Of course, we don't have much info on the long-term health outcomes of getting COVID, either.
It's like worrying about the long-term impact of breathing fire extinguisher powder while being engulfed by flames.
It's like worrying about the long-term impact of breathing fire extinguisher powder while being engulfed by flames.
But the local fire department isn't doing anything about it. Nobody around here is installing sprinklers as a precaution. They act like there is no fire at all.
Covid is a serious thing. But "engulfed by flames" is the exact overstatement that causes people to question the motivation of fear-mongers.
I'm vaccinated. I wear a mask. I think too many people are whipping up a frenzy for profit. Why don't we lockdown our highways when there are 600,000 deaths from auto accidents? Why not lockdown breweries when there are 2 million drunk-driving incidents? Why isn't there a frenzy over influenza?
Covid frenzy has a better marketing campaign. It's the kind of thing that has people claiming we are "engulfed by flames" when things get smoky.
We mandate seat belts, air bags, guard rails, road construction standards, backup cameras, crumple zones, and quite a few other elements involved in road safety. Per-mile road deaths have been on a precipitous decline for decades due to ongoing increases in safety mandates.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Motor_vehicle_fatality_rate_in...
500000 hospitalizations (influenza)?
What deserves such incredible non-stop daily attention? Answer: whatever makes the most money.
I think initially the correct answer in the case of COVID-19 was more specifically: whatever endangers existing profits most. The whole situation spelled uncertainty at the beginning, and that's bad for everything where "business as usual" is highly profitable. The rushed response and large scale mismanagement this caused is what brought into existence the "never let a crisis go to waste" part that came after.
Also, according to [2], "The majority of people with diabetes have type 2 diabetes." So the majority of deaths are possibly preventable, which sounds familiar to the debate around COVID.
Finally, to suggest diabetes and coronaviruses are at all the same is an ignorant statement. It's not like _nobody_ cares about diabetes. It just happens to be its own tough nut to crack. What have you contributed to the body of knowledge about it?
> What deserves such incredible non-stop daily attention? Answer: whatever makes the most money.
Indeed. This is why I strictly limit my news consumption, but it's not completely useless. I scan for trends and dig into sources and details. The stuff I linked in this comment took me all of 5 minutes to find with Internet searches.
[1]: https://report.nih.gov/funding/categorical-spending#/
[2]: https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/diabetes
The idea of conflating other causes of death with COVID is just perfection over progress. Sure there are other systems that aren't perfect but that doesn't mean COVID isn't worth addressing.
GPs point is: compared to other drama, covid's hype seems out of proportion. I agree.
She's never had to do that because of a bad flu season. More than 90% of the adults in the hospital for COVID and 100% of the kids are unvaccinated.
People wouldn't even be discussing shutting down schools and businesses to get this under control if we had a 90% vaccination rate.
The government is not forcing me to get a security clearance.
The fact that some people don't recognize that gift as what it is because they've been misinformed is irrelevant because, well, whatever they believe is simply not true.
In this world, people with jobs are being fired for not getting vaccinated. It's not a small cohort either; it's the government and giant corporate entities.
There are a few notable exceptions, though, of employers that are not mandating vaccination. Pfizer, for one. The White House, for another. When the pharma that makes the thing, and the POTUS, who is making vaccination priority #1, don't require it, that is some laughably awful PR.
https://www.politico.com/newsletters/west-wing-playbook/2021... says the White House has as well.
> The White House didn’t even establish a vaccine mandate for its own staffers until last month, despite the shot being available to them early in the year.
Source? Are you saying unvaccinated people are out there murdering others? Do people no longer have functional immune systems?
Make "vroom vroom" noises while you wait, if it makes you feel better.
Apart from facing one's cognitive dissonance, fears and ignorance, there is none. Just overwhelming benefits. It's perfectly okay for society to require it.
If you want to take part in exchange, you must do it in terms acceptable to both parties. You are not entitled to take from society on whatever terms you dictate on your own.
NYC is notable for requiring it for indoor dining, gyms, and a few others. https://www.nytimes.com/2021/08/03/nyregion/nyc-vaccine-mand...
In nearly all other aspects of life, inflicting harm on others results in some sort of liability. Unsafe activities are regulated. However, in this time of massive death, massive hospitalization, massive long term health complications, basic safety is being thrown out the window to appease political tribalism.
Depending on where you live and who your political alignment is, the government is absolutely compelling you to get COVID.