If you’re medically able to be vaccinated, there’s no excuse anymore.

The Delta variant ain't nothing to play with either.

You can get it from an unmasked person from 10 feet away and just a few seconds of contact.

Hey! The I.Q. test isn’t that great.

Sorry to disappoint; I'm not getting it until we have several months' more data on its safety. I'm aware it passed all trials for emergency authorization and I'm not saying it isn't safe...I'm just saying that every other vax I've gotten has years and years of solid data backing up its long-term safety.

I'd rather take my chances with COVID than potentially ruin the rest of my life with some freak side effect we didn't pick up early enough in testing.

https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/long-term-effects.html

Okay… your body, your choice, as they say. Nobody’s going to kidnap you in a black helicopter and make you do it.

But.

You do know about “long Covid,” right? How even those who survive can have strange, persistent symptoms? Not fully explained by science.

New and more severe/transmissible variants popping up around the world as we speak?

Yes, you are taking your chances.

Meanwhile, tens of millions have taken the vaccine without incident or any side-effects other than a half-day of flu-like symptoms (my experience, which is typical). Some *very* rare complications have been documented, but that’s to be expected in such a large population.

Overall, it’s safe, and an unprecedented medical miracle to have gotten effective vaccines this quickly. “Operation Warp Speed,” right? That thing Trump bragged about but basically dropped as soon as he lost and the Big Election Lie caught his fancy?

I really do wonder how many of his diehard supporters would be taking the vaccine if he were still President. For no other reason than that. Probably a lot more.

I am fully aware of the dangers COVID poses. I've lost a dear friend to it and in no way underestimate its dangers.

By that same token, I have maintained normal observation of basic hygiene, distancing, and mask usage in any applicable situation. I have avoided the base and UK strains of COVID and the Delta variant poses no new dangers that observation of those rules cannot mitigate.

Additionally, folks in my particular demographic of age and physical health are not in any particular danger of suffering serious effects from the virus' current variants.

If I take the shot now and it's later discovered that some latent effect went undetected, I'm virtually guaranteed to suffer. I've been very successful at avoiding the virus so far and there is no reason to suspect even the delta variant will change that. Therefore, after weighing all this, I'd rather wait for further information on the long term effects of the vaccine. I am very careful with what I put in my body and not having the same reams of data as with other vaccines' long term effects (or lack thereof) makes me quite nervous.