As a diabetic, I'm very tired of seeing diabetics compared to anti-vaxxers.

[thucythucy]

44. The sad fact is that in some places we are already "prioritizing" care.

Washington State hospitals are overflowing because of anti-vaxxers being shipped in from Idaho. This means that people in need of emergency care or an ICU bed are having to scramble to find available units. Some localities are running short of oxygen, again because of unvaxx'ed Covid patients, which means those patients are being prioritized over those who need oxygen but weren't first in line. And "elective" procedures--such as reconstructive surgeries after accidents--are being delayed because of the shortage of beds. "Elective" seems to be taken by some as meaning "unnecessary" or even "frivolous," but someone having to delay their hip replacement or knee surgery is being asked to suffer additional pain for weeks or months because the care of Covid patients is now taking priority over their own.

Just this week a DU'er recounted their recent experience of being shunted from one locality to another because there wasn't a local ER available to treat their heart attack. In that case unvaccinated Covid patients were being given priority over someone suffering a life threatening emergency, someone who thankfully didn't die but instead went through the additional trauma of fearing they might die in the ambulance while trying to find an available ER. I know someone whose mother suffered a stroke who had the same experience. In cases like that minutes can mean the difference between life or death, or a full recovery versus life long disability. Why should the care of non-vaccinated Covid patients have priority over theirs?

And then there are people (such as myself) who have had more routine medical treatments delayed because the health care system is overwhelmed treating with this pandemic. And others, including people I know, who are in chemotherapy and have to deal not only with the stress of fighting a potentially lethal disease, but now the added stress of knowing that any interaction with the public, and any visit to the hospital, puts them at greatly heightened risk.

So in some localities at least the decision to "prioritize" some patients over others has already been made, with non vaccinated Covid patients being the ones given the highest priority.

The result, as has been pointed out, is considerable anger and frustration among those of us who have taken responsibility during this crisis, and are suffering or are seeing loved ones suffer on account of those who don't.

I wonder if you have any thoughts on a solution to all this, and what "positive benefits" you see coming out of "their negative behavioral effects on society?" Because all I've seen is useless death, useless suffering, and rather terrible long term effects on people and society, all of which could have been prevented had some of us not been such flaming asses.