Did you get the COVID vaccination?

[PeterG]

I will try to understand your position above and not put words in your mouth; here is what you seem to be saying:

"It is mind-boggling to me that a normal funeral was held."

"I'm confounded that precautions weren't taken at that funeral."

"I am very disappointed and do not approve of people going ahead with a funeral that could spread something like the flu."

If that is not what you meant by your above words, please correct me.

Yes, that is what I meant...sort of. It's extremely important that all of this is in the context of a funeral that took place in November, not recently, and that RZehr said, "Pretty much everyone knew it was going to be a 'super spreader event' beforehand, and no precautions were taken." (I appreciate that RZehr clarified the situation, and I readily acknowledge that my statements before that clarification were based on poor information. I nonetheless stand by my responses in the context of RZehr's initial statement.) And in the context of what RZehr said, it wasn't something that *could* spread disease so much as it was something that *would* spread disease ("everyone knew it was going to be a 'super spreader event'").

Your responses addressed, among other things, the conservative Anabaptist view of lockdowns, the COVID situation of recent months, the consequences of more recent gatherings, the hypochondriac status of those who care about COVID or are afraid of conservative Anabaptist funerals, the prospect of permanent changes to church events, and combatting obesity as a greater priority than combatting COVID. None of which addressed what I had actually said in context, and much of which came after the first time I told you that you were missing my point (but before you asked for clarification).

[Josh]

Yes, that is what I meant...sort of. It's extremely important that all of this is in the context of a funeral that took place in November, not recently, and that RZehr said, "Pretty much everyone knew it was going to be a 'super spreader event' beforehand, and no precautions were taken." (I appreciate that RZehr clarified the situation, and I readily acknowledge that my statements before that clarification were based on poor information. I nonetheless stand by my responses in the context of RZehr's initial statement.) And in the context of what RZehr said, it wasn't something that *could* spread disease so much as it was something that *would* spread disease ("everyone knew it was going to be a 'super spreader event'").

I viewed RZehr as being a little tongue-in-cheek, as virtually any gathering was at risk of being labelled a "super spreader event". I myself went to Thanksgiving with my family in November; such gatherings were also labelled "super spreader events".

Your responses addressed, among other things, the conservative Anabaptist view of lockdowns, the COVID situation of recent months, the consequences of more recent gatherings, the hypochondriac status of those who care about COVID or are afraid of conservative Anabaptist funerals, the prospect of permanent changes to church events, and combatting obesity as a greater priority than combatting COVID. None of which addressed what I had actually said in context, and much of which came after the first time I told you that you were missing my point (but before you asked for clarification).

These seem relevant in the context of lobbing criticism at people attending funerals. I was fairly critical in spring/early summer of last year of some people who chose to attend funerals or otherwise had various social gatherings where a member of their congregation died.

I felt rather rebuked when I went to a meeting at that congregation last week, as I was face to face with some of the people I had criticised from a safe distance. It's okay to have an opinion, but the level of moralising about how wrong it might be to... attend a funeral? hold a funeral? seems a bit misplaced. Imagine if we were all this worked up about things that are actual sins spoken about in the Bible.

[PeterG]

These seem relevant in the context of lobbing criticism at people attending funerals. I was fairly critical in spring/early summer of last year of some people who chose to attend funerals or otherwise had various social gatherings where a member of their congregation died.

I felt rather rebuked when I went to a meeting at that congregation last week, as I was face to face with some of the people I had criticised from a safe distance. It's okay to have an opinion, but the level of moralising about how wrong it might be to... attend a funeral? hold a funeral? seems a bit misplaced.

You continue to respond to things I have not said. I have already said clearly that my issue was not with the funeral itself, but with the lack of precautions. (Again, this is in the context of what I understood about the situation at the time, which has since been corrected.) That should have been clear from my initial response to RZehr's comment, which was focused entirely on the lack of precautions, and was not at all concerned with whether a funeral was attended or held—

Pretty much everyone knew it was going to be a “super spreader event” beforehand, and no precautions were taken.

This is just mind-boggling to me...

I am finished with this conversation.

[Josh]

I have already said clearly that my issue was not with the funeral itself, but with the lack of precautions.

Okay. What are these "precautions" you feel should be imposed on people in a state on the opposite side of the country?

Generally speaking, it seems you have expectations for how funerals are to be conducted, and are aghast that someone would not follow these "precautions". So perhaps it would be pertinent for you to share these with us.

[Jess77]

According to the latest data over 500 children in the US have died of Covid and many thousands have suffered severe forms of the disease requiring hospitalization. Something like 19% of current cases in the south are children and pediatric wards across the south are filling up with child Covid patients. So Nett's claim that "they are at no risk from COVID, and face the most seriously risk of long term side effects." is demonstrably false.

2 children in my county-- 1 under five years and 1 between five and twelve-- have died from the virus in the past month. What we are seeing now is not the same as what was going around last year. I have no idea if it is the Delta or what. I just know that the survivability rate was much higher in my county last year. This year a lot of people between 30 and 50 are dying, along with the 60 and over crowd. Fast too! It's not good.

[Jess77]

I was on the fence for a while, but did finally break down and get it last week. I will get my second dose in September. What pushed me over was two things: First, the high number of people my age (40s) being hospitalized and dying. I live in a small town in North Florida. We are open as far as things go. Many businesses are having to close or go under extreme diminished hours because of workers being out sick with covid. Our high school football team just had their first gave of the season canceled because the opponent team had a covid outbreak. We just lost a 48 year old school teacher ( and member of my church) just one day after being hospitalized. One day she posts on Facebook asking where she can get a rapid test because she wants to make sure she doesn't have the virus. 6 days later she is dead. Her husband is the fire chief and he too was hospitalized, but has since been released.

The second thing that made me decide to go ahead and do it was thinking about the medical field as a whole. How many people go to the doctor for a problem and then take whatever medication they are handed without thoroughly researching it? How many in the hospital question the doctors on what is in the IV drip? The fact that the vaccine came fast does concern me and I am definitely concerned about long term side effects. But what it comes right down to is that for me, "To live is Christ and to die is gain." I am ready to go if God takes me now, but if not, I am going to do the best I know to protect myself from the effects of sin in order to serve Him more, and trust that He has my life in his hands in spite of the vaccine.

[Josh]

According to the latest data over 500 children in the US have died of Covid and many thousands have suffered severe forms of the disease requiring hospitalization. Something like 19% of current cases in the south are children and pediatric wards across the south are filling up with child Covid patients. So Nett's claim that "they are at no risk from COVID, and face the most seriously risk of long term side effects." is demonstrably false.

2 children in my county-- 1 under five years and 1 between five and twelve-- have died from the virus in the past month. What we are seeing now is not the same as what was going around last year. I have no idea if it is the Delta or what. I just know that the survivability rate was much higher in my county last year. This year a lot of people between 30 and 50 are dying, along with the 60 and over crowd. Fast too! It's not good.

I would strongly suspect comorbidity with RSV or flu. Some acquaintances of mine are terribly sick right now. Trying to figure it out. One of them gets a test today so we’ll find out more once the test comes back. (Dr ordered both a pcr and antibody test.)

[Jess77]

I would strongly suspect comorbidity with RSV or flu. Some acquaintances of mine are terribly sick right now. Trying to figure it out. One of them gets a test today so we’ll find out more once the test comes back. (Dr ordered both a pcr and antibody test.)

Praying for your friends!

[temporal1]

Jess77:
.. What we are seeing now is not the same as what was going around last year.
I have no idea if it is the Delta or what.
I just know that the survivability rate was much higher in my county last year. ..

Delta has been reported to be, “more contagious than Chicken Pox, less severe, less deadly, more like hay fever.”

Your observation does not align with “C Pox” comparisons. Your view that it’s “not the same” may be significant.

Huge investments have been made in these vaccines, this virus, they won’t just be discarded. just because they were wrong.

[Ken]

Jess77 lives in Florida.

At this very moment, today, deaths, hospitalizations, and covid cases in Florida are dramatically higher than at any previous point in the pandemic. If Florida were a stand-alone country it would be the 3rd highest Covid country in the entire world behind only Georgia (the country) and Kosovo. And that is despite changes in the way that the state of Florida reports Covid deaths which diminish the numbers. And many of the larger counties have Covid rates that exceed every other country on the planet. That seems reasonably concerning.

FYI, the CDC reported yesterday that with the new delta variant, unvaccinated people are 5x more likely to catch Covid and 29-times more likely to be hospitalized. https://www.cnbc.com/2021/08/24/cdc-stu ... covid.html