For my first takeaway, ifย youโreย going to do it, do it right.ย
Enough with the just getting vaccinated nonsense.ย Youย canโt seemingly turnย around without hearing everyone from the President of the United States and Fauchi to your local physician telling you to just get vaccinated.ย Itโsย time for all of them to cut the crap. The concept of โjust getting vaccinatedโ is stupid.ย Thatโsย because just as with anything else inย whichย thereโsย a variety of choices,ย thereโsย a difference in quality. Or in thisย case efficacy.ย
Throughout the course of the vaccination process, Iโve tried my best to cut through the noise to bring you the facts. Earlier this year, I mentioned two overseas studies (from Englandโs and Israelโs top medical authorities) illustrating that even the just first dose of a Pfizer or Moderna vaccine was far more effective in immunizing against COVID-19 infections than the one-dose Johnson & Johnson. The Johnson & Johnson vaccine, from every angle I evaluated, studied, and reviewed was an inferior product.
The point is the facts have always presented a clearย pecking order for vaccines and the notion that you should โjust get vaccinatedโ, as though they were all equitable or at least good options was always a farce.ย In the early months of the vaccine rollout, the medical establishment failed to clearly communicate the truth because they were more concerned with getting people immunized with something than they were with providing you with clear,ย concise,ย information for you to make a fully informed decision.ย
Now they keep the โjust get vaccinatedโ narrative alive because theyโve been beholden to it and would have toย account for why theyย weren't transparent in the first place.ย But for everyone whoโs still on the fence about getting vaccinated, you shouldnโt be. You should be informed.
Now, my second takeaway, Moderna is the best.ย
Itโs proving to be not even that close.ย Pfizerโs vaccine has proven in its most recentย studyย to retainย 84% efficacy after six months against the original COVID-19 strain.ย Thatโs good. Modernaโs just released theirย study, 93% efficacy after three months. Thatโs best. Then factor in theย recent studies, which show the mRNA vaccines are the ones mostย to be effective against the Delta variants.ย The Moderna and Pfizer vaccinesย are the two which fit that distinction. All of this is to say that just as was the case in January when I said it then,ย it remains the case now. Moderna is the best. Pfizerโs a viable option. And itโs frankly absurd to opt for Johnson and Johnson at this point based on the information available.
The last takeaway, thereโsย Hope.ย As in Floridaโs Hope Scholarship.ย Today the Florida Board of Education will take up a meeting that will likely result in new rules mandating parents be able to opt-out of mask mandates for districts that attempt to implement them, but thatโs not all. Youโre familiar with the phrase โhostile work environmentโ, you might call school districts with mask mandates โhostile educational environmentsโ. Thatโs because Floridaโs Board of Education will also take up aย likely rule changeย which will allow parents of students in district schools with mask mandates to access Floridaโs Hope Scholarship. Thereโs likely a way out for parents along with a likely better education anyway,ย should districts like Broward attempt to play this game.ย Also, related,ย Nikki Friedย said sheโs working with theย Whiteย Houseย to bypass the state to fund local school districts in defiance of the Florida Board of Education.ย Sheโs clearly smoking too much of her product. And speaking of hope,ย having Florida rid of her and with an actual agricultural commissioner after next year is more reason for hope.ย