Every Monday, Paula Light, with her The Monday Peeve prompt, gives us an opportunity to vent or rant about something that pisses us off. Well, my peeve today is about stupidity and selfishness.
Dr. Anthony Fauci is very frustrated. He is worried that the United States is in an “unnecessary predicament” of soaring COVID-19 cases fueled by unvaccinated Americans and the virulent delta variant.
The only way to stop the latest surge of COVID-19 cases is through herd immunity. Herd immunity occurs when a large portion of a community becomes immune to a disease, making the spread of disease from person to person unlikely. As a result, the whole community becomes protected — not just those who are immune.
Herd immunity can be achieved when enough people have been vaccinated for a disease and have developed protective antibodies against future infection. What is “enough” people? It is at least 70% but preferably closer to 90%.
Unfortunately, as of yesterday, only 49.1% of Americans have been fully vaccinated, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). That’s nowhere near enough vaccinations to stop the spread of the delta variant, the most contagious strain of novel coronavirus ever identified.
In 48 states, the rate of new COVID-19 cases this past week jumped by at least 10% compared to the previous week, according to data from Johns Hopkins University. In 34 of those states, the rate of new cases increased by more than 50%.
Hospitals are starting to fill up again with COVID-19 patients, but now, in many areas, patients are younger than before.
The rational and smart response to this situation is simple. Eligible Americans who want to prevent the continued spread of the disease need to do their part and get vaccinated. To refuse to get vaccinated because of political or religious reasons or due to unfounded, ridiculous conspiracy theories is not helping.
Don’t be stupid, people. Don’t be selfish. Get vaccinated and when out in public, wear a goddam face mask. That is the only way to help every single American enjoy the freedoms that we want to return to.
End of peeve.
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