I thought HIPPA was still a thing?
Sorry I’m not following?
Wow. I so much wish I had the life that would allow me to like this post.
This thread makes it seem like people legitimately want people’s personal health choices available for the world at large to see/judge. Everything is said in jest but -I feel some actually would be OK with that. Like the scarlet A (those who for a variety of reasons - may choose not to yet take this particular vaccine). It seems a little overboard given there are people walking around with active TB and other communicable diseases. No one worries about that. No one worries as much about their college age kid getting meningitis which has a much higher death rate for college age kids. There are vaccines for that also, but not this kind of response. You don’t worry if a parent comes on campus who may not have been vaccinated for that. Vaccine related deaths are rare but not unheard of (over 2000 already reported by the CDC related to covid vaccines alone). Someone who makes a different choice than you is not an “idiot” - they likely just have a different life experience than you have had. I strongly feel those who have already had covid should not be forced to be vaccinated. Their immunity may very well be even greater than someone who had a vaccine - we don’t know yet, and they may in fact be at greater risk of injury from the vaccines. Should they not be allowed on campus?
7 Likes
That is not true and it is the type of claim made by anti-vaxxers by twisting published data.
“Over 167 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines were administered in the United States from December 14, 2020, through April 5, 2021. During this time, VAERS received 2,794 reports of death (0.00167%) among people who received a COVID-19 vaccine. CDC and FDA physicians review each case report of death as soon as notified and CDC requests medical records to further assess reports. A review of available clinical information including death certificates, autopsy, and medical records revealed no evidence that vaccination contributed to patient deaths. CDC and FDA will continue to investigate reports of adverse events, including deaths, reported to VAERS.”
Selected Adverse Events Reported after COVID-19 Vaccination | CDC.
7 Likes
We are in agreement. My point was about privacy as well, albeit a little tongue in cheek.
I had to google due to that comment and was just about to post what you posted - glad this site updates IRT!
The CDC has not reported any deaths from the vaccine as of this typing.
2 Likes
I think the difference is meningitis or other communicable disease doesn’t result in businesses being closed for cleaning, quarantine and isolation. The sticky wicket is mixing vaccinated and unvaccinated, the required testing, and potential quarantine. The vaccine protects those who get it but it also keeps mutations to a minimum. Too many variants, too much likelihood the vaccines will become less effective.
1 Like
I don’t know if you realize it but this and comments about being able to choose what to do with our bodies are anti-vaxx talking point. The vaccine is not 100% effective and there are people who legitimately cannot be vaccinated. They depend on the rest of us for their protection.
1 Like
I deeply appreciate the informative nature of your post. It is beyond frightening to learn that innocent children have been thrown out of school due to their health. Our government is an overreaching behemoth that desperately needs to be minimized.
4 Likes
All of my college kids got their meningitis vaccines, I know Rutgers requires them.
Have to be honest, I find the tone of this thread disappointing. There are legitimate concerns regarding forced vaccinations and the response to anyone outside the “accepted” response is horrible. My daughter turned down Northeastern for another school.
Based on this thread, it was the right choice. Diversity of thought and opinion doesn’t seem to be allowed. Civil discourse is not encouraged. I find that sad. Good luck to everyone with your school choice and be well. know that not everyone can get a vaccine for many reasons, health being just one, and to be excluded from everyday life should not be a result of this.
Good luck again and now that my youngest is done with her selection of university, I am off this platform. Seems like there is space for only 1 mindset here.
7 Likes
Those who are unable to get vaccinated for whatever reason will never be 100% safe because there are others like them that will remain unvaccinated, plus the vaccines are not 100% effective. The reality is, the onus will be on them to protect themselves if they want to be 100% safe. Same thing for people that have life-threatening peanut (and other) allergies.
4 Likes
so what about work places? can they require mandatory vaccines? would you want your (non-health/non-education) work to require it? Would you quit if they didnt?
I get requiring it in the education world/congregant living areas. but college is just a very small part of the working world. I wonder what will happen in all of the businesses. It’s against hippa to require it, right?
Businesses can require it. A few in my neck of the woods are already doing so. It looks like some will offer a remote option to those who do not get vaccinated, though it remains to be seen if they will be required to extend that offer or if they will be able to outright fire the unvaccinated. I would imagine there will be lawsuits if that were the case, but who knows.
If consenting adults want to play poker with Darwin regarding their own health, then I have no problem with that.
But when it comes to communicable diseases, the “personal health choices” you talk about affect others. If healthy people at little terminal risk from covid decide not to get vaccinated, in essence they are telling Darwin “Hey, if I lose, you can’t collect from me, but let me point you to some frail people you can collect from.”
I obviously am not recommending accosting healthy people who are refusing to be vaccinated and then writing “I” on their forehead. The point of that story is that refusing to be vaccinated has a cost, but currently this cost is borne by those who are unable to be vaccinated, and wouldn’t it be nice to shift that cost back to those originally responsible?
2 Likes
Medical exceptions are allowed, and should be allowed.
1 Like
This seems like common sense, because for diseases such as measles and chicken pox, surviving one infection means you are immune.*
However, natural infection with most viruses does not provide lifelong immunity. For example, most people can be infected with the four common cold coronaviruses over and over. The viruses have evolved to evade our immune system memory, so every time is like the first time.
We think SARS-CoV-2 immunity lasts for 6-9 months for most people who have been infected. However, the virus is constantly changing. People who have had Covid have immunity to the original virus, but may not recognize new variants. When a virus is widespread in a population, there is evolutionary pressure on it to change until the human immune system can no longer “see” and fight it effectively.
Imagine you had the original virus. Now, you are exposed to one that has a mix of viral particles. Many particles are closer to the original, but some have accumulated mutations, and are shaped slightly differently. While your body blocks the particles it recognizes from your original infection, some of the different ones get past your defenses and replicate unchecked in your cells. You may or may not get sick, but you are likely to pass on this new variant to someone else.
As far as people who can not get a Covid vaccine for medical reasons, they are extremely rare. For those who are suffering from certain cancers of the immune cells, the vaccine would be unable to trigger the proper response, but luckily, they can be protected by getting the monoclonal antibody cocktail regularly.
I keep seeing the quote that 99% of young people who get Covid will be fine, but that does not take into account the kids with long term effects (even those whose Covid infection was asymptomatic can get long Covid). Google “Long Covid young people” to learn more. My S24 is a runner, and he can not wait to be 16 and get the vaccine. He has no interest in unnecessarily risking his ability to train and his VO2 max.
*Scientists have recently learned that a natural measles infection wipes out 20-50% of a child’s antibodies to other pathogens. It’s called immune amnesia, it’s dangerous, and it does not happen to children who receive the measles vaccine.
11 Likes
Could be true of Covid as well.
2 Likes
Pfizer has said that their studies show the vaccine is effective 6 months out. That is as long as they have studied it. There will likely be an annual shot for COVID and those skittish about getting vaccinated may end up sending their kids south to college.