You’re Damned If You Do, …


I think that I am at least fairly up to date on Covid. “Get vaccinated.” I obeyed. I was one of the first in my coterie to get the vaccine. 

Early on  … “Continue to wear a mask as it is not known how effective the vaccine is.” Okay, I obeyed again, even though I was, and still am, far from convinced that masks work.

“Lucky you are vaccinated as the vaccine is highly effective against the delta variant.” Here in California according to sequencing data, the delta variant is responsible for about 75% or more of new infections, and the new infection case rates are dramatically different depending on the vaccination status of individuals. As of 7/12/21 the new case rate is 16/100,000 for the unvaccinated, whereas it is 2/100,000 for those that are vaccinated. Note that San Diego County this amounts to an 8-fold difference. Likewise the fully vaccinated are largely protected against the delta variant, and breakthrough infections when they occur are mild.

In this morning’s local paper the headline read:

“With New Cases Rising, Return to Masks Seen”

Meanwhile Dr. Fauci announced on 7/25 that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is assessing new COVID-19 guidelines that would require face masks for those who are already vaccinated. Keep in mind that 163 million people, or 49.1% of the eligible U.S. population, are vaccinated, according to CDC data.

So let me get this straight, half of the eligible population in the US has not been vaccinated, and because of that non-vaccinated half, the other half of the population, who are vaccinated, will most likely soon need to wear masks anyway. To me that seems counter-intuitive … if half of the population does not want to get vaccinated, and they are the ones at risk, can anybody explain to me why all of the population may soon be wearing masks.

To me it seems that anyone who has chosen not to be vaccinated should be the ones wearing the masks. While I agree that vaccination should be an individual choice, why punish those who have chosen to be vaccinated by forcing them to wear a mask.

You’re damned if you do, and not damned if you don’t.

7/28/21

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