This post has been updated to reflect an error, which was pointed out by a sharp-eyed reader. The original post stated that 3.7 billion people had received at least one COVID-19 shot, when it should have stated 3.7 billion shots had been administered globally. And, thanks to feedback from a fellow Richard Pryor fan, the great comedian’s quote has been revised. Your humble scribe appreciates the help.
Mia and Brad Vinnard were together for 12 years, married for nine. They were Trump supporters. He’s no longer a Trump supporter, however, because he’s dead. Dead because they "weren't sure" about getting the COVID-19 vaccination until it was too late.
I’m reminded of a Richard Pryor routine, where, playing the part of a preacher at a funeral, he says: “...he faced the ultimate test, as each man and woman must eventually face the ultimate test. The ultimate test here- let me repeat that- the ultimate test here: whether or not you can survive death. That's the ultimate test for your a**, ain't it?”
And so it goes with Brad, whose obituary will say he died of COVID-19 complications, but who in reality died from vaccine hesitancy, a deadly disease of the mind. This condition, according to public health experts, remains one of the biggest challenges in stopping the continued spread of COVID-19.
Go on Twitter or read any of the many publications available online, and what I’ll call “death by disinformation” is becoming all too common among a certain voting bloc. This recent post on Daily Kos is but one example.
With the new, more deadly variant making the rounds these days, I am certain we’ll see many more people like old Brad here going the way of the dinosaur.
Mia says their Sacramento home is now very lonely, empty and sad.
Brad tested positive for COVID-19 at the end of June. He died after spending two weeks battling the virus in an intensive care unit.
As reported by KCRA-TV, Mia said "It all happened so fast. I wish we would have gotten vaccinated. I mean one simple shot could've prevented all of this."
Mia said she and Brad just “weren't ready” for the vaccine. "We weren't vaccinated. We wanted to wait and see how people reacted to it." To date, roughly 3.7 billion shots have been administered worldwide, which is a pretty good sample to go by, and from recent reporting it has become evident that COVID-19 is more dangerous than the vaccine.
According to the report on KCRA, Brad tested positive for COVID-19 at the end of June. He died after spending two weeks battling the virus in the intensive care unit.
"It all happened so fast," Mia explained. "I wish we would have gotten vaccinated. I mean one simple shot could've prevented all of this."
After starting to get sick June 28, Brad struggled at home for a couple days. He tested his oxygen levels with a home oxygen meter. That's when he realized his condition was worsening. Shortly thereafter he was in the hospital, and soon after that he was dead.
Mia, who also tested positive for COVID a few days after Brad, did not have to spend time in the hospital. She did, however, experience severe headaches, fever, vomiting, and loss of smell and taste.
She described her bout with the virus as "never having been that sick before."
"It's nothing like the flu," Mia said. "When people say that ... it was nothing like the flu."
As Joni Mitchell sang, “don’t it always seem to go that you don’t know what you’ve got ‘til it’s gone.”