Many people may think I am crazy making this statement, but do people realize we are in the middle of a deadly pandemic. Furthermore, the Coronavirus, which is creating the pandemic, has muted and created a new strain. The Delta form of the Coronavirus is even more contagious and far more deadly than the original strain of the Coronavirus. If we have a doubt, look at how the Delta strain in ravaging India. In India they have run out of space for the dead and people are dying in the streets because the hospitals are full. However, for some reason people in the United States are ignoring what is happening in other countries and ignoring the warnings our public health doctors are giving us.
The Fourth of July was supposed to be the reopening of the United States. However, our Country was not sufficiently vaccinated. The public health physicians warned us if more people were not vaccinated, the Delta strain would take over and we would be facing a desperate situation again. The public health physicians and Biden’s administration were not wrong when they were urging everyone to get vaccinated.
Prior to the Fourth the number of infections were decreasing significantly. Now after the Fourth, we have seen a significant increase in the number of people being diagnosed with the Coronavirus and needing to be hospitalized. We are now in a situation again where it is recommended to wear a mask again in public. This is very discouraging especially when we have vaccinations which have proven they can help control the Coronavirus.
Over the last month, 98% of people who have been hospitalized or died from the Coronavirus were not vaccinated. Additionally, the people being infected the most are between 20 to 50 (CDC). People in their 60’s and 70’s are vaccinated and are basically immune to the Coronavirus. However, the former President who has been pushing lies that the vaccines are not safe and healthy people in their 20s and 40s do not need to worry about getting the virus is wrong. The vaccines are safe and anyone can become infected with the Coronavirus virus and die at any age.
This brings me to a very scary situation which has now been created. Children under 12 years old cannot be vaccinated yet. We are having significant outbreaks again in every state and we want children to return to school onsite. Many states such as Texas, Florida and Tennessee are saying children do not need to wear masks and schools do not have to practice social distancing. Viruses mute all the time to find new hosts. This leaves children under 12 years old as prime targets for the Coronavirus.
Do not believe the lies from Trump and Fox News that children rarely get the Coronavirus. The truth is children do get infected with the Coronavirus. Children are also at risk for a very rare side effect from the Coronavirus. Children can develop a condition where their immune system attacks their own body and their internal organs and blood vessels swell. This is a deadly side effect. Since this new spike with the Delta strain has started, children make up 21% of people being diagnosed with the Coronavirus. In one week, 88,500 children and teenagers were diagnosed with the Coronavirus. Additionally, since the pandemic started in the United States, children and teenagers make up 13.6% of those diagnosed with the Coronavirus (AAP, Childrens Hospital Association). Therefore, do not believe the lie that children cannot contract and die from the Coronavirus.
Many people say they are exercising their First amendment right by not getting vaccinated. However, you cannot affect me in the course of exercising your rights. This is why you cannot scream “fire” in a movie theater. We are in the middle of a health crisis. A crisis which has taken over 600,000 American lives. If you want to refuse the vaccines which have proven to work and to be safe, then you need to accept the consequences. If employers require proof of vaccination or your health insurance increases your premium, do not complain. Why should employers suffer if you spread the Coronavirus and why should the rest of us who were responsible and were vaccinated pay for your health bills when you get sick. It’s not fair.
Also what are we doing to teenagers and children. UCLA released a study earlier this year showing people between 40 and 18 had a unhappy outlook on life due to the Coronavirus. Since the pandemic started we have seen a significant increase in depression, anxiety, drug abuse and suicide in teenagers and children as young as 10 years old. They don’t think their lives will ever return to normal again.
When the Country started to open up on the Fourth of July, they had some hope. Now that they are hearing the news regarding the new spike, States such as California requiring masks again and hearing that states such as Texas, Tennessee and Louisiana not following through with the vaccines, they are losing hope.
The teenagers in this generation are intelligent and can access all kind of information via their cellphones. They know if people are going to continue to lie about the vaccines and refuse the vaccines that our Country will never recover. They are also very angry. If teenagers were causing these problems, adults would say they have no rights and tell them what they were going to do. However, when adults, such as Trump and Ted Cruz, want to play political games with the lives of teenagers, people act like their is nothing they can do.
There is something parents can do. Contact your children’s school and demand that they take all necessary precautions needed so your child is not exposed to the Coronavirus. You can contact your employer and demand safety precautions. Listen to the public health physicians and follow their recommendations. Finally, call your State and Federal representatives and Senators and demand they enact laws to keep you and your family safe. Remember children under 12 cannot be vaccinated so they are at the highest risk. Do you want to have to plan their funeral? Are we going to prove them right that there is no hope left. Think about being 11 years old and feeling like your life is over. I am hearing this from many intelligent children.
Dr. Michael Rubino is a psychotherapist with over 20 years experience treating children, teenagers and trauma victims including first responders. For more information regarding his work visit his website at www.RubinoCounseling.com or his Facebook page at www.Facebook.com/Drrubino3 or his podcasts on Spotify and Apple