, why again do I need to give them the benefit of the doubt?
I've never argued that you or that anyone else on this forum or elsewhere should be skeptical about the vaccine. Not with a single word. Why would I do that if I were going to be one of the first folks in line to get the vaccine myself?
What I have done is repeatedly given examples of why so many people out there feel skeptical about the vaccine (not even necessarily about the safety of the vaccine; often just about the necessity of them personally receiving it), and justify why feelings that way doesn't make those people stupid.
If I have failed to convince you that skepticism is a rational reaction for many people given their knowledge and perspective on things right now, that's fine.
To add, we are healthcare providers. We have a duty to educate the public to an extent. If the science is good, we should be saying that and not "well it's up to you." It's of course up to the patient, but people look to healthcare providers for advice and we best not forget that.
Completely disagree that it is appropriate for me to try to "educate people" into making a decision on anything that I do not myself thoroughly understand and cannot confidently explain throughly.
If it comes up, I'll tell anyone who asks - family member, friend, patient - that the trial data and real world experience thus far appears to indicate that the vaccine is very safe, and that the benefits appear to easily outweigh the risks, especially for patients who are at high risk of developing severe COVID. I'll even voluntarily disclose that I received it and had no issues at all and that I feel good about my choice. If that helps someone make their own decision, great. But that information is all easily accessible in the media. I won't be telling them anything they haven't already been told repeatedly.
What I won't do is try to talk someone into receiving a drug that doesn't even have full FDA approval and that I can't explain anything about or answer any questions about. I'll refer them to their PCP, who presumably has done a lot more reading on this than I and is well versed in routinely recommending all manner of things as a matter of protocol.
Even when it comes to anesthesia - something with which I have actual expertise - I don't ever try to talk patients into anything that I don't know inside and out. I have to not only feel strongly that this thing is in their best interest, but also be able to explain it thoroughly in simple or technical terms, including being able to answer pretty much any conceivable questions that they may have.
