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Polio letter

Bill Tope

    Today, in this era of the pandemic, we hear pensive murmurings of “vaccine hesitancy,” a reluctance, for various reasons, to accept the cornavirus vaccine for what it is—a life line to continued health—in part because of the swiftness with which it was developed. Perhaps “Operation Warp Speed” was in hindsight not the best name for the endeavor, for some feel that not all necessary precautions were taken in the vaccine’s development.
    What effects have two diseases—polio and coronavirus—had upon the American population? At the “high” point for polio, in 1952, some 60,000 Americans, mostly children, were affected. Of this number more than 3,000 died.
    With Covid, in a similar 12-month time span, more than 30 million were infected and in excess of a half million died. Which do you consider the greater threat?
    In neither instance did everything go completely smoothly: in 1955 an error in manufacturing resulted in contamination of the polio vaccine. Of the 200,000 who received this tainted serum, 40,000 got polio and 10 died.
    By the same token, with the J & J vaccine, of the 6.8 million does administered, six cases of a rare blood-clotting disorder developed and one person died.
    So, the results of administering the shots have been a mixed bag, though mostly positive, particulasrly with the Covid vaccine. It has performed nearly flawlessly. Less than 100% effectiveness does not make it any less a lifesaver; but only a less than perfect solution. Where can you find a deal that is a hundred percent assured? Certainly not at roulette and people can’t wait to go to the boat.
    When you decide whether or not to take the Covid vaccine, you have to balance the potential outcomes of the different choices. It’s basically like this: if you don’t take the vaccine, you stand a chance of getting infected, hospitalized, and dying. If you take the vaccine, your chances of getting sick, hospitalized and dying (and leaving your family and everything else you love behind) is very small. Plus, you are not gambling with your loved ones’ lives as well.

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