Post-Covid Shutdown Reflections
Trying not to say "I TOLD YOU SO!"
It’s hard. Many, if not most of us, were making decisions based on:
Chinese Disinformation/Propaganda
CDC Politicization
Wanting to be oppositional to ANYTHING Trump believed or said
Fear, Uncertainty, and Doubt (FUD)
We who had lived longer lives, and remembered the days before vaccines were common, often had a different perspective.
The pre-vaccine population is a small one, and getting smaller by the day, judging from my Facebook feed. Those would be the ones that were raised to be exposed to many common childhood diseases, by parents wanting their kid to gain the natural immunity that would result.
Although my mother tried to help my brother catch mumps before adolescence hit, he never did. That left him potentially vulnerable to possible sterility, should he come down with a case of mumps later.
As it happens, he never did want children, so that was a moot point.
But, based on that push for natural immunity, I ended up catching measles, German measles, chicken pox, and both Asian Flu and Hong Kong Flu before I entered the workforce. That’s in addition to numerous colds over the years. As a result of this, I was 8 before I ever was able to have a birthday party with my friends.
On the other hand, other than respiratory infections, I’m generally not sick as an adult. And, since being diagnosed with asthma, I’m usually able to recover without complications (assuming that I do what I should do, and take off work/stay home while sick).
Covid was the first flu I’d had in years. Since my first incidence in 2022, I’ve had another mild episode this fall. Bounced back quicker this time.
So, I naturally tend to believe in the superiority of natural immunity vs. vaccines for non-lethal diseases. And, despite the occasional fatality for measles and other ‘childhood diseases’, I still believe that is the best method of dealing with disease.
Now, those that succumb to death are generally those who have what is called co-morbidities - obesity, diabetes, heart troubles, cancers, immune system disfunctions, and such. Also, those who are living on the street, or in crowded housing situations. Those are MAJOR factors, and if you or a loved one have them, you SHOULD both avoid contagion, AND look into vaccines.
But, that’s not most of us.
Most of us can risk exposure, catch the disease, and recover - admittedly, home health care should be good. That’s what it means to have someone watching out for you, checking your vitals (fever, O2 levels), making sure that you take your OTCs, eat and drink properly, and otherwise monitor your health.
We’re living with the effects of those shutdowns:
Business closures - in my town, Lorain, OH, there are STILL storefronts that are empty. Business is considerably slower than before the shutdowns.
Loss of learning. Some kids are several YEARS behind grade level. The ‘experts’ are saying that they may NEVER make up those deficits. Kids who were already at-risk are the most affected by the school closures. So, the Learning Gap has increased - not directly due to Racism, but due to a very bad idea that was not retracted ASAP.
A rise in illness, from kids who were kept from contact, and now are exposed to diseases they SHOULD have met sooner.
Cognitive/communications deficits - the masks were a major part of this. I would expect the hearing impaired children to show the greatest damage. As an adult, I know I cannot hear what someone is saying with a mask on, no matter how loud they talk. Plastic windows in the mask or face shields fog up, have glare issues, and block speech reception. They just DON’T work. I was ready to walk away from my doctor, as his office was still insisting on using masks - both staff and patients. I just couldn’t communicate effectively. I needed multiple repetitions of instructions to understand. I reached a point where I would not make visits that I needed, due to the difficulties I experienced.
Further polarization - on one side, those who were willing to take some risk with their own health, and refused vaccines. On the other, those who attacked those people, calling them killers, abusing them for their personal decision, and backing the corporate and government efforts to take their jobs away.
And, now, almost 3 years after Covid hit our shores, the Nannies are admitting:
The virus was almost certainly made in a lab. Whether you believe the release was accidental or deliberate, the Chinese - AND those (Fauci) who paid for that research, are culpable. Those in American government should be dismissed from their jobs - for cause - and be prosecuted for MULTIPLE homicides, loss of income, and causing a public panic. That, along with civil lawsuits, should wipe out their retirement income.
The school shutdowns were not necessary, and likely prolonged the length of the epidemic.
The vaccine has not been properly investigated for safety. It should NOT be given until it has gone through normal FDA procedures, and passed.
The extended time that government paid subsidies made the economy worse. There are people who now expect to live the rest of their lives on public money.
There is more that could be said, but I have to make breakfast and walk the dog.