Op-Ed: As a doctor in a COVID unit, I’m running out of compassion for the unvaccinated. Get the Shot

(From the LA Times) In a “letter to the unvaccinated,” Dr. Anita Sircar writes: If you believe you can ride out the pandemic without getting vaccinated, “you could not be more wrong. This virus will find you.”

Op-Ed: As a doctor in a COVID unit, I’m running out of compassion for the unvaccinated. Get the shot

Powerful stuff!

And meanwhile, people with fake vaccination cards are being arrested. One couple even had fake vaccination cards for their kids. Not exactly model parents.

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“The big message right now this morning,” he said, is “for the people who aren’t vaccinated, this is the moment to absolutely get off the fence and take care of this because you are a sitting duck for this virus. It’s looking for you.

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If in doubt you can even check if your vaccination worked

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Funny, at first I thought the title meant that there is no peak, but then I recognized it meant that it has not peaked yet. … as in, it is still going up and up and up.

Anyway, indeed, it’s looking for you.

It is really surprising that people will use technology like FaceBook, they will listen to someone who knows very little on the topic he/she is advising people on, and they get in their head that even a new and innovative technology like mRNA vaccines is somehow dangerous. It is as though our brains are still in the 13th century or before when it comes to disease, but we are willing to trust an entirely new means of disseminating information as being authoritative when it is not and reject the advice of those who actually know something.

We really are a strange lot.

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We are indeed.

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Or like the article pointed out, have no problem with off-label use of certain drugs to treat COVID (i.e. not approved by the FDA), but then freak out over the vaccines not being fully approved yet, even though they inevitably will be.

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Great post, thank you,@beaglelady. I still am wondering what the best approach would be to talk to people who are masks and vaccine deniers.
In thinking it over, it struck me that the behavior of some people is sort of like the animals in “The Last Battle.” When everybody was expected to come on one side or the other, such as Aslan’s side or the others, many simply melted away, afraid to take sides. Others look out only for their freedom, such as the Dwarfs.

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I don’t know the best approach, Randy, but [moderated: things are getting wild now.]

The Topic Of Masks In Schools Is Polarizing Some Parents To The Point Of Violence

Can you imagine trying to teach these children [moderated]?

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I love the speech by a Lady wearing glasses saying if God would want us to cover mouth and nose he would have made us that way.

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Indeed. And we weren’t wearing clothes when we were born!

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The most troubling part of the current situation in America is that American Evangelicals seem attracted to bizarre conspiracy theories. People are no different today than they were in Jesus’ day except for a better understanding of the empirical world. Is Christianity just a ‘conspiracy theory’ that happened to catch on with a gullible group of people? We are certainly seeing that people, regardless of education, are susceptible to believing nonsense. Suspicions, paranoia and a fertile imagination are prominent elements in driving people’s beliefs and decisions.

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Christendom (and the Church universal) does not just consist of gullible American Evangelicals, thankfully!

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That is true. But certain American atheists also spread a lot of garbage about Christians, etc. That’s why an English atheist started “History for Atheists”–to set the record straight.

There must be something in the water in this country!

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Great cartoon, and, unfortunately, often very true.

It is a bit curious though, during Shakespeare’s prime, the Globe Theatre was closed for 5 years out of 7 due to the bubonic plague raging through London: 1603 - 1610. So they understood even back then what to do. Even when The Decameron was written in the 14th century, they at least knew to isolate. Yet now that we have far more complete, understandable and consistent information, some people really seem to have completely lost their minds.

Now that Pfizer is approved, I wonder if that excuse will really ring true or not. I haven’t had any exchange about vaccines since the approval, so I wonder what the story will be now. Having had a few exchanges now, it seems like they see the expert as part of the cabal. So they listen to a snake oil salesman instead.

I guess the truth is more awkward, cluttered and incomplete, than snake oil.

Given that the FDA is considered to be an evil government group that has approved artificial food components and recommended evil GMO products over healthy natural ones, I’m not sure it will make any difference to a number of people.

Nice response. There seems to be something within the human imagination though that creates and believes nonsense for personal satisfaction. Social media has simply exposed and amplified this part of human behavior. It would be useful if the right religious faith provided evidence of discernment for truth. More wishful thinking.

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Yeah, I guess that [excuse to ignore FDA approval] probably is the convoluted answer they would likely say. Frankly though, I surmise that, even if, somehow, it got a stamp of approval from God, they would reject it. … and if not even God can persuade people to listen, then what, and who will they listen to?

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Sounds like a joke I heard somewhere–a Covid conspiracy theorist dies and goes to Heaven. God says, “Welcome! I will answer any question you want.” He asked, “God, please tell me–were CDC, FDA and NIH all correct on Covid?” God replied, “My son, yes, it is true. They are My servants to protect you and communicate truth.” In turn, the conspiracy theorist mutters under his breath, :“Boy, this conspiracy goes higher than I thought!”

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The FDA approval may give some an ‘excuse’ to get the vaccine. My wife read of some who wanted to get the vaccine surreptitiously because they didn’t want to be seen by their friends. Peer pressure can be deadly.

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When my 13 yo niece got her shot, she broke into tears. When my sister asked why, she said it was because her friends said they would reject her if she got the shot.

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