Jim Gearhart: To vaccinate or not to vaccinate (Opinion)

As the Pfizer coronavirus vaccine is approved for use, Jim Gearhart says he is working through a decision on whether or not he will take the shot and when.

That was part of the discussion in the latest weekly Jim Gearhart podcast and Facebook Live show, presented every Thursday at 10:30 a.m. at Facebook.com/NJ1015.

Jim said he is wary of a drug that has not been proven over the long term despite the assurance of a doctor he trusts.

“I was talking about this with Dr. Michael Wong, the eminent ophthalmologist whom I respect tremendously from the Princeton Eye Group. He says that what he calls the platform of the drug is fundamentally very sound,” Jim said.

On the other hand, the trials for the drug only went on for several months and its potential side effects a year from now are unknown.

Jim remembered lining up outside a firehouse in the early 1950s for the polio vaccine, which successfully wiped out the disease.

Jim also says that there is a profit to be made by the pharmaceutical industry in developing the coronavirus vaccine.

“I don’t know the inner workings of the pharmaceutical industry except that it’s driven not by philanthropic incentives but by profit. Follow the money. They’re not going to do this out of the milk of kindness and warmness of heart. They’re going to make some money on it somehow or other,” Jim says.

The Jim Gearhart Show podcast is available every week on New Jersey 101.5 and in the New Jersey 101.5 app. You can also subscribe with your favorite podcasting app for iPhones, Android devices.

The Jim Gearhart show is LIVE on Facebook every Thursday at 10:30 a.m., at Facebook.com/NJ1015. Got an idea for an upcoming installment of Jim's show? Meet Jim at Facebook.com/NJ1015 to suggest it in the comments, or email Jim@nj1015.com.

The post above reflects the thoughts and observations of New Jersey 101.5's Jim Gearhart. Any opinions expressed are Jim's own.