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Did you know I was reluctant to get vaccinated at first but changed my mind?
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As an ID physician I was skeptical that making a #COVIDvaccine could be done after years of failure on prior coronavirus vaccines. I also was skeptical that it could be done quickly & safely given our approval processes.
I was betrayed by my self-perceived âexpertise!â What I did not know at the beginning of the pandemic that a MERS-CoV 
candidate had been made and used the spike protein as its 
.
candidate had been made and used the spike protein as its .
Why didnât I know despite being in the field? Because we moved on from MERS-CoV. Because it didnât apply to my patients. The last person I saw who I was concerned about 
was in 2013.
was in 2013.
Also, I wasnât following the conversation about mRNA closely. To me it was about bottom lineâ if they werenât available to my patients, I would wait before learning about them.
closely. To me it was about bottom lineâ if they werenât available to my patients, I would wait before learning about them.
Luckily for everyone, the decades of SARS and MERS-CoV 
went on without my biases and ignorance. Luckily for everyone, decades of mRNA research and trials (yes, including human trials) went on although not immediately relevant to me!
went on without my biases and ignorance. Luckily for everyone, decades of mRNA research and trials (yes, including human trials) went on although not immediately relevant to me!
When did I begin to believe it could happen? October, when I started to investigate more.
When did I decide to get one?
Well, in November when the Pfizer and Moderna announcements came out, I said to myself, âlet me read all the FDA paperwork & decide for myself.â
When did I decide to get one?
Well, in November when the Pfizer and Moderna announcements came out, I said to myself, âlet me read all the FDA paperwork & decide for myself.â
Now hereâs where my experience finally helped me. All I do for a living is critically appraise literature and then apply it to my patients. Also, unlike another physician specialties, I have 9.5 years of experience doing this solely in the field of Infectious Disease.
the 
FDA has been incredibly transparent through this process. All of the data was made available TO THE PUBLIC. All of the discussions were made available FREE TO STREAM online.
FDA has been incredibly transparent through this process. All of the data was made available TO THE PUBLIC. All of the discussions were made available FREE TO STREAM online.
I read the Pfizer & Moderna data and virtually âwentâ to hours of discussion where I witnessed a nuanced and thoughtful review of the facts by top scientists.
But honestly the data was so good that before the meetings it was apparent that these vaccines worked, and were FAR SAFER than catching COVID-19.
I saw that the phase 1, 2, & 3 trials were not rushed- the timing & funding was perfect to propel this effort forward. The scientists involved in the EUA were sophisticated, thorough, and detail oriented. They took this job seriously and thoughtfully. We were in good hands.
I was wrong back in March. I was skeptical of everything except my own lack of knowledge. I was wrong that it couldnât be done, it wouldnât be safe, or that I wouldnât take it. I didnât account for how quickly this could be done with billions of 
and the right timing.
and the right timing.
I have never been so happy in my life to be so wrong!
I am humbled- I learned lots of lessons here.
#1- be careful, a little knowledge is a dangerous thing (this is to me!)
#2- itâs hard to predict what science will be useful- so letâs study it all!
#3- if one is skeptical/cautious about this, I was tooâ be flexible, open, ask ?s
#1- be careful, a little knowledge is a dangerous thing (this is to me!)
#2- itâs hard to predict what science will be useful- so letâs study it all!
#3- if one is skeptical/cautious about this, I was tooâ be flexible, open, ask ?s
This is re-posted here for you @chungk1031