A Little Knowledge, or a Lot

 It amazes me how active, adult, working people are so, ignorant is the wrong word, so I’ll say unaware, of what I consider common everyday knowledge.

I was having a conversation about the new vaccines for COVID-19, and found my friend was very, and I mean very, much against the new vaccines. She was determined not to take it. And then today I see her commenting on a Facebook posting about how these vaccines are experimental, and not approved by the FDA.  That is so wrong, as all vaccines have been granted emergency authorization by the FDA.

Yes, there have been articles and ‘breaking news’ segments on the harmful effects of these vaccines, but with further investigation the drugs have been found safe.  All drugs have potential side effects and that is to be expected.

What surprised me was that she was condemning these new vaccines and didn’t understand how vaccines work. “Look at smallpox, polio, measles,” I said. “We are vaccinated for these and those diseases have been almost completely obliterated. “Even chickenpox”. 

She disagreed with me on chicken pox, said there was no vaccine for it but when we googled it there is a one time only, vaccine given around fifteen to eighteen months.

“But what about shingles”, she asked. “Even though you don’t see chickenpox much anymore people still get shingles.”   Shingles is different I explained, it’s not contagious. Only people who have had chickenpox can get shingles.  It’s a form of flare up of the original virus from something in the blood.

She didn’t understand the basic science of vaccinations and how they work, didn’t actually understand what her children had been vaccinated for.

I may be feeling a bit superior in my knowledge, as I worked for thirty years as a Registered Nurse and was constantly learning about new diseases, treatments and cures.  And since my retirement, and especially since the pandemic, I read voraciously on the streaming news networks  

It all depends on where you get your news as to whether you trust the science that Covid is a dire threat to all mankind, and accept that we need to take appropriate precautions to prevent its spread.

Or you listen to those who try to convince you it’s all a great hoax, designed by the government to limit our rights, so that you do not want, and will not obey the laws about masks and closures and lockdowns.

 It’s all so confusing with so many ‘so-called’ experts giving their opinions.

Sometimes I think it’s too many trees to get a good understanding of the forest. Time will tell, when the final truth wins out.