Now here's the kind of deep careful thinking ya just got to admire ????

More to be concerned about. . .
 

The serious concern about the shots have to do with long term 6-12 months out effects, which could cause the body to develop auto-immune issues. This has been the issue with previous attempts, which has been demonstrated in animal studies. I am very comfortable to wait until this mile marker has been reached.

Agreed. However, what is the percentage chance that you WILL contract the virus, and then what is the percentage that you will contract it and then also pass it on to another that won't "be so lucky?" The virus is now way over 99% survivable. The infection rate is based on positive test results, which are skewed by many factors. Return recipients of those being tested positive are counted as newly infected. There is evidence of many false positives also. Many deaths are labeled with a cause of death "with" covid, not death by covid. Stats can be deceiving, more as much as politics. And now, we have the promise of the "miracle" vaccine, so there is a 100% survival rate for those vaccinated.



The masks should come off. Those that won't or can't get the vaccination should protect themselves. The rest of us should go back to a normal lifestyle.

And according to the current research once a year after that. Small price to pay for health. I have a young daughter who has a rare blood type and she gave blood a couple of days after her vaccine. She is now planning on giving blood as often as she can because the blood goes to premies in the Children's Hospital and they tell her if the blood has antibodies. She will be able to track how long she is protected.

I would guess that about 80% are vaccinated. If you look at the State of Florida website, add up the seniors 65 and older that are vaccinated, and compare that to the 4.5 million seniors in Florida. Almost 80% of the seniors in Florida are vaccinated.

Another interesting statistic was released recently, the number of people that became COVID-19 positive after being fully vaccinated. There were 5,814 people that were COVID-19 positive after being fully vaccinated. If you compare that to the 85 million that are vaccinated, that’s an infection rate of 0.01%. Of those people infected, the cases were not severe. If those numbers are correct, the vaccinations are 99.99% effective!

It would be interesting to see the statistics on how many COVID-19 deaths there are in the population of vaccinated people.

But there will always be a percentage of the population that will refuse to get the vaccination. That percentage of refusing the vaccination is much higher, as the ages lower.

"It is a terrible accident of nature and we have no recourse but to do all of the things we as mankind have done."

Some folks do not believe this is an "accident" and do not believe that things will go back to normal. I have seen no one in power that has been able to (with credibility) promise the public that we will ever be able to go back to OUR normal living. I see no reason that folks should accept a new norm where masks are part of everyday "living." When half the medical field state that once vaccinated there is no reason to wear a mask in public, someone needs to provide a better explanation/reason if they wish a mass compliance. Saying one is a "expert" does not prove their statements when half the "experts" suggest differently.

The state of Florida has a population of just under 25 million. Seniors make up only 4.5 million of those 25 million. That's 20%. Most people under 50 have not yet been vaccinated (but are in the process of doing so effective 2 weeks ago when the under-50 crowd was given the green light).

I'm guessing around half the population between 50 and 65 have gotten their first vaccine, but aren't completely vaccinated yet.

So the overall average of 80% from YOUR first sentence, I believe, doesn't fall in line with logic and deductive reasoning.

I'd say the overall average is still under 70% state-wide.

The population of Florida is 21.5 million, not 25 million. The 80% is for seniors being vaccinated from the State of Florida website. The vast majority of people in the Villages are 65 and older. Of course there a few people younger than 65 in the Villages, but not many.

Of the seniors in the Villages, I’d put that percentage at about 80%. I’d also guess that the numbers of anti-vaccination people in the Villages are lower than in other parts of Florida of the same age group, because of the concentration of seniors in the Villages, and the higher risk for concentrations of older people.

Oh please. Mammograms never existed, once upon a time. And now they're considered a normal and expected part of an average woman's journey through adulthood. They've become the "new normal" for women, and other than complaining about how uncomfortable they are to get (I attest!), the vast majority of women get them and don't even batt an eye when the doctor reminds them it's time for the next one.

Triple antibiotic ointment didn't exist, once upon a time. And now any parent keeps a tube of the stuff in the cabinet to smear on Junior when he scrapes his leg. There's nothing nefarious about it, and it has become the "new normal" to prepare for the inevitability. It is a preventative for infection. You no longer have to pour whiskey over the wound or pack it with macerated herb poultices and hope it doesn't fester.

Masks has been a normal in some parts of the world for decades. No one gives it a second thought. You leave the house, you wear a mask. No big deal. It's not mandated in those countries, no one is telling them they must do so. They do anyway. There's no reason why we can't do the same here, except that everyone is so focused on "mah freedumz" that they forget "mah health" is one of those freedumz.

Sort of like, if the color green offends you, but it's discovered that green can actually be helpful to humanity in some strange way, then when most of the world starts putting a green rock outside their door, you decide you'll just steal all the rocks because it offends your delicate sensibilities and violates your freedom to not have to see green.

Seriously. That's the mentality I perceive when I hear people railing against masks because of conspiracies and political agendas. If you don't want to wear a mask because you just don't LIKE them, be honest. That is a valid reason to not WANT to wear them. I hate the things, myself. I personally would love to not wear them in other peoples' buildings. No one thinks less of me for not wanting half my face to be covered when I'm out grocery shopping. No one thinks less of me for really wishing no one else had to do the same, so I could read their lips since I'm hard of hearing.

But I'll still wear the mask, until the CDC says it's safe for the vast majority of people (around 80%, regardless of age) to not wear them. The CDC is saying it's safe for vaccinated people to not wear them. But MOST people are not fully vaccinated. And so as a precaution, no matter how unnecessary it is for ME, I'll continue. Your health is more important than my facial comfort.

And if you haven't gotten the virus yet and have shopped at Publix in the last year, you're welcome.

Rate per thousand, or total number of cases?

Can’t look at total number of cases alone, as Florid has a very large population when compared to most other states.

Thats fine. Your choice. Just stay far away from me

Sumter is doing relatively well, most new cases are younger people in the coastal population areas.

Covid Act Now

I don't think it's helpful to imply that those choosing not to vaccinate are somehow uncaring of others. The Villages population is 96.8% white non-hispanic. Can I surmise then that Villages residents are racist? These false connections between two pieces of data do not automatically correlate. Do I hate the planet when I buy a bottle of water (the plastic being then disposed)?

The link below shows a correlation between getting the vaccine and acquiring Herpes Zoster. Maybe I don't want to risk getting Herpes Zoster. True to the bias of many, the article suggests that maybe some should get another vaccine for Herpes before getting the COVID shot. LOL

New vaccine side effect? In Israel, six people develop herpes zoster - The Jerusalem Post

The text below is verbatim from the Pfizer fact sheet at the FDA website. Here is the link to the PDF:
http://www.fda.gov/media/144414/download
The text was copied from the PDF revised as of 4/6/21

Comment: this "vaccine" doesn't look "safe" to me at all. It is for all these safety reasons that I choose not to ever vaccinate. By the way, on that map with colors for what areas have been vaccinated, you will see a little circle with no color at all. That's my house.

-------------------------------------------------------

The Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 Vaccine is an unapproved vaccine. In clinical trials, approximately 20,000 individuals 16 years of age and older have received at least 1 dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 Vaccine.

There is a remote chance that the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 Vaccine could cause a severe allergic reaction. A severe allergic reaction would usually occur within a few minutes to one hour after getting a dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 Vaccine. For this reason, your vaccination provider may ask you to stay at the place where you received your vaccine for monitoring after vaccination. Signs of a severe allergic reaction can include:
• Difficulty breathing
• Swelling of your face and throat
• A fast heartbeat
• A bad rash all over your body
• Dizziness and weakness
Side effects that have been reported with the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 Vaccine include:
• severe allergic reactions
• non-severe allergic reactions such as rash, itching, hives, or swelling of the face
• injection site pain
• tiredness
• headache
• muscle pain
• chills
• joint pain
• fever
• injection site swelling
• injection site redness
• nausea
• feeling unwell
• swollen lymph nodes (lymphadenopathy)
• diarrhea
• vomiting
• arm pain

These may not be all the possible side effects of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 Vaccine. Serious and unexpected side effects may occur. Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 Vaccine is still being studied in clinical trials.

Same POSSIBLE side effects for taking most FDA-approved prescription medicines of almost any kind at all.

And the "side effects may occur" is more of a disclaimer than a caveat emptor, that also appears on the patient information of pretty much every prescription drug on the market.

As does the list of possible results of an allergy to the ingredients of the product.

In addition, this is known of ALL vaccines, not just the new ones - that potential side effects will ALWAYS be similar to, but milder than the symptoms of the disease that the vaccines exist to prevent.

My husband and I survived Covid last October (not hospitalized) and still have Covid antibodies. Studies that I’ve researched indicate that T-cell immunity also should work against Covid variants and will most likely trigger a lifetime response against Covid. I will take my God-given immune system and how it works over receiving a vaccine. I respect those who have not had Covid and choose to take a vaccine and believe that respect should work both ways for those of us who choose not to take a vaccine (especially if that person has already had covid and has immunity).

Covid Shots
 

Anxious to see how this largest human trial in history pans out. Hopefully, there will be great data produced that is honestly presented. This is the hoped for long term study.

Trust me, vaccinated people are very happy that the naive people won't be attending these events.
I guess this is where " the whiners" go next.
First they complained they weren't gonna to put "that shot" into their bodies.....now they are all complaining they aren't included. Well, you had a choice-still do. You choose and these are the repercussions....its 100% on you.

"Masks has been a normal in some parts of the world for decades. No one gives it a second thought. "

Normal??? If you count Muslim countries as "normal" then I guess you may have a point. Some in urban areas of Japan wear masks, but I do not know if that would be considered "normal" for Japan. I have heard of many things in THIS country that are deemed "normal" by a few folks, but not the majority which would define "normal."

The rest of your comparison is not really a valid argument, but I do get what you are suggesting.

And nope, I do not think that I have had the virus in the past year of shopping at many stores. I have lived my life as normal as possible and do wear a mask ONLY where it is posted. I am seriously considering whether I intend to continue to wear one in those places after observing many folks that do not. I know of many folks that have had the virus and shrugged it off easier than a cold, and I am in better shape than them.

As for the post requesting that someone "stay away from me" I have stayed my distance from most people as much as I have been able, for many years. That is my norm. That has been my habit in order to protect myself from other illnesses. But, like I have said several times in the past, it is not up to me to protect anyone else. The responsibility for protection is on the person wishing that protection, not everyone else around that person. If one gets the vaccination and still worries about catching the virus, perhaps they should think about why they bothered to get inoculated to begin with. If a person comes around me that has refused to get vaccinated, it is not up to me to "stay away" from them when they have the choice to be near or not. I take responsibility for myself and only those I choose. It is not a moral, ethical or patriotic imperative that I assume responsibility for someone else's careless behavior. I do believe that I am mostly considerate of others....but not responsible for their welfare.

If you get the vaccine why do u still wear a mask. Fauci has flipped back and forth. People are dying from the vaccine. I personally don't care if you get it or not but its everyone's freedom to choose.

STOP!!! Opinions can be stated without insulting the other.

Agree. And it is a bit unnerving to be the guinea pig. Only reason husband and I got it is so we could could see/hold our new grand babies.

Well that comment made no sense...not unless you want to stir a pot on this thread , otherwise not appropriate.

The freedom cafe
 

Welcome to the Freedom Cafe
We trust you to make your own choices if you want to wear a face mask and in the same spirit of our individual liberty, we allow our staff to make their own choices about the safety procedures they prefer as they prepare and serve your food. We encourage our employees to wash their hands after using the bathroom but we do understand that some people may be allergic to certain soaps or may simply prefer not to wash their hands. It is not our place to infringe on their freedoms and tell them what to do.We understand that you may be used to and expect chicken that has been cooked to 165 degrees, however, we do have to respect that some of our cooks may have seen a meme or a youtube video that says that 100 degrees is sufficient and we allow that because we do not want to encroach on their beliefs. Some servers may want to touch your food as they serve it and, as such, there is no reason a healthy person with clean hands can't touch your food. In the interest of freedom, we will take their word for it that they are healthy and clean. Water temperature and use of detergent are highly personal choices so we are allowing our dishwasher team to decide how they prefer to wash the silverware that you will be putting in your mouth. Some of you may get sick, but almost everyone survives food poisoning. We think you will agree that it is a small price to pay for the sweet freedom of no one ever being told what to do and especially not for the super silly reason of helping to keep complete strangers healthy.

Really?!? If you’ve been vaccinated why are you worried about my proximity to you???

Because an individual has ignored all advice from experts and has not died of COVID does not mean they are right, it just means they have been lucky.

I just got back from 3 weeks in Ecuador, and the difference between here and there is incredible. I stayed in Cuenca and ate out most of the time I was there. The reason, I did was the precautions I saw in place. In 3 weeks in a large city I saw maybe 3 or 4 people without masks on, and they appeared to be American/European tourists. EVERY store you enter has a door mat with disinfectant to wide your feet as you go into the store. Every store/restaurant has a person that sprays your hands and most also take your temperature, as you enter. If it is a restaurant, when you get to your table they spray or wipe down the table. All tables are at social distancing separation. If you hang around and people leave, you will see their tables be disinfected when they leave. Almost everywhere you you go there are disinfectant dispensers by doors, on sidewalks etc. for public use.

All of those precautions are inexpensive, and easy to implement. None of them guarantee you won't get COVID, but every little bit helps. But I think even more importantly, everyone seemed to want to help, to do what they could to help. The attitude was NOT they were being forced to do these things, it was they wanted to help each other.

Which is the point.

It seems so many people here are of the opinion the if there isn't a perfect solution/protection, they are not going to do anything. They feel that if anyone or the government suggests anything to help, they are going instantly into anger mode and refusing just on principle - no one is taking away their rights. Instead of asking, "What I can do to help", the attitude here, "I can do anything I want - I have my rights!"

With COVID, all the precautions, distancing, masks, washing hands, etc. all help. None are perfect, but they help. They are easy, they are a way each of us can show we care about each other.

In Ecuador there were no visible arguments about wearing masks, EVERYONE (99.9%) just did it. Everyone (99.9%) thank store employees for disinfecting customer hands and taking temperatures.

It's sad we hate each other so much.

Birth control is a way to control the outcome as to what happens to you.

Birth control is used by people who think of how things are and make plans and are careful about choices.

When our grandchildren became teens I told them three things every time I was with them;

Don't drink and drive.
Don't have unprotected sex.
Save your money.

Getting vaccinated from a virus that has killed millions of people in this world seems like it fits in there with my list.

So be it. We'll still be alive and well.

my guess is something north of 80%

Based on the governors executive order, that was probably illegal for them to ask if you had been vaccinated as a condition of entry.

Well, if it meant that we were all safe, I’d wear a tent personally. Survival of the fittest ... in our case fittest of the mind.

I know members of the nudist colony would not likely agree with me, but I still have a hard time with understanding why people who wear socks, or other clothing regularly, seem so concerned about face masks. And then when it comes to skiing and cold they have no concerns.

I'm still waiting for a call back from Walgreens.

Interesting...

Im curious. Why not get the vaccine?

Because it is 95% effective. You can still give it to me. I will probably not die but i can pass it on. And that person may die. You are being selfish.

Ted Nugent, sooooooooooo funny
 

Check Ted Nugent situation today. Hilarious.

Lots of the vaccine naysayers and Covid naysayers have caught it and died, always begging for their followers to change their minds just before they went saying they were wrong. I think he also asked why we never heard of the first 18 Covids and only the 19th. Lol.

Possibly not a Harvard MBA.

Stay away from me. Im not naive but follow the science. Its not experimental. Lot mre serious than 99% recovery rate. Your comment is just wrong

Covid 19 - the 19 comes from the year it was discovered 2019, not because it was the 19th type of Covid. But I guess he didn’t know that :)

I totally agree. I have 3 family members that had covid and have no lingering problems. One had a rougher time than the other two, but was over weight. A higher risk category.

The governor’s executive order does not apply to private clubs or homes.

I have already seen neighborhood get togethers that exclude those who are not yet vaccinated.

Face it, with so many folks not wanting to be vaccinated either now or ever we will probably not hit herd immunity until enough of them get it naturally, and that may be awhile. Meanwhile, groups are looking for a slice of normal. They can set up maskless socials or activities where everyone is vaccinated, making their own bubble of immunity.
Certainly my extended family has done this.

Is suspect when everyone has a chance of getting the vaccine the CDC will finally be sure enough to lift mask suggestions for all those who are vaccinated or have antibodies. They would have done it earlier, but unfortunately, there are those who do not have immunity that would use that opportunity to go without a mask and inadvertently infect more people. So they are waiting for everyone who wants to get immunity to get it.

CDC says you can still spread covid if vaccinated or not. So what is the point of a passport? Now if you couldn’t catch it or spread it, then that would be totally different.