Will,
Why aren’t people getting vaccinated? Because Social media and outlets like the Stranger continues to tolerate a commentariat totally dedicated to CoVID19 disinformation and antivax talking points refusing to delete or block those accounts.

You have to clean your own house of the constant sock puppets and trolls first before casting aspersions elsewhere.

If there were ever police that deserved defunding, it's the Uvalde department.

If there was ever a time to get on the Mariner's bandwagon, it's now. If past trends hold, the chance may not come again until 2043.

I'm getting my 5th shot Wednesday afternoon. It was surprisingly hard to find a spot. Rite Aid, Bartells are booking November appts. Walgreens is 2 weeks-plus. UW is faster.

I was able to get next-day appointments at Safeway a couple of weeks ago. Looks like they're out about 2 weeks now as well.

we could do single-payer to eliminate a lot of this bullshit, but that seems reserved for civilized countries

Oh no! In market economy there are companies that make profits from selling things! Not that! Oh no!

I can't believe I have to pay Big Oatmeal every single week for my Quaker Oats and THEY MAKE A PROFIT FROM IT! They know they have me because I have to eat!

I suppose this is a problem that will eventually solve itself.

"THE RIGHT’S ANTI-VAXXERS ARE KILLING REPUBLICANS"
https://theintercept.com/2022/10/10/covid-republican-democrat-deaths/

"...but would like to see successful human trial results on the updated omicron based vaccine before getting it. "

What basis do you have to doubt it? How would those trials significantly differ from the previous vaccines that use exactly the same technology? Do you require human trail results on every single seasonal release of the Flu shot? Give me your reasoning. You don't.

You realize that there have been over 12.7 billion doses of the vaccine administered. That is literally the largest human trial of any drug in history. And guess what? Nothing much has happened. Side effects have been lower than almost any other vaccination effort in history.

@6: you may not be an anti-vaxxer, but what you wrote lacks context. The mRNA bivalent vaccine is fundamentally exactly the same in terms of how it works than the previous ones. That’s why it was approved. It’s the exact same level of testing they do every year with the new flu vaccines. The whole “only tested on mice” thing is technically accurate but essentially meaningless.

@17. I do think Haloperidol would do you more good than the vaccines.

There’s a reason why I bought Pfizer stock 2 years ago. Their CEO stated on interview they spent $2B perfecting the mRNA vaccine. If they’re going to profit, might as well get some dividends!

COVID is surging again in Europe, which means it will soon surge again here. It is so exhausting and yet I will continue to do whatever I can not to get COVID and die (as it is certainty, as in 100%, that COVID would kill me). The latest boosters here may protect against Omicron but they don't even have anything close to being able to protect from the newest variants, which seem to be able to outsmart the vaccines. COVID continues to be a slow slog of never ending sickness, death, and denial.

New research sheds light on an emerging parallel COVID epidemic

This comes as doctors are dealing with a growing number of patients who can't shake their initial COVID symptoms.
https://6abc.com/coronavirus-cases-update-covid-symptoms-booster/12308308/

As Omicron mutates wildly the virus shows first signs of convergent evolution

These mutations all seemed to be converging in a way to evade our pre-existing immunity, and a striking study recently appeared speculating the virus has the potential to completely escape our current immune responses. As many people around the world return to normality, deeming the pandemic over, these new evolutionary signals suggest we may be done with thinking about COVID but SARS-CoV-2 is most certainly not done with us …
https://newatlas.com/science/omicron-mutates-convergent-evolution-original-antigenic-sin/

Dudes.

Got my last booster in late June, I'm just getting the bivalent BA.4/BA.5 booster later this month which is 2 months early, get a grip.

What everyone else said, it's the same formula which is proven to be safe and effective. There really isn't more dialog required unless you just feel like bloviating, and hiztory is here for that, so go ahead. I got a next day at Ballard Safeway 2 weeks ago, they run on schedule and are pleasant.

It's weird that as median incomes rise, so does the homeless population. What a country!

Report the anti-vaxer accounts. Get them deleted. They are getting people killed.

Thank you mods.

@21: I don't know your medical circumstances, but I am pretty sure your chance of death from Covid at this stage of the Pandemic is not 100%.

@32 Yawn. What's your big point? Go get a booster, or don't. Idgaf about the pharma profits angle, so save that for another commenter that cares.

Report the antivaxer accounts.

@29 I have a form of ALS (non-fatal, called Primary Lateral Sclerosis) and sleep apnea and a host of other health problems (secondary due to my neuromuscular disease). So, yes, death is 100% were I to get COVID. My doctors (and they are a legion) agree. But thank you for your internet commentary.

And BTW I still believe I have a right to live and that my life has value and the people in my life who love me want me to live. So I have no intention of dying from COVID to please the masses who expect everyone who is disabled, otherwise sick, elderly, etc. to just die so everyone else can go back to doing whatever the fuck they want to do in their denial of the continued existence and spread of a virus that has already killed over 6.5 million worldwide.

I got my latest Pfizer booster (shot #5) as well as an annual flu shot at Rite Aid.

We could use some rain--it really is dry, and no fun breathing haze from wildfire smoke. I feel for those with asthma and other respiratory conditions that make them extra vulnerable. My beloved VW and I could do well without fog.
I must admit, though, that last week's weather in the San Juans was exceptionally beautiful, however unseasonal for October. Fall is here, the cooler evening temperatures are here, and days are shorter. Enjoy what waning autumn sunlight we can, folks--the dark months are coming. And I believe another La Nina winter is forecast for 2023. Skiers and snowboarders should be thrilled and if we're lucky, enough snow in the mountains will mean less drought (at least west of the Cascades, anyway).

@21, @23, @36 and @37 xina: I am really sorry to learn about your ALS condition (I think I remember you had also mentioned it in a previous SLOG thread). I am doing what I can to avoid COVID and its variants, too. Because of the haze I haven't been driving as much, and mask on public transit, in stores, and in healthcare facilities. Sending hugs, positrons, and VW beeps with good vibes.

@27 & @35 RogertheShrubber: Consider it done. I'm doing my part.