Re:US agencies call for pause in Johnson & Johnson vaccine
by mhb on Tuesday April 13, 2021 @03:12PM
(#26797525)
I don't think anyone would disagree that if there were no cost to delaying supplies of the vaccine then we should do that. But that's simply not credible. The governor of Michigan seems to think that additional vaccine does would be helpful.[1]
Suggesting that effects on the order of the ones seen here is a good reason to delay the vaccine should make people doubt the ability of our public health authorities to make reasonable tradeoffs.
[1] Michigan's Democratic Gov. Gretchen Whitmer declared her state a "COVID hotspot" as cases continue to rise and has asked the federal government to increase vaccines in response. https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/cdc-director-michigan-vaccin...
Leading to more people delaying their vaccination. Supply is currently at a level that all doses available are administered, but to the extent lost confidence results in longer delay for high risk patients, that has a cost. When supply exceeds demand, lost confidence will have a cost for those low risk people who delay, as well as the general population which loses out on wider immunity. Delaying the vaccine now certainly also has some cost of the same type, but it's bounded. Another case of a vaccine campaign ignoring warning signs and proceeding without pausing to consider appropriate response to issues as they arise will affect this campaign as well as future campaigns.