COVID Update – It Is a Life-or-Death Choice

As I looked forward to September, I thought this would be a good time to give an update on where we are in the quest to finally defeat this terrible pandemic. In the last few weeks, it has become abundantly clear that using the word defeat, at least in the short term, is not appropriate. The Delta variant has pushed many communities back into those critical times we experienced in the past when hospitals and caregivers were overwhelmed. There are, however, some big differences with this wave of COVID-19 infections.

The vast majority of new COVID infections are among the unvaccinated. According to MIT Medical you have a .0008 percent of dying from COVID-19 if you are vaccinated. The New York Times stated that vaccinated people take about the same risk with COVID-19 as they do when they venture out in their car. Getting vaccinated can certainly save your life. Also, there is a difference in the age of those getting sick. The age of those getting seriously ill from getting infected has dropped considerably, with children being much more vulnerable than they were early on in the pandemic. These differences have raised some important considerations.

According to most doctors and scientists, if the vast majority (over 80%) of the citizens of the U.S. would have rushed out and been vaccinated, the impact of the Delta variant would have been a fraction of its present infections. The increased infection rate has also raised the fear that the number of unvaccinated people getting infected will increase the chance of another mutation and possibly an even more dangerous variant. The obvious answer to these problems is for everyone to relent and go get vaccinated.

Some institutions, both private and public, have mandated that participants must be vaccinated. Many companies have declared that employees be vaccinated or have weekly COVID-19 tests. Many colleges have said that students must be vaccinated to attend class. Even some concert venues have required proof of vaccination to attend. President Biden, last week, announced some broad vaccination mandates in his effort to raise the percentage of vaccinated citizens. These mandates have triggered a considerable amount of push back from people who say that these mandates threaten their freedom of choice, and some say they go against the guaranteed freedoms in the U.S. Constitution. These mandates may have even threatened the progress they hoped to bolster. The chart below shows that after the final approval of the Pfizer-BioNTech the number of weekly vaccinations rose but in the last few weeks the number has dropped considerably.

These new developments have again served to divide us. Some say we should let the unvaccinated reap the results of their choice. This might be an easy out except for the fact that their choice is loading our healthcare system to the point that important surgeries and treatments for those who are vaccinated and uninfected are being delayed. Their choice also raises the possibility of the birth of a new variant that may threaten even those who are vaccinated. It is a complicated problem.

The real solution is clearly that we all need to get vaccinated. Almost 90% of those over 65 have been vaccinated and their infection rate is low. We have a fully approved vaccine and other emergency approved vaccines that have proven they can save lives. State governments have mandated that children must have certain vaccines to enter school for decades. These mandates have virtually eliminated some diseases and saved countless lives. Mandates are not a new thing. Now is not the time to suddenly push back against mandates and recommendations that can save lives. We need to appeal to those we know who haven’t been vaccinated that they should get vaccinated, if only to help their loved ones and friends. It is a choice that we all can live with.

Best, Thair

p.s. Don’t miss the chance to find out the results of the Medicare Part D survey by joining out virtual town hall. Register Here See details below.

Medicare Today Town Hall
Wednesday, September 15, 2021
2:00 p.m. ET
Guest Speakers
Thair Phillips
former President and CEO of RetireSafe
And
Caroline Bye
AVP of Advocacy and Government at Morning Consult
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