I’ve been working with nursing homes in the Northeast. Even here, where vaccination rates are high, there are pockets of unvaccinated people. Sure, some of it could be politics, but if you think that’s all, you’re missing something important.
Imagine being a nursing home worker seeing residents die left and right from this virus. What could possibly make you unwilling to get vaccinated yourself? And yet vax rates among nursing home staff are typically around 50%. I know one facility that poured countless hours into the task and got their rate up to 90%, a Herculean accomplishment. Why is this so hard?
Now imagine you’re getting paid $12 or $14/hr, with no paid sick days. You’re working two jobs because cost of living is so high. Your schedule changes from week to week so you can’t plan. And like many American families, you are one missed paycheck away from being homeless.
Which is the bigger risk, getting COVID and possibly spreading it to the people you care for and work with? Or the risk that, like many people, you’ll have a reaction to the shot and lose several days of work? One of those risks is a lot more “front and center” than the other.
If governments want to drive up the vax rate among hard-hit communities, they need to offer to pay for a couple days of lost wages for anyone in those communities taking the shot. No questions asked, just take the shot and take the money.
The wealth gap in America is real — and it hurts us in so many ways.
I'm fully vaccinated, but I'm also immune compromised - stage 4 cancer, among other things. I've been socially distancing for several years, do now and will continue to mask around others. The chance if my producing antibodies is nil. I am old enough to remember polio cases among my friends and family. I understand the fear, but I don't get the refusal to act in the public good. I knew that getting the vaccine represented a risk, but it seems more important to me to do my part, however futile, than to take part. I have no illusions that I could somehow survive covid. I can barely handle a common cold. I still have an investment in this world "for I am involved in mankind." I hope that others do as well.
My entire household got COVID before vaccines came out. We were fortunate and everyone recovered at home without medical intervention but it was frightening as our family ranged in age from 18 to 71. We are all now fully vaxxed, except for an 11 year old granddaughter who will be vaxxed as soon as it is approved for her age group.
Living in Texas, I know many people who are eligible but not vaxxed. I view every discussion with these folks as an opportunity to educate them, but ultimately, I believe that the decision MUST be theirs. As a woman, I'm sick of governmental interference in my health care so I would be loathe to support vaccine mandates.
However, people who are reluctant to be vaccinated respond well to no pressure discussions, in my experience. I always start by saying it is a personal decision that everyone must make for themselves and then I follow up with the reasons we chose to be vaxxed. I offer our personal experience with having COVID, too. I am careful not to overreact to erroneous "information" these folks counter with because for whatever reason, they believe it and are fearful because of it. Remember that a little respect for others goes a long way to reaching common ground. If our intimate goal is getting everyone vaxxed, we need to meet in a place of mutual respect and go from there.
You asked to hear from those who choose to remain unvaccinated. My daughter is the only one in our family who is unvaccinated at this time. Here is why…
My daughter is a cancer survivor. Four years ago she was given 6 months to live. Three months into that she was snatched from the jaws of death by the immunotherapy, Ketruda. She received 5 of the 24 doses recommended. She suffered severe side effects so treatment was stopped. Although treatment was stopped, the drug continued to work. She has shown no evidence of disease in the past 3 years.
So, why doesn’t she get vaccinated? No one can tell her how these vaccines could impact her cancer recovery. Could they trigger a recurrence? No one knows. She is more afraid of cancer than Covid.
I suspect she is not the only person who has this type of medical concern but those voices aren’t heard over the cacophony of crazy.
I truly do not understand why many are choosing not to receive the vaccine. When I was a kid, I was vaccinated against smallpox, it basically doesn’t exist anymore. My parents lived in fear of their children getting polio: and then we were immunized. I don’t remember it being a choice, I do remember being grateful. This is so much more deadly than other viruses why would one not rush to be immunized?
We live in Tennessee where we have finally reached 40% for people receiving one dose. We followed the science with masking, hand washing, sanitizer, and my wife are fully vaccinated (she received Pfizer and I Moderna). At the peak of the pandemic we watched the non-masker eye-roll and heard a few off-hand comments. Since the CDC removed the mask recommendation for those that are fully vaccinated, it seems that 98% of the population is unmasked despite the low vaccination rate. We still mask indoors when crowds are present, but believe the CDC comments that the vaccination will provide us protection from the threat of severe illness from Covid. Last night, we had planned to have dinner at a new brewpub that has opened in our area. Being new, it is a big attraction and the parking lot was full. We decided that even as fully vaccinated individuals, the risk of being with being around a crowd including 60% that statistically have likely not received a single dose, the risk was too great. We took our business elsewhere.
As with everything there are those who care about others and those that don’t. There are those who respect and appreciate science and there are those ignorant of science. Sadly religion has become political and has been failing its parishioners too.
I was among the many children who tested the Salk and Sabin vaccines for polio, and I always took every vaccination available until my immune system was damaged by a chemical exposure in the school where I taught. I no longer make antibodies to vaccines, and a simple head cold puts me to bed for three weeks. The 8 year old across the street is on chemotherapy for cancer. We are among those who depend on community vaccination to keep us safe. In some way we all depend on the community so we can live an open and fee society. I thank all who have made and take these amazing new vaccines.
I live in Massachusetts where the population is 6.9 million. Yesterday, the Health and Human Services Department announced 4.1 million people, or 71.8% of everyone over the age of 14, have been fully vaccinated. This is an impressive mark, but, still, nearly 30% aren't there yet for one reason or another. Although there are legitimate reasons for refusing the vaccine, compromised immune system, for example, misinformation and ignorance are not among them. Remembering Tip O'Neill's "All politics is local" maxim, it's on all of us - at the local level - to have fact-based constructive conversations with our neighbors who have been led astray. After enduring the horror of COVID-19, none of us should ignore this responsibility.
I live in the Texas Hill Country. Most of the people that I know and converse with are vaccinated; however, many people I hear talking around me and discussing the vaccine are anti-vax when it comes to the covid vaccine. On our Nextdoor.com feed there are tons of people saying it alters DNA and is not tested at all and it was made in four months etc. All misinformation spread around by people not doing their research. I have known people who have recently contracted covid due to not being vaccinated. This area of Texas seems pretty much back to normal. I continue to wear a mask even though I am vaccinated and it seems that about a third of the people I see do the same. My friend is an ER Dr and he just texted me to say the post Memorial Day surge has hit their hospital. I quote “covid is back.”
I have been vaccinated and so has my entire family, children and grands, this includes my son who is a trump follower. But I live in Missouri and we are seeing divisions in vaccinations. In St Louis City and County vaccine rates are pretty good and Covid-19 rates are dropping. In the southern part of the state, vaccine rates are low and they are seeing the Delta variant with a large rise in cases. This falls along political lines. I remember a time when medicine wasn’t politicized. We all got the polio vaccine. We had our children vaccinated against measles,mumps, etc. no one asked which party you supported. We just knew that these medicines would save our children and ourselves from illness and death. Seems so simple.
I live in Alabama and am fully vaccinated, so is my husband and 19 year old son. Some of the reasons I have heard people around here site for not getting the vaccine are —it changes your DNA; the vaccine isn’t fully approved so it will probably lead to awful long term side effects; I’m young and have a good immune system so I don’t need the vaccine; I’ve already had Covid so I am immune; Fauci is a liar; the whole covid thing is a hoax to take away our freedom; I have allergies and my doctor told me not to get the vaccine bc it can cause allergic reactions. Not very many people are wearing masks anymore—a lot of people didn’t wear them when we were under a mandate or they didn’t wear them properly. I work in customer service and this past year was terrifying. I had to call the police twice on no-mask-wearing folks. One guy tried to jump over the counter into my space when I told him he had to put a mask on. I’ve had more ugly customers than I care to try to count. Sad and embarrassing for our beautiful state. 😢 Thanks Mr. Rather for all you do, I’ve been following you and appreciate your perspective and voice of reason.
From Canada. Over 75% with one dose of vaccine, over 25% with two doses. Because supply was limited, the second shot was delayed for us up here, but supply has increased now and second doses being administered quickly.
We have segment that will not be vaccinated out of mistrust, and will not wear masks either because “rights”. In the last 100 years we have become increasingly focused on “me” rather than “we”. Nothing necessarily wrong with that unless it’s taken to the point where some of us are incapable of responding to the need for collective efforts for the common good. Seems like that is increasingly the case.
Over 70% of the adults in my county in Colorado have been vaccinated, including myself and my family and friends. That is an enormous relief and it is wonderful to be able to get together with friends again. However, there are both liberal and conservative anti-vaxxers here and I make it a point to ask whether personnel are vaccinated before I patronize services like dentist and doctor offices, beauty salons, and others where you come into close contact.
My brother in law had polio, and my spouse's grandfather died of the Spanish flu in 1919, so the consequences of not being vaccinated are clear - you can easily lose your quality of life, or life itself.
Florida is very mixed in its response to the virus. Those who listen to science have had their vaccinations. Those who listen to Governor DeSantis have not.
As Canadians we struggled with the lack of vaccines available in the early Spring. Once PM Trudeau was able to secure vaccines, we signed up/lined up to get them. Odd that we were so far behind as a country, and now are at 70%+ vaccinated. Perhaps the shortage in the early months created a sense of urgency for us? Either way we are pleased that most of our family and friends are on their way to being fully vaccinated. We were in a 'red zone' & on lockdown with limited contact - the vaccine has eased us back into 'green zone' where life is slowly getting back to normal. As more people get vaccinated, those who refused/held back are also starting to book their appointments, not wanting to be left behind. We have encouraged elderly neighbours and younger people who really want life 'as they knew it' to return. Hoping our US family will heed the call to protect each other before another variant/wave hits. Stay safe, everyone!
I’ve been working with nursing homes in the Northeast. Even here, where vaccination rates are high, there are pockets of unvaccinated people. Sure, some of it could be politics, but if you think that’s all, you’re missing something important.
Imagine being a nursing home worker seeing residents die left and right from this virus. What could possibly make you unwilling to get vaccinated yourself? And yet vax rates among nursing home staff are typically around 50%. I know one facility that poured countless hours into the task and got their rate up to 90%, a Herculean accomplishment. Why is this so hard?
Now imagine you’re getting paid $12 or $14/hr, with no paid sick days. You’re working two jobs because cost of living is so high. Your schedule changes from week to week so you can’t plan. And like many American families, you are one missed paycheck away from being homeless.
Which is the bigger risk, getting COVID and possibly spreading it to the people you care for and work with? Or the risk that, like many people, you’ll have a reaction to the shot and lose several days of work? One of those risks is a lot more “front and center” than the other.
If governments want to drive up the vax rate among hard-hit communities, they need to offer to pay for a couple days of lost wages for anyone in those communities taking the shot. No questions asked, just take the shot and take the money.
The wealth gap in America is real — and it hurts us in so many ways.
I'm fully vaccinated, but I'm also immune compromised - stage 4 cancer, among other things. I've been socially distancing for several years, do now and will continue to mask around others. The chance if my producing antibodies is nil. I am old enough to remember polio cases among my friends and family. I understand the fear, but I don't get the refusal to act in the public good. I knew that getting the vaccine represented a risk, but it seems more important to me to do my part, however futile, than to take part. I have no illusions that I could somehow survive covid. I can barely handle a common cold. I still have an investment in this world "for I am involved in mankind." I hope that others do as well.
My entire household got COVID before vaccines came out. We were fortunate and everyone recovered at home without medical intervention but it was frightening as our family ranged in age from 18 to 71. We are all now fully vaxxed, except for an 11 year old granddaughter who will be vaxxed as soon as it is approved for her age group.
Living in Texas, I know many people who are eligible but not vaxxed. I view every discussion with these folks as an opportunity to educate them, but ultimately, I believe that the decision MUST be theirs. As a woman, I'm sick of governmental interference in my health care so I would be loathe to support vaccine mandates.
However, people who are reluctant to be vaccinated respond well to no pressure discussions, in my experience. I always start by saying it is a personal decision that everyone must make for themselves and then I follow up with the reasons we chose to be vaxxed. I offer our personal experience with having COVID, too. I am careful not to overreact to erroneous "information" these folks counter with because for whatever reason, they believe it and are fearful because of it. Remember that a little respect for others goes a long way to reaching common ground. If our intimate goal is getting everyone vaxxed, we need to meet in a place of mutual respect and go from there.
You asked to hear from those who choose to remain unvaccinated. My daughter is the only one in our family who is unvaccinated at this time. Here is why…
My daughter is a cancer survivor. Four years ago she was given 6 months to live. Three months into that she was snatched from the jaws of death by the immunotherapy, Ketruda. She received 5 of the 24 doses recommended. She suffered severe side effects so treatment was stopped. Although treatment was stopped, the drug continued to work. She has shown no evidence of disease in the past 3 years.
So, why doesn’t she get vaccinated? No one can tell her how these vaccines could impact her cancer recovery. Could they trigger a recurrence? No one knows. She is more afraid of cancer than Covid.
I suspect she is not the only person who has this type of medical concern but those voices aren’t heard over the cacophony of crazy.
I truly do not understand why many are choosing not to receive the vaccine. When I was a kid, I was vaccinated against smallpox, it basically doesn’t exist anymore. My parents lived in fear of their children getting polio: and then we were immunized. I don’t remember it being a choice, I do remember being grateful. This is so much more deadly than other viruses why would one not rush to be immunized?
We live in Tennessee where we have finally reached 40% for people receiving one dose. We followed the science with masking, hand washing, sanitizer, and my wife are fully vaccinated (she received Pfizer and I Moderna). At the peak of the pandemic we watched the non-masker eye-roll and heard a few off-hand comments. Since the CDC removed the mask recommendation for those that are fully vaccinated, it seems that 98% of the population is unmasked despite the low vaccination rate. We still mask indoors when crowds are present, but believe the CDC comments that the vaccination will provide us protection from the threat of severe illness from Covid. Last night, we had planned to have dinner at a new brewpub that has opened in our area. Being new, it is a big attraction and the parking lot was full. We decided that even as fully vaccinated individuals, the risk of being with being around a crowd including 60% that statistically have likely not received a single dose, the risk was too great. We took our business elsewhere.
As with everything there are those who care about others and those that don’t. There are those who respect and appreciate science and there are those ignorant of science. Sadly religion has become political and has been failing its parishioners too.
I was among the many children who tested the Salk and Sabin vaccines for polio, and I always took every vaccination available until my immune system was damaged by a chemical exposure in the school where I taught. I no longer make antibodies to vaccines, and a simple head cold puts me to bed for three weeks. The 8 year old across the street is on chemotherapy for cancer. We are among those who depend on community vaccination to keep us safe. In some way we all depend on the community so we can live an open and fee society. I thank all who have made and take these amazing new vaccines.
I live in Massachusetts where the population is 6.9 million. Yesterday, the Health and Human Services Department announced 4.1 million people, or 71.8% of everyone over the age of 14, have been fully vaccinated. This is an impressive mark, but, still, nearly 30% aren't there yet for one reason or another. Although there are legitimate reasons for refusing the vaccine, compromised immune system, for example, misinformation and ignorance are not among them. Remembering Tip O'Neill's "All politics is local" maxim, it's on all of us - at the local level - to have fact-based constructive conversations with our neighbors who have been led astray. After enduring the horror of COVID-19, none of us should ignore this responsibility.
I live in the Texas Hill Country. Most of the people that I know and converse with are vaccinated; however, many people I hear talking around me and discussing the vaccine are anti-vax when it comes to the covid vaccine. On our Nextdoor.com feed there are tons of people saying it alters DNA and is not tested at all and it was made in four months etc. All misinformation spread around by people not doing their research. I have known people who have recently contracted covid due to not being vaccinated. This area of Texas seems pretty much back to normal. I continue to wear a mask even though I am vaccinated and it seems that about a third of the people I see do the same. My friend is an ER Dr and he just texted me to say the post Memorial Day surge has hit their hospital. I quote “covid is back.”
I have been vaccinated and so has my entire family, children and grands, this includes my son who is a trump follower. But I live in Missouri and we are seeing divisions in vaccinations. In St Louis City and County vaccine rates are pretty good and Covid-19 rates are dropping. In the southern part of the state, vaccine rates are low and they are seeing the Delta variant with a large rise in cases. This falls along political lines. I remember a time when medicine wasn’t politicized. We all got the polio vaccine. We had our children vaccinated against measles,mumps, etc. no one asked which party you supported. We just knew that these medicines would save our children and ourselves from illness and death. Seems so simple.
I live in Alabama and am fully vaccinated, so is my husband and 19 year old son. Some of the reasons I have heard people around here site for not getting the vaccine are —it changes your DNA; the vaccine isn’t fully approved so it will probably lead to awful long term side effects; I’m young and have a good immune system so I don’t need the vaccine; I’ve already had Covid so I am immune; Fauci is a liar; the whole covid thing is a hoax to take away our freedom; I have allergies and my doctor told me not to get the vaccine bc it can cause allergic reactions. Not very many people are wearing masks anymore—a lot of people didn’t wear them when we were under a mandate or they didn’t wear them properly. I work in customer service and this past year was terrifying. I had to call the police twice on no-mask-wearing folks. One guy tried to jump over the counter into my space when I told him he had to put a mask on. I’ve had more ugly customers than I care to try to count. Sad and embarrassing for our beautiful state. 😢 Thanks Mr. Rather for all you do, I’ve been following you and appreciate your perspective and voice of reason.
From Canada. Over 75% with one dose of vaccine, over 25% with two doses. Because supply was limited, the second shot was delayed for us up here, but supply has increased now and second doses being administered quickly.
We have segment that will not be vaccinated out of mistrust, and will not wear masks either because “rights”. In the last 100 years we have become increasingly focused on “me” rather than “we”. Nothing necessarily wrong with that unless it’s taken to the point where some of us are incapable of responding to the need for collective efforts for the common good. Seems like that is increasingly the case.
Over 70% of the adults in my county in Colorado have been vaccinated, including myself and my family and friends. That is an enormous relief and it is wonderful to be able to get together with friends again. However, there are both liberal and conservative anti-vaxxers here and I make it a point to ask whether personnel are vaccinated before I patronize services like dentist and doctor offices, beauty salons, and others where you come into close contact.
My brother in law had polio, and my spouse's grandfather died of the Spanish flu in 1919, so the consequences of not being vaccinated are clear - you can easily lose your quality of life, or life itself.
Florida is very mixed in its response to the virus. Those who listen to science have had their vaccinations. Those who listen to Governor DeSantis have not.
(Interesting that he has been fully vaccinated)
As Canadians we struggled with the lack of vaccines available in the early Spring. Once PM Trudeau was able to secure vaccines, we signed up/lined up to get them. Odd that we were so far behind as a country, and now are at 70%+ vaccinated. Perhaps the shortage in the early months created a sense of urgency for us? Either way we are pleased that most of our family and friends are on their way to being fully vaccinated. We were in a 'red zone' & on lockdown with limited contact - the vaccine has eased us back into 'green zone' where life is slowly getting back to normal. As more people get vaccinated, those who refused/held back are also starting to book their appointments, not wanting to be left behind. We have encouraged elderly neighbours and younger people who really want life 'as they knew it' to return. Hoping our US family will heed the call to protect each other before another variant/wave hits. Stay safe, everyone!