I'm back for another special edition Coronavirus Update -- this one geared for the vaccinated people who are considering whether or not to put the masks back on.
I'm vaccinated. My immediate family is vaccinated. Almost everyone in my inner circle is vaccinated (with a couple of exceptions).
I no longer fear this virus. As Fox News (Julie Banderas) reported earlier on Friday: out of 163.9 Million people vaccinated, only 0.003% were hospitalized, and only 0.001% have died.
On top of that, we know that 97% of all recent hospitalizations are from the unvaccinated.
The data is very clear. The vaccines are working. I may still catch the virus and get sick, but I'm most likely not going to be hospitalized, and I'm also not going to die.
About 30% of adults remain unvaccinated, and they have their rights. Several have told me variations of: "It's my choice. Why should you even care if I get sick? It's a 99% survival rate, and I'm willing to take the chances."
And you know what? I would be perfectly fine with this. It would be like me running some high-adventure high-risk company where people can come in to sign waivers to take on the risks themselves -- and then enjoy themselves. If they sign waivers, would I feel bad if they hurt themselves?
But then Delta comes around -- and this puppy is mean. It infects more people than any variant before it. Experts are saying it is now as contagious as the chicken pox. And this changes everything. Even some vaccinated people are catching it, having mild symptoms, and then passing it on to others.
I know of one congregation where a couple of weeks ago, a sick fully-vaccinated member went to church and infected at least five other people (some of which were also vaccinated -- also with mild symptoms). This prompted the temporary closing of that church.
Perhaps I should put on a mask just to avoid even the mild symptoms? But would it really be worth it? Can't we just be done with this virus?
If everyone were vaccinated, we really wouldn't have to do anything further -- as everyone who got sick would just have mild symptoms, and then it would all go away for good.
In other words, no one would need protection. No masks, no shutdowns, no nothing.
But we still have 30%+ left that need protection. Before Delta, it appeared we were reaching a herd immunity with numbers dropping like a rock, and the unvaccinated were enjoying some protection, but now that's all out the window.
With Delta, there are the disturbing reports of hospitalized people asking for the vaccine, only to have the doctors tell them it was too late. Or hospitalized people expressing regret in not getting vaccinated. I highly recommend watching this BBC video (which I can't seem to embed). It shows some people expressing regrets, and also shows some compelling graphics depicting how few vaccinated people are catching COVID19 and dying.
This all gives me pause -- and helps me to realize -- many of my unvaccinated friends may be yelling at me now demanding a "waiver" so I don't have to worry, who will then in a few weeks be expressing regrets -- and possibly be angry at those who had been lying to them about COVID19 and these vaccines. Should I make my decisions based on their attitudes today? Or should I base my decisions on how their attitudes will be a month from now?
Seeing the saddened people in that BBC video makes me want to still protect them until they finally figure it out and get vaccinated themselves. Sure -- I can put the mask back on. I hate it -- but I'll do it -- at least in most situations.
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