Vaccination is not a personal choice
Low-vaccination states like Florida and Texas are continuing to set new records for COVID-19 hospitalizations, taxing their already-beleaguered medical systems to their limits. At this stage of the pandemic, though, it is mostly the unvaxxed who are getting sick — and even the very few vaccinated people who are experiencing "breakthrough infections" are usually much less sick than they would have been if they hadn't received their shots.
Should vaccinated Americans chill out, then?
Patrick Ruffini, a Republican pollster, thinks so. He thinks the unvaxxed are "foolish," but on Tuesday suggested on Twitter that vaccinated people shouldn't spend so much energy on anger against the folks who refuse to protect themselves.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
"The logical solution here if you're vaccinated is not to be too concerned with what the other 30% are doing, because you are protected," he wrote. "It's the 30% who should be concerned, but if they aren't, that's not your problem."
That's not really true, though. (For one thing, only about half the country is fully vaccinated at this point.) The Associated Press reported on Tuesday that the glut of hospitalizations is having a series of dangerous ripple effects — a shortage of nurses and longer emergency response times among them. The Florida Hospital Association expects that up to 70 percent of the state's hospitals will experience staffing shortages in the next week.
Obviously, it's not just the unvaxxed who suffer the effects of the systemic damage. A Louisiana official told AP that one heart attack victim had been bounced to six different hospitals before finding an emergency room available to help him. On CNN Tuesday, a cancer patient said his surgery had been delayed because his Las Vegas hospital needs the recovery beds to deal with the COVID surge. "I don't want to shame anybody and I don't want to express anger at anybody," Michael Kagan told the network. "I just want people to not get sick and not as sick."
It's difficult not to feel anger on his behalf, though. The vaccinated may be protected from COVID-19, but we can't protect ourselves from the consequences of our neighbors' bad choices.
Create an account with the same email registered to your subscription to unlock access.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Joel Mathis is a freelance writer who has spent nine years as a syndicated columnist, co-writing the RedBlueAmerica column as the liberal half of a point-counterpoint duo. His work also regularly appears in National Geographic, The Kansas City Star and Heatmap News. His awards include best online commentary at the Online News Association and (twice) at the City and Regional Magazine Association.
-
Nuclear near-misses
The Explainer From technical glitches to fateful split-second decisions, the world has come to the brink of nuclear war more times than you might think
By Rebecca Messina, The Week UK Published
-
What is cloud seeding and did it cause Dubai's severe rainfall?
The Explainer The future is flooded
By Devika Rao, The Week US Published
-
American Airlines pilots are warning of a 'significant spike' in safety issues
In the Spotlight The pilot's union listed 'problematic trends' they say are affecting the airline's fleet
By Justin Klawans, The Week US Published
-
Covid inquiry: the most important questions for Boris Johnson
Talking Point Former PM has faced weeks of heavy criticism from former colleagues at the public hearing
By The Week Staff Published
-
An increasing number of dog owners are 'vaccine hesitant' about rabies
Speed Read A new survey points to canine vaccine hesitancy
By Devika Rao, The Week US Published
-
Malaria is spreading, but we can stop it
The Explainer Climate change is hastening the disease but medicine is catching up
By Devika Rao, The Week US Published
-
Covid-19: where we are now
The Explainer Infections and hospitalisations continue to rise as a highly contagious new Covid subvariant spreads rapidly across the UK
By Arion McNicoll, The Week UK Last updated
-
Moderna developing mRNA vaccine for Lyme disease
Speed Read
By Devika Rao Published
-
No, it's not over
Talking Point New Omicron subvariants are headed our way
By William Falk Published
-
Survey reveals less than half of Americans plan to get flu shot this season
Speed Read
By Theara Coleman Published
-
New York finds poliovirus samples in 5 counties, sparking state of emergency
Speed Read
By Theara Coleman Published