Father of five dies after texting fiancee: 'I should have gotten the damn vaccine'

[Soph0571]

A 39-year-old father of five from Las Vegas has died from complications of COVID-19 after sending a text to his fiancee from the hospital saying, "I should have gotten the damn vaccine."

According to Jessica DuPreez, she and her fiance Michael Freedy, a Las Vegas casino worker, "wanted to wait just one year from the release (of the vaccine) to see what effects people had, but there was never any intention not to get it."

"That is a decision she said she will always regret," according to Las Vegas' Fox affiliate.

[link:https://www.rawstory.com/vaccine-hesitancy-2654291616/|]
Emphasis mine

Coulda, Woulda, Shoulda... Call me cynical but I think the wait a year narrative is post covid kicking your family in the arse revisionism.. just sayin'

[MaryMagdaline]

1. Sorry for his children. And everyone else he put at risk.

[llashram]

51. ++

[nuxvomica]

2. Phase 1 trials began in March 2020

And those people have been doing fine, unless something else happened to them, like being hit by a bus. No reports of infertility, extra limbs or magnetic fields in the first recipients so I'd tell people like this that the year wait is long over. Not to mention the more than 100 million vaccinated since December 2020.

[LisaL]

3. Waiting a year during a pandemic might just kill you.

NT

[irisblue]

26. And it did. So many don't know the decades of the basic science research allowed a fast release

stupid denial of education and science has serious consequences

[Volaris]

43. Somebody at work told me shes not getting vaxxed cause she wants to wait,

She thinks in 2 years all of us vaxxed folks are gonna drop dead as a form of designed population control.

She seems to be otherwise, fairly intelligent.

[Botany]

4. I wonder if this now departed man read or saw any anti vax propaganda and if so did any of that ....

... anti vax propaganda come through right wing sources that repeat and amplify Russian disinformation?

[Botany]

64. All these Governors, Congresspersons, and right wing media people must know that vaccines ...

.... and masks save lives and that working against them will get people sick and or killed.

[HAB911]

5. thoughts and prayers

[FakeNoose]

6. This reminds me of the old joke, and how it relates to anti-vaxxers

There's a hurricane and a huge flood, and a guy is stranded on his roof.

A neighbor comes by in a small rowboat and offers to take him somewhere safe. The stranded man says, "The Lord will provide, God will help, I have faith." The guy in the rowboat then heads off to help other stranded people.

A team a firemen show up in a zodiac and offers a rescue. The stranded man responds, "The Lord will provide, God will help, I have faith." So the firemen move on to help other victims.

A rescue helicopter hovers over the roof, dropping a rope, but the guy shouts, "The Lord will provide, God will help, I have faith." The helicopter then flies off to save other people.

The flood waters sweep him off the roof, and the guy drowns. He gets to Heaven and meets God, so the guy asks the Lord why didn't He help, why didn't He provide?

God says, "Dude, who do you think sent you the rowboat, the firemen and a fucking chopper?"

Maybe this guy in Las Vegas wasn't super religious, there's no way to tell. But he certainly rebuffed his opportunities to get the vaccination. Who was he waiting for, Batman?

[bullwinkle428]

14. One of my favorite jokes of all time, and the icing on the cake is that

you can tell it to a room full of first-graders (minus the F-bombs, of course!).

[niyad]

18. Have heard variations of this over the years. Always love it.

[Fortinbras Armstrong]

44. Same here.

Augustine of Hippo said in one of his sermons, "We should pray as if it all depended on God, and we should work as if it all depended on us."

[Renew Deal]

7. I also think the waiting for full FDA approval argument is BS.

It’s just another excuse to not get it.

[Celerity]

11. +10000000000000000

[BumRushDaShow]

23. The main difference between the EUA and "full approval"

(outside of the agency having more data available to sift though) is that with a final approval, the pharmaceutical company can now "brand" the product and "market" it to the public (i.e., for consumers to ask for from medical providers like doctors and hospitals, etc).

I.e., you would soon see something like this -

[AllyCat]

25. Oh wow...I did not know this.

Is this the reason for the foot-dragging by the FDA? US would have to pay more to get the vaccine to people for free??

[BumRushDaShow]

31. It's not "foot dragging"

The average vaccine's approval process usually takes a least 2 - 3 years.

The problem here is that because of the awful severity of COVID-19 and it being a global pandemic, a vaccine was actually authorized for "emergency use" (EUA) with about 6 months worth of data (although the various companies have been working on and off on these since SARS-CoV-1 in 2003).

So the general public is getting a "crash course" on the whole vaccine approval process.

And the approvals are not just looking at clinical data from the trials but other parts of the agency are looking at the manufacturing and testing processes to make sure that the product is both safe and effective, and is produced using rigorous manufacturing controls.

And we recently saw the reason why manufacturing needs to be looked at because look what happened with Emergent BioSolutions in Baltimore, which was supposed to help produce Janssen (J&J) and AstraZeneca vaccine (as a contract manufacturer) for both domestic and export use -

- https://www.baltimoresun.com/coronavirus/bs-hs-emergent-vaccine-halted-20210419-jebhmgem4jcidmo3pxptk7c46y-story.html

- https://www.cnbc.com/2021/05/19/employees-at-plant-that-ruined-millions-of-jj-covid-vaccine-doses-failed-to-shower-change-clothes.html

I did literally hear last night that Emergent has finally been given the go-ahead to resume making those vaccines - https://www.cnn.com/2021/07/29/health/fda-johnson-johnson-covid-vaccine-production/index.html

[AllyCat]

33. I say foot-dragging because they approved the Alzheimer's drug

fairly quickly and keep saying “in the next few months” on Covid vaxxes. I used to be in the camp of “mandate for workers once it’s approved” but starting to look at just saying “hey, this is how we are running things. Get the shot or leave”.

[BumRushDaShow]

46. "I say foot-dragging because they approved the Alzheimer's drug"

That sudden approval for the Alzheimer's drug is also under HHS OIG investigation because it is not typical - https://www.cnbc.com/2021/07/09/biogen-alzheimers-drug-fda-calls-for-federal-investigation-into-approval.html

Additionally for that Alzheimer's drug, the product was submitted for final approval back in July 2020 - https://www.biopharmadive.com/news/biogen-alzheimers-aducanumab-submit-fda/581233/ and the "accelerated approval" didn't happen until almost a year later (June 2021) after trials were being developed in 2017. The issue with that approval too is the disagreement about whether it is effective or not.

Remember that approvals are a 2-way street. The company has to provide the data to the agency and various components in the agency review it. A company might provide a big package but upon review by members of Vaccine Committees (who are usually specialists including physicians from various hospitals and subject matter experts from universities, and research centers), it might be missing some things, so members request that and/or ask for clarifications of what was sent.

For example, one of the issues that came up the past year was how much product was being filled in the vials and whether a healthcare worker could get 5 or 6 doses out of a vial, and if they could get a 6th dose, would the aliquot be uniform and contain the correct amount of vaccine ingredient as the 1st dose? So lots of moving parts here.

From what I read recently, Pfizer sent their initial package for full approval this past May 2021 - https://www.npr.org/sections/coronavirus-live-updates/2021/05/07/994839927/pfizer-seeks-full-fda-approval-for-covid-19-vaccine and it normally can take 6 - 10 months or more (if it is a combo product) for a full review, final inspections of the manufacturing plants, etc.

Meanwhile Moderna submitted what they dub a "rolling submission" this past June - https://www.usnews.com/news/health-news/articles/2021-06-01/moderna-applies-for-full-fda-approval-for-coronavirus-vaccine, where instead of one big packet, they probably submitted their preliminary final data and then will add more as their trials continue to completion (which is in addition to whatever data they might have on their vaccine being used by the general public - e.g., if there are any reports in VAERS (the Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting database).

However since all of them have had intense interactions due to their EUAs, the process can probably be streamlined and from what I have seen hinted at, could probably be completed in a couple months (I'm thinking by November for Pfizer if you have people drop everything else they have and work solely on this).

[BumRushDaShow]

53. One other thing - I literally just read in the online print edition of my local paper

Full FDA approval of COVID-19 vaccines might lead more people to get them. What’s the holdup?

by Tom Avril
Published Jul 27, 2021

(snip)

What is emergency use?

The FDA’s power to authorize drugs for emergency use is relatively new, enacted by Congress in 2004 in response to the anthrax attacks of 2001. The agency can grant such an approval if it is “reasonable to believe” that the product may be effective, and that its “known and potential benefits” exceed its “known and potential risks,” according to the statute. But vaccines are not like most drugs, in that they are administered to healthy people to prevent illness, not to treat it. So when the FDA issued guidance on what it would require before authorizing vaccines against COVID-19, the agency went beyond the letter of the law.

(snip)

What more do they need?

Before granting the emergency authorizations, the FDA analyzed the rates of any side effects for two months after administration of the vaccines. Any side effects caused by vaccines tend to arise within a month, and physicians generally agreed that two months’ of safety data were more than sufficient — especially given the urgency of curbing the pandemic during the wintertime surge. The evidence on the COVID-19 vaccines was promising, with some participants reporting temporary consequences such as a fever, headache, or sore arm — nothing serious or long-lasting.

But for full approval of the vaccines, the agency has gone even further, saying that trial participants must be monitored for an additional four months (that is, a total of six months after full vaccination). It also is reviewing any adverse events in the general population. Those have included rare cases of myocarditis (a type of heart inflammation) in people who have received the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines, and rare cases of blood clots in those who got a vaccine made by Johnson & Johnson.

Infectious-disease specialists generally agree that these risks are small, especially when balanced against the potential for much greater consequences from a case of COVID-19. Still, the FDA is well within its rights to exercise caution, said Ellenberg, who once worked for the agency. Regulators also conduct a careful review of a drugmaker’s manufacturing processes. “I think the regulators feel the intense external pressure to complete the full approval, and have to balance that against the concern they always have about new products, about missing something,” she said.

https://www.inquirer.com/health/coronavirus/fda-approve-vaccines-covid19-20210727.html

[LiberalArkie]

54. It is, The same people I know who will not get the annual flu shot are the same ones who are

using that excuse. Just thank the gods that people did not think like that in the 40's - 60's. It the new was out that there was a vaccine for "ingrown toenail" my mom would rush me to the dr's office for the shot.

[greenjar_01]

8. We're gonna fly a lot of flags half staff

...

[greenjar_01]

9. I'm a little horrified by this common sentiment among the vaccine "hesitant"

that they're going to wait and see what the effects are on their fellow citizens.

I mean, I follow the logic, but there's something just off and unethical about it.

[brewens]

10. I tend to give people that were anti-vax or vax skeptical all along more slack than

the newly anti-vax brainwashed. No sympathy if it's just because Tucker Carlson is telling them how confused and concerned they should be. If they still watch that crap, they have chosen to be willingly ignorant. If they infect and harm others, it's a shame they can't be charged with anything.

[Celerity]

13. I would guess (and this is a pure guess) that 80-90% of vax refuseniks are noobs to the cause, just

cattle led by the nose via the RW chaos/disinfo apparatus.

[Tiger8]

36. Based on my experience...YES

I've talked with 4 acquaintances who I never talked politics with, but revealed themselves as anti-vaxxers.

But they know I'm a Democrat, and with strong words about the Wingnuts. When one said, "Well, you have to remember that the country and especially the media is run by Democrats" at which point she got a 10 minute tidal wave of examples where I WISH Democrats "ran" the country, such as...
- Health care
- Climate change
- LGBTQA
- Wealth gap
- Guns
- Taxes
- Immigration
- Racism
- Abortion
- Private prisons
- Religion
- Minimum wage
- Education

And then I got into how Reagan administration officials actually laughed when AIDS was first discovered to be killing gay men in the early 1980's.

[Celerity]

45. +1

The entire 'MSM is run by the ultra libs' bullshit is based off one simple thing. ANYTHING that is not 100% in the bag for a right wing, white nationalist slant, and the destruction of the regulatory state (and government in general) is defined by the hard right as 'ultra-lib'. They want it ALL their way, and will do ANYTHING to get there.

It just takes decades (and has taken decades already, as this has been going on since around 1967 or so, with the rise of the Nixonian Southern Strategy, along with the rise of the modern religious Right, plus the Powell Memo-inspired corporate hollowing out of the state as regulator and great balancer) due to the sheer size of the American superstructure, the disparate, vast social zeitgeist that is partially aligned against it, and also the constitutional checks and balances that have served to slow this RW long-wave tide down. That all said, it has been going on so long, and they have gamed the system at so many levels, it is becoming dangerously close to becoming a fait accompli within the next decade or two, max.

[Tiger8]

61. Yes, and done to poison society

RToday's example is DaBaby talking smack about LGBTQA and AIDS. 100% hateful lies....but lies that start off often by a preacher or somebody else who can influence, and then just repeated, and until it spreads on it's own, like a disease.

The right wing is designed and funded to spread lies that tear people apart....divide groups....to get us all fighting. That way the polluters, thieves and billionaires can rape society.

[Celerity]

62. yep

[Lucky Luciano]

55. Disagree. The new agey quasi-spiritual antivaxxers peddling holistic medicine

…or whatever can fuck right off too.

[LeftInTX]

12. Like this comedian....

The Sinclair station, where Rodriguez previously worked, spoke with his wife, Lynette, who said they had concerns about the side effects of the vaccine, especially since he is diabetic.

"Our chief concern was the fact that it was such a new vaccine, it wasn't FDA approved and there were so many debilitating side effects, and we were afraid of that,” Lynette told News 4 San Antonio. "Cleto and I and our three kids, my parents and my great aunt, they all got sick and of course, none of us were vaccinated."

https://www.mysanantonio.com/lifestyle/article/Cleto-Rodriguez-COVID-ICU-San-Antonio-16345644.php

Yeah...right....Cleto was also involved with Promise Keepers, so I don't think they had any intentions of getting the vaccine...
New vaccine?? People put on your thinking cap...read..This isn't like the shingles vaccine...It's more like the flu vaccine than other vaccines...Some people just don't trust science...What are the "debilitating" side effects? Sore arm??

[dixiechiken1]

17. "This isn't like the shingles vaccine..."

Just curious why you say that?

I read that and, having just gotten my second Shingrix shot last week, am now nervous. What did I miss about it?

[COL Mustard]

21. I Got My Shingles Vaccines Last Year

The first one in March 2020, right as COVID was emerging here. That vaccine kicked my ass for about three days, with what sounded ominously like COVID symptoms. Got the second one a few months later, and I couldn't even feel the needle stick the next day...absolutely no issues.

Get the vaccines. They really help!

[LeftInTX]

24. Fortunately, it was switched from live to nonliving...

I read there were some side effects, including shingles...but I think it was with the old vaccine..

But since you've gotten your second vaccine last week, you're good to go...

https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/shingles/expert-answers/shingles-vaccine/faq-20057859

[dixiechiken1]

74. Whew.

Okay, thanks. Appreciate the feedback.

[smirkymonkey]

78. I was totally fine after both Shingrix shots, so not everyone reacts.

However I had the flu shot and the pneumonia shot at the same time in the fall and that definitely laid me out for a few days. The Covid shot had me down for about a day or so.

[AllyCat]

28. If you are a week out, you are fine. Almost everyone I know

got laid out for a day or two from the shingles shots. I was a bed ridden blob for a day with both of them.

Congratulations on completing the series!! Having had shingles twice and now having permanent nerve damage in my face from it, I would take a twenty dose series if needed to protect me from shingles.

[dixiechiken1]

75. OMG, I'm so sorry...

I've heard shingles is sooooo painful. I didn't realize you could get it more than once. I don't know why, I guess I just never thought about it. I'm really sorry, Ally.
😔

[AllyCat]

76. It's okay. I'm just glad folks are getting vaccinated.

I have never felt such pain in my life and was on multiple medications that never really controlled the pain well. Missed 7 weeks total of work.

Shingles is nothing to sneeze at.

Any reading who are 50 and not been vaccinated, please get the shots. Any side effects are worth it.

[COL Mustard]

19. Side Effects?

Well, I can't get my keys out of my pocket anymore. They stick to my newly magnetized self.
I'm growing a third eyeball in the back of my head.
None of my clothes fit anymore.
Don't ask about the extra arm I'm developing on top of the other one I grew after the first shot.
My neighbor's goats can't seem to leave me alone. I think they think I'm one of them since the vaccine changed my DNA.

Other than those, no real issues!

[elias7]

37. And the microchip embolized to my lungs, but don't worry,

I still have MY CELL PHONE which can be just as easily tracked…

[Ms. Toad]

30. This is brand new technology-

Never used for any purpose in humans, outside of clinical tests. (It has been in the works for a number of years, but primarily for cancer treatment (where it is in phase 3 clinical trials, but never as an approved treatment.)

So, no, it is not more like the flu vaccine.

I got it as soon a as I was eligible. I know the range of effects from COVID. The short term effects of the vaccine are certainly far less than those of COVID, in all but a few rare instances.

But we really don't know anything about long term effects. In some medicines, there are effects we don't know about for two generations (DES, for example, or the impact of x-rays- which my mother was given annually, as part of her physical, and which may have contributed to her having breast cancer not once, but twice).

My assessment was that, based on what we know about mRNA, the risk for long term consequences is likely to be lower than the risk posed by COVID. But there are no guarantees.

Now waiting a year would not have given any more insight into long term consequences, but the concern itself is legitimate.

[catrose]

67. My spouse is diabetic and is always first in line for new vaccines--shingles, pneumonia, current flu

certainly Covid (though it took even 1Bs 2 months to get appts), because what diabetes can do to you during any illness is a horror show compared to highly theoretical vaccine reactions (which neither of us has ever gotten).

[COL Mustard]

15. Well............Bye

You can't fix stupid, but Corona can!

[chwaliszewski]

32. Covid can fix stupid.

[Johnny2X2X]

16. 1 year

Where did they get that idea from? And it's been longer than a year now, trials started early last Summer.

They listened to Facebook, their doctors weren't telling anyone wait a year. It's safe, it's incredibly effective, the risk of not getting it is very high.

[kirkuchiyo]

20. Before the vaccine was available I'd thought about waiting a bit to see how it worked.

But when it came down to it I went and got as soon as I could.

[bucolic_frolic]

22. No, we wait a year or 2 for bugs in new model vehicles to show up

The virus doesn't wait for us to apply our own subjective decision-making on vaccine safety.

How is this complicated to anyone?

[AngryOldDem]

41. True. Want to consider mutations?

That could put us all back at risk.

Morons.

[Dreampuff]

27. He was right

He should have gotten the vaccine.

[Jon King]

29. He was obese so had high risk factors also.

This man was quite obese and called 'Big Mike' for his size. Being obese is the biggest risk factor for a severe outcome among those under 65.

Not getting the vaccine is stupid....not getting one while being obese is suicide.

[Fullduplexxx]

34. All these revisionist reasons ... we know why so congrats on owning the libs

]You died for trump .FREEEEEEEDUM

[Captain Zero]

35. And now 5 more kids on SS Survivors Benefits

Not that the kids shouldn't be taken care and receive Social Security until they are 18 or 21, but, my point is the ignorance of the anti-vaxxers is costing us ALL a lot of money.

Maybe we should have a date, after which, if you don't have a vaccine and you catch the Covid, then you and your family have your own freedumb dimes to live on. Maybe. They should pay extra taxes for life if we save their lives with expensive treatments.

Insurance companies charge smokers more, why not higher social security taxes for unvacxed people? Give everybody 60 more days to get a vaccine. After that, you owe more social security taxes for the rest of your life.

[AngryOldDem]

39. Oh well.

Not exactly live and learn.

It’s sad the number of people who are dying who are now asking for the vaccine.

That said, my son is also “waiting and seeing”. I asked him again in light of Delta and he’s still of that attitude. Not going to argue with him. It’s all on him now.

If I sound cynical, it’s just that I’m tired of this. Fresh out of sympathy.

[Politicub]

50. What is he waiting to see? Honest question.

I’m scratching my head about what people think may happen. It’s clear why the never-vaxxers are the way they are: The magaQs are idiots, and they’re not taking the jab because of spite or gullibility about a conspiracy.

But what are the other holdouts waiting to see at this point? Delta should be enough evidence for them that the people, who are not taking the vaccine, are the ones who are dying.

I’m truly curious to know your son’s reasoning.

[AngryOldDem]

52. Like everybody else...more evidence that it's safe.

No offense taken by your question.

Believe me, I think he’s being totally foolish and it angers me to no end, especially since he’s in the age-group most susceptible to Delta (he’s 20). But if I harp on it or argue with him, it will do no good.

I’m afraid he’ll get it. He just started a retail job last week. Again, I am NOT on board with this, but I can’t very well treat him like a kid and haul his ass to a vax center. It’s frustrating to no end. He’s always marched to a different drummer, but this has consequences.

[Politicub]

56. I'm sorry. It would be tough to see someone you love forgo the vaccine.

Your son may come around. Dealing with the public can be eye opening for some folks.

[Aristus]

40. Or you could have read the medical journals in November of 2020,

when, after seven solid months of safety and efficacy testing, they pronounced the vaccines safe for general distribution and inoculation.

Or were you just not capable of reading?

God, how I hate stupid people.

Fortunately, stupid people seem to be their own extinction event...

[sarchasm]

42. I will never understand people not taking advice...

... from doctors and scientists with 100's, or 1000's, of cumulative years experience. Hindsight can be a very ugly thing. Pray for the children.

[Politicub]

47. Stories like this make me angry at the unvaccinated,

This “father” had a clear choice, and decided to ignore the millions of people who have had the vaccine and who have not had ill effects.

I feel sorry for the people he left behind.

[Initech]

48. We warned ya! Get the vaccine!

If you don't...

[BannonsLiver]

49. It's a damn shame people just can't drop the "I have special insight" crap.

You don’t. Sorry to see this guy has passed. But unlike some here, I refuse to celebrate it. That’s just a real bad look.

[Javaman]

57. and his poor wife's last words in the article...

"I don't know what I'm going to do?"

he chose not to prepare and left his family unprepared.

selfish prick.

[roamer65]

70. She's gonna make a beeline for the nearest Social Security office.

She’s gonna apply for survivor benefits on all five.

[Tadpole Raisin]

58. Maybe when enough people die

The vaccine hesitant will wise up. You would think there would be lot of people in this category with 600k dead but you’d be wrong.

I’m still haunted by that doctor saying how many people asked for the vaccine before going on a ventilator and her simple response “I’m sorry it’s too late for that now.”

[roamer65]

60. Natural selection at work.

[Lucky Luciano]

66. Except for his five kids!

[roamer65]

69. All five will end up on SS survivors benefits.

We vaccinated are gonna have to pay for them!

[Lucky Luciano]

71. I mean natural selection didn't really work because he reproduced...a lot!

[liberal_mama]

63. A month before he died, his fiance made an anniversary post on Facebook, saying, "If we can get

through a pandemic together, we can get through anything." Very sad.

[Bengus81]

68. I should have gotten the vaccine!!! Why??? Did it suddenly become "safe" on your death bed?

Fuck these idiots,they're playing this deadly game and infecting others. Eh...bury him with his MAGA hat and Trump 2024 shirt.

[LanternWaste]

73. Thank goodness the vaccine didn't have a French name...

[colsohlibgal]

77. Hard To Fathom

If the Government says it is safe and effective what’s the problem?

It wasn’t that way at all in my youth....thankfully, as Dr Fauci said, if Fox and their fellow lie peddlers had been around back then Polio, Mumps, Measles would still be going around here.

Hard to cure gullible and stupid.

[totodeinhere]

79. I don't feel one bit sorry for anyone who is unvaccinated who gets severe complications

from Covid. It's nobody's fault but their own. But I do feel sorry for the people who are not eligible to get a vaccine yet if he infects them.