July 25, 2021

I am neither a scientist nor a medical professional but, given a few scientific laws, I tend to believe I can understand their meaning and practical application. Over the course of my life, I have come to know that vaccines save lives and reduce the risk of deadly or life-altering infections. I have also learned that viruses mutate over time, and I am thankful that there are those in the medical and pharmacological professions who are conscientious about and vigilant against these threats.

I also tend to think philosophically about the routines and the challenges of daily living: A house built on solid rock will withstand the storms that will come; a house divided against itself cannot stand. Some will recognize the eternal truth in these proverbs as I have paraphrased quotes from the Gospels of the Holy Bible. The truth is always what we need (whether we want to hear it or not), and when spoken clearly and with the speaker manifestly having our best interests at heart, we will be more likely to accept it.

In this current age of “disinformation” and distrust, there is something important that people holding positions that serve both their communities and fellow citizens must remember: We Americans simply want to know the truth, and we want elected officials to tell us the truth and trust us to act in our own best interests.

That may be too much to ask, but I still have a few simple, honest questions. Is there anyone who has access to the information who would be willing to research and share? Are these even the right questions to ask?

– CDC data for July 18, 2021, shows just under 34 million Americans have been infected with the SARS-CoV-2 virus, with just under 607,000 deaths. Does that mean that roughly 33,393,000 Americans have antibody immunity?

– What is the number of Americans expected to have antibody immunity plus those who have been vaccinated? How close then, are we to “herd immunity?”

– Of the most recently reported cases, how many (or what percentage) are of the Delta variant?