Have you read the article? Maybe the quote gives the wrong impression out of context, I'm very sorry if that's the case.
It's not as simple as "they could have avoided being so sick", he actually writes about many of the reasons why it's very difficult or even impossible for many people in the US to access the covid vaccines, even if they want to.
I think maybe some other quotes might help.
(NB I have to admit, the quote you chose did make me uncomfortable. The reason I get no medical care is because there’s a lack of research and known effective care to give me. I dislike that every mention of my illness requires reference to over-emotional women - no matter what they’re saying when they mention it).
Try:
“During times of crisis, loosening one’s ethical standards is especially tempting, but it’s especially important to hold them high, Wynia told me. That’s a frustrating line for health-care workers to hold, however. They will continue to suffer from burnout, moral distress, and harassment—and many will quit. Medical care will be spread even more thinly. Some people who did everything they could to avoid COVID may die from unrelated conditions. None of this is fair. Nor is it solely the responsibility of unvaccinated people.”
or
“COVID remains a collective crisis—
and one driven more by political inaction than personal irresponsibility.”
My own thought: He doesn’t say this but all the countries who needed vaccines and were denied access…maybe we should be more upset about that? That’s how we keep breeding more variants: more people in the whole world getting it and bouncing it around.
It is a good article as a reminder that we need to look at all forms of mitigation, not just the vaccines. And social inequities that get in the way of access to medical care (which includes good advice, relationships with medical people you can trust, and vaccines etc).
What it misses is a sentence to remind us that this is a global problem, one that can only be ‘over’ when we act globally.
I think: If we keep breeding this thing, whether it’s in central Africa or North America, it’s going to keep thriving.
It was a nice reminder
@mango, thank you, that it’s too easy to blame or our annoying neighbour etc when the problem is on a larger scale.
Step one: retain your ethics. They have been developed in hard times, you’ll be needing them.
I’m glad to be reminded that if the problem fits a socioeconomic profile, maybe it needs a better look at the barriers in the way of help.
I think access is under-considered. It’s not the only factor, some people without socioeconomic issues are simply behaving badly, but sometimes it’s the start.
Rural people on a budget will have access difficulties that those in metro centres cannot imagine.
