COVID-19 Magic Thinking Does No One Any Good

Wishful thinking is no help

Michael B. Wharton

--

A classic teddy bear sits on a lawn of summer time green. Teddy wears a surgical mask but it is still a bright, sunny day.
Photo by Samantha Hurley from Burst

Three myths of the pandemic persist.

We can return to everyday life. All of this just happened by chance. It’s okay not to pay attention to leaders and what they say. This last bit is perhaps more critical.

What we want is often different from what is.

Pay attention to the pandemic facts

Vaccinations do not cure COVID-19. Vaccinations cannot guarantee that the vaccine will protect you from infection by the virus that causes COVID-19.

Vaccinations do not prevent the vaccinated from infecting other people with the virus that causes COVID-19.

One hundred percent jabs still hold the potential for infections and hospitalizations — there would still be the potential for deaths — by definition.

That is true even if it all means that the vaccine is working as designed. It’s true no matter what.

Boosters are already in play

I remember suggesting this scenario to friends last year. I told them, the vax comes out, we take it the same way we take flu shots. We must take boosters each time the variant changes.

--

--

Michael B. Wharton

Editor of Bold, Abundance and Stealing Fire. Has written for xlr8r and Role Reboot. Formerly NIH, Aol and Revolution Health. michael.wharton.writer@gmail.com