Maybe It’s Time To Spread Covid-19 All Over Oklahoma

For almost two full years, most Oklahomans and Americans have tried to contain the Covid-19, or at least we've tried to limit the spread of this virus. We've collectively argued about vaccines, masks, social distancing, horse dewormer, etc to attain herd immunity... maybe it's time we go all-in and earn that immunity the hard way.

It might be time to intentionally spread the Covid-19 virus as wide and fast as possible.

Just hear me out. Since March of 2020 I've been a model servant of the CDC's advice. Masking up when in public, got my vaccine and booster, social distancing even with family, I even made a leather holster for my hand sanitizer... but it hasn't been enough. The wildcard variable we can't control for our own destiny is the free will of others.

I'm sure you noticed this... Last summer when the CDC made the recommendation that all fully vaccinated people could stop wearing their masks around other fully vaccinated people, the public seemed to only hear the words "stop wearing your masks."

Almost instantly after that, social distancing recommendations ended as nearly every business and restaurant in America suddenly accommodated full capacity crowds again. Concerts and festivals returned, the pandemic was over as far as corporations were concerned and people followed that lead because that's what they wanted to believe.

The summer of pandemic freedom gave way to a building fall. Another new variant landed stateside and we've slowly built a fourth spike in new record cases up to this point... but it seems the current coronavirus experience is a different, lighter sickness.

If the current strain is easier on the average person and extremely more transmittable than previous generations, maybe this is the one we collectively go all-in on and let it spread as far and wide as fast as we can to reach the elusive herd immunity.

After reading an anti-vax article about how drinking your own urine can stave off the rona, letting everybody intentionally get the Omicron isn't the worst idea is it?

"What if we made vaccines mandatory?"

First off, this is America. I have constantly encouraged my own parents to get their vaccines since they became available, and while they still refuse, I respect that as their choice... I just hope neither of them stupidly dies from being stubborn.

Forcing a vaccination on free people would go against the foundation of ideals this country was founded on. Besides, at this point, if a person hasn't been vaccinated, there's nothing you can say or do to change their mind.

"What about the people that will die from it?"

I get it, and this is going to sound far colder than I mean it to be, but people die every day. I'd challenge you to name a family that hasn't either lost a member to this virus or at least experienced a worst-case scenario hospitalization with it. I know my family has and it was gut-wrenching. This virus took the best of us all, but that's life.

One of the most common sentiments I've heard from (probably) every member of my family is "When it's my time, it's my time." It's both morbid and comforting.

"What if we overrun the hospitals?"

Well, 99-point-something percent of people that contract Covid-19 end up riding it out at home anyway. I realize the number of those needing hospital care will scale with cases, but our hospitals have had almost two full years to improve their Covid-19 readiness, if they're not up to it by now they never will be. Let's rip the bandaid off.

"This is just crazy!"

Yeah, I'll give you that... but continuing to do what isn't working now is insanity.

We've collectively shown that people can no longer be inconvenienced by a global health pandemic. Nobody likes wearing masks, even the people willing to do so. Social distancing has become too much of an imposition around the globe, and vaccines are a more polarizing subject now than they were in the first days.

We can't keep trying the same old things that aren't working. It's time to try something new. That's my contribution to a possible end of the Covid-19 pandemic.