Covid Rant

 

Yesterday, a bunch of Senators announced that they have Covid. All were vaccinated. It was announced by several news organizations, yet none of the commentators bothered to point out that the only reason we know they have Covid is, unlike the rest of us, they get tested constantly.

None are sick, and none are expected to get sick, yet now that this has been announced it’s just providing additional ammunition for vaccine deniers to use when they say “See, vaccines don’t work.”

Would someone please tell these people that vaccines don’t stop Covid from getting into your nose or mouth. How could they? A vaccine doesn’t erect a wall between you and the Covid infected person who might be breathing on you. That’s what the mask is for. This tells us one thing and one thing only: The senators in question have probably not been diligent about wearing masks. And that’s okay because they’ve been vaccinated. But can we please stop confusing what a mask does with what a vaccine does?

Masks prevent the spread; vaccines prevent the dead. Is that easy enough for everybody?

I expected more of Nicolle Wallace and Rachel Maddow. But they’ve done nothing to clarify this issue. Instead, like all the other folks who don’t seem to understand how this works, they’re saying it’s because the new Delta variant is so much more contagious. Maybe. But maybe not. Maybe just not wearing a mask would have been enough to get plain old original Covid-19, too. But we have no way of knowing because most vaccinated people who don’t wear masks are not getting tested.

For all I know, I have Covid! I’m not getting tested because I have no reason to. I have no kids who are unvaccinated, so I’m not putting anyone at risk, and I never leave my apartment because now that I committed to writing every day, I don’t have time to go anywhere.

The point is the failure to be clear about specifics is part of the reason people are still so confused. And confused people make stupid decisions. So, let’s stop confusing them!

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And another thing: a mask that droops below your nose can’t protect you. Unless you are a mouth-breather who never lets a breath enter your nose, you’re wasting the mask by letting it drop down your face. Why do I see this everywhere I go? I’m guessing it’s because people are too lazy to take it off when they don’t need it, so they pull it down under their chins while leaving the elastic straps over their ears. This causes the elastic to S-T-R-E-T-C-H and then it no longer stays secure. How can anybody not know this?

Here’s an idea: take it off and put the straps around your wrist when you are not wearing it. Unless your wrist is the size of King Kong’s, it won’t stretch out and you won’t forget where you put it. We’re talking about potentially life-saving measures here. Is this really too much to ask?

I’d say something directly to the people I see doing this but I’m afraid one of them might decide to kill me. I’m serious. People have been murdered for asking others to wear masks. I can only imagine what fate might await me if I corrected a stranger’s mask etiquette.

Admittedly, I’m cranky right now. But I’ve been fired up about this ever since I saw Nancy Pelosi tugging away at a crooked mask while standing at a podium pontificating about the threat the virus presented. “Great example, Nancy” was what I yelled at the TV. Thankfully, she’s learned to store it around her neck rather than pull it down over her chin, so recently I’ve found other things to focus on. Like yelling at Nicolle Wallace and Rachel Maddow.

TGIF – this is my last blog for the week. I don’t know about you, but I’m exhausted.