Was interviewed on the radio last night, and a listener asked “if the vaccine works, then great you are protected. Why should I be forced to get one? Why do you care if I’m vaccinated? If you’re protected why do you care?” My answer:
If this was just a mild cold, or if you did not live in a society where your actions effect others, then I would agree with you. However that is not the case. The unvaccinated create a tremendous toll on society especially in the exceptional circumstances of a pandemic.
Look back just 2 months. Delta was surging, and it was essentially solely the unvaccinated coming to the hospital with COVID. This added perhaps 10% on top of the current hospital volume. 10% doesn’t seem like much? Our hospitals crumble under that added volume.
So what happens? The ICU gets full, and covid patients don’t “move” quickly. They linger on the vent. So the ER backs up. That means your septic patients sit in the ED for 2-3 days waiting for beds. Surgical cases get delayed because PACU becomes icu overflow.
The waiting room fills up, and things get missed. Delayed treatment for heart attacks. Sick patients walk out because of the wait time, and come back much sicker. And to even less available space. It’s a positive feedback loop that leads to worse care and worse outcomes.
So why vaccinate? Because we know vaccines reduce hospitalization significantly. They reduce severe illness significantly. They are safe with trivial side effects, certainly so when compared to the certain side effects of covid19 infection.
The mistaken belief is that if you roll the dice on covid, and you do get sick sick, you can just get treated at the hospital. But the reality is you will be alone, in the waiting room, in the hallway. On oxygen in some corner, with an overburdened nurse who has 6 other patients
The US healthcare system does not have the bandwidth and flexibility to accommodate surges in volume. Vaccines blunt those surges and make room for the sick. That’s why you should get vaccinated if for no other reason.
