Progressive Politics

I worked in pharma at one point. I was not working in a scientific capacity, but in a role where I had to be familiar with testing, and the way safety data sheets are updated. I get very frustrated at any black and white depiction of the "experimental drug".

It's a very grey area.

Anyone who claims they had the same grasp on the long term effects of a new class of drugs, and a drug that had only existed for a few months, is not being honest. You can't know the effects that may occur two years down the line after seven months of testing. Famously the Johnson and Johnson Janssen vaccine had to be briefly "paused" for re-evaluation due to the TSS (blood clot issue) risk before it was deemed a worthwhile risk. Still millions of people were exposed to the risk of this rare side effect which would more likely have been discovered over a 2 year trial.

That doesn't mean they didn't have a very good understanding of the safety risks. They were able to make a competent risk analysis. It also doesn't mean that they didn't conduct all the tests or go through all the procedures. The rapid approval and deployment was not due to cutting corners it was mostly due to cutting burocracy and getting the supply chain ready before they even knew what drug would be approved.

The COVID vaccine was one of the greatest accomplishments in human history. It was an overwhelming success, and likely saved millions of lives (check the excess deaths studies during the pandemic), trillions of dollars, and had an immeasurably positive effect on public mental health.

Most of the rest of the argument is bullshit too.

• While many things were closed, and others were limited, we weren't locked in our homes. Many small businesses folded due to those limitations, but it wasn't a mandated prison term for the public.
• As far as vaccine mandates there were no sweeping federal mandates on the public (though there was an attempt), and institutions in the US have always been allowed to have vaccine mandates for safety and readiness. George Washinton inoculated the Continental army with live small pox. I needed my shots to go to a public school 40+ years ago. It's not tyranny to decline to work with or employ someone who needlessly presents a severe safety risk to the rest of the organization.