(DON THOMPSON / iNFOnews.ca)

OPINION

Tired of this whole pandemic, are you? You say life seems worse now than when you first heard about COVID…nearly two years ago? That might well be true.

But this is no time to be fed up with the whole thing and throw caution to the wind. You know, like life-long smokers resigned to their fate who say, “Well, you gotta die from something!” If you really believe that…don’t bother reading any further…because the facts here won’t fit your narrative.

The Omicron variant is everywhere…across Canada and here in the Okanagan. Canada reported just under 29,000 cases per day last week, with about 125 people dying each day. Nearly 1,000 people are in hospital in B.C. today with positive COVID-19 tests, with about 150 of those in intensive care units…just under last year’s high point of 178 ICU patients.

These aren’t just numbers…they’re real people…loved ones…mothers, fathers, grandparents, brothers and sisters. Sadly, those 125 people dying every day usually don’t hold a loved one’s hand…rather, they more likely say a final goodbye to an overworked, stressed-out nurse.

The risk of infection has decreased for the younger, healthy and vaccinated among us, according to provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry. But Omicron is still causing serious illness among many British Columbians, she said, adding that one of every ten people who get COVID-19 have symptoms that last three months or longer.

Some folks I know - Facebook friends and relatives - are confusing what politicians or crazy Uncle Jack says, with what science knows.

So, witnessing the plethora of Facebook misinformation, I’m devoting today’s column to factual information on Omicron and especially vaccinations and boosters, something you can use to lower the risk of illness to yourself and others.

The facts here come from the website of Johns Hopkins University, one of the world’s leading research hospitals. The following test - true-false - will let you know the latest facts…and dispel some of the fiction and misinformation about COVID in the public domain.

True or False? A booster shot will lessen both your symptoms and transmission with breakthrough infections, and can prevent you from getting COVID-19?

That’s true. We know that immunity from full immunization wanes over time and the booster dramatically increases the immune response more than five fold over two doses of mRNA vaccines or one dose of Johnson & Johnson. Once fully vaccinated - including booster - if you are infected…it will be milder. Get the booster as soon as you become eligible.

True or false? The Moderna vaccine and booster lasts longer than the Pfizer, Johnson & Johnson or AstraZeneca vaccines and boosters?

That’s true. However, if you had the Pfizer or J & J vaccines and boosters you are still much better off than being unvaccinated. Vaccinated and boosted folks are more likely to have milder cases of COVID-19, even from Omicron, the most prevalent variant.

True or false? Getting infected by the Omicron virus is just as good as getting vaccinated and taking a booster?

False. There’s no research that proves an Omicron infection provides any ongoing immunity…and while that might be the case…you might also win this week’s Lotto Max. Get vaccinated and get a booster. That is what we know works.

True or false? People suffer from side effects long after they get vaccinations and booster shots.

False. People in the original trials are still being monitored and there are no long-term side effects from Moderna or Pfizer vaccines. The only side effects happened soon…within a matter of weeks of vaccination. The Johnson & Johnson vaccine brought rare but very real bleeding and blood-clotting complications - thrombotic thrombocytepenia - primarily to women under 50, but less than in persons who were unvaccinated and infected with COVID-19. If you have access to mRNA vaccines…Moderna or Pfizer…it is slightly more effective than Johnson & Johnson, which is still much better than being unvaccinated.

True or false? People who get mRNA vaccinations could suffer myocarditis - inflammation of the heart muscle - so maybe vaccinations are more dangerous than claimed.

False. There have been just a few cases of myocarditis - mostly young males - and it is a transient ailment. In billions of vaccinations worldwide…only one person has died. Besides, incidences of myocarditis and pericarditis - inflammation of the fibrous pericardium tissue surrounding the heart - are 10 to 100 times more likely among unvaccinated people who contract COVID-19.

No one enjoys the way we have had to alter our lives because of this pandemic. It is - and this is truly understatement - something that has brought physical and emotional pain to billions of people.

But we have often been our own worst enemies…refusing to wear masks (especially the now readily available N95 and KN95 masks that are more effective against Omicron), washing hands and staying away from other folks.

Complaints like “I refuse to live like this anymore!” truly show a lack of regard for others. And again, just as those life-long smokers who say, “You gotta die from something!”…we suffer from those with a you-can’t-tell-me-what-to-do attitude or who falsely claim that COVID-19 is no more dangerous than common flu. Well, they’re wrong. Their actions have led to the deaths of hundreds of thousands of people unnecessarily…and continue to increase everyone’s risk.

This pandemic has gone on longer than it should have because we ALL didn’t do the right things. Workplaces that have been closed, opened and closed again could be open today if everyone played by the rules from day one.

I’m not sure when our lives will get back to anything we might call normal, but meanwhile spread facts not fiction…and we’ll get through this a little sooner.

— Don Thompson, an American awaiting Canadian citizenship, lives in Vernon and in Florida. In a career that spans more than 40 years, Don has been a working journalist, a speechwriter and the CEO of an advertising and public relations firm. A passionate and compassionate man, he loves the written word as much as fine dinners with great wines.

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