Cut the Crap. Get Tested. Get Vaccinated. Now

Cut the Crap. Get Tested. Get Vaccinated. Now

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So, sit down and listen. Here’s why you need to cut the crap, right now. Get tested for COVID, and then, get vaccinated. Every argument against it is wrong. Period.

Estimated reading time: 4 minutes

By David Stone

Assorted Ideas, Large & Small

Cut the Crap: Vaccinations

In a New York Times opinion piece, Jamelle Bouie got it right.

“In the context of a deadly and often debilitating contagion, in which the unchecked spread of infection has consequences for the entire society, vaccination is not a personal decision,” he wrote.

person getting vaccinated
Photo by Gustavo Fring on Pexels.com

This followed quotes from athletes and politicians refusing to disclose their vaccination status because it was “personal.”

Riding a bike without a helmet, driving a car without a seatbelt, rock climbing at 5,000 feet… Yeah, those are personal. But choosing to expose me and my children to a virus while welcoming the next, more perilous variation is not.

What the unvaccinated fail to understand, along with the above, is that vaccines are, also, a buffer against the future.

You don’t need expertise about viruses, but what you need to know is that viruses are extremely small, incomplete pieces of life that evolve fast. Evolution seeks methods for overcoming obstacles, like a slow spread. And that’s exactly what the Delta variant, a product of the coronavirus’s remarkable evolution, did.

It figured out a way of spreading faster, infecting more people, and it may be even deadlier.

Now that you know that, think about a slew of variations ahead. Evolution’s already cooking multiple new types around the world where, in many places, vaccinations are few. These are viral brewing stations, and they are a threat to us.

The solution:

Get vaccinated. Get everyone vaccinated. Not only will it increase public health immediately, it improves our chances tomorrow.

So, discard the excuses. Do that today.

And cut the crap because none of the vaccines carry risks anywhere near approaching the virus itself. Millions have taken one of them, and not one person died from vaccination. But in the U.S alone, over 600,000 have died unvaccinated, many before the vaccines were available.

An awful lot of them, in fact, would happily get the shot today, if it weren’t too late.

And speaking of that — honestly, how many unvaccinated are really just afraid of needles and won’t admit it?

I am, have been all my life, but reason wins the argument here. My dread of needles means I’ll probably never become a junky, but there is no other benefit.

So, get the damn shot. Be a good neighbor, and be done with it. We’re all counting on you.

Let me help: In seconds, you can find the closest vaccines by clicking here. Couldn’t be easier.

Thanks, in advance.

Cut the Crap: Testing

That said, testing for infections remains important. You’ve reduced your chances of getting infected and lowered your risk of serious illness or death to near zero. You run greater risks by jaywalking or getting tattooed.

I’m not willing to give up either of those, but there’s something else.

I can get infected, and even without symptoms, I can spread the virus. And I run into children all the time.

Children, that is, who are too young for vaccinations and who can die or have lifelong after effects from COVID.

So, if I’ve been in close quarters indoors with people who might be unvaccinated, I need a test. Under similar circumstances, so do you.

A church or a town hall or a bar are ideal places for viral spread.

More importantly, if you have symptoms — most the same as a cold or flu — get tested. It’s a minor inconvenience, free with insurance most places, but well worth it for protecting a child or a vulnerable relative.

You may even go beyond your best intentions, protecting selfish friends and family who won’t get vaccinated or tested.

Where? Just type “Where can I get tested for COVID?” in Google search and a list instantly appears, closest first.

Finally, face masks…

The final place to cut the crap is over face masks. We now know that wearing face masks retards the spread of coronavirus. Remarkably, last season, it even cut back on the common flu.

Like wearing a seat belt, face masks are not a 100% perfect solution, but they’re the best we’ve got, so far. And it’s more about not being a spreader. Face masks reduce the chances of your infecting others.

No need for going overboard. Wearing a face mask outdoors is probably unnecessary. Infections outdoors are negligible, if they exist at all, but that may not be true for variants.

Wearing a mask indoors, though, where you’re within a few feet of others makes sense.

And it saves lives.

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