Rebuilding Place in the Urban Space

"A community’s physical form, rather than its land uses, is its most intrinsic and enduring characteristic." [Katz, EPA] This blog focuses on place and placemaking and all that makes it work--historic preservation, urban design, transportation, asset-based community development, arts & cultural development, commercial district revitalization, tourism & destination development, and quality of life advocacy--along with doses of civic engagement and good governance watchdogging.

Saturday, December 25, 2021

Get vaccinated

 In a comment on a Washington Post article, the person wrote that the rest of us shouldn't try to impose vaccination on a "small minority."  I commented that 33% of the population is 109 million people.  That's not small ("As Omicron Spreads and Cases Soar, the Unvaccinated Remain Defiant," New York Times).


Hospital systems and public health departments never thought they'd have to plan for 33% of the population actively refusing vaccinations in the face of a pandemic and the consequences that would result--an overwhelming of ICU and emergency care departments.

The hospital systems in the Cleveland region put an ad in the Cleveland Plain Dealer calling on people to get vaccination ("Ohio hospitals urge COVID-19 vaccinations in powerful ad," NBC Today).

It's hard to say what's going on with the virus.  Omicron appears to be better at evading the power of the vaccine unless you are boosted ("Omicron is a game-changer for Covid-19 vaccines," CNN).  It's much more contagious, but less deadly.  Even so, people who are vaccinated are much less likely to experience severe symptoms, the need for hospitalization, or the likelihood of death.

I am totally unable to process how 33% of the population could be so fundamentally bad at calculating risk.

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2 Comments:

At 12:51 PM, Blogger Richard Layman said...

First they ran short of PPE, then ventilators. Now, the shortage is hospital staff.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/health/2021/12/30/hospitals-staffing-shortages-omicron/

 
At 1:54 PM, Blogger Richard Layman said...

The Washington Post: Perspective | The 1918 flu is even more relevant in 2022 thanks to omicron.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/outlook/2022/01/03/1918-flu-is-even-more-relevant-2022-thanks-omicron/

 

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