[MarkJerling]

I respectfully disagree to some extent

there are folks who have not been given the choice of receiving the vaccines or declining the vaccines

true enough that is dependent on where those folks live

and true enough there are folks who have decided, for what ever reasons, to refuse the vaccines

and decline to protect themselves, their loved ones and the rest of us by ignoring things that can help out on the spread of the virus

variants, as I understand the process, occur naturally,

what happens after a variant or mutated virus occurs is affected by protection protocals and how effective current vaccines are against the variant/mutated virus

Variants are a bit of bad code, so, when the virus is replicated, it's possible with every replication that the DNA does not replicate perfectly, hence the mutation. The more hosts who get infected, the more chance for mutations to occur. In time, the thing may well mutate to a weaker disease, or it may go the other way and mutate to a more dangerous version. The less people that get infected, the less variants there will be, but also less chance for the virus to become either more infectious or less infectious or more dangerous or less dangerous.

So, it's a bit of a two-edged sword. But, fact remains that the vaccines protect best against the version of the diseased they were designed for. So, in that respect, it would make sense to get vaccinated and slow the spread of the virus. At the same time, it will likely be making people ill for the next several hundred years, so lets hope it mutates to become no worse than the other main corona viruses that strike us every winter - the common cold.

Not disagreeing, but pointing out that our current best defense is for those people that can be vaccinated to be vaccinated.

[aslyfox]

. . . pointing out that our current best defense is for those people that can be vaccinated to be vaccinated.

no disagreement with that

my disagreement, respectfully, was with this:

. . . So the bottom line is variants are the result of anti Vaxers and anti maskers. Period. . . .

[Rondec]

Variants are a bit of bad code, so, when the virus is replicated, it's possible with every replication that the DNA does not replicate perfectly, hence the mutation. The more hosts who get infected, the more chance for mutations to occur. In time, the thing may well mutate to a weaker disease, or it may go the other way and mutate to a more dangerous version. The less people that get infected, the less variants there will be, but also less chance for the virus to become either more infectious or less infectious or more dangerous or less dangerous.

So, it's a bit of a two-edged sword. But, fact remains that the vaccines protect best against the version of the diseased they were designed for. So, in that respect, it would make sense to get vaccinated and slow the spread of the virus. At the same time, it will likely be making people ill for the next several hundred years, so lets hope it mutates to become no worse than the other main corona viruses that strike us every winter - the common cold.

Not disagreeing, but pointing out that our current best defense is for those people that can be vaccinated to be vaccinated.

It is really tough. I feel like the developing world is a huge reservoir of COVID. Vaccine rates are pretty low and a lot of countries have depended on the fact that they have younger populaces to survive. Brazil has vaccinated about 7 percent of their population and now this new P.1 strain is going through their population and wrecking more havoc than the initial strain did.

"Herd Immunity" is an ideal, but I think there are two things that are becoming increasingly clear.

1. We live in a global community. Even if 90 percent of my community is vaccinated, it benefits me to see that the rest of the world has the option of being vaccinated. Strains from Brazil, South Africa, and anywhere else can and will eventually travel to my area of the world.

2. The concept of herd immunity is not achievable without a vaccine. There has been a hope that you can somehow combine people who have resolved COVID infections with vaccinated individuals, but it seems clear that the vaccines offer a higher level of immunity than does a natural infection. Even if 80 percent of your population has had COVID, the right strain can still devastate it a second time.

[Lowell Goudge]

no disagreement with that

my disagreement, respectfully, was with this:

with respect to this point, anti maskers and people who have resisted for what ever reason to isolate socially/physically have in the past led to increased numbers of reproductive cycles of the virus, and as others have agreed the more reproductive cycles the more chance for variants.

anti vaxers, going forward will continue in the same path leading to more and more reproductive cycles of the virus and risk of variants.

i dont think that can be disputed.

the only way to stop variants is to stop the spread QUICKLY

so i dont get why you therefore dispute my statement.

[aslyfox]

. . .so i dont get why you therefore dispute my statement.

I think it is more than the people who refuse the vaccine

I do respect your opinion

[reeftool]

The vaccine has only been available for a couple of months so blaming anti vaxers on the known varients isn't a valid argument because they were already circulating late last year. The vaccines have been around a little longer than 2 months but they weren't available to most people and up until this week, there were long lines and waiting lists to get shots. The hullabaloo around the Johnson & Johnson shot seems to have quenched demand around here and now anybody who wants the shots can now get them. You can blame not wearing masks but the astonishing statistics on the drop of flu and cold cases this winter show that more people are wearing masks than not and yet covid keeps spreading. Maybe there is no blame. **** happens.

I think any chances of stopping the virus has long past. Its here and will probably be endemic and we will have to learn to live with it. That may sound cold but it's reality. People have the choice to get vaccinated or eventually get exposed and catch it. I've had my shots and hope they work. Whether the vaccine fails or succeeds, I will continue eating right, working out and staying in the best possible physical condition and continue my vitamins which got me through the first year of all this.

[Ex Finn.]

Vaccinations are slowly progressing in Finland as well. OK, I know we're doing fine in global context, but not compared to US or UK. We're today at like 25% of adults vaccinated at least once. It was only this week that my partner (who is an anesthetist doing aerosol producing procedures such as intubation but usually not treating covid patients) got her first jab of Pfizer. I personally have still not got even the first one since I'm "bubbling under" in all aspects. Not quite old enough, not quite sick enough and not important enough at the hospital. But if the expected vaccine shipments arrive, I assume I'll get the first one in May or June. Still too late to save the summer. Over here - like in the UK - the second jab has been postponed to 12 weeks.

I hope you all get vaccinated soon.
If everything goes as planned, I will be touching down at Helsinki-Vantaa in July.

[Riggomatic]

Reporting back after my second shot of Moderna yesterday.

I felt fine in the evening yesterday...my arm didn't even hurt. But this morning around 10am, approximately 20hours after the shot, I started to get a little dizzy, and the chills were kicking in. I ended up leaving work for the day, and crashed on the couch when I got home. It was like I had the flu for about 4 hours. I took another nap, and was up and moving around by 5:30.

I'm glad that's done.

[MarkJerling]

no disagreement with that

my disagreement, respectfully, was with this:

Yup, which is why I said....

Not disagreeing, but pointing out that our current best defense is for those people that can be vaccinated to be vaccinated.

[ZombieArmy]

Day after I got the second pfizer stab and I feel "ok". Not 100%, kinda sore, but nothing too bad.

[mtkeller]

I am in the phase 3 Moderna clinical trial. Got two jabs in August and September with no effects, but I don’t normally react to vaccines and there wasn’t much out there at the time (for obvious reasons) about how many people were having side effects. After the EUA came through, they started contacting folks to have us come in for unblinding. Learned on 20 January that I’d had the placebo and was offered the real thing. I of course said yes. Got my second does on 19 February, which I strategically had on a Friday just in case. The day after, I had chills, body aches, and hit 100.8ºF/38.2ºC fever. The next morning I was back to my usual 97.7ºF/36.5ºC temp and felt as good as new.

Now to persuade my 72-year-old mother to get her shot(s). I fear that my strongly anti-vaccine sister-in-law (as in thinks vaccines cause autism) has rubbed off on her.

[MarkJerling]

Now to persuade my 72-year-old mother to get her shot(s). I fear that my strongly anti-vaccine sister-in-law (as in thinks vaccines cause autism) has rubbed off on her.

Oh boy. Lucky you! Best of luck with that!

[Belcik]

Well, being the one "after COVID" and being able to approach European and Russian vaccines, I think I will wait few months more to see maybe some side effects... I still have some antibodies anyway

[iheiramo]

I got Pfizer a week ago. I felt it in the arm for couple of days, but no other noticeable side effects.

[reh321]

Well, being the one "after COVID" and being able to approach European and Russian vaccines, I think I will wait few months more to see maybe some side effects... I still have some antibodies anyway

I had the second Moderna shot over a month ago, and still nothing weird.
I still have only one head - our second daughter had a second case of Covid, so I wouldn't depend too much on having had it already,