Get Vaccinated ! It’s Your Societal Responsibility

(Updated on 6/25/2022)

INTRODUCTORY REMARKS

(6/25/2022)

Earlier this month (June 2022) we experienced Covid in our family. It started with our 4-year old grandson — then still ineligible for vaccination — who presumably got infected in his preschool. It then proceeded successively to his two older siblings and finally their parents, who were all fully vaccinated and “boosted.” The symptomatic course for each family member started in about one-week intervals, so the entire affair protracted to over a month in total. Thankfully, the course of the illness was on the mild side, yet still hard on the parents, who ended up double-exhausted from taking care of three sick kids while being themselves everything but fit.

This experience, an entire family getting infected in spite of being fully vaccinated, but all experiencing a relatively mild course of the disease, compares to the dreadful occurrences of early 2020, when no vaccines were available and the hospitals were overflowing with people on ventilators, and morgues were operating on sad, never-before experienced overtime schedules — leads me to update this White Paper.

The experience in my family is certainly only one point in a huge sea of statistical occurrences. It may, however, well be quite representative for what is going on today in this pandemic. From the beginning of the pandemic, the media and the CDC have keept track of four aspects of the pandemic:
(1) Covid infections
(2) Hospitalizations
(3) Casualties
(4) Vaccinations

Among my own family members and acquaintances, about 12 people — all fully vaccinated — contracted and recovered from Covid this month. What does this mean, and what does it NOT mean?

— Clearly, the statistics (1) of Covid infections have become totally false. Many, if not by far most, of the infections are never reported to the statisticians; people just experience Covid at home and recover there, without ever even consulting their physician or checking in to the emergency room. Only the worst of the Covid cases are included in today’s infections statistics, i.e., only those that require hospitalization. Clearly, what low “infection” statistics do not mean is that Covid is behind us. They only indicate that the severity of the disease has decreased. A family still goes through tribulations when the youngest child gets it in preschool, gives it to the school-age brother and sister, who must all be taken care of by their mother or father or caretaker who then cannot go to work and will, a week or two later, also come down with Covid, and that even harder because of their age, and who ends up giving it to her spouse, who also cannot go to work and earn the bread for the family, all that spanning over a whole month, and on and on. All that is a lot more than just a minor inconvenience. For the family, it is a big deal!

— However, the published statistics for categories (2), (3), and (4) are still valid and meaningful. As of the date of this writing, hospitalization rates are steady and not alarming, there is no shortage of ER beds and ventilators. Also, Covid-related casualties are steady at around 200 per day, down from a whopping 4000 per day at the height of the pandemic. And slowly and steadily more and more people choose to get vaccinated; we now stand at 78% of the U.S. population categorized as “vaccinated,” 67% as “fully vaccinated,” and 32% as “boosted” (NY Times, 6/26/2022). Again, what this means is that the deadly sting has been taken out of the pandemic. But it does not mean that the pandemic is fully behind us. And it does not mean that there is no more urgency to get vaccinated.

— And why is it that the severity of Covid has decreased to the point that the hospitals are no longer filled to capacity with Covid patients? It is because of the efficacy of the vaccinations. Vaccinations have kept the actual numbers of people getting infected - as high as they are - much lower than they would have developed otherwise, and vaccinations have kept the severity of those who did contract Covid so low that hospitalization is not needed nearly as often as it used to be.

— On the other hand, why is it that there are still new mutations of the deadly virus emerging, and still many are getting sick from it? It is because there are still tens of millions of Americans who opted not to get vaccinated, and who are the primary “laboratories” for new mutations to emerge.

Just imagine where we, where the world would be today without the availability of Covid vaccines! More potent Covid variants would have evolved much faster than they did, because the intensity (i.e., density) of a virus determines the speed of breeding new variants. A death spiral could have developed. Without wanting to become overly dramatic, I remind of what happened in the Middle Ages, when the Bubonic Plague killed about half of the world’s population. In all likelihood, had the rate of infections of this disease been as high in the initial months (in early 2020) as it is now, and the severity of the average infection continued as high as it was without the effect of vaccinations, the outcome would have been unimaginably more devastating, more deadly, than it was. Unquestionably, humankind at large must be grateful for the development of vaccines against Covid-19.

Therefore, the public awareness regarding the benefit from Covid-19 vaccination must be revised. It has not become less, but even more critical to get vaccinated. Vaccination will not only prevent getting infected with Covid, but it will also greatly reduce the severity of the course of the disease. We know that the latest Covid variants are much more contagious than the earlier variants. But, thanks to vaccinations, they have lost their sting. We must, by means of further vaccinations of the heretofore unvaccinated, remove the basis for new, even deadlier variants to evolve.

We have updated the paper in accordance with this evolved perspective.
Klaus Heinemann, 6/25/2022

This article is condensed from a White Paper (first written on 7/4/2021) titled “The Challenge of Our Time,” in which we “politely” argue that getting vaccinated against Covid-19 is a societal responsibility and implore our vaccination hesitant friends to reconsider their position.

During the past 26 months, over one million Americans have died from Covid. Vaccination has proven so effective that “Vaccination hesitation” has become synonymous with “stubborn self-destructive denial of reality.” When scientific knowledge is unequivocally on the side of “life” in an issue of life and death — which is the case when it comes to Covid-19 vaccination — it is time to call a spade a spade. Ponder the photo above, where each flag represents one casualty too many, and go and get vaccinated. If the photo has still not erased your doubts, read on — if you still harbor a glimpse of preparedness to entertain arguments why you should get vaccinated.

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19 REASONS TO DO YOUR SOCIETAL DUTY: GET VACCINATED

1. Vaccination is the only remedy to conquer this pandemic. No Vitamin D3 or C or B-Complex or any other combination of vitamins, no testing, no nasal rinses, no facial covering, no pot or cocaine or nicotine, no Chinese or religious practices or rites, no colloidal metals of any kind, no inhalation or intake of chlorine or bromine-containing disinfectants, no chloroquine or hydroxychloroquine or Ivermectin, none of that will do it alone. No matter if you carry a PHD or MD or DD or DC or DDS behind your name; if you still refuse to get vaccinated, you act anti-scientific and against the laws of common-sense societal responsibility.

2. Breeding new, more deadly variants: New Covid infections breed new variants. Potentially more deadly ones. You, the “anti-vaxxer,” are among those who caused this. There is only one way to break the vicious cycle of asymptomatic transmission and breeding of more and more Covid variants: vaccination. These are facts. Irrefutable. This is the applicable science. This is the uncomfortable truth. And this makes vaccination a societal imperative. On which side do you want to stand? On the side of solid scientific facts, or on the side of anecdotal quackery?

3. It’s “both … and,” not “either … or”! The question is not whether or not the methods listed in (1) above are any good and should be weighed against vaccination. The question is not whether you should choose between them and vaccination. Whatever you are now doing is important. We are not refuting that. We are not saying you should stop it. Keep it going! But do both! Do also get vaccinated! Choose the “both … and …” approach.

4. Risks of asymptomatic contagion: For several long days you may carry the corona virus, and you may not know it and have no symptoms, while you are fully contagious, and while you can infect others with whom you come in contact. You might end up never becoming seriously ill with the virus, but those whom you infect might get serious ill from it. It might ignite a chain reaction of Covid infectios in that person’s family and beyond, causing serious hardships to them all. Is that what you want to risk? Carry on your conscience? Covid is no common cold! No flu! Over a million Americans already died from it! Essentially all from being infected this way. All starting with one or just a handful of single infections that occurred about two and a half years ago.

5. Risk of infecting other unvaccinated people: The large majority — about 40 times as many, not 40% but 40 times — of all Americans recently hospitalized with Covid-19 have not been vaccinated. One out of 13 people who die from Covid are not vaccinated! The people whom you are endangering are primarily the unvaccinated— people who, like you, have chosen not to be vaccinated. Is that how you want to treat your friends. There are about 50 million unvaccinated Americans. They are like a nation of especially vulnerables within our citizenry. We started as 330 million unvaccinated two and a half years ago, of whom 1,000,000 died from the pandemic. How many more will die from this sub-group of 50 million who are still unvaccinated? Why? For what purpose? What are you trying to prove with the risk you are taking?

6. Hiding behind the vaccinated? There is the general belief of those who generally oppose vaccinations, such as for the flu, smallpox, even polio and tetanus that they can “hide” behind those who are vaccinated, i.e., take advantage of “herd immunity.” Don’t count on this rationale this time! We are not there yet, likely not by a long shot! A lot more people will have to get vaccinated against Covid, and unfortunately a lot more still stand to die from Covid, before we will reach herd immunity. It is the nobler alternative to be among those who contribute to herd immunity — by getting vaccinated yourself.

7. Living in a constant quarantine? Vaccination greatly reduces the probability that you will get infected by Covid. When you are infected, you stand to infect others, even when you yourself are not experiencing any symptoms. Among those whom you are endangering — without being aware of it — there are the very people for whom you care most: your family members and friends and patients, in particular those who are elderly. By the time you discover that you carry the virus, it is too late: the harm has already been done. Your only way to keep them safe is to live in a constant state of quarantine and avoid any social and/or physical contact with them. Is that how you want to socialize? Do you really want to carry the potential infection of your loved elderly friends and family on your conscience?

8. If you are breast feeding, pregnant, or planning to be pregnant: As early as in August 2021, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention specifically recommended that pregnant women get vaccinated against COVID-19, in part because they are statistically at a higher risk of becoming severely ill from Covid compared to non-pregnant women. Those who are attempting to conceive or are breastfeeding should also get their shots, the CDC recommends. In addition, there is some evidence that the virus — not the vaccine — could potentially negatively impact sperm production and testicular function.

9. There is only one way to protect yourself as unvaccinated person: You will have to do what protected us in 2020: minimize contact with other people, wear a mask when indoors and others are present, stay away from mass meetings, and trust that boosting your immune system with Vitamin D3 and other means will keep you safe. You have to do that for a long time to come, well beyond the time when the pandemic has “officially” ended.

10. The 2021 achievement: In 2020 the world was feverishly working on a vaccine, knowing that it would be the only remedy to conquer the pandemic. Now, since early 2021, we have had that remedy, and you are in the fortunate situation to protect yourself and others — and you refuse to take advantage of it …!!! In 2020 you did not have that option. How long do you want to hang on to this illogical attitude? To phrase it more bluntly: how stupid can you be?

11. Vaccination hesitation drives a barrier into families and friendships: Those among your family and friends and patients who have been vaccinated may seek to avoid direct contact with you, their unvaccinated friend and/or valued well-being provider. They won’t tell you, because they don’t want to get into an argument with you about it. Or they feel inferior to your arguments. But when pinning health against friendship or a family clan, they choose “health” over contact with you, the unvaccinated. You will become more and more isolated. Also, look at your own friendships with people who firmly trust in the protection provided by vaccination. Your relationship with these friends has been put on hold during the pandemic. How will you mend it?

12. Personal financial repercussions: Especially if you are not the youngest, vaccination protects you from a disastrous stay in a hospital which may leave you impoverished with hospital bills you must pay off in future years.

13. Societal costs: When you fall ill with Covid and, because of not having been vaccinated, your illness is serious and you must be hospitalized, our hospitals will, of course, treat you with the best medical care they can provide — ultimately regardless of your insurance status. But this treatment costs money. Lots of money — statistics have ranged well upwards of $50,000 per COVID patient on average. These costs can be avoided if you get vaccinated. If you will not, or cannot, pay, society at large will ultimately end up footing your bill. But “there is no free lunch.” Every taxpayer, every insurance premium payer will end up paying for the bill which you caused with your stubborn decision not to get vaccinated. Do you consider this fair toward the society you live in, which protects you?

14. Secondary cost considerations: Even if you do get Covid but do not fall seriously ill, those fellow citizens whom you infect during the two weeks while you are asymptomatic may require costly medical help which taxpayers and premium payers — society at large — will ultimately have to pay. Do you consider this justified societal behavior?

15. Consequential costs and health considerations for people who have contracted Covid: Alarming statistical evidence indicates that many people who have recuperated from Covid suffer from long-term secondary health conditions that are difficult and expensive to treat. With vaccination you can avoid such severe Covid illness in the first place and, consequently, curtail such debilitating repercussions.

16. Covid-19 vaccines are exceedingly safe and effective. They have by now been tested about six billion (6,000,000,000) times and have irrefutable, very high success statistics. These vaccines are not new — they have been generically developed and tested for two decades. Those of you who hesitate on these grounds please study the overwhelming body of evidence published on this subject.

17. Understanding Statistics: You may believe in none of the above, or agree to everything that was said above, but you you may still hold out getting vaccinated because of one or the other side effect you may have heard about and that convinces you. But understand this: even if that fact is true — and I do not doubt that it may very well be — it is ANECDOTAL. It is one in six billion, or one in 6000 million. The biggest problem people generally have when it comes to the understanding of risks is to distinguish between anecdotes and statistics. Among 6,000,000,000 vaccinations that have already been administered in the world, one or a few — even a few hundred or a few thousand — misfits are and remain minuscule fractions among a huge total of those that showed no variance or side effect. Don’t get side-tracked with anecdotal misfits. Get vaccinated.

18. What is really the difference? To protect other people, society imposes speed limits, DUI laws, and myriads of ordinances and behavioral constraints on all citizens. Your “freedom” is to suffer the consequences when you break them. You pay with fines, withheld privileges, even prison terms. Why should our society make an exception for a vaccination refusal, which is behavior that is equally or more impactful on other people than any of those?

19. Politial considerations: Vaccination is a health-related, not a political issue. It is deplorable that the overwhelming majority of unvaccinated people have turned COVID vaccination into a political statement. Do you really want to be boxed together with political right-wing extremists?

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FREQUENTLY CITED ARGUMENTS OF VACCINATION OPPONENTS, AND OUR RESPONSES

(A) You might cite “Side effects.…”
Understand the statistics: In the US more than 280 million people have been vaccinated. The vaccine is highlyt effective against contracting Covid or experiencing a severe course of the illness. Even if 0.001% of those who were vaccinated experienced some kind of “side effect,” that would be 2800 people. And that’s just for the United States alone. That number sounds large, but compared to the total it’s minuscule. These are people around whom anecdotal stories are often reported or “invented” by vaccination opponents. So don’t concentrate on statistical misfits. Don’t let them influence your decision.

(B) You might hear, “Vaccines are not effective”
Unfounded: The virus has already killed more than 6 Million people, including about one million Americans. These are huge numbers. Had these people all been vaccinated, the US death toll would have been “only” a small fraction of that, not 1,000,000. Hundreds of thousands of lives would have been saved. Look at the larger picture. Look at these big numbers. They are IRREFUTABLE. It is statistically proven that a vaccinated person is about 13 or more times less likely to die from Covid than an unvaccinated person. What else will convince you?

(C) You might think, “I’ve had COVID and am immune”
Not really …: A recent CDC study states that those who got Covid and subsequently did not get vaccinated face a risk of reinfection that was 2.3 times higher than those who do get their shots. The study suggests that for those who had overcome an infection, the addition of a vaccine offered better protection than the natural immunity generated by their original bout with the virus alone. They state that the antibodies gained from a Covid illness will lose protection after about three months.

(D) Some women believe, “I am planning to become pregnant and fear that the vaccines negatively affect my reproductive health”
Unfounded — in fact, the opposite is true: The mRNA vaccines (Moderna and Pfizer/BioNTech) have been in the research stage for some 20 years and have been used in over 6,000,000,000 people. Their safety is scientifically superbly established, second to none. In August 2021, the CDC officially recommended that pregnant women get vaccinated against COVID-19, in part because they are at a higher risk of becoming severely ill from the disease compared to non-pregnant women. In addition, there is some evidence that the virus — not the vaccine — could potentially negatively impact sperm production and testicular function.

(E) Many people simply state, “I trust credible doctors, and they are unsure if vaccines are safe …”
Look at the numbers: See the above answers. Drs. Yeadon, Malone, Mercola, Cole, and others seem to be authentic and credible; but they represent statistically only a minute fraction of dissent — credible or not — in a sea of successes represented by literally tens of thousands of renowned scientists and medical professionals all over the world, who disprove their arguments. While I myself am not a qualified arbiter, I recommend to look at these proportions and humbly suggest that there is justification to give credence to the overwhelming scientific achievements in favor of vaccination.

(F) Some Europeans argue, “Bill Gates has financial interest in the vaccines, and they include microchips in the vaccines”
Pfui … Preposterous hoax: This is an example of a conspiracy hoax advanced more often than not. It is so preposterous that it is not worthy of a civilized response.

(G) Similarly, some say, “The scientific data regarding vaccines or cases or casualties are censored”
False allegation: This simply does not apply, at least not in the United States. As one point in case, the independent New York Times has been reporting daily accurate, most detailed data pertaining to cases, incidence rates, casualties, vaccinations, incidences in special environments [senior homes, jails, universities, etc.] in essentially every country, state, and county world-wide. These data are uncontested in their accuracy.

(H) Some vaccination opponents argue that “People like Dr. Yeadon state that the pandemic will go away all by itself“
Unfortunately false: The virus will remain among us until it has no more people to reside and replicate in. The only way to accomplish this is by vaccination. (Fortunately the math shows that 100% eradication by vaccination is not required; the law of “herd” immunity calls for about 75-85% vaccination to eradicate — but recent scientific estimates increase this threshold to as many as 90-95% due to the high infectiousness of the recent variants).

(I) Similarly, you may argue, “We will eventually become naturally immune against the virus; it is just a matter of taking enough vitamin D3”
False — tragically, statistics disprove this belief: Six million world-wide casualties to this virus tell a different story. While there is reason to believe that Vitamins D3, C, and B-Complex and perhaps others successfully improve a person’s immune system, what they will effect is raising the contagion threshold, not preventing infection. On the other hand, this threshold is determined by the power of the invading virus. Until eradicated, the virus will continue to mutate, potentially into more potent forms.

(J) Probably most vaccination opponents believe that “Vaccinated people are also contracting the virus, why getting vaccinated?”
No, you are not understanding the statistical evidence: You do not properly appreciate how big the numbers are! They are so big that even the number of vaccinated people who contract the virus seems big. But it is actually only a small percentage of the total vaccinated people who contract the virus today, and among those, only a very small fraction gets seriously ill from the virus or dies. The hospitals still serve many people on ventilators, gasping for oxygen, and dying — but the vast majority of them are unvaccinated. These are the real numbers. Don’t be fooled.

(K) I have even heard friends insist that “People get magnetic from the vaccine; others contract thrombosis and heart disease and other terrible side effects”
Again, at best this is anecdotal; statistically irrelevant: Don’t look at these kind of artifacts. They seem interesting but are meaningless in the big, statistical picture. Often they are hoaxes, manufactured by vaccination opponents. Don’t look at those. The overwhelming percentage of vaccinations have been without side effects and exceedingly effective. Some people experience minor discomfort around the area of the injection into the arm muscle for about a day, not any more noticeable than with other types of vaccination injections, such as the annual flu shots. These are the real facts.

(L) But then, quite a few people oppose Covid vaccination because they “oppose vaccination mandates in general; they do not wish their individual rights infringed by the government”
There are overriding societal obligations: In the United States, as well as in most other democratic countries (one notable exception being Austria), nobody is forced to get vaccinated. But about 80% of the United States population wisely consider it their societal obligation to accept the vaccine and thus be among those who will contribute to all of us eventually getting to herd immunity.

(M) And then there is the never ending call: “Vaccines are expensive and enrich the pharmaceutical conglomerates”
The opposite argument is more compelling: This is one of the most frequently advanced arguments of vaccination opponents. It is entirely misleading. The opposite consideration is much more significant. Being unvaccinated is a huge financial burden on society. Each hospitalization for COVID costs large amounts of money — published numbers run upwards of $50,000 per average hospitalized COVID patient. Again, the overwhelming majority of these hospitalized people are unvaccinated. These numbers are irrefutable, i.e., they are no hoaxes, not fabricated. These costs must ultimately be born by all of us. Whatever the costs to treat COVID patients are, and whatever secondary — long term — health effects are caused by going through the COVID disease process, the public ends up having to pay for those, i.e., you and I, the tax-paying citizens ultimately have to pay [via tax and/or insurance premium increases]. It is, therefore, a financial societal responsibility to get vaccinated and thus reduce the financial burden from COVID hospitalization on our society. A person’s willful refusal to get vaccinated will statistically cost all of us huge cumulative amounts of money that are avoidable simply and effectively by vaccination. Unquestionably, getting COVID vaccinated and boostered, even if at a high premium paid to the producers of the vaccines and the personnel administering the vaccinations, is costing society less than not vaccinating, not more.

(N) You might just state, “I stay away from news and politics and try to lead my life in peace and quiet”
You do not live in a vacuum. What you do and not do matters. It impacts all of us. Sticking the head in the sand to avoid reality is what the ostrich does. It is beneath the responsibility of an educated citizen. Not getting vaccinated is a death blow to humanity. Statistically, already hundreds of thousands of American citizens have died as a consequence of tens of million compatriots having refused to get vaccinated. That is the uncomfortable truth. Get informed. Go and get vaccinated.

(O) And then there is the “religious” argument, “I am a Christian and don’t believe in doing what Jesus would not have done”
As a person who grew up as fundamentalist Christian, I am absolutely convinced that, if Jesus were incarnated today, he would say something like this: ”The most monumental gift God gave you is your intellect. Every invention you, God’s children, make is given to you as a grace of God. This includes the invention of Covid vaccines. Go and get your vaccination. It’s your societal responsibility!”

(P) And then there is this admission which, sadly, we hear more often than not, “I look stupid if I change my position”
To this we respond, Taking responsibility is, unquestionably, the more noble alternative.

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CONCLUSION

We challenge people who have not yet submitted to vaccination to ponder that vaccination hesitance ultimately means that you are denying all of us — to humanity at large — the benefits of herd immunity.

The stage where the coronavirus pandemic has by now arrived has, succinctly, is being called the “Pandemic of the Unvaccinated,” as over 97% of those now hospitalized with, and dying from, Civid-19 are not vaccinated.

It seems as if the world has been given yet another ultimatum — one more opportunity — for participation in a paradigm shift in ethics. We can get informed and educated and overcome our numbness to the important facts, to our hesitance to get vaccinated.

Not only that! We can and must promote and help with donations of life-saving vaccines to fellow world citizens who live in economically depressed corners of the globe, where people would love to be vaccinated to get a renewed lease on life but have no money to pay for it.

What are we choosing? What kind of an example are we setting when we ourselves refuse vaccination?

“GETTING VACCINATED AGAINST COVID-19 IS AN ACT OF LOVE” (Pope Francis, 8/17/2021)

IT IS OUR SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY AS WORLD CITIZENS TO GET VACCINATED.

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On 9/26/2021 (i.e., at the onset of the Delta variant wave, and well before the emergence of the Omicron Variant) Michael Moore stated:

"If everyone is vaccinated, this virus is toast. If we don’t get everyone vaccinated, this much I’ve learned:
We are only one or two variants away from the monster Covid variant. What is the “monster variant?” It’s the one that will have gotten so strong because the early variants were not stopped from everyone being vaccinated. Soon it will grow resistant to all vaccines until it is so strong it will simply exist everywhere, completely airborne, leaping from one human to the next unchecked, tens of millions of humans wiped off the face of the Earth. All because just enough of us, the righteous few, believed in their own anger and despair and were too afraid to protect themselves and each other.” 

On 1/12/2022, MSNBC (Ari Melber, “The Beat”) published:

“You are 29 times more likely to get hospitalized for Covid if you are unvaccinated. Not 29 percent, not two times, but twenty-nine times more likely!”

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