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More Americans are saying they’re ‘vaxxed and done’

theatlantic.com

351–360 of 1001 posts

Re: More Americans are saying they’re ‘vaxxed and done’

#351

I feel like COVID has become like a marshmallow test for adults, where those who can manage their emotions and make rational decisions can set themselves up for greater long-term rewards. It looked for a while there like this could be a thing that gets “done”—that we would get a good vaccine into enough people, then incidence would decline so far it just goes away. That didn’t happen. We’re stuck with it for a forese…

> ... set themselves up for greater long-term rewards

Such as?

Re: More Americans are saying they’re ‘vaxxed and done’

#352
post #327

I am one of those, triple vaxxed and done. CDC has now said that the majority of those that died had 4+ co-morbidities. They have also indicated that getting vaccinated does not reduce your ability to spread the virus. So if that is the case, there is no longer a real need to vilify the unvaxxed. CDC statement appears to indicate that the primary reason for people dying is poor physical health prior to infection. Wit…

* People can be overweight for decades without dying. * People can be over 65 for decades without dying. * People can be cancer survivors for decades without dying. * People can have type-1, type-II diabetes for decades without dying. * People can have heart valve issues for decades without dying. * People can have COPD for decades without dying. Let's quit blaming those people who are in the high risk category dying…

Saying that someone has a comorbidity is not a judgement. Its simply a fact. The virus is here, we know it affects people with certain conditions. If we can reduce or remove that condition then it is on us to do so. I am probably 30 pounds overweight, 20 of which I put on over the last year+ with covid. I am now working out and trying to drop those 30 pounds because in the context of the virus it just makes sense to do so. Its not a moral judgement on anyone.

Re: More Americans are saying they’re ‘vaxxed and done’

#353

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Are you saying that until young kids can get vaccinated, it is not safe enough to remove shutdown protocols for preschools? Parent of 2 very young kids here btw - it's been brutal, I feel your pain. Frankly, our kids get enough other diseases from nursery that a months-long scratchy cough doesn't sound too terrifying.

The challenge is the lack of data on long-term effects of COVID. Preliminary studies have linked it to cognitive declines [1], diabetes [2], and chronic fatigue [3]. And while death from COVID in a preschooler is about a 1-in-100,000 occurrence, long COVID and other chronic outcomes seem to be much more common. I've heard figures of about 5% or 1 in 20. Few parents would willingly sign their preschooler (or themselve…

The diabetes study you cited appears to be junk science. I'm not claiming that COVID-19 absolutely doesn't cause diabetes, just that we won't know one way or another until larger studies are performed with proper methods.

https://vinayprasadmdmph.substack.com/p/does-covid19-cause-d...

Re: More Americans are saying they’re ‘vaxxed and done’

#354
post #326

Earlier quoted context omitted.

RSV is more dangerous than COVID-19 for most small children. We don't shut down society because of RSV. https://www.medscape.com/answers/971488-177692/what-is-the-p...

> RSV is more dangerous than COVID-19 for most small children. Children don’t exist in isolation. They’re phenomenally good at spreading every infection to the rest of the household and everywhere else they go. Trying to focus on children's outcomes and ignoring all of the second-order effects is dishonest. Children don’t live alone.

"Germ Casserole" is the term I've heard used for schools from K through College during flu and cold season.

Re: More Americans are saying they’re ‘vaxxed and done’

#355

I feel like COVID has become like a marshmallow test for adults, where those who can manage their emotions and make rational decisions can set themselves up for greater long-term rewards. It looked for a while there like this could be a thing that gets “done”—that we would get a good vaccine into enough people, then incidence would decline so far it just goes away. That didn’t happen. We’re stuck with it for a forese…

It's interesting that you phrase it that way, because I was thinking exactly the same thing, but from the opposite direction. I caught covid early, and while (for me) it was a nasty bug, I recovered with nothing more than a lingering cough for several weeks. Against enormous pressure I decided not to get vaccinated. Everything I read supported that natural immunity is at least as protective as the vaccine, and most s…

Dead wrong that a single bought of COVID is better than 3 vaccine shots. You need repeated exposure. Plus, I’m guessing you’re young-the point was to stop the > million deaths COVID is going to cause in the US alone soon. Nice work.

Re: More Americans are saying they’re ‘vaxxed and done’

#356

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I am with you on all of this, with one small, slightly hopeful note. My under-5 is enrolled in the Pfizer study, and they are not starting over from scratch. The existing cohort is going to receive a third dose at >2 months past their last dose (starting at the end of this month, probably), and then immunogenicity will be reassessed. I am incredibly frustrated that pfizer and the fda have been so slow to roll the vac…

Are the children in this trial part of high risk groups? I guess I am quite surprised to hear that there are drug trials for healthy children that young. In this case, the risk/reward seems very imbalanced almost to the point being unethical.

No, the kids in this study were not specifically recruited from high-risk groups.

There are trials for all sorts of drugs for all ages. Generally they’ll “walk down” the age spectrum, ie start with adults, then teens, then younger kids. Pfizer is running a vaccine study for <6-month olds, too. Covid is less of a risk for little kids, but it’s not zero risk, and I’d rather my kids not be immunologically naïve when they encounter it.

Re: More Americans are saying they’re ‘vaxxed and done’

#357

I feel like COVID has become like a marshmallow test for adults, where those who can manage their emotions and make rational decisions can set themselves up for greater long-term rewards. It looked for a while there like this could be a thing that gets “done”—that we would get a good vaccine into enough people, then incidence would decline so far it just goes away. That didn’t happen. We’re stuck with it for a forese…

It's interesting that you phrase it that way, because I was thinking exactly the same thing, but from the opposite direction. I caught covid early, and while (for me) it was a nasty bug, I recovered with nothing more than a lingering cough for several weeks. Against enormous pressure I decided not to get vaccinated. Everything I read supported that natural immunity is at least as protective as the vaccine, and most s…

> I thought the marshmallow test was in the other direction - the millions of people who acquired natural immunity through infection, but "grabbed the marshmallow" in the form of the vaccine. What will the long term effects be? We don't know.

Assuming that natural immunity is still up to date and kicking, then there shouldn't be any issues with this. After all, the body should recognise and then proceed to battle the vaccine.

You may experience symptoms, but at least the way I understood it these are short term, not in the long run.

On the other hand, if the natural immunity has weakened then this is good training.

So really, as far as I can see there is no reason to ever not take a vaccine unless you had an infection just a short while ago

Re: More Americans are saying they’re ‘vaxxed and done’

#358

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You've got your anecdotes, and I've got mine. My 3 young kids all caught omicron last week. Each were lethargic for a day, had a minor sore throat, and were back to normal in a day or two. The flu last month was way scarier with high fevers. There's a lot of reason to be optimistic about omicron.

We all know that most people get COVID and then get over it, but using a few neutral anecdotes to deny the other issues is like trying to invalidate global warming because the weather isn’t hot where you live. It’s not about comparing all of our anecdotes.

As they say, the plural of anecdote is data.

Many many many people are getting omicron and having relatively mild infections. It is not the same variant. That doesn't mean it's 100% safe, obviously, but it certainly appears to be safeer.

Re: More Americans are saying they’re ‘vaxxed and done’

#359

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You've got your anecdotes, and I've got mine. My 3 young kids all caught omicron last week. Each were lethargic for a day, had a minor sore throat, and were back to normal in a day or two. The flu last month was way scarier with high fevers. There's a lot of reason to be optimistic about omicron.

We all know that most people get COVID and then get over it, but using a few neutral anecdotes to deny the other issues is like trying to invalidate global warming because the weather isn’t hot where you live. It’s not about comparing all of our anecdotes.

If you're willing to dismiss an anecdote then you should also dismiss the first anecdote in this thread. If you're willing to listen to an anecdote, then you should also listen to the second anecdote in this thread.

This is about more than denying issues. It's about trying to get the whole picture. Ignoring any anecdotes you don't agree with doesn't help you get the whole picture.

Re: More Americans are saying they’re ‘vaxxed and done’

#360

I'm fully vax'd and boosted. I'll probably continue to get boosted in the future. All that said? I feel like the government did a really bad job communicating who needs the booster and when. First, they gave vague recommendations to immunocompromised folks. They said everyone else probably didn't need it. Then they said well, ok for older folks. Then this new omni variant comes out and they're badgering everyone to g…

Consistent messaging from the start in a situation where information and knowledge is very limited in the start = not learning . The problem here is that we have a lot of internalization of changing your mind is bad in the political arena. "Flip flopping," etc. Inquiry is discouraged. The article is actually much more interesting because it's about how views are changing differently for different groups even inside t…

Changing your mind because of new evidence is good. Changing your mind because the evidence is pretty much the same, but the previous conclusion has become inconvenient for you, is not good.
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