Oklahoma Now Classified At ‘Severe Risk’ To Covid

So what's working against us in Oklahoma? The smaller population I suppose and a general public opinion that we don't need to social distance or even, gulp, opt for a proper fitting N95 mask when social distancing isn't an option. Don't get me wrong, I don't like wearing masks either. Especially since 95% of the masks you see probably aren't doing anything for anyone else. Single layer cotton this, stretchy rayon fabric that... people like them because they're easy to breath in. Red flag. This isn't about masks though. It never has been. Our situation is a mix of all the above with a little sprinkling of vaccine.

A little over half of Okahomans are at least partially vaccinated at the moment. A little under half are fully vaccinated, and the rest are sitting around wondering if there really are aborted fetuses and microchips in the shot. Spoiler, none of that is true. But I do understand the hesitancy to accept a potentially life altering new drug that was developed so fast. To this point, it's proving to have benefits that outweigh the negative side effects by leaps and bounds... but what about the long term effects we haven't been privy to yet?

We collectively wished for an acceptable way to combat the virus, then turned our back on it because technology happened too fast. It's a wild story for the ages indeed.

Add in the bounty of misinformation, wild speculation and crazy Karening that has transpired on social media this last year and we have a culprit behind why the sitting American president is threatening and pushing for a vaccination mandate through US employers. This is where we are in America. The pandemic has managed to both replace politics as the main weapon used to divide us and yet somehow allowed that political divide to further increase.

Do I think everyone should be vaccinated? Sure. Do I think they should be forced to vaccinate? No. So where does that leave the general public in terms of mixing those with vax-status to those without? We're at a crossroads where the question has become, whose rights are going to be infringed on first? It can't be nobodies, one side or the other has to take a backseat to the conversation, and like most things it'll be left up to the idiot politicians to decide. One half of the people will cheer, the other half will do the opposite... it's just not clear which half will get their way.

Until we know where this rabbit hole will lead, people will no doubt dig in their heels on social media because amazingly, people actually believe their opinions matter. All the while I have the creeping suspicion that by the end of this whole public health event, we'll all end up losing in the long run.