Anti-vaxxers: The albatross wrapped around America’s neck

95% of living Americans will be fully vaccinated. America will then see the Covid-19 virus not disappear completely, but become relatively harmless, very much like the flu.

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It’s pretty safe to say that this deadly Covid-19 pandemic would be under control if this country’s anti-vaxxers had done what is right and agreed to get vaccinated. But, they have steadfastly refused, and now America has this virus, this albatross, securely wrapped around its neck.

Those refusing to cooperate disagree with the contention that they are responsible for contributing to the spreading of this virus; infecting, and causing the deaths of huge numbers of their fellow Americans. Also, that they are causing hospitals to be overfilled, and doctors, nurses, and technicians to get burned out.

Since the virus appeared, these ultra-stubborn individuals have been allowed to live normal lives and have not been singled out and put under strict government mandates that force them to get vaccinated. They have been given, more or less, a free pass. That’s a terrible mistake.

Medical experts like Dr. Fauci are issuing one warning after another that unvaccinated people must receive one of the three vaccines to help in bringing this dire situation under control, but their words are simply falling on deaf ears.

They refuse to get vaccinated for a variety of reasons. There are about 70 million of them in America. They are, without doubt, one of the biggest reasons why this pandemic is still running rampant.

They continue to refuse even when they are told that, by not getting these injections, they could die and, of great importance, that they could cause the deaths of others.

There have been various kinds of strategies used by the president, governors, and other leaders to try to, somehow, convince these outliers to get vaccinated but nothing works, they won’t budge from their stubborn positions. 

Scientists are striving to arrive at a point called “Herd immunity.” This is, “a condition that occurs when a large portion of a community (the herd) becomes immune to a disease, making the spread of d 60% to 70% of people from person to person unlikely.” “Experts believe that once this amount of people get vaccinated, society would be able to return to normal.”

That’s a very good theory but, right now, it doesn’t seem to be working. Estimates, difficult to make accurately, indicate that about 62% of Americans have been fully vaccinated but only 33% have also had the booster. 

It seems as if this pandemic will never end as we see one variant after another emerge and cause a new surge in infections. Radio, TV, and newspapers are continuously reporting on everything that is going on, with statistics that boggle the mind.

We have now reached an impasse, we are stuck in a rut. What in the world are we going to do about these 70 million Americans that don’t give a damn about anyone except themselves.

About 80%, or even more, of new hospitalizations involve anti-vaxxers. The situation is adversely affecting other patients who need treatment for heart, cancer, or other very serious medical conditions.

One thing for certain, we can’t keep doing the same things that aren’t working and expecting a different result. That’s, of course, the definition of insanity. Things are getting so bad that, in some states, we are seeing National Guard personnel being dispatched to help in hospitals.

Want to hear about some pure stupidity? I was watching an NFL football game on Christmas Day and there were some 75,000 fans in the stands, sitting right_next to each other. Almost no one was wearing a mask. Even if most were vaccinated these people were asking for a lot of trouble. And this is happening all over this country in all sorts of sports venues.

Let’s explore two scenarios that could develop in this dilemma:

In the first scenario, various states, their governors, and other officials have already begun to only allow entry into movie theaters, gyms, restaurants, and various other businesses, to those who have proof of being vaccinated. 

This practice must be extended across America, to the point that the only places that non-vaxxers could enter without appropriate proof would be food stores and various types of medical practices, They would, of course, be allowed to seek help when furnaces, hot water tanks, and other such necessities needed repair or replacement. Other than that they would not be able to do much of anything except to stay at home and watch TV.

News reports indicate that the vast majority of Covid patients in hospitals are anti-vaxxers and many of them are dying. When they are taken to hospitals that have a shortage of beds or ICU rooms, they should not be treated as a top priority. There will need to be some really good decision-making made in these cases to take good care of other patients.

In the second scenario: anti-vaxxers and their victims will continue to be hospitalized, with a great many deaths. As this process continues, the vast majority of the anti-vaxxers will no longer be with us. 

95% of living Americans will be fully vaccinated. America will then see the Covid-19 virus not disappear completely, but become relatively harmless, very much like the flu. 

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Michael Payne is an independent progressive activist. His writings deal with social, economic, political and foreign policy issues; and especially with the great dangers involved with the proliferation of perpetual war, the associated defense industry, and the massive control that Corporate America holds over this government and our election process; all which are leading this nation down the road to eventual financial ruin if the conditions are not reversed. He is a graduate of Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois and a U.S. Army veteran.

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