We as a society didn't stop COVID 3 years ago, so now we're stuck being either guinea pigs for the vaccine or for the disease. So far the vaccine has been a safer bet by far.
There is risk in both the virus and the vaccine. And the vaccine is a statistically safer bet, although I’m sure specific biological/genetic factors can alter this calculation.
Given that the risk of infection is well studied now for average healthy people, where measuring severe outcomes is a matter of how infinitesimally close to 0% it is, I trust my immune system that's the product of millions of years of evolution vs. overly self-confident scientists working alongside pharmaceutical companies maximizing profit and minimizing any knowledge of side-effects and risks associated with their products.
You're right, the correct comparison for COVID is actually measles. And it's more evasive than that - the vaccine and acquired immunity does not hold nearly as well.
Measles was controlled by mass vaccination that provides for years of neutralizing antibody response combined with merciless quarantine on outbreaks.
COVID vaccine of today does not achieve that. It's still much better than nothing, but insufficient to control it.
this is such a utopian and impossible dream, a "real communism has never been tried" escape hatch from reconciling the obvious failures of the so-called expert class & political left who's unleashed authoritarianism upon the world
Authoritarianism was not required. Just science and common sense. I recall a state department representative flying to wuhan to evacuate us citizens back to the us. No mask, shaking hands. Bro…
It became apparent early that it was a respiratory infection, but masks were resisted due to idiocy and politics.
It became apparent early on that there was a week or two incubation period.
Those two facts, had they been taken seriously, would have utterly changed the outcome.
Then again. Maybe you’re crying out against the authoritarianism of facts. It is true they can be a harsh taskmaster. They are utterly unforgiving and totally uncaring. They don’t give a shit what you believe or who’s side you are on. If you love freedom I could understand wanting to be free of facts. Let me know how that works out for ya.
Covid spread out of Wuhun very early. Once it did, all the masking and quarantining post-infection wouldn't stop it.
The few countries that did keep it under control closed their borders to keep it out and tested/traced the few infections they had to preemptively track it down. But countries that already had a nigh number of cases tried those tactics and it failed. The only country with large number of infections who got back down to Covid Zero was china, and they absolutely used authoritarian tactics.
The third world was never going to accomplish that even with authoritarian tactics.
There is no scenario where COVID doesn't become an a global pandemic once it escapes Wuhan. It's just too contagious.
I think the point is that once the cat is out of the bag with a pandemic authorization measures aren't gonna fix it - so implementing them is just authoritarianism for the sake of authoritarianism
Emotional language aside, it was disappointing to see how ineffective the CDC was at emergency response. At their budget and with their mandate there’s really no excuse.
There is risk in both the virus and the vaccine. And the vaccine is a statistically safer bet, although I’m sure specific biological/genetic factors can alter this calculation.