The Delta Variant In Our State
While respecting medical freedom, the statistics are black and white. They are facts without partisan agendas. They tell us how we should act to save our lives. When 95% of severe coronavirus cases are unvaccinated and 99.98% of coronavirus deaths from unvaccinated the facts are the facts. We are losing humans again at an alarming rate because of vaccine hesitancy. Whatever the reason for the choice the facts are the facts. It hurts the same way to hear our state is among those who are not choosing be vaccinated. Vaccinations are of course not risk free. The vaccination for the flu, mumps, measles, etc. all have risks. Like the flu vaccine risk for Guilliane Barre syndrome the Johnson & Johnson vaccine is posting its data facts they have given 12.8 million vaccines 100 showed the rare neurological symptoms. The FDA hasn’t determined the vaccine causes the Guilliane Barre Syndrome they are reporting the statistics. While it is also hopefully understood that it is a risk calculation we all do when making a decision on what we choose on health decisions.
There is a risk of long term health issues/death from the coronavirus from which there is also a risk of Guilliane Barre Syndrome. Understanding the full risks of coronavirus is perhaps the better way to understand how to empower ourselves and others. The chronic journey experience many of us are familiar with from other illnesses perhaps gives us a enhanced empathetic understanding of what the “long-haulers” may entail in every aspect. When we live with chronic illnesses every day impacting our mental, emotional, physical, spiritual, well-being 24-7-365 holistically our medical choices – like choosing to not add another diagnosis or risk factor to our life span – or limiting our life span by not choosing to be vaccinated. The availability of the vaccine and to finally have our entire core family vaccinated was such a sense peace, security, and comfort! PRICELESS!
Whether this helps someone else to look at this situation differently, I don’t know. I only know I haven’t looked at the coronavirus dashboard through the department of health until recently. In the early months of the coronavirus I would check each of our counties and our neighboring states. I stopped looking once the numbers began to go down. Then the last month began to happen. I was checking the dashboard about once a month. It would literally increase my physical symptoms. Because I really don’t understand why our numbers are this low on vaccinations, it literally creates too much stress.
I know I have heard conspiracy theories within our family/community. I prefer not to repeat nor fact check any of them here. They are a waste of energy/spoons. We can agree to disagree on some things while choosing to understand the basic facts/statistics/risks. We can choose to reflect upon other vaccinations and their overall long term benefit for humanity. We have always been a society who chooses the greater good for ourselves and others.
I also did an unofficial survey while we at our last doctor appointments. The optometrist appointment- I asked if they were all vaccinated? The assistant said, “no not all. She felt she was healthy and also felt that gave everyone greater access to the vaccines.” She didn’t have a mask on. The optometrist did come into the room with a mask on. I wore a mask knowing a lot of people were not choosing to be vaccinated. The children under 12 who aren’t eligible to be vaccinated aren’t protected. If people continue to provide a space for the variants to adapt it will jeopardize our younger children. Respiratory viruses are spread through the air.
Our next appointments was the neurologist and all had masks on. 🙂 The nurse, when I asked if everyone had been vaccinated? She said, “everyone but one person and she didn’t know what her problem was.” This made me feel better about the overall healthcare system. The next doctor appointment was with the nurse practitioner who was a fill-in for my usual person and she didn’t know because she didn’t usually work in that office. So, this will be a follow-up survey.
I am asking everyone, at this point who comes in our environment if they have vaccinated.
Polio, mumps, measles, all have been dealt with through vaccines but they must be given for impact.
The delta variant or another variant or the possibility of needing a booster for the vaccination are all factors dependent upon how many people are vaccinated or are not. Again the numbers, statistics are black and white. The virus doesn’t care about your status or red or blue. I know some are going to say well it is the southeast and a few states in the west. It isn’t a red & blue state issue though. Even though it might seem to be, I would say no. Virus’s don’t vote nor do their children.
Here is a source other than me. The quotes below are taken from the website given below.
“Hospitalizations ICU admissions and deaths all lag behind (new cases), so we expect those to continue to get worse, substantially worse over the next two to three weeks” Dr. Andrew T. Pavia, chief of pediatric infectious diseases at the University of Utah School of Medicine, said on the call.
Cases are rising in Missouri, Arkansas, Nevada, Utah and Florida at higher rates than in other states over the past couple of weeks. New infections and hospitalizations are highest in rural areas, where vaccination rates are low, Pavia said. “That’s what drives the susceptibility to having an outbreak.”
“In Utah, the infection rates are highest among young people ages 15 to 45 and hospitalizations are similarly higher in those younger age groups than they were earlier in the pandemic, he said.”