Re: I am struggling to understand why patients decide not to get the covid vaccine
Dear Editor
I agree with the anonymous author that it is disappointing to see a significant portion of population (about 10% of eligible population in UK) is refusing vaccination against Covid 19. It is more disappointing to see that some of our medical colleagues are trying to justify this.
Yes, every human being should have freedom to choose their treatment. They should have right to refuse vaccines. But their freedom/right is encroaching on other person’s freedom/right to live their life normally. Their decision to refuse vaccination is preventing us to achieve herd immunity and get a grip on the situation and helping virus to mutate. They are contributing to the ill-health/death of fellow citizens. Hospital/ITU beds are being used up by unvaccinated people with Covid preventing other people to have their life sustaining treatment and have elective procedures/surgeries to improve their quality of life. Hence it is difficult to support their freedom to refuse Covid vaccination
The rationale of absence of long-term data of Covid vaccination is also not acceptable in pandemic situation. The clinical trials and real-life data have already clearly showed that vaccination is preventing hospital admission and death without any significant adverse effects. These trials are done as rigorously as any other important clinical trial. If our medical colleagues practise evidence-based medicine and can follow MHRA and FDA recommendations for other treatments, they should also have faith in Covid vaccine trials and associated regulatory authority recommendations.
Rapid Response:
Re: I am struggling to understand why patients decide not to get the covid vaccine
Dear Editor
I agree with the anonymous author that it is disappointing to see a significant portion of population (about 10% of eligible population in UK) is refusing vaccination against Covid 19. It is more disappointing to see that some of our medical colleagues are trying to justify this.
Yes, every human being should have freedom to choose their treatment. They should have right to refuse vaccines. But their freedom/right is encroaching on other person’s freedom/right to live their life normally. Their decision to refuse vaccination is preventing us to achieve herd immunity and get a grip on the situation and helping virus to mutate. They are contributing to the ill-health/death of fellow citizens. Hospital/ITU beds are being used up by unvaccinated people with Covid preventing other people to have their life sustaining treatment and have elective procedures/surgeries to improve their quality of life. Hence it is difficult to support their freedom to refuse Covid vaccination
The rationale of absence of long-term data of Covid vaccination is also not acceptable in pandemic situation. The clinical trials and real-life data have already clearly showed that vaccination is preventing hospital admission and death without any significant adverse effects. These trials are done as rigorously as any other important clinical trial. If our medical colleagues practise evidence-based medicine and can follow MHRA and FDA recommendations for other treatments, they should also have faith in Covid vaccine trials and associated regulatory authority recommendations.
Competing interests: No competing interests