Why Matthew McConaughey's vaccination stance is causing a heated debate online
If the audible groan was any indicator, Matthew McConaughey was not looking forward to discussing a possible vaccine mandate for children.
"Right now I'm not vaccinating mine, I'll tell you that," McConaughey told New York Times columnist Andrew Ross Sorkin during an interview at the virtual DealBook summit.
Though it's a bit of a controversial stance, there's no conspiracy theories driving McConaughey's decision. Being vaccinated himself, he stressed to Sorkin that he thought scientists are "trying to do the right thing," and even argued that wearing masks should have been a "quick and easy mandate," saying it would be "a small inconvenience for a possible long-term freedom."
But when it comes to enforced vaccination for youngsters, McConaughey admits his resistance, explaining, "I couldn't mandate having to vaccinate the younger kids. I still want to find out more information."
He also mentioned that his family has always been "slow on vaccinations," even before COVID, and he noted that the Pfizer shots were "just"recently approved, making it difficult to get totally onboard just yet for his children. Instead, Matthew and his family have been strict about quarantining and getting tested regularly, which he acknowledged not everyone is in a position to do so.
McConaughey's remarks incited pushback from U.S. Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy, who argued that the vaccines were more of an opportunity for protection, rather than something to be feared. Murthy told CNN:
"I would encourage parents to recognize that Covid is not harmless in our children. Many kids have died. Sadly, hundreds of children ― thousands ― have been hospitalized. And as a dad of a child who has been hospitalized several years ago for another illness, I would never wish upon any parent they have a child that ends up in the hospital."
Addressing the science, he continued, "and the vaccines have shown, in these trials for children 5-11, they are more than 90% effective in protecting kids from symptomatic infection, and they are remarkably safe as well."
U.S. Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy responds to Matthew McConaughey saying he doesn’t want to vaccinate his children just yet:
— The Recount (@therecount) November 10, 2021
“COVID is not harmless in our children ... [vaccines] are remarkably safe, as well.” pic.twitter.com/d8WKwratNy
The current vaccine for kids is one-third of the normal dose, making the side effects about as severe as a sore arm. And though COVID infections tend to be milder, even asymptomatic in children, there is still the risk of secondary transmission. Someone like McConaughey's immunocompromised mother, for example, could be at risk of infection from one of his children.
Until there is a mandate, which won't happen until at least one vaccine has been granted full government approval, the choice of whether or not to vaccinate a child is completely up to the parent. And let's face it, no one wants to put their child at risk, regardless of where they weigh in politically. But with the CDC reporting more than 170 COVID related deaths in children, parents have to ask themselves which is more of a gamble.
According to vaccine expert Stanley Plotkin, some level of risk is unavoidable. He recently told Insider "I could understand a parent saying that 'I will wait until the vaccine is fully approved.' I wouldn't consider that attitude to be crazy. But if you postpone that choice, it means that your child remains susceptible and could be infected."
Even McConaughey, while hinting that he might vaccinate his children eventually, commented that "there'll come a time where you're going to have to roll the dice one way or the other."
Rolling the dice is never the ideal when it comes to protecting children, but it seems to be the theme we have all become accustomed to. Though by no means should we look to celebrities as health experts, I think that McConaughey's stance, and Murthy's response, really exemplify how the predicament is so far beyond a political debate. No matter what decision parents make for their kids regarding this issue, no choice is going to come without a price.
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An Irish woman went to the doctor for a routine eye exam. She left with bright neon green eyes.
It's not easy seeing green.
Did she get superpowers?
Going to the eye doctor can be a hassle and a pain. It's not just the routine issues and inconveniences that come along when making a doctor appointment, but sometimes the various devices being used to check your eyes' health feel invasive and uncomfortable. But at least at the end of the appointment, most of us don't look like we're turning into The Incredible Hulk. That wasn't the case for one Irish woman.
Photographer Margerita B. Wargola was just going in for a routine eye exam at the hospital but ended up leaving with her eyes a shocking, bright neon green.
At the doctor's office, the nurse practitioner was prepping Wargola for a test with a machine that Wargola had experienced before. Before the test started, Wargola presumed the nurse had dropped some saline into her eyes, as they were feeling dry. After she blinked, everything went yellow.
Wargola and the nurse initially panicked. Neither knew what was going on as Wargola suddenly had yellow vision and radioactive-looking green eyes. After the initial shock, both realized the issue: the nurse forgot to ask Wargola to remove her contact lenses before putting contrast drops in her eyes for the exam. Wargola and the nurse quickly removed the lenses from her eyes and washed them thoroughly with saline. Fortunately, Wargola's eyes were unharmed. Unfortunately, her contacts were permanently stained and she didn't bring a spare pair.
- YouTube youtube.com
Since she has poor vision, Wargola was forced to drive herself home after the eye exam wearing the neon-green contact lenses that make her look like a member of the Green Lantern Corps. She couldn't help but laugh at her predicament and recorded a video explaining it all on social media. Since then, her video has sparked a couple Reddit threads and collected a bunch of comments on Instagram:
“But the REAL question is: do you now have X-Ray vision?”
“You can just say you're a superhero.”
“I would make a few stops on the way home just to freak some people out!”
“I would have lived it up! Grab a coffee, do grocery shopping, walk around a shopping center.”
“This one would pair well with that girl who ate something with turmeric with her invisalign on and walked around Paris smiling at people with seemingly BRIGHT YELLOW TEETH.”
“I would save those for fancy special occasions! WOW!”
“Every time I'd stop I'd turn slowly and stare at the person in the car next to me.”
“Keep them. Tell people what to do. They’ll do your bidding.”
In a follow-up Instagram video, Wargola showed her followers that she was safe at home with normal eyes, showing that the damaged contact lenses were so stained that they turned the saline solution in her contacts case into a bright Gatorade yellow. She wasn't mad at the nurse and, in fact, plans on keeping the lenses to wear on St. Patrick's Day or some other special occasion.
While no harm was done and a good laugh was had, it's still best for doctors, nurses, and patients alike to double-check and ask or tell if contact lenses are being worn before each eye test. If not, there might be more than ultra-green eyes to worry about.