#MNR: The COVID War

MNR: The COVID War

“Vacciation is a personal choice.”
An infamous half-truth told by many

As of today, 7.26.2021, less than half of America is fully vaccinated against COVID-19. The exact number stands at an underwhelming 49.1%. As of 7.19.2021, the CDC reports that over 56% of Americans aged 12 or older are fully vaccinated. In order for herd immunity to be reached, that number needs to be much closer to 80%. For those unfamiliar with the term, herd immunity is defined as immunity or resistance to a particular infection that occurs in a group of people or animals when a very high percentage of individuals have been vaccinated or previously exposed to the infection. Make it make sense, Mr. Monday. Certainly.

If four of five people in this country are fully vaccinated, COVID numbers eventually will permanently fall off a proverbial cliff, and America will finally be able to turn the corner on this atrocity. Now, to me, that sounds very simple and palatable. Unfortunately, politics and prior precedent have all but assured that this will never happen in this country. The politicization of COVID has polarized America, largely along party lines. Liberals (Dems) tend to favor the vaccine while conservatives (R’s) tend to reject science altogether. Ultimately, it doesn’t really matter in which direction the finger is pointed. 48 states have reported increased cases. New cases have increased by more than 50% in 34 of those states. Florida and Arkansas are on COVID fire. Hospital ICUs are filling up again, only this time there are more younger patients than ever before. What is the reason for all this fuckery? The answer is simple. Delta.

The Delta variant, the latest mutation of COVID, has proven to be much more aggressive than other variants. “It is the fastest, fittest, and most formidable version of the virus.” Originating in India, it spreads much more easily from person to person, increasing infections and hospitalizations worldwide. In the US, the Delta variant represents about 83% of new infections. So far, unvaccinated people comprise about 97% of severe cases.

A study in China found that people infected with the Delta variant carry 1,000 times more virus in their noses compared with the initial COVID-19 strand that originated in Wuhan. Virologist Shane Crotty of the La Jolla Institute for Immunology in San Diego noted that Delta is 50% more infectious than the Alpha variant first detected in the UK. Initially, the CDC reported that being indoors and unmasked in proximity and with close contact to the infected could transmit COVID within 15 minutes; that has diminished to ONE SECOND with the Delta variant (statistics courtesy of CNN and Reuters). My God…

I won’t continue to drown you in statistics that show just how fucked up the situation is becoming in America (again). But do know that in two weeks, the positivity rate in Florida damn near doubled, from 7.8% to 15.1% the week of July 2. That’s ridiculous. So…what can be done to change all this? The answer is simple. Penalize the unvaccinated.

Vaccination is a personal choice. This is true. But so are driving through a red light at an intersection or smoking cigarettes in a car with children present. Even an idiot knows that both can have dire consequences. I see things going in the direction of no vaccination, no privilege. Concisely, I think the day is fast approaching when the lack of a vaccination will mean loss of employment, the barring from being able to attend events like sports and concerts, and a few other things that will piss off a percentage of the population. Former Surgeon General Jerome Adams said that the only thing in the way of this becoming a reality is full approval (licensure) of COVID vaccines from the USDA. Then, Adams added, the military will be able to mandate vaccination for all employees. After the military sets the precedent for these mandates, many (if not most) companies will follow suit. Certain universities have already begun to mandate vaccinations as a prerequisite for attending in the fall. As of today, the Department of Veterans Affairs will require its health care workers to get vaccinated. New York City will require all of its municipal workers (including PIGS and teachers) to get vaccinated by mid-September or face weekly COVID testing. Ditto for employees in the state of California. The NFL, by far the most popular and profitable American professional sports league, has drawn its line in the sand. Under the new policy, it will not extend its season for outbreaks. The season, an 18 week, 17 game schedule, will not offer a week 19 for makeup games. It will also deem any game unable to be rescheduled a forfeit for the team who is responsible for the outbreak. The responsible team will have to cover financial losses for BOTH squads. I heard that, Goodell.

FYI: the NFL is currently at a 50% full vaccination rate. 78% of players have had one shot. 14 teams have at least an 85% vaccination rate. Even the mercurial Jerry Jones, owner of the Dallas Cowboys, has adamantly expressed his favor for the vaccine.

Now that I’ve given you all the applicable and irrefutable data, it’s time for me to talk my shit. Yes, refusal to get vaccinated is a personal choice. It’s well within your rights. It’s also supremely selfish from a common-sense standpoint. I’m going to address common sense because I don’t have the time to argue with ignorant reasoning and completely unfounded conspiracy theories. I’d rather side with science and the data it yields. If you want to enjoy open restaurants, bars, sports venues, clubs, and any other place you go to have a good time, it’s imperative to get the shots. That way, you protect yourself and others. That’s pretty forthright. Nothing is complicated, at all. If you choose to shun vaccinations, stay your selfish ass at home. Don’t mingle. Stay in your box. Or being that that’s not realistic, please mask up when in public. Don’t be a super spreader.

Like I said, I can’t and won’t argue with anyone vehemently against being vaccinated. That’s your personal choice. Now, I can’t lie and say I don’t care about your reasoning. I care very much. It pains me to hear from my own people that their reasoning for not getting vaccinated lies within some dumb ass, backwoods conspiracy theory or outright fallacy. It hurts that we’re so broken that we’d much rather side with ignorance over science and common sense. Please miss me with your Tuskegee Experiment rationale. It’s only exacerbated when this type of reasoning is used as justification for refusal. There’s no question that we’ve been done super-duper dirty by the Fed since forever. You’ll get no argument from me. But common sense should lead you to the reasoning that times have changed quite a bit in the realms of communication and information. I’m not saying that we’re not lied to by our government. But the common sense in me says that in this era of whistleblowers and outright snitches, someone somewhere would have completely exposed the COVID vaccine if it were an agent of slow death exclusively created for the eradication of Black folk. Further evidence – I’VE BEEN FULLY VACCINATED FOR MONTHS. I have diverse pre-existing medical conditions. The most I felt after being jabbed was pain in the area of the shot and lethargy for a few days after the initial shot. That is all. And trust, none of you are more cynical and incredulous than I. But I had to stop listening to the bullshit and tap into the science. I had to drop the excuses. I had to cowboy up. Just get the damn shots if you’d like to see America return to pre-2020 form. If not, expect this to continue in perpetuity.

tymonday: @tymonday on Twitter & IG
crewunb: @crewunB on Twitter & @theunbearablescrew on IG