Why I’m not scared of Omicron

Featured image by Daniel Lobo. Follow the link for more of this artist’s work.

My coworker asked me if I had gotten my booster yet. I told him “No.” He followed up with, “are you going to get your booster?” I again told him, “no.” I don’t believe that I need to get a booster, and I’m not planning on getting one.

The Omicron variant (affectionately called Omnicron by President Brandon) continues to spread in the US. California, my current home state, has confirmed cases, and community spread is likely already happening. The preliminary data shows that Omicron is beginning to crowd out Delta, and (so far) it is less deadly than the previous dominant strains of COVID-19. The New York Times reports that in South Africa, where the current variant of the virus was first discovered, patients at a major hospital complex in Pretoria are “much less sick than those they have treated before, and that other hospitals are seeing the same trends. In fact, they said, most of their infected patients were admitted for other reasons and have no Covid symptoms.”

There is mixed news in this reporting, early reports indicate that the Omicron variant is causing less severe infections than previous versions (good news), but it shows that prior infection offers little immunity to it (not so good news). Currently, Omicron is in over 30 countries, but in Europe “there are early indications that Omicron cases may be fairly mild, if easy to contract.” (Good news). The current positive testing rate in South Africa is about 25% (not so good news) but hospitalizations are shorter and less severe (good news). The rate that people needed help breathing is much improved as well, with only 9 of 42 hospitalized patients needing supplemental oxygen for COVID-related reasons (good news).

So why should I be afraid? I got my two vaccine doses when delta started. I was excited to get them. I think that everyone should consider it and talk with their doctor. But if I’m faced with contracting mild flu-like symptoms from Omicron and have a great chance to recover considering my age and health factors, then why do I need to get boosted. Natural immunity, according to Dr. Marty Makary (via MSN Health) is better against COVID than being vaccinated. Data “from Israel revealed that natural immunity appears to be 6.7x more effective than being vaccinated when it comes to fighting off COVID-19.”

And besides, we no longer need to mandate vaccines. Pfizer, according to CNN, has developed a treatment for COVID. If given within three days of symptom onset, risk of hospitalization or death was decreased by 89%. This game changer, once authorized, can help almost as much as the vaccines. And the data suggests that it is effective against Omicron. This means that the pills can be prescribed and taken at home, cutting down on the need for hospitalizations, further relieving stress on the hospital system.

We must move forward from this pandemic. We cannot stop it. We cannot control it (regardless of what the politicians say). We can learn to live with it. But we have far more pressing issues to deal with now. Our essential liberties are being snuffed out before our eyes. The world economy is being collapsed before our eyes. We run the risk of hyperinflation without end. We cannot sustain this government funded madness to our system. And it starts by saying no to mandates and edicts. It starts by saying no more. We cannot do this anymore, and the people who wish to control us through fear and intimidation must be put back in their place.

I’m not scared of Omicron. I’m more scared of what the people who have become drunk on power will do with more control.