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Originally Posted by coffeebean
So glad there is digital proof of vaccination in the works. Paper proof is so easily forged and is basically worthless.
I want to see vaccination mandated for public transportation, getting on cruise ships, entrance to theme parks, entrance to sporting events, entrance to concerts and so much more. The list is endless. Maybe some of you anti-vaxers will change your minds about getting the shot.
Microsoft, Salesforce and Oracle working on Covid vaccination passport |
This is a good idea. Another possibility might be an endorsement on a hard-to-forge driver’s license.
Here’s the thing, though. We are hoping that these vaccines will be once (with two shots) in a lifetime. Think about it, though. When we were kids, we needed smallpox vaccinations every five years. Some vaccinations are once forever. I think tetanus is ten years unless you get wounded. Mumps? Measles? Whooping cough? Haven’t some adults been getting whooping cough even though they were vaccinated when they were little kids?
We’ve been told that this vaccine is once forever, but I’m not sure that is known yet. What if variations such as this South African one keep turning up. Many of us get flu shots every year that cover varieties that experts think are likely to be the worst that year. Maybe in six months there will be a re-jiggered vaccine that does a great job on the South African variety. Maybe we will be getting a new COVID-19 vaccination every year to cover the new varieties. I suspect that the drug companies really hope for that. Phizer and Moderna aren’t making a huge profit off their vaccines at present, but if it becomes yearly, they will raise the price and have a big step up on their competitors.
If this becomes the case, our Apple Wallet might contain a record of our latest vaccination. Then too, it may be that in a few years, everyone with any sense will keep up to date on their COVID-19 vaccinations, while the anti-vaxxers will not. Just as with the flu, if people are on public transportation while sick, they will pass around their sickness to those without vaccinations, and that is just the risk people take. No more need to check. People will either get sick and develop antibodies, most with a light case, or they will not because they were vaccinated. So it goes. Testing for antibodies may become rare except when people are clearly sick and doctors need to know. Hospitals will no longer quarantine patients with COVID-19 any more than they quarantine patients with colds. Healthcare personnel will continue to wash their hands a lot, as they should in any case, and maybe wear masks around patients, but will all be vaccinated themselves as a condition of employment. If patients don’t require the current quarantine conditions, relatives can visit them. It will be much cheaper to treat them. Many people will continue to die of COVID-19, but that is their choice. Many people will self-quarantine if they think they are sick, just as people now may stay home from work or school if they have a bad cold or the flu. People with weak immune systems and pre-existing conditions may choose to avoid crowds during times when infection rates are high, just as they do now, and may choose to wear masks and gloves and be extra careful on public transportation or crowds, and we will all be comfortable with that. People who have an active case may do the same.
Just as many people die of the flu every year, especially the elderly, many will die of Covid-19, and it may be a much larger number. But I’m grateful that it seems that those of us who choose to be vaccinated will have a way to lower our risks a lot.