To be injected or not injected: the covid-19 vaccine part I

I have been against taking any covid-19 vaccine.

I am not anti-vaccination, I am just using my brain and also when even the experts have no idea about the vaccine, it does not make me want to get one.

Anti-vaccination is not the same as being against the covid-19 vaccine.

I am not against anyone else getting one, but here are my reasons. Make of them what you will.

1. I have a choice in taking one of two vaccines: I am not having something made in China inside me (the Sinovac one).

I would rather take the Pfizer-BioNTech one which is imported by Fosun Pharma from Germany, if I do take it. The Oxford-AstraZeneca is supposed to be imported later in the year, but if we do get it, then I would still take Pfizer-BioNTech's.

2. WHO's Kate O'Brien and Dr Mike Ryan say from a public health point of view no government should make any covid-19 vaccine mandatory to take.

I will not go in-depth into my opinion on WHO, but suffice to say, they are still credible. I also have a personal connection with WHO.

https://www.scmp.com/news/world/article/3112958/who-against-making-coronavirus-vaccine-mandatory

Citation: The World Health Organization said Monday that persuading people on the merits of a Covid-19 vaccine would be far more effective than trying to make the jabs mandatory.

The WHO said it would be down to individual countries as to how they want to conduct their vaccination campaigns against the coronavirus pandemic.

But the UN health agency insisted making it mandatory to get immunised against the disease would be the wrong road to take, adding there were examples in the past of mandating vaccines use only to see it backfire with greater opposition to them.

“I don’t think that mandates are the direction to go in here, especially for these vaccines,” Kate O’Brien, director of the WHO’s immunisation department, told a virtual news conference. “It is a much better position to actually encourage and facilitate the vaccination without those kinds of requirements. I don’t think we envision any countries creating a mandate for vaccination.”

O’Brien said there may be certain hospital professions in which being vaccinated might be required or highly recommended for staff and patient safety.

But WHO experts admitted there was a battle to be fought to convince the general public to take the vaccines as they become available.

“The vaccine story is a good news story. It is the victory of human endeavour, potentially, over a microbial adversary,” said the organisation’s emergencies director Michael Ryan.

“We need to convince people and we need to persuade.”

As for making vaccines mandatory, he said: “I think all of us who work in public health would rather avoid that as a means for getting people vaccinated. “We are much better served to present people with the data and the benefits and let people make up their own minds.”

“There are certain circumstances … where I would believe that the only responsible thing would be to be vaccinated,” he added.

3. What are the long-term and short-term health effects?

No expert can tell me with 100% certainty what they are

4. How long are you immune for?

I need a definite answer from an expert

5. It is not a 'traditional' vaccine

Many vaccines you are injected with and never get infected/sick. People have been fully vaccinated with a covid-19 vaccine and have been infected with covid-19. Yes, a milder form, but it is still covid-19.

Example: the leader of Argentina.

6. I am not a priority group

Here I can get vaccinated should I decide to because the government have decided I can.

Children should be a priority group but because the experts know fuck all about the vaccine no one under a certain teenage age, depending on the country, can take it.

Call me what you want, but in terms of the Human population, if most of the people over 60-70 die, the Human population will survive.

If many children die, ie children under a certain teenage age depending on the country, the Human population will die out. In many places, 18 is when you are legally considered an adult and even then, many 18 year olds are not financially independent and living a stable and sustainable life. So it's not just children dying, it's at least 18 years from birth on top of that, at least, until they are possibly a contributing member of society.

So the vaccine needs to be able to be used on children and they need to be a priority group.

As I am not a priority group and I believe in priority groups, another reason against any covid vaccine.

7. Travel

Seriously, you trust the Human population can sort out travel? Travel in this case means flights as it's more commonly used to get from Country A to Country B, in contrast to, say, ferries.

Example/proof 1: As a Travel Baby, I gave up on trying to adhere to the check-in weight of my one suitcase of each airline/flight.

If you don't understand, you do not travel.

I just stick to my own self-imposed weight of 20 Kg because it makes my life so much easier.

Why? One reason: have you ever tried to shrink 30 Kgs or 25 Kgs into less Kgs without buying and paying more or putting your personal belongings in the bin?

Save yourself the trouble, ignore the staff and stick to 20 Kg check-in weight for one suitcase.

Why one? Always assume the 'worst'. Are you gonna make your life harder and travel with two 20 Kg suitcases, plus your carry-on and backpack/handbag (and coat/jacket)?

Example/proof 2: It is historical, but there is no one electric plug system. There is some homogeneity between countries, but there is a reason expensive international travel adaptors exist.

Are those examples enough proof of what chaos governments are going to cause with travel and covid-19 vaccines? Governments are Humans, like the people who set the 20 Kg check-in weight and the people who have say over plugs, which on any level, are two pretty insignificant irritations. You think Humans can manage significant problems?

Note I am not even meaning the 'vaccine passport', I don't give a fuck about that. Example: You have taken Vaccine A in Country 1, but Country 2 requires you to have Vaccine B.

What if you are not flying direct? Maybe Country 3 you stop in will require you to have Vaccine C.

And you know what? You will be the one most impacted, you will end up stuck and upset and possibly spending a lot more money. The people in charge will not budge, believe me.

This is aside from possible quarantine of 7-14-21 days, which you may have to pay for, and possibly also on top of the covid-19 tests and anything else that did not exist pre-covid-19 before you even put one toe on board a plane.

Travel may be a reason I get Pfizer-BioNTech, but even then, because Humans are Human, I might prefer not to travel.

If I do get vaccinated, I will get one recognized by many governments, which goes back to 1 - no vaccine made in China. Still, being vaccinated still may not allow me to travel and I accept that.

Or, vaccinated or not, I'll find flights that mean I can get from A to B. Research, baby, research.

8. People around my age getting sick

Yes, apparently they are, because they're not taking precautions, not because of any other reason like the virus has mutated and become a strain which specifically targets my age group.

Yes, life with covid-19 can be really, really hard. Especially for the people in countries like Italy, France, England etc. who have not only been in lockdown for long amounts of time, but in and out of lockdown.

But do you want to live life like it was pre-pandemic? Then fucking take precautions. Especially as you are not a priority group, it is selfish.

9. Covid-19 needs to be contained, that is the only solution health-wise and for the World economy and World politics

For anything to be like it was pre-pandemic, covid-19 must be the number on top priority on all levels in all places.

But the vaccines are not the solution. SARS was contained and there wasn't a vaccine and there still isn't. It's a coronavirus too. And it has never appeared again.

- A.M.

Tim Bergling aka Avicii, 8 September 1989 - 20 April 2018

It was three years ago Tim Bergling took his life, in Muscat, Oman. He was 28 years old.

Basically, I had never listened to any of his music nor heard of Him. I remember the photo and headline on the BBC though.

I discovered who he was and his music from then though and he's great, Him and his music. Songs that stand out for me are 'Sunset Jesus', 'Somewhere In Stockholm', 'Never Leave Me' and 'Heart Upon My Sleeve'. 'Hope There's Someone' has the incredible voice of Linnéa Henriksson and 'Dear Boy' has MØ's. Avīci (01) is also a solid EP. 'Never Leave Me' has some significance to me, I listened to it daily for sleeping purposes. I must also mention Joe Janiak and Bonn, 'Hold The Line'/ A R I Z O N A.

Tim Bergling was not only Avicii the DJ, but he was an artist. He produced everything from its germination to the final song. Not only was he prolific with collaborators, but he also found some wicked singers to sing on his songs.

I think I will post once or twice more about Avicii and I don't exactly know how the second one will go, so I'm aware of the content of this one and that one. And possibly the first one, it's basically translating it from written format to publishing on this blog - I think.

As I understood more about what Tim Bergling went through and after watching AVICII: TRUE STORIES, it was not surprising he died. If not then, then another time (and maybe place), but I cannot comment on if it would have been by suicide or when he was older. This is not the same as saying it was good, it absolutely was not, but the pressure and stress he was carrying on his shoulders, and his continued screams of help that were not listened to did not lead to a happy and healthy person and life and his death (in the sense everyone dies).

Then after he retired from live shows, it seemed he was doing so well. He was concentrating on himself. He was free, not living with a schedule and management and deadlines. Physically, he looked healthier.

Another issue that I grappled with was his parents. It's normal for parents to expect to die before their child. But for a child to die before their parents is not only out of what is normally expected, but a reality that must be devastating to process, if you ever do fully. Add in the fact it was by suicide and extremely young, it must be heartbreaking. The fact he was so talented is also another facet, but I don't think the parents would care, all they care about is their son is no longer living and no longer with them.

One outcome and topic of Tim Bergling's/Avicii's tragic suicide is it made huge ripples in the music industry and the mental health field. That it came about from such a young, talented, well-known individual is not desirable, but maybe that's what was needed. The cost has been so high for his family and loved ones and also for his fans, but the latter to a lesser extent, especially as they have no real personal connection to him. Music can be 'forgotten', especially after death.

Listening to his music, Tim seemed to have as a recurring subject the outsider/the other/the misfit/the one who doesn't fit in. Music aside, I think it is safe to say many people listened to his work because of said subject and still do.

- A.M.

Signature required packages

I will discuss this in another post I have yet to type, but I have ordered and paid for more online since the middle of July 2020 at the earliest than I think I have ever done in my life; mainly because what I bought can't be found here and/or it's easier to buy online than spend an inordinate amount of time looking for it locally. Completely and utterly unrelated to covid-19.

Until recently, I had very little experience with packages that required my actual physical presence and/or a signature. I think compared to other people, I still have very little experience; but even before now, I had enough to know that depending on the courier, they knock and/or ring your doorbell, call (sometimes softly) and/or wait 5 or 6 seconds before hightailing it back to their vehicle. So you are left with a 'card to call' stating that you were not at home when you in fact were, but it takes 10 or 12 seconds to open the door, even if you are just sitting down and all you need to do is get up and open it. Yes, I know the nature of their job is to deliver their packages promptly, but there's a difference between waiting for a reasonable amount of time that is humanly possible and not.

Covid-19 has completely changed the game and how pleasing it is when you have the option not only of not having the package not needing a signature, but with your authorization, they can leave it right outside your door.

I have not always had the 'leave in a safe place' option within the last ten months, but with any luck and logic, this raft of 'no contact delivery' options will remain post-covid-19.

On a side note, DHL is absolutely terrible, but sometimes that is the only courier available when making my online purchase and the only merchant available to me.

- A.M.

Adele commemoration

I saw Adele live in 2017.

I should've commemorated it in 2020, but my blog wasn't an actual reality then and to be honest, I don't think I even remembered it was three years (in 2020). Anyway, I am marking it now, and it is a little over 4 years.

I won't go into details about the whole day because I don't know if I'll write a post about it. Suffice to say it was significant for many reasons and she can sing. I mean I knew she could but to actually see it live is another thing entirely.

Also, I am absolutely aware I am lucky to have seen her and for more than the fact she cancelled Wembley afterwards and she may never tour again.

Whilst I am on the subject of Adele, I did read maybe an article or two about her weight loss, but I don't know if it's justified to react negatively to her losing weight. She has never talked about it really and she can do what she wants with her body. People who also looked up to her because she wasn't the slim singer like many others, this came from them. Adele never put out that message/visual. And she is still being true to herself, she decided to lose weight. It's not like she was made to do it for whatever reason. 

And for those who doubt Adele, just think about it: she releases albums when she wants, she controls her image and performances, she writes her own songs and not that I am saying money is the only thing, but she has enough money not to care and/ or pay for many things. Like she can pay to get the best producers for her album or she can pay for the outfit to be on her in 48 hours. Or maybe a better example, she can pay to use that studio for a month.

For the people who do talk about their weight for the general public and suddenly do a u-turn I can see fans reacting negatively but that is not Adele.

Also, depending, it might not be healthy for you to try to be like someone of that calibre because they may have more resources and access than you ever will. Inspire from them but don't try to be like them. Unless it's harmless, like a haircut or outfit, for example.

Besides, you can never really look like them because our bodies are different unless you get surgery to modify your body. And in that case there might be an underlying issue like low self-esteem.

I have been majorly influenced by one awesome artist before in the hair department, but that's it I think. And then I still kind of did my own thing.

- A.M.

Fall off

I decided April was going to be when I got back into my resolutions because I kind of fell off. My definition.

But today an expected came up so that will probably not happen. It's a bit 'annoying' because I was going to really be more into them in the sense I was going to do them when I said I would. I am fed up but also fighting.

I am such a hypocrite these days and I will explain why but I just am waiting, I think, for the time. It's inside me, but the actual act of typing it out is different.

It will come out, and then hopefully it will be out of my system then. That's a thing I think I've found out -

Ok, actually falling asleep.

That's me.

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Continuation on 2nd April.

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I've found out - sometimes when it's expressed outwards, then I'm done with it. Or a lot of 'baggage', 'what I was holding on to' is lessened a lot.

In any case, I can't remember if I had more to say.

So the unexpected happened and wasn't fixed. So round two tomorrow, maybe. Then I can get on with my resolutions and getting 'back on my feet' so to speak. I've done well myself. Then maybe I can actually settle into the routine not only do I want, but is healthier.

If . No. I'm not going into more detail. It will be saved for that post. And I will stop talking about said post because then it might be a big thing eagerly awaited for when it isn't really.

- A.M.