I can only
I can only go by my personal experience and that of my family.
I had one jab, and I reckon - can’t be sure - that if I hadn’t had it, then I’d have been much more ill than I was. I’m still not fully back - still struggle with fatigue during exercise. My dad, 65 with COPD, has had 2 jabs. He had covid too, and had nothing more than a bit of a bad cold and fatigue. He’d be a person likely to end up in ICU without the vaccine. My sister and her fiancé hadn’t had the vaccine, and both were very ill. My sister is still not right four weeks later and her fiancé is still suffering too.
Thanks for sharing. You're right of course that personal experience goes a huge way to form our views on things. I haven't had as close family covid-experiences as yourself, just the mother of a friend died very quickly after contracting Covid (she was mid-50's and fairly healthy). And a mate of mine (50-ish, male) who got it still smells wet-dog and burnt things in his nose more than a year after.
Covid-19/sars-cov-2 is definitely a real threat, and more unusual than the flu/cold-strains we usually know of. I support the development and use of vaccines for those who need/want them. I support anyone's right to wish to wear a mask or socially distance.
But instinctively I have an issue with the overly controlled & strict policies the world's governments have enacted, especially when I look at the bigger picture and see an average age-of-death similar to usual life-expectancies, when most hospitalisations statistically feature the old/obese/immune-sick. I see little heed paid to the after-effects of all these harsh policies: immune-weakness due to constant mask-wearing and reduced social contacts, depression, delayed medical-treatment for other issues, children's development stunted, small businesses shafted, a media-driven agenda to sow distrust in fellow citizens: i.e. how the unvaxxed/pandemic-sceptics are being painted as potential murderers, dehumanised by their peers, and their freedoms blunted by the State.
It's an over-reaction, to put it plainly. An over-reaction which may cause profound societal problems long-term. 18 months on standby won't be without its after-effects.
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www.sciencemag.org
www.reuters.com
