Muh Muh Muh My Corona (virus)

Well, there has been some value shown for COVID long-haulers getting vaccinated.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/heal...ffcb28-859e-11eb-82bc-e58213caa38e_story.html

That said, the Trump thing smelled bad from the jump (but maybe I'm too cynical). Especially when Mark Meadows said Trump was really sick and Trump supposedly was "mad." I bet he loved every second of the drama.

 

Trump likely had a “man cold.”

 

People who have had COVID should still get vaccinated. I know they are supposed to wait three months. I'm not sure if that is three months from when they test positive or three months from when they no longer have symptoms.

 

So a new vax wave opens up here Friday, includes all 50+, all higher education workers, people with one serious medical issue, restaurant and grocery workers and journalists.

Local drugstore saved shots for the newspaper staff and one of the reporters is tweeting about it, in a thankful way, not a full disclosure way. The rest of us in the wave have to fight for appointments like everyone else.

Accepting special treatment on this seems pretty journalism-ethically questionable for me. Thoughts?

 

I have no problem with journalists getting the shot in a higher priority than the general public. They're face-to-face with the public daily in frequently close quarters. Plus, I can't tell you how many of my colleagues have had people get in their faces and intentionally cough on them since this started.

But tweeting about it? Really dumb. No good is coming of that.

 

They’re already a phase ahead of the general public. This is a locally created phase ahead of the phase.

 

Continue to double mask and maintain social distancing.

 

Yeah... again, no problem with it.

The phases are all over the place where I live. The state has one standard and the counties have another. The state is 55+, right now I think my county is 65+ with a lot of exceptions, another county is anyone 18+. If you can get the shot, get the shot.

 

This is somewhat similar to how I "cut in line." A local hospital had extra doses of Pfizer vaccine, and the ad rep who deals with that hospital was told a couple days ahead that time slots were available online. So I checked and found a time slot a couple days later.

The thing is, the vaccine would have gone to waste if it wasn't used, and members of the general public who deal with that hospital group knew about it, too.

Plus, this is North Idaho, where we already have vaccine surpluses because of the anti-vaxers, Trumpers, etc. refusing to get it.

My age group is eligible next week, so I only skipped ahead in line by a week and a half.

 

These would not have gone to waste, FWIW. They were given some of the first available appointments after the new phase. 5,000 local people will start jockeying for those appointments starting Friday.

I understand “take what you can get” with the vaccine and if I were walking down the street and someone had one to use, absolutely I’d take it, but I think this is a favor best turned down by a newspaper.

They’d have the same chance as the rest of the wave to get an appointment this weekend. I’m not sure why they need special treatment ahead of the special treatment they’ve already been given by the state to be put ahead of the public.

And that’s not to mention it’s a small town and a favor being done by a prominent local business owner who’s frequently reported upon. All to save a few extra days waiting?

And tweeting about it is really something else.

 

Had a friend still in the biz - works in my hometown now - who happened to be in the vicinity of a vaccination spot where the medical director was. Medical director - not seeking political or media favors or overreaching for positive media coverage - asked my friend, a reporter, if he had been inoculated. He hadn't, so the medical director took care of him because the doses were going to go to waste if they didn't go in arms that day.

Difference is, he told me about it on the phone some time later. Didn't tweet about it.

If media figure isn't spiking the football on social media, I don't see a problem with it. I don't see any potential ethics issue under those particular circumstances since no one else was waiting and my friend didn't cut/jump the line to get his.

 

As long as they're not jumping the line but following their local guidelines, I have no objection to anyone who gets a shot. None at all. They didn't make the rules or lobby for them, but if it's available, they should not hesitate to get the vaccine.

I agree that tweeting about it is just asking for trouble, though.