The Signorile Report
The Signorile Report
Caller defends anti-vax daughter: She's "following the science"
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Caller defends anti-vax daughter: She's "following the science"

Anthony from New York says 23-year-old is making "risk/reward" decision
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In a discussion on my SiriusXM program focused on the fact that many Americans are still not vaccinated against coronavirus — the U.S. goal of 70% vaccinated by July 4th was missed — Anthony from New York called in.

He claimed that he’s been vaccinated and that his wife, who is a cancer patient, at first waited, but her doctor then okayed it, and she is now vaccinated.

Why I say he “claimed” this is because everything that followed seemed to indicate he might be an anti-vaxxer but maybe was wanting to complicate his argument a bit. No matter — whether he was telling the truth about himself or not, the rest of what he said was dangerous misinformation.

Anthony went on to say that his 23-year-old daughter was not vaccinated and has no intention of getting vaccinated. He completely respects, even supports, her decision, he said, because the “science isn’t there yet that will illustrate long-term effects or even short-term side effects” of the vaccine.

“If I had a child,” Anthony said, “I absolutely, positively would not allow them to get this vaccination until there’s more science available.”

Again, it does raise a simple question: Why, then, did he get vaccinated — if he did?

But, whatever. His statement is ridiculous for this simple reason: We do know the short-term and long-term side effects of coronavirus and they include death —hundreds of thousands Americans dead, to be precise. And the other effects, for those who live, no matter their age, include debilitating ongoing illnesses, including heart disease and lung problems.

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And that had happened in just the first six months of coronavirus.

In the first six months of the vaccines, there’s been nothing even remotely similar in terms of side effects, and millions have been protected from Covid-19, with cases plunging. A tiny number of people who had developed blood clots from one vaccine, the Johnson & Johnson vaccine — only 7 people per million. And mild short term side effects like fever and fatigue occurred for some people from all the vaccines, which subsided in a matter of days.

Anthony was demanding studies, and saying until then his daughter is making a “risk/reward” assessment. But that is completely false. The studies on safety and efficacy were done on the Covid-19 vaccines last fall to warrant emergency approval to fight a virus that is deadly. Those studies shows the rewards of the vaccine far exceeds the risks.

Further studies are being done as the vaccine makers are seeking full approval, but over 331 million doses of COVID-19 vaccine have been given in the United States from December 14, 2020, through July 6, 2021, and it’s saved millions of lives. And at this point, it’s highly unlikely long-term side effects will develop as side effects emerge in vaccines in the first weeks or don’t emerge at all. Per the CDC:

Serious side effects that could cause a long-term health problem are extremely unlikely following any vaccination, including COVID-19 vaccination. Vaccine monitoring has historically shown that side effects generally happen within six weeks of receiving a vaccine dose. For this reason, the FDA required each of the authorized COVID-19 vaccines to be studied for at least two months (eight weeks) after the final dose. Millions of people have received COVID-19 vaccines, and no long-term side effects have been detected.

Anthony claimed I resorted to an “emotional” argument by strongly condemning his garbage science, a tactic to negate criticism and shut down discussion. And some people might think I was harsh. But the truth is, he was pushing dangerous disinformation and I had to slam it hard and not allow it on the air any longer.

Listen in and let me know your thoughts.

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