Data can be misleading. Add in the people that have had covid and recovered, plus unknown numbers of those that had the virus but were unsymptomatic.

Heard immunity may be much closer than it appears.

That's life. Or, if your glass is half empty.....death.

That is an understatement. It’s like the Twilight Zone.

And the moon is made out of blue cheese too.

Stop thinking about yourself, think kids and grandkids. If you were holding your infant grand child in your arms wouldn’t you want to know the person next to you had been vaccinated

The published county numbers are not for the county giving out the vaccines, but the resident county where the person getting the vaccine lives. So those that went elsewhere show up in the Sumter numbers. And those seasonal folks that were vaccinated in Sumter county, but live out of state show up in the out of state category. We may have quite a few of that 112K pot.

The reason the Sumter County numbers kept rising despite GMR shutting down at the beginning of Feb was due to dedicated folks traveling about. And I, for one, appreciate that.

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We got both of our Moderna shots and all set. Very happy and comfortable with the decision and Sumter Co's service.

I sent an email to my 'ex', living in N.C. with her live-in. We're 'kinda-OK-friendly', and I mentioned about our Covid shots. She wrote back this morning>>

"XXXX and I are not on board with the experimental vaccines which make changes to your DNA. My sister XXXXX who worked in the pharmaceutical industry for a long time ( she just retired last year) advises against getting the vaccine. She said she will not go near it. So we are holding out and just bolstering our immune systems with vitamins and supplements. There are good therapeutics and overall 98.5% survival rate which is better than for flu. (Also, Bill Gates has the patent on the Covid virus, the vaccine, and the testing kit- that makes this all very fishy!)"

Oh well.... I don't get it, but looks as if there IS quite a large % of Americans who feel that way and will be holdouts... for whatever reason. IMO why take the GIVEN risk of contracting Covid - esp at our age.
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Your ex is so funny, I almost... laughing. Except it is also so serious. Wish the very best to these fearful individuals.

By “DD,” I think the poster means due diligence.

The COVID vaccine does NOT alter one's DNA. Geesh sheeple. It's amazing the cr&p that is out there and gets repeated to the point that people believe it.

Agreed.

The fact that the vast majority of the current anti-Covid vaccine crowd had no problems with their kids getting childhood vaccinations and the associated booster shots, proves that it's not really about the vaccine itself.

It was extremely difficult to get a appointment for everyone until last week or so.

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Yep - I just sent her an email reply - I attempted to be somehwhat 'kind'>>>

We did a bit of research and heard from a lot of folks before getting our shots, and had not a bit of hesitiation re the Moderna vaccine. The Bill Gates-thing seems to be far-fetched, perhaps his foundation gave $$$ to pharma for research. And the DNA-change matter has been thoroughly debunked. I think these things are pushed by conspiracy groups for whatever reason.

We're happy to get the vaccine, and feel that we are protected - even planning mid-year travel now. At our age we surely don't want to take chances and live in fear.
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Good luck to her
But for everyone else, so they don't get misinformed, this is a PSA:

The vaccine is no longer "experimental", it is the standard of care
It DOES NOT alter your DNA
The survival rate of seasonal flu is 99.9%+
And "vitamins and supplements" are fine, but they won't protect you from COVID

Herd immunity occurs when a combination of vaccines and natural immunity occurs. We may already be there.

To be fair, none of the vaccines have received full FDA approval. All have been given Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) to date. This is a nuance of the FDA but there is no way we'd have the vaccines today if we required full FDA approval. That process simply takes much longer. This doesn't make the vaccine unsafe or ineffective. It just means all the steps for FDA approval have not been met.

Our government did what they were supposed to do, working with corporate America, regulatory agencies and scientists to bring a much needed vaccine to market as quickly as possible. If one cares, they can read exactly what EUA means but many very important medical advances were initially cleared this way. That is what the EUA process is for.

And yes, this is most definitely the standard of care and absolutely should be from all that I have read and continue to read.

If we were already there we would have no new cases most days.

I am hopeful given small number of cases the last two days in the 65 and over group. For 10 days that age group in Sumter County was averaging 9 new cases per day. Yesterday and today there were only 3 cases in those 65+.

People who think the RNA COVID vaccines alter DNA should see this as an opportunity.

Tell that to health care workers
 

Sarcasm noted. That is an urban myth. Health care worked have been wearing masks for extended periods for decades without issue. I have personally checked my O2 levels after wearing a mask for hours and found practically no difference.
Finding an excuse to not wear a mask, not social distance or not get a vaccine is just helping the virus by giving it a chance to mutate into something far worse. Odds are it won’t, but it could.

Please let your ex know that mRNA vaccines do not interact with DNA and can not make changes to DNA. She is misinformed about DNA. This is an excerpt from the CDC website.......

mRNA from the vaccine never enters the nucleus of the cell and does not affect or interact with a person’s DNA.

The excerpt is from this page.....

Understanding and Explaining mRNA COVID-19 Vaccines | CDC

Correction: Herd immunity may occur when a combination of vaccines and natural immunity occurs. We may, or may not, already be there.

1000 people dying every day ... hope that’s not the definition of herd immunity.

I appreciate that taxpayer dollars were wasted and did NOT resolve the problem for which those dollars were given / taken away.

"Holdouts" are loved by the Virus. And the "ex" may have parroted back propaganda that originated in a hacking farm in Moscow. The weapon of disinformation is easy to build and less costly than conventional weapons.

The experts do NOT say that once vaccinated you can not pass on the CV. That is a fabrication! 5% likely can pass it on. If someone hates the government THAT much, they should go try to find an island of anarchy to live at instead of among civilized adults. Stop paying your taxes. Then you will get placed in a suitable island of anarchy. Good luck! And anyone that goes to the charade of wearing their mask below their nose is like someone with a gun shooting down people in Publix. They are just shooting S L O W bullets of death (droplets)! CDC advice is NOT the enemy of real people. Just those preaching risk and death!

I am replying with quote. I agree with some parts of your post but I do not agree with the attitude. When in a debate, one is taken more seriously if one debates in a tone with valid information without rancor and SOMETIMES light humor is tolerated. Any breach of this and there will be someone who is ****ed and they will answer in a strident tone and then the O.P. will get more in your face and pretty soon there will be marching and burning and looting and that is never acceptable no matter what the issue is. Actually Marching is acceptable but I think it is a worthless endeavor myself.

Carry on.

"Actually Marching is acceptable but I think it is a worthless endeavor myself."

Women who marched to gain the right to vote, black Americans who marched for equal rights and those who marched to end the Vietnam War - would all disagree with you.

So much of the information we have is guesses. What is herd immunity? It is a concept and it is not 100%. If, 75% is the number there are roughly 350 million people in the US
side stepping illegal aliens, which that count is also an unconfirmed guess. Thus, 75% of 350 million is 263 million people. The two top suppliers Moderna and Pfizer are two shots so 263x2=525 million shots.

All we can do is the best we can. So far what has been done while not perfect is truly impressive.

It has been done without resorting to forcing people to take a vaccine as was done with polio and small pox shots.

You can also have YOUR opinion. Sorry to disagree with you, but I DON'T hate the gov. Just disagree with a big brother lording over me to tell me how to live my life, when they also espouse "freedom." Like I said before, if one does not feel safe after getting the vaccination, they should stay home. I did my "duty" by getting vaccinated when I really didn't think it was necessary in my case, so it is up to everyone else to do what they deem necessary to protect themselves. It is not my duty to protect everyone else. And I am of NO danger to anyone if I am not infected. Some folks (glass half empty) believe that everyone is infected. Those folks need some personal assistance, in my opinion.
Some folks ought to consider their demeanor before posting, less their anger get the better of them. By the way, I am not the one that consistently posts on here about how other countries are better than ours....wink, wink.
And, if it is so easy to pass on the virus after being vaccinated, explain how that works. Explain how if a person is not infected, and if the virus is ingested and destroyed, how they can pass it on. I am not the expert and some experts suggest that it can't be passed on. Granted, if you get it on your hands and touch something that someone else then touches shortly thereafter, it may be passed on. How does one do that, IF they are constantly washing their hands? If a person covers their mouth, how does one pass it on, even if they do ingest some virus matter? Like I said, MASS HYSTERIA. I guess anything is possible, but I do not limit basic day to day activities due to someone else's hysteria and fears. I evaluate the current situation and modify my actions according to common(?) sense. By the way, I have NEVER had the flu. Does that mean that I am immune to it, or maybe it means that I am more careful than the average person? And no, I do not get and I have not had the flu shot. No one has ever accused me of "passing on" the flu to them.
Have a great day.

He was just using it as an example. How about tuberculosis, would that meet your standard? Actually, TB is very treatable if caught soon enough. The point is .... the slippery slope. Having a firearm, being a conservative, being a Christian, Catholic, or Jew, being black, white, Chinese, Iranian, Indian, behind in your taxes, statues in your front yard, and on and on. This list is pretty ridiculous right? Well look at what has happened with the Corona-19 virus. Things spiraled out of control. Power hungry politicians made decisions and enacted edicts that destroyed peoples businesses and even caused death to many (look at suicides alone). Does anybody remember that our social security number was never supposed to be used for anything other than a "social insurance program"? The Social Security Act was enacted by President Roosevelt in 1935 in an attempt to limit poverty in the elderly population. Well then, we see now how Roosevelt's promise has been kicked to the curb. I don't want a "Vaccination Passport". I'm sure many of you don't want one either.

Go back and reread my posts. They have nothing to do with what you posted and everything to do with the differences between how the coronavirus and HIV are transmitted. Focus.

Actually, jerseygirl08 seems to understand my exact point. There is no need to reread your posts, I readily acknowledge that you are missing the point.

If a vaccination passport is determined to be essential to protect us from today's virus of the month then it won't be long before it is determined to be essential to protect us from all communicable diseases.

Tuberculosis and meningitis are also transmitted through the air so they should be added to the vaccination passport too. Sure, the risk is low but with all the other precautions being taken and after having the COVID vaccination, the risk of contracting COVID is small too. If proof of vaccination against one is to be required then is it hard to imagine that being extended to require proof of vaccination against all?

While HIV is transmitted differently, who is to say I won't be exposed to blood through some minor accident with the wrapper on the peanuts or a scratch from the armrest or even something more severe like an item dropping from the overhead bin or a plane crash? Accidents happen and I may want to feel safe from even the remote possibility of contracting HIV. If it isn't too much to demand that I prove my COVID vaccination status then there will come a day when it won't be too much to demand that you prove your HIV status.

COVID is the today's super virus but it isn't the first and it won't be the last. We have to be careful that the efforts we propose to make us feel comfortable today aren't something that will make us feel very uncomfortable tomorrow. Once we make it easy to ______ it will also be easy to _____ but we may not like that as much.

The chances of contracting HIV from the person sitting next to you is beyond remote. Why do you insist on repeatedly bringing that up? It is irrational to do so. Diseases that can be transmitted through the air are another thing.

The chances of contracting HIV from the person sitting next to me is beyond remote in your scenario. But I'm not considering your scenario, I'm considering other realistic possibilities.

Your argument seems to be what if the random person sitting next to me is infected and what if they are not wearing a mask and what if the airflow moves the virus into my space and what if I take a breath at the right time and what if I am one of those that vaccine doesn't work for and what if I am one of those who will develop symptoms and what if the symptoms I develop are severe? With all those "if"s I would say that the chances of me, a vaccinated person, contracting COVID from the random person sitting next to me is also beyond remote.

It is irrational to think that a vaccine passport, once adopted, will only be required for COVID. Once that door is opened the Govt (and frightened people) will find more and more conditions that absolutely need to be on that passport. Today, you plan to be vaccinated so the passport will only affect those people (and good riddance to them). However, tomorrow there will be that other thing that is added to the passport that affects you. THAT is what I'm worried about. How do the sayings go....

- the road to hell is paved with good intentions.

- absolute power corrupts absolutely

- it seemed like such a good idea at the time

Stop putting words in my mouth and inventing scenarios. My argument is that the chances of contracting HIV from the person sitting next to you is beyond remote. I have already stated that diseases that can be transmitted by air are different. Please stop conflating HIV with the coronavirus.

I believe you have once again missed the point. You seem to be hung up on the HIV example and missed the whole theme/object of the post. A post that BTW was repeated over and over again for your edification. Try eliminating the "HIV" from the post and read it again. If you still can't understand it, maybe you should just relax and call it a day. I believe that the rest of us caught the idea on the first go around. :)

No, you missed the point. My response to an earlier post was with regard to contracting HIV from the person sitting next to you. Period. Nothing more, nothing less. I was responding to an absurd statement. You can read more into than that if you wish but that would be your mistake.

OK children, let's end this pointless dialog. T, just substitute the word meningococcemia for HIV, and then tell us if you would want meningococcal vaccine added to your "passport"? In case you don't know, it is probably 100x as contagious as COVID and 100x as fatal. Do you feel safe sitting next to someone who has not been vaccinated? How dare the airlines and government not protect you and demand proof of vaccination to get on an airplane. Kann Ich deine Papiere sehen, bitte.

I was responding to the comment about HIV, not meningococcemia or the concept of a "vaccination passport". If you want to change the subject that is fine but I was not commenting about your change.

Well, duh. Two different strains. Get the shot.