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Virginia Department of Health

State Board of Health

Regulations for the Immunization of School Children [12 VAC 5 ‑ 110]

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10/12/21 1:35 am

Commenter: Marianne Mazzatenta

I strongly oppose COVID Vaccine mandates

I strongly oppose COVID Vaccine mandates as a condition of employment or in-person attendance at any school or business.

All Americans should be respected for their right to choose a vaccination or not. Medical treatment is a personal decision and individuals should always retain the right to make this decision without government pressure or coercion. Many people live with medical issues that prevent them from taking vaccines and other people have faith based convictions and should have the right to choose not to get vaccinated. Please see the VA Dept of Health Code related to Exemptions for Immunization requirements. See: 12VAC5-110-80 https://law.lis.virginia.gov/admincode/title12/agency5/chapter110/section80/

In addition, while the original idea that vaccination would end the COVID-19 crisis may have been promoted in good faith, science now shows:

- The vaccines do not stop the spread of COVID, nor reduce the infection rate, therefore a mandate makes no difference. The viral load in the vaccinated and unvaccinated are essentially the same, and the vaccinated spread the disease just as much as the unvaccinated. There is no appreciable difference. Both vaccinated and unvaccinated individuals are carrying and spreading the new variants of COVID. See: https://www.cdc.gov/media/releases/2021/s0730-mmwr-covid-19.html

- Choosing to vaccinate is not without risk. As-of today, the VAERS data shows approximately 13K deaths, 17K permanent disabilities, 54K hospitalizations, and 14k life-threatening injuries. See: http://vaersanalysis.info/2021/08/20/vaers-summary-for-covid-19-vaccines-through-8-13-2021/. The COVID vaccines are experimental and the long term effects are unknown.

- Estimates predict that the overall COVID recovery rate is between 97% and 99.75%. See: https://www.webmd.com/lung/covid-recovery-overview#1

- Lasting immunity found after recovery from COVID-19. The immune systems of more than 95% of people who recovered from COVID-19 had durable memories of the virus up to eight months after infection. See: https://www.nih.gov/news-events/nih-research-matters/lasting-immunity-found-after-recovery-covid-19

- Evidence is growing that contracting the coronavirus is generally as effective as vaccination at stimulating the immune system to prevent Covid-19. See: https://www.nbcnews.com/health/health-news/covid-immunity-through-infection-or-vaccination-are-they-equal-n1280962. Also according to a large Israeli study, the natural immune protection that develops after a SARS-CoV-2 infection offers considerably more of a shield against the Delta variant of the pandemic coronavirus than two doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine. See: https://www.science.org/content/article/having-sars-cov-2-once-confers-much-greater-immunity-vaccine-vaccination-remains-vital

- COVID-19 positive patients now have the option of a promising form of treatment for the disease. It’s called monoclonal antibody (mAb) treatment. See: https://combatcovid.hhs.gov/i-have-covid-19-now/monoclonal-antibodies-high-risk-covid-19-positive-patients

Statistics, as of October 11, 2021, indicate around 35 percent of the U.S. population are unvaccinated for COVID-19. (https://www.statista.com/statistics/1202065/population-with-covid-vaccine-by-state-us/). As the New York Times said "Americans cite a range of reasons for not getting a Covid-19 vaccine. Understanding who the unvaccinated are...will be crucial to fighting the Delta variant." Clearly, government pressure or coercion is not the answer. Needless to say, vaccination as the only option is also not the answer.

The one thing reasonable science minded individuals can all agree on is that the COVID-19 crisis has been difficult and only time will provide the best answers. Most importantly, we need to follow Science and provide acceptable options. It may take a combination of vaccination, natural immunity, good physician directed treatment, and most of all a lot of Prayer to accommodate the needs of all people, as we each fight this Virus together.

Thank you, God bless

CommentID: 107617