Wow, seems like the new Omicron variant is running wild, infecting an increasing number of people who are 'vaxed and boosted', including US Senators Warren and Booker. Sounds like a reason to be cautious to me.

chas

Vaccination is not designed to stop infection (Just ask your Doctor) it just allows the body to create the anti-bodies to give the virus (Or any diseases that there are vaccines for) the finger. (IE: Significantly less chance you will need hospital treatment)

Bill

Yes, Diki. I am just worried about the lack of positive proof that I won't be a carrier and unintentionally infect a friend or family member.

I think data will be stronger and more reliable in a month or so.

I'm taking the position that I can't be too careful.

Let's keep our fingers crossed, everybody!


Russ

I think we are starting to see in the post vaccinated about the same level of risk we used to have in normal flu seasons. Yes, you MIGHT be a carrier, but you could have as easily carried flu in previous years.

And we didn’t completely shut our lives down in an effort to reduce the risk of the flu to a complete zero. There’s a certain degree of risk in just living a normal life.

In previous decades, yes, we elderly were at higher risk of getting the flu. So, we got our flu shot and then lived our normal lives well aware that there was no guarantee it would be 100% effective. And some of us caught the flu. But few enough that it wasn’t worth giving up on work, friends and family to ensure a 0% chance of getting it.

I am fully vaxxed and boosted. I intend to live life fully with the realization that I appear to be running the same risk as I did in flu seasons in the past. That didn’t shut me down then, so why change now?

The unvaxxed have chosen their path willfully. I will not feel the slightest guilt if I unknowingly expose them to infection. They have had their chance, and I’m not going to live like a hermit to protect people too stupid to protect themselves! I am utterly convinced that 100% vaccination in the first few months of availability would make the current variant non existent, and global 100% vaccination would have prevented it developing in the first place.

South Africa admitted that quite some time ago, they had enough vaccines for 100% of the adult population, and only vaccine hesitancy created the conditions where a new variant could develop. I am completely over ruining my life to protect the very people that are prolonging this preventable pandemic in the first place.

Roll them bones, suckas! I’m done with trying to help those who won’t help themselves.

I think getting 100% of the world's population vaccinated is an unrealistic goal, and given how 'small' the world has become (via international travel), I'm not sure we can/could prevent the spread of ANY highly contagious disease. The only shot is to nip it in the bud which has also proven difficult (for the same reason - travel). Seems the only shot is to follow the advice of the scientists regarding precautions and ride it out. If you're an ol' fart, trying not to die in the meantime also sounds like a good idea. In my area, service and home delivery people are always masked but even so, if they have to come inside, they're greeted with a non-contact thermometer. So far, none have seemed to mind. They know it's not personal. But hey, everyone has to determine for themselves the level of risk they're comfortable with. Me, I just want to see my grandchildren graduate from college and I'm long since past the age of getting shot by a jealous husband .

chas

Might seem insignificant to some, but I just saw on Fox News that the total number of people, worldwide, that have died from the new variant is 10. Hell, more people were shot to death in Chicago last weekend. After spending more than 15 years working in the medical field, sometimes working with TB patients in large sanitariums near Baltimore, which was far more deadly and contagious than Covid, I tend to take much of the current Covid hype with nothing more than a grain of salt. And, for a fact, I know that masking makes little or no difference in the transference of the disease aerobically. In order to prevent bugs from passing through a face mask, you would need to have to be able to breathe through a 2 or 3 micron filter, which is not physically possible. Way too much political hype with this, yet people who say listen to the science, obviously, do not listen to the science. My grandson, who got vaccinated, got the booster, and just 10 days after the booster, came down with covid, which kept him out of school for 3 weeks. His only symptoms were a mild fever and sore throat for 2 days.

Do what you believe is right for you, your family and loved ones!

Merry Christmas, everyone,

Gary (The old codger.)

Well, if you heard it on Fox news it MUST be true, right?!

It’s not like them to propagate fake news, is it? They certainly have no agenda, right?

Gosh Diki, took the words right out of my mouth . However, now I have a real dilemma, who to believe; Gary, who 'worked in the medical field' (presumably as a virologist?) or Dr. Fauci, MD/PHD and world-renowned scientist with 50+ years of dedicated research in this area and considered by most rational people to be the leading expert in virus research. Hmmmm, tough choice. Hard to argue with a 'truth-teller' like say, Tucker Carlson . But wait, this is starting to sound a little bit political and we know where that leads so I'll just say, use your own judgement about who and what to believe and may your hospital stay be a short one .

chas

Using their (our) own judgement is what got us into this mess. 😂🙄

Me I’ll take a world renowned virologist’s judgement over my own!

Unless it’s about how to use an arranger! I’m prepared to accept that I MIGHT know a bit more than your average virologist there!

All vaccines carry a small amount of risk but most people accept it as the good outweighs the bad.
Its personal choice whether you take it or not, but most deaths since the vaccines were introduced have been the unvaccinated with the vaccinated being small in comparison. (Due to the speed of its spread Omicron is still an unknown).
As with media (No intelligent person listens to one media channel) take information from all and extract the data that is common to all, that way you will pretty much have the full truth.

Bill