Blame and shame the unvaccinated

We are urged to avoid blaming or shaming those who are avoiding being vaccinated against COVID-19, so we might be able to lure some of them into being vaccinated. Nonsense!

We’ve learned that the vast majority of new cases of the virus are among the unvaccinated, that the virus is spread far more by the unvaccinated, and that 97 percent of those sick enough to be hospitalized are unvaccinated and 99.5 percent of deaths from COVID-19 are experienced by the unvaccinated.

We’ve also learned that more than 80 percent of the unvaccinated say they have no intention of ever being vaccinated. So why should we care about people who don’t seem to care whether they get violently sick and die?

The answer is that it’s not all about them. It’s also about the rest of us who have acted responsibly and are affected by their thoughtlessness. The recent increases in virus impacts around the country are driven by the unvaccinated, and are putting huge strains on our already exhausted health care workers, not to mention clogging our hospitals with more COVID patients making normal care for other health issues more difficult if not impossible. Now we are learning that we all may need to start “masking up” again due to increases in virus thanks to the unvaccinated.

It’s shameful that so many people are avoiding vaccination for political reasons. The vast majority of the unvaccinated are Republicans, most Trump cultists buying into right wing lies about the virus and vaccines. These people are adults and responsible for their own actions, and must be held to account for the misery they are putting our country through.

Mike Brown
Neck District, Dorchester County