Me too. I live in one of the 7 counties in PA that qualifies for vaccinated people remasking indoors. Only 7 of 67. Our low vaccination rate shows, probably coupled with being a tourist destination in summer. We just had a Gettysburg reenactment and Bike Week both bringing in a lot of people earlier this month.
I’m going to the store later today and am still on the fence about whether to wear a mask or not. I know there will be 10% of the people or less wearing them. Yesterday when we were out we didn’t see anyone wearing a mask going into places. We’re not directly in the tourist areas, so who knows what’s out there?
Mentally for me, I’ve seriously been moving toward the “don’t care about them anymore” since they’ve made their decisions. @catahoula is quite typical around me for those who aren’t vaxed.
We will still isolate for 10 days to 2 weeks prior to going to FIL’s “just in case.” He’s been vaxed, but at his age and with conditions he has, it’s worth extra protection to us. For the average person who refuses or can’t comprehend what’s going on because it’s not simple enough for them to see and their news sources from FB to whatever egg them on, why should I change what I do? Their behavior isn’t going to change and they’re going to doom the planet to new variants and more regardless of my choice.
It might be better overall if hospitals could make the decision to no longer treat the unvaccinated unless they are kids or had true medical reasons. Why spend resources on them? Let nature decide if they live or die. But we still treat those who drink/text and drive, so I suppose that’s not an option.
I fully get the epidemic of anger though. It was one thing living with Covid when there were no choices. It’s quite another when there are and people are too blind to see them.
In my area it’s the stereotypical ones not getting it. We’ve quit going to our church for that reason and won’t be returning. Our views of God and what Christians should be doing for each other are too different from theirs.
I can see in some other areas it would be the other extreme, but we don’t get many of those living around us.
@MarylandJOE, I think you misunderstand what I was saying. Someone had stated or implied that non-vaxxers were stupid. I was agreeing with @bluebayou that it is unfair to call all of the people who choose not to take the vaccine stupid. Some can’t take the vaccine at all, but the group I was highlighting live in an ecosystem where they are not getting the same information that I’m getting. If they are getting totally biased information, it is hard to blame their decision on stupidity. I’m not saying that they are smart but I don’t think it is fair to blame this decision on stupidity.
On the other hand, you are highlighting folks who are getting access to information and choose not to vaccinate. Well that’s another story. There are groups who like blacks who have been lied to in the past by public health authorities and have historical reasons to be skeptical. But, the folks you mention who are not living in the Fox News/OANN/Real America Network ecosystem are potentially different. We can’t explain their behavior on not having the information or on historical mistreatment by public health authorities. Some very high proportion of COVID hospitalizations and deaths are from folks who are not vaccinated and that has been widely reported outside the Fox News ecosystem. So, what is your explanation for the behavior of the group you are talking about?
Is anyone still getting their news/info from cable networks these days? Honest question. Maybe that’s the problem…but I can see how it’s still appealing to a certain age group. Or to people who may not have a lot of time to get info elsewhere.
In the area near me, Baltimore city, it’s the non-stereotypical one not getting it. So the reality is we can’t just say it’s because of this one group that were in such a situation.
There are many different flavors of anti-vaxers, and while I do think that outreach to all these groups is necessary it will not be sufficient to rapidly increase vaccination rates. That’s why, yesterday, I called on the federal government to lead and for business to follow. Looks like that’s happening and it will be interesting to the details roll out.
I called for all federal employees to be vaccinated (including the military), requiring vaccinations for air travelers, and withholding federal funding to schools that do not require vaccinations of eligible students and teachers. Actions such as these will give cover to state/local governments and businesses to require the vaccine. Together, business and government, can increase vaccination rates and help get us back to where we need to be.
At FIL’s a certain station is on anytime he’s in the house or his vacation cabin. It’s incredibly annoying, but I suppose when we’re there it gives me an accurate insight to what’s being harped on. Honestly, I don’t consider it news. They do two topics most of the time, over and over and over again - always with a strong bias. Even while we’re there I get real news online from BBC and Google. It’s amazing how small the world can be if one uses certain sources and how large it is when one can read real World News.
From the viewpoint of vaccine hesitant that I know, there are several factors
The ping ponging of the messages from the CDC and government . There seems to be a lack of trust. This comes from a certain subset.
The FDA approval. Why are not FDA approved yet? We are being told that they want to make sure all i’s are dotted and t’s crossed, so what data are we missing then that the public is not seeing? When you get a Emergency Use vaccine, the liability if anything happens is on the individual.
Those who have had covid and want to wait having natural antibodies.
I fully believe that when 2. gets resolved that we will see an uptick in vaccines. This is for those who are hesitant (not those that are refusing).
And yet as I’ve followed the CDC guidelines and Dr. Fauci and other epidemiologists, it all makes perfect sense as they adapt and change as MORE EVIDENCE becomes available. This was/is a novel disease. So as it spreads and changes we learn new things. It is in a social context that also spreads and changes. Public health opposition as a political position? That’s really fairly new in the US. So what you see as “it can’t all be true” appears to me as “things change and we are gathering evidence and changing as well”.
To me, FDA approval is low-hanging fruit. Get it approved and that’s one roadblock removed. There will be an increase in vaccinations with approval. These vaccines have been developed and distributed to millions and yet the bureaucracy cannot seem to move to authorize? All I’ve heard from Fauci is that they are “dotting i’s and crossing t’s” - really?
They are pulling out all the stops. Availability and access haven’t been an issue here for months now; even a perfectly healthy and ambulatory person can have the two-dose vaccines administered in their own home.
I agree that at this point employer/airline/venue/etc sticks are likely to be more effective than carrots. The problem is going to be deep vaccine suspicion in the poorest neighborhoods that sadly have been hit the worst by this and are getting hit hard again.
From Frank Bruni, NY Times:
I’m no naïf. I fully realize that some of the holdouts live in a paranoid dreamland beyond the reach of reason.
But not all of the holdouts. The ranks of those who have yet to be vaccinated include people more conflicted than loopy, more distracted than defiant. (Also, people with limited access or special medical concerns.)
…
The messaging to the holdouts shouldn’t be: You’re crazy! You’re selfish! You’re reckless! It should be: Look at all the people you know who’ve been vaccinated and show me which of them has grown an 11th toe. Consider how much more easily you’ll move through the world with proof that you’ve been vaccinated. Know that the road to normalcy — economically, socially — runs through a vaccination rate much higher than the current one, so if you want the prepandemic days back, you’re going to have to roll up your sleeve.
And all of that should be said in a kind, nonjudgmental voice, no matter how emotionally and politically unsatisfying that may be.
I don’t think what Frank Bruni suggested would work. He’s wrong because fighting a pandemic isn’t a stroll along the beach. It’s a race. We’re in a race against the fast-spreading virus and against time.
Well. I think Frank Bruno is correct. In his race maybe everyone has a chance to get to the finish line. The other way is like tripping several of the racers so they can’t finish the race.
I am a therapist at a community mental health center. I have a few unvaccinated clients and of course I’ve been working on them since the vaccine first became available. Between mandates and incentives, maybe this is the week for them to get their shot!