People Should Not Die Because Of Their Bad COVID Decisions

People Should Not Die Because Of Their Bad COVID Decisions

– By Ed Kociela –

A year ago we were desperate.

We were wringing our hands, praying, doing everything we could to keep COVID-19 from our door.

We wore our masks. Well, most of us with more sense than a fencepost did, anyway.

We scrubbed our hands raw and bathed them in sanitizers.

And, we didn’t mix and mingle, deciding instead to lock ourselves away from the greater world. Even our bosses understood, creating an environment where many of us could work from our homes.

The planet still spun, but we watched it from our couches.

A year later?

We are headed back to the couches, masks, and social distancing. We are heading back to Square One because of those who believed the cat in the back row who failed high school biology, but is now blasting social media with how the FDA and science’s warnings are all part of a conspiracy, an assault on our personal freedoms, a big lie that masks and social distancing are crucial to avoiding the disease. That’s why incidents of COVID-19 are up. That’s why vaccination numbers are down. That’s why thousands more will be hospitalized and many will perish. That’s why, as researchers are warning, those who go unvaccinated will contract the disease as the deadly Delta variant builds to hurricane strength.

I hope that guy and his ilk are OK and remain so as we are on the threshold of yet another attack from this wretched disease. I wish them no harm, but it is still impossible to excuse their behavior, especially when they spread so much bad and potentially dangerous information. (The World Health Organization has an excellent website with myth-busting facts regarding COVID-19 at https://www.who.int/emergencies/diseases/novel-coronavirus-2019/advice-for-public/myth-busters?gclid=Cj0KCQjw_8mHBhClARIsABfFgpgV7JjE3F_6U7f1TOU6UN4JpPjN_I34Epyk-gxYOxBt_k9jW5Pc5nUaAqWvEALw_wcB).

A year ago we enthusiastically cheered on the researchers who worked feverishly to develop a vaccination for COVID-19. We wondered why there was so much red tape and bureaucracy seemingly in the way of approvals. We encouraged governments around the world to expedite the new drugs to save us.

Yet we are still a long way from wiping out this scourge. We asked for a weapon to combat this thing, but too many are reluctant to use it.

It could have been much easier, you know.

The numbers would not be heading skyward again if everybody stayed true and did their part to eliminate COVID-19 by wearing masks, social distancing, and getting a vaccination.

Yeah, I’m calling out the MAGA people who propagated the lies, the insurgents who added to it by attempting an ugly and vicious coup on our government, the diehards who would rather die hard than acknowledge that the government was doing what it was charged to do when it restricted our lifestyles to ensure we could pursue them in the future instead of becoming grim numbers on the death rolls.

I have heard it all, that the government is using the vaccines to put chips in our bodies so they can track us at all times; that some would not take the vaccination because they didn’t want “the live germ” injected into them; and even that they followed a healthy enough lifestyle – exercise, diet, and sleep – to avoid COVID-19, even though they still somehow, come down with colds, flu, and other diseases, common and rare. If the common cold can get ‘em, so can COVID.

It has been 16 months since the World Health Organization declared the COVID-19 pandemic. We have all spent the better part of that time under restrictions of varying degree.

And, just when they were getting ready to free us all from restrictions this resurgence occurs as a particularly virulent strain of the disease emerges.

What does it mean for me?

It means that even though I am fully vaccinated, I may undergo another round of quarantine because human nature is such that we simply cannot trust anybody. I mean if they only open doors to vaccinated people, how do we know for sure who has their shots and who does not? I trust me, but I don’t trust you because already we are seeing stories of a cottage industry blossoming to provide false vaccination documents in some countries, I am sure there are plenty here.

Plus, to be honest with you, I really don’t know how I feel being out and among those who have so little regard for themselves and others that they refuse to take the proper preventative measures. And, I certainly don’t want to hang with that kid who flunked biology class and his buddies who think they are smarter than Dr. Anthony Fauci. I fail to see how Darwin Awards finalists could make good conversationalists anyway, especially with their “Hold my beer” attitude. However entertaining it may be for a moment, no good can come from it.

The facts are simple. Every state in the Union is experiencing an uptick in COVID-19 cases. Because there are few mask mandates people are getting a false sense of security. Airline travel is growing, people are coming together in large numbers for sporting and social events, and does anybody really practice safe distancing anymore? Younger people are being diagnosed at a higher rate than ever. Athletes, rock stars, politicians are all being diagnosed because COVID-19 knows no barriers. According to CDC numbers, you are nearly three times as likely to be diagnosed with the disease if you live in a state where less than 50 percent of the population is vaccinated. Places that were on the verge of totally opening are now taking a step back, reinstituting mask mandates and other safety measures.

This can pretty much be traced to political ideology.

Are you a Trump person? You are more likely to thumb your nose at masks, social distancing, and vaccination. Are you a Biden person? You are more likely to have already received your full vaccination, but still employ safe guidelines so you do not become a carrier. I hate to politicize a disease, but it is what it is.

Look, the vaccine will not prevent everybody from getting the disease, but it will keep you out of the hospital and, more importantly, out of the grave. Wearing a mask and social distancing will help ensure that you do not expose those who refuse to do the right thing. But, because others make bad decisions doesn’t mean they should die for them.

The rest of us?

I’m just making sure my Netflix is paid up and that there’s a comfy spot on the couch.

God knows how long we’ll be there this time.

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