Both my wife and I are now fully vaccinated: 2 jabs each and well past the time needed for them to take effect. It's very liberating after over a year of being in near-isolation! I can go to the hardware and grocery stores and shop -- no more curbside pickups. And it means when I'm ready I can hang out at the Club's dark-sky site and do some imaging. My friends are all vaccinated so we don't have to worry about sharing the virus. In other words it's back to our pre-pandemic lives.
So if you're a vaccination holdout keep these little factoids in mind:
- You're keeping health workers overworked because a certain percent of you will require hospitalization or you'll become long-haulers. Oh, funeral homes will also be busier because a small percentage of you will die.
- You're already keeping the economy from returning to normal as fast as it might otherwise. This hurts everyone, including you. Have you been complaining about how "overreaction" to the virus has hurt the economy? That's what you're doing now.
- You're placing at risk those who vaccination might not protect sufficiently. Remember, it's only 95% effective, and possibly less against variants. Know anyone with COPD or is on chemotherapy? Pass the virus to them and you will be responsible for the suffering they will endure.
- Speaking of variants, you're doing the virus a favor by helping it hang around and create even more variants.
- If you're holding out because you think there are "microchips" in the vaccine or it's some other kind of ludicrous plot against freedom or whatever...get some professional help because you've lost touch with reality.
- What you're doing is following the very slow road to herd immunity for no reason. The people who will pay dearly for this are you holdouts and the few unlucky immunized people who you pass the virus to. The one thing you have going for you is that the crush of hospital admissions is now in the rear view mirror thanks to those of us who have gotten our jabs. You're welcome.
In other words, avoiding the jab is foolish and callous if not actually hypocritical and delusional. Good luck to you.
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Some upgrades coming to my imaging system: I'm going solar! No more lugging two big heavy batteries around. Just one smaller one and a solar panel. Even on a cloudy day it should be capable of replenishing the battery with enough power for another full night of imaging.
Also a new power junction box with a built-in dew controller.
On backorder and coming later this year is the big upgrade: an FSQ-106. Also a camera (ASI2600MM Pro) to replace my old SBIG ST-8300M. New filter wheel and OAG for it, too.
More about all this as it gets delivered and put to use!
