These vaccines were invented a year ago. Especially given the emergency this virus has created, I can't help but wonder how life would have been different if the trials were open to anyone who wanted one.
"This vaccine probably works. We won't know for sure until December. If you want to try it anyway, come get one. Otherwise, we'll let you know when the trials are completed."
It's heartbreaking to think about all of the irreplaceable experiences people missed this year, especially for those who didn't live to see the end of this pandemic. Of course I'm glad for all the people who didn't catch the virus, but the costs are too infrequently considered. Our regulatory bureaucracy was insanely expensive this year in terms of our most valuable resource: quality time. Nobody even questions it; we just accept that this is how it's supposed to work, because it's all we've ever experienced.
"This vaccine probably works. We won't know for sure until December. If you want to try it anyway, come get one. Otherwise, we'll let you know when the trials are completed."
It's heartbreaking to think about all of the irreplaceable experiences people missed this year, especially for those who didn't live to see the end of this pandemic. Of course I'm glad for all the people who didn't catch the virus, but the costs are too infrequently considered. Our regulatory bureaucracy was insanely expensive this year in terms of our most valuable resource: quality time. Nobody even questions it; we just accept that this is how it's supposed to work, because it's all we've ever experienced.