COVIDIOTS 2023: Better Vain Than Sorry

This very good article is from MarketWatch and is titled "‘COVID isn’t done with us’- So why have so many people started rolling the dice? Fewer than a quarter of Americans said they were ‘definitely’ planning to get the latest vaccine"

Here's an excerpt:

"Hersh Shefrin, a mild-mannered behavioral economist at Santa Clara University, still wears a mask when he goes out in public. In fact, he wears two masks: an N95 medical-grade mask, and another cloth mask on top. 'I’m in a vulnerable group. I still believe in masking,' Shefrin, 75, told MarketWatch. It’s worked so far: He never did get COVID-19. Given his age, he is in a high-risk category for complications, so he believes in taking such precautions.

"But not everyone is happy to see a man in a mask in September 2023. 'A lot of people just want to be over this,' Shefrin, who lives in Menlo Park, Calif., said. 'Wearing a mask in public generates anger in some people. I’ve had people come up to me and set me straight on why people should not wear masks. I’ve had people yell at me in cars. It might not match with where they are politically, or they genuinely feel that the risks are really low.'

"His experience speaks to America in 2023. Our attitude to COVID-related risk has shifted dramatically, and seeing a person wearing a mask may give us anxiety. But how will we look back on this moment —  3½ years since the start of the coronavirus pandemic? Will we think, 'There was a mild wave of COVID, but we got on with it'? Or say, 'We were so traumatized back then, dealing with the loss of over 1.1 million American lives, and struggling to cope with a return to normal life'?

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I can empathize with Hersh Shefrin. I'm immunocompromised, over 65, and I've been wearing masks since 2020, Now I wear a protective N95 when I'm at crowded public places, such as medical offices and supermarkets.

But I don't care one bit if anyone else is unhappy to see me wearing a mask. I don't care that my mask may give someone anxiety. If they are unhappy and anxious, it's their problem, not mine.  I used to wear a mask to protect myself and everyone else. But now I wear it just for myself, because I really no longer care about  unmasked people who are so vain, they'd rather have every organ affected by COVID than put on a mere mask. I've also gladly had every COVID vaccine that's been offered.

They weren't traumatized by a million deaths. They were "traumatized" by not being able to go to bars and restaurants! It was all about them and their selfish needs. It still is.

My advice to them? If you like getting COVID, keep at it! Don't get vaccinated, and don't wear a mask.  Personally, I don't want or need to get sick, and I've managed to avoid the disease AND you!