Why Do I Wear My Mask?
To Protect You, the Unvaccinated.
Whatever your reasons for not wearing a COVID-19 mask outside your home, I wear my mask to protect those who are unvaccinated.
That’s right, I’m looking out for you, even though I am fully vaccinated. While not the ultimate sacrifice, I am sacrificing my personal freedom so you don’t have to sacrifice your life. At the risk of sounding pompous, everyone knows — to quote TFG (The Former Guy, for those of us who cannot bear to say his name or hear his voice) — vaccinated people can, on rare occasion, become infected again. How rare?
“Two studies suggest that the chance of getting breakthrough COVID-19 is about 0.05%. In both studies, researchers noted that infection happened while COVID-19 cases were surging in the regions where the research took place.”
If your math is a little rusty, that means about 500 in every 1,000,000 fully vaccinated people could become re-infected.
If I am one of those unfortunate few, with the Delta variant making up most of the patients in the US today, I probably won’t be hospitalized or die from COVID-19. My symptoms would be mild or non-existent (asymptomatic). But, my viral load would be 1,000 times heavier than the original virus. Hanging out with me without a mask if you are unvaccinated, would be like Superman throwing buckets of gasoline on a monstrous forest fire and asking you to pick up a bucket and help.
Myths and Lies About the Coronavirus
We have all seen or heard disinformation campaigns that have spread around the world. Some of us have fallen prey to the lies because they are designed to deceive and look like research. The link in the paragraph below is from Business Insider, a more than reputable source of information. It also describes how to spot disinformation.
“While misinformation is false information that is created and spread regardless of an intent to harm or deceive, disinformation is a type of misinformation that is created to be deliberately deceptive . Both forms may be shared widely, regardless of whether or not the sharer knows the information is wrong.”
Sadly, I am aware of too many friends and family members, intelligent people who feel they have “done their research” and adamantly decline the mask and the vaccine.
If you positively want accurate information, I strongly encourage people to read the three-page PDF at this link from Sarasota Memorial Hospital in an attempt to debunk all the disinformation in circulation. Coincidentally, it answers many of the same questions I’ve heard from friends and family.
If you want information about vaccination also, refer to the CDC website FAQ page.
My Personal Choice, My Butt
Have you ever been caught driving under the influence (a DUI)? There goes your license — state-regulated permission to drive because you are a menace to society.
Do you want to fly a 737? You’ll need a license to prove you’re capable and not a menace to society. Same thing for driving a train or ship.
Want to practice medicine or law? Study hard and get a license to show you’re not a menace to society.
Are you licensed to hunt or fish during a particular season? Why? The state regulates conservation efforts to ensure wildlife does not become depleted by over-hunting or over-fishing.
When you start school, guess what? You must be vaccinated for several issues. These vary by state, but here in Florida, the list looks like this to start:
- Diphtheria-tetanus-acellular pertussis (DTaP)
- Inactivated polio vaccine (IPV)
- Measles-mumps-rubella (MMR)
- Varicella (chickenpox)
- Haemophilus influenzae type b (Hib)
- Pneumococcal conjugate (PCV13)
- Hepatitis B (Hep B)
Let’s put it this way. The State has the right, and will, regulate anything it considers going against the Public Good. Not masking or vaccinating in a pandemic goes against the Public Good. The blatant disregard for proper medical guidelines to protect yourself and others has led to a resurgence in the COVID-19 population in the US. The more infections, the more likely the virus will mutate again. When it mutates, the current vaccines simply may not protect against it.
Speaking of vaccines -
… here are the latest facts on that subject at this moment.
“Hospitalizations Spike In States With Low Vaccination Rates As Unvaccinated Covid Patients Fill ICUs.”
“Breakthrough COVID infections show ‘the unvaccinated are now putting the vaccinated at risk’ “
Unfortunately, more and more people seem to be feeling like this guy (harsh language) with 20.6K Retweets and 49.9K Likes at this moment.
Not a point of view I share because it’s never too late for forgiveness. However, a lot of people on Twitter seem to like it, for what that’s worth.
But I digress. I believe you were saying something about your personal choice about wearing a mask or getting the COVID-19 vaccine?
Originally published at https://www.politicsisadirtybusiness.com on August 17, 2021.
