It is… well, being fat causes lots of chronic diseases, so it all kind of ties together. And being very fat is very common in the US. It's almost a given for the majority of people that when you hit your 40s, you have at least 20-30 lbs of fat you should not have. Obviously if we were all relatively healthy, at least in terms of the things we can control, the number of people dying of covid would be significantly smaller.
Yes that is the case. I don't live in the US and being fat is not the norm here. I might have literally 1 fat uncle and he got covid early last year. The guy is a doctor so he checked himself to the hospital and asked them to give him corticosteroids. He had 0 complications and he is morbidly obese. Also had a 90 year old aunt with high blood pressure catch covid and she didn't have any complications at all. Both were unvaccinated I might add.
then you are good brother
Statistically for most people with covid, the vast majority are fine. So just getting covid generally shouldn't be as terrifying as some people make it out to be. However, the vaccine is a very low risk way to substantially decrease that small risk so that it is more in line with typical respiratory infections like the flu. But I'm all for people making their own choices.
It's not just getting Covid that scares people. That's what a lot of people don't understand. It's not just getting sick. It's also the fear of infecting others. Especially loved ones.
I beg to differ.
Carrying an extra 20 - 30 lbs (ie overweight by BMI) actually has the best prognosis for COVID. It's the obese and even moreso the super obese where COVID mortality ramps up very rapidly.
I mean the stats are the stats. Whether you choose to be fearful is certainly up to you. But if you are vaccinated as well as those around you, you have very little to fear. If you are afraid, there's no reason not to be vaccinated. But fear is relative of course. People are afraid of all kinds of things. I hope you aren't letting your fear impact your life too much in a negative way.
I implore you to read my previous posts in this thread.
You might have to point me to it. The thread moves fast. I can assume you suffered a loss. I'm sorry to hear that. Obviously that is going to effect your perspective on all this; which is of course understandable. I hope you are able to move forward in time. My condolences if this is the case.
I'm not acting as if it's some kind of humanity ending disease where if you get it you will surely die. I'm acting as if it's a dangerous disease that has already killed over 600,000 of my fellow countrymen, was the third leading cause of death last year, causes hospitals around the country to shut down, causes billions of dollars of expense, and if not controlled properly has the potential to exponentially spread and be much much worse.
Long story short; lost both parents to Covid, had Covid myself.
That's the thing that is really disappointing about all of this, as it shows how self centered or narrow minded people can be when times are hard. So many of these anti-vaccination arguments are predicated on the self with not a thought given to friends, family, and community. "MY personal risk is low". "I am not in a vulnerable demographic". "This is most certainly not going to affect ME".
That is very sad. As I said, I do hope that after a time, you will be able to move forward in a positive way. But obviously your perspective on any of this will be influenced by what you have suffered. I hope that people will get vaccinated in order to prevent things like this. I do believe that once a person is vaccinated, they should move through their life without fear. But that doesn't invalidate any feelings you have to the contrary, clearly.
This was a fine strategy earlier this year, but not so anymore due to the delta variant.
I'm fully vaccinated my friend. I will continue to social distance and wear masks also. I agree vaccines are effective in reducing severe cases and I think that if you are inside the high risk population it is better if you are vaccinated but I just don't support the government forcing you to do stuff against your will that is all. IMO people should have the choice always.
I've worked for companies that do the same, annual checkups to check risk factors like BMI, resting BP, cholesterol, etc. You got a discount if your score was good enough. Makes sense
Feel free to mitigate however you feel is appropriate.
Except, as proven, getting vaccinated doesn't make you immune to Covid.
"feel" is the problem. Too many people are basing their decisions on feelings, and not on facts.
People doing what they "feel" is appropriate is half the problem at this point because there are too many idiots out there that think doing nothing at all is appropriate.
Or make you unable to spread it to others. I have a 3 year old and a 6 month old and a sister who is buying into this idea the vaccine isn't necessary. My wife and I being COVID recovered and vaccinated makes me feel pretty safe for myself, but I'm absolutely aware I could still spread it to my family. My baby has developed a cough this week- is it wildfire smoke? Common cold? COVID? No way to just put those thoughts to rest when my state is in a surge just as bad as before the vaccine…
Couldn't have put it better myself. Like you, I feel safer now I've had both jabs, but I'm under no illusion that I'm now immune to the virus or that I am ruled out as a carrier. Even though restrictions are lifting all the time, I still abide by social distancing, wearing a face mask, and carry a small bottle of anti-bac gel on me at all times. I've seen what destruction the virus can cause first-hand, so am taking no risks.
Again, you do what you decide is appropriate for you. That's how life is. You will live with the consequences of whatever your choices bring to you, as will I. This is just the way it is.
I know this is beating a dead horse but: this is a situation where untold others have to deal with the consequences, in a way that's unique to this situation, too
They will deal with the consequences of their own actions. That's the nature of things. If they want to protect themselves further, the tools are available to them.
The nature of things doesn't have to be that the majority of people who take responsibility to act in a rational and reasonable manner need to bear the burden of accommodating the minority who want to act irrationally and without regard for others.
I am doing what is appropriate for me. However, what is left for me to do when I have to deal with the consequences of other people's reckless behavior?
Good luck enforcing that in a way that doesn't appear horrific. But that is a separate discussion. The tools are available for anyone who is at risk to protect themselves. Children, statistically for example, are at such low risk that even unvaccinated, they are at lower risk than most other age groups fully vaccinated.
We are where we are now. The healthcare system will be stressed for a period of time. Ideally it will be relatively brief. Probably 2-3 months. People can choose to protect themselves during that time in the way i described above or they can deal with the consequences. Your "pursuit of happiness" doesn't really mean you get to dictate the rules of society until you feel comfortable enough to not be afraid. All the tools are available to you to make covid a small concern to you personally.
You realize the vaccine accomplishes the same result in a demonstrably safer manner? This makes absolutely zero sense.
Do other people's pursuit of happiness mean that they get to put the community in danger which then results in even more draconian emergency responses? Do other people's right to express their freedom mean that it's okay when it infringes on my own liberty as well? Their liberty should not come at the expense of mine.
They are, and I employ them, but I'm concerned about more than just me. I'm concerned about everyone else too because I'm forced to live with everyone else and that is the reality we must deal with. I'm not the only factor in this equation.
Being afraid to do what I want to do despite all the protections available to me? What does being afraid have to do with any of this?
I had to read this 3 times in order to make sure I understood what you were getting at because I was positive that I had somehow misunderstood it.
No it doesnt. You are 6x more resistant to Covid if you get it without the vaccine.
Yes.
The post was about fear. So maybe we are having a miscommunication.
The post was about common sense and determining best practices from all current and accurate data.
Does the ICU being full of COVID patients reduce the quality of care for everyone else? Elective surgeries being cancelled is a thing. Increased health care worker burnout is a thing. Delayed response to otherwise everyday emergencies are a thing.
The post was about fear. I made it. Let's get that straight. You responded to my post about fear. I hope that clears up your confusion.
