FIRST RANT OF 2022

        I'm sick of  this pandemic just like everybody else. 

        However, I have completely lost patience with the idea of antivaxxers. 

        I can see the points the antivaxxers bring up but it's what they do  with the information is where they fall off the bus.

       Today I listened to a call in show and that's the bee under my bonnet today. People called in and were not in any way prepared to listen to science people and the research they quoted.

       Yes, we know vaccines are not 100% protective but that's no reason to not be vaccinated. We want as few people as possible to not get sick or die. We want the pandemic to fade away.

      Yes, there may be things people don't want to put in their body but there are many other things they put in their body. Have they ever looked at food labels to see what's in the food they eat? It would curl your hair to see the stuff that goes in processed food. To look at medications and across the counter medications would scare you . I just looked at one of the things I take regularly and I'm going to ask to be put on something else. 

      The freedom of choice thing is a complete joke. Our freedoms are regulated so that it's fair for all. So some of these freedoms are for the good of all. Somewhere we must have a little care and responsibility for others. Somehow, we must not want people around us to get sick and die. Is it too much to get vaccinated to protect others?

      People mix apples and oranges when it comes to comparing viruses to other germs. Polio, measles etc. have almost been eradicated .

    Many people die from influenza each year. Influenza is not a pandemic. Flu shots are available to prevent most from getting flu. 

     In Canada we have truckers making a trek to Ottawa to protest about their lack of freedom because the government has mandated that they be vaccinated to cross the border. The American government has done the same thing.

     The list of whiny excuses is almost endless. I'm just as frustrated as anybody by how long the pandemic has gone on. I would very much like to be able to come and go freely without getting covid or endangering the next guy. 

     Protests are not going to make the pandemic go away any quicker. Irresponsible behavior will ensure that the pandemic lasts longer. 

     

VACCINES?

      I'm happy that I got my Covid vaccine shot last Saturday. However, unlike many others, I do not have a sense of great relief and safety.

     Here in Alberta, Canada there is a staggering amount of disorganization when it comes to distributing the vaccine. I got my shot when they opened it up for anybody over 75. Now I was disturbed, to say the least , to find out that in many senior residences and care centers, the residents have not received a shot. I feel badly for these people as many of them are not in good health. Why leave them in a very vulnerable condition and no vaccination?   Most of these people are well over 75. My friend's 90 year old mother, who resides in a senior residence, got covid about a week ago. 

     I was maybe too hopeful and naive to think that the vaccine would prevent us from contracting covid! All kinds of statistics have been bantered around. We hear numbers such as 90% , 95% ! We don't really listen and understand what those numbers mean. I can't put numbers to things , but I now know that the vaccine may not necessarily prevent us from getting Covid-19 but may prevent a more serious illness from Covid. It may prevent us from death. It is compared to the flu vaccine we get every year. 

    Some people have expressed great relief when they get the first shot. I hope that sometime later , they are not disappointed. I don't share that great emotion. I know I'm better off having the covid shot. I'm just not sure how much better off I am with the vaccine.

     One thing for sure is that we must still practice all the good habits to keep from getting and spreading the disease. So keep on wearing a mask, washing your hands and keeping your distance. 

    Having said all this I'm glad that I got the shot. I'm far better off with a shot than without a shot. I urge everybody to get the shot  as soon as possible.  

A FAMILIAR RANT

       I have written about my dislike for call centers  before this rant. We had a few issues with call centers this week. One would think that banks would be somewhat careful about the service they give but it's not the case.  Yesterday we waited 52 minutes to have someone answer. Then they couldn't answer our question so we waited another 20 minutes to get someone who could give an answer. You have to wait too long for a call center to answer. I would be willing to wait 5 or 10 minutes but any more is just plane rude . The company does not deserve your business. Then people working in call centers are very poorly trained and do not know much about the products. 

      Okay. That was mild. 

      What are we going to do about this problem. They seem to have us as it seems to be all we can get. I think most communication is going on line. 

      Today, I met up with a completely new internet and phone problem.

       Our provincial government cheerfully told us that today we could make appointments for covid-19 vaccinations. Two systems were to be used...the phone and the internet. 

      This was meant to register all the people 75 and over in this province. There are about 290000 of us.

      Things were to open at 8:00 AM and they did. At 8:01 it was reported that the system was overloaded and you could not get on. I tried off and on all day and never got on. They registered 5000 people today. At that rate it will take 58 days just to register us and then they have to find an appointment for us. 

    If it takes this long to do the elderly what will happen to the other people.

     The government is just not willing to hire more people for the call center or provide more servers to register people on line. 

    What ever happened to good old face to face contact? 

HORROR OF HORRORS

      Like most people in the world I have been anxiously awaiting my turn for a covid shot. It doesn't look like we will get shots here for a while as they have made no plans for administering the vaccine which they don't have. 

     Like most people (well maybe not most people) (well maybe just me) I thought that if you got the shot you were home free and would be immune from covid for maybe a year or longer. Not quite so fast Red.

     I was listening to a radio interview of the woman who is the Canadian rep for one of the drug companies. She said the vaccine is good for and guaranteed for three months. They have no idea how much immunity will be left after a year! That just astounds me. Is there going to be any value for such a short lived period of immunity.? By the time I'm vaccinated a large part of the population will need to be vaccinated again.

    Many people think they have won the lottery once they are vaccinated. Not so fast. You haven't got what you think you have.

    Have we been sold a bill of.... Have we been hiding so much that we have missed information. I will definitely get my shot but it's going to be a little disappointing.