In the Battle For COVID-19 Sense
Try A Little Tenderness
Talking doesn’t work. Providing more facts doesn’t work. Cajoling doesn’t work. Threats don’t work.
Such approaches are resisted by those who disagree and just refuse to debate the issue or get furious and leave the room when the subject is their refusal to get the COVID-19 booster or to take precautions like wearing masks at public gatherings. It is so tantalizing to ridicule and criticize but that will not get us over the goal line of getting more people protected from the pandemic and not in winning pyrrhic victories.
There are natural disasters that we are powerless to stop, like the a devastating tornado outbreak in Kentucky that killed at least 50 people, while “dozens” were killed at a candle factory in Mayfield, where 110 people were working when the storm hit Friday night. One tornado was on the ground for 200 miles.
Then there are those disasters that we can stall if not prevent and the dangers show no signs of abating. New Jersey on Saturday reported another 14 COVID-19 deaths and 4,198 confirmed new cases, one day after the state reported an 11-month high for daily case counts.
The situation is even more dire with the discovery of the omicron variant, a strain of COVID-19 first discovered in South Africa. The latest data from Pfizer showed that antibodies to the omicron strain diminishes around six months after two doses of the vaccine, but that the antibodies respond to a third dose or booster.
But only about one-in-four U.S. adults with two shots has received a booster, according to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) data. Another roughly 16 percent of U.S. adults are entirely unvaccinated, making them by far the most vulnerable in the population. And an analysis by the New York Times shows the U.S. is lagging behind other countries. About 15 percent of the total U.S. population has had a third dose, compared to 20 percent in Germany, 32 percent in the UK, and 45 percent in Israel.
The way toward protection is clear and relatively simple: Get the vaccinations and the boosters, avoid large gatherings and wear facial masks at indoor events. Sounds simple but emotions are hair-trigger high and hardening every day and temperatures are at the boiling point over so many social issues, including COVID-19.
To many of us, it is easy to understand the importance of vaccinations. We know that the vaccine was developed after lengthy studies, that it has proven to prevent infection to a high degree and that the booster provides even more protection. And to hear those who oppose the vaccine is maddening.
There are many who still reject all of the logic and facts. Mandating helps to a great degree but a relatively large percentage of people still refuse the vaccinations. It is altogether too easy to lecture from on high to those who have different information. It is relatively simple to use words to ridicule or minimize the feelings of others. The much harder road is much more complicated and requires compassion and understanding that people with differing beliefs have been exposed to different points of view and misinformation. To these people, the misinformation they have been fed are the facts.
In New Jersey, the seven-day average for confirmed positive tests increased on Friday to 3,519, up 41% from a week ago and more than triple the average from a month ago. That’s also the highest average since April 7. The numbers are not as bad as last year, when vaccines were not yet available, and the seven-day average was 5,216 on Dec. 10, 2020, but the numbers are still bad. The pandemic is again spiking, the omicron variant is largely a mystery and with the holidays, people will be getting together and without vaccinations or testing, it will be a wonderful opportunity for superspreading.
All of New Jersey’s 21 counties are listed as having “high” rates of coronavirus transmission, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The agency is recommending that all people in high transmission counties wear masks for indoor public settings regardless of vaccination status.
We know what needs to be done but the rub is getting there and we won’t get there if we think we can win over the opposition with anger and confrontation. That only hardens people’s positions. I overheard colleagues speaking about their opposition to being vaccinated, because they don’t know what’s in the vaccine, they don’t trust the government, COVID-19 is a scam, no more serious than the flu, people who got two doses of vaccine still are getting COVID-19. I go to ShopRite and most people aren’t wearing masks, others wear them below their noses. My first reaction is to try to make them understand the facts, next I call them out for being uninformed and for endangering us all. But I realize that there are always people who know more than I do and that it is time to stop judging others and to start showing compassion and understanding. Try to be gentle and patient and loving and understand that people are impacted by different forces. Those forces are the real enemy.
Perhaps the best starting point is to accept that everyone is lacking information on something and to stay away from words that are sure to inflame, words like “stupid” and “selfish.” If it seems overly daunting and impossible, try it in small steps. That may be our only avenue out of disaster. We have so much more in common than we think.
The only solution is for both sides in the debate to keep talking. Keep offering facts and maybe they will sink in but do it in a loving and not a challenging or condescending way.