Here we go again with the government trying to get us vaccinated.

HOW IT STARTED WITH THE VACCINE ROLLOUT

First, they say that they will be vaccinating healthcare workers and the long-term care facility "old folks" in what, I assume, was an attempt to pull at our heartstrings and make us believe "oh, they care about our elderly and our nurses".

Then, they move on to those who are 75 years old or older and our non-healthcare frontline workers which, again, is probably just a poor attempt to get us anxious and make us hope that we were next in line, right?

Next came the 65-74 age group, then the "high-risk" group, and then the rest of the sheep (/s).

Once they realized that not enough people were going to take the vaccine, they started offering incentives. Restaurants were offering free items, donuts shops gave out free donuts, and states began offering lotteries and scholarships worth millions of dollars.

WHY ARE THEY TRYING TO SHOVE THIS VACCINE DOWN OUR THROATS?!?

The only reason they are trying to "shove this vaccine down our throats" is this: people are dying. Children are getting sick. The virus is mutating. Our economy is suffering. Our healthcare workers are suffering. Hospitals are filling up again. Elective surgeries are being postponed or canceled. The virus is spreading.

LSU via Twitter
LSU via Twitter
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WHO IS REFUSING THE VACCINE?

It makes me angry to know how politicized this virus has become. I was born and raised in South Louisiana, a VERY conservative area (the whole state actually, save for NOLA), and it is VERY easy to see that many of my friends on Facebook who refuse to vaccinate lean toward a certain political party. Not all, but many.

According to a poll by the Kaiser Family Foundation that was outlined in Forbes, 49% of the unvaccinated respondents were Republicans, while 29% were Democrats. Those who were unvaccinated were less educated and had lower incomes than the vaccinated respondents.

IS THERE A POLITICAL DIVIDE TO THE VACCINE?

I don't know. I am not a scientist/pollster/sociologist. All I can go by is what I see on social media and on television. It seems that the polls show that there IS a political divide. It seems that conservative social media users and television hosts mostly lean towards vaccine hesitancy (at least that's what they say), and the more liberal users and hosts are promoting the vaccine. Is that science? Nope. It's just what I see from my low (very low) perch.

WHAT ARE HEALTHCARE PROFESSIONALS SAYING ABOUT THE VACCINE?

The American Medical Association published a survey in June of this year, asking practicing physicians if they have been fully vaccinated. 96% of the responding physicians said that they had been fully vaccinated and, of the 4% who were not, 45% of those said they plan to get vaccinated.

Physicians and clinicians are uniquely positioned to listen to and validate patient concerns, and one of the most powerful anecdotes a physician can offer is that they themselves have been vaccinated. You can take it from your doctor: the COVID-19 vaccines are safe and effective. - AMA President Susan R. Bailey, MD

Doctors (you know, the ones with all those years of schooling and training and experience) believe in the science and efficacy of the COVID vaccine, and know that it's "the single most important step you can to protect yourself, your family, and end the COVID-19 pandemic".

WAS THE VACCINE RUSHED?

Yes and No. mRNA technology has been in the works for decades. Creating the COVID vaccine was almost a plug-and-play event, to put it in layman's terms.

What WAS "rushed" wasn't really rushed: in the past, when trials take place, there are sometimes years that go by between the three phases of the test. According to the BBC, for the COVID vaccine, researchers did not wait years between the phases of the test and, those tests that could be carried out concurrently, were. That, in itself, gave favor to the timeline of the phased testing.

CAN YOU BREAK ALL OF THIS DOWN FOR ME IN SIMPLE TERMS?

Well, Chief Medical Officer for Our Lady of the Lake Dr. Catherine O'Neal did. Here you go.

The Delta variant is different. It's affecting different people, younger people, and making them sicker. The reason the Delta variant exists? Because not enough people were vaccinated. Dr. Catherine O'Neal says that when you get vaccinated, you spread less of the coronavirus. The less that is spread, the less chance it has to mutate. The less it is spread, the sooner it gets under control.

"Everybody thinks 'I'm really healthy. It's just not going to be me'. Unfortunately, the Delta variant has proved us wrong." Dr. Catherine O'Neal via Twitter

It's time for everyone to listen to the health experts. If 96% (average) of practicing physicians in this country have taken the vaccine, shouldn't that be enough to convince you? If not, look at your spouse, your neighbor, your family member, or anyone close to you, and ask yourself, "Do I want to be the reason this person gets sick?"

Be a good human: get vaccinated.

 

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