‘It is also an unarguable fact that the long-term possible harmful side effects are not known and won’t be clearly known for years’

• YOU reported about “hesitancy” to have the vaccine among health workers, (One million vaccine jabs in just seven days, May 13).

This was ascribed to a mixture of reasons including mistrust of authority, religious beliefs and conspiracy theories.

Nowhere was mentioned something that health workers will be far more aware of than any other group – the fact that all medical treatments carry risk. That surely will be a very substantial portion of the reason for reluctance to be vaccinated.

First, a huge number of short-term side effects have been reported via the yellow card scheme, which any patient can use, yet they will be only a small proportion of the actual numbers. Most people will not even be aware of the reporting system let alone have used it.

It is also an unarguable fact that the long-term possible harmful side effects are not known and won’t be clearly known for years.

How could they be with a new medication, of new type, unlike traditional vaccines? Indeed it’s for that reason that the vaccines were given emergency licences.

Perhaps there will be little or no harm but no one can be sure one way or another. Would anyone care to dispute that?

If people say to themselves that they are at little serious risk personally from the disease – which applies to a large proportion of people – is it not a perfectly sensible and reasonable decision not to have the treatment?

There is a return on having the treatment and also a risk. And the two have to be balanced, an everyday procedure generally in medicine in every individual case.

You do not need solely conspiracy theories like 5G or sneakily inserted microchips to explain vaccine “hesitancy” or general distrust of authority or anything else.

Why are these issues being so little discussed in newspapers? Because it’s seen as in the public interest not to draw much attention to the fact that this treatment, like all others, carries risk?

A great way to create suspicion. Let’s have open discussion!

MICHAEL NEWLAND
Leighton Road, NW5