Good parting shot, if for no reason other than it’s a material enough misrepresentation of what I’ve said that it’s perfectly inline with all the other responses.
Not a single direct reply that either acknowledged or disputed the idea that a natural immunity should relieve anyone of being told to get the vaccine. Instead, crickets. It’s as if there’s a agreement here to not speak of it, just as there seems to be at the CDC and amongst the media.
What a surprise.
Truth is: if not for the misrepresentations, complaints as to my word choices, or my qualifications to even speak on the subject, it’s an even bet there would have been no responses at all.
(Btw… there’s a Robert Earl Keene song, ‘Famous words’. Next time, include a stanza or two… it’ll add a little kick.)
Do you (or whoever you say has natural immunity) have proof of it? A test showing the antibodies and what the numbers mean? There are a few doctors on CC stating that they were vaccinated early, like Dec and Jan, and the new tests show they have very little immunity. If someone had covid in Oct or Nov, do they still have immunity?
I don’t think we can ask private business owners to interpret antibody tests.
I don’t think it’s going to happen. Every time I have had my antibodies tested, there’s always been a statement below the results that says something like, we don’t know what that means for immunity.
If, in the future a standard is set for antibody levels for the purpose of boosters, it’s conceivable that there is an antibody level could be determined to be protective for those who had a natural infection.
That seems sensible, but I don’t see it happening. Somehow for awhile in all this discussion we’ve lost sight of the fact that the goal should be immunity. Vaccination should be a tool to achieve immunity and not an end in itself.
Now because of breakthrough cases, immunity is being discussed with regard to the need for boosters. But I don’t think on a public health level that natural immunity, even with testing, will be given any space. It’s just easier and faster and cheaper to vaccinate.
My insurance company has said they won’t cover antibody testing, but mine has always been covered, probably because my primary has ordered it. I don’t think that would be the case if I tried to order it myself, though.
Healthcare workers get titres done to check immune status and they are accepted by employers as proof of immunity, so I think there is a precedent to prove immunity through antibodies. I just don’t see it happening any time soon because we still don’t know what levels are protective, the effort involved, and the expense, not mention the political and social divisiveness now.
My brother got Covid twice (about 11 months later). I certainly wouldn’t count on my natural immunity to last forever. Nor do I expect my vaccination to last forever.
D2’s roommate’s grandmother tested positive for Covid. She is fully vaccinated and going through chemo right now and only has mild symptoms. This shows me the vaccine is doing what it’s supposed to do.
There is invariably a way to get one’s point across without resorting to snark. Might I “suggest” users think about how the message will be perceived (particularly in relation to ToS) before hitting the reply button.
Mind you, having grown up in Africa I’m used to getting lots of vaccines some of which lasted longer than others and some of which were more effective than others. The oral cholera vaccine only lasts six months in young children for example. I’m hoping for a booster that is more targeted at the new variants.
Sadly I don’t think there’s any way to get around a lot of vaccine reluctance except seeing people dying. I have a friend who works at a hospital in the Bronx, she still has nightmares about the refrigerator trucks parked outside her window.
State of Colorado is doing the $100 gift card give-aways and I think it is working exactly how they wanted it to. They have big buses that go to different parking lots at places like Walmart or churches, targeting low income neighborhoods but all are welcome.
Yesterday, the kid in front of my daughter was 17. After they got shots and got their $100 cards, I heard him on the phone telling his ? (friend, sibling, cousin) “Yeah, it’s great. Just come down and you get a $100.” The woman in front of us in the gift card line said she was the last in her family to get it and she figured why not do it now and get the $100.
I know WV has been very successful with giving out hunting and fishing licenses.
I think the little positives (gift cards, free soccer tickets) plus the BIG negatives (no travel, no concerts, eating in restaurants) if not vaccinated will get more to get vaccinated.
I know that many don’t agree, but I agree with Juliette Kayyem that air travel is not a right and that requiring vaccines for air travel would open up travel to all (including international) vaccinated people. She makes a strong, logical case for this requirement. Hope momentum build for this. You decide.
For international travel, governments would need to determine which vaccines they will accept, and how that will be proven, since vaccination records differ across countries.
I don’t disagree with the premise that the unvaccinated need to bear responsibility for their in-action. That said, why did the author stop at airlines, for which the risk is extremely low? Why not include inter-city busses? Or, Amtrak which also crosses stateliness daily?
