Another COVID RANT

 Disclaimer:

A certain word has been misspelled on purpose to prevent this post from being flagged.

Surveys show that 57 percent of Americans have taken the COVID vackseen.  Add to that the number of people who were infected, and we should be very close to the 75 percent threshold for herd immunity.  In spite of these numbers, cases are rising again due to the Delta variant and there are reports of a Lambda and Columbian variant.  In addition, some countries such as Israel have nearly a 90 percent rate of vacksination yet are also facing a surge.  Because of this, I have my doubts that we will ever achieve herd immunity even with mandatory vacksination.  The virus may not go away, but I predict that it will weaken in time and within 3-5 years, COVID will be no more deadly or widespread than the regular flu.  It will continually mutate, and it will be difficult to predict which strain will be dominant in a particular year.  Thus, the vackseen will become about as effective as the standard flu shot and will require a booster every 6-12 months. 

Now, Biden wants a vackseen mandate for federal employees and it is coming at the state level in New York.  Google, Facebook and Walmart have already announced plans for mandatory vacksination as a condition of employment.  Some universities have announced requirements to attend class and live on campus.  Just as I predicted last year, I won’t be thrown in jail if I refuse the shot, but it could be de-facto required to live a normal life.  I am an Alabama State employee so given that I am in a deep red state, I am likely safe from the requirement for the time being.  Finding another job is not a realistic option.  I have at least 10 years until I can retire though I intend to work at least another 15.  A job that pays the mortgage and allows a pension will be almost impossible to find.  Again, this is all due to a virus with a 99.5% survival rate.   If I am to visit Cancun, Mexico again, as I did last Christmas, I need a negative test to re-enter my own country, yet it is common knowledge that COVID positive illegals are being released into the USA.  That is unconscionable!    

I am not a nut job conspiracy theorist nor do I consider myself anti-vax.  Rather, I am pro-choice on this issue.  I encourage everyone to weigh the risks and benefits and make the best decision for yourself given your situation.  For me, it’s a no brainer to say NO.  I had a recent episode in which I was down with my usual flu-like malaise after taking a food-based veggie supplement.  I know it was the pill because a confirmation dose made things worse almost immediately.  In the past, I've had similar reactions to a bottle of orange juice.  The culprit is most probably malabsorption due to a stomach protein deficiency.   Now, can you imagine the potential danger of an experimental vackseen?  I’d also like to add that through it all, my immune system has been remarkably strong recently.  I’ve not had a cold in nearly 2 years, and it’s been at least 4 years since I’ve had to call in sick for work.  It’s a risk either way but I figure that if I am exposed to COVID and catch the virus, my chance of death or permanent disability is less than 1 in 1000.  With good reason, I believe that a severe reaction to the shot is far more likely.  Get a medical exemption?  Not so easy.  I’ve dealt with doctors who do not believe the extent of my issues and have never seen it before.  They think it’s all in my head.  I also heard of a girl who was denied admission to the college of her choice even with a medical exemption.

Now, suppose my circumstances were different.  Suppose I am 2 decades older with no malabsorption issues or trouble with supplements.  Suppose I am significantly overweight with diabetes and other co-morbidities.  In that case, there is no hesitation.  I’d be very careful when out and about and take the shot as soon as it’s available even without a guarantee of its safety.  The virus poses a greater threat than the vackseen.  If at some future date, there is a pandemic with a greater than 5% chance of death or disability, yes even given my circumstances, I’d most probably take the shot.  Between 3-5% represents the gray area in which I may take it but not until I am more confident in its safety and effectiveness. 

There are several other rationales for not taking the shot:

1.      You can still catch and spread the virus, but your risk of serious complications is reduced.  Well, an otherwise healthy person is also unlikely to face severe illness from COVID.  Therefore, the benefits are not very high and do not offset the risk of an experimental vackseen.

2.      I do NOT trust Big Pharma.  Johnson& Johnson had to recall a sunscreen and Pfizer had to recall their anti-smoking drug Chantix due to cancer causing chemicals.  How ironic!  All drugs that have been recalled went through many tests for safety and passed.  Now, we are to believe that the same companies have developed a 100 percent safe vackseen before it has even been approved by the FDA.  I don’t think so!

3.      I do NOT believe the media.  COVID is real and I’ve never said that it was a hoax.  Anyone who does is a nut job.  That said, I do believe that the threat is overhyped.  Flus and colds are being reported as COVID and cancer deaths with COVID are also included in the death count.  Their coverage of the Trump administration was blatantly dishonest, and the bias is getting worse all the time.  Risks such as heart inflammation and increased chance of a miscarriage are continually suppressed.  Reports of very rare serious cases among the young and healthy are constantly aired while there is virtually no coverage of vackseen injuries.  Promotion of inexpensive alternatives is often censored rather than debunked. 

4. Previous vackseen injury.  Perhaps you've had a serious and/or scary reaction to a previous shot that has been on the market for years.  Now, you may be required to chance it with an experimental shot.  What the _____!