[steverb]

I predict that by December of 2021 enough people will have gotten the vaccine or have had COVID that the hospitalization numbers will drop precipitously and then we can all go back to a normal life.

The OSHA requirement will hang around, but people won't be freaking out about it because it will be normal. Within two years there will be a childhood COVID vaccine that is safe and effective and it will be required for school attendance like all the other shots.

All the people freaking out about the vaccine/mask requirements will have matured out of it or will find something else to be outraged about.

If I'm wrong, I will come back and say I was wrong. :-) I may lose an internet point or two.

[zerocount]

The big problem is they still want people who've recovered from COVID to get vaccinated. This is a very big deal and I wouldn't be surprised if the whole OSHA plan goes to the Supreme Court.

I've recovered from COVID and stand against vaccine mandates.

[gilbetron]

I agree with this part - if you can show you have antibodies, I don't care where you got them from (well, I would have preferred they were gotten from a vaccine, but that's besides the point now!).

My only stipulation is that if you say you had it, you need to have an antibody test to prove it, and if the test is negative, you need a vaccine.

[steverb]

Not sure why you think that's a problem. The vaccines offer better protection against variants than having had COVID and recovering.

Edit: Apparently this is new information to people: https://www.cdc.gov/media/releases/2021/s0806-vaccination-pr...

[s1artibartfast]

Your link doesn't address better protection against variants specifically, just better protection against reinfection in general. The linked study specifically states that it does not include delta.

[steverb]

Sorry it took so long. Had a work fire to put out.

Here you go: https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/scitranslmed.abi9915

[steverb]

You're correct that link doesn't. Sorry. Let me go find the other one. I'll be back.

[ImPostingOnHN]

that's okay, a nonzero benefit is still a benefit

[s1artibartfast]

It does not say that there is non-zero benefit vs variants. This data does not exist, it could be the case that natural immunity is as good, better, or worse vs variants, or perhaps is different depending on variant.

[ImPostingOnHN]

it doesn't have to have non-zero benefit vs. variants, it just has to have non-zero benefit overall to outweigh the negligible cost in the net cost/benefit calculus

[ctrlp]

Please share evidence for this claim.

[steverb]

https://www.cdc.gov/media/releases/2021/s0806-vaccination-pr...

[grey413]

Getting a vaccine after recovering from covid would be along the lines of getting a booster shot. You'd develop some new antibodies, and strengthen your immune memory for the disease. It'll offer you better protection no matter what.

[ultraluminous]

Are you an immunologist by any chance?

[moistrobot]

We aren't ever going back to normal at this point.

Once government gets power, it doesn't give it back.

We're pushing closer to 2 Americas, one with freedom and one with vaccine mandates

[CabSauce]

You do realize that we vote for our government representatives, right? The 'government' is us.

[vikingerik]

We didn't vote for this. OSHA isn't elected at all.

[CabSauce]

OSHA is in the executive branch, under the president, who we voted for.

[throwaway0a5e]

"Us" is ~50% of the population in many congressional districts. Even in the most hard left/right jurisdictions you get like an 80-20 split on federal elections. That's a 1 in 5 minority of the population. That's f-ing huge.

And between the left complaining about disenfranchisement and the right complaining about voter fraud the elected representative holds less legitimacy in the eyes of the "I didn't vote for them" minority in any given district.

Look at the crazy things totalitarian governments do to keep marginalized 10-30% religious and ethnic minorities from causing instability. A pissed off group of similar size in a western country that isn't willing to stoop that low is a civil unrest bomb waiting to go off.

[HonestOp001]

Gerrymandering allows the ones in charge to stay in charge.

[CabSauce]

Agreed, that forces us to vote more overwhelmingly against whoever is gerrymandering.

[iammisc]

Funny... That's what many predicted would happen six months ago when the vaccine was available.

And your argument is that by the time the onerous regulation becomes unnecessary everyone will be used to it.

Kind of like how the patriot act was there for so long we all just became numb to the constant surveillance, the nude airport screenings etc.

[tomrod]

Personally I think sooner, unless another variant worse than Delta springs up. Right now Mu, Lambda are known but Delta appears to out compete.