I had thought about it a lot and decided that it was probably worth the risk, based on conversations with medical researchers who really understand how it works.
Then yesterday we had a workplace webinar where the president said that all staff are required to get the vaccine. Someone said how can you possibly require a vaccine that isn't even approved, but is only under emergency use authorization. The general counsel piped up and said that we think we are within our legal rights to require you to get it.
Someone else pointed out that in order to get this experimental vaccine we have to sign away our liability rights, so if the vaccine injures or kills us we have no recourse. And so isn't the company then liable for forcing you to take that risk? The webinar went silent for about 40 seconds and then the general counsel said that she would "circle back" on that question. So now they are worried...
Going to wait this one out for a bit.
The main issue with the mRNA vaccine, to me, is the mode of delivery. (I'm a synthetic organic chemist and I have US patents and published scientific articles on similar therapies). What they do in layman's terms is bundle the mRNA into greasy lipids so that it can cross cell membranes. Otherwise, your cells, for good reason, will not let foreign genetic matter inside.
Once you get injected with this modified mRNA, it can potentially cross into many different cell types that the virus doesn't even infect. Hence the potential for massive off-target effects when your immune system begins attacking your own cells. You can end up with an autoimmune disorder especially if the mRNA crosses the blood-brain barrier into the CNS. That's what I suspect was causing Bell's Palsy in some patients.
Dah fuq? I wasn't getting it....and now I definitely am not getting it.
I convinced my parents to avoid the mRNA vaccines. They still got the J&J just because they need to be able to visit my very elderly grandparents. I'm not as familiar with the technology in the J&J vaccine as I never worked on stuff like that directly, but as a scientist who worked with mRNA, no way in hell would I take the Pfizer/Moderna poison
Friendly reminder that J&J is the same company who put asbestos in their talcum powder for decades and lied about it.