Re:Why doesn’t natural immunity count in the US?
by jollybean on Wednesday September 15, 2021 @05:52AM
(#28537162)
The 'ill or obese' analogy isn't very good because it doesn't capture the contagious effects, which is the artifact of COVID that makes it different than other health and safety issues.
We don't stop people from going to the theatre because they have diabetes or cancer.
COVID is a highly contagious disease, that's what makes it a community problem, not an individual problem.
It's a more akin to having proper winter tires while driving: while it's mostly an issue of personal safety, there are other cars on the road who will mostly likely end up in an accident with you, and so there's an externalization there.
Now imagine if you got someone in an accident because you didn't have winter tires, and they also had some material degree of getting someone in an accident (i.e. if there is an R0 > 1, they will likely also crash with someone). Then the whole highways is jammed up, and everyone is affected.
We don't stop people from going to the theatre because they have diabetes or cancer.
COVID is a highly contagious disease, that's what makes it a community problem, not an individual problem.
It's a more akin to having proper winter tires while driving: while it's mostly an issue of personal safety, there are other cars on the road who will mostly likely end up in an accident with you, and so there's an externalization there.
Now imagine if you got someone in an accident because you didn't have winter tires, and they also had some material degree of getting someone in an accident (i.e. if there is an R0 > 1, they will likely also crash with someone). Then the whole highways is jammed up, and everyone is affected.
It's the contagion that makes it a problem.