Vaccines; Yay or Nay.
Polio and Smallpox were eradicated through vaccines. I am sure other diseases have been either eliminated or reduced in severity due to modern medicines, measles, mumps and rubella to name a few. The question I propose is this: Will the Covid virus be eradicated by this modern vaccine that is available? The answer I keep hearing is, no it will not.
The value of the vaccine is in its ability to reduce the severity of the illness. Is not this the same medical thinking that pertains to receiving a flu shot? Yes, it is. Should it not then be prudent to receive the covid shot? The hesitation to do so, seems to arise from the fact that the vaccine was developed and produced very rapidly. It has not met the criteria of years of testing, collection of data, and analysis of that data.
Regarding personal health care, how does a vaccine mandate compare to wearing a seat belt while traveling in a vehicle? Wearing a seat belt in a car is not a government mandate. In January of 1968 the first federal law referencing seat belt usage in motor vehicles went into effect. It was Title 49 of the United States Code, chapter 301, of the Motor Safety Standard. This law simply required all motor vehicles to be equipped with seat belts. This law has been modified over the years for seat belt design only. In December of 1984, the state of NY passed a law requiring occupants to wear seat belts. New Hampshire is the only state with no enforceable laws for wearing seat belts while in a vehicle. Many states have seat belt laws but they are secondary laws. In other words, an individual must be ticketed for some other violation first before being ticketed for failure to wear a seat belt.
All 50 states require some type of pre-school vaccine shot for students. Each state has determined its own criteria for administering and which vaccine it wishes to require, not the federal government. These decisions were made by elected officials and put into place after long established research and analysis of clinical data. However, it seems that Covid health care has taken on a political persona. Therefore, the argument supporting a comparison to other health care precautions for students is invalid.
Before the 2020 presidential election, candidates Biden and Harris stated they would not take the vaccine shot and now under their administration, they are declaring it a mandate! They are attempting to shame anyone and everyone who determines for themselves not to take the shot. They are using fear and intimidation as weapons to compel people into compliance, even private industry. Why are postal workers exempt from this federal mandate? Could it be these workers delivered ballots?
My explanation is Biden and Harris are politicians and will say and do anything to get elected. They do not care about the health of the citizens of this country! If they did, explain why they choose to ignore an immigration crisis at our southern border. A crisis that is allowing untold thousands of illegal immigrants to enter our country with potentially dangerous illnesses including Covid, not to mention the drug cartels and their influence.
Then there is the social rejection factor. One person receives the vaccine with the belief he/she is following the correct social norms and demonstrating love and compassion for their fellow man because they are now protected from spreading the Covid virus, which is a lie. These people ostracize anyone who has not been vaccinated by accusing them of acting irresponsible and negligent. Say it ain’t so. Yes, it is so. I personally know of just such a case. A friendship broken off because one of two decided not to get the shot. Where is the demonstration of love and compassion now?
Getting the shot or not getting the shot, it comes down to a personal choice. Who does the individual believe and trust? Private industry should not be mandating shots for continued employment. The federal government should not be mandating shots period. Folks, this pandemic is only the beginning. We have a labor shortage. We are now witnessing a supply shortage of materials. Fuel is next, followed by a food shortage, all because Trump was not a politician.
Walter Allen has a BA degree from Auburn University and is retired from the paper industry. He is a published author and lives in Laurens County.
