...apologies if my post appeared directed at you spefically. It wasn't, and I don't know enough about your views to characterize you one way other other, so please don't take it personally. Also, I can't speak for jpmhoo, and I don't claim to agree or disagree with everything he says or even necessarily know what he believes, so you'll have to direct your questions to him.

Regarding vaccine efficacy, however, he does raise accurate questions, data and concerns about them of which I am also aware and which others tend either to ignore or deny. The vaccines do not work as advertised, period -- this is indisputable at this point. Specifically, they do not stop COVID infection or COVID spread, and, for that reason alone, there is no justifcation for mandating them.

I'm not anti-vax. I have pretty much all the recommended vaccines, as do my kids, and I also have the COVID vaccine. The COVID vaccine is different than the others, however. First, it's (allegedly) treating a virus that poses little to no risk to most people beyond a common cold or flu, so the need for it is dubious to begin with. Second, its approval and production were clearly rushed, which raises questions about both its efficacy and side effects. Third, it clearly does not prevent getting infected with COVID, spreading COVID, being hospitalized with COVID or dying from COVID. So, what the hell does it do, and why the hell are we mandating it?

My hope is that -- along the lines of what you said -- it does suppress COVID symptoms and reduce the risk of both hospitalization and death. That's why I got it (along with the foresight that my life would be made miserable by the powers that be if I didn't get it), and that's what I'm hoping will play out. But the frenzy with which people are demanding everybody get it -- including preventing kids from going to school, people from earning a living, accessing society generally -- is both disturbing and disgusting for all the reasons mentioned above, not to mention the fact that we're supposed to be a free country. That's the main beef that jpmhoo and I share regarding the mandates.