With Women’s Day on Monday (and no Daily Insider then), it’s appropriate that the ladies dominate today’s missive. But before we get into the emails, seems some community members are getting confused about the BizNews approach to Covid vaccines as I saw in the email that arrived from community member Athalie Besseling that you’ll read below. Proof on the efficacy of vaccines is overwhelming, a fact which has often been repeated on BizNews: Vaccines don’t stop the coronavirus (or infecting others). But they DO drastically reduce the symptoms and thus mortalities. The latest data from the heavily vaccinated UK and Israel shows 95% of Covid patients needing to be hospitalised were unvaccinated. So the case for vaccines, especially of older people, is incontrovertible. However, as a platform that serves ALL members of the BizNews community, we also publish the views of those who prefer NOT to be vaccinated. With that as background, here’s Athalie’s email:
I am a little troubled by the constant coverage you give anti-vaxxers in BizNews. Their argument is not equal in validity to that of scientists and doctors and does not deserve equal weight in your respected publication. I trust my doctors to advise what is best for me, not people who think Google and pseudo science allow them to endanger other people to the point where they may die.
A neighbour came to our door this morning – we had not met her before – and informed my husband that we will be dead in three years because we’ve been vaccinated.
According to her, there is a microchip in the swab they use for Covid tests which alters your brain in some sinister fashion. (I’ve had two tests because they are required before you’re allowed into hospital for other procedures.) And there’s a nano-something in the vaccine itself that’s going to bump us off.
If I’d been present I would have replied that I’m okay with being dead in three years… she could be dead in three days.
I don’t know of any ‘freedom’ that allows us to walk amongst strangers while potentially carrying a virus that could kill them.
Community member Margie Edwards picks a bone with the recent criticism of Discovery. Her email reads:
Self-righteous indignation at Discovery’s proposed levy is fascinating. After all, it is adult and responsible to question why a premium is charged on those who choose to not vaccinate. Data can be massaged into many forms and in this argument, to show a tiny, low, percentage of “The World Population” contracts the virus.
Flip side of the coin. From a medical aid perspective, an unvaccinated client stands a statistically higher chance of needing expensive medical care. They will cost the medical aid more money. Therefore they should pay a premium for making that choice. Simple Business Logic. And there is data that can be massaged to fit that deduction.
To compound the militant objectors’ argument, they claim the moral high ground. On the basis of their healthy life choices and ability to pay an additional charge for Discovery Vitality, they feel this prestigious status should exempt them from any other charges.
This seems to be fuzzy logic.
They are happy to pay a premium for rewards – but object to paying for the cost of the risk they represent to the company?
Not that I am defending the somewhat extortionist policies of medical aids in general, or criticising elitist rewards programmes. I question the logic that accommodates a premium for rewards but denies a premium for taking responsibility for the free choice to not vaccinate.
Every so often an email arrives that makes my day. Like this one from Cristina Salvoldi. She wrote…
My father made his wealth with buying and leasing out property, but the times of keeping all your aces in one pocket are over.
As a die-hard African, I want to allocate a portion of my investments towards impact investment – what is the point in being the captain of a sinking ship?
To date I have been unsuccessful to find any that speak to and are accessible to lil’ old me with my couple of bucks. That is – until just now, when I watched the Altvest soft launch video.
If it is everything that they promise it to be, they will see huge support from the die-hard South Africans who just can’t give up on their community.
It might also change people’s vindictive and jealous reaction towards entrepreneurs/businesses within their own community and foster a sense of protection that goes beyond anything that law-enforcement can provide. Because if I am invested into your budding business, I will be rooting for your success and will not stand by idly while you get sabotaged by a jealous community member.
Just imagine….!
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