GeneP59 wrote:

right!?

WTF!
This is the Obituary Page have some respect.

Start another page to rant like a whack-a-loon.

 Steely_D wrote:

That's how America became great. Blind obedience. Obey. 

 Animal-Farm wrote:

Just as one example, Bill Gates has given billions of dollars. Any recipient would surely go along with the messages of the day. They certainly would not rain on the parade and end their career by publicly objecting to anything. 
He's given 300+ million dollars to public radio.
your local yoga studio gives nothing
So local public radio stations and the NPR are cheerleading anything and everything that induces fear and helps the public health vaccination drive. Boosters, testing, cases, deaths, all packaged up to get you vaccinated!! Let's help the herd reach it's goals.

 steeler wrote:

Messaging. Coordinated messaging. Public health. Lock step.

 Animal-Farm wrote:
Who are “they?”

 rgio wrote:
Right from the beginning one of the notable aspects of this pandemic was a huge desire to increase everybody's isolation many people have been de-platformed off of Facebook many people lost good community culture jobs you know going into an office and having a routine that's all gone so they wanted everybody isolated and alone. The masks is another big part of that.

 westslope wrote:
Agreed. There is a LOT there.  Stress, diet, occupation, and a ton of other things all contribute.  It was easy to increase life expectancy 40 years ago...cut out smoking and let the improved healthcare system keep you going.   Now, the baseline is higher, and the unintended consequences of eating out, portion size, stress, and God knows what else are starting to impact life expectancy.  A college degree is loosely associated with income, and it's hard to eat avocado and quinoa on the cheap.  

It's a real problem, but who's got time to address it when everyone is so damn depressed and alone?

 westslope wrote:

I suppose the laptop class ensconced in their warm homes are safe whole meanwhile service workers are out there getting chewed up. With everything delivered nowadays it's pretty easy to live like the queen of England until age 100 

 ScottFromWyoming wrote:

It's honest work lol

 rgio wrote:
It is weird.  Vaccines have been a significant contributor to longer life spans in the 20th century.    Yours truly would have died several times over if not for vaccines.  

The SARS Cov2 vaccines have reduced risk of infection and in particular the risk of morbidity and death.  The numbers are rather clear.

The messaging does appear to mostly originate from right-leaning media but I think the underlying driver is socio-economic.  I have yet to stumble across an anti-vaxxer who understand R factors and other mathematical aspects of the pandemic.  Many smoke tobacco, the world's most deadly, destructive recreational drug.  Tobacco usage is highly correlated with socio-economic status.  

More partisan polarization will not advance debates on these subjects in North America.  Dehumanization and demonization of anti-vaxxers are unlikely to advance the cause much.   

North American health outcomes are atrociously bad and ideally that should be addressed though to date there has been virtually no discussion of this despite SARS CoV2 being a respiratory disease.    Not so long ago, Case and Deaton published evidence that white American males were facing lower life expectancies.  Turns out that whether one has a 4-year university degree or not was a significant factor.   Very few are paying attention to this.

Life expectancy falling for adults without a bachelor’s degree

 Animal-Farm wrote:

The internet is a series of tubes, and they're filled with liquid. 

This is why the amount of dipshittery around here remains constant.

 Animal-Farm wrote: Orthomyxoviridae



Coronaviridae

 rgio wrote:

The flu is a coronavirus (variety of circulating coronavirus)

Covid is a coronavirus

By becoming endemic covid will join the other circulating coronavirus and will be part of what we call flu.

note that flu and covid are different than other non-coronavirus such as measles, chicken pox, polio. 

 rgio wrote: People die from all kinds of things.
Unfortunately, Covid is just another way to die.
Is it preventable. Just like the flu/ car deaths... maybe.
I wear seat belts. Drive a truck that doesn't have air bags.
I never got a flu shot.
I rolls the dice I guess.

 KurtfromLaQuinta wrote:

The notion that the flu and COVID are even remotely similar in death rates is wrong.  COVID is not the flu.

More Americans died of Covid in the past 2 weeks than died of influenza in the past 3 years.

— Craig Spencer MD MPH (@Craig_A_Spencer) January 31, 2022

 Proclivities wrote:
Since Adam and Eve were kicked out of the garden.

 Animal-Farm wrote:
I agree with this comment.

How about deaths from cars?

 Steely_D wrote:
I wasn't making it political. If that's what you were referring to.
I wore a mask where it was required. I'd complain, but I was compliant. I did not drive around in my car with one on though. When it's over 100 outside... they are miserable.
My wife's a teacher of head start. She is required to wear a mask and face shield. She also caught a very nasty cold at the end of the school year 2021. An sinus/ ear infection, pink eye, etc.
She then tested positive for Covid soon after the start of this school year. It passed without an issue... another bad cold basically.
I got a bad cause of bronchitis for around three weeks. It went away after getting a Z Pack from the doctor.
This morning she woke up with a sore throat.  Still wearing a mask and face shield at school. 
From what I witnessed ... mask are somewhat useless.
We both have been vaccinated because we thought it best. Not because we were forced to. Well, my wife was told by her district she should get it. And she still got Covid. 

 kurtster wrote:
So which is more dangerous... Someone telling you to get vaccinated and improving your chance of survival 20X, or someone running around saying:

“People are refusing to take the Vaccine because they don’t trust his Administration, they don’t trust the Election results, and they certainly don’t trust the Fake News, which is refusing to tell the Truth.”

DJT - July 2021

Kurt, if you wear a seatbelt, you won't die in a car accident.  That of course is something no one can guarantee, but statistically, you're odds are greatly improved.   You're arguing that the guy who promised you'd be safe is somehow misleading people while supporting the guy who suggests that seatbelts don't work? C'mon Kurt...you're better than that.