Judy795

I’d like to see insurance companies stop paying for hospitalized non vaccinated persons, in most cases , I am auto immune, take the nasty meds advertised on TV, so know not all can take the vaccine I got it anyway and hope for the best.

Effate Loc: El Dorado Hills, Ca.

Wow, why don’t we just take them all out back and shoot ‘em!

Judy795

Works for me

Wilk

GO TO YOUR LOCAL HOSPITAL ICU AND SEE REALITY

Effate Loc: El Dorado Hills, Ca.

If that was intended to reply to me (you must have not hit the reply button) I don’t think any right thinking person could ignore the reality of what this virus has done to the hundreds of thousands of people who have succumbed and their family members who live with their loss. You miss my point. The evidence is becoming clearer that the vaccines protect individuals to a certain extent not the public at large as viral loads are seemingly unchanged for infected vaccinated and unvaccinated individuals. You will continue to see many more pass through cases.

PAR4DCR Loc: A Sunny Place

Good luck to you and wife.

Don

Rongnongno Loc: FL

As far as I understand it…

Covid-19 is here to stay under one form or another. Vaccine(s) and booster(s) are not preventing infections but lessen the illness. Vaccine does not prevent anyone from carrying the virus.

Social distancing works only up to a point, as there is no way in our society to avoid total contact.

Like it or not, this is going to be part of humanity's future.

Cooperation and caring for one another is the only possible solution. “Herd immunity” is not achievable as this disease can be caught multiple times. No one is immune from it, as far as I know.

The political, religious opposition and anti-vax movements are foolish and reflect how little our perception of the world is. Because this perception is limited, it creates fear. Fear create violence. To adapt, the entire human race needs to evolve in a different direction that is unpredictable at the moment.

Unlike polio and tuberculosis shots that permanently prepare the body to fight off diseases, today's vaccine is weak and a stop-gap. Two things are being developed and tested at the moment: a vaccine based on the virus itself* and medication** to help fight off the disease.

------------
* I will have to find the article mentioning it. It is in the testing stage at the moment.
** Sources:
► CNBC
► pfizer
► European Medicine Agency

AirWalter Loc: Tipp City, Ohio

Some articles say that you can easily get the newest variant (Omicron) even if you are vaccinated. It is usually very mild though. Wish you and your wife a speedy recovery.

Reuss Griffiths Loc: Ravenna, Ohio

I believe the elephant in the room is natural immunity. I'm not a doctor but I believe that the current vaccines work by attacking a specific "spike protien" on the virus which if I recall is made up of 29-32 spikes. That vaccine is most effective on that particular spike and marginally on other spikes. It's effectiveness in doing so diminishes over time which is why booster shots are required to restore effectiveness. The difference between the current variants is that a different spike is active and the vaccines were not developed to attack that spike which is why different vaccines have to be developed to most effective against that variant just like annual flu vaccines are developed to be effective to most recent variants of the flu virus.

When a person contracts the Covid virus, their immune system produce natural antibodies which attack the whole virus (all the protien spikes) and destroy the virus regardless of which variant is present. Further, your body produces these antibodies in the bone marrow which is part of a natural process and continues on into the indefinite future. That means not only are you immune now but always so are not succeptible to new strains. Like I said, I'm not a doctor but that is my understanding how this works.

Many foreign studies are confirming these results with peer-reviewed studies which show this to be the case. Most notable are the Israeli studies that show that natural immunity is up to 27 times more effective in dealing with Covid than vaccinations. We, in this country, have not seriously considered natural immunity as a viable solution to Covid.

cucharared Loc: Texas, Colorado

If this is even half true it could still be called good news for those who’ve already contracted and survived Covid-19. However, this is the first and only time I’ve seen or heard of this protection level, so I’d need to see those studies you referred to before accepting at face value. My apologies, but there’s just too many folks who are capable writers, sound intelligent, but still twist facts to fit their agenda. Not saying that’s what you’re doing - just that I’d like to see backup.
Regardless, at my age and with my medical compromises, I never would have considered allowing myself to catch the virus on purpose to test this theory. I’m pretty sure I’d not survive without vaccine help. I’ll take every booster they’ll shoot into my arm.
Ron

Reuss Griffiths Loc: Ravenna, Ohio

The Israeli studies (over 20,000 individuals) are quite well known, google them. I'm not advocating anyone deliberately try to get Covid but there are probably 40 million + Americans who have this natural immunity due to having contracted the virus before and after the vaccines were developed. My daughter's family is vaccinated and has had the virus too, so they are in great shape. Thousands of medical workers who were exposed and contracted the virus before vaccines were developed are also in a pretty good position and are now being fired for not taking the vaccine.

I too am over 75 with issues and am vaccinated and boosted as well. And I have been pretty serious about avoiding exposure to Covid by just staying away from others as much as possible and limit my exposure to any significant gatherings.

hookedupin2005 Loc: Northwestern New Mexico

"If the vaccine only protects the individual then we should be given the most current information relative to efficacy and side effects and be allowed to make an informed decision."

The problem as I see it, is the flood of misinformation spreading like wildfire, via the internet, and so many people believing this garbage, and using that for their informed decision.

JBRIII

I also am not sure about the natural immunity issue, makes sense medically, but not what I've heard about people with mild cases.
That said, two problems with relying it it alone. 1. Several countries tried that last year, protecting only the vulnerable people and they faired no better. 2. Allowing it to completely run it's course naturally would have over whelmed all medical facilities as it is doing now in Michigan and left 2-3 million or more dead in the US alone from just Covid.
Finally, it still would not guarantee the end, many older dieases run for decades or centuries before vaccines for various reasons.

There might well be a logical argument for measuring economic impacts versus deaths, but those arguments are academic and of no use to societies when something occurs. No polticial institution, at least outside of those holding absolute power, would last long by telling it's people that many would be allowed to die just to save money.

A good discussion could be had on types of vaccines. It's true older ones used whole organisms, but this meant growing them in something, eggs for example, and that and other things? led to more reactions to vaccine (reason some, my relatives, give for not being vaccinated). Even before these RNA vaccines, they were cleaning up vaccines to avoid such problems (don't know details), but told newer whooping cough vaccine does not give as good of protection as old (wife and I got it just as Covid started, confirmed by test for her). FYI effects of whooping cough in my wife lasted for nearly six months, local Amish call it the 100 day cough, more like 200 for her.

Lucian Loc: From Wales, living in Ohio

You are quite right, it all boils down to follow the money!

And why in the world are the makers afraid to reveal the ingredients of this experimental vaccine for the next 75 years? If they are not wanting to tell the public what's in it, then they have something serious to hide. Since it was tax payers money that funded this, it should be owned by the tax payers and the profits from sales should be shared with the tax payers who funded it.

Soul Dr. Loc: Beautiful Shenandoah Valley

You fail to realize, that once the government takes your money it's not yours anymore.

will