Is Monkeypox More A Reason To Get Vaccinated Than Covid In Idaho?

More and more cases of Monkeypox are getting diagnosed in the United States. How ready are Idahoans to get in line for a vaccine when they become widely available at local pharmacies and drug stores?

There are an estimated 2,000 suspected or confirmed cases of Monkeypox in the United States, according to recent data released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The states with the highest number of cases are New York, Illinois, Georgia, Florida, and California. Idaho has one verified Monkeypox case, according to the recent CDC update.

I remember the early months of the Covid-19 pandemic very well. It was around May of 2020 that I really began taking the matter seriously. In the early months of 2021, mask burnings throughout Idaho were regularly reported. By August of 2021, the CDC was projecting 30,000 new cases of the virus a week in the Gem State.

In my line of work, I meet a lot of new people on a monthly basis. I had discussions about the Coronavirus with many Idahoans in the first 16 months of the pandemic, and there was still a large percentage of people I spoke to that thought the vaccine was more of a threat than the actual virus. Some still feel this way.

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I managed to dodge the virus for more than two years until I finally came down with it in late June of 2022. I'm glad I got vaccinated, but I have no idea how much it really helped me through the sickness. The view of many in Idaho and across the country was that Covid-19 was just like a bad cold, so why get an injection of a vaccine that was rushed through trials.

Monkeypox is a different beast and leaves skin lesions that can scar a person for life. So, as an Idahoan, would you be more willing to get vaccinated against Monkeypox than Covid-19?