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What is said over the dead lion's bodyMcClanahan on Whether Our Democracy is in Peril
Ron Paul on Biden's Failing COVID-19 Vaccine Mandate
;Much of Paul's discussion is rubbish here and is in many ways grossly incompetent. I could publish a one-off post on everything he gets wrong here. No, vaccines do not always confer sterilizing immunity (which Paul specifically implies here as indicative of a "real vaccine"), e.g., hepatitis B, rotavirus, and whooping cough. A second gross distortion here involves waning immunity. There are at least two points here: the far more contagious Delta variant emerged after the initial vaccine release. What is incredible is how effective the mRNA vaccines work to reduce the risk of hospitalization and death, across multiple variants. The vaccine makers are looking at developing ones against escape variants and more specific variants such as Delta. Much is made of "superior" natural immunity by anti-vaxxers like Paul, although he may not have made the point here. But some studies show a third of COVID-infected survivors failed to show any antibodies (to fight repeat infections) and natural immunity can erode in as early as 90 days--just half of mRNA vaccines. And, of course, Ron Paul hopes that you don't remember that seasonal flu shots are not one and done.
In a recent essay I took on the breakthrough transmissible issue that Paul discusses here (less active virus, including in the lab). What Paul doesn't tell you here is there is evidence of lower viral load for mRNA vaccinated and little hard data on transmissions downstream of breakthroughs. And what is indisputable is over 90% of the hospitalized and deaths comes from the 30-odd percent of the unvaccinated.
Why did I clip this video then? I recently published an essay critical of the Biden OSHA mandate, so I thought he might be discussing court cases or possibly growing Congressional pushback against the mandate, perhaps from unions, a powerful Dem constituency. Nope. Not much other than to point at allegedly vaccine-resisting dockworkers on the West Coast and a backlog of ships of imported goods.
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