Mar 25, 2021

Remember Why: COVID-19 Vaccine Distribution in Australia

Being afraid of vaccines or being an anti-vaxxer wont get you told to leave the bar. However, yelling, cutting people off, calling out genocide and saying no one cares while refusing to listen to anyone will. Like most emotionally fuelled discussions it usually comes from somewhere. Fear does crazy things and our brains aren't wired to listen deeply when in "fight or flight mode". COVID-19 is a hot topic again. The impacts of the Pandemic never left us and cases are still identified everyday. Australia's Vaccine Road Map is now in its active phases. What has fuelled these conspiracies and why is it so important to be informed when eligible citizens opt in or opt out of the vaccine?

I remember when it was that I was first starting to have concerns about COVID-19. Before that there was still a few beer jokes about it and I had a realisation that I hadn't thought much about it. I had previously gone off media and had started listening more closely to the news and following releases of information. It was like it crept up slowly. Previously avoiding the feeling of panic, so as to not feel stupid for freaking out about something I didn't actually know much about. Then the updates stated to sound more like a daily body count, proceeding to reports about mass graves being used in multiple countries. I started to worry about not having enough restrictions. I cant recall how long before they closed the borders that I began worrying that they would not but it was like time stood still there for a short while. In the interim I had gone from hoping I could still send my children to school to then worrying that everyone will be sick soon. Our experiences last year, as we all had our own, are over or much further in the past for some of us but I think it's important to remember them as they are the long awaited results from the actions required at the time.

Looking at the timeline, perhaps you can imagine why I have been hesitant to write anything about the Pandemic before now. There's a lot about a lot during that time. Its already in our face. It was out of our control and the responses that happened at whatever rate they did nor did not decide has lead to a massive data on cases across the globe. Media doesnt alwasy get the reports rightand they are always trying to be fresh and current but some of it didnt sound right. Like theres some facts mixed in with opinions but everyone is doing it. Its not just antivaxxers doing it. Its media in general. Do you recall what the media was saying in the earlier days and how things were written? Some things were not written carefully and some known political figures might not have been sorry or responsible about their impact. I'm talking about Trump terming it the "Chinavirus" and how the tidal wave of events that occurred after that has been acknowledged in only limited ways. What else was not acknowledged prior was the gap in the identified origins of the virus. A lack of human transmitted identification prior to Pandemic Level concerns has led to what appears to be a sudden omission in this originating from a "wet market" claim from the timeline when perhaps there was an acknowledgment that a large outbreak in wet market usually indicates a transmission point rather than origin. You can also see if you can find other speculations of earlier cases in other countries prior to China in your own independent searches. How would we know? Its evident that we actually don't know. Nonetheless, Trump gained more popularity during his term, despite multiple other phrases, decisions and actions during his term, so much that Trump himself claimed the election voter fraud. It was just so hard to believe that not enough people voted for him?

Media is still informing us of posts about concerns of the vaccine and people are still happy to "march across Australia" in protest of a vaccine that is only voluntary. Just in case voluntary was not voluntary enough they just want to make sure that we all know that "it's their body and their choice", which is fair enough and pretty lenient when you consider that everyone has rights and its good as long as those rights don't impinge on the rights of others. Thousands of people in close proximity of each other demonstrating that they don't need it and are obviously not dying with no thanks to anyone, while nurses, doctors, the aging population and their carers have always begged that they even consider it to save someone else's life or at least stop doing things to spread transmission. They beg you from the safety of somewhere else because those that are vulnerable still require safety but those that are less likely to die from the virus can still transmit to community and are unable to think about this. We haven't had a massive outbreak for ages! Should just open up the borders and fly away because not having an outbreak and not having to worry about ourselves means that to some this is good enough, forgetting that the heard immunity they account for still needs at least some sort of population density to be vaccinated. Is the death ratio cases:deaths not high enough?

Its a combination of the lack of diversity of information sources and newly imposed limits that likely led to an outburst at the bar. I looked at the data printed for Kentucky and a bunch of numbers from other US states about people who died, I glanced at multiple pages relating to multiple variations of the vaccine. I asked more about it such as the back story or was that all he had (?) and it was pretty frustrating for him. I'm not saying no one has ever died after a vaccine. I just wasn't allowed to ask anything so I'm not sure he knew either. I saw him later after he had left. I seen him in the distance waving his papers crying out "no one cares" so I called out that I was worried about him then approached him and asked him what he thought of the mass graves and he simply said "there were no mass graves". I said I will bring it to him and that I wasn't going to talk to him about any of it if he doesn't want my data either. I'm stubborn too. Currently there have been124,215,843 confirmed cases of COVID-19, including 2,734,374 deaths .

I tried really hard to find out more myself about the 17000 American citizens that were listed on the paper that was being fanned in my face but I was surprised to find very little conspiracy site and posts that actually collated data rather than the scant post here and those scant posts also not helping me gain any idea where their data came from. Nor was any indication of any medical background or info if the write was just pissed off about having a choice. It just wasn't clear. What I did find though was a statement that in the US 46m Citizens have been vaccinated so far. The accused death rate is 17000deaths:43m vaccinated but this is vs 500000deaths:29m+ cases in a really short amount of time. May I also highlight that this is even if the figure of 17000 deaths is even valid (not confirmed) but I'm throwing them this biscuit of 17000 because they must be hungry and need anything they can get so I will present that scenario because I want to be heard too. 0 deaths is best but there a worldwide issue here and if the vaccine is not accountable for the improved ratios then what is? social distancing? better hygiene? not vaccinating? Rallying in large crowds? If these precautions and options are unrelated then what is the virus? Why are people suddenly dying all over the world and what is the long term plan proposed for anti vaxxers? I only see allegation, not critical study or information or any help with the attempt for us to stop dying in large numbers.

There's reasons why eligible citizens in Australia can choose if they vaccinate or not. The Vaccine is in a provisional phase in Australia and Australia is taking it seriously and responding to concerns with actions, leading to further exclusion of citizens from the eligibility list. The goal was never to vaccinate the entire population but rather protect the citizens who cant be vaccinated by ensuring those that are safe to vaccinate can actually choose to. Further exclusions from eligibility will occur from every concern or caution. Take for example Australia's response to concerns of citizens who have a specific and rare blood clot condition, this condition excludes them from eligibility. Why would they bother to ask and follow up on concerns and exclude those "at risk" when they could just paste fake media in other countries that the rainbows are shining and blah blah blah? There is always more to every story - so don't forget that a story in only a single part doesn't actually tell the story. Sadly also it can manipulate your view such as when six people were reported to have died during the 440000 person trial but depending on what you read they may or may not mention that the test group included placebos AND 4/6 deaths occurred in participants that took the placebo and not the vaccine. I hope this prompts in you consideration for you conclusions. What does the data you read mean? Where does it come from and what does it relate to?

It's really hard to associate and comprehend a danger when we are not amongst it. Its easy to devalue it and provide rationale that no further action is required if doctors and border closures have kept us safe, well... at least reduce the number of cases and deaths. It certainly comes to mind a statement I often hear (among others) that the risk of dying from the virus is "...." or that "compared to other virus statistics..." or some other statement that dwarfs the impacts of these deaths. For another perspective, if we were to think of it, perhaps its already bad that in our lifetime we ALREADY HAVE 1 in 64 chance of DYING FROM THE FLU and even something slightly worse is no good. Why would we even consider it sane to lobby against cures for preventable death or diseases? I am struggling to understand that. Compared to likelihood of death from shark attacks (less than a 1 in 3m chance). We need more sharks but we need less preventable diseases. We need to get out of the sea to let the fish, sharks and wildlife come back (and possibly also stay out) but we also need to continue to advance in our care for ourselves and each other. How bad do preventable diseases have to be before they become mysterious and desperate enough to avoid like cancer? Before people stop trying to defame medical progress.

Is it that you don't know who to ask or having trouble identifying which websites are shit or have fake news? Ask a real local who works in Aged Care or a nurse or a doctor. I'd prefer you would ask your GP but if you already think there is some weird secret agenda they don't know about then you aren't going to absorb frontline information from them. Perhaps consider talking to someone who already laying their life down in the emergency room begging you to please get the vaccine. They are the people who already agreed before the pandemic to be vaccinated or immunised and have been doing it for years already so they can continue saving lives. Heck I used to know a guy who worked in stores and never participated in surgery or client support and he still had to get all his shots when I met him almost 15 years ago. Please don't imply they are stupid for surrendering their time to work in a visually traumatic work with most health workers committing multiple decades of their life to study and then work, while being exposed to all kinds of stuff and without the usual thank you. Just don't. Instead ask someone who is worried about their patients and possibly their own health how they would feel if there is no vaccine and ask them about their experiences, knowing that scientific medicine is not a new thing. As someone who has studied and/or worked to understand this and acknowledge that medicine will continue to advance.

If I get any further data. I will also update those related section of my post. If the figures don't improve though or aren't much different they will be only minor changes, like fixing a badly typed sentence that looked good when I was awake at 2am. Or maybe add more links or images

*Eg a later search informs on the VAER database that there were less than 2,000 deaths from the 43m vaccinated, often with other data included that the patient did not show signs of side affects and was already receiving treatment for other conditions. Among other examples this can be seen such as renal failure and already receiving treatment for other Comorbid conditions etc. The data base lists death after vaccine even if proven unrelated. You can search VAERS yourselves

Finally, here below, is "some scene" from "some movie" that comes to mind, because my mind is wired like that. Here is "God will save me" from The Pursuit of Happyness". Stay safe and stay reasonable. Stay out of each other's face. I wish you all the best in your decision making but also that one day we wont have to deal with this anymore. Yes that would be good.

Thats all for now. See you next time

-Mez