One Post wrote:
This Ends in Antioch wrote:
For those who aren’t aware, young(ish) healthy people aren’t sufficiently afraid of COVID to seek vaccination.
For those who aren't aware, some people who are at risk for many things that vaccines can protect against cannot get vaccinated for a variety of reasons, many of them out of their control. That's the magic and awfulness of a vaccine encapsulated. For vaccines to work broadly, you need the buy in of even those who aren't susceptible to the most dramatic effects of whatever disease you are vaccinating for. If you don't get that buy in, welp, the program doesn't work as designed.
That's why the incentive on drug makes is so high to get this right. This is the most high profile vaccine in the history of medicine, arguably surpassing the Salk vaccine. If there is failure here, that's going to toxify the public consciousness for generations. Vaccines are the perfect product for drug companies because they can literally sell it to everyone. If Merck develops a great cancer drug, they can only sell it to cancer patients. If they develop an HIV vaccine, well you're selling that to about 7.5 billion people give or take.
That's all true. But there are a few things at play here with the SARS-CoV-2 vaccines. First of all, obviously the best case is to eradicate the virus. But I believe the only virus that has ever been completely eradicated by man is smallpox. We've gotten close with polio:
But it's been very tough in Islamic countries where there is resistance due to a belief that the West is attempting to sterilize them.
There has never previously been a successful vaccine for a coronavirus. It would be wonderful if any one of these vaccines is successful. So far they seem to be highly effective, but the long term effects are unknown and anyone claiming otherwise is a liar or a propagandist.
And what is the point of segregating the vaccinated from the unvaccinated anyway? It seems obvious to me it is about shaming the unvaccinated. If the vaccine works why would the vaccinated require segregation? And such segregation certainly would not do anything to help the people who cannot get vaccinated that you mention above.
The messaging on this has been terrible. It's been one scare tactic after another. I have a half-ass friend who has been vaccinated but refuses to associate with me because I am not. I didn't really like him much anyway.
The point is, he's completely irrational. And his thoughts are informed by silly and pointless policies like segregating the vaccinated.