When people are frightened, they employ methods that are more of a fear response than scientific. For instance, when the schools reopened this fall, my child returned home at the end of the day exhausted from breathing the chemicals the school is using to disinfect with. On top of it, other students bring personal disinfectant sprays into the lunch room, creating all kinds of strange unknown and unregulated chemistry in my child’s breathing space. These chemicals may be useful for cleaning surfaces, but everyone knows they are harmful when ingested or inhaled.
If they would only stop to think, they may realize that since COVID is a respiratory illness, the last thing we should be doing is confining ourselves all winter in rooms fuming with cleaning solvents, ammonia, and bleach. This is the worst time to attack our air space. Ironic that the world reaches for toxic chemicals just when we need our lungs the most.
There are healthy food grade alternatives to disinfecting surfaces. Good old vinegar is one. 100-proof vodka is another. CDC prefers simple soap and water, no harsh chemicals required.
COVID will do damage, but I bet Human Over-Response will do more. Hundreds of thousands of patients died on ventilators before medical staff learned a more balanced approach on how to help COVID patients.
Today the NPR news report said that studies show a strong immune response in post-recovery COVID patients. The study went for only 6 months, but they said immunity could last 10 years or lifetime. That’s the best news I’ve heard since the outbreak.
Many people will get the COVID vaccine for their family, and I hope all that works well for them. I believe everyone should be comfortable with their form of health care, I don’t judge, because we are all in this together. I believe this new shot is a double-dose vaccine that may need a booster at some unknown time in the future. Should you decide to vaccinate, you would have to stay ahead of your annual booster shots or risk catching COVID when you are older.
The representative from Moderna said some of the 11 patients studied had side effects that were flu-like symptoms. So you might get sick enough to stay in bed a few days, but nothing near as serious as covid. He also said it will be as safe as any flu shot you already get every year.
Something to think about, though: Prescription drugs, when taken correctly, are already the 4th leading cause of death in the USA. Vaccines harm a very small percentage of the inoculated population, so there are risks if you do or do not take them.
Everything has a variable percentage of risk. In my opinion none are more or less risky. It’s randomly equal because life is strange and non-linear that way. People just need to do what gets them through the mayhem to ease their mind. Superstitions are good for this sort of thing. Religion another. Spiritualism, enrichment, enlightenment… just a little less toxic spray cleansers in our air space, please.