I hope people aren't placating or fooling themselves by thinking this is no big deal because (for the most part) symptoms are always milder.
Well, symptoms are
not "always" milder. However, the data seems to almost unanimously indicate that, for the vast majority of people, especially those who are fully vaccinated, take the typical recommended precautions, and have no underlying health conditions, there is an astronomically high likelihood that the symptoms will be mild. So with that in mind, I hardly think it is "fooling" oneself to think that potentially catching the virus is no big deal.
As I (hysterically) stated a couple of weeks ago, the sheer volume of cases is bringing about crushing increases in hospitalizations - of vaccinated people (50% of hospitalizations, and almost 50% of ICU beds are from vax'd individuals). Here, our hospitalizations doubled in the matter of a couple of days; ICU almost doubled in the same period.
That isn't exactly accurate either. From the reports and data I have seen, for the most part, it is not "the sheer volume of cases" that is causing the "crushing increases in hospitalizations." Rather, it is the overreaction to cases that seems to be a major contributor. In other words, hospitalizations that are unnecessary because the mild symptoms (or no symptoms at all, but just a positive test result) do not warrant hospitalization, are causing, or at least a major contributor to, the "crushing increases in hospitalizations."
As others have said, the numbers sound scary in a vaccuum. But there is missing context. That shouldn't minimize that people are still getting sick, and people are still dying. It doesn't minimize that health care workers are incredibly slammed to the point of exhaustion, and that patients who need care for other things are being impacted. But, again, contextualizing the numbers is
important crucial.
So, again, I fall back to pretty much where I've been through most of this: Take reasonable precautions to slow the spread and transmissibility, including but not limited to full vaccination, but don't overreact. Overreaction is creating as many if not more problems, that are as severe if not more severe, than the actual virus. Actually, let me edit as I go... I think a more accurate restatement of my last sentence should be: overreaction is severely exacerbating existing problems, perhaps by several magnitudes, and creating other unnecessary ones. Caution is great. And I would even go so far as to say it is warranted and
necessary. But overreaction/hysteria is not, and is incredibly counterproductive. The problem for all of us is that the line between the two is fuzzy, the criteria for deciding where the line is is also incredibly fuzzy and is also subjective in some areas, and there just isn't an easy way to come to a consensus on that. But no matter where you fall, I think it's important to keep talking about it, and keep trying to do so reasonably. Chad, when you moralize about the issue and passive-aggressively make light of others' positions (not to mention perhaps exaggerating and misstating them), that isn't productive. You reference mine quite a bit without mentioning me by name, as if that somehow deflects from the fact that you are taking shots at me. I'm not taking it personally, but just saying that
that isn't helpful. I acknowledge your position, but I respectfully think there are some things that are wrong with it. You are welcome to do the same with my position. Let's talk it out without taking backhanded shots, please.