The risks of developing COVID-19 far outweigh any risks with the vaccine. Because the vaccines have now been tested in tens of millions of people, not just tens of thousands, tens of millions, and no show stoppers have occurred, no serious problems have occurred.
The older you are, just age itself, is the biggest risk factor for COVID-19 in terms of severe disease requiring hospitalisation and the risk of dying. So the older you are, the greater the risk, and therefore the greater the need for the vaccine.
As you come down to younger age groups, then the risk is of “Long COVID”, and that is you get the disease, you don’t end up in hospital, but you’re sick for a long time. And that’s the sort of thing that the vaccine hopefully will prevent as well.
Dr Norman Swan, Physician and Journalist
