At the beginning of the coronavirus pandemic, I called it “America’s moment” and urged a military-style response. The American people’s acceptance of the initial lockdown and social distancing measures showed a community spirit that many thought lacking in today’s society. In the end, we met the moment in a uniquely American way – through technological innovation resulting in effective vaccines that would allow us to resume a normal life. Now the resistance to those vaccines risks wasting this moment because of a combination of political pique and selfish independence.
Anti-vaxxers like to seize on the inherent uncertainties of the “fog of war” to quibble with statistics while ignoring the obvious. It is a fact that COVID cases and hospitalizations are rising significantly among the unvaccinated population for the first time in months due to the new Delta variant. If you’re above 30 years of age, you have a significantly higher risk of hospitalization or death if unvaccinated. Moreover, while breakthrough infections are possible, the evidence suggests that persons vaccinated with the Pfizer or Moderna vaccines are less likely not only to acquire the original disease and its variants, but are also less likely to transmit it to others.
Unfortunately, former President Trump and some governors are catering to the anti-vaxxers by opposing or even banning mask and vaccination mandates by local governments and private businesses trying to protect their citizens and continue the return to normal. A better response would be to encourage vaccinations by enacting a federal worker’s compensation system that would protect workers who have a fear (however much it’s been hyped) of a reaction to the vaccine. Such a system would also insulate businesses from potential legal liability so they can continue to operate normally.
Vaccination refuseniks espouse a warped sense of American independence to justify a response that endangers their fellow Americans. They seek to assert their “independence” by exposing themselves and their fellow Americans to painful and expensive hospitalization and even death. They also jeopardize the normalization of everyday life they claim to crave. As TR said above, a free people must exercise their freedom responsibly. I challenge all of the unvaccinated to look into Roosevelt’s eyes and tell him why they should be allowed to so endanger their fellow Americans and the American example to the world.
It would be nice to live in a country where we could be sure that everything the government does is in our best interest, but unfortunately we have seen over the years that they can’t always be trusted. My wife and I chose to think positive and get vaccinated and so far so good, but I also understand why some people are leery about it. When I read the document agreeing to be vaccinated the statement that stood out in my mind was that this was not a traditional vaccine but an “Experimental Biological Agent”. That statement alone is pretty scary! You also are agreeing that you basically have no recourse should anything go wrong. I agree with you that there should be some form of protection for people if there was some adverse response to the vaccine and that would alleviate a lot of the fear, however, we should not be forced or mandated to put something in our bodies that we don’t agree with.
As far as the statement about endangering fellow Americans; In my perspective, I see all Americans being endangered every day:
Why won’t people wear seat belts, drive sanely within speed limits, stop taking illegal drugs, stop drinking and driving, stop smoking? There are hundreds of laws that are broken every day that endanger other human beings.
When our free speech is being threatened and we are being forced to become vaccinated, this is unprecedented territory. We can choose to terminate a pregnancy but we can’t choose to not be vaccinated?
All of the above threaten someone’s life but people can choose to do these things or not and still have the right to talk about them. I am very confused about this and I understand why there is so much distrust in our government. I also don’t understand why they are so against the drugs, Chloroquine or Hydroxychloroquine, NAC, and Ivermectin that have now been shown to help cure this disease? Marihuana has been legalized for medical use but these drugs that have been proven safe are shunned, banned and vilified? Something just does not add up with this situation! I’m so sick of hearing about Covid and the Vaccine and I’m still questioning the response and the battle tactics which are supposed to protect us?