His Nashville radio station, WTN posted to social media last night that conservative talker Phil Valentine is now on a ventilator. Valentine tested positive for COVID-19 on July 11th and has been all over the national news after switching his views on the vaccine.
The WTN post says: “Out of an abundance of caution, Phil has decided to be put on a ventilator to give his body much needed rest. We are confident that he will pull through, and thank you for your continued prayers.”
Phil’s brother Mark has been speaking on Phil’s behalf since the host became seriously ill. He tells WBUR that, “Phil will be the most pro-vaccine person you’ve ever seen as soon as he’s able.”
Also, do not confuse an antibiotic such as the much touted Ivermectin with a vaccine. Covid-19 is caused by a virus, no live bacteria. Antibiotics are ineffective against viruses. And vaccines do not directly attack viruses. Instead they use the body’s own immune system to neutralize the virus by providing keys to the puzzle, stimulating an immune response that can block a virus from invading cells and replicating. Bacteria are complete living organisms capable of reproducing on their own. Viruses have to hijack the mechanisms within living cells to replicate as they are not quite fully living organisms. We all have different genes and thus different immune systems which is mostly why individual human response to Covid-19 is so variable and unpredictable. But your best defense is to permit the best vaccines to prepare your immune system for the challenge.
If Phil had the medical care former president Trump had, he’d likely be back on the air by now. For the rest of us, vaccination is the safest and most effective route out of this pandemic. Keep in mind, as stupendously effective the mRNA vaccines are, 12% of the vaccinated will still catch some level of Covid-19 illness and/or pass the virus along even if asymptomatic. With the Delta variant being 100 fold more contagious, it behooves us all to wear masks again indoors when near strangers whether vaccinated or not. Do not politicize it. The CDC is not forcing anyone to do so, just suggesting it based upon present scientific understanding.
Karma is a b*tch, eh?
“Phil will be the most pro-vaccine person you’ve ever seen as soon as he’s able.”
This may be the most damning and cowardly sentence I’ve read in a long time.
Employers and business should be making the decisions…
If you want to employed here, a vaccination is required.
If you want to enter this business, a vaccination is required.
The misguided right-wing news media and trumpaholics are late to the party…so very late.
Prayers for Mr. Valentine are the LEAST we can do for him…and at the same time the MOST we can do for him.
Individualists…please do the right thing and get vaccinated.
If only “thoughts and prayers” worked as well as the vaccine. Until Phil recovers–and that will be because he’s in an induced coma, on a ventilator and getting the best medical attention–get vaccinated all you conservative talk show listeners.
As a conservative talk show listener, I have to say that I was vaccinated as soon as it was available to me. So was my wife and so are many of us. These generalizations of who isn’t getting the vaccine are not accurate. Yes, some conservatives are anti-vax; but if you look at the demos of what groups aren’t getting the vaccines, blacks and Latinos lead the pack – and they don’t tend to be conservative talk show listeners en masse.
Whoever you are, I like your handle and the fact you smoke cigars. Glad you’re vaccinated.
True, but CDC data also show that recent vaccinations are reaching larger shares of Hispanic, Asian, and Black populations compared to overall vaccinations. Thirty percent of vaccines administered in the past 14 days have gone to Hispanic people, 6% to Asian people, and 14% to Black people. But point well taken about the assumption that it’s mainly white conservatives.
As a Latina whose family has been vaccinated, including my Republican husband, (who is not Latino) I call BS on your statement. In addition, all of my extended family members who are in the approved age-range have received the vaccine.
As soon as vaccinations are available to those under 12, appointments will be scheduled.
At this point you are going to get vaccinated the easy way or the hard way. The easy way is to get the vaccine shot. The hard way is to not get the shot and get Covid-19.