Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic we have repeatedly been exhorted to follow the science. We are also being belittled if we are against vaccine mandates or show any vaccine hesitency. We are told that anyone who chooses not to get the vaccine is endangering the entire community. However, the science does not support that claim. The CDC admits that fully vaccinated people who have gotten breakthrough cases of either the Delta or the Omicron variant can spread the virus whether or not they show symptoms. So if that is the science, then the only reason to get vaccinated is to protect yourself, not others. I am fully vaccinated but I would never insist that everyone agree with me. Every person needs to discuss the benefits and the risks of getting the vaccine with someone they trust, hopefully their doctor. Please, let’s stop stigmatizing those who choose to not get the jab and recognize that this vaccine is different than the ones for other diseases. The goal of other vaccines is to prevent those vaccinated from getting the disease. Although no vaccine is 100% effective, most vaccinated people do not get the disease at all. And the vaccines are developed over years, not months. I support Operation Warp-speed but it did not allow any study of long-term effects of the shot. Most vaccines take years, even decades to develop. For instance, a polio vaccine was first tested in the 1930s. The results were not good but others continued to work and clinical trials were started in 1954. Since the process for getting the COVID-19 vaccine to market and the way the vaccine works is so different than most vaccines, it is understandable that some people are hesitant to get it. But the most recent science indicates that the only reason to get the vaccine is to personal safety and not for the benefit of those around them. So isn’t it time to follow the science and stop stigmatizing those who have decided, for whatever reason, that the vaccine doesn’t make sense for them?