So why in the heck would they use them in the placebo,
Because they can say that they're solely testing the safety of the vaccine itself by comparing the delta of aluminum adjuvant versus vaccine + aluminum adjuvant. And then they can declare victory when the safety delta is small. When in reality, a comparison between saline versus aluminum adjuvant versus vaccine + aluminum adjuvant would probably show a much higher injury differential when comparing saline against either of the other options.
And I've realized that vaccines touch upon a topic I find fascinating: complexity.
Dr. Weinstein, who is a biologist by trade, brings up the idea that biology is the study of complex systems all the time on his podcast.
Because they can say that they're solely testing the safety of the vaccine itself by comparing the delta of aluminum adjuvant versus vaccine + aluminum adjuvant. And then they can declare victory when the safety delta is small. When in reality, a comparison between saline versus aluminum adjuvant versus vaccine + aluminum adjuvant would probably show a much higher injury differential when comparing saline against either of the other options.
Dr. Weinstein, who is a biologist by trade, brings up the idea that biology is the study of complex systems all the time on his podcast.