Vaccine should be choice

I am unvaccinated. I feel as if I can no longer remain silent because myself and others are being marginalized. We all have a right to self determination. I am not anti-vaccine, but I do have significant concerns about the safety and effectiveness of the COVID-19 vaccination.

Let's look at the facts. Most vaccines require years of testing and retesting for approval and certification of safety. This didn't happen here. The vaccine was rapidly developed and put on emergency use authorization which allowed some of the safety protocols to be lessened. This vaccine was tested on only 30,000 people before the release of millions of doses. The effectiveness was calculated and is still a subject of controversy. All the manufactures of the vaccine have never said that it would prevent the disease. What they said was it will decrease the severity. A vaccine prevents disease, a therapeutic treats disease. Therefore this medication is a therapy drug, not a disease prevention. During the emergency use authorization the manufactures could change the formulation at will and only after final approval did they submit vaccine components and excipients (this is other components within the formula).

People have the right to autonomy. Whether it is popular or not is irrelevant. Our ability to choose our own path is sacred in the USA and needs to remain. No one should be compelled by threat or coercion to inject a chemical into their body without consent. Freedom of choice is vital.

ERIC MORTON, Cape Girardeau