waysider

I hadn't really thought of that. I don't speak ASL, myself, though I have known several people who do. I do know that when you express emotion or thought, it's important to place your sign in the proper location. For example, if you told someone "I love you.", that sign would emanate from the center of your chest. At least, that's my understanding of it. It gives me a whole new perspective on just how skilled those translators you see on press conferences and such need to be.

Completely off topic: The "pointing to a location" is a concept that is relevant to ASL.

I looked at Allan's link and several others that dealt with the unfortunate passing of Dr. Lutchmedial. Nowhere in the article or any of the many others was a cause of death listed. It's both disingenuous and misleading to suggest the reader should draw a conclusion linking his death to the Covid vaccine. But that's what Allan did. In addition, he has continually gone out of his way to inject rightwing, U.S. politics into this discussion, something that is expressly in violation of GSC rules. For some of us, this has been a discussion. For Allan, it's become a soapbox to rail against those who may not conform to his ill-informed, preconceived ideas. If you choose to interact with him, be advised, he does not respond to logical thought or evidence with which he disagrees.

"I'm sorry, all our operators are busy at the moment. Please enjoy this musical interlude while you wait."

And then there's this from Ohio: HERE ... Holmes County’s case rate is lower than the state average, its hospitalization rate is slightly above the state average, and its death rate is well above the state’s average.

You've crossed the line, Allan. (Or whoever you really are)

I'm pretty happy I can get 5G now, though.

As I've already stated, a child is 6x more likely to develop a heart problem from the disease than they are from the vaccine. It's really not a hard concept to grasp.

As with any treatment or vaccine, data continues to be collected and evaluated even after it's been released for use. This is called phase 4.

If it's not an implication, just say what you mean in a straight forward manner. I'll wait.

Taiwan has temporarily halted second doses for 2 weeks while it further assesses data. This is a long way from your implication they've found it to be unsafe.

I was kinda bummed when I didn't become magnetic. That would have been awesome!

Two points to unwrap here. First: The jury is not out. Kids don't live in a bubble. Whatever they do, wherever they go affects everyone they encounter. That means they are vectors for infection and petri dishes for virus mutation. I have personal experience with large groups of kids. It's not been all peaches and cream. That's all I'll say about that. Second: It's not all about whether they live or die. Some will develop MIS-C, some will suffer organ damage, some will suffer from reduced mental capacity, some will develop Long-Covid. We just don't know what the future holds for kids who get it and don't die. Did you know Polio is largely asymptomatic? Yes, Polio. That disease that can horribly cripple and disfigure those unfortunate enough to catch it. It's somewhere around 90-95% asymptomatic, though kids are prone to be more likely to exhibit symptoms. We would consider it unconscionable to take a chance on not vaccinating our kids against such a horrible disease. Myocarditis has become the new boogieman. We never seem to hear the baseline figure for it. There are many other causes that are much more likely to cause it than the vaccine. In fact, your child is 6 times more likely to develop myocarditis from Covid than from the vaccine. That's a risk/benefit decision that should be a slam dunk.

Oh, I'm not saying I disagree with you. I'm just saying there is no way to know the actual number of unreported cases. I, too, like to check the numbers. HERE is a site I like to peek at.

We can't really know this because we don't know how many asymptomatic and/or mildly symptomatic cases have gone untested and unreported. But, the case numbers we see reported is almost certainly lower than the actual number of cases. I do agree with you on the rationale of the rest of your statement, though.

52 year old local contractor, Joe Baloneyface, got vaccinated and, 2 weeks later, was squashed by a steam roller. Coincidence? I think not. (sarc) And you call this "critical thinking"? You say you've had Covid twice already. Where is the preventative value of the regimen you've been following? Well, that seems like a pretty strong argument for vaccinating as many people as possible so we give the virus less opportunities to mutate. Our full understanding of mid to long term consequences of anything will always be somewhat limited. But, ZERO? That's simply not honest. Yeah, it couldn't possibly be linked to the strict lock-down measures, could it?

Vitamin D is not a "preventative". It does not prevent you from becoming infected with the SARS-2 virus. This is a misconception. If you do become infected, however, it may help your immune system fight off serious disease. Data shows that inadequate levels of Vitamin D may lead to a more severe outcome when the body is subjected to viral infection. The vaccine, on the other hand, is a "preventive". It teaches your immune system how to recognize the virus and avoid becoming infected in the first place. In instances where it is not completely successful, it can minimize the effects of an infection. Vitamin D is important for good health but should not be thought of as an alternative to the vaccine.

Ivermectin still has some indirect value by virtue of eliminating health depleting parasites that could cause people to be more susceptible to a SARS-2 infection. That's an important benefit if accessibility to vaccine is limited, should they eventually become infected.

"Natural" immunity. Also known as "Got sicker than a dog and crapped my pants at Walmart" immunity.

I'm not a doctor, nor do I play one on T.V... Heh I did work in a para-medical field at one time, though. I can tell you from experience that one of the biggest challenges practitioners face is patient compliance, getting patients to do as instructed without deviation. A common example would be discontinuing an antibiotic protocol before the allotted time. Some of these treatments, such as Ivermectin, do have data showing they can achieve a level of success IF the proper protocol is followed precisely. This is where the trouble begins. The protocol is complex and requires strict adherence. When used correctly, it's a relatively safe drug. When used incorrectly it can be deadly. If, for some reason, you are inclined to use one of these treatments, make absolutely certain you seek medical guidance and follow the instructions to the letter. These treatments do offer value to places that may be unable to use the vaccine due to logistic difficulties or lack of funding. Still, by far, the best option available is to get vaccinated as a prophylactic measure. Despite the misinformation circulating on the net, these vaccines have been extensively and thoroughly tested. They are relatively safe (everything has an element of danger.), readily available, inexpensive(Free in U.S.), and easy to administer. And remember, "You can't have your pudding if you don't eat your meat.".

Anyone still talking about the vaccine? Just curious.

Vaccines do not make you immune. Your immune system does that. Vaccines teach your immune system what to look for so it can launch a defensive. In this particular instance, we're talking about the SARS-2 virus that causes the COVID-19 disease. A natural infection will also teach your immune system what the virus looks like. There are problems with this approach. First, you run the risk of becoming seriously ill or dying in the process. The vaccine eliminates that from the equation since the body is reacting to something that is not really a pathogen. Your body only thinks it is. In addition, the immunity you receive from a natural infection is, for the most part, unpredictable because it's unknown how much virus you were exposed to. With the vaccine, it's mostly predictable because the strength and dosage is controlled. This is why studies have been able to assign efficacy values. And, recent studies have strongly suggested that the immunity you receive from a natural infection does not last as long as immunity gained through vaccination. If you are serious about guarding against becoming infected with SARS-2, vaccination is clearly a better choice than taking a chance on a naturally occurring exposure to infect you.

Unless you realise vaccinated people ALSO shed virus, you've missed the point, so that excuse for vaccinating kids is moot. Being vaccinated makes you less likely to become infected in the first place. If you're not infected, you're not contagious. That seems like it should be an easy enough concept to grasp.

You're still missing the point, Allan. 1.) Children with the virus are vectors. They spread the disease to others who can suffer severe disease and death. Remember Typhoid Mary? She unknowingly infected 53 people. Three of them died. She, herself, was asymptomatic. 2.) Children can appear to be unaffected, only to develop MIS-C weeks later. If left untreated, it can be life threatening. No one wants to knowingly subject their kids to that possibility. 3.) The risks you can face from getting the disease are greater than the risks from the vaccine. Pericarditis is a good example. Your chance of developing pericarditis from the disease, itself, is several times higher than from the vaccine. All the vaccine does is teach the body's immune system what the virus looks like so when it sees it, it can launch an immune response. Your immune system does the heavy lifting, not the vaccine. You are correct when you say we don't know how long your immune system will fight off infection. Not enough time has passed to really know yet. Immunity is multifaceted. When your body senses a foreign substance (virus), it begins to produce antibodies. Our bodies encounter foreign invaders all the time so they are constantly producing some form or other of antibodies. They are too numerous for your body to retain on a long term basis. That's why efficacy wanes. There is good news, though. Once your immune system knows what a particular virus looks like, it starts producing special cells (T-Cells and B-Cells) that are specifically tasked with sensing the presence of invaders and subsequently making a new batch of antibodies. People who were infected with SARS-1 in 2003 have long since lost any antibodies they developed. Recent tests, however, have revealed they still have at least some T and B cells, 18 years after the fact. SARS-1 is similar to the current SARS-2 that is causing Covid. With that in mind, it's reasonable to assume that some T and B cells for SARS-2 may last for years, as well. We don't know that for a fact, though, because not enough time has passed. In the meantime we can use the vaccine to tell the body to make T and B cells and keep the arsenal full just in case .

Current numbers for Australia: https://coronavirus.1point3acres.com/en https://www.google.com/search?q=vaccination+australia&rlz=1C1CHWL_enUS850US850&oq=vaccination+australia&aqs=chrome..69i57j0i512l9.8255j1j15&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8 https://graphics.reuters.com/world-coronavirus-tracker-and-maps/countries-and-territories/australia/