Despite a surge with the delta variant, the U.S. has finally reached its 70% vaccination rate for adults who have received one dose of the vaccines. The Biden administration had hoped to reach it before the fourth of July holiday, but given the fact that disinformation about the vaccines have been the norm in right-wing media for months, some might wonder that the goal was reached at all.
I’ve had my own doubts about the vaccines, I will admit, due mainly to possible side effects many have experienced, and for that reason was reluctant to get vaccinated. And since I am an older adult with a pre-existent medical condition, I have no desire get a virus that would, in all likely hood, kill me, so I have always remained responsible, following the recommended restrictions, including wearing a mask when around others.
Recently, I received the first shot of the Pfizer vaccine without experiencing any side effects. What the second shot will bring, we’ll see.
Some states have recently reinstated restrictions in an attempt to counter the surge, which has been attributed to the delta variant, and the reluctance of many who refuse to get vaccinated. Other states like Texas and Florida, have defied reinstating COVID restrictions to own the libs who are, according to governor DeSantis, “Coming for your freedom again.”
“As quickly as we can discharge them, they’re coming in and they’re coming in very sick,” said Dr. Sergio Segarra, the chief officer of Baptist Hospital in Miami. “We started seeing entire families come down.” According to the Florida Medical Center, there has been a 140% increase in the number of hospitalizations due to the delta variant surge.
According to USA Facts, to date approximately 191,498,983 have received one dose of a vaccine, and the overall total of those who have been fully-vaccinated is over 164 million.
Right-wing media has fueled constant mistrust in the vaccines for months, and certain conservative politicians have blamed the Biden administration for its criticism of Trump’s previous vaccine drive. Senator Tuberville of Alabama said some skeptics wouldn’t get their shot until this administration acknowledges the efforts of the last administration.
“Every time Jen Psaki opens her mouth, or Dr. Fauci opens his mouth,” he said, “ten thousand more people say I’m never going to take the vaccine.”
In other words, MAGA lovers hate and distrust Fauci because all he did was lie, whereas Trump did nothing but tell the truth. Vanity Fair says it much better than I can:
“Early on in the COVID-19 pandemic, the GOP collectively decided to make Anthony Fauci public enemy number one, having found in the veteran immunologist the perfect target through which to whip up their base and take the spotlight off the fact that the then president had let the virus gain a foothold in the country while actively lying about it at every turn. Fauci, of course, is everything conservatives hate: An educated man of science with not one but two degrees, he committed what Republicans believe was a capitol offense when he failed to back up everything Donald Trump said about the disease, including treating it by freebasing bleach…
“But like the living embodiment of a QAnon forum, Republicans, Trump, and Fox News believe they have found some smoking gun showing that Fauci is somehow responsible for the virus, based on the fresh interest in the lab leak theory ( which the doctor himself is supportive of investigating, which he wouldn’t be if he was implicated in the whole thing, a slight wrinkle conservatives will probably explain at a time to be determined ). So, naturally, they’re amping up their attacks like he’s the second coming of Benghazi/Hillary Clinton/Pol Pot.
Other conservatives are actually enabling common sense, rather than conspiracies. “The way to avoid getting back into the hospital , is to get vaccinated,” said Mitch McConnell. “I want to encourage everybody to do that, and to ignore all these other voices that are giving demonstrably bad advise.”
Unfortunately, not everyone will take his advise. Too many will continue to listen to conspirators and doomsayers like Tucker Carlson – who being fully-vaccinate himself – as he sits comfortably in his studio and convinces the rubes who watch him that the vaccines will either kill them, or make them sick.
Sources: The Week, New York Times, Associated Press, CDC.gov.
