Current Events > Masks off and let the unvaccinated pay the consequences for COVID stubbornness

(+) Yeah! (+)

https://www.houstonchronicle.com/business/columnists/tomlinson/article/Tomlinson-Masks-off-and-let-the-unvaccinated-pay-16282552.php

The COVID-19 pandemic is over for me, at least until a vaccine-defeating virus emerges. I am not the only one reaching this conclusion. Restaurants are filling up. Two recent flights I took were full. Shopping malls no longer worry about social distancing. Bar stools have bottoms in them. I keep a mask in my back pocket just in case, but my patience is running thin. Im vaccinated, and anyone over the age of 12 can easily obtain one at this point. There are few good excuses for not getting the shot. The time has come for vaccine refusers to take personal responsibility for their hesitancy. Society must stop coddling them by ordering everyone else to take burdensome precautions.

I spent a year advocating masks, but its time to move on. The people who are taking a risk are the unvaccinated. Since they are inconveniencing the rest of us, we have the right to ask why they are not taking this essential health precaution. Only 21 of 1.8 million people vaccinated in the U.S. experienced an allergic reaction to a COVID-19 vaccine, according to the Centers for Disease Control. More than 70 percent of those reactions took place within 15 minutes of receiving the shot, which is why they make you loiter around afterward. The only people who have a valid medical excuse for avoiding the vaccine are those with allergies to the vaccines ingredients or a history of allergic reactions to vaccines. Those people make up less than 1 percent of the population, and while they must take precautions, the authorities should allow the rest of us to resume our regular lives. Public health officials, though, are worried about the 30 percent of American adults who have not received their first dose. They are why public health officials want to keep mask requirements in place. In other words, the vaccine-hesitant are holding the rest of us back. If there was ever a time to force people to take some personal responsibility, this is it. Since half of Texas Republicans told Quinnipiac University pollsters they do not intend to get vaccinated, they should embrace this high-stakes chance to live their values. Lets strike a balance between personal liberty and government regulation. I dare you. If the unvaccinated want to wander around without a mask and expose themselves to the virus, then let them. Infection, after all, is one path to immunity if it doesnt kill you. If youre unlucky and suffer a permanent disability, well, you were warned.



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When tf did I write a news article

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same tbh, let the antivaxx folk get sick if they wanna get sick. Your body your choice. :v

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Variants. Mutations.

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Southernfatman posted...

Variants. Mutations.

the vaccinated still fair better against them than the unvaccinated. :v Worst case scenario, we'll need a booster shot. Wearing a mask for another year isn't gonna happen.

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We're already basically at this point

https://twitter.com/brogadishu/status/1409868180902711299?s=20

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Southernfatman posted...

Variants. Mutations.

This

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Southernfatman posted...

Variants. Mutations.

the vaccine will keep me safe enough from those that i can take the risk.

honestly, fuck anyone who won't get a vaccine at this point. most of us who have one are not going to make sacrifices for you lot anymore. we get surges and spikes in cases? non vaccinated people better lock down and stay inside, but we are not closing everything back up because of their stubbornness.

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Giant_Aspirin posted...

the vaccine will keep me safe enough from those that i can take the risk.

honestly, fuck anyone who won't get a vaccine at this point. most of us who have one are not going to make sacrifices for you lot anymore. we get surges and spikes in cases? non vaccinated people better lock down and stay inside, but we are not closing everything back up because of their stubbornness.

There's immuno-compromised people who can't get or won't benefit from the vaccines. Jesus, what's so hard about wearing a mask in-doors? Where is there even a non-airconditioned building?
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"Let the unvaccinated take the risk" is an incredibly idiotic and shortsighted take. Some people have legit medical reasons for being unable to get the vaccine (for instance: my grandmother has allergies, and my grandfather an autoimmune condition, and both have been told by their doctors to not get it).

These sorts of people are precisely the people we're trying to protect by trying to defeat the virus and achieve some semblance of herd immunity.

Sure. Fuck antivaxx morons, but don't fuck those who don't even have the choice in the first place. Penalize them in other ways.

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Webmaster4531 posted...

There's immuno-compromised people who can't get or won't benefit from the vaccines.

they should blame the anti-vaxxers who are denying science and favoring conspiracy theories not based in reality. it's unreasonable to expect everyone else to sacrifice because of their stubbornness.

Webmaster4531 posted...

Jesus, what's so hard about wearing a mask in-doors? Where is there even a non-airconditioned building?

if a place requires me to wear a mask, i'll do it without complaining. i was specifically talking about refusing to lock down / close everything on account of the people who simply refuse to get one because they're being petulant children.

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For f**** sake, people who are vaccinated are at risk by the unvaccinated. People who are immunosuppressed, pregnant, on chemotherapy, etc are also put at risk when unvaccinated people don't wear masks. Why is this so f****** hard for people to understand?


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Not everyone who wants to be vaccinated has been able to be vaccinated
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Eevee-Trainer posted...

Some people have legit medical reasons for being unable to get the vaccine (for instance: my grandmother has allergies, and my grandfather an autoimmune condition, and both have been told by their doctors to not get it).

those people need to exercise the same precautions they were before the vaccine. don't socialize indoors, favor curbside pickup whenever possible, etc.

i'd be fine with enforcing mask mandates indoors, but we absolutely are not going to close everything back up.

teep_ posted...

Not everyone who wants to be vaccinated has been able to be vaccinated

we're specifically talking about the United States here, where vaccines have been widely available for a while now.

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Giant_Aspirin posted...

those people need to exercise the same precautions they were before the vaccine. don't socialize indoors, favor curbside pickup whenever possible, etc.

i'd be fine with enforcing mask mandates indoors, but we absolutely are not going to close everything back up.

Then get vaccinated.

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DarkRoast posted...

Then get vaccinated.

i did. months ago.

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Giant_Aspirin posted...

i was specifically talking about refusing to lock down / close everything on account of the people who simply refuse to get one because they're being petulant children.

We have vaccines now, lockdowns are for when we don't.

What should be done is make vaccines mandatory, have vaccine passports, and have fines for the unvaccinated without an immuno-compromising condition.
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Giant_Aspirin posted...

we absolutely are not going to close everything back up.

this is precisely the attitude that has made us deal with this for over a year now, instead of just locking down - seriously locking down - for a few weeks or months back in 2020

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DarkRoast posted...

For f**** sake, people who are vaccinated are at risk by the unvaccinated.

Alot of vaccinated people don't see it this way. They got the shot and nothing in the covid world matters anymore to them.
Is this incorrect? Please explain so we can all see why.

It is what it is, the only one you can actually protect is yourself you can tell people but no more than that, it's the price of freedom

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Webmaster4531 posted...

There's immuno-compromised people who can't get or won't benefit from the vaccines.

What percent of the population is this group? A fraction of a percent?

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WingsOfGood posted...

Alot of vaccinated people don't see it this way. They got the shot and nothing in the covid world matters anymore to them.
Is this incorrect? Please explain so we can all see why.

because people who are vaccinated can still get infected -- it's just less likely, and less likely that it'll be serious/life-threatening, but it's still a concern -- and can still spread it

this is well-known

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Not sure why immunocompromised folks are being mentioned. You guys are aware that infectious diseases existed before COVID-19 right? We've always had to exercise caution with this patient population.

The existing covid vaccines out there work and have been proven to be effective even against the variants that have arrived from India, UK and elsewhere. The overwhelming majority of people who are getting sick and dying are unvaccinated. People need to remember that.

Any responsible person who is eligible for vaccination should get one.

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Eevee-Trainer posted...

because people who are vaccinated can still get infected -- it's just less likely, and less likely that it'll be serious/life-threatening, but it's still a concern -- and can still spread it

this is well-known

oh? yet whenever I post about still wearing masks because of this fact, many ceusers disagree, whine, say covid is over, say f all the anti-vaxxers, blah blah, etc

Eevee-Trainer posted...

this is precisely the attitude that has made us deal with this for over a year now, instead of just locking down - seriously locking down - for a few weeks or months back in 2020

i fully supported a full lockdown last summer instead of this half-assed approach we took because mUh FrEeDoMs crowd couldn't handle the government telling them what to do for like three weeks.

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What about people allergic to the vaccine or cant get it for other legitimate health reasons as stated by their doctor

Giant_Aspirin posted...

i fully supported a full lockdown last summer instead of this half-assed approach we took because mUh FrEeDoMs crowd couldn't handle the government telling them what to do for like three weeks.

I believe they are saying you should be worried for yourself and other vaccinated people, not just the anti-vaxxers.

Eevee-Trainer posted...

because people who are vaccinated can still get infected -- it's just less likely, and less likely that it'll be serious/life-threatening, but it's still a concern -- and can still spread it

this is well-known

It's not often I'm on the same page as ET, but this is 100% spot on.

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Super Saiyan 3 Goku posted...

Not sure why immunocompromised folks are being mentioned. You guys are aware that infectious diseases existed before COVID-19 right?

This is basically "It's just a flu". Covid-19 is more infectious than the flu and the covid-19 variants are even more infectious and deadly.
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Webmaster4531 posted...

This is basically "It's just a flu". Covid-19 is more infectious than the flu and the covid-19 variants are even more infectious and deadly.

Spare me. I work in healthcare and have been in the thick of this pandemic since the beginning.

What I am telling you is that the vaccines work, we need to protect our immunocompromised populations (which we have ALWAYS done), and the easiest thing you can do to protect them is to get vaccinated.

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Most people here are maskless. Most people here also didn't get the vaccine either I think

Everyone I'm responsible for, including me, is vaccinated and has been for longer than a month. I don't think I care anymore unless a variant that can defeat the vaccine crawls out

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everybody and everything need to wear mask no matter what

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Super Saiyan 3 Goku posted...

Spare me. I work in healthcare and have been in the thick of this pandemic since the beginning.

What I am telling you is that the vaccines work, we need to protect our immunocompromised populations (which we have ALWAYS done), and eligible folks need to get vaccinated.

then you would know that being immunocompromised means you won't(well may not) develop immunity from the shot since you won't(may not) have an adequate immune response?

https://www.health.com/condition/infectious-diseases/coronavirus/immunocompromised-covid-vaccine

In fact, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) specifically says this online: "If you have a condition or are taking medications that weaken your immune system, you may NOT be fully protected even if you are fully vaccinated. Talk to your healthcare provider. Even after vaccination, you may need to continue taking all precautions."

In general, people who are immunocompromised may not respond to vaccines as well as those who aren't immunocompromised, John Sellick, Jr., DO, an infectious disease expert and professor of medicine at the University at Buffalo/SUNY, tells Health. "We knew this was going to be a problem with the COVID-19 vaccine all along," he says.

???

So like, do you REALLY work in healthcare?

@Super_Saiyan_3_Goku

Super Saiyan 3 Goku posted...

Spare me.

Fuck that. How about you don't post crap so I don't have to tell you things you should know.

Super Saiyan 3 Goku posted...

What I am telling you is that the vaccines work, we need to protect our immunocompromised populations (which we have ALWAYS done), and eligible folks need to get vaccinated.

What should be done is make vaccines mandatory, have vaccine passports, and have fines for the unvaccinated without an immuno-compromising condition.
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WingsOfGood posted...

stuff

And where did I call for immunocompromised folks to get vaccinated? I stated that people who are eligible for vaccines can and should get vaccinated. That is the single most important thing you can do to protect our vulnerable populations.

Stay in school, kids.

f*** that. How about you don't post crap so I don't have to tell you things you should know.

You didn't tell me anything. We've always had to protect our vulnerable populations and this pandemic of course is no different. If people do their part and get vaccinated, then we will continue to be successful in moving past this. Go troll elsewhere.

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Super Saiyan 3 Goku posted...

And where did I call for immunocompromised folks to get vaccinated? I stated that people who are eligible for vaccines can and should get vaccinated. That is the single most important thing you can do to protect our vulnerable populations.

Stay in school, kids.

So should people be around them with no mask whether person around them is vaccinated?

Super Saiyan 3 Goku posted...

We've always had to protect our vulnerable populations and this pandemic of course is no different.

What part of covid-19 is infectious is hard for you to understand?

SS3Goku
RaptorLC posted...

probably can barely be trusted to tie his own shoes. I certainly wouldn't let him near

the immuno-compromised.
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So should people be around them with no mask whether person around them is vaccinated?

In the hospital, we still wear our masks when involved in direct patient care or up on the patient floors as a precaution. Our cases have dropped dramatically for months now (as is the case across the country) because of vaccinations. We've been wearing masks for almost a year now, but nothing has decreased our caseload quite like the vaccines.

What part of covid-19 is infectious is hard for you to understand?

Are you daft? Immunocompromised patients need to be protected from COVID and any other infectious disease that they wouldn't otherwise be able to defend themselves against. That's why I've been talking about vaccines.

You're not very good at this, bro.

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Healthcare professional doesnt understand you can still be a carrier even if vaccinated

Super Saiyan 3 Goku posted...

In the hospital, we still wear our masks when involved in direct patient care or up on the patient floors as a precaution. Our cases have dropped dramatically for months now (as is the case across the country) because of vaccinations. We've been wearing masks for almost a year now, but nothing has decreased our caseload quite like the vaccines.

when you get off work do you go to the grocery store maskless?

Pretty disgusting how so many people support this line of thinking the article comes from texas so that is no surprise but to see others especially so called liberals parrot his thoughts is really disappointing.
First of all this idea of letting unvaccinated people suffer consequences is disgusting and displays a total lack of compassion and empathy.
Second of all what group of people are the largest percentage of unvaccinated minorities and poor people. Why are they unvaccinated it is no fault of their own they often lack the means of transportation and it is well documented that vaccines were distributed less in areas with high african american populations.
So if you support this article in anyway you may want to reconsider whether or not you are racist because the basic idea of the article is White people are vaccinated so let minorities suffer the consequences. We should wear masks until everyone is vaccinated.

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Quicksilver posted...

Pretty disgusting how so many people support this line of thinking the article comes from texas so that is no surprise but to see others especially so called liberals parrot his thoughts is really disappointing.
First of all this idea of letting unvaccinated people suffer consequences is disgusting and displays a total lack of compassion and empathy.
Second of all what group of people are the largest percentage of unvaccinated minorities and poor people. Why are they unvaccinated it is no fault of their own they often lack the means of transportation and it is well documented that vaccines were distributed less in areas with high african american populations.
So if you support this article in anyway you may want to reconsider whether or not you are racist because the basic idea of the article is White people are vaccinated so let minorities suffer the consequences. We should wear masks until everyone is vaccinated.

the most vocal un-vaccinated are hick Trumpeters is why

when you get off work do you go to the grocery store maskless?

Absolutely, and so do all my colleagues. We are all fully vaccinated and are following both CDC guidelines and what private businesses require of us as patrons.

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Super Saiyan 3 Goku posted...

Absolutely, and so do all my colleagues. We are all fully vaccinated and are following both CDC guidelines and what private businesses require of us as patrons.

so how should an immunecompromised person get groceries to live?

Quicksilver posted...

First of all this idea of letting unvaccinated people suffer consequences is disgusting and displays a total lack of compassion and empathy.

disagree. they are making a conscious choice to deny science and are taking on a risk by not getting a simple vaccine. we (society) should not be held hostage by the folks unwilling to get a shot for the rest of us.

the folks who are refusing to get a vaccine that will make all of us safer are the ones lacking compassion and empathy.

the only people i feel sorry for here are the folks who have a legit medical reason preventing them from getting a vaccine. those folks are stuck living locked down / socially distant until we get "herd immunity", which wont happen any time soon because of the selfish anti-vax crowd

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I'll continue wearing a mask thanks. I've enjoyed not getting a single cold for the past 18 months and my allergies haven't played up once in that period either.
I've noticed that it's mostly ugly people who refuse to wear the masks. That's doubly cruel: Not only do you risk infecting everyone but you're forcing us to look at your hideous features too. Assholes.

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Super Saiyan 3 Goku posted...

Are you daft?

No, are you daft? I said in post #18
Webmaster4531 posted...

What should be done is make vaccines mandatory, have vaccine passports, and have fines for the unvaccinated without an immuno-compromising condition.

Way before
Super Saiyan 3 Goku posted...

Immunocompromised patients need to be protected from COVID and any other infectious disease that they wouldn't otherwise be able to defend themselves against. That's why I've been talking about vaccines.

I brought up the immuno-compromised in post #10 in the first place.
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BarbaricAvatar posted...

I'll continue wearing a mask thanks. I've enjoyed not getting a single cold for the past 18 months and my allergies haven't played up once in that period either.
I've noticed that it's mostly ugly people who refuse to wear the masks. That's doubly cruel: Not only do you risk infecting everyone but you're forcing us to look at your hideous features too. Assholes.

except your mask doesn't protect you as much as the mask on the other guy unfortunately

Super Saiyan 3 Goku posted...

Spare me. I work in healthcare and have been in the thick of this pandemic since the beginning.

What I am telling you is that the vaccines work, we need to protect our immunocompromised populations (which we have ALWAYS done), and the easiest thing you can do to protect them is to get vaccinated.

What I find amazing is that the local nursing homes do not require their staff to be vaccinated. The staff was the reason all the breakouts happened in the nursing homes! They brought it in! They weren't allowing visitors so how else would it get in!? I wish all the people that are hesitant about the vaccine could see how bad things got at Healthcare facilities...