I read the latest coronavirus nonsense opinion from Rob Kerchner (letters, May 26) with some apprehension due to his prior politicalization of this issue. He stated that the results of a New England Journal of Medicine report had concluded that there was “no benefit at all from getting the COVID vaccine for a cohort who was especially vulnerable to getting the virus” — which means nursing home residents. A reminder: COVID was killing elderly nursing home residents in great numbers prior to the availability of vaccines.
Mr. Kerchner relies on opinions by other than the NEJM for other nonsensical observations on vaccines, while ignoring that vaccines were primarily responsible for saving many more lives than the million Americans who died. Kerchner states that the government “forced us to take their experimental vaccine which didn’t work as advertised” — not true — and in many ways made it even worse — not true.
Here is what the NEJM actually says: “These findings show the real-world effectiveness of the mRNA vaccines in reducing asymptomatic and symptomatic SARS-CoV-2 infections in a vulnerable nursing home population.” The Centers for Disease Control says: “All persons aged 6 months or older should receive one or more bivalent vaccine doses.”
My advice: Take medical advice from Mr. Kerchner at your own risk.
Thomas Oatway
Valencia
