Former FDA head: Delta variant will be ‘most serious virus’ unvaccinated ever get

Former FDA commissioner Dr. Scott Gottlieb went on Face the Nation to continue his warnings to the American public that we are in some serious trouble when it comes to the Delta variant. As people continue to choose against vaccinating themselves, COVID cases grow exponentially by the day. Since statistics don’t seem to be convincing the unvaccinated, Gottlieb tried a different tactic: the scary truth about how sick this variant is going to make them. He’s begging people not to take this gamble with their health because the very real possibility is they will lose, and they will probably be forever affected by it. CNN has more about his interview.

Millions of Americans are jeopardizing their health, freedom and finances by not getting vaccinated and putting themselves at risk of the most infectious coronavirus strain yet, current and former federal health officials say.

“Most people will either get vaccinated, or have been previously infected, or they will get this Delta variant,” Dr. Scott Gottlieb told CBS’ “Face the Nation” on Sunday.

“And for most people who get this Delta variant, it’s going to be the most serious virus that they get in their lifetime in terms of the risk of putting them in the hospital,” said Gottlieb, who was commissioner of the US Food and Drug Administration during the Trump administration.

For those not fully vaccinated, “quality of mask is going to make a difference with a variant that spreads more aggressively, like Delta does, where people are more contagious and exude more virus,” he said.

The Delta variant is also sending younger and previously healthy people to hospitals — the vast majority of which have not been vaccinated, say doctors in several states suffering surges.

“This year’s virus is not last year’s virus,” said Dr. Catherine O’Neal, an infectious disease specialist at Our Lady of the Lake Regional Medical Center in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.

“It’s attacking our 40-year-olds. It’s attacking our parents and young grandparents. And it’s getting our kids,” O’Neal said. She said her Covid-19 unit now has more patients in their 20s who were previously healthy.

“You have to get vaccinated,” O’Neal said. “That’s the only way to end it. Masks and mitigation, they’re not going to take it. It’s going to be vaccination.”

[From CNN]

I think one huge detail from this article is that the Delta variant is coming for those under 40. I truly believe the folks that are in that age bracket that haven’t gotten any doses yet think they’re safe from COVID. Or if they do get it, it won’t be that bad. I felt that way when we were going through the first two phases. I took all the precautions but there was also something in the back of my mind that told me I was also probably naturally safe. That’s what Gottlieb is warning now: that assurance is off the table.

In his segment, which you can watch here, Gottlieb talks about vaccinations and pregnancies. There have been many, many cases and some studies that have shown pregnant women and their fetuses were unaffected by the vaccines. I just saw my OB-GYN sister-in-law this weekend who saw three pregnant women with COVID last week. She told me about having to deliver a baby at 27 weeks due a mother so affected by COVID she couldn’t fight the virus and sustain the pregnancy (My SIL is a rock-star, the baby and mother survived, thank gawd.) So if you are pregnant, talk to your doctor, but feel safe about the vaccine. The Delta variant is claiming all the victims the OG COVID left alone. Masks will help, but not enough. I don’t know how to get through to those who won’t listen. Hell, even Sean Hannity has changed his stance and is begging people to take this virus seriously. I’m fine with Gottlieb and others using good old-fashioned fear to get folks vaccinated. Of course, if they had any sense, they would have been scared long before now.

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104 Responses to “Former FDA head: Delta variant will be ‘most serious virus’ unvaccinated ever get”

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  1. Erni says:

    Yet.

    He forgot to add “yet”. Don’t know what kind of mutation this virus will create inside those unvax ppl after Delta.

  2. Lizzie says:

    I ordered N95’s yesterday. I’m vaccinated and I’m so worried for my 8 year old grandson.

    • Tom says:

      Shout out to the immunosuppressed … like me.

      • beccab says:

        Me too-my doctor said to continue to mask and avoid large groups of people because even though I am immunized they don’t know if it works with my autoimmune meds.

      • GreenEyes says:

        Amen Tom! I can’t get vaccinated. I am allergic to so many things and have a history of going into anaphylactic shock so easily that I have been warned to stay home and mask up when needed. But the vaccine with my history & immune suppressant drugs is a huge no. Scares me because my mom died of Covid in Feb (she may have had variant), and my sisters mom died last June of Covid. My mom suffered so badly. Blood clots ravaged her body and shut system after system down. 2 strokes and a brain anuresim.. all while she kept fighting til she couldn’t anymore. She was so careful and anticipating the vaccine.. she was so close. 🙁

      • Darla says:

        I am so sorry.

      • AlpineWitch says:

        Greeneyes, please talk to your Doctor or several ones about vaccination. I’ve nearly died after 2 anaphylactic shocks in life (I’m only allergic to some meds, nothing else) and decided to go for the vaccine anyway. First dose caused me such a severe allergic reaction I had to be taken to the A&E. However, as getting Covid would attack my already scarred lungs, it would mean death for me. Therefore, after consultation with several Drs I was hospitalised and given an antihistaminic injection before the second dose (of a different vaccine). I can happily report that I had no collateral effects whatsoever after the second dose except a painful arm.

      • Gemgirlaaa says:

        @Greeneyes – I and other family members have a looong history of allergic reactions including to vaccines and I got both doses of Moderna without incident. Talk to your doctor. It’s so dangerous to go without.

        We’ve have Moderna, Pfizer, and J&J completed among us and everyone did really well with them. (Just the immune system side effects) I brought my epi pen just in case to my appointments and I was totally fine.

      • pottymouth pup says:

        @Greeneyes Like others, I not only have a lovely history of anaphylaxis but, last Summer & Fall, started having excessive reactions to things (a bug bite that left me with such a large wheal it took up my whole upper arm despite getting steroids in pretty quickly among them) and reacted to both my annual flu shot (1 inch wheal that took over a week to resolve) and a pneumonia vaccination (2 inch wheal that took 3 weeks to resolve) when I’d never previously had anything more than injection site soreness to any prior vaccination. Due to this, I was very concerned about getting the COVID vaccine as I very badly wanted to be vaccinated. I made arrangements with my allergist to have allergy testing to see if it was safe. He ran scratch tests to PEG & Polysorbate80 and then intradermal testing to polysorbates (they cross react) as well as to the Pfizer vaccine (microdilution at 3 levels) to ensure it was reasonably safe for me to get vaccinated. Not gonna lie, I was still apprehensive but had no immediate reaction (during 30 min observation), no early reaction (usually within the first 4 hours post exposure) and no late allergic reaction (due to my history, we remained vigilant for 12 hours post injection) for either shot.All I had the was same low grade fatigue that’s commonly reported post vaccination and, after the booster, I did have some axillary lymph node swelling & tenderness. It’s worth talking to your allergist about testing

      • Christine says:

        GreenEyes, I am so sorry.

      • GGRosey says:

        Same here. Very tough situation.

  3. Darla says:

    I am so worried about the children under 12 who can’t be vaccinated. I have 2 who I love. I’m just beside myself over these fools. You know, they have destroyed my business. My business won’t pick up until at least 2022 thanks to them. But, it’s the lives they put on the line that infuriate me more. I can’t talk about Tucker Carlson without getting myself arrested if you want to know the truth.

    • Sue Denim says:

      just here to say I always love your comments Darla, so sorry about your business and wishing you the best w your kids. It’s so hard to fathom how foolish some people can be…

      • Darla says:

        Thank you Sue, you made my morning. 🙂

      • GreenEyes says:

        Darla I am so sorry about your business. I have a few anti maskers in our family.. they infuriate me to no end. As for Tucker, I am right there with you. We would need bail money. ❤️

    • cassandra says:

      Good lord I feel you about Tucker Carlson. I don’t want to imagine what I’d do if I were in the same room as him.

      Also that Sean Hannity clip is misleading. It’s hedged between lots of anti-vax crap. He just wants a little clip to show when he gets sued.

    • LaraW” says:

      One of the things about this virus that I truly hate are the unspoken societal side effects. People who take this seriously and are vaccinated are constantly stressed, afraid, anxious— or those who are against vaccination are constantly angry and STILL stressed because of the economic toll this is taking and the fact that it dominates every news cycle. I think I read that alcoholism, addiction, depression, suicide, and domestic violence— child abuse, spousal abuse, elder abuse— have all increased in the US.

      My friends working in healthcare are beyond burned out. I think at some point, if the US doesn’t get this under control, the healthcare system is just going to fold in on itself because of the continuous, unrelenting strain. I think there are far reaching consequences that are going to ripple for a long time, and the longer this goes on, the worse it will be.

      Wow, I am totally doom and gloom today. Which is why I’m going to have ice cream for breakfast. I have a Japanese-American acquaintance whose mother said to always eat dessert first, because you never know when an earthquake will strike.

      • Indywom says:

        People concerned about the economic toll are not smart enough that the economy won’t fully bounce back until the Pandemic is over which it will not be until we all get vaccinated. So these idiots can blame everyone else but it their own fault. Unfortunately, those of us who are listening to the science continue to impacted by these fools.

      • Darla says:

        Those are really good points about healthcare workers though. They don’t owe us all this. I wouldn’t blame them.

      • Jensies says:

        I really appreciate you saying this, LaraW, and appreciate your situation too, Darla. I’m a mental health therapist who’s been doing telehealth since COVID started and I’m having to fight for an ADA accommodation with my work to stay that way and not see clients in person. I’ve explained to them the intense anxiety I have around seeing people in person, esp in a primarily unvaxxed and worrying about my own health (I’m vaxxed but still) and not being able to see my toddler niece and nephew. And am just beyond burned out from living this trauma myself while helping 70 clients work through it too. It’s led me to consider completely leaving the field.

      • Christine says:

        I am so worried about what we are going to learn, once Covid is not a thing any part of the planet is fighting. Have you noticed the lack of appalling news items regarding abused children? Me too. This is going to get a lot darker, once kids get back to school and there are a bunch missing, for no reason that is clear.

        Child abusers have always gotten away with so much, I am terrified. They have had over a year, in lockdown.

    • fluffy_bunny says:

      What type of business is it? Is there anything we can do to help out?

      • Darla says:

        Oh that is so nice. I do branded merchandise mostly for corporations and their trade shows. So you can imagine how badly I was hit. There still aren’t many trade shows at all.

    • Summergirl says:

      Darla, I wanted to sat the same as Sue Denim! I always feel I’m on the same wavelength as you! I don’t comment here much, but I’m always like “yeah, Darla,” when I see your comments.

    • Betsy says:

      I’m sorry about your business, too, Darla and wish I could support it from afar.

      I have three kids too young to get the vax. We don’t take them many places (the library is pretty much it) and both my husband and I mask up anytime we go to the store. I am BEYOND disgusted that so many are being so cavalier with the health of others, especially since so many of them would call themselves “pro life” if you asked.

      • Darla says:

        Thank you, I will be okay, I always figure out a way to survive. I am more worried about the little kids. I completely understand how you feel. It’s like living in a nightmare and as a society we seem to have put our little children on the table. Like, we’ll make a deal or something. I’m sickened by it.

      • AlpineWitch says:

        Oh Darla, so sorry to hear that!! I really enjoy reading your comments and wish you the best!!
        Don’t get me started on lack of masks and covid deniers, here in Plague Island (aka Salty Island) Borissolini Trump 2.0 let everyone go free 2 days ago and our cases are skyrocketing. I am so damn angry!
        Sending you good vibes x

    • Vavavoom says:

      Me too! (worried about the kids under 12) My son is 10 years old and autistic. Just to take blood, we have to put him under anesthesia because he doesn’t understand and is terrified of hospitals. I don’t know if we can EVER vaccinate him because of how he is.
      I can’t seem to get it through to people .. when my family or friends keep bugging me for visits. I’m my son’s 24/7 caregiver. My husband works full time and takes every precaution (he also works outside or alone in a truck most of the time), and if one of us were to possibly have symptoms we can’t isolate. I cannot isolate from my son. So, I will not be taking any risks. I get my second vaccination in a few days, but that doesn’t mean I couldn’t still get covid and pass it to him.

      I also can’t comprehend all the celebrities I see who have new babies or young children, going to Wimbledon or out to dinner maskless .. aren’t you going home to your unvaccinated children??

  4. WingKingdom says:

    Fox news is apparently still pushing anti-vaccine misinformation on every other program. These idiots are intentionally killing their own viewers. Why?!?!

    • Jo73c says:

      There’s no shortage of stupid. Plenty more where they came from.

    • Christine says:

      Because they don’t care about their viewers. There’s never going to be a shortage of idiots. Why do you think these people have jobs when so many hate them?

    • whatWHAT? says:

      “These idiots are intentionally killing their own viewers.”

      and I, for one, have NO PROBLEM with that.

      what I *do* have a problem with is how their BS is affecting those who CANNOT get the vaccine.

      • Anne Call says:

        I think they are killing off some of their viewers but they’re more interested in wreaking havoc that makes Biden look bad and then they can get a Republican Congress in 2022 and repub president in 2024. It’s f’cking treasonous and demented.

  5. EnormousCoat says:

    The messaging at the beginning of the pandemic wasn’t great. It basically said that being young was a silver bullet against the virus. Once messages like that are out, it is hard to overcome them. Of course, it is silly to not get vaccinated because you think you won’t get sick. It is about the physical and mental health of others, too, as well as our shared economic well-being. America’s vaccine hesitancy rate is shockingly and appalling high. I have a niece who is in her early 20s. She did get vaccinated, but her friends didn’t. They are all sick with COVID right now. Thankfully, she did not get sick even though they live together.

    • manda says:

      I don’t remember THAT being the message. I remember the message was this can get you bad or not bad but even if you have it not bad you can spread it. I remember people trying to push a message that young people were safe, but they’ve never been safe

      • EnormousCoat says:

        I was living in NYS at the time and that was very much a message from our governor. My husband and I discussed how he should pull back on that. There was a lot of talk about how young adults wouldn’t get sick or wouldn’t get very sick. It just wasn’t a great message.

      • manda says:

        I remember after the fact that NY got a lot of flack for misrepresenting things, I thought it had to do with the number of deaths but of course that doesn’t mean they weren’t lying about other things. I’m in MD, which I think had a decent response, and then my husband and I have a lot of news subscriptions, which is probably why I remember them telling us over and over again that it was not necessarily going to spare young people.

        I do remember at the time just having no idea what to believe, and so I tended to go with the most careful advice

      • EnormousCoat says:

        The nursing homes deaths is separate, related to a policy of keeping COVID positive patients isolated. And yes, they likely misrepresented the number of deaths to the federal government and will probably be fined. They did pull back on messaging about young adults after a bit, but putting that out there just wasn’t great because younger people already underestimate risk, and we are all somewhat bad at risk assessment to begin with. I try not to think back to the early days and how differently this could have gone if we had a functioning federal government. My in-laws live in WV and we were just terrified. Thankfully, they followed all the guidance and never became sick, but their friends and some family did. We had a death. So when they were eligible to be vaccinated, we were helping to look for appointments. I don’t know if I have ever felt relief like that.

  6. Piratewench says:

    I have two little kids at home and I can’t believe I’m considering keeping them home in the fall. I barely made it through last year, my mental health really suffered seeing my babies sequestered in the house all year.
    One of my kids is 4 and has never been in a school setting. I was ready to send both into school this fall but now I’m wavering. We are in the northeast so at least our adult vaccination rates are decent. But I’m still getting very scared.

    • marsci says:

      Piratewench, I hear you. I am also in the northeast and had my son home for virtual school – a decision I made since people in my area were not taking the virus seriously in the beginning. His teacher had just graduated from college and it was a disaster – no offense to her. I cant imagine starting off a teaching career under these circumstances and she had zero support from the school. I had to work and assist him at the same time for 10 months and I still havent recovered from the stress that brought on. Now, his school is saying no masks for the upcoming school year. I will do anything to protect him, since he can not be vaccinated, but homeschooling him this year will just bury me.

    • goofpuff says:

      I live in Texas. I’m screwed. Currently my district hasn’t said they will allow remote school next year. I live in Houston but in the suburbs and there are a bunch of very Republican idiots running my school district.

  7. Nikki says:

    My niece is a PHYSICIAN’S ASSISTANT who has not been vaccinated ; she lied & told us she was vaccinated, visiting us and our 4 tiny grandkids, one of whom is asthmatic on a nebulizer.. I live in NC, where places that were heavily pro-Trump are now antivaxxers. I don’t know how medical people can bear it. They have worked themselves half to death only for this sad situation. Trump is a murderer in my book.

    • Piratewench says:

      See stories like this is why I will not be surprised if half the families in America are broken by the end of this pandemic. How can you ever even look at a person who would do this again, let alone sit down for a holiday dinner and make nice? I am so sorry that she did that and put precious, innocent babies at risk. Some things are very hard to forgive.

    • Chaine says:

      I have a relative who is a NURSE and works in a nursing home who refuses to get vaxxed. She also thinks Trump won the election and that the results were fraudulent. I fear for the elderly at the place where she works. Until employers require vaccination we are all screwed.

      • fluffy_bunny says:

        According to SCOTUS you can be mandated to be vaccinated. I think it was small pox that the decision was about so it’s been around for a while. Drop a dime on your relative in case her employer thinks she’s vaccinated. Maybe call the news to alert them if the employer doesn’t care if employees are vaccinated.

      • 2lazy4username says:

        my mom is in a nursing home and i was LIVID when i found out they did not mandate vaccines for their staff. my mom is fully vaccinated, but i still wish more than anything i could afford to have her home with me with round-the-clock care rather than subject her to the willfull selfish ignorance of others.

      • pottymouth pup says:

        how is she still employed? even if the nursing home management is dumb enough not to care about the liability, I would expect their insurance carriers to mandate employees be vaccinated unless it is clinically unsafe for them to get the vaccine

    • Poisonella says:

      From NC too. Stopped into a supermarket in Cary this morning, and was the only customer wearing a mask. When alI this started I began wearing a mask. People looked at me like I was crazy. I am still social distancing. I’m a nurse and you would be astounded at the number of health care workers not getting vaccinated.

      • fluffy_bunny says:

        How is this legal? I don’t want to get covid from my health care providers. You can’t afford to skip getting your medical needs taken care of.

  8. Becks1 says:

    I’m more worried about the delta variant than I was about “regular” COVID – I think its a lot to do with what you said Hecate, that in the back of my mind over the past year and a half was the thought that I’m young-ish (39), overall pretty healthy – even if I got COVID the chances of a recovery etc were pretty good. I did things like social distance and wore masks to protect others, it wasnt out of a concern for myself really. That was all pretty subconscious, but as I think about it was definitely part of my thinking.

    But even being fully vaccinated, the delta variant scares me and it scares me for my (unvaccinated) children. We’re starting to wear masks again. I’m starting to feel nervous about hanging out with people outside our small circle. I’m worried for elementary school teachers who are going to be in schools this fall full of unvaccinated children.

    I just hope that everyone who can get vaccinated, does.

    • Darla says:

      Well Becks, you can hope in one hand, isht in the other, and see which gets filled first. We live in a country of morons.

      • Becks1 says:

        I know Darla, I know. I just can’t see people who aren’t already vaccinated lining up to get the vaccine at this point. My state has pretty decent numbers, but that doesn’t help as people travel etc.

    • erni says:

      Becks1, I feel you. I’m 39 too and just got it last month even though I’m vaxxed. I’m not worried about myself nor husband (vaxxed too). It’s the kids. We have many people around us who were vaxxed, getting infected but due to their health and vaccine shows no symptoms. They carry around normally and without even realizing it, infecting other people.

  9. Mcmmom says:

    My free-spirit, New Age dad and stepmother have not been vaccinated. My dad says he’s going to “let [his] body do what’s it’s going to do.” My Fox-loving, hardcore conservative in-laws, on the other hand, were vaccinated as soon as possible, as were all of their friends. In my circle, it’s less about politics and more about whether someone is an arrogant jackass.

    My kids are old enough to get the vaccine, thankfully. My daughter is going to be a sophomore in high school – she did her entire freshman year virtually. She didn’t attend a single class in person. Thank God she’s a happy and resilient kid – and even so, it took a toll on her mental health. Suicide attempts and depression is very much on the rise with teen girls – because social isolation sucks. I’m so over idiots like my extended family – get the vaccine and stop acting like an entitled jerk.

    • Nikki* says:

      I found your comments fascinating, because here in NC it’s mostly straight down party lines. My heart goes out to college kids & high schoolers like your daughter; those are super important years socially that aren’t the same in isolation. Glad she’s holding up.

      • fluffy_bunny says:

        I’m in NC and am a democrat and my husband is a republican and I believe most people he works with are also republicans and he’s vaccinated and so are his coworkers. They aren’t allowed back in the office unless they are vaccinated and share their vaccine card with the company to prove it. They have maintained the whole time that they are an in the office company and they will all be returning to the office. For the people who refuse to comply they will eventually be severed somewhere down the line. I am also vaccinated. We live in an area with a high rate of vaccination.

      • Mcmmom says:

        Nikki* – I live in Houston and my family lives in Colorado. This is pretty on brand for my parents – they live in an organic, post-hippie bubble on a few acres where they think everyone has access to free-range chickens and natural is always, always best. My in-laws in TX live in a wealthy neighborhood where – surprise! most people vote Republican AND secretly got the vaccine – it’s like they push one narrative for the common folk and another for the people who have connections and money. My father in law has some nutty politics, but he’s really, really smart – there was no way he was going to let himself or his wife be at risk. I work with a pretty conservative crowd and everyone I know is vaccinated. I think it’s more about education levels than politics (in my group).

    • manda says:

      I haven’t encountered people who I would assume would get vaxxed not getting vaxxed, but I have encountered quite a few Trumpies who told me in one breath that Dr. Fauci was going to be arrested (or some other random story they believe) and then in the next that they didn’t need to wear a mask anymore because they were vaccinated. Okaaaay!! Glad you didn’t drink ALL of the kool aid!

    • detritus says:

      I live in a very liberal city, and that’s what I see too.
      It’s not die hard conservatives, it’s our hippy/naturopath population.

    • Malificent says:

      I live in Colorado and @mcmmom is right that there are a lot of crunchy liberals who were anti-vax to start with, and are maintaining their anti-vax opinions for Covid too. And it’s collectively a very purple state, so we get the Trumpite anti-vaxxers too. But now that people they know have gotten very sick or died, folks we know in both camps are starting to vaccinate.
      And in my observation, the split is between Trump Republicans and Trump-hating Republicans. All of the Republicans I know who despise Trump and his ilk had no problems with getting vaccinated.

    • Anne Call says:

      I’ve got two friends, who’s “alternative” kids (both college graduates) are refusing the vaccine. There is definitely a contingent of wuzzy new age “my yoga teacher is my health guru” group that is not getting vaccinated. This weekend a French fashion lifestyle Instagram influencer with almost a million followers, posted an anti vaxx “we need our liberty it’s our choice whether to get it” screed that had people really upset. I unfollowed a bunch of people this weekend. Being anti vaxx for me is non negotiable, kind of like how I feel about Trump voters.

      • fluffy_bunny says:

        I wouldn’t care if my kid was an adult. I’d violate their autonomy and vaccinate them. I didn’t birth you, raise you and pay all that money to educate you for you to be a stupid asshole. My kid willingly got vaccinated and plans on wearing a mask at school. He’s in a very intense school program and can’t afford down time.

  10. SarahCS says:

    Last night I went to a local supermarket (mostly to enjoy their air con as we’re having a heat wave in the UK and particularly here in the South West) and although masks are no longer mandatory (I HATE OUR GREEDY HEARTLESS GOVERNMENT) everyone was wearing one except for… a couple in their early 20’s. Who were most likely the only unvaccinated people in there with the exception of some young staff members who all had masks on. Oh and the city where I live currently has the highest infection rates recorded since the start of the pandemic. Yay to ‘reopening’

    • Becks1 says:

      That’s the thing I said to my husband – I assume that most people (besides kids) that I still see with masks are vaccinated, because at this point I don’t trust unvaccinated people to continue things like mask wearing and social distancing.

      • manda says:

        Agreed, I don’t trust them! The people the most eager to drop masks were the people that thought it was all BS in the first place. It’s weird because even though masks are not mandatory anymore here in MD, everywhere I go people are still wearing them. I feel very much the a-hole if I don’t have one on

      • Becks1 says:

        @manda I’m in MD too but my area is pretty red so the mask wearing has basically gone down to 0 at this point, well maybe 5%. I do still see a good amount of kids wearing them though.

      • Betsy says:

        That’s what I’ve come to believe, too – those still masking are vaccinated.

  11. Beana says:

    I’m 40 and in excellent health. I have a public-facing job 50 hrs/week. Last November, despite all of my masking, cleaning, and social distancing, I got COVID. I never had to go to the hospital (my doctor sent me a pulse oximeter and blood pressure cuff so I could send them vitals from home) but I coughed so much my chest and back hurt constantly. I was bedridden for almost three weeks. Eight months later, I still experience constant tinnitus. And I knew a person with asthma around my age who died of COVID during my illness so I considered myself lucky.
    If the Delta variant is worse, my advice to the unvaxxed is: “Buckle up.” They are about to be sicker, and more scared, than they could imagine.

    • manda says:

      And honestly, I don’t understand why comments like yours don’t scare them! People are like, “it’s like the flu.” Well, no, it’s not, but have you had the flu recently?? It sucks!!

      • Darla says:

        A lot of people get sick in the winter and decide they have the flu. But they don’t have the flu.

      • manda says:

        That is true, a lot of people are overdramatic. I haven’t had the flu since college, it’s been over 20 years. But, I distinctly remember the pain in my joints that was so bad I was crying in bed because no position was comfortable. It was truly the worst experience of my life. I get a flu shot every year

      • Becks1 says:

        My mom always said that people forget how bad a “common cold” can be until they get one, and then they decide its the flu, but its “just” a cold – people just forget how much colds suck.

      • fluffy_bunny says:

        The flu at least has a rapid test and 2 types of antivirals you can take to shorten the duration. I get very sick when I get the flu so if I wake up and feel shitty I take my temperature and if I have a fever roll out to urgent care and get tested and tamiflu. I also get a flu shot every year. My kid is heading off to college in September and I’ve been stressing to him about getting a flu shot and if he feels sick he needs to get a flu test and tamiflu immediately.

      • Chaine says:

        You are so right @Darla. And I have heard so many people say they won’t get the vax because they think they “had Covid early on” and that “it was circulating before we knew about it” so they are immune. All without having ever gone to the doctor or been tested for antibodies. It’s pure wishful thinking, just because you had a cold or cough in winter 2019 doesn’t mean you already had Covid.

      • Twin falls says:

        The flu is awful. It is nothing like a cold. I had the flu March 2019 for the first time and honestly I’m grateful because I don’t know that I would have taken Covid so seriously. Anything that’s “just like the flu” I’m doing all I can to avoid.

      • Beana says:

        Honestly, the virus was so much worse than I ever imagined. I had mononucleosis in college and could barely function for a few weeks; COVID was worse. I isolated in my bedroom (away from my husband and toddler, who both got sick anyway) and cried. I wanted my mother. I tried not to think about my acquaintance dying on a ventilator.
        I keep sharing this with everyone I meet who is vaccine-hesitant. WHY do they want to risk it?

  12. faithmobile says:

    Getting H1N1 shook me, It took two weeks to recover, I was not about to play games with Covid. I got vaccinated in March in my second trimester, had zero side affects and still can not convince half my family members to get vaccinated. They’re in for rude awakening when they can’t visit their new granddaughter/niece. The resentment I have for their selfishness isn’t healthy or helpful at this time.

    • Teebee says:

      I totally agree. I suffered from H1N1 in 2009 and will NEVER FORGET how sick I felt, I thought I would die, cried for 2 weeks from the discomfort, lost 20 pounds. So, damn right, I do not want COVID. I live in Canada, conservative province, but many of us are vaccinated. However the news seems more grim than usual. The story of vaccinated people getting COVID and still getting hit pretty hard scares me. Not being sick with anything for the past 2 years has made me soft. I have a feeling getting anything again will make me paranoid for the rest of my life. I do not understand how people can take the power of viruses so lightly. We are cannon fodder for novel illnesses, we just got spanked for our hubris.

  13. Mich says:

    I was reading yesterday about a five year old in GA who died from a massive Covid stroke. Just devastating. I’m vaxxed, masked and really resentful of those who refuse to do their part in beating this plague.

    • BothSidesNow says:

      That’s so tragic. A five year old should never have to suffer, especially if it was due to the negligence of a relative.

      It sickens me that there are millions of people around the world who would give their left arm have access to the vaccine but we have an enormous amount of the population who refuse to be vaccinated. It’s down to pure selfishness and ignorance that people refuse to get vaccinated. And party affiliation does play a part in the in the choice to be vaccinated. Here in Texas, in the counties that are a strong red hold, their vaccination rates are abysmal! Plus, there will be other variants and they will probably be more dangerous than the others as well.

  14. Mei says:

    Here in the UK they government have basically given up on all mandatory regulations since last Monday and happily letting Covid spread because they think they’ve done so well with the vaccination programme. Around 70% of the population have had at least 1 dose (I just crunched the most up to date numbers), which includes 50% with 2 doses, meaning that 30% of the whole population has had no dose at all. People (mainly sh*t-rags like the Daily Mail etc) had the gaul to call it ‘Freedom Day’.
    Partly complete vaccinations + large numbers without any protection + some fully vaccinated individuals = perfect mix for breeding new vaccine resistant variants. Not to mention with vast numbers catching covid there will be unknown numbers having ‘long covid’ that will impact people’s lives for much longer after they’ve recovered and tested negative.

    I just don’t understand why people are so happy to relax back into normal routines without thinking of long term impacts on everything. Helps to not be run by a sociopathic government.

  15. Jackie says:

    I’m in SWFL, I have a friend that just would NOT get vaccinated. We have a mutual though that works in the ICU that finally got through to her. She said everyone coming in right now has Delta, and NO ONE that she’s seen go on the ventilator has come off it and survived. Scared our friend straight and she finally has an appointment for her first shot lined up.

    • cassandra says:

      I work at a hospital In SW FL. About a month ago we had no Covid patients in the ICU and less than 10 in the entire hospital-for the first time since April 2020. That lasted two weeks and now we’re filling up again.

      And on that note I’m leaving my bedside job and starting a job out of the hospital because I can’t do it anymore.

  16. Giddy says:

    I honestly wish that there was a way we could identify the unvaccinated. I think they are incredibly stupid, but it’s also their right to refuse the shot. But the rest of us who are working hard to be safe during the pandemic shouldn’t have to be around them. Let them have their own check -out lane at the grocery, with a cashier who also won’t get a shot. They shouldn’t be able to pick up their elementary age children while possibly exposing other children to Covid. There should be separate sections at high school sports for vaccinated and the unvaccinated. And for those who shriek that this would somehow violate their civil rights I say so what? No one has the right to expose others to illness. However, none of this will happen, so I believe we will be going into quarantine again very soon.

    • 2lazy4username says:

      i’m so on board with this. after flying in june and being seated next to a woman who coughed the entire flight and argued with the flight attendant, who was trying to enforce a federal mandate, about having to wear her mask, i’d be super cool with separate flights for the vaxxed and unvaxxed. let those birds of a feather fly together into the sunset.

      • fluffy_bunny says:

        They should have zip tied her hands and duct taped the mask to her face. I haven’t flown yet and don’t have anything scheduled that needs a flight until next summer but I’m booking business class so hopefully people paying a shit ton of money will be more compliant and there will be a smaller cabin. I have to sit with a rando on the outgoing flight because my husband and son always sit together.

  17. Betsy says:

    FYI, Sean Hannity is still pushing his old line about covid not being that bad and all the rest of the bull on his radio show, which according to the tweet I saw has 4x the audience of his television show.

    But I saw that Moscow Mitch is now begging people to get vaccinated. Either his bottom line is affected somehow or they realized that their voters will be overrepresented among the delta covid dead.

    • Dilettante says:

      The latter. He realizes he’s losing his voters. Sad (and I mean every bit of irony -and true sadness from the entire Covid disaster – with this word).

      • Korra says:

        It is probably a little bit of both. Moscow Mitch is likely getting pushback from corporate donors who worry about how this fourth wave of the Delta variant is going to hurt their bottom lines.

    • Catt Berlin-George says:

      I heard last night on MSNBC that Fox News makes all of its employees especially the on-air talent, get vaccinated.
      Fox has also set a vaccine passport rule in order to enter the building! And then they go on air and lie to their viewers!

  18. Lizzie says:

    I live in the ST Louis area, last I read we are about 40% vaccinated yet hardly anyone in the grocery store is wearing a mask. Do I somehow only shop with those 40%? Dr. Gottlieb recommended N95 masks, I ordered some yesterday and they were delivered today. I work from home and can have my groceries delivered but my lord I need to get out of the house sometimes. My husband delivers to grocery stores and occasionally has to merchandise so close contact with customers. He started masking again. We are both vaccinated but the delta variant is no joke and I pray daily for those too young to get a vaccine yet.

  19. Case says:

    As we’re culturally pushed to get “back to normal” while this variant runs rampant, infecting and sometimes even killing fully vaccinated people and targeting children who can’t yet be vaccinated, my mental health is completely down the drain. I’m trying my best to do some “normal” activities with close friends and family, but…I don’t want to get sick. I have other health conditions to worry about, and, quite simply, even if I could guarantee living through COVID, I don’t WANT to get it!

  20. Aimee says:

    I’m a vaccinated Democrat and my boyfriend is a vaccinated Republican. He might be stupid about his political choices but he’s not stupid when it comes to this virus.

  21. TiredMomof2 says:

    My work just switched from okay to unmask in your office to all masks/everyone/all the time. We have some people in our department who are “waiting” to get the vaccine, which convinced me that I should be fully remote. There are a ton of parents in my community who are pushing for no masks / no vaccines for our K-12 schools. I am so glad my son is going off to college where everyone has to be vaxxed — students, professors and staffs. I’m the nervous Nellie who never stopped masking bc I don’t trust the people in our community.

  22. TeeMajor says:

    Working for the Police Dept, it was heavily suggested that we get the vaccination and at first I was against it. Me and several others I worked with all got ours shots (we were all against it earlier) and I am glad.

    I had some serious apprehension because i have severe allergies, I am allergic to everything.

    I had NO problems, with the first one and the 2nd shot had me lethargic and sore. I called off work and made a big deal about saying “goodbye” to my co workers, “this may be it for me”

    within 4 hrs, I felt great and called to say I would be in, everyone laughed and told me to just enjoy the rest of the day off. LOL. I’m glad i did it and I wear my mask EVERYWHERE!!

  23. Christine says:

    ” Or if they do get it, it won’t be that bad. I felt that way when we were going through the first two phases. I took all the precautions but there was also something in the back of my mind that told me I was also probably naturally safe. That’s what Gottlieb is warning now: that assurance is off the table.”

    I felt that way too, and if I didn’t share a duplex with my Mom (76), I would have scoffed at the suggestion that I, or my 11 year old, needed to be vaccinated as soon as humanly possible.

    I spent an entire year, never getting closer to my Mom than 6 feet, and she lives DOWNSTAIRS from me. There is a disconnect, for me, with the people that are still refusing to get vaccinated.

    Did you not see what Delta did to India, or do you just not care about people on a different continent, as well as the people who live next door to you and are not eligible for the vaccine?

  24. projectmindy says:

    I kept wearing my mask outside because it’s great sun protection too! In my area of NYC, everyone on the subway is wearing a mask but iffy in other indoor spaces. I’m attending an event where they plan on checking vaccine cards but that seems pointless since they could be easily forged.