We were fully vaccinated in March. We live in a state that is 70% vaccinated, in a county that is 80% vaccinated. We wear our masks when we leave the house, and when we are arrant people we do not know. We do not socialize with those who are not vaccinated.
The willful ignorance that so may citizens share is the real epidemic. And we all know who throw gasoline on the fire.
I have witnessed a lot in my 68 years, but I have never been as worried about our country.
We are going to have to treat the anti-maskers and anti-vaxxers as complete social pariahs. They should be denied access to just about every place: banks, stores ( including grocery stores) all restaurants, libraries, and all sports and entertainment venues. Their children should be denied admission to all schools from day-care to universities. They are not fit to be part of civilized society— they are willfully ignorant, selfish monsters who are potential mass murderers and they should be treated that way.
Day after day I read stories of people who did not 'believe it was dangerous, deadly,' or that 'it's just like the flu, you're going to not die from this' and the next thing you know, they're dying in the ICU of COVID-19, and regretting having not believed the experts.
That's is what it is going to take, literally. It's going to take more people dying and suffering from long COVID, and regretting not taking this virus seriously to make people understand that this virus is nothing to fuck around with.
I did it myself-I work in a retail pharmacy chain (and used to be a pharmacy tech for 17 years) and I was in a panic to get my shots. I knew how bad this would get. I wasn't under any illusions about that.
So I got the last one in March, and immediately called up my 75 year old brother who lives in Alaska (an high infection rate state) to tell him that "I'm totally vaccinated! I feel so awesome!".
His SO called me back later on that month to thank me for doing that, because despite his being very intelligent and well read, had some 'serious misgivings' about the vaccine and was not going to get it.
My phone call made all the difference. He and she were going to get vaccinated (and they are now.)
I think that's what it is going to take-personal experiences of either bad or good outcomes and keep hammering home the message:
"COVID-19 is a deadly disease and will kill you or leave you maimed beyond belief if you do not get vaccinated."
Because you never expect the Spanish Inquisition, either-or the Black Death-but you might as well get prepared for them.
Lucian, reading this fine essay my fertile imagination conjured Peter Graves standing before a room filled with generals and scientists seated around a conference table explaining the alien pods or Godzilla and Mothra. We watched this saga at Saturday Matinees as Jonas Salk worked feverishly in Pittsburgh to save us from polio. The real monster that frightened our parents was the virus although it was the big ones on the big screen scared us more. We have not come too far or learned enough. The monster is on the small screen now, grinning and lying, grinning and lying as children begin to die in this hot humid ghastly summer. I do not know what it will take for reality and sanity to reach the standard ending of a black and white B-grade horror movie.
Thank you for shouting this from the rooftops (not that it will reach the folks who need to hear it most, because frankly, they're stupid). One of my nephews worked on the Moderna vaccine project; he said it very simply, and I paraphrase, as I'm not a PhD: "Ebola is a dumb virus. You can only get it by touching someone with Ebola. COVID is a smart virus. It spreads through the air and finds ways to survive."
The school district in the town next to mine has decided that masks will be optional for all vaccinated and UNVACCINATED high school students this year. I feel like I’m living in the twilight zone. Unbelievable! There are 12,000 students in that school district not including the teachers and the staff. It has been reported that there is an “Unmask My Child” campaign and big groups of people are going to these school board meetings and trying to convince the boards to not require masks. I also read an article that said the emergency use status is what is preventing the federal government/ states from issuing a mandate requiring vaccines. It said that Pfizer should receive FDA approval this fall and then mandates can begin.
The rampant stupidity in this country is mind boggling. And demoralizing. It's really not that complicated. If only Mr. Darwin were around to add this episode to his research...
A news channel interviewed a patient in Louisiana who twanged,”I still would never get the vaccination…because the local, state and federal governments want to shove this down our throats…”
Well, let’s clarify something: THAT is not a “reason”—it’s an emotional REACTION. Fact has nothing to do with it. It’s childish and dangerous. Do we put three-year-olds in charge of adult decisions?
Secondly, who is paying the medical bills in this situation? That yin-yang surely can’t afford ICU/ isolation costs on top of the in-patient care etc, etc, …those that violate public health tenants should have to pay the debts they incur.
To its credit, the nyTimes began paying serious attention early to Linsey Marr, the Virginia Tech aerosol scientist/infectious disease specialist. Hers was a lonely voice in the wilderness crying out that the probability of airborne spread deserved much more concern than it was getting. The public was wrapping thin bandanas if anything over mouth and nose then, while scrubbing as if for surgery and leaving vigorously disinfected grocery containers in the garage for days before bringing them indoors.
What the Times passed along of Marr's research was so persuasive I watched what I breathed and never paid undo heed to all that disinfecting advice. (I did learn that my longtime fave homebrew, Clorox and white vinegar, is supposedly as deadly as the notorious Clorox and ammonia combination.)
W.H.0. finally stopped dragging its heels on aerosols only when absolutely forced to. I consider its and all agencies' guidelines compromised. If cases are on the rise around here I tighten my mask, if falling I eagerly dine outdoors unmasked with vaccinated friends. That's it. My age defines me as vulnerable. I guess I'm going to be masked in public, trying to keep my distance, the rest of my days. Booster shots for us will probably be inevitable.
I just want my vaccination passport. If measles, smallpox, and chickenpox vaccines can be mandated why the hell not Covid-19? The situation is idiotic.
My experience with influenza has taught me that I need a vaccination every year because the virus mutates and different strains need to be in this year's vaccines than were in last year's. Why would the COVID-19 virus be any different? I expect to need a booster every year.
Macron's decisive action underscores what we're missing in the U.S.: leadership. The scientists are doing what they're supposed to do. Making public policy isn't their job. Those who do make public policy need to listen closely to scientists and other experts, but then they have to make decisions based on information that is, and always will be, incomplete. That's what we're missing, and we were missing it long before Covid-19 showed up. The people whose job is to make public policy and *lead* are instead mostly obsessing about poll numbers and fundraising for the next campaign. For Republicans in particular, trashing anyone they don't like makes the approval ratings go up and the dollars roll in, so that's what they do. A good leader has to risk being wrong -- s/he can reduce the risk by gathering and analyzing information, but the risk can't be reduced to zero. I have no military background, but maybe military leadership has something to offer us here? In a crisis, endless dawdling and infighting aren't options. How to get that idea across to our elected officials?
If people would only realize that vaccination will stop it from spreading BEFORE IT MUTATES!! It may as you say here mutate enough so even the vaccinated won’t be protected! We could be sadly back to square one! In this case ignorance isn’t bliss; it’s death!
Thank you for this column. You’re correct - at some point people WILL look back in bewilderment. WTF, indeed!
Ask people why there are few , if any, cases of Smallpox or polio anymore. Why? Vaccinations! I can’t believe how stupidly stubborn many of the anti-vaxxers seem to be. Do they REALLY think the vaccine is more dangerous than Covid? Maybe this proves Darwin’s theory of natural selection. It’s just so SAD that too many are being affected / infected as a result.
We were fully vaccinated in March. We live in a state that is 70% vaccinated, in a county that is 80% vaccinated. We wear our masks when we leave the house, and when we are arrant people we do not know. We do not socialize with those who are not vaccinated.
The willful ignorance that so may citizens share is the real epidemic. And we all know who throw gasoline on the fire.
I have witnessed a lot in my 68 years, but I have never been as worried about our country.
We are going to have to treat the anti-maskers and anti-vaxxers as complete social pariahs. They should be denied access to just about every place: banks, stores ( including grocery stores) all restaurants, libraries, and all sports and entertainment venues. Their children should be denied admission to all schools from day-care to universities. They are not fit to be part of civilized society— they are willfully ignorant, selfish monsters who are potential mass murderers and they should be treated that way.
Day after day I read stories of people who did not 'believe it was dangerous, deadly,' or that 'it's just like the flu, you're going to not die from this' and the next thing you know, they're dying in the ICU of COVID-19, and regretting having not believed the experts.
That's is what it is going to take, literally. It's going to take more people dying and suffering from long COVID, and regretting not taking this virus seriously to make people understand that this virus is nothing to fuck around with.
I did it myself-I work in a retail pharmacy chain (and used to be a pharmacy tech for 17 years) and I was in a panic to get my shots. I knew how bad this would get. I wasn't under any illusions about that.
So I got the last one in March, and immediately called up my 75 year old brother who lives in Alaska (an high infection rate state) to tell him that "I'm totally vaccinated! I feel so awesome!".
His SO called me back later on that month to thank me for doing that, because despite his being very intelligent and well read, had some 'serious misgivings' about the vaccine and was not going to get it.
My phone call made all the difference. He and she were going to get vaccinated (and they are now.)
I think that's what it is going to take-personal experiences of either bad or good outcomes and keep hammering home the message:
"COVID-19 is a deadly disease and will kill you or leave you maimed beyond belief if you do not get vaccinated."
Because you never expect the Spanish Inquisition, either-or the Black Death-but you might as well get prepared for them.
Lucian, reading this fine essay my fertile imagination conjured Peter Graves standing before a room filled with generals and scientists seated around a conference table explaining the alien pods or Godzilla and Mothra. We watched this saga at Saturday Matinees as Jonas Salk worked feverishly in Pittsburgh to save us from polio. The real monster that frightened our parents was the virus although it was the big ones on the big screen scared us more. We have not come too far or learned enough. The monster is on the small screen now, grinning and lying, grinning and lying as children begin to die in this hot humid ghastly summer. I do not know what it will take for reality and sanity to reach the standard ending of a black and white B-grade horror movie.
Thank you for shouting this from the rooftops (not that it will reach the folks who need to hear it most, because frankly, they're stupid). One of my nephews worked on the Moderna vaccine project; he said it very simply, and I paraphrase, as I'm not a PhD: "Ebola is a dumb virus. You can only get it by touching someone with Ebola. COVID is a smart virus. It spreads through the air and finds ways to survive."
If ignorance truly is bliss, "we, the people" must be some ecstatic motherf*ckers!
The school district in the town next to mine has decided that masks will be optional for all vaccinated and UNVACCINATED high school students this year. I feel like I’m living in the twilight zone. Unbelievable! There are 12,000 students in that school district not including the teachers and the staff. It has been reported that there is an “Unmask My Child” campaign and big groups of people are going to these school board meetings and trying to convince the boards to not require masks. I also read an article that said the emergency use status is what is preventing the federal government/ states from issuing a mandate requiring vaccines. It said that Pfizer should receive FDA approval this fall and then mandates can begin.
The rampant stupidity in this country is mind boggling. And demoralizing. It's really not that complicated. If only Mr. Darwin were around to add this episode to his research...
A news channel interviewed a patient in Louisiana who twanged,”I still would never get the vaccination…because the local, state and federal governments want to shove this down our throats…”
Well, let’s clarify something: THAT is not a “reason”—it’s an emotional REACTION. Fact has nothing to do with it. It’s childish and dangerous. Do we put three-year-olds in charge of adult decisions?
Secondly, who is paying the medical bills in this situation? That yin-yang surely can’t afford ICU/ isolation costs on top of the in-patient care etc, etc, …those that violate public health tenants should have to pay the debts they incur.
To its credit, the nyTimes began paying serious attention early to Linsey Marr, the Virginia Tech aerosol scientist/infectious disease specialist. Hers was a lonely voice in the wilderness crying out that the probability of airborne spread deserved much more concern than it was getting. The public was wrapping thin bandanas if anything over mouth and nose then, while scrubbing as if for surgery and leaving vigorously disinfected grocery containers in the garage for days before bringing them indoors.
What the Times passed along of Marr's research was so persuasive I watched what I breathed and never paid undo heed to all that disinfecting advice. (I did learn that my longtime fave homebrew, Clorox and white vinegar, is supposedly as deadly as the notorious Clorox and ammonia combination.)
W.H.0. finally stopped dragging its heels on aerosols only when absolutely forced to. I consider its and all agencies' guidelines compromised. If cases are on the rise around here I tighten my mask, if falling I eagerly dine outdoors unmasked with vaccinated friends. That's it. My age defines me as vulnerable. I guess I'm going to be masked in public, trying to keep my distance, the rest of my days. Booster shots for us will probably be inevitable.
I just want my vaccination passport. If measles, smallpox, and chickenpox vaccines can be mandated why the hell not Covid-19? The situation is idiotic.
————————
My experience with influenza has taught me that I need a vaccination every year because the virus mutates and different strains need to be in this year's vaccines than were in last year's. Why would the COVID-19 virus be any different? I expect to need a booster every year.
I couldn’t agree with you more….thank you for saying what I have been thinking….
Even DeSantis is now touting vaccination as well as assorted Fox drones...just in time.
Macron's decisive action underscores what we're missing in the U.S.: leadership. The scientists are doing what they're supposed to do. Making public policy isn't their job. Those who do make public policy need to listen closely to scientists and other experts, but then they have to make decisions based on information that is, and always will be, incomplete. That's what we're missing, and we were missing it long before Covid-19 showed up. The people whose job is to make public policy and *lead* are instead mostly obsessing about poll numbers and fundraising for the next campaign. For Republicans in particular, trashing anyone they don't like makes the approval ratings go up and the dollars roll in, so that's what they do. A good leader has to risk being wrong -- s/he can reduce the risk by gathering and analyzing information, but the risk can't be reduced to zero. I have no military background, but maybe military leadership has something to offer us here? In a crisis, endless dawdling and infighting aren't options. How to get that idea across to our elected officials?
If people would only realize that vaccination will stop it from spreading BEFORE IT MUTATES!! It may as you say here mutate enough so even the vaccinated won’t be protected! We could be sadly back to square one! In this case ignorance isn’t bliss; it’s death!
Thank you for this column. You’re correct - at some point people WILL look back in bewilderment. WTF, indeed!
Ask people why there are few , if any, cases of Smallpox or polio anymore. Why? Vaccinations! I can’t believe how stupidly stubborn many of the anti-vaxxers seem to be. Do they REALLY think the vaccine is more dangerous than Covid? Maybe this proves Darwin’s theory of natural selection. It’s just so SAD that too many are being affected / infected as a result.