Exclusive: 98-year-old investing legend Charlie Munger 'appalled by the fear of vaccination' in the U.S.
Category: News & Politics
Via: tessylo • 4 years ago • 59 commentsBy: Adriana Belmonte, Yahoo Finance
S E E D E D C O N T E N T
Exclusive: 98-year-old investing legend Charlie Munger 'appalled by the fear of vaccination' in the U.S.
“I have been appalled by the fear of vaccination by a big chunk of the nation,” the Berkshire Hathaway vice chairman said when asked about the COVID-19 pandemic. “Speaking for myself, I couldn’t wait to be vaccinated. And I think the risks of being vaccinated are way less than the risk of not being vaccinated."
According to the CDC, there’s a minuscule 0.002% chance of the vaccine causing death while approximately 5 people per one million vaccinated in the U.S. have gone into anaphylactic shock. In comparison, according to the CDC, unvaccinated individuals are at least 14 more likely to die from COVID than someone who is fully vaccinated and 68 times more likely to die from the virus than someone who has received their booster shot.
About 64.5% of the U.S. population is fully vaccinated,according to the CDC, meaning that about 35.5% of the population is not fully vaccinated.
“It’s really, massively stupid not to welcome vaccination,” the 98-year-old Munger said. “We probably have 30% of the people in the country that think vaccination is evil and [are] coming after them like the hobgoblins. It’s not good that there’s that much ignorance left.”
Charlie Munger on Yahoo Finance Live. (Yahoo Finance)
'When I was in World War Two... they didn't ask me'
To boost vaccination rates, some parts of the country and businesses have implemented vaccine mandates. President Biden tried a similar measure for all companies with more than 100 employees, but it wasdeemed unconstitutionalby the Supreme Court.
“If I were running the world, of course it would be mandatory,” Munger said. “When I was in World War Two’s army, they didn’t ask me if I wanted a vaccination. They just vaccinated me. It didn’t hurt me or anybody else in that world. We all just submitted to whatever the government told us to submit to. And it was no big deal. I don’t like big chunks of the country going crazy. And I would argue the anti-vaxxers are somewhat crazy.”
Exclusive: Charlie Munger discusses inflation and crypto with Yahoo Finance
Charlie Munger, Chairman of the Daily Journal and Vice Chairman of Berkshire Hathaway, sat down with Yahoo Finance Editor-In-Chief Andy Serwer for an exclusive wide-ranging interview on inflation, cryptocurrency, and the tech sector.
Anti-vaccine and anti-mask mandates have sprung up across the world, particularly in North America. A large group of Canadian truckers — known as theFreedom Convoy— recently blocked a key bridge connecting Canada and the U.S. when protesting against their country’s vaccine mandates and restrictions by creating vehicle convoys.
“I’ve been very proud of that border for a long, long time,” Munger said, adding: "It’s ridiculous. And shutting down an international bridge. That’s the kind of thing I expect to happen in France … I never expected it to happen in the United States and Canada. And I don’t think it’s good that it did happen.”
A person stands in front of trucks blocking Wellington Street as truckers and their supporters continue to protest against COVID vaccine mandates in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, February 15, 2022. REUTERS/Patrick Doyle
At the end of the day, he stressed, “it’s so much safer to be vaccinated than not vaccinated and so much more considerate to your fellow citizens. It’s a massive kind of ignorance that 30% of the people have, and of course it isn’t good.”
Adriana Belmonte is a reporter and editor covering politics and health care policy for Yahoo Finance. You can follow her on Twitter @adrianambells and reach her at adriana@yahoofinance.com.
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I am fully vaccinated with the two Moderna shots and the booster. I did that on my own for my safety, my immediate family's, and those I come into contact with in my small town. Nobody coerced me or told me I had to. It was my own choice alone and the only times I am required to wear a mask is going into my Dr's or dentist's office my granddaughter's public school, or city municipal buildings. Outside of those places I mentioned, masks are not required. It is up to the individual residents of my town to decide if they wear one. Except in the major metropolitan areas attempting vaccine and mask mandates there are zero said mandates or attempts in the rest of Arizona.
As am I and they voted last night to reverse the county-wide mask mandate in Mecklenburg County. I rarely wore the mask unless, like you say, in a doctor's office and GovCo buildings. What I don't understand about the vaccine push has always been the fact that while it may keep you from severe cases, it DOES NOT KILL the virus and you can still get it and spread it even though the commentary is that if you get the vaccine, it will help slow the spread.
Yep. Then you have to get the booster for the booster, and another booster for the previous booster and so on. You have to wonder where it all ends?
My apologies, I was being facetious.
None that I know of but what I do know is I can be around people with the seasonal flu in droves and the vaccine I get prevents me from even getting it. Not just making the symptoms milder like this one does. And this one STILL doesn't stop the vaccinated from getting the virus and spreading it. So, as said elsewhere, let those who don't want to get the vaccine, sign their own death warrant as they should be of little concern to those who ARE vaccinated if it is so effective and they will most likely either have mild or no symptoms.
Because everyone treats the vaccine as though it is the hero to save us all when in fact the vaccination does NOT stop the acquisition and subsequent spread by those who have been vaccinated. And I didn't treat it as a fact. Read the rest of the comment about what the seasonal flu shot does and this one does not.
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Prove it. Oh that's right, you can't can you?
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If he's so smart, why isn't he rich? Oh, wait a sec, he IS rich.
He has had his head shoved up Buffet's ass for so long; that there had better be some kind of payoff.
It's really not that hard not to be crass. Let's just say he had a good mentor.
This article covers 2 completely separate but related issues. Vaccinations and Mandates
Just like with every other vaccination there are those who will resist getting it. They don't want to get it, fuck 'em. That's on them. Let nature run is course.
Now the mandates, that's a whole different issue that many, vaccinated and unvaccinated, have issue with. The mandates were struck down by the courts. Biden withdrew his OSHA Mandate. Everybody needs to stop trying to force others to do shit that has no legal standings.
They don't want to get it, fuck 'em. That's on them. Let nature run is course.
Unfortunately, nature’s course will run over not just them but also a ton of innocent people trying to do the right thing. She will do this in the form of novel variants nurtured by the volume of unvaccinated bodies ready to incubate and extend the pandemic.
That's exactly it. People are getting tired of accommodating to the lowest common denominator. I have owners manuals for classic cars that tell us how to adjust the valves. Now, new cars, the owners manual tells you not to drink the coolant. [Deleted]
That's usually what it means when somebody's name shows up in the message header.
Old Charlie is appalled ..... isn’t that special!
Why do I give a fuck about what some 98 year old investment guy has to say, does making a bunch of money all of a sudden qualifies you to give out medical advice.
Then why comment?
Isn't an unqualified individual considered misinformation?
And where is this man dispensing misinformation? I swear you don't bother to read the seeds
it worked for trump during his last year in office...
Actually it didn't, he lost the election.
Is the United States really vaccine hesitant? According to data reported by the CDC, 81 pct of the eligible population has been vaccinated.
Those of a particular political persuasion are attempting to conflate opposition to autocratic exercise of government authority with vaccine hesitancy. The Canadian trucker protest wasn't opposing vaccines or vaccination. The school protests in the United States are really about autocratic authority over ordinary people; not about masks or vaccines.