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For my first takeaway, if you’re going to do it, do it right.
Enough with the just getting vaccinated nonsense. You can’t seemingly turn around without hearing everyone from the President of the United States and Fauchi to your local physician telling you to just get vaccinated. It’s time for all of them to cut the crap. The concept of “just getting vaccinated” is stupid. That’s because just as with anything else in which there’s a variety of choices, there’s a difference in quality. Or in this case efficacy.
Throughout the course of the vaccination process, I’ve tried my best to cut through the noise to bring you the facts. Earlier this year, I mentioned two overseas studies (from England’s and Israel’s top medical authorities) illustrating that even the just first dose of a Pfizer or Moderna vaccine was far more effective in immunizing against COVID-19 infections than the one-dose Johnson & Johnson. The Johnson & Johnson vaccine, from every angle I evaluated, studied, and reviewed was an inferior product.
The point is the facts have always presented a clear pecking order for vaccines and the notion that you should “just get vaccinated”, as though they were all equitable or at least good options was always a farce. In the early months of the vaccine rollout, the medical establishment failed to clearly communicate the truth because they were more concerned with getting people immunized with something than they were with providing you with clear, concise, information for you to make a fully informed decision.
Now they keep the “just get vaccinated” narrative alive because they’ve been beholden to it and would have to account for why they weren't transparent in the first place. But for everyone who’s still on the fence about getting vaccinated, you shouldn’t be. You should be informed.
Now, my second takeaway, Moderna is the best.
It’s proving to be not even that close. Pfizer’s vaccine has proven in its most recent study to retain 84% efficacy after six months against the original COVID-19 strain. That’s good. Moderna’s just released their study, 93% efficacy after three months. That’s best. Then factor in the recent studies, which show the mRNA vaccines are the ones most to be effective against the Delta variants. The Moderna and Pfizer vaccines are the two which fit that distinction. All of this is to say that just as was the case in January when I said it then, it remains the case now. Moderna is the best. Pfizer’s a viable option. And it’s frankly absurd to opt for Johnson and Johnson at this point based on the information available.
The last takeaway, there’s Hope. As in Florida’s Hope Scholarship. Today the Florida Board of Education will take up a meeting that will likely result in new rules mandating parents be able to opt-out of mask mandates for districts that attempt to implement them, but that’s not all. You’re familiar with the phrase “hostile work environment”, you might call school districts with mask mandates “hostile educational environments”. That’s because Florida’s Board of Education will also take up a likely rule change which will allow parents of students in district schools with mask mandates to access Florida’s Hope Scholarship. There’s likely a way out for parents along with a likely better education anyway, should districts like Broward attempt to play this game. Also, related, Nikki Fried said she’s working with the White House to bypass the state to fund local school districts in defiance of the Florida Board of Education. She’s clearly smoking too much of her product. And speaking of hope, having Florida rid of her and with an actual agricultural commissioner after next year is more reason for hope.