Death by covid rate is at the pre-covid influenza point right now. Imagine after omicron reduces it by a factor of 10, the number of cases grows 10 fold and the number of death stays the same. We'll be in a crisis again!
Stopping new strains is an idiotic approach. Omicron is possibly the best chance we have at transitioning towards a cold-like, inoffensive virus. Virus evolution follows the selection of strains that spread the easiest, not the ones that are the deadliest.
I studied in a STEM field and the growing obsession with giving an unfair chance to minority and women is one of the toxic point that had me leave academia. There are so many more grants, opportunity for talks, collaboration, subsidized research for women and minorities - and the outcome is that we select a disproportionate amount from a group that has no specifically selected trait for success. This will lead to lower quality science and other countries that actually fund good (and not "equal") science will come out ahead (think China). Scientific knowledge has no morals and painting brilliant scientists as ethical leaders of our society gives them a burder slowing down the output of knowledge too.
It's so obviously the first step to a social credit score. Right now, unvaccinated gets 0 and vaccinated gets 100. Then later, your QR code loses points if you commit a crime, and eventually when you write "hate speech" online. I can't see people resisting this format when they're almost orgasming at the idea of the current 0-100 format.
There is a global trend towards authoritarianism. It's coming at a different pace everywhere, but the mandatory masks and credit scores were there in China ages before they were (or will be) here (early 2000s for masks and 2015 for the credit score). We are already walking around with a device that records our position, discussions, actions, etc. We're only a virus-step away from a distopian future.
Well women always were the real parent. We merely are providers to the eye of the law. She could do worse and kick you out and make you pay half of your net income to provide for that kid (that gets nothing and she suddenly get new fancy furniture/car/clothes)
now I have to worry about trans-pervs getting into the women's locker room to flags my daughter.
This was the 'slipping slope' argument of people in the late 90s. That apparently was a pretty realistic slope considering we now allow shemales to play in women sports and change with the girls.
Molnupiravir is an experimental antiviral drug which is orally active and was developed for the treatment of influenza. [it] exerts its antiviral action through introduction of copying errors during viral RNA replication
I'm sure there is no chance that it also introduces copying errors in your DNA as well. I can't wait until it's coherced into everyone.
I was in a similar position to you and I decided to get it. I know it's not of great comfort, but there's enough evidence now for the FDA to accept the vaccine.
Nothing is more important than your family, not even your own life. I know I would take a bullet for my kids. This situation is definitely here to last and you're looking at running away for years, and likely running away from the USA too eventually. Ofc the government knows that you know this and this is why their cohercision work, but I ultimately believe you're better off getting a cancer in 10 years than trying to dodge a field of mines forever.
If we're lucky, there's a small percentage of outcasts that will resist and that will be enough to save humanity.
Herd immunity can be achieved with vaccines, it has certainly worked for a boatload of diseases. The problem with corona viruses is we have been trying for 20 years to make vaccines for it without success. What we have now is as good as trash when it comes to science - there is no convincing evidence that this vaccine is successful in the long term.
While I agree with you these rules don't make sense, there is a difference between restricting your rights to access public areas (and similar vaccine passport limitations, like travel) and your access to employment.
I really hope the government hits a wall when trying to force people out of jobs for not getting the jab. In Quebec, there is a severe shortage of nurse and they're forcing them to get vaccinated soon. Great way to cut the grass under your own foot, and make others pay for it.
If the government really cared about cases number, they would do anything to avoid having massive protests like this in its country. Isn't it better to allow people to eat in a restaurant over having 100k unvaccinated walking the streets everyday?
Israel charts currently look exactly like the third wave, despite the fact that everyone there is vaccinated. If anyone needs to be convinced that this vaccine is not effective show them the deaths and case charts. They are currently trying to tell us that even if people get infected, they die less often when vaccinated, but it is not the case at all in Israel.
Worldmeter.info/coronavirus/country/Israel/
That's a nice scientific conspiracy theory