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COVID 19 measures

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• Lockdowns proved counterproductive in many instances
  \nDrove people indoors, during the first wave most of the cases in NYC were people who were locked down
  \nUnintended consequences include: Social isolation, depression, increased drug abuse.
  \nMost masks don't afford much protection against COVID-19
  \nKN95 masks afford the wearer the most protection, but only if properly worn
  \nSimple cloth masks, bandanas, and dust masks are only useful in protecting others, not the wearers. Some are next to useless, acting only as a psychological balm.
  \nVaccines are an imperfect solution.
  \nAs we accumulate more knowledge on the effectiveness of the different vaccines, the evidence seems to be moving in the direction that we'll find certain vaccines are best for some people, but not for others.
  \nIf a vaccine is said to be 95% effective by the maker, that means it's 5% ineffective. We need to know who is in that ineffective group.
  \nMost of us aren't doctors but... Most conservatives will tell you that vaccines are worth serious consideration, but the decision should be between you and your doctor.
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• COVID 19 response
  \nBrought out the best in some people
  \nMedical professionals and other first responders made a heroic effort, often making do with barely adequate supplies of PPE. This was especially true during the initial wave of the pandemic.
  \nThe private sector stepped up and retooled to fill the need for things like PPE and respirators. Often, they volunteered their services. Very few times was the Federal government forced to dictate to companies what to produce in their factories.
  \nOrdinary people made great sacrifices with very little guarantee they would pay off.
  \nBrought out the worst in people and governments.
  \nStrict lockdowns were ordered for the first time in history, healthy people be quarantined.
  \nScant evidence exists that prolonged lockdowns do more good than harm
  \nLockdowns and travel restrictions, by their very nature, are repressive.
  \nGiven people's license for political leaders to dominate populaces, bordering on the sadistic.
  \nKeeping loved ones from attending their sick relatives and attending funerals
  \nSpecious edicts by overbearing officials that cannot be backed up by science, like controlling what items stores can sell or travel between homes in the same state or Provence.
  \nSome officials curtailed or eliminated certain basic human rights such as the free exercise of religion, freedoms of speech, and association with alarming ease.
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• Using COVID as an excuse to circumvent the Constitution and change voting laws to favor a particular party and possibly facilitate fraud.
  \nSome people, motivated by fear have tended to become abusive against those that show reluctance to use masks or become vaccinated
  \nMany have resorted to bullying against the \u201cvaccine-hesitant\u201d stereotyping them as uneducated, science deniers, or stupid.
  \nTheir actions are counterproductive.
  \nThey fail to understand or empathize with people who are reluctant to take a vaccine. They assume what motivated them, fear, would motivate any reasonable person. They discount real concern about side-effects, even though knowledge of side-effects also comes from science.
  \nThey fail to understand that some people prefer to make an analytical decision rather than an emotional one. The right data, rather than scorn, derision, or shame is what will ultimately inform their decision.
  \nCOVID won't be eradicated. There will ALWAYS be another variant that the power-hungry can exploit the fear of and use as an excuse to control others. We must eventually choose between mask mandates, lockdowns, and other disruptive measures in perpetuity, or learn to live with COVID as we have myriad other potentially dangerous diseases.
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