COVID-19 Rant

[Rev. Powell]

The anti-vaxxers seem to only consider themselves. I.e. if there's only a small chance of me getting sick, why inconvenience myself in the slightest?

These numbers aren't accurate, they're just for illustration purposes. But let's do a thought experiment about a highly transmissible virus with a 1% fatality rate. Everyone who gets it will transmit it to an average of 2 other people.

If you get the virus, there's only a 1% chance of you getting sick. But you transmit it to two other people, so suddenly there's (about) a 3% chance of fatality from your virus. Now each of those two people transmit it to two other people, so now there's approximately a 2^2+1 or ~5% chance of fatality. The next round of transmission raises it to 2^3+1 or ~9%, then 2^4 or about 17%, then 2^5 or 33%... it's pretty clear that eventually somewhere down the line, the virus you transmitted will be responsible for someone else's death.

By getting vaccinated you could change the transmissibility to basically zero. Even if it were only about half effective, you would save lives. And your personal risk from taking the vaccine is essentially zero. So why not do it?

[indianasmith]

And of course, they consider only one of two possibilities - either you die or you don't get sick.  What they don't think about is the much higher percentage of COVID patients who get seriously ill and/or require hospitalization.  That's a larger number - I think about 5% of cases require hospitalization, and another 4% or so will miss more than two weeks of work - which I would call being pretty sick.  So that's a 1 out of 10 chance of contracting and/or transmitting a pretty serious illness.

[zelmo73]

The anti-vaxxers seem to only consider themselves. I.e. if there's only a small chance of me getting sick, why inconvenience myself in the slightest?

These numbers aren't accurate, they're just for illustration purposes. But let's do a thought experiment about a highly transmissible virus with a 1% fatality rate. Everyone who gets it will transmit it to an average of 2 other people.

If you get the virus, there's only a 1% chance of you getting sick. But you transmit it to two other people, so suddenly there's (about) a 3% chance of fatality from your virus. Now each of those two people transmit it to two other people, so now there's approximately a 2^2+1 or ~5% chance of fatality. The next round of transmission raises it to 2^3+1 or ~9%, then 2^4 or about 17%, then 2^5 or 33%... it's pretty clear that eventually somewhere down the line, the virus you transmitted will be responsible for someone else's death.

By getting vaccinated you could change the transmissibility to basically zero. Even if it were only about half effective, you would save lives. And your personal risk from taking the vaccine is essentially zero. So why not do it?

That's not accurate though, because you are not accounting for the vaccinated people that are still spreading the virus and/or its variant. That brings you back to Square One. At which case...really, what's the point of getting vaccinated if you are still a superspreader? Please help Michael Rapaport figure this out:

https://www.theblaze.com/news/michael-rapaport-rips-fauci-cdc-vaccines-masks#toggle-gdpr

[pennywise37]

while yes that may be true but i think the numbers are a lot lower for that than for those who refuse to take it and than give it to someone else

[Rev. Powell]

And of course, they consider only one of two possibilities - either you die or you don't get sick.  What they don't think about is the much higher percentage of COVID patients who get seriously ill and/or require hospitalization.  That's a larger number - I think about 5% of cases require hospitalization, and another 4% or so will miss more than two weeks of work - which I would call being pretty sick.  So that's a 1 out of 10 chance of contracting and/or transmitting a pretty serious illness.

This is an excellent point. Many of the Covid skeptics did not understand that one of the major purposes of the early lockdown was to prevent hospitals from becoming overburdened and forced to turn people away, as happened in China, Italy and India. We avoided that fate.

[zelmo73]

It's pretty hard to take any of this seriously anymore when the Party of Trusting the Science doesn't practice what it preaches and decrees:

https://independentchronicle.com/mayor-lightfoot-slammed-for-partying-maskless-at-lollapalooza/

[pennywise37]

i just saw that offspring a band i could care less about apparently fired their drummer  for not getting the shot but though i did not read the article common sense to me anyways i think it was prolly him refusing to get it but if that's true i can't say that i blame them. if that's the case where he refuses to get it than i can respect their decision

[Trevor]

I am actually anti-mask, for one thing due to my acute anxiety disorder which makes me freak out if something tight is around my nose and mouth and for the reason that we all have germs in us. We breathe them out, the mask traps them and then when we breathe in, the germs go back in.

However, I will get the jab when my turn comes and I do wear a mask at work, in a vehicle or in a building: I do not wear one at home and I certainly do not wear a mask when I walk somewhere as viruses hate sunlight and fresh air.

[Allhallowsday]

I am actually anti-mask, for one thing due to my acute anxiety disorder which makes me freak out if something tight is around my nose and mouth and for the reason that we all have germs in us. We breathe them out, the mask traps them and then when we breathe in, the germs go back in.

However, I will get the jab when my turn comes and I do wear a mask at work, in a vehicle or in a building: I do not wear one at home and I certainly do not wear a mask when I walk somewhere as viruses hate sunlight and fresh air.

I don't entirely agree with you, but you are behaving well and BTW who the hell wears a mark at home...??? 

[Rev. Powell]

I am actually anti-mask, for one thing due to my acute anxiety disorder which makes me freak out if something tight is around my nose and mouth and for the reason that we all have germs in us. We breathe them out, the mask traps them and then when we breathe in, the germs go back in.

However, I will get the jab when my turn comes and I do wear a mask at work, in a vehicle or in a building: I do not wear one at home and I certainly do not wear a mask when I walk somewhere as viruses hate sunlight and fresh air.

You sound pro-mask if you're wearing it in public around others.  I am sad that it causes you anxiety, though.

Masks are more to prevent you from transmitting the virus to others than to stop you from getting the virus yourself. So yes, the idea is that if you have the virus inside you, it will stay in you and not go out to others.

Before the pandemic, I used to think the Japanese and Chinese looked silly and paranoid wearing masks all the time. Now I understand better.

[zelmo73]

I am actually anti-mask, for one thing due to my acute anxiety disorder which makes me freak out if something tight is around my nose and mouth and for the reason that we all have germs in us. We breathe them out, the mask traps them and then when we breathe in, the germs go back in.

However, I will get the jab when my turn comes and I do wear a mask at work, in a vehicle or in a building: I do not wear one at home and I certainly do not wear a mask when I walk somewhere as viruses hate sunlight and fresh air.

You are certainly a brave man for calling yourself an anti-masker in this crowd.

[Trevor]

I am actually anti-mask, for one thing due to my acute anxiety disorder which makes me freak out if something tight is around my nose and mouth and for the reason that we all have germs in us. We breathe them out, the mask traps them and then when we breathe in, the germs go back in.

However, I will get the jab when my turn comes and I do wear a mask at work, in a vehicle or in a building: I do not wear one at home and I certainly do not wear a mask when I walk somewhere as viruses hate sunlight and fresh air.

I don't entirely agree with you, but you are behaving well and BTW who the hell wears a mark at home...??? 

Some idiot public figure here suggested that SA people should mask up 24/7 - at work, at home, etc - and that person was soon shouted down, thankfully.

[Trevor]

You sound pro-mask if you're wearing it in public around others.  I am sad that it causes you anxiety, though.

Masks are more to prevent you from transmitting the virus to others than to stop you from getting the virus yourself. So yes, the idea is that if you have the virus inside you, it will stay in you and not go out to others.

Before the pandemic, I used to think the Japanese and Chinese looked silly and paranoid wearing masks all the time. Now I understand better.

I only wear a mask in public around others in a building and in a vehicle: nowhere else. A security person in my neighborhood saw me walking to the store minus mask and shouted that I should be wearing one: I held up my mask which I carry everywhere with me in public, showing him I had one with me  and held it in such a way that I was giving him the finger when I showed him. 

A face covering if it's tight is one of the anxiety triggers I have.

[Trevor]

You are certainly a brave man for calling yourself an anti-masker in this crowd.

I only wear a mask to first keep others safe: not really worried about me. I got quite ill in December 2020, got checked out and I was told I had almost all of the symptoms for Covid, except for the high temperature and body pain. I self isolated for almost two weeks, had food etc brought in and I was OK.

[Trevor]

And in other news, our Minister of Health has resigned: jumped before he was pushed. 

https://www.news24.com/news24/southafrica/news/mkhizes-resignation-letter-i-am-resigning-to-bring-stability-to-health-department-20210805