Coronavirus in the United States - news and thoughts

Speaking of arrogant: you just dismissed the 3 best public health recommended ways to deal with the pandemic! What is this magical “other way” outside the top 3? In order of best ways to avoid spreading or contracting a virus, you’ve basically got 3 options.

• #1 “total isolation” (not practical for pretty much anyone, but the only way to be sure)
• #2 vaccinations (herd immunity, should be a no brainer)
• #3 masking and social distancing (kind of a half measure for 99.99% of those who cannot pull off #1).

The “other ways” are...

 

The audacity to call others arrogant and then post like this.

 

Throwing out those metrics are literally worthless.
The US is among the most tested population on Earth. Do you really think China/Russia/ India are doing anywhere near the tests we are.
Hell you can go to any corner drug store and get a test, much of the world there isn't a corner drug store.

 

Nothing says arrogant more than "Hey my wife is a dentist or whatever and now I know more than epidemiologists and other medical professionals"

 

Regen good, vaccines bad…. Smdh

 

Yeah…full isolation for this disease is ridiculous.

Sadly it is apparent herd immunity with this monster is just not something that was going to happen. And these boosters will likely go for a short while before hopefully a 2nd or 3rd generation vaccine ends up becoming more prevalent. Could be wrong here. But that is my prediction.

Masks are pure political theater (outside the fitted N95) and cause human behavior that puts people in riskier positions and distancing I think plays a small role in helping (not 6 feet either…just the consciousness of it).

Stay healthy. Know your options. Consider the experimental drugs for some. Get the word out on the therapeutics.

 

Got to fight arrogance with arrogance at times.

 

Using an analogy, we're not going to require seatbelts because such a requirement would infringe on personal freedom however if a person who refuses to wear a seatbelt is injured in an automobile accident and suffers injuries otherwise avoidable if seatbelts were worn we're going to provide first rate life-saving medical care to said person.

 

Where are you getting your info?
It wasn't "sold to the public."
The initial efficacy was about 95% for Pfizer and Moderna.
That was over a short observation period without major variants.

Off the top of my head I'd bet its still pretty close to 90-95% effective.

Being critical of a lack of long term data and acting like it was lied about is a ridiculous stance, either you're doing on purpose or you just don't understand where the numbers come from.

 

I'm going off topic but that's what we let motorcycle riders do with respect to helmets...

 

Vacations out of state, second homes, boats...most folks aren't able to call that normal.

 

There is a real problem in medicine right now with tunnel vision.

People would be wise to seek out Dr. Gregg Schemedes advice about doctors listening to each other. This actually applies to more than just doctors.

 

Solid red herring!

 

There is a real problem right now in America with people thinking they know more about fields they aren't trained in than the people who are.

People who aren't doctors/medical professionals/scientists would be wise to listen to people who are trained in those fields.

 

You might be right I seriously doubt it though I bet the vaccines are failing a lot more that what anybody realizes.
Why do you think they want everyone to start taking booster shots

 

Biden to require nursing homes get staff vaccinated or lose federal funds - CNNPolitics

 

OK. Show me some evidence.

 

Despite your attempt to project superiority we're not that different. I'm doing much of the same things you are, I'm just being a little more careful about it. Since getting vaccinated I went with a group of friends and spent a week in Yosemite. I've been to Pensacola Beach. I've been to Punta Gorda. I've been kayaking all over South FL since covid started. All of those were outdoor activities, and I have completely avoided indoor restaurant dining. Heck, we just booked a cruise with friends for next month. Thankfully Seabourn is in/out of Barbados and not a FL port, so it requires everyone be fully vaccinated and show a negative test to board.

 

None of what is happening is out of the realm of normal, and doesn't surprise anyone who understands virology, medicine, the immune system, and vaccines. The vaccines were developed to fight the wild type of COVID. Once the vaccine began widespread delivery, we were always in a race between variant and vaccine, as this article dated from April 2, 2021 states.

Viruses exist to infect people and copy themselves. These copies often contain mistakes, or mutations. Most mutations are benign, and some even hurt the virus. But occasionally, a mutation gives a virus a leg up on the wild type. In the case of COVID-19, delta allowed the virus to copy itself much, much quicker, which caused it to spread much faster. And because delta can spread much faster, it even has a modicum of immunity against the vaccine, which again, was developed to fight the wild type of COVID, not the delta variant.

I say a modicum of immunity because while the original mRNA vaccines were only supposed to have a 5% breakthrough rate, delta has caused a higher rate. How much is still yet to be determined. The good news? The vaccine still does very well to prevent serious cases that result in hospitalization and death. The overwhelming majority of COVID patients in the hospital are unvaccinated. Same goes for the morgue.

Again, the race between vaccine and variant is not something that nobody thought was possible. In fact, preparations were made just in case this happened. It's why, on a COVID vaccine card, there are four spots for shots, even though at current, only two jabs are needed for full vaccine immunity. Wonder why they included two extra spots? Because the medical professionals knew the need for boosters were highly likely. Almost a guarantee.

Immunity can often wane over time, and nobody knew how long COVID vaccine immunity would last. The shot itself isn't a year old. We also knew that even if we reached herd immunity here in the US, COVID is a true pandemic, and third world countries will not reach herd immunity for a long time, meaning new variants that would eventually make their way to the US are a concern.

Last, a breakthrough case that results in a head cold that doesn't require anything more than Mucinex and some decongestant is not a vaccine failure! That's a vaccine win. Hospitals are filled up with COVID cases from the unvaccinated. Imagine how many more patients there would be in COVID wards if all the breakthrough cases were actually unvaccinated people instead? We'd be worse than Italy during their COVID height scare.

 

CDC reports decline in vaccine effectiveness, prompting booster decision (msn.com)

CDC reports decline in vaccine effectiveness, prompting booster decision

New data being released Wednesday by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention warns of a "significant decline" in vaccine effectiveness against infection from COVID-19 in nursing home residents, as the highly contagious Delta variant of the virus causes a spike in hospitalizations among mostly unvaccinated Americans.