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Holcomb frustrated with “absurd” vaccine-refusal reasons

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INDIANAPOLIS (AP): With Indiana’s COVID-19 hospitalizations doubling in the past month, Republican Gov. Eric Holcomb expressed frustration Tuesday at the “absurd” reasons some cite for refusing vaccinations, although he isn’t offering any new state actions to combat the spread of the virus.

Many members of the Republican-dominated Legislature are set for a second year to push measures handcuffing anti-virus efforts — this time a bill forcing businesses to grant broad exemptions from workplace vaccination requirements that could be voted upon soon after the new legislative session starts in early January.

Indiana is approaching COVID-19 hospitalization levels not seen since this time a year ago before vaccines were widely available, with one health official saying the hospitalization peak could be a month away. Nevertheless, Holcomb is looking for lawmakers to approve administrative steps that he said would allow him to end Indiana’s COVID-19 public health emergency, which he first declared in March 2020, despite many health experts arguing now is not the time.

Holcomb recalled during a Statehouse interview about a woman telling him that she was glad he opposed President Joe Biden’s proposed vaccination mandates on large businesses, but also that she was disappointed Holcomb had received the COVID-19 vaccine because “I had a chip in me now.”

“We deal with the absurd and we deal with facts and there’s a lot in between there for people to form their own opinions,” Holcomb told The Associated Press. “What I have to do is try to be persuasive enough so that folks understand that they’re going to learn it the easy way or the hard way, unfortunately, by being vaccinated or not.”

Holcomb received his first COVID-19 shot in March as a mass vaccination clinic opened at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway and received a booster shot on Nov. 2. He has consistently encouraged vaccinations but has stepped back from highlighting state actions since ending his regular coronavirus news briefings in March.

Indiana hospitals were treating nearly 2,500 COVID-19 patients as of Sunday, a 106% one-month increase and a 25% one-week jump, according to state health department tracking. About one-quarter of those patients are in hospital intensive care units. The Indiana hospitalizations are almost as many as the September peak from the state’s summer surge and within 1,000 of the late-2020 surge that threatened to overwhelm hospitals.

Indiana has the country’s 11th lowest rate for fully vaccinated population at 51%, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Nine rural counties scattered around the state have vaccination rates below 40%.

Holcomb said the pandemic remains a real threat and is taking lives, but he maintains that the state’s role is to provide vaccines and other resources, not impose vaccine requirements or mask mandates.

“It is, though, largely a pandemic of the unvaccinated and at some point, and we’re there, individuals need to take responsibility for their lives,” Holcomb said. “Unfortunately, their inactions have adverse consequences to others.”

The state has been averaging about 25 COVID-19 deaths a day for the past month, down from the mid-40s in late September, as Indiana’s pandemic death toll has topped 17,700.

Health experts were worried about fresh infection surges as people spend more time indoors even before identification of the omicron variant sparked new worldwide concerns.

Indiana Hospital Association President Brian Tabor said a crunch for health care workers and concerns about possible flu outbreaks are happening at a time when COVID-19 patients have been taking up what normally would have been some slack in the state’s hospitals.

“We’ve just got to continue to message, not just the state but all of us, I think individually, to our friends, neighbors, everyone who is shown some hesitancy to get vaccinated. The time is now and it’s not just about contracting COVID, it’s about making sure that there’s a hospital bed for you or your loved one, no matter what.”

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5 comments

James Brown December 8, 2021 at 8:41 am

My body, my choice…is the cry from the Democrat activists who wish to continue to murder viable human beings…some in the later 2nd trimester, but when it comes to the vaccine…you have no choice. According to those who would rule you, rather than serve you. I am NOT vaxxed. I don’t believe in it. I stopped getting the Influenza A or B “vaccine” years ago and have not gotten the flu. This is a new flu…why are Democrat run cities and States killing their people softly by not allowing any sniff of normalcy to enter their lives? 1.35 Million people die each year in Car accidents. 3,700 per day. By Liberal Logic…it’s time to cancel automobiles and shut down the entire automobile Industry, including the GM Truck plant here in Fort Wayne, by liberal logic.

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Slacker06 December 8, 2021 at 9:45 am

I used to work for a company that offered yearly flu shots to employees. I never got their shot and never got flu. Many of those who got the shot did get the flu and miss work. Flu shots are never more than about 50% effective in preventing flu. More people die of flu than of Covid.

The Problem Dopey King Holcomb doesn’t understand about the Covid shot is that so many lies have been told by so many politicians and their hired health Nazis that The People do not know who to believe. The People are being forced to take a medication that has a sketchy record and could possible cause death over a virus that has over a 99% recovery rate. Millions have had the Covid Crud and didn’t even know they had it. Far too many side effects are evident with the Covid shot. A couple of them are death. How many more are waiting in the wings? It is not a vaccine because it does not prevent Covid. People of all walks of life still get sick, re hospitalized, and sadly many die too.

Political stooges like Holcomb fail to recognize immunity by recovery. He is not following the science. He is however dutifully following political science to the detriment of Hoosiers.

Millions of Hoosiers are immune and do not need his phony shot.

If masks worked why aren’t masks working???

If the “vaccines” worked why aren’t they working? Why did the CDC change the definition of “vaccine?”

You all had better read George Orwell’s book 1984

The media never tells the whole truth and nothing but the truth. Reports on this website continue to leave out information in their reporting on Covid. They breathlessly report about cases but never give the raw numbers. They always cite percentages. I wonder, does a 50% increase bean we went from 2-3 cases or is it 20-30 ? Imprecise death numbers are cited but there are a lot of ways to die in this world. Did that guy die from being run over by a loaded dump truck or from Covid he tested positive for at the morgue? Commodities or age of the deceased are never reported. Not a single article on Natural Immunity has appeared on this web site. WHY?? MONEY?? Yet Dopey King Eric the Idiot of Indiana keeps the panicdemic money pipeline coming from the DC swamp with his endless emergency pronouncements. When did he become king? In a Republic such as ours leaders only lead with the consent of The People. No one voted for Tyranny out of Indy or from the county health department. The Big Pharma companies keep the panic going because the money pipeline goes to them too. You all think the shot is free. Someone pays for it. We all pay for it through our federal taxes.

Thanks for offering, but no thanks to Dopey King Eric the Idiot of Hoosier Brandon.

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Pat December 8, 2021 at 1:52 pm

What frustrates Holcomb is no concern of mine, just as what health choices I make are no concern of Holcomb’s. Getting tired of “entitled,” power-hungry politicians — real tired.

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Rachel December 9, 2021 at 10:06 am

Hey WOWO, why don’t you cover the recent studies out of Germany that say having a healthy vitamin D3 level can prevent hospitalization, death, and severe symptoms of COVID?

Oh, that’s right. It doesn’t fit your PAID narrative. FOLLOW THE MONEY.

Holcomb is absurd. And people should see right through this manufactured fraud of a pandemic and number manipulation and refuse to comply. It’s now or never.

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Steve December 9, 2021 at 1:13 pm

Only thing absurd is Holcomb and his weak will to do the right thing. He won’t be re-elected.

Reply

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