Wish I could like this more than once.

The Pandemic scared the hell out of most of us.

In India, people are dying in droves. They don't have a CDC.

Those who are not vaccinated are supposed to wear masks. I was at an activity in one of the rec centers when a person who was not wearing a mask said to the group, "I need to have more patience with people telling me I need to get vaccinated." Then she went on about not believing in vaccinations. All non vaccinated people need to wear a mask. This is why. No vaccine is 100% including the measles vaccine. There are different Covid vaccines and the best is 95% effective. That means theoretically 5 out of 100 people if exposed will still have a breakthrough infection. What protects those 5 is that the people around them if vaccinated are not spreading the illness. For example there was a measles outbreak in the U.S. between 1989 - early 1991 due to a rise in anti vaccination sentiment. There were 27,000 cases of measles in the U.S. in the year 1990 alone with approximately 123 preschoolers dying. If someone doesn't want to take the vaccine then they need to be aware they can carry and spread the virus even if they are not experiencing symptoms. Hence, the reason they need to wear a mask.

Manipulation by a microbe.

No, that is not correct. The "95%" number from the vaccine trials is the efficacy and actually represents the reduction in the probability of developing COVID if you are vaccinated and exposed to the virus when compared to someone who was not vaccinated. The "95%" number means your probability of developing COVID if exposed is reduced by 20x if you were vaccinated when compared to someone who is not vaccinated. The efficacy is essentially the ratio of the number of positives cases among the test group and the number of positive cases among the control group. During the Pfizer trial, the breakthrough percentage of the test group was about 0.02%. The recent CDC reported breakthrough numbers are about 0.008% for the fully vaccinated.

Here's something to ponder. If someone has HIV do they need to tell any sex partner that they are infected? I'm sure if someone infected another person with HIV, and they weren't told about it, they'd end up suing the person who infected them. I never understand the aversion to mask wearing during a health crisis, except that people didn't care who they might have infected..

I have been fully vaccinated. It was great to take off the mask. I only wore it to go inside a store. I stand a good chance of not being infected by someone who isn't vaccinated. They're the ones who are more likely to contract COVID.

There have been a few lawsuits over this for sure..

And, it is a criminal offense as well!

HIV and STD Criminalization Laws | Law | Policy and Law | HIV/AIDS | CDC

I think one problem from the very beginning of the pandemic is that most people have little to no understanding of what the use of the word “novel” means and, therefore, have little to no idea of how much is unknown.

For crying out loud! Feel "weird" about not wearing a mask now? Feel the need for all those vaccinated to wear proof in public? Scared to go around folks that are not vaccinated? Give me a break.
I felt weird every time I had to put on a mask in order to go into a store. When I observed those that did not wear a mask, I didn't give it a second thought, because the chances of them being infected was nil and then to infect me was even less. Besides, the Surgeon General (if anyone believes a politician) said you cannot become infected by someone unless you are in a conversation with an infected person for about 15 mins or so. In a store, do you stand next to someone for 15 mins and have a conversation with them?
If you folks are still scared then stay the H*** home and let everyone else live their lives without your panic and hysteria. Go hide in your safe rooms. Did you REALLY need the CDC to tell you that it is safe to take off your mask? Do you really have that little confidence in your own common sense?
Some of us have been living a normal life for the past year and a half and have survived. Most of us. I never had any reason to believe that I would become infected. I didn't, or if I did then I had COVID and didn't have symptoms. Either way, so what? Everyone knows someone that had COVID, or said they did. This has NOTHING to do with HIV, period. Some of you are really reaching when it comes to justification for your decision to get vaccinated. You got yours, so what? I got mine, but I dont' care if anyone else gets it or not. That is a personal decision that has NOTHING to do with me. If you get a vaccination and then don't believe it will protect you, you are pretty stupid to insist others get it too. I don't get the flu vaccination. So what? I have never had the flu. If I get it, will I sit there and say "see, I should have listened to everyone else that lives in mortal fear." No. I'll get the flu and survive it or not. Everyone dies eventually. No one gets out of here alive.
Can you believe that they are offering folks rewards for getting vaccinated? Pay someone to get a shot? Give me a break. Either they want one or they don't. Either way, life goes on and some will live and some will die. Getting a vaccination does not cure stupid and some will die of stupid reasons like car accidents, bike accidents, golf ball in the head accident, stepping out into traffic, falling off a ladder, over eating, etc.
Yes, the CDC has given the sheep permission or it's blessing for removing their masks. Why? Because the gov realized that they were on the verge of a mask revolution. Why? Because there are doctors out there that can legitimately argue against the mask mandate and if enough VOTERS listen to opposing views then it is bad for our rulers.
Feel weird about taking your mask off? Wow! Now I have heard it all. The sky really isn't falling......except in Israel.

I believe there were a few lawsuits. My point was, however, that we have two deadly viruses. If one believes it is wrong for someone with HIV to not tell their partner, I can't understand why they wouldn't feel the same about COVID. I wasn't talking about it being legal or illegal, just common decency.

It may have been less than subtle. But, it could be a SUGGESTION for every unvaccinated person to re-think their strategy. Some vaccine-hesitant people were WAITING for some kind of vaccine apocalypse to happen - which has NOT happened and, by today, more wait time is probably NOT needed. There seems to be an uptick in vaccinations recently - some "hesitant" people may have decided to get their shot. Availability is not a problem anymore. Recently, a religious leader recommended getting the vaccine. That should help society.

Society has THAT responsibility. EMTs and social workers have talked people down from THAT ledge. And some have gone on to have successful lives.

Not a perfect analogy, but it has some value.

It's NOT so much about hate as it is the uncertainty that the CV might "spike" back. That new variants could mutate into problems. That close-to-zero CV could elude us when we were so close and so much work was done. That it is NOT "over until it's over". Personally, I am NOT yet ready to celebrate - "to party like it's 1999"!

So eloquent and so poetic!