If you want to avoid the virus, you have to socially distance. That was true in March 2020, still true in September 2021.
The new booster policy of starting with the elderly and then (possibly) those with underlying conditions, shows how we should've handled the vaccine rollout from the beginning. I think we are on the cusp of making the realization that the virus is here to stay and that those that need the vaccine should get it and the rest of us either need to keep socially distancing to avoid it or live healthy enough to ward off the necrosis enervated by the Covid-19.
The current debate about giving the vaccine to children is the height of foolishness. Teaching children to live healthy through diet and exercise and hygiene will be infinitely more valuable to them than giving them a vaccine that merely gives them antibodies they could just as easily form naturally.
I was never convinced of the necessity of forcing a vaccine on the masses as a means of limiting the lethality of a virus and I am even less convinced now that the vaccine has shown itself to be limited at best. The masses need to live healthier lives to outrun the Covid-19, because a vaccine strikes me as likely to weaken an immune system over time as strengthen it. Whereas living a healthy life will be a much greater guarantee of...well...living a healthy life.
By "living healthier" I mean specifically: avoid processed sugar, don't drink, don't smoke, get regular cardio exercise, stay hydrated, wash your hands and (probably the hardest of all) you should only hang around others that have similarly health-conscious habits and hobbies. This is how your defeat Covid-19 and if you can't do any of these things, then you should get the vaccine. But if you can do these things....why aren't you doing them?
The co-morbidities are what kill you, not the virus. The virus wants to live in a healthy host for a long time, flaring up periodically so as to increase transmissibility, it doesn't want a body close to death. In the Western Hemisphere--USA especially--we keep unhealthy people alive a lot longer and when a new respiratory pathogen enters the Human world, it is most dangerous to those close to death (even if they're closer than they realize). The reason USA has higher fatalities than most other countries is that we generally do a better job of keeping people alive longer, even if they are not living healthier.
If you were born after the year 2000 anywhere on planet Earth, then you will undoubtedly encounter Covid-19 at some point in your lifetime. Living healthy is the lesson to learn. If you are under the age of 20 and you are afraid of Covid-19, then, brother, Covid-19 is not your problem; you need to take care of your body because this bogeyman will kill you if let it. It's not trying to kill you, so if you live healthy then the vaccine shouldn't be necessary until you get old enough to need it (that's my plan anyway).
This is not a condemnation of the vaccine. Far from it. For the elderly, the obese, and those with respiratory conditions, this is a life-saving treatment. For most everyone else, it is medicine they don't need. And the idea that the US gov't is forcing it on the masses should give us all great pause. Nothing the US gov't has ever done has come without consequences or miscalculations. A vaccine for a disease that kills a tiny percentage of the people that get it (*) does not warrant such a show of force.
The plan is to spread a vaccine through the masses so that the virus itself can circulate freely in a manner that is less deadly. This could turn out to be a worthwhile strategy. The idea is to encourage vax-derived antibodies to form in the bulk of the population thus giving them ongoing immunity to future outbreaks of the same virus. That could work, that could be a worthwhile method to get the masses back to work, back to living their lives and minimizing the impact of the virus itself. Note that eradicating the virus is not the strategy, but circulating the virus even more is the strategy of a mass vaccination.
But, the idea that the vax-derived immunity is better than the virus-derived immunity (or that vaccines don't have their own side effects), is not plainly obvious. I'm willing to accept that it could be an effective strategy but I have yet to see the evidence that it is working. Furthermore, that isn't really the argument that the powers-that-be are currently making. We should hope it works because basically Biden's mandate is designed to let the virus circulate freely among a vaccinated population.
The idea that the vaccine stops the spread of the virus is simply bogus; indeed, the whole point of the vaccine is that it keeps the virus from doing damage once you get it! It doesn't keep you from getting it or from passing it on to someone else. If that's what you think then you have been misinformation-ed.
Vaccination is a great backstop, but notice on the August 13 CDC Report, all the recommendations about masking, social distancing, washing your hands, avoiding crowds, etc., come after getting vaccinated. The CDC is clearly reminding you that vaccination in and of itself does not stop the danger of getting or spreading the virus. The vaccine is nice but if you're not doing all the other things, too, well, you're just carrying an umbrella on a sunny day (and probably loudly wondering why everyone else doesn't have their sunny day umbrella at the ready). Again: not a refutation of vaccines, they are great at what they do, but what they don't do is stop the transmissibility of the virus; indeed, the whole point is to spread the virus ever wider but ideally in ever safer conditions.
The current social turmoil is emblematic of the fact that the Partisans are comfortable playing with our lives. Frankly, from the vantage point of the POTUS, all these American lives were pretty much gonna work out this way anyway. He doesn't have to feel any guilt because at his altitude we all look the same to him. And if his medical people are telling him to go wide wide wide with the vaccination, well, it probably sounds like a fine idea to him. He gets to spend money on frivolous drugs (that ought to be going to other more needy people around the world) and tell himself that he saved lives whether he did or not, what's the harm in that? Of course he hasn't really saved lives.
Viruses don't want to kill. Indeed, they're trying really hard to not kill their hosts. A dead host means the termination of the virus and viruses want to get into more and more hosts. The reason people die from a virus (like, say, Covid-19) is because the first time their body interacts with it, the sheer strangeness of it overwhelms the immune system and those people that are close to death (or closer than they realize) may not be able to overcome the shock of the introduction of a new pathogen.
What about variants? Viruses vary, that's what they do. Basically a virus has to reinvent itself every time it enters a new host and it wants to enter as many hosts as possible. It wants to infect people in Southern California and sub-Saharan Africa and Eastern Europe and the highlands of Mongolia, but all of those people have different diets, different habits, different modes of social interaction, thus the virus has to morph itself again and again to spread.
The "increased viral load" doesn't make the virus more lethal but merely more transmissible. Viruses do not want to kill you but they do want to spread. So the "viral load" is about moving between bodies but what it does within each body is gonna be pretty much the same. But what about the higher death totals of the delta variant? I would suggest that is a function of the decrease of social distancing that Americans began to embrace in the Spring and Summer of 2021. The disease isn't any different, it still infects your lungs and puts the same pressure on your system as it did before. But the amount of people available to be infected was much greater because after the introduction of vaccines, more people stopped masking and/or social distancing. Think of it this way: a forest fire causes more damage in a big forest as opposed to a small forest; but it's still the same fire having the same effect. It isn't the fire that is different in this scenario, but the sheer amount of forest to burn. Less social distancing means more potential incubators of the virus.
We are lucky to live in an age when lab-created vaccines can help us overcome all kinds of pathogens out there in the world. The vaccine is a good thing. But, let us be realistic about what the vaccine can do. The vaccine helps you survive the virus, it does not keep you from getting the virus. It keeps the symptoms of the virus and its overall effect minimized so that the host's natural immunity can provide enough support to survive the impact of the virus. It does not keep you from getting the virus. The vaccine is not prophylactic, it is therapeutic. It does not prevent the virus, it minimizes the dangers of the virus when present. It does not keep you from getting the virus.
If you read between the lines of what I just wrote, I think you'll see that: the vaccine does not keep you from getting the virus. That is not what the vaccine does. The vaccine keeps you from dying of the virus--and that's great! That is a great thing! The vaccine is a great thing! It will save many lives and that is great! But it will not stop the spread of the virus.
Only social distancing will keep you from getting the virus and the mask is a great minimizer of viral transmission. The vaccine won't do those things. So if you get the vaccine--and if you're at risk of death then I would highly encourage you to get the vaccine--that does not keep you from needing to socially distance or wear the mask. If you forego the social distancing and/or the mask then you are announcing that you are not afraid of the effects of the virus, ostensibly because you are vaccinated and you assume you will survive your bout with it. Okay, if you're eager to get the virus because you know you can beat it, that's great. I think most people (even American people) will survive the virus without the vaccine just fine. But if you want it, you should go get it. But if you think other people need to get vaccine, I think you should mind ya business.
Think of Covid-19 as two parts: there is the part that lives in your sinuses (throat) and wants to get out and infect other people and there is the part that gets into your lungs and makes you sick. The vaccine is really great for the second part but doesn't do anything for the first part. Do you understand that? The vaccines lower your symptoms and ease the impact of the virus itself, it does not keep the virus out and since you are now hopefully asymptomatic, you are likely to pass the virus thinking that you are incapable of getting it--but you are not incapable of getting it, indeed, you are making yourself available to it because you are vaccinated and don't fear it. Do you understand that getting vaccinated does not effect your ability to get (or to transmit to others) the virus? Decreasing the spread of the virus is not a function of the vaccine.
From the July 27 CDC Report: "Added a recommendation for fully vaccinated people to wear a mask in public indoor settings". If being fully vaccinated meant you could not get (or spread) the virus, then why the need for a mask? You need the mask because you are still completely capable of giving and getting the virus even after being vaccinated. And if you possess one of the highest co-morbidities (age, obesity, pre-existing respiratory conditions), you're still better off avoiding the virus even if you are vaccinated.
And: "Added a recommendation for fully vaccinated people who have come into close contact with someone confirmed or suspected of Covid-19 to be tested 3-5 days after exposure." What would be the point of a test if being fully vaccinated would never yield a positive test, as suggested in the September 7 CDC Report? You should take an antibodies test, not a Covid-19 test. The antibodies would be a signal of the presence of viral infection being routed by the vaccine immunity, which is what the vaccine does: it fights the virus once you have it, it doesn't keep you from getting the virus, it keeps you from dying of it.
Now the August 16 CDC Report says, "Covid-19 vaccines are effective. They can keep you from getting and spreading the virus that causes Covid-19" followed by a link that reads "Learn more about the different Covid-19 vaccines", but the link says nothing about spreading the virus. It takes you back to the May 10 Report...that avoids any suggestion of proof that the vaccines stop the spread.
I believe that they are falling into a rhetorical trap: when they say it stops the spread of the virus, that means within your own body, it does not mean that it stops the spread between the people. Think of this as the difference between HIV and AIDS: AIDS is the full blown disease within your body that kills you, while HIV is the virus that passes between people that leads to AIDS. In this analogy, the CDC here is referring to Covid-19 as AIDS, not as HIV. This is a dangerous piece of rhetoric because I am positive that the vaccine does not stop the spread between people, though it could be said to stop the spread within a single person. Furthermore, I have not seen that claim made in any other CDC Report. (Of course this report also says "Extensive testing and monitoring have shown that these vaccines are safe and effective", which the May 21 OSHA Report would suggest is not the case)
Indeed, spreading the virus amongst a vaccinated (re: not likely to die) population seems to be the goal of the current administration. And that could well turn out to be a correct strategy. So why don't the powers that be just fuckin' say that that's what they're doing? Why has it been turned into an "us v them" scenario? Because Partisans don't care about your health. (Indeed, Partisans are invigorated when the population are at each's other's throats)
And by now it's pretty clear that this virus is quite deadly to those with co-morbidities but not really to anyone else and so the virus will be amongst us forever. Perhaps vaccinating now will provide future immunity, perhaps making sure that everyone's initial contact with the virus comes after their vaccination will lessen the overall effects of the virus and allow us all to get back to our lives in a timely fashion. And that this added immunity will carry forth into the future. Maybe. When said in that way, it actually strikes me as very sensible. It doesn't strike me 'scientifically proven' but it is a reasonable-sounding hypothesis. So why don't we get reasonable-sounding rhetoric from our Media?
If you want to not socially distance or wear the mask, then you'll need the vaccine. But if you think that means you cannot spread the virus, you are mistaken. You have been "misinformation-ed". Indeed, quite the opposite: the whole point of the vaccine is that it keeps the virus from killing you, not that it keeps you from getting the virus.
I'm not suggesting the virus is a fraud--not at all, if you are elderly, obese or are prone to respiratory conditions, then you are seriously at risk and you should probably get the vaccine. But I would suggest that it isn't the virus that kills you, it's the pre-existing conditions that make you vulnerable and that was true before Covid-19 came along.
I'm not suggesting the vaccine is a fraud--not at all, it seems to do a good job of holding off death and minimizing symptoms. But thinking the vaccine means you can't get or spread the virus itself is simply false, demonstrably false, obviously false, clearly not true and to believe that is to willfully believe in falsehoods. And giving the vaccine to people that aren't at risk is wasteful at best and harmful at worst.
I'm not suggesting that boosters are a bad thing. For the elderly, for example, I'd say that's just the way it is for them because they have no way of removing their at-risk status. For the obese, the boosters are beneficial, but that lifestyle is not going to lead to a healthy life with/without a vaccine. For those with respiratory conditions, it is probably necessary forever. For those that travel or spend a lot of time around groups of people, the vaccine is something you should consider periodically--but even then it is so that you don't miss work, so that you can overcome your infection and continue to live normally. For all other adults, you can get the vaccine if you want, but you're probably better off just live a healthy life and avoiding the virus as best you can.
The vaccine is really great at what its great at. But the vaccine does not solve all problems, it is not great at what it is not great at.
Me: I do not particularly fear this virus for the next few years because I am healthier than ever and socially distanced and I anticipate that I will not get the virus any time soon and that I should survive it if I do. That said, this virus could be what kills me 20 years from now or 5 years from now or 50 years from now. I am currently planning on living long enough to where I become elderly enough to be in the at-risk population, so I'll get to the vaccine eventually.
Am I better off waiting for as long as possible or getting it as soon as possible? I don't know. I don't believe that there is anyone that does know simply because this virus is only about two years old. In short: neither the virus nor the vaccine have been around long enough for anyone to know their long term effects, so who am I suppose to trust? The gov't? I never have before, why would I start now?
Just remember: OSHA, the people Biden has put in charge of forcing everyone to be vaccinated, has already announced they have no interest in hearing about adverse reactions to the vaccine.
From May 21 OSHA Report:
DOL and OSHA, as well as other federal agencies, are working diligently to encourage COVID-19 vaccinations. OSHA does not wish to have any appearance of discouraging workers from receiving COVID-19 vaccination, and also does not wish to disincentivize employers' vaccination efforts. As a result, OSHA will not enforce 29 CFR 1904's recording requirements to require any employers to record worker side effects from COVID-19 vaccination at least through May 2022. We will reevaluate the agency’s position at that time to determine the best course of action moving forward.
That's not a just a little bit creepy...? No? You've got total faith in this, huh? They don't want to discourage the vaccine...even if the vaccine has negative side effects? At what point would they discourage it? I thought subverting norms was a concern for the American polity, but OSHA "not enforc(ing)....recording requirements" is just how we do things now? We're cool with this?
And when does the danger of the vaccine outweigh the danger of the virus? Well....we won't find the answer to that question until May 2022 at the earliest. The powers-that-be have straight up announced that they aren't even going to begin to care about side effects for at least another 8 months.
These are the people (**) in charge of your health, America. And you can't understand why people are skeptical?
The smug superiority of the Left has become even more unbearable than usual. Their claims have turned out to be wrong and it turns out they've been lying to themselves the whole time. Even when the CDC is reminding you to keep socially distanced and masked even after getting vaccinated and OSHA has openly admitted they don't care what happens to vaccinated people, they still think the gov't will protect us all.
Once more with my mantra: the gov't was here when you born, it will be here when you die, it does not care about you and couldn't even if it wanted to. Trust the science but be wary of scientists.
(*) September 17 Statista.com: Total deaths: 4,685,661; Total recoveries: 204,587,058; roughly 2.3% of confirmed cases result in death.
(**) Summary deportations. Drone strikes killing civilians. Unconstitutional subversion of norms. Angering NATO allies. North Korea's nuclear program (which had been halted since 2018). Drill, baby, drill! Pfizer, J&J, Bristol-Myers, AstraZenica--oh my! "Full confidence" in breaking chain of command. Inflation. Financial intrusion. The debt ceiling. Politics before science at the FDA. Misinformation. “(I)n the great debate of the past two decades about freedom versus control of the network, China was largely right and the United States was largely wrong.” Wait...what was it Trump did that we all hated so much? Oh right, he was annoying on Twitter.
References:
I also saw a paper a while back that suggested that getting the virus and then getting the vaccine made for super-immunity, though the paper was agnostic on whether getting then vaccine and then virus had a similar effect. I saw another paper that suggested that at least 1/3 of all cases were asymptomatic, which would suggest waaaaaaay more cases than we even realize, no?). But I couldn't find either of those papers--none were from the CDC--so I'll just let those concepts marinate.
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