The Vaccine "Mandate"

Yesterday, Thursday September 9, 2021, President Joe Biden announced a new plan to impose rules through the Department of Labor, which would require all businesses with employees of 100 or more employees to ensure that their employees are vaccinated or tested weekly for Covid-19.  Non-compliance could result in thousands of dollars of fines for the company.  His plan also required vaccinations for all employees of the federal government and all contractors doing business with the federal government, as well as requiring vaccination for all workers in health care settings that receive Medicare and Medicaid funding.

Biden's plan is his strongest measure taken so far to combat the Covid-19 pandemic, with an estimated impact of 80 million workers in private businesses, 2.5 million federal employees, and 17 million health care workers.  With our fully vaccinated rate at just above half (54%), this is a great step in closing the gap and helping end this pandemic. 

The push mirrors what several large corporations have already done.  Disney, Tyson Foods, United Airlines, and a host of other companies are requiring vaccines for their workforce.  Even Fox News has required its employees to provide vaccination status in order to obtain a FOX Clearpass (or vaccination passport or what we used to just call an immunization record) to work without social distancing.  The employees of FOX News must either be vaccinated or complete a daily screen.

There are a couple of important points to note - first, this is not an individual vaccination mandate, as some are portraying it.  The government is not requiring that you do anything.  Your large corporate employer may require something of you, but the federal government is not.  If you work for a small business, there is no direct impact to you.  Further, if you do not comply, there will not be a federal penalty that you would incur.  You may risk your job, but there is no government action that would come against you.

Second, there is no actual mandate.  The new rules do not require only vaccination and provide no other alternative.  The rules explicitly say vaccinate or test frequently.  Here testing is spelled out to be weekly.  With both vaccination and testing being free, this is a low burden.  If you choose not to get vaccinated, you can test weekly and still meet the requirements for your company.

Additionally, it is likely there will be companies that do not comply with these rules, and would rather incur the fines.  I wouldn't count on this, but it will happen.  Look already at the number of states where the governors predictably have vowed to oppose these rules.  Surprise, surprise, the governors that have fought against any kind of common sense Covid-19 precautions are the same ones that are opposing these new rules.  There will be companies that do the same, for the same reason - because it is politically expedient to do so.

Now, for why this matters.  We know that vaccinations are our best solution for getting out of this pandemic.  While it would be wonderful to get upwards of 90% of our adult population vaccinated, we know that will never happen.  There are those that cannot get vaccinated because of other health concerns, and there are those that will never get vaccinated because of conspiracy theories, misplaced religious exemptions, and pseudo-science.  

The alternative to vaccination is testing and contact tracing.  It's knowing who has the virus and where it travels.  It's quarantining those with the virus and eliminating contact.  

That's easier said than done.

Look at all the people who say we should just let it run its course, and for us to do the common sense thing of staying at home if we're sick.  That really is common sense, but how many of us really do it?  If we're feeling off for a day, how many of us actually take our temperature every day to know if we are running a fever or not?  How many of us say "it's just allergies," or "it's just my sinuses," or "it's just a little cough," but don't really know for certain?  How many of us are conditioned to go into work regardless of how we feel?  Or do not have an option to take off as sick, because we do not have sick days or substitutes, or the like?  Or how many of us know we are sick and stay home from work, but still run into the store because we have no one else to pickup medicine or supplies for us?

How many people would say, if I stayed home every time I felt a little sick, I would never go into work?

We're terrible germ factories and we're terrible at keeping them contained.

So, if we're not going to get vaccinated to protect ourselves and to lessen our viral load, the least we can do is are the social distancing measures.  Wear a mask, keep six feet apart, test frequently to know whether we have the virus or not, quarantine for the whole duration if we do have it.  Etc. 

You know, all the things half of us fought tooth and nail against since the beginning of the pandemic.

As noted above, we see the fighting on this already starting.  Despite these fights, there is precedent for this type of exercise of power.  Washington required the first mass troop inoculation for smallpox.  The Supreme Court in Jacobson v. Massachusetts affirmed the states authority to enforce compulsory vaccination laws.  While that case was decided in 1905, the Court recently affirmed this decision in 1922 (Zucht v. King), 1944, (Prince v. Massachusetts), and 1995 (Veronia School District 47J v. Acton).  Jacobson has even been relied on by circuit courts in the Covid-19 pandemic, including the Fifth Circuit.  While this is a novel exercise of power, it is expected to be upheld based on this precedent.

Perhaps we'll finally start making some headway.  Maybe we'll finally take this seriously and focus on getting past it.  

One could hope.

Shot #1

One down, one to go. 

I received my first dose of the Moderna vaccine today. Now scheduled for my second on May 6. 

I’m glad to join the ranks of the at least partially vaccinated. Indiana opened up vaccines those 40 and over while we were back in Texas and I signed up as soon as I could possibly do so.  They dropped the age limits even further during our stay and Jamie was able to get scheduled for next week. 

No real side effects to mention. My arm is sore, but so far, I’m no worse for wear.  So far the microchip isn’t even noticeable. 😉

But seriously, get vaccinated. I know for those in Texas, there aren’t too many limitations on who can get vaccinated - just an unwillingness to do so. 

Stay safe, wear your mask, get the shot. Let’s really beat this thing. 

Vaccinate, Vaccinate, Vaccinate

If you are an anti-vaxxer, you might just want to unfriend me now.

The situation that flat out ignorance and self-absorbed importance has caused is getting out of control.  Let's just focus on measles for a second.  According to the CDC, measles cases for this year have already topped the total for 2018, with 465 reported cases.  And we're not even half-way through the year.  That number was reported on April 10, 2019, and reflected an increase of 78 cases from the previous week.  This is the second highest outbreak since the measles were eliminated in 2000.  We're on track to have a record year.

This outbreak is occurring across 19 of our states, with particular concentrations of outbreaks in California, Washington and New York.  New York is particularly troubling.  There are 285 confirmed cases of measles in New York City alone, since the outbreak started last fall, the largest outbreak in decades, centering primarily in Hasidic Jewish communities in the outer boroughs.

What's worse, is news of reckless parents hosting "measles parties," where parents bring their unvaccinated children together to purposely help them contract the disease.  Officials in New York City have reported multiple cases of these gatherings.  This mimics old "chicken pox parties," but chicken pox is much less dangerous and those parties are likewise unnecessary thanks to a vaccine.

Here's what we know about the disease.  Measles is highly contagious, infecting up to 90 percent of unvaccinated people who are exposed to it, according to the CDC.  The virus can live in the air for up to two hours after an infected person sneezes or coughs, meaning people can be exposed to it without knowing it.  People can be infected for days before showing signs of the virus, like fever, runny nose, or a rash.

Measles can be especially dangerous for young children.  It can lead to pneumonia, brain swelling, and even death.  Measles can also be extremely problematic for the old and the already sick.  These are the most likely populations that have not and cannot be vaccinated.  For example, in January an unvaccinated cancer patient in Manila died not from their cancer, but complications from the measles.

Further, there have been 11 deaths from acute measles infections from 2000 to 2015.  Measles can also lead to deaths later on in a child's life.  Wild type measles can cause subacute sclerosing panencephalitis (SSPE).  About 6 to 8 years after having measles, children with SSPE develop progressive neurological symptoms, including memory loss, behavior changes, uncontrollable movements, and even seizures.  As the symptoms progress, they may become blind, develop stiff muscles, become unable to walk, and eventually deteriorate to a persistent vegetative state.  Children with SSPE usuually die within 1 to 3 years of developing symptoms.  There have been 33 SSPE related deaths since 2000, largely attributed to the last great measles outbreak from 1989 to 1991.  This means our current measles outbreak is going to carry repercussions years into the future.

The good news is that we have a vaccine that works, if we would just use it.

The CDC recommends children get their first dose of MMR vaccine at between 12 and 15 months old and a second dose when they're between 4 and 6 years old.  The combination of doses is 97% effective in preventing contraction of the measles.  One dose alone is 93% effective.  Further, vaccine strain measles has never been found in the brain of anyone who died from SSPE, meaning that the vaccine is likewise effective in preventing that unfortunate outcome.

Before immunization in the United States, there were three and four million cases of measles each year.  The United States was declared free of circulating measles in 2000, with just 911 total cases from 2001 to 2011.  In 2014, the CDC said endemic measles, reubella, and congential rubell syndrome had not returned to the United States.  Prior to the current situation, occasional outbreaks had occurred primarily as a result of cases imported from abroad.

Why are we in such a rush to bring back this disease?  What has convinced us that these vaccines are so bad?

Bad science and outright lies that have linked vaccinations to autism?  Those have been debunked flatout.  Repeated studies have proven there is no link between vaccines and autism, no matter what a mommy blogger or celebrity is trying to peddle.  The only British scientist who has been cited as providing a link, Andrew Wakefield, has admitted to falsifying data in his study and attempting to profit from it.  So can we please stop spreading this nonsense.

And even if it were true, even if there were some remote link, using this as an excuse is insulting to people who are dealing with autism or have autism in their family.  As if increased deaths from preventable diseases was somehow preferable to having to deal with a genetic condition.  It's the ultimate offensive "can't be bothered" argument.

Let's also discuss the idea of vaccine overload or the complaint that children are getting too many vaccines at a time.  This whole concept is flawed for many reasons.  First, despite the increase in the number of vaccines over recent decades, improvements in the vaccine design have reduced the immunologic load from vaccines, such that the total immunological component load in the 14 vaccines administered to children is less than 10% of what was in the 7 vaccines in 1980.  Likewise, though the schedule has more vaccines, the number of antigens a child is exposed to by the age of two is less than pathogens naturally encountered by a child in a typical year from fevers and middle ear infections.  Further, studies have shown that vaccinations, even multiple concurrent vaccinations do not weaken the immune system or compromise overall immunity.

There is literally no excuse for not vaccinating unless your child is one of the unfortunate children who cannot receive immunizations because of other medical issues.  And that brings us to the other reason why these vaccinations are so important - herd immunity.  Herd immunity is a form of indirect protection from infectious disease that occurs when a large percentage of the population has become immune to an infection, thereby providing a measure of protection for individuals who are not immune.  Herd immunity against measles requires that at least 90-95% of the entire population is immune.  Here's the trick though, we know a certain percentage of the population cannot be immunized - those with severe, life-threatening allergies, those with weakened immune systems due to disease or medical treatments, those that bruise or bleed easily, those with tuberculosis, those under 12 months, etc.  Because of this, our actual immunization percentage of the potential vaccination population (those that are eligible) needs to be higher than 95% to account for those that cannot be vaccinated.

And that's the real problem.  People who oppose vaccinations aren't only endangering themselves and their children, they are endangering people who wish they could be vaccinated but are not allowed because of other conditions.  They are literally endangering the most vulnerable of us all.

Again, we're only talking about measles here.  Heaven forbid we see polio, or outbreaks of diphtheria, hepatitis, or bacterial meningitis.  Even worse if we somehow see smallpox brought back from eradication.

So please, please - vaccinate your kids.