In Case There Were Questions

After my thoughts on the vaccine earlier this week, I got some very helpful inputs. Some were helpful like "I'll be praying" or "Trust God" or the like. Some were helpful like "You're an idiot" and "How could you even question the science?" kind of "helpful." Thanks to all. While I have probably come to my own conclusion on this (bearing in mind lots of good input), I thought I'd develop the thinking a little further so that people might be able to examine it for themselves.

There are lots of people who oppose the COVID vaccine. There are lots of reasons. They range from the legitimate to the absurd. Some have religious objections (valid or not). Some have medical objections. Some don't trust the government. Some question the science. Some are opposed on principle to the mandate. Some think it's an attempt to control us or kill us or some such. Lots and lots of reasons. Some of those reasons would, if carried to their logical conclusion, require other right-thinking people to also oppose the vaccine. Others take a more "libertarian" approach. "I oppose it for me. You are certainly free and even advised to get the vaccine."

I oppose the vaccine. I'm one who opposes it for personal reasons in contrast to sounding the alarm: "It's evil! Run!" I don't look down on anyone who has taken or is considering taking the vaccine. I don't think this falls in a "universal" status. I don't have a religious objection and I am saddened that Christians would try to use the Bible to prove that God is opposed to the vaccine. First, let me be clear. I am not working off of "misinformation" or "conspiracy theories." My sources are places like the CDC, the NIH, medical laboratories, and major news outlets. So ... what kind of objections do I have?

Since the Bible says nothing on the topic -- you know, my "go to" source of truth -- I'm forced to consider other things. First and foremost, there's the science. "That's settled!" they tell me. Really? In the news this week, Colin Powell died from complications from COVID-19 after being fully vaccinated. The CDC says, "No vaccine is 100% effective at preventing illness." We got that. We all agree. People with no immunity are the highest risk for contracting and dying from COVID. This is no surprise and no debate. People with the vaccine can still get, spread, and even die from COVID. We've also heard and agree to that. According to the CDC, the unvaccinated are 6 times more likely to get COVID and 11 times more likely to die from COVID. According to the CDC, the vaccine is between 86% and 89% effective against hospitalization from COVID. All scientific facts. But ...

What about those who have had COVID? Typically, scientists refer to those who recover from COVID-19 as having "natural immunity." (I object to the term. I think "natural immunity" should refer to those who have immunity prior to getting exposed. According to some studies up to 60% of us have that form of natural immunity. I would call immunity from having recovered from COVID "acquired immunity" and immunity from the vaccine as "injected immunity", but, hey, no one cares what I think.) Going with their term, studies have been ongoing regarding how long natural immunity lasts. Back in January of 2021, the National Institutes of Health determined that "The immune systems of more than 95% of people who recovered from COVID-19 had durable memories of the virus up to eight months after infection." A more recent study put it out to 15 months. Both numbers are longer than the 6 months that they're telling us the vaccine gives us. And how effective is natural immunity? One large study said that the reinfection rate of those who have recovered from COVID was on the order of 0.7%. That is, 99.3% effective … versus 89% effective for the vaccine (or less).

Let's review. Science tells us that the vaccine is not failsafe. (Nothing is.) You can still get, spread, and even die from COVID whether or not you're vaccinated. Science tells us the vaccinated are less likely to be hospitalized or die from it than those who have not been immunized, but they also have a higher rate of infection ("breakthrough cases") than those who have had COVID and recovered. Breakthrough cases are as high as 14% while reinfection is less than 0.7%. Science tells us that the vaccine-acquired immunity is good for 6 months, but the immunity from having recovered from COVID is 18 months or more. So why are we not including those who have recovered from COVID among the "immunized"?

The effectiveness of the vaccine compared to the risk of the vaccine is an issue. This week New Zealand -- the land of the COVID-protection overkill, with major lockdowns and more than 75% vaccinated -- had its highest single day number of cases since COVID began. How can that be? Six months ago the prediction was that the vaccine immunity would lose 50% of its effectiveness every 108 days. One study indicated that antibody levels dropped after 12 weeks. Yale Medicine reports that CDC data indicates the vaccine effectiveness is dropping from 92% to 75% effectiveness. Isn't it interesting that one of the largest spikes occurred after the vaccines were rolled out? The government and the media are telling us it's an "unvaccinated epidemic" while they scurry about making sure people get their boosters because, well, it doesn't appear to be doing its job as well as it had before.

Something else science tells us is that there are lots of variables in here. All those percentages show that the realities vary from person to person. Age makes a difference. A person's immune system makes a difference. There are people who have died from the vaccine, for instance. What I want to know, then, is why it is that we're taking this "one size fits all" approach? Is it laziness? Is it apathy? Is it expediency? I'll tell you what it is not; it's not science.

I have another real concern here, and it, too, is science. Science tells us that we don't know the long-term effects of this vaccine. That's no fault of the vaccine, of course. It hasn't been around long-term, so we can't know. That's just the way things are. We could have a reasonable guess if this vaccine was a standard vaccine because we've tried lots of those before -- mumps, measles, chicken pox, polio, smallpox, the flu ... on and on and on. But this is not that. This is brand new. So here we are mandating that everyone submit themselves as guinea pigs for this grand experiment we call an "mRNA vaccine" and nod with confidence without cause that it will all be okay. Really? Then why are we giving Big Pharma a free pass and not holding them responsible for their product? It started for the emergency sake, but now that the FDA has approved it, why are we not holding their feet to the fire? Because they know that there could be problems Look, we just found out that the phthalates that have been in use since the 1920's are killing us , so, hey, let's jump on this "new vaccine" regimen without the slightest hesitation or concern. Well, I'll tell you what; I'll volunteer to be part of the "control group." We need some to not be vaccinated to compare with the vaccinated to see, long term, what the outcome is. I'll be that "not vaccinated" group ... for science.

Currently there are about 240 million cases worldwide and 45 million cases in the US (which leads the world in cases). Currently there have been about 5 million deaths worldwide and 725,000 deaths in the US. Let's do the math. In the US, that's a 13.5% infection rate with a case-fatality ration of 1.6%. Roughly 1 in 10 have been infected and less than 2% of those have died. Worldwide, it's only 3% who have been infected and 2% of those have died. In terms of overall fatality from COVID, Around 0.2% of the American population have died from COVID and something like 0.06% of the world population. Deaths are sad. Sickness isn't good. It's not good news. I think we're all agreed. But it's not the end of the world. We're not all gonna die (as I have actually been told by multiple sources). More than 85% of Americans have not been infected. Almost none of those who have died from it. Oh, by the way, roughly 95% of the deaths from this virus are 50 years old and older. The under-50 crowd make up less than 5% of the deaths. But, by all means, let's panic. Let's run around trying to solve a problem that is nowhere near as big as the government and the media and the alarmists at large are making it out to be. Where is the sanity in all of this?

One other factor. We live in America, the land of the free and the home of the brave. Oh, hold on. No. Not in this instance. In this instance you will submit. In this case you will bow the knee to your lord and master, Big Pharma. Oh, no, that's not fair. Big Government. Alright, not entirely. The tide of public opinion. In fact, I suspect it's all that and more. We here in America prize individuality, equality, and liberty. Except here and now. Women shout from the highest rooftops (like the Supreme Court), "My body! My choice!" and we applaud them. "Yes!" we cry, "You should be allowed to kill your baby if you so choose!" I whisper from my little blog, "My body, my choice," and they want to pin me down ... with a needle. "Shut up and take your medicine." Never mind that I find it morally objectionable. Never mind that I find it legally questionable. Never mind that I have rational, scientific questions and concerns. Never mind that I've been immunized by nature itself. As I said in my earlier entry, "This is America! We do not 'freedom' here!"

I believe that Science says that I am just as safe with natural immunity for myself and for others as any vaccinated person is. I believe that Science says that between me and the vaccinated, I am safer for me and those in my sphere than the vaccinated are. I think that Science agrees with me that we still don't know long-term effects. I believe that legally and morally forcing this one-size-fits-all medical experiment on everyone is wrong. What's most disturbing to me is this prevailing sense that anyone who has these science-based, unanswered concerns is an idiot at best and certainly morally reprehensible. It looks a lot like the end of a lot that once made America great, doesn't it? It certainly makes me wonder why they keep saying, "Trust science!" when what they mean is "Listen to ME when I find some science that agrees with me." All this to say I object, and I'll just have to trust God with the outcome.