RE:RE:RE:RE:RE:RE:RE:RE:RE:RE:RE:RE:RE:RE:RE:RE:RE:RE:RE:Omicron Covid will not be eradicated. It's a false expectation. It's now endemic. It spreads among vaccinated and unvaccinated. Smallpox and polio are the wrong comparators. Influenza is probably better. You have voluntary vaccine programs aimed at the vulnerable to mitigated the effect of the disease. You can have an initial round of population wide vaccination to raise the populations immunity. The aim is not to eradicated the aim is to mitigate the worst effects.
There is a zero Covid mentality, fuelled by fear, driving politicians and the public down authoritarian paths. The data doesn't actually support that approach. Containment and mitigation should be to honest goals of policy, that doesn't require demonizing a section of the population, it also doesn't require lockdown. Reports suggest with the new omicron wave that people are choosing to be cautious, my personal experience is that we as a family are taking that route in order to save Christmas. Encouragement of that would be sufficient.
jfm1330 wrote: This is totally false. Vaccine is not strictly for individual benefit, it is a weapon to stop a contagious disease from spreading and harming others. You take the vaccine to protect yourself, but also others. Smallpox was eradicated through mandatory vaccination. In the case of covid, governments are lacking courage to impose it because it is not deadly enough. Yes, it is crazy to say that, but in the US more than 800,000 deaths is not enough.
No man is an island, and you cannot benefit from the society without giving back to it when needed, especially in exceptionnal circumstances like this covid pandemic. The vaccine is safe and effective, it should be mandatory. I am not talking about forcing people physically to have it, but there should be significant fines imposed to those refusing to take it.
https://www.history.com/news/smallpox-vaccine-supreme-court
gamakichi wrote: The entire point of the vaccine is to save you from potential negative outcomes.