I’ve been asked several times since my last dispatch whether or not I think FDA approval of the Pfizer vaccine is going to move the needle for the anti-vax crowd. Unlikely. If you thought the COVID-19 vaccines were part of a government conspiracy, full government approval for them is unlikely to be the tipping point when it comes to changing your mind.
What is likely to change behaviors, if not attitudes, is the swathe of vaccines mandates that are quickly rolling out across the country. Nearly 1,000 institutions of higher learning and a growing list of companies–including Goldman Sachs, Ford, Facebook, Delta Airlines, and Tyson Foods–are mandating their students and workforce get vaccinated. It will be a slower (and therefore, deadlier) path toward higher vaccination rates but unlike a direct government mandate or vaccine passports it will be an economic, rather than political, issue.
And never did I think I would have to say this explicitly but if you’re reading this: you are not a horse. Stop taking ivermectin. Please.
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