I awoke extremely early this am – 5:15 to be exact. But I did have a long and restful sleep as my head hit the pillow at about 9 pm. Checked emails by iPhone discovering good tidings of great joy – a New York Times newsletter spewed out these welcome tidings: “Good morning. We explain the exaggerated fears about breakthrough infections.” But why did Good Tidings of Great Joy immediately pop into my head? I do not know – faithful readers will know that I ‘enjoyed’ being an atheist most of my life, (Ages 17-74) but prior to 17 was raised in the Protestant faith, Sunday school, choir (although I cannot sing and was told to mouth the words), weekly Sunday services, youth groups (where I met my first husband). All of that left its mark, as is shown. My obsession with the 23rd Psalm being one indicia. (An indicia is a sign or indication).
Dutifully Googled tidings of great joy to find that its most notable biblical usage occurs in Luke 2:10 of the King James Bible, when the angel delivers the news of the arrival of Jesus,”Fear not, for behold, I bring you tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people.” Further Googling revealed that tidings is defined as news or information.
I shall spread the joy by quoting from the scientific article. It began: “The C.D.C reported a terrifying fact in July: Vaccinated people with the Delta variant of the Covid virus carried roughly the same viral load in their noses and throats as unvaccinated people.”
But then, along came tidings of joy. “In recent weeks, however, more data has become available, and it suggests that the true picture is less alarming. Yes, Delta has increased the chances of getting Covid infection for almost everyone. But if you’re vaccinated, a Covid infection is still uncommon, and those high viral loads are not as worrisome as they initially sounded. How small are the chances of the average vaccinated American contracting Covid? Probably about one in 5,000 per day, and even lower for people who take precautions or live in a highly vaccinated community. “There’s been a lot of miscommunication about what the risks really are to vaccinated people, and how vaccinated people should be thinking about their lives,: as Dr. Ashian Jhe of Brown University told my colleague Tara Parker-Pope. For the unvaccinated, of course, the chance of infection are far higher, as Jeffrey Duchin, the top public-health official in Seattle, has noted. These chances have also risen much more since Delta began spreading.”
The author, using graphs to illustrate the data ,concludes: “If the entire country had received shots at the same rate as the Northeast or California, the current Delta wave would be a small fraction of its current size. Delta is the problem. VACCINE HESITANCY IS A BIGGER PROBLEM. “(Emphasis added)
The author, David Leonhardt, explains further. “ I will confess to one bit of hesitation about walking you through the data on breakthrough infections: It’s not clear how much we should be worrying about them. For the vaccinated, Covid resembles the flue and usually a mild one. Society does not ground to a halt over the flue. In Britain many people have come comfortable with the current Covid risks. The vaccines make serious illness rare in adults, and the risks to young children are so low that Britain may never recommend that most receive the vaccine. Letting the virus continue to dominate life, on the other hand, has large costs. “There’s a feeling that finally we can breathe; we can start trying to get back what we’ve lost,” David Sridhar, the head of the global public health program at the University of Edinburgh, told The Times.”
Leonhardt ends with an aptly subtitled: The Bottom Line. “But even with Delta, the overall risks for the vaccinated remain extremely small. As Dr. Monica Gandhi, an infectious-disease specialist at the University of California, San Francisco, wrote on Friday, “The messaging over the last month in the U.S. has basically served to terrify the vaccinated and make unvaccinated eligible adults doubt the effectiveness of the vaccines.” Neither of those views is warranted.”
The messaging is, of course, the media. So we the vaccinated are terrified and they, the unvaccinated, doubt the effectiveness of the vaccine. Thanks a lot media.
Last evening had a confab in the jacuzzi. BBB is back from New York, but is very busy as she is teaching and performing as an understudy for a Marin Shakespeare performance. How I admire her energy and her dedication to the arts and to the community. Cathy, the mother of a darling young girl joined us – the young girl was hanging out with me. We were talking about Covid (of all unlikely subjects, Hahahah). I was yelling away at their misinformation.
BBB: Alexis, stop yelling at us! (Said laughingly, by the way)
Me: Ok! Ok! Besides I know better. If you want someone to listen to you, you whisper. I do understand and appreciate that neither of you have the time to keep up with current scientific evidence. But if you just read my stupid blog you would be up to date. I do all the research. How long can it take to read 1500 words? But whatever, too many people read me anyway AND I do not make any money from it.
Covid has struck close to home. There is an unvaccinated person who contracted Covid in our midst that could spell danger. I have informed Management of the risk and a solution – that is all I can do. BBB and I discussed the means and mechanisms of dealing with the unvaccinated. A man, one of her long time NY friends, was unvaccinated, got Covid and was banned to a second house on their property, leaving the wife and children in the main residence.
She: I told him that it worked for him, perhaps, but I did not have a second house on my property, or even a first one as I live here in this 180 unit property.
Me: You made a good point! But I take a different more harsh strategy. I break off contact with the unvaccinated completely. I Instagram blocked a (now former friend) who lived in Hawaii. We were never going to agree on this vital issue, told her that I did not want the sadness of learning her death. To those closer to home, shall tell them I will not speak to them, ask them not to come near me until they are vaccinated. If the unvaccinated are shunned perhaps that may make a difference, at least the rest of us and children will be safe. What is shun? Its meaning: “persistently avoid, ignore, or reject (someone or something) through antipathy or caution.” It is wise to persistently avoid the unvaccinated in the exercise of caution.
Some appropriate synonyms are: avoid, eschew, steer clear of, shy away from, fight shy of, recoil from, keep away from, keep one’s distance from, give a wide berth to, have nothing to do with, leave alone, not touch; ignore, turn one’s back on, cut, cut dead, look right through; rebuff, dismiss, brush off, turn down, spurn, disdain, refuse, decline, repudiate, ostracize; inf tell someone where to get off, freeze out, stiff-arm; give someone the bum’s rush. Antonyms: accept, seek, welcome. So I shall shy away from, rebuts, ostracize and give those the bum’s rush to the unvaccinated.
Applied the learning obtained from Leonhardt’s well-written and researched article to my life. In what way? I shall travel to the UK in about a month. The British have developed a realistic attitude towards the virus. Will definitely look into flight options but Icelandic Air is beckoning. How unusual my life. Two of my annual trips to London – once went Icelandic, stopping in Iceland on the way home, so enjoying my time there. Another trip flew Air Emeritus with the mandatory stop in Dubai, enjoyed my time there. I may be looking for somewhere else to live as I am thoroughly disillusioned with the land of my birth, Canada. Moreover, becoming increasingly disillusioned with these United States. For reasons that will be explained in upcoming blogs, two countries, quite opposite from one another, attract. Dubai and Iceland. (I can see several people fainting upon reading this). Of course, my number one choice would be Scotland, should the referendum pass and they are free of the yoke of (former) Great Britain.
Must look up the flag of Iceland, that may be a consideration. The flag of the U.A.E. is totally unsuitable for face painting. Oops, forgot that the face painter is no longer in my employ. I could perhaps do it myself if a simple design. I have the face paint and the practice of face painting began with the self-imposed painting of my face like the Canadian flag. Hmmmm! More research!
Found the Iceland flag emoji. It is doable!!!
