Our Part Isn’t Done
The continued surge in cases, and the overcapacity being experienced in many hospitals, means we need to hunker down. Step up, get the vaccine, mask up (everyone), avoid indoor gatherings, social distancing …. We are in the middle of a Delta-variant surge that is overwhelming hospitals and killing some 1500 Americans daily.
There is a crisis in Alabama, Idaho, and probably other states. They are at overcapacity in their hospitals. People are sitting in folding chairs in hallways. Here is a point that was made by one of the doctors is that this time last summer. Everyone was hunkered down and businesses had closed or were operating remotely and everyone was working correctly together, uncertain about the future. And people WERE worried that hospitals and medical facilities would be overwhelmed.
What we were afraid of last summer is what is occurring today. The difference is, people that aren’t directly affected by COVID 19-related issues are going about their lives as if nothing is happening. And the case counts keep going up.
Some vaccinated people that I know have contracted COVID (likely the variant). The common denominator was “I went to a reunion.” “I went to a party.” I went to …. (where they didn’t know who was unvaccinated). None of them were hospitalized but a few of them got really sick. No thank you.
Now This.
I listened to this podcast on September 6 (Labor Day). Entitled “Immunity is the Only Way Through a Pandemic,” by Dr. Z with Dr. Monica Ghandi, it clarified so much regarding where we are right now. In ways, it altered my thinking. One of his main points is what he blames all of the mistrust and uncertainty on … basically, the way the information was distributed to the American public. The communication was terrible, and he pointed the finger at CDC, Dr. Fauci, and others. The way they communicated the latest science was often confusing, and left people to come up with their own translations. And I had to concede that he was right!
However, I felt he was directing his points to a skeptical audience … not an audience of deniers. I still think that there are a large number of deniers that will not budge because they have too much “skin in the game” to stay a member of their tribe. But hopefully more final FDA approvals and more empirical data will move the needle.
I have heard that there is an indication that vaccine rates have gone up. So perhaps that will help the cases to eventually go down.
What People Choose to Learn
I am re-reading parts of the book The Premonition by Michael Lewis. I get frustrated because people close to me sometimes vent and rail about COVID 19 but continue to make wrong-headed decisions (my opinion) regarding vaccines, mitigation strategies, and mandates. And then they aren’t interested in asking me what I think or how I came up with my conclusions.
Back in 2005, there was a study regarding how best to “bring the information” to people pertaining to a website that was under development. The topic was regarding mitigation strategies in the event of a communicable disease outbreak.
It was determined that that people don’t learn what is imposed upon them, but rather what they freely seek, out of desire or need. For people to learn, they need to WANT to learn.
The Premonition (Michael Lewis: May 2021) p. 72.
Back in the early part of this century, this same type of thinking was the agenda of many studies regarding how people used websites and what motivated them to do so. And then … what content needed to go in them, how it should be arranged, and how to “encourage” website visitors. This very same concept, that people will seek content out of a desire based on need, was discovered then and is still relevant today.
So I will remember this with more clarity. This fact drives what information, and the amount of information, that people acquire to satisfy their need regarding COVID 19. This was a wake-up call for me. I will simmer down and continue to keep my mouth shut unless I am asked …. mostly. 🙂
Why there Is Currently No Space for Me in the Republican Party
A bit off-topic … but at the moment, this is where I am. Why? Because I am weary of “my rights” and “I am going to sue” (for discrimination, enforced mandates, etc).
Many are comparing how we all responded after 911 and comparing it to our response during this pandemic. When 911 occurred, people banded together with a sense of unity and togetherness, to grieve together and to empathize with those that perished, the families that suffered, and those that were in the front lines doing the Heavy Lifting. That hasn’t been the case with the pandemic. Currently, too many Republicans are part of the “no mask, no mandates, no vaccine” tribe, which is too much a part of the Republican ideology.
In California, the GOP initiated a recall election to remove the current Governor (Gavin Newsome). The election was held on September 14. There were many Republican nominee to replace him, but the one most favored was Larry Elder.
Some dear friends visited us this month, and the recall election came up in our discussion. I had visited Larry Elder’s website, and his first platform item was to pull back all of the current mandates in California (freedom of choice). I just couldn’t support someone with that platform. The response I received from others was that of course he couldn’t do that, we should look at the broader picture as far as which party’s leader would be the best for the state moving forward. I just couldn’t understand this. Anyone not wanting to work to combat the pandemic is someone I couldn’t support.
Update: As of September 27, 62% voted against the recall. I do believe that Larry Elder’s position on COVID 19 contributed to the recall failure.
Some Republican governors have responded to federal mandates with vows to challenge the constitutionality of the mandates. They are calling those setting mandates “tyrants.” Some even threatened to impose fines on those local governments that mandated vaccines.
I dislike putting people in tribes. But there it is. We will see how all of this evolves.
Shaming Gets Us Nowhere
Shaming by anyone … the vaccinated OR the unvaccinated … does NOT work. I am hearing that more these days. Not only is it mean, people will just dig in further. There is so much of that going on now … An example is the profile photo on this page of the horse, mocking Ivermectin (this drug, used for horse deworming among other things, is touted by some as a treatment for COVID 19). Be kind, hold back your amazement. Who knows, eventually there may be some truth in a lot of the information that people are choosing to follow.
Some Lynden News
Around mid-September, pandemic-related opinion pieces started appearing in the Lynden Tribune. One discussed Ivermectin, a suggested treatment protocol that has not been approved by the FDA. Many touted that as an alternative to the vaccine. The following week, an opinion piece, including links to resources, appeared that presented the true situation regarding Ivermectin. Inspired by my conviction to stop shaming, I had decided to write a letter to the editor that also appeared on September 8.
In the September 15 edition, an article written by a retired medical doctor clearly stated how choosing not to vaccinate was affecting others. It was very accurate … but the delivery was pretty aggressive. I thought to myself …. “this won’t go well.”
In the same edition, an opinion piece appeared that argued the effectiveness of Ivermectin, the treatment protocol not approved by FDA but touted by many.
Quite a bit of blowback appeared in the September 22 edition, all very angry opinion pieces against the retired doctor’s article (filled with a lot of older information and outright false claims). There also was an opinion piece renouncing Ivermectin as a treatment protocol (accompanied by resource links) which was a rebuttal to the piece in the September 15 edition.
What is my takeaway from this? What is currently unknown is just how this will all eventually flesh out. Will we be stuck with the pandemic for months longer than we should be? Is there ever going to be any movement by the deniers? Just how many are deniers and how many are skeptics, and what long-term effect will all of this have on the pandemic?
Pleas from the WHO
Developed and rich countries have a high rate of vaccination. They’re talking about boosters. But undeveloped and poor countries still have very low rates and are severely impacted by COVID 19. The concern is that significant numbers of unvaccinated worldwide provides more opportunity for the variance to take hold. We can already see the devastation by the Delta variant.
So, what about suspending boosters for all but the vulnerable and instead focusing on these low income poor third world countries that are desperately in need of shots? We will have to get past the political and financial motivations of the pharmaceutical companies. They are beseeching more developed and COVID-stable countries to donate more funds to support vaccines to the suffering countries.
The reason is they lay out make perfect sense to me because they support the empirical data that’s here in the United States. It’s easy to see the overwhelmed medical facilities and too many unvaccinated people, as well as variances and the damage they can do.
Mandates!
With vaccinations lagging in COVID-ravaged Red states, President Biden ordered vaccination mandates for employees of large businesses and most health-care workers. Many state and local government entities and private businesses are mandating in order to ease the current COVID situation. Included in this is requiring proof of vaccination for entry into an event, business, gathering, restaurant, etc. We have seen quite a lot of this in Washington, accompanied by pushback and some lawsuits.
Some businesses have been very grateful for the state and local mandates. It gets them “off the hook” and the freedom to set mandates. Current polls show most Americans back mandates. Anti-vaxxers could be an “obnoxious minority” while the quieter majority seethes in silence.
To argue with a person who has renounced the use of reason is like administering medicine to the dead.
Thomas Paine
Pfizer Boosters are Approved
The FDA authorized booster doses of Pfizer-BioNTech COVID 19 vaccine for certain populations. Since Lynn and I are over 65, we are members of the Certain Population. Lynn had received a notification from PeaceHealth advising him that he was eligible for the vaccine, even though this authorization hadn’t been received yet. We are hoping to get this and our flu shots very soon.
As the Month Comes to an End
I listened to another one of Dr. ZDogg’s podcasts (A COVID update: September 26, 2021). I find him to be very nuanced, which I appreciate. He deeply explains (usually with another doctor) the latest updates. In this one, he talked about boosters, natural immunity (from having COVID) vs. the vaccine, and all the different scenarios. And again, he discussed communication with the unvaccinated, and how best to approach it. And again … I see his points when talking to the skeptical, but don’t see much that can be done with the deniers. At the end, he did say it’s unknown how or if the deniers will ever come around.
This month has been tough for me.
Lynn had a small stroke. It was, and still is, a confusing situation. As of the end of September, it’s still not definite what caused it. The good news is (much to be grateful for!) that a small mass in his brain is not malignant cancer; that his heart has no abnormalities (blockages, narrowed arteries, valve issues, etc). That his brain has no other issues (narrowed arteries, bleeds, aneurysms, clogged arteries, and his carotid arteries are clear). No high blood pressure. There does seem to be evidence that he’s had a small number of tiny strokes. He has a final MRI on October 19. After that, we should know something definitive. Probably relates to his arterial fibrillation. What else would it be?
A Bit of a Reality Check
Lynn was in the Bellingham hospital emergency room for almost 10 hours, going through tests and living with uncertainty. Meanwhile, I was in the parking lot eagerly awaiting any news from him (until his phone died). This was due to COVID restrictions. I now have a taste of how difficult it would be to not be by your loved one at their time of need. He had a conversation with a nurse that verified what we have been hearing … they are exhausted, frustrated, and confused over the attitudes of people coming in with COVID. And they are younger.
We decided to take a road trip down to California at the end of October. At first, the plan was to have one last Thanksgiving gathering before my brother Chris and his wife leave for South Carolina. But …. then there’s the COVID deal. We have unvaccinated family members …. and our PCP recommended that we not be around anyone unvaccinated, and should avoid gatherings where we don’t know the vaccination status of others. So, that plan was abandoned. I felt bad about it, but it seemed simpler than having convos with people that might not appreciate being asked about their status.
Our next door neighbor (a kidney transplant recipient that highly immunocompromised) and his wife have taken a few road trips, and are on one now. They assured us it’s easy to distance from others, keep things clean, and mask … thereby reducing risk. We can do this … we are so ready for a break!
My sleeping has been sporadic and for the first time in my life, I have felt a bit depressed. l’m not one that is prone to this. There is just so much right now. Lynn’s situation has weighed heavily on me. The last year and a half has been so hard for so many. There is other stuff besides COVID! So I’m hoping for a lift during this road trip, more time with loved ones, and a pleasant drive up the coast on our way back to Washington.
And One Last Thing …
I’m starting to hear now that the case rates are dropping in many areas of the U.S. High rates of hospitalizations and deaths are still ongoing, because they lag behind the initial case diagnoses. I’ve seen a bit of a decrease for Whatcom County. I’m hoping this is indicative of something~ currently, with only 54 percent of Americans fully vaccinated, we have a way to go … October, give us some great news ….
Next: COVID 19 – October 2021
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