The conversation with a Trump supporter to which I referred in my last blog post continued.  He posted an opinion by three scientists rendered early in the pandemic that the pandemic would be ended by herd immunity without vaccines,  He went on to post that he had been previously been infected so his “natural immunity” provided protection from being infected again and that the new Omicron variant was no worse than the common cold.

This is what I posted in return in serval segments”

You can either believe what three scientists said earlier in the pandemic that we could achieve herd immunity when the enough of the population has been infected and recovered, or you can believe what the vast majority epidemiologists and infectious disease specialist around the world have learned though careful peer reviewed studies and the experience of having to deal with the COVID-19 virus for almost two years.  Or you can believe what you can actually see with your own eyes and ears – we are two years out from the start of this pandemic and people are again contracting the decease in record numbers.  Doesn’t sound like we have achieved herd immunity yet.

The evidence you need is right here on the internet via Google if you access only highly reputable medical sites. The majority of medical experts in this area aren’t political, in fact given their high salaries they are likely to be Republicans.  Unlike you they follow the science in analyzing the data, running their studies. If you don’t believe the doctors in the current administration, talk to your doctor or your local public health people.

You’re right, unless you have other health problems, if a person your age contracts take Omicron variant you would probably be asystematic or have a light case, especially since you have been previously infected.  However, you still could be infected and pass the virus on to others. 

You are wrong about being protected because you were previous infected. This from an article from NSF: “Now, U.S. National Science Foundation-funded scientists at the Yale School of Public Health and the University of North Carolina at Charlotte have an answer: Strong protection following natural infection is short-lived. Reinfection can reasonably happen in three months or less, therefore, those who have been naturally infected should get vaccinated. Previous infection alone can offer very little long-term protection against subsequent infections.”  

YOU’RE RIGHT about Omicron now being the dominant variant in this country.

YOU’RE ALSO RIGHT about infections with Omicron on the whole being less severe.

HOWEVER, that doesn’t mean that people won’t need hospitalization because of a Omicron infection.  From the attached article, “In England, they analyzed hospital records and vaccination data from the start of December, including 56,000 cases of Omicron and 269,000 cases of Delta. They found that the rate of hospitalization with Omicron was 20% to 25% lower than with the Delta infections, and that the rate of people staying in the hospital for at least one night with Omicron was was around 40% to 45% lower.”  Yes, Omicron puts anywhere from 20% to 45% less people in the hospital than the Delta variant does, but that also means that we will have 55% to 80% as many hospitalized.

My concern isn’t about you, if you want to remain ignorant, you deserve the consequences of that decision, whatever they are.  The public concern about people like you is that when they get infected they will infect those who are much more vulnerable.  

10% of the population of this country have problems which negatively affect their immune system.  The problems include, but are not limited to people who stake immune suppressant drugs for conditions like Rheumatoid arthritis, those undergoing cancer treatments, people who have had transplants, diabetics, etc.  These people have limited immune responses, so even if they are fully vaccinated they can easily end up in the hospital and even die.

IF YOU, OR SOMEONE YOU INFECT, INFECTS SOMEONE YOU CARE ABOUT AND THEY HAVE TO BE HOSPITALIZED OR EVEN DIE, THAT WILL BAE SOMETHING YOU WILL HAVE TO LIVE WITH.

Cajun.   12/20/2021