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All letters to the editor published by KelownaNow reflect only the opinions of the readers who submit them, and not necessarily those of KelownaNow or its staff. Letters can be submitted to news@kelownanow.com
Thank you, Dr. Bonnie Henry!
Today, I am a new man. I used to think that COVID-19 was a disease 99.7 per cent of people recovered from. I also believed that face masks, social distancing and random plexiglass shields couldn’t stop it from getting around the population. And don’t freak out, but I was even starting to think that the vaccines were largely ineffective and could maybe (possibly) even be dangerous. Crazy, right?
Please, forgive me. I now realize that it was cynical and unfair to believe any pharmaceutical company might cut a corner or fudge some research just to cash in on one of the largest government paydays in human history.
Yes, they have blanket immunity from all lawsuits but I’m sure that does not stop them from standing behind every, single thing they produce 100 per cent. Anyway, I digress. I’m here to admit that I was wrong.
Now, to be fair, I did arrive at a lot of these mistaken beliefs due to COVID cranks like Dr. Peter McCullough and Dr. Robert Malone and Dr. Byram Bridle (plus other notable alarmists). Talk about a good reason to zap free speech from social media! On top of that, I personally got a little lost studying charts and graphs buried in the appendixes of the various reports and studies put out by the CDC and the WHO, not to mention research and trial info supplied by Pfizer, Moderna and the rest.
But who was I kidding? I was just some guy who thought he could read and understand stuff. You might laugh, but I even made the mistake of seeking out detail and stats from other countries. It sounds silly now, but I really thought studying places like Israel, Ireland, Denmark, the UK, etc. (all 90+ per cent double-vaxxed – plus boosters) might give some hints as to where we were headed. Stupid! Again, I was trying to understand things for myself instead of just waiting for you to tell me what I needed to know. Dumb, dumb, dumb! Lockdowns, limitations and what businesses get to stay open (or not) is something for professionals like you to decide, not uninformed mouth-breathers like me.
I should have known better. Listening to doctors and researchers unapproved by the authorities just leads to filling up on “misinformation.” It’s kind of like that whole trucker convoy thing going on. Before, I would have thought it was just a bunch of Canadian truck drivers rolling on to Ottawa to support unity by protesting the divisive vaccine mandates and onerous border rules. Now? Let’s just say I’m going to wait and see what our Prime Minister and the legacy news media tell me to think before I make any decisions. See? I’m learning. I can do what I’m told.
Don’t hate me! I really thought listening to “outsider doctors” made sense, especially because they didn’t seem to have anything to gain.
Now, as those morons seem to be the only ones getting fired, losing their medical licences and having their hospital privileges revoked it’s becoming crystal clear that the truly smart doctor is one who knows how to keep his mouth shut.
Bad doctors rock the boat, agitating selfishly for their patients. I swear, this notion that science is some sort of back-and-forth process that mere citizens get to observe and comment on is nonsense. Talk about junk science. GOOD science is never disputed, it’s settled. That’s how you know it’s good.
Now, some have challenged me to explain why vaccinated people seem to be ending up sick and in hospital at least as much (if not more) than unvaxxed folks, especially lately. And before, I might have tried to answer. Now? Let’s just say the best response to any question about vaccine efficacy is to just get vaccinated. Just do it! They are safe and effective. You said so. And if two vaccines are what it takes for us to be safe, then two it is. And if a booster is required, then so be it. Another one? Absolutely. Every six months? Why not? Dr. Bonnie knows best. Period. I’m done freestyling my information accumulation. Your words are my words.
Vaccines have evolved. It used to be you mainly took them for things like yellow fever or small pox or measles and then you didn’t have to get them again. Not anymore. The new vaxxes are so good that you take them more often. You know that old saying “you can’t have too much of a good thing?”
Well, I think COVID vaccines are sort of like that.
And don’t get me started on vaccine passports. Before, I thought they were scary harbingers of a totalitarian, government-controlled and centrally monitored future. Now? I wish they could do even more. Wouldn’t it be great if they tracked ALL health choices made by everyone?
No more playing Russian roulette with your life. You could go into a mall or visit a restaurant or get on a plane comfortable in the knowledge that every health choice ever made by someone nearby is a government approved health choice. From vaccinations to cold sores to birth control to regular hand washing, we could track – and enforce - it all.
Dr. Bonnie will be like Santa Claus. She’ll know exactly who’s been naughty and who’s been nice, and then deal with them accordingly.
So, thank you, Dr. Henry for clarifying my world. No more unverified, unapproved voices.
Only official, government-stamped sources and professional, classic media for me. I now know better than to question what is done to keep me safe.
In fact, I’m certain your gentle words of simple wisdom will occupy a prominent place in my mind going forward. Be kind, be calm, be safe.
Or else, right?
Jarrod Thalheimer
Kelowna
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