One Nation, Under Vaccinated
By Lawrence Pfeil, Jr.
The resurgence of coronavirus infections in America over the last month due to the delta variant has been astonishing but more accurately maddening because it could have been prevented. All people had to do was get vaccinated. It was simple, easy, and readily available to virtually anyone in the country who wanted it by late spring. There in lies the problem; the ones who refused to get vaccinated and have created a midsummer’s nightmare.
To be honest, back in May I expected something like this to happen – a super variant that would break through the vaccine and send us back to masking and distancing. (But I didn’t expect it until mid to late September.) When they started dropping mask mandates and going full capacity before we had reached heard immunity and started relying on the “honor system,” I thought, “are you out of your fucking minds??? Have you seen these people?”
Even here in New York, where we reached 70% of the population with at least one vaccine dose three weeks before President Biden’s July 4th goal, in one month we’ve gone from a positivity rate of 0.3% to 3.47% as of yesterday. Nationally there’s now more 90K+ new cases of the delta variant every day. Last week there were 71K+ pediatric cases, up 84% from the week before, and the school year hasn’t started yet.
The C.D.C .called this “The Pandemic of the Unvaccinated.” I call it “The Pandemic of the Stupid” and I’ve had it with them. They have had 18 months to listen up, get the facts, listen to their doctors and not the internet, and/or use their common sense. As posted in The Randy Report, Republican, Governor Kay Ivey had the same conclusion.
“Alabama Governor: ‘Time To Start Blaming The Unvaccinated Folks’”
If GQP Ivey had actually used her common sense 18 months ago and a shown some leadership instead of riding the Trump train and downplaying the severity of the virus, her state wouldn’t be facing the crisis it is today. But when you have a horse’s ass like Kay Ivey for a Governor you get leadership from the rear.
At least she’s not competing to have Alabama become “America’s Next COVID Deathtrap” like Governors DeSantis of Florida and Abbott of Texas. They’re racing each other’s infection rates to the top by passing laws and signing orders prohibiting most any local public health ordinance meant to keep people safe and alive. It’s all in the name of personal liberty and freedom and their constancies of stupid and selfish are eating it up! DeSantis’s approval rating is higher than ever and Abbott’s only fear is a primary challenge from someone more fascist than him.
They both know the delta variant is exponential more contagious and deadly but they don’t care if people die. What’s more, the stupid and selfish covidiots don’t care either, not about themselves, their families, nor anyone else. Again, from The Randy Report.
“COVID Patient Would Still Refuse Vaccine: ‘Don’t Shove It Down My Throat’”
You have to be a special kind of stupid to go through the kind of suffering with covid and still not want to get vaccinated. When it ravages the body and leaves many debilitated with long terms symptoms, and you still won’t? Is there a “Stupid of the Year” award I don’t know about?
Then there’s this story.
“Father Of 5 Dies Of COVID: ‘I Should Have Gotten The Damn Vaccine’”
Ya think??? I can’t even comprehend the level of selfishness you have, to have a wife and five kids and not get vaccinated ASAP. Did he not look at his family? I have no sympathy here. I’m done. I’m out. We have been living with covid on for 18 months. He’s lucky he didn’t infect his kids.
Here’s a story about a family who did everything right and one unvaccinated person with the delta variant wreaked havoc.
“Philly Weatherman Shares Delta Variant Diagnosis Despite Vaccination”
Yet people are still screaming about their personal freedom, their right to choose what’s best for them, and the tyranny of mandates. It’s an incomprehensible load of horseshit, but then again we’re talking about The Pandemic of Stupid.
It is your personal right and freedom to smoke cigarettes, but secondhand smoke is a proven hazard to others around you. Therefore, for public health reasons, smoking on airplanes, in offices, hospitals, etc is prohibited by law. Requiring a mask to protect others around you from the highly infectious virus you may be exhaling and not even know is the same thing.
Broadway has announced proof of vaccination will be required for all audience members entering the theater and masks must be worn at all times. That sounds great but answer me this. What happens when the lights go down and audience members start taking off their masks? Will the ushers become mask police? Will the performance stop if masks come off because it’s also a danger to the maskless actors?
What’s more, “proof of vaccination” (which the City of New York announced yesterday for all indoor activities) sounds good but frankly isn’t worth the air it’s uttered into. Look at your vaccine card, you’ll notice a high school kid with a color printer could fake one in about 30 minutes. Not to mention, they’re already available online for about $50. The MAGA bridge and tunnel crowd wouldn’t think twice, in fact, would revel, in owning the NYC Libs with one.
I haven’t been to the theatre since March of 2020 and have been going crazy without live in-person theatrical performances. But I’m having a very hard time wrapping my head around being trapped inside with 1000 strangers some of whom I can’t trust, who’ll think rules don’t apply to them, will remove their masks and disrupt the performance. While I am fully vaccinated and understand they’re working ie if exposed at the theatre I won’t be hospitalized or die, but I would need to self-quarantine for 10 days. In which case, it seems like I deserve a refund on my ticket.
This is the first post I’ve written in over three weeks. I have several terrific ones sitting on my desktop waiting to go but I haven’t been motivated to do them. I don’t suffer fools gladly; or as a friend pointed out “Larry you don’t suffer fools at all.” Truer words… My utter disgust and contempt for the stupid and selfishly unvaccinated who are prolonging the suffering of this pandemic is visceral.
They do not deserve my sympathy, compassion, and/or caring for their wellbeing. What remains of those after 18 months and 616K Americans lives lost is reserved for our healthcare workers. My tears, my thoughts, my energy, my understanding are for our doctors, nurses, therapists, support staff, EMTs and everyone else who are being used and abused by the unvaccinated. Now they’re getting sicker and putting exhausted health care professionals through even more Hell than before, and the untold suffering preventable with a vaccine.
