Into Thin Air

[Jolly]

I do hang out at a few other places, one being a political/homesteading board on Proboards.

There were two threads going, one on COVID treatments and another on whether to vaccinate or not. The discussion was pretty decent, with divergent views. And then, POOF!, they're gone. The board moderator has complained to the host, but has received no reply.

I guess any opinion that doesn't tow the party line is now verboten...That's a little chilling...

[George K]

It wasn't a mod decision?

Wow.

[Jolly]

No, it was pulled by Proboards with no prior notice.

[Copper]

We are doomed

[Horace]

Some combination of the hormonal righteousness of some, and the socially and economically coerced group-think of many. This is how civilization works. Sometimes some of us start new societies, with new constitutions that recognize the importance of free speech, and the dangers of the all too common temptations to quash it. But good luck getting a pop culture to recognize and follow such dispassionate Good Ideas when it's in the throes of righteousness.

[Larry]

[Jolly]

The Vaccination Thread has since been reinstated after complaint. Much of the thread starter was a series of questions by one member. I pulled out a reply post by member Jolly to give an illustration just how wild some of this thread is...

Does the vaccination work?
Yes. Is it like other vaccinations, conferring lifetime immunity? Probably not. Certainly doesn't confer immunity against variant strains, such as Delta or the new Gamma variant they have recently seen in French Guiana. But so far, it looks like it makes the symptoms of a breakthrough infection much less and markedly lowers the mortality rate.

Is it safe?
For the vast majority of people it is. And this is coming from a guy whose wife was knocked into A-fib by the vaccine. No vaccine is fool-proof. There are still kids who die from routine childhood vaccinations. But the cost-benefit falls overwhelmingly on the benefit side for high risk individuals. You're definitely high risk.

Which one?

I'm partial to Pfizer. It's very slightly more effective than Moderna. And just as a spit-in-the-wind personal survey, I've seen a few less reactions to Pfizer than Moderna. I think I would avoid J&J because of the blood clot and Gillian-Barre issues.

If the vaccine works, then why are the vaxed afraid of the unvaxed?

I dunno. The vaccine is not 100% effective. And some people seem like they just want to stay scared and are comfortable in their fright.

If the vaccine works, why do people have to wear masks?

Really good question. I'm not partial to them and think they aren't super effective, mostly because of what many are made of and how most people use them improperly. There is some current research that shows vaccinated people with mild to no symptoms after infection by the Delta variant carry 1000x more copies of the virus particles in their nasal passages than the initial infections people had with Alpha. The rationale behind masks was never to protect you, but to keep you from spreading the disease.

If I get the shot, will I get sick?
From the shot? Maybe, but not likely with Alpha (the original strain) COVID. From variants, as a breakthrough case? Yes, that can happen, but the odds of serious illness and death decrease. Decrease does not mean, "won't happen". I know of a Breakthrough case with no comorbidities other than age, who'll most likely be dead before tomorrow.

Will I be permanently affected?
If you have a bad enough reaction to the shot.

Will I die?

It can happen, but the odds are vastly against it. I will say this, dying with COVID is much more likely and that's a really nasty way to go.

Why should I trust them on this subject?

You don't. Neither do I. Weigh your risk factors, read everything with a grain of salt and make your own decision. But make one. If you are going to take the vaccine, do it before you can't. If you aren't going to take it, try to keep your immune system working well and cut down on your exposure.

Ultimately, it's your choice. What does your doctor say?

[Mik]

Seems pretty middle of the road to me.

[Jolly]

Some of it isn't. You've got some of the DNA-altering stuff, infertility crap and how all the mice died during testing. But some of it is from people who were very reluctant to get the vaccine and have eventually -for various factors - decided to go ahead and get the jab.

Especially that last group of people is why the threads like that need to stay up.