PossibleDeviation

Bingo

filler

Seneca Pilot

We will never know but those are private citizens and local accountable people making decisions based on their small localities risk tolerance, not mandates from the top. If my local restaurant wants me to wear a mask I wear it or decide to eat somewhere else. This is perfectly fine.

Your arguments seem to assume that a Governor lifting a mandate means that it requires businesses to throw caution to the winds. All the lifting of mandates does is allow those businesses to make their own call. Some will keep rules in place, others will drop them. Customers will decide where they are most comfortable.

PlaneS

A majority of those 65+ in Texas still are not fully vaccinated. The cases in the less vulnerable population still matter because there is not a complete understanding of what differentiates those with asymptomatic reactions from those with serious reactions. Also, remember that the more the virus spreads, the more chance there is for a mutation - which, contrary to what someone else posted here, can be more deadly or contagious than the original strain. Houston currently has all the variants of COVID within the city limits; the more people they spread to, the more the chance they can further mutate, potentially to a strain the vaccines do not offer protection from.

I recall you talking about a false dichotomy before, yet you present another one in your post. You can simultaneously work towards eliminating a virus while protecting the capacity of the health care system. That’s why vaccines, masks, and social distancing are all supposed to work together. Let’s keep our hospitals open, and keep people safe. We don’t have to choose just one.

galaxy flyer

You speak the truth to statists who believe they know better than the average Joe and can boss Joe around.

BoilerUP

We absolutely don't have to choose a single path. This isn't an "all or nothing" proposition.

That being said, virus elimination is COMPLETELY AND TOTALLY UNREALISTIC.

This issue absolutely cannot be approached with SOLE focus on outcomes of disease, especially when the burden of mortality is examined and IFR estimated. Public health HAS to be appropriately weighed with the social costs of continued nonmedical interventions.

Masks aren't my hill to die on - I wear mine begrudgingly and plan on ditching it as soon as my mandate ends, but I'm not gonna get bent if somebody else plans on ditching theirs now.

N95s are widely available now, if people are concerned about maskless Typhoid Marys carelessly frolickling about they are certainly free to make the self-interested individual choice to wear one to protect themselves and their family.

PlaneS

At this point of spread and mutation, you are probably right, but we should still aim for 100% and then accept whatever level of elimination we get after trying our best. Probably around 70-75% at best.

Smallpox was entirely eradicated with a massive global effort. If we really wanted to, we could do the same here, but it clearly hasn’t garnered as much attention as Smallpox (probably because it lacks the completely disturbing visual side effects).

Mesabah

People who are not yet vaccinated can take Vitamin D, C, Zinc, and Ivermectin, and be just fine. At this point, getting a severe case of Covid is a result of poor lifestyle choices.

BoilerUP

Did you really just compare SARS-CoV-2 to smallpox?

PlaneS

Pretty insensitive, and entirely incorrect.

https://www.runnersworld.com/uk/news...r-coronavirus/

Seneca Pilot

30% of smallpox victims died. You have now completely discredited yourself.