So, we may be approaching one of the greatest achievements in modern times. For a disease that was unknown to humanity only about 18 months ago, has now killed over 3 million people worldwide, sickened over 162 million, caused untold morbidity and societal disruption, we miraculously now have the tools at our disposal to end this scourge. Slowly, we seem to be winning the battle, both against the disease itself, and against those who would rather sow fear and distrust through misinformation, minimization and outright lies than join the good fight. I thank everyone here who has engaged on the side of progress to beat this demon... GoofGoof, Helenabear, ImperfectPixie, Havoc, Touchdown, SirWalterRaleigh, and numerous others that I can't think of right now. You've been patient, presented reasonable arguments, engaged with people, educated and served as examples. I like to think that because this is a site devoted to Disney, you've reached far more people than just those who contribute here. We haven't always all agreed, but we've beaten back the deniers, the anti-vaxxers, the Qanons and all the other conspiracy theorists that would rather spread fringe theories than actually see this thing beaten.
Why am I writing this now? Because I think we're entering a new phase. The anti-vaxxers, although they've done their usual damage, are slowly losing the battle for the adult population. The evidence for the success of these vaccines is so overwhelming that it takes an increasingly warped worldview to deny it, and they're all but grasping for straws at this point (the latest is "but they're still experimental!"). But now, having just about lost the battle with adults, they're moving to a more soft target- children. More specifically, parents' fears for their children. They will use every trick in the book to seed just enough doubt into vulnerable parents' minds about the safety and efficacy of the vaccines. They are already starting with downplaying the risks for COVID-19 to children, and although I am the first to readily admit that COVID-19 is not as starkly dangerous to children as to adults, emerging data is starting to show that it is worse than some more familiar vaccine-preventable diseases like measles or influenza. And there will be no herd immunity for the most vulnerable members of our society, including newborns, unless we eliminate the disease in children too.
I'm already heartened to see how readily teenagers are taking to the vaccine. They missed key milestones in their lives over the past year that they'll simply never get back, and they seem to understand the simple relationship that vaccination = eventual return to normal better than many adults.
Now, one big caveat... we don't yet know the safety and efficacy of the vaccines in younger children. Although I have no doubt the same patterns will hold for adults, we first need to complete all the proper steps. We've seen over the past several months that the processes and procedures we follow to ensure effective and safe vaccine development and deployment work exactly as intended. Let's trust that the same process will deliver results for our children as well.
What motivated this long post today? Seeing this picture on my phone again:
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This photo was taken at Storytellers Cafe at the Grand Californian at Disneyland on March 11th, 2020. By this point, the imminent closure of Disneyland had already been announced. The conference that was the reason for me traveling to Disneyland with my family had already been canceled, so we were riding out the remaining days at the parks until they closed. Seeing the look of both recognition and pure joy in my son's eyes, who was not quite 18 months old at the time, as Mickey came to our table has been one of my fondest memories of recently. I want him and other children to be able to return to a world where moments like these are again possible. My son has Down's syndrome, which puts him at a higher vulnerability to COVID-19 and other infectious diseases. He will need these vaccines as soon as he can get them to make up for over a year's time of lost socialization. Unless we have true herd immunity, children with cancer, cystic fibrosis, or other conditions of vulnerability will never know this joy that he was lucky enough to experience just in the nick of time.
We will soon have the means to return to this world. Let's do it!
