The Information / Response Gap

We’re supposed to be living in the “information age.” Information is supposed to be widely and quickly distributed. Yet there’s an appalling gap between solidly established facts and public response. Getting vaccinated and getting a booster shot has been thoroughly and overwhelmingly shown to greatly reduce the risk of getting a Covid infection, or if you do get a Covid infection, tremendously reducing the risk of hospitalization and the risk of death. Vaccination is free and readily obtainable in the U.S. Getting vaccinated and a booster shot is a quintessential “no brainer,” i.e. you don’t even need a brain to know that you should get vaccinated and get a booster shot. Yet only 44% of eligible Americans have gotten booster shots. This kind of enormous gap between information and response is at the root of much of what’s wrong with this country. As to its cause — that’s a big and complex topic.