Dear Editor,
Covid-19 is here to stay. However, a vaccine fully approved by the Food and Drug Administration is not yet available. Full approval of a vaccine historically takes about 7 years.
The three vaccines approved for use in the United States only promise to prevent serious side effects if you catch Covid. This seems to be a valid claim; very few of the post–vaccinated have been hospitalized. But even if vaccinated you can still get the Covid bug and possibly infect others. We all have been offered flu shots each Fall for the past several years. Each year the shot is meant for the flu bug variant expected that year. Covid-19 is a super-flu. It has killed about ten times as many in the U.S. this past year as has the ”flu” in recent history.
A vaccine fully approved will have been proven to prevent infection, to have no serious side effects, and its age effectiveness (what ages is it good for, and how long) will be demonstrated. The current vaccines are so far approved for emergency use (Emergency Use Authorization – EUA), but haven’t been proved to prevent infection and aren’t rated for age effectiveness – much more testing required for full approval. But again these vaccines are proved to prevent serious reactions to Covid. So if you are an adult, get vaccinated so you don’t get sick.
Stuart Deans,
Lockwood, MT
