There are so many studies that clinically verify that COVID-19 strikes those with underlying health issues particularly hard. So, why do we continue to put policies into place that push our society into a whirlwind? For example, firing nurses who refuse to get the vaccine? They make a great argument by stating they have natural immunity from prior infection, which is 2.8 more times effective in preventing hospitalization than the vaccine. I know of several vaccinated nurses who are on their second round of COVID. Because even if you are vaccinated it doesn’t mean you can’t transmit it. So, to say that it is to protect inpatients is bogus. Would you rather have a vaccinated nurse that can still contract the virus or no nurse at all? We seriously owe our front-line workers a major apology.  

Let’s move on to our college students. Can someone explain to me why we are making students jump through hoops to remain a student on campus? Take Yale, for example, they require all students and staff to be vaccinated and boosted to be considered “fully vaccinated.”  On top of that, they need a special mask with a higher filtration system – ASTM masks. If that is not available, then you must double mask. They also encourage students to maintain 6-foot distancing and recommend eating outdoors to reduce one’s risk. I don’t know about you, but this is ludicrous. At one point, can we say enough is enough?

Now on onto school-age students. Again, another demographic that poses little risk of developing severe issues with the virus. In Chicago, teachers refused to go back to in-person learning at the beginning of the year citing safety concerns. Those teachers are vaccinated and aren’t we claiming that is key to prevent anyone from getting seriously ill from the virus? So, why the hesitation? Most of our local schools got hit during the recent surgency and they decided to use some calamity days to get through as staffing became an issue. These types of viruses will go through a school system quickly and exit as soon as they come. Those waves are typically seen with other viruses such as colds, flu, strep, and GI illnesses every winter. 

Now you have the FDA pushing approval of the vaccination for those five and younger with a two-dose regimen. The data for this age doesn’t support the need. They have a low risk for serious disease, so vaccinating them is no clear benefit. That’s why several countries are not even recommending vaccinating this age group. What’s interesting is seeing why people would vaccinate this group. I’ve heard parents say that I’m going to get my kids vaccinated so that we can go on with our lives. I think to myself is that really the message here. How in the world can that be the takeaway? You would think it would be to protect your child. No, it because they are trying to get around the frivolous rules to find some place of normalcy.

In any of these cases, it goes back to weighing the benefits versus the risk. We know that the idea of vaccinating the entire population to protect others no longer holds true because COVID-19 vaccines do not prevent infection or transmission. However, we can confirm that vaccination reduces the severity of the illness for those deemed high risk, though the protection seems to be short-lived, especially for older adults. We will never make effective policy if we can’t unify that point and face the factual data.