Crazy COVIDiocy: People organizing "COVID Parties" to build immunity, died instead

According to Newsweek, an Austrian man,has died of COVID, after attending a "COVID party" in Italy to build resistance to COVID. Many countries in Europe are suffering from antivax COVIDiocy, with people deliberately trying to catch COVID, surviving it, and thus, gaining the "green pass" and be able to move around without being vaccinated. 

In Italy (and most of Europe), Green Pass can be obtained if you are vaccinated, or have recovered from COVID within the past 6 months. 

The idea of a COVID party is utter lunacy with a disease that kills 1 in 62, well over 1 percent in the US, and probably more worldwide. But the idea itself is not new. It came from "pox party", organized by parents who believe childhood diseases are inevitable, and it is better that all the children in the neighborhood suffer together with mutual support. So they encouraged children to party with a sick child so "they can get it over with". It originally started with chickenpox, but later was also done with measles and flu, until childhood vaccines became available. 

However, antivaxxers continued the practice, believing the vaccines to be more harmful than the disease. (Vaccines are proven safe, not that antivaxxers care about science or proof.)

And now the lunacy is repeating with COVID, which in the US killed 1 in 62 cases. 

Keep in mind that childhood diseases like chickenpox are rarely fatal, even before vaccines. According to CDC, before chicken pox vaccine, varicella (chicken pox) kills over 100 and hospitalize over 10000 every year. Fatality can vary from 1 in 100000 to 21 per 100000 depending on age group (adults are more vulnerable).  Let's say 10 per 100000, or 1 in 10000 is the "average" fatality (it's probably a lot less). 

Compare that to 1 in 62 as the death rate of COVID. 

All that just to avoid the shot. 

WTF...  It's no COVIDiocy... It's sheer lunacy. 

Remember, it's the unvaccinated that's creating all these scary variants, that's forcing us back into lockdown due to another surge. 

It's the unvaccinated prolonging the crisis. They would rather be dead than admit they were wrong. 

And who knows how many victims will they drag along in their quest to prolong the crisis. 

Don't be a COVIDiot like them. 

Dumb Product Manual: Where's the command to switch the language?

Most electronics are now made in China, and while English is the most widely used language, Chinese is not far behind. So it'd make sense for Bluetooth headsets with verbal status messages to have both Chinese and English audio prompts. 

But when the manual did not include how to switch between them, that's a problem. 

I have a pair of Dacom BoneBudz, a bone conduction headset that does not rely on a spring-band to force them onto your temples. So it is not limited by the band size, unlike all the other versions out there. And trust me, I've tried many different ones, even the "adjustable" ones. 

It had always operated in English, so the other day, when I had somehow accidentally switched it into Chinese mode, I was surprised. Now, I speak Chinese fluently, so this is not a problem, but I prefer my electronics to operate in English, so I want it switched back. 

So I went about looking for the manual... I can't find the paper version... I somehow did not put it back in the box. ARGH! 

So Google to the rescue, and a manual scan is available on the FCC website. So I download a copy and read it. Except it made NO mention of language switching. The manual itself is available in four languages, but I don't read Japanese or Russian. And neither the Chinese or English manual mentioned language switching. ARGH!!!!

I went to the Chinese website and clicked on support, and was able to dig up additional instructions in Chinese that are NOT in the manual. 

While in pairing mode, fast-tap MFB (multi-function button) twice to toggle between English and Chinese

While in pairing mode, fast-tap MFB three times to reset device, which will switch off. 

Tried switching language several times, I heard two beeps, but the language didn't change. 

So I tried the reset. Did it a couple times, until it finally turned off. Turned it back on, voila, English! 

So if you own a pair of Dacom BoneBudz, and you need to switch languages, now you know how. 

Science COVIDiocy: How Antivaxxers Got the Science Backwards To Discredit the COVID Vaccine (Updated)

One of the frequent arguments used by antivaxxers against the COVID vaccine is "It doesn't prevent transmission! Therefore vaccine creates deadlier variants!"

They actually got the science backwards, because they are mixing up bacteria and virus, but to explain all that, we have to explain how virus "evolves", and this can get a bit science-y. 

As usual in most antivax myths, there is *some* truth in what they are saying, but they are misapplied. They think they can apply natural selection to virus. It doesn't really work that way. 

Natural Selection And Breeding Stronger Bacteria

Darwin's theory of evolution has natural selection as a primary mechanism. In all species there are variations, and due to the natural environment, some of these variations will more suited for survival, while some will be less suited. In time, the more suited versions will proliferate, and the less suited versions will die out. Thus the species evolves. 

This is happening with the new antibiotic-resistant bacteria and fungi. New variations are caused by natural mutations, and some may be more resistant to drugs designed to kill them, and those will survive, while others do not, thus resulting in newer strains that are more resistant to drugs. 

So it may make sense for people who don't understand science to believe that vaccines, like drugs, are "selecting" virus that can resist the vaccines for proliferation. Except, virus are not bacteria or fungi. A virus doesn't multiply that way. And while vaccines *can* have a selection effect, NOT having a vaccine actually generates far more variants. 

How Virus and Vaccine Works

A virus is not "alive" and cannot multiply by itself, unlike fungi or bacteria. A virus must infect a cell, and borrow its facilities to make copies of itself. Every once in a long while, the copying process goes wonky, creating variants. Most variants don't work, but every once in a long-while, they work better than the original.  

Vaccine helps the body create the right antibodies to bind to the virus, preventing them from getting into your cells and copying themselves, which decreases the chance of creating mutations and variants. Weaker vaccines don't generate enough antibodies so some viruses will get through, but the reduced amount means you get weaker symptoms if any at all. 

We have variants of COVID because we had almost a YEAR where we had no vaccine and infections ran rampant, giving the COVID viruses plenty of chances to multiply and mutate. 

The way we can use a vaccine to stamp out a disease is to vaccinate as many people as fast as possible, so the virus does not infect enough people to create a viable mutation. We don't have that because we are playing catch-up with the virus, which had a ten-month start, and we can't wait for a "perfect" vaccine that can do both prevention AND stop transmission.  The more we delay, the more variants we will see. The virus already mutated into several variants while we were creating the vaccine, so we are STILL playing catch-up. 

Why Vaccine Does NOT Select Virus The Way You Think

I can already hear the antivaxxers howling: but COVID vaccines do not stop transmission! 

Ah, but it does REDUCE transmission. You are less sick, if you do get sick at all, with COVID vaccine. The less sick you are, the less virus you can pass on to others. Add a mask or stay home, and you are unlikely to pass it on to anyone anyway. 

After all, airbags and seatbelts don't prevent auto deaths. We still have them mandated, right? 

But think about it... Bacteria and fungi live outside of human bodies independently. They live, die, and mutate there. Human body is just another part of their environment. If we use a lot of anti-bacterial stuff around us, it'd affect their environment, but they are mutating independent of us. We merely selected them.  

Virus do NOT live outside human bodies (or animal bodies) for very long (hours, maybe days) and they can't multiply that way. They need a cell to survive and multiply, and mutate. Human body *is* their environment. By vaccinating, we minimize the chances of the virus gaining a foothold in our bodies, and thus, minimize their chance of mutating and surviving onto infecting someone else, esp. when combined with mask and social isolation. 

But the antivaxxers are not completely mistaken. They're doing Chicken Little thinking every nightmare scenario will happen, and for vaccine, the nightmare scenario is ADE. 

Antibody-dependent enhancement (ADE)

Your body's immune system, upon detecting a virus, will generate antibodies. But antibodies are specific to proteins that are on the virus exterior. Some antibodies can block these proteins which allow the virus to infiltrate cells (thus infect them). But sometimes, these antibodies end up doing the opposite: making it EASIER for the virus to infiltrate the cells. This is called ADE. 

So how do we tell if the vaccine-caused antibodies are causing ADE instead of helping the immune system? You watch the body for how it reacts to infection by the virus. There are three possible outcomes. 

1) Mild or no symptoms -- the body has fought off the virus, vaccine worked.

2) Breakthrough infection -- the body is overwhelmed, either the immune system was compromised or the vaccine didn't work

3) ADE -- the person got even SICKER than normal and developed symptoms faster than without the vaccine. The vaccine actually made things worse. 

So far, no COVID vaccine ADE has been observed. 

Booster Shots and Vaccine Resistance

Now the antivaxxers are probably screaming: "But you need booster shots! That proves vaccines didn't work!"

Actually, that proves that we have learned that you need booster shots to make sure we generate enough antibodies to minimize the virus in the body long enough for everyone to get vaccinated, thus leaving no unvaccinated groups that can carry the virus around, where it can mutate into new strains, and to reinfect others. 

Also keep in mind that there are like 30 different COVID vaccines approved around the world. China and Russia have their own, all based on different technologies and methods. They work differently on different strains of COVID, and scientists are still tweaking the formulas for the booster shots. If COVID developed resistance to one type of vaccine, we can switch to a different type. 

Where Do Variants Come From?

Generally speaking variants are probably generated within an immunocompromised who received various treatments to help him/her survive, yet suffered lingering symptoms for a long time, thus allowing the virus time to mutate, yet not cleared up. But it can also happen within a person who spent a LOT of time in the hospital suffering from COVID. 

Conclusion

It doesn't really matter if the vaccine can stop transmission altogether. As long as it reduces the severity, it will reduce transmission, and thus, reduce the chances of creating viable variants. 

So please get vaccinated, including the booster, as soon as you can. You will reduce the chances of new variants from being created. 

Addendum

Just came across this science paper, which is in pre-print (not peer-reviewed) but it points out that vaccines are actually suppressing variants. Tests show that the unvaxxed folks actually show far more variants than the vaxxed people. This is preliminary only and does not constitute proof, but it's very interesting information indeed (and far more useful than some Chicken Little predictions). 

Ironic COVIDiocy: Seven Antivax Doctors Contracted COVID after Attending Antivax Event in Florida

Seven antivax doctors attended an Ocala, Florida "summit" about alternative treatments for COVID, and caught COVID there, yet the organizer denied that the event was a superspreader event, according to The Guardian. 

One of those was Dr. Bruce Boros, 71. He claimed to be taking and prescribing Ivermectin for 16 months, and condemned his own 97-year-old father for getting vaccinated, as well as calling Dr. Fauci a fraud. When interviewed, he claimed he just wanted to help people. 

Remember, folks. Ivermectin is a weak nerve toxin to kill parasites. It has an extremely weak effect on COVID virus. If you take enough to affect the COVID virus, you'd die of IMV overdose first. 

No idea where did these doctors get the idea that Ivermectin is "working all around the world". The only study that showed definite results was withdrawn after people spotted falsified data. 

Don't be a COVIDiot. Just get vaccinated. 

COVIDiocy Conspiracy: No, the new Pfizer Drug Paxlovid is NOT a variation of Ivermectin

Pfizer and other drug makers have been working on a drug to treat COVID and Pfizer just announced Paxlovid is 89% effective in preventing hospitalization if taken soon after COVID symptoms during phase 2/3 trials. It worked so wonderfully, they stopped testing and petitioned the FDA for emergency authorization use. 

This immediately got the antivaxxers up in arms, claiming that Paxlovid is just Ivermectin in a different packaging at 20X the price because both are protease inhibitors. 

I am not going to screenshot the tweets and such, because they are rather silly. But then, it may take some ability to Google (tm) and knowing how drugs REALLY work to understand such comparisons are silly. 

Let me give you an analogy: comparing Ivermectin to Paxlovid is like comparing these two vehicles, but probably not in the way you think:

Yellow: Caterpillar 797F  360 ton truck
White: Chevy Suburban 2.5 ton truck

Now that's how much IVM you have to take in the yellow truck
to equate one dose of Paxlovid (in the Suburban)

It's pretty clear you would never drive the yellow truck on a public road, it'd never fit! 

Yet that's how much Ivermectin you have to give to the patient so enough of it gets to the blood in order to have enough effect on the COVID virus in you, when compared to Paxlovid (with the Suburban acting as a stand-in). 

I am not going to get into the details as to what makes up Paxlovid, the scientific names, and so on. If you want, you can read the better explanation by Orac on his blog Respectful Insolence. This is my summary of it. 

A drug when taken orally has to be able to be digested and absorbed by the body. This is called "bio-availability". 

A protease inhibitor blocks a virus' ability to reproduce using the host's own cells. This protease inhibitor must block as few protease as possible, as not to interfere with host body's own functions, such as digesting protein, yet block the virus' ability to reproduce. With me so far? 

(Side topic: Immune system and vaccines, as well as the monoclonal antibodies treatment, floods the blood with antibodies, which attaches to the proteins of the virus they match to, which prevents the virus from reaching the cells, attaching themselves, and burrowing inside to multiply.)

Pfizer, had actually identified this compound, called PF-07321332, back in the 2000's as part of its effort to find a drug that works on SARS, which is itself derived from another PF-series compound which I won't list, as it's too technical. Read Orac's blogpost if you want the details.  

Ivermectin was discovered in a Japanese pond (on a golf course) by two Pfizer scientists around 1970's.

The two are not related. The only thing they have in common is they are both protease inhibitors, just as both vehicles above are considered "automobiles". They don't even affect the same protein!  

So what's the problem? Bioavailability. Ivermectin, abbreviated IVM from here on, has a safe range of blood concentration of about 20-80 ng/ml. That's nanograms per milliliter. What antivaxxers don't understand about IVM is it's technically a nerve poison. That is how it kills parasites. In the safe range noted above, the human body tolerates it well. If you overdose on IVM, you can suffer "confusion, drowsiness, visual hallucinations, tachypnea (rapid breathing), and tremors", "disoriented and had difficulty answering questions and following commands" (as documented from actual cases of IVM overdose). 

The original study that potentially identified IVM as having an effect on the COVID virus noted that the effect was only achieved with the concentration of the drug in a petri dish in the milligram range. It's 10-20 times HIGHER than it's possible to achieve safely in human blood due to poor bio-availability and side effects. 

Or as one doctor puts it? 

Re: Ivermectin inhibits the same protease Pfizer's Paxlovid does:

Paxlovid works at 3.11nM, IVM at 21uM. 6-12mg IVM gets you ~26nM. Assuming linearity, you need ~6,000-12,000mg IVM to get ~21uM. Thats over the LD50 of 15mg/kg (avg wt), which is over 15 full tubes of horse paste. https://t.co/iAeZrTEfDF

— Avi Bitterman, MD (@AviBittMD) November 20, 2021

That's right, one dose (two pills), vs 15 tubes of horse paste (which will likely KILL you). That's how much IVM you need to take to have the same effect of Paxlovid on the COVID virus. 

Don't be a COVIDiot and believe that Ivermectin is all you need. 

Get vaccinated. 

COVIDiocy Propaganda: How to see through anti-vaxxer attempts to mislead you

Recently someone posted this graph, claiming Ivermectin has stopped the spread of COVID in Japan, so much so they stopped using vaccines altogether. 

COVID-19 in Tokyo - Japan 
Sharp drop after ivermectin recommendation? Really? 

Note that this is a multi-layered lie, and we have to take it apart layer by layer. 

First, is this graph real? 

Answer: Yes, the data seems to be real, and seems to match the official Tokyo Metropolitan Government website's COVID page. 

Did "Tokyo Medical Association" recommend use of Ivermectin? 

Answer: Yes, its chairman Haruo Ozaki did conduct a press conference lobbying for the official Japanese government guidance to include Ivermectin. However, they do NOT represent the Japanese government or even the Tokyo Metropolitan government. They are merely one of the lobbying groups, and a sub-group within the Japan Medical Association, also a lobbying group.

What does the Japanese government say about Ivermectin? 

The official guidance from the Japanese Ministry of Health on Ivermectin, according to AFP, states that "compared to standard treatment and placebo, ivermectin did not reduce deaths, shorten the hospitalization period and improve time of virus disappearance."

The health minister stated in August that they need to see proven effect before any update to the guidance will be issued. 

What about claims that Japan had stopped rollout of COVID vaccine? 

False. Japan continues to use three types of COVID vaccines. 68 percent of Japanese population has had two doses. 

So what caused the drop? 

Tokyo and major cities declared a state of emergency, targeting alcohol sales and crowd sizes at large events. People are voluntarily masking up and businesses adopted anti-infection methods. The emergency measures were not lifted until October 2021. 

It is the lockdown, masking, and vaccination, that caused the drop of COVID cases. 

Who started the lie?

The lie appears to have originated from a conspiracy theorist-oriented "Hal Turner Radio Show" website, which had been fact-checked before by AFP for spreading misinformation. Turner had previously claimed that 50K Chinese soldiers had invaded Maine from Canada in December 2020 and were killed, but US covered it up as an earthquake. Yes, it's as stupidly crazy as it sounds. 

Turner was previously convicted of threatening to assault three federal appeals court judges in 2010 and was banned from radio for 3 years. 

So it was just a big coincidence? 

As they say on CSI, "correlation is not causation". Japan never adopted Ivermectin as treatment, so it can't be the cause of lower COVID cases. And TALKING about ivermectin has no therapeutic effect. 

So there you go. Don't fall for COVIDiot propaganda. 

Sad COVIDiocy: Couple set to marry are instead dead of COVID due to vaccine hesitancy

Chicago couple Luis Suarez and Norma Franco had been together for years, and planned to get married just after Thanksgiving, and get vaccinated so they can visit their folks. However, they would never get married now, as COVID claimed both of their lives before they can even tie the knot. 

Their surviving son hoped that by publicizing their story, they can save lives. He said, "People are worried about the side effects. The side effects of losing a family member are terrible, and that's what happens if you don't get vaccinated."

They cannot even be together in the hospital because they are not married yet. They had to be admitted separately to the hospital and unable to get information or communicate with each other. Both were eventually put on life support and died a week apart. 

Don't be a COVIDiot... get vaccinated ASAP.  COVID may come for you sooner than you think. 

COVIDiocy Visual Aid: How Game of Telephone Distorts True Science

 

The Science News Cycle: 
First, there was Science, which results in a paper with conclusion that... 
A is correlated with B (0.56 coefficient) given C, assuming D, under E conditions
Which was translated by Uni PR office "Scientists Find Potential Link between A and B"
Which was picked up by news organizations "A causes B, say Scientists"
Which was picked up on the Interwebs: "Scientists out to kill us"
Which was picked up on cable news "A causes B all the time"
Which was picked up by local news "A: Killer among us? Latest at 10"
Which is picked up by your grandma "I am wearing this to ward off A"
which leads to you facepalming yourself. 

COVIDiocy Turnaround: Vaccine Skeptic's Near-Death COVID Experience Turned Him Into a Vaccine Believer

Howard Breidenbach of Oregon survived his COVID, but spent 102 days in the hospital, often near death, only kept alive by ventilators. He thought he was a healthy trucker, but with COVID he had lost everything. At the time of the interview with the local TV station, he is still on oxygen and is often coughing, and it may never go away. But at least he's alive. 

His advice to others? 

"I agree with them (the vaccine hesitant), they should have their choice.

"But at the same time, what freedom do you have in the grave, besides to be worm food?"

Remember, a shot of COVID vaccine is, at most, $20 in the US, and generally free. 

His 102-day stint in the ICU is about 250K total. 

Even monoclonal antibodies treatment is like $1250 per dose, and you need like 8 of them. 

Yes, he's vaccinated now. And he urged EVERYBODY to get vaccinated. 

Good for you, sir. A little late, but still, good for you. 

Rich COVIDiocy? Why do the rich and famous seem more vulnerable to crank beliefs such as antivax?

During COVID times, it seems many different celebrities or at least rich and famous people have revealed their antivax views that seem, on the surface, ridiculous, as in "how could they believe that?"  

Nicki Minaj is famous for "my cousin's friend" tweet that claims a non-existent incident of vaccine injury. She is, of course, unvaccinated, and did not attend Met Gala because of that. 

We have Evander Kane of the NHL suspended for 21 games, very likely because he turned in a fake vaccination card to get around the NHL vaccine mandate. 

And now we have Aaron Rodgers of the NFL claiming his homeopathy treatment is as good as COVID vaccination, but caught COVID anyway, AND mislead the public, claiming he was "immunized". 

Now we have to add Steve Kirsch, a tech millionaire who turned antivax when early research on some of the drugs he backed didn't pan out. 

What caused them to make these decisions which to the average Joe, seems irrational? 

What I see are a couple common factors, but it all comes down to money and ego. 

I'm a resurcher (by searching 
on Youtube for what I want to
be true!) credit: reddit.com/r/meme

* They believe they are smart (smarter than they actually are)

Minaj and Rodgers both claimed to have done their own research. 

* They can afford to hire people who agree with them

Rodgers apparently has a "medical team" and his "doctor" prescribed him homeopathic treatments. 

* They see the rules as an affront to their own beliefs

Rodgers had publicly stated that he doesn't believe in NFL/NFLPA's rules on masks and vaccines. 

Kirsch basically went nuts when his medical board urged caution when it came to a new drug that shows some promise for treating COVID (it's NOT what you think it is... it's fluvoxamine). National Institute of Health wanted a bigger study to confirm it, but Kirsch tried to push his board of directors to endorse the drug anyway. The board refused and most resigned, and Kirsch went full antivax after that, decided the world is against him and his beliefs. 

* They believe (with good reason) that they will suffer little to no consequence from their actions

Of the four mentioned, only Kane received punishment. Rodgers is still spewing his views on various talk shows, and Minaj... well, the media seems to have temporarily forgotten about her. Kirsch made himself an outcast but is courting the antivaxxers. 

But that'd only explain the rich and famous... So what made the average suburban soccer mom or marginalized population go antivax? We will discuss that in a future blogpost. 

Sad COVIDiocy: Anti-Masker and Anti-vaxxer Naturopath Christopher Foley died of COVID

Christopher Foley, a doctor in Minnesota, who also got credentials as a naturopath and homeopath, has died of complications of COVID, according to his son. The 71-year old doctor was famously anti-mask and anti-vaccine, claiming masks are "downright dangerous" if worn for extended periods of time, and called vaccine "a human experiment". 

According to his obituary, he died back in Mid-October. He had promoted taking Ivermectin, carrageenan, and vitamin D for treating COVID, and believed COVID was a Chinese bio-weapon. 

A reminder that Ivermectin is NOT an approved treatment for COVID and has no demonstratable effect except in a petri-dish at way too high a concentration. Carrageenan is believed to potentially cause gut tumors and ulcers, and is banned in Europe.  

COVIDiocy Mythbuster: Children are at low risk of COVID or dying of COVID so they don't need the COVID vaccine

One of the recent anti-vax talking points is centered on children and efforts to protect them before the vaccines become available. And one of the best ways to protect children from COVID without the vaccine was with masks. Yet you have states like Texas and Florida whose governors, eager to court the Qanon vote, banned schools from implementing a mask mandate to protect the children, claiming to be "protecting" the parents' rights. And parents waving signs that say things like "Don't muzzle my child" and "Let them breathe". 

But what is the truth about children and COVID? 

FACT: Children are now 24% of all reported COVID cases in the US (about 100K cases a week). And it's rising fast. (As of early November)

FACT: Children are more likely to show no signs of infection, and less likely to suffer severe symptoms, if they are infected with COVID but they are just as infectious (i.e. capable of passing on COVID to others) as if they are seriously ill. 

In fact, because they show little to no symptoms, they are less likely to be kept home or isolated in hospital, and therefore, potentially infecting even MORE people than if they did fell more severely ill. 

FACT: Masks reduce the severity COVID-19 should you catch it, and reduce transmission risks if you haven't caught it. 

Yet you have COVIDiots show up at school board meetings against children wearing masks to school, screaming about "acne", "funk", "don't make it easy for child predators" and similar WTF reasons, or otherwise repeat antivax talking points that barely make coherent sentences. This inspired a roast on Saturday Night Live. But the threats uttered are no joke. Some parents have resorted to stalking school board members and school officials. School officials have been spat on or struck or have objects thrown at them. A father was arrested for threatening the elementary school principal with "citizen's arrest" with two other men while armed with Zip-ties, all because a child was forced to miss school due to a mandated potential COVID exposure quarantine. 

The situation is so widespread (in many different states) and so vicious in some cases, that the National School Board Association is pleading the Federal Government to step in to stop this new form of domestic terrorism. 

FACT: We have NO data on long-term consequences of children with COVID. We do know children can suffer from long COVID and MIS-C as a result of being exposed to COVID or even living with someone who caught COVID. 

To summarize: Masks and Vaccines are a multi-layered approach to stop children from catching COVID. Even ONE death is too many when we can do something about it. The long-term consequences of suffering through COVID is unknown but very likely worse than any vaccine side effects (if any). And it also prevents the children from infecting others without knowing. 

Therefore it is IMPERATIVE that children be vaccinated against COVID as soon as possible, not only to protect them, from both short-term (COVID) and long-term (MISC-C and long COVID), but also to prevent them from being reservoirs of COVID virus to infect other people. 

So what does that make parents who don't want their children to mask up, get a vaccine, yet go back to school? 

COVIDiots, of course. 

COVIDiocy Mythbuster: Are COVID Vaccines "Useless" Because of "Breakthrough Infections"?

 One of the more... exasperating talking points of antivaxxers can be roughly summarized as follows:

"I'm not getting vaccinated because vaccines don't work!"

"How did you know they don't work?"

"Because you can still catch COVID after you get vaccinated! And you can still die! Look at Colin Powell!"

As typical of most bad talking points, there is a hint of truth to it, but there's also a lot of missing context. 

Yes, you can get what's known as a "breakthrough infection" even after you are fully vaccinated for COVID. There are a variety of reasons for this. 

As for Colin Powell (RIP), he has "multiple myeloma", a cancer of the plasma cells that affected the body's immune system, as well as Parkinson's. In other words, he's immunocompromised. His body's immune system did not respond to the vaccine and did not produce enough antibodies to protect him. 

While the COVID vaccines provide protection against COVID, it is NOT an impenetrable shield. You should also mask up and avoid tight indoor spaces with unmasked people you don't know (who may or may not be infected) to present a multi-layered defense against COVID. 

And this is what antivaxxers's point comes down to: "if it is not 100% effective I don't want it!" 

In debate, this is called a nirvana fallacy or "perfect solution fallacy". If it's not perfect, it's not good enough. 

They want something that would let them live normal life and not mask up and do all the stuff they usually do. Great, so do we. But WE DO NOT HAVE THAT! 

And even if we do, they'll probably claim it's untested, unlicensed, un SOMETHING. They will play "no true Scotsman" and move the goalpost. Again and again. 

But what's the TRUTH about breakthrough infections? 

Yes, it can occur. But it is quite rare. If you are fully vaccinated, you are 6.1X LESS LIKELY to test positive for COVID, and 11.3X less likely to die from COVID, than an unvaccinated person. Yes, hospital tracks stuff like that. And they report to the CDC, and CDC has statisticians and computers that compiles all that into nice charts and graphs and reports. 

As the booster shots just started, there are no stats on that yet, but I would not be surprised that the odds are even BETTER with booster shots. 

But the logic is simple: do you use only ONE layer of protection, or do you use as many layers as practical that you can live with? 

You wear your seatbelts in your car, your car has airbags, you drive safely, you are licensed, and you have insurance, right? 

CDC is recommending that some people get a booster shot after 6 months. Let's go over the reasons:

1) Everyone's immune system is a little different. And no one EVER said vaccines are 100% effective. 

2) Some people's immunity response wears off faster than others. This is known as "waning immunity". Those people need booster shots. 

3) Some people who are immune-compromised don't develop enough antibodies. They also need booster shots. 

4) Precautions are still necessary after vaccination. Being indoors in unventilated spaces with potentially infected people while unmasked can lead to high viral load that overwhelms your immune system, EVEN WITH vaccination. That's why you STILL should mask up. 

You should not take any unnecessary chances with your body, and going without COVID vaccine is one of the unnecessary chances. 

Political COVIDiocy: If you wear a MAGA cap, you are far more likely to die of COVID

NYTimes reports that the death gap between red and blue counties is widening. 

In October 2021, 25 out of 100000 in heavily Trump counties died of COVID, compared to 7.8 per 100000 in heavily Biden counties. And this difference is accelerating for the FIFTH month. 

The difference is very simple: Republicans are about 40% unvaxxed, compared to 10% of Democrats. 

(Cited via Boingboing)

Sad COVIDiocy: San Francisco Policeman and Antivaxxer Died of COVID

SFPD Chief Bill Scott was sad to announce the passing of Office Jack Nyce, at the age of 47. Nyce was one of the 41 holdouts who refused to abide by the city's COVID vaccine mandate for all city employees by November 1st. Apparently he was diagnosed with COVID in late October and died on November 6th in the hospital. He had been a policeman in San Francisco for more than 17 years. He is survived by his wife and unknown number of children. 

San Francisco Human Resources stated that 98% of all city employees are vaccinated. 

COVIDiocy to the Grave?: Mak Parhar, COVID denier and flat earther, died (probably of COVID) at age 48

Mak Parhar, 48, has died. He's best known as a flat-earther and COVID denier. He live-streamed that he's got COVID symptoms as late as November 3rd, was self-treating with cold meds and ivermectin (which does not work) yet still claiming that COVID does not exist. He called it "CONVID". He was found dead in his home in BC. 

While the coroner cannot say the cause of death until a full autopsy has been performed, it's widely known that he live-streamed his condition of COVID symptom only days ago on November 3rd, 2021 when he revealed he took Ivermectin yet still denied he had COVID. Earlier (in October) he had complained about having some symptoms. 

Mak Parhar apparently decided the whole COVID thing was a hoax to destroy his livelihood when Canadian authorities ordered a shutdown in early 2020, which included his yoga studio, because he falsely claimed that "hot yoga" kills coronavirus and actively encouraged his yoga students to violate public health orders. For that, he lost his business license in March 2020. Ever since, he made it his business to criticize the Canadian COVID policy.

He once made a video, during the height of pandemic, in the middle of Metro Vancouver Hospital, claiming to be "trying to get to the truth about the virus".  

Apparently he's also a flat Earther because he was arrested for flagrantly not self-quarantining after returning from a Flat Earth convention in the US in fall 2020. He was supposed to appear in court earlier but claimed he was too sick to do so. 

(In case you don't know, Flat Earthers believe the Earth is FLAT.)

In April 2021 he filed a nuisance lawsuit claiming the Canadian government had committed against him trespass, malfeasance, extortion, terrorism, kidnapping, and fraud. The lawsuit was thrown out. 

In a way, Mr. Parhar epitomized the modern conspiracy COVIDiot... He may have died still holding that belief, but we will never know. 

But please pray for him anyway, because he is survived by a daughter, according to vancouverisawesome.com. We are not privy to his marital status. 

COVIDiocy Extreme: The Arrogance of Aaron Rodgers

The news is out: Aaron Rodgers, NFL Green Bay Packers Quarterback, is not playing because he caught COVID. 

That's not the stupid part. The stupid part is he actually petitioned the NFL to consider him vaccinated even though he was not, because he claimed that he's "immunized" back in August for "alternate treatment" as reported by ESPN. 

What was the alternate treatment? Homeopathy. That's right, he got some homeopathic treatment from his doctor (BTW, homeopathy is pseudoscience) who claimed will raise his antibody counts. With that, Rodgers went to the league claiming he's as good as vaccinated. The league disagreed and kept him listed as unvaccinated. And now he caught COVID. Hah!

But he's not backing down and admit he's dumb. He doubled down. He went to a talk show and claim that he's quite healthy, he's getting monoclonal antibody treatment, he's taking horse dewormer (Ivermectin), and he's taking vitamins and minerals. 

And he insisted that when he answered that he was "immunized", he was not lying. People just didn't ask what he REALLY meant by that, and he would have explained if people asked. 

What a weasel. 

But obviously it's not his fault... "it was a witch hunt that was going on across the league", he said. 

Rodgers claimed he conducted a lot of research (with his "medical team"), decided that he's allergic to one ingredient in two of the three vaccines available, and when the third one was paused for investigation of blood clots, he decided he won't get ANY of the vaccines. 

But he has to do something to appease the NFL, so he came up with this "long-term protocol that involved multiple months", and tried to petition the league to declare that's as good as being vaccinated. The league disagreed, but Rodgers decided to play the victim, stating "I know I'm not going to win this."

His "medical team" told him the risk of an adverse event (to the vaccine) is greater than catching COVID and recovering from it. 

Rodgers claims he's NOT an antivaxxer, but he chose NOT to mask up at a public event because he did not believe masks work, despite league rules and being 10 ft from the nearest reporter. Why? Because he believes the rules are not based on science. Does he have proof? Nope. 

Rodgers actually believes he's SAFER than vaccinated people because he takes a COVID test DAILY. 

In other words, he's so f***ing rich (his contract is worth 134 million USD) he can afford to f*** around. Anyone checked how much COVID tests cost recently? Sure, he can AFFORD it, but he caught COVID ANYWAY. So it proves whatever he did, it didn't work. UPDATE: Turns out the daily test was an agreement between NFL and NFL Player's Association for all unvaxxed or partially-vaxxed players. He wasn't even paying for them! 

But he's too entitled to see that he was fed a bunch of crap info by his "medical team". According to reports, Rodgers apparently printed out like 500+ pages of crap that he tried to use as evidence to get NFL to accept his "regimen" as equivalent to a COVID vaccination. According to Madison State Journal, NFL's medical team could not find a SINGLE peer-reviewed research in the 500+ pages Rodgers turned in. It is basically crap. 

The short of it is he doesn't believe the CDC or the FDA, or any protocols NFL developed with them. Not on vaccines, not on masks. Nothing. And of course, he considers himself a "critical thinker". 

Ever heard of Dunning-Kruger Effect, Mr. Rodgers? You may be smart, but you're not smart enough to realize... you're not smart enough. 

You're not a critical thinker. You just think you are.  

And the sooner you admit it, the better. 

EDIT: New report from anon source near Rodgers claims that Rodgers is upset