Seriously thoughtful The NEW Covid Vaccination Poll

[pdurrant]

The "India" variant now circulating in the UK is likely to be more transmissible than the "Kent" variant (VOC-20DEC-01), which in turn was 50% more transmissible than the original.

And our government is still going ahead with relaxing the UK restrictions on Monday. Once again, they're going to be found to have reacted too slowly. I fear this will lead to thousands more unnecessary deaths in the UK later this year.

I started to be concerned a couple of weeks when I noticed that positive test numbers in the UK had essentially stopped falling (although the number of tests hadn't increased significantly) The 7-day average by date reported has been rising since 3rd May.

The relaxing of restrictions on Monday can only lead to more cases. It seems insane to relax the rules now, when the vaccination programme is going so well. (Over 80% of people aged 40+ have had at least their first dose so far. And even 68% of people over 18.) Another month or two and the vaccination rates should lead to suppression even with greater transmissibility and relaxation of rules. But just now it's likely (IMO) to lead to another big wave of cases in the autumn. And that's also what the government has been told by modellers. But they're going ahead with the relaxation on Monday anyway.

Getting it wrong the first time (Feb/March 2020) was understandable. Getting it wrong the second time (Sep/Oct 2020) was not. How can they be walking in to getting it wrong a third time now?

[DiapDealer]

New cases are on a slight uptick over the last several weeks in counties around me. Not to mention that Ohio ranks closer to the bottom in percentage of population vaccinated (at 36% last I checked). Sorry, but I'm not getting any sort of "it's time" or "it's over" vibe yet at all. So I won't be joining in any reindeer superspreader games just yet.

[Sirtel]

Originally Posted by haertig

Unfortunately, some countries have really botched up their vaccine rollouts. India. Canada. And a couple others. I was not talking about those places. They will be in deep dodo for a long time.

In the EU the average percentage of vaccinated persons is only 40%, and it's not because only 40% want to get vaccinated. For example, in Estonia it's only this week that people under 50 could schedule their vaccinations. My first shot is scheduled for the next week (I'm 49). There just aren't more vaccines available here at the moment, and it seems it's the same way in other EU countries too.

The plan is that most Estonians should have gotten their first shot by July, regardless of their age. So it's definitely too early to say "everyone has had their chance". In the US, perhaps, but not elsewhere in the world, not even in the EU.

[4691mls]

There are still lots of children not yet vaccinated because vaccines haven't yet been approved for their age. While it's true most kids don't get terribly sick from Covid, there have been serious illnesses and deaths.

Removing mask requirements is just going to encourage the unvaccinated to stop wearing masks and start spreading Covid.

The NC governor DID keep mask requirements in place for schools and summer camps.

[haertig]

Originally Posted by ownedbycats

I am sick of hearing about "vaccine hesitancy" when not everybody has been given the choice or opportunity to get a vaccine yet.

Originally Posted by Sirtel

So it's definitely too early to say "everyone has had their chance". In the US, perhaps, but not elsewhere in the world, not even in the EU.

Which is why I said:

Originally Posted by haertig

In most parts of the USA now, if you are not vaccinated you are that way by choice. There are of course exceptions to this, and there always will be. But generally speaking, people have been allowed to make their choice, and they have done so (in the USA, but not necessarily true in other countries).

So I have been talking about my own country, not every country of the world. I even put two disclaimers of that in my statement above. Perhaps next time I should try three? It does not make sense to me for people in the USA to continue wearing masks unnecessarily because people in Canada and other countries have not been able to get the vaccine. Relaxing mask mandates in Canada, India, parts of the EU, and a few other places may indeed be premature. Although I never agreed with mandates in the USA in the first place - suggestions and guidance, yes, mandates, no.

[kyteflyer]

I’m seeing a lot of posts which seem to indicate that people think that the vaccination will prevent them from catching Covid-19. It will not. You just wont get as sick as you might without it, and the chance of getting Long Covid is reduced. Additionally, I think that the only vax which protects somewhat against the south african variant is Moderna (or they are about to release an update to their existing… either/or). I’m had my first shot… but it was the Astrazeneca one, which only protects against the original and the UK variant, so if any of the others hit our shores, I will be masking up if out and staying home otherwise.

[DNSB]

Originally Posted by kyteflyer

I’m seeing a lot of posts which seem to indicate that people think that the vaccination will prevent them from catching Covid-19. It will not. You just wont get as sick as you might without it, and the chance of getting Long Covid is reduced.

What what I've seen, after two doses of Pfizer or Moderna, your chances of catching Covid-19 are greatly reduced. If you are in the 5-10% who catch Covid-19 after the vaccination, you are much less likely to require hospitalization.

Originally Posted by kyteflyer

Additionally, I think that the only vax which protects somewhat against the south african variant is Moderna (or they are about to release an update to their existing… either/or).

So far, it appears that both the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines are fairly effective against all currently known variants. Not enough data as yet to say if the 95% efficacy against the original virus is matched but enough to say you have a significantly less chance of contracting Covid-19 variants.

For now, I am still wearing a mask when outside my home. While not quite as vocal as some other countries covidiots, Canada still has it's share. As in one person who was handing out leaflets outside a vaccination clinic claiming that the vaccine would destroy your DNA, wearing masks was proven to cause cancer and that being vaccinated allowed the government to track you.

[poohbear_nc]

Well, folks around here aren't buying the recommendations .... yet ...

I normally do my shopping mid-week, at times of lowest crowd density in stores, but I decided to venture out today to the local mall and do an informal survey. The "Masks Required" signs and separate Entrance/Exit signs are largely down, BUT the check-outs still have the plexiglass shields up and employees were all masked in the stores I visited. And all the customers I saw today were masked, including children. This may change over time, and with increasing temperatures, but I got the impression people still don't feel completely safe yet.

[DNSB]

Originally Posted by poohbear_nc

Well, folks around here aren't buying the recommendations .... yet ...

I normally do my shopping mid-week, at times of lowest crowd density in stores, but I decided to venture out today to the local mall and do an informal survey. The "Masks Required" signs and separate Entrance/Exit signs are largely down, BUT the check-outs still have the plexiglass shields up and employees were all masked in the stores I visited. And all the customers I saw today were masked, including children. This may change over time, and with increasing temperatures, but I got the impression people still don't feel completely safe yet.

At times, I suspect we may end up like quite a few Asian countries where wearing masks when outside the home is common (at least since SARS).

[pdurrant]

Originally Posted by kyteflyer

I’m seeing a lot of posts which seem to indicate that people think that the vaccination will prevent them from catching Covid-19. It will not. You just wont get as sick as you might without it, and the chance of getting Long Covid is reduced. Additionally, I think that the only vax which protects somewhat against the south african variant is Moderna (or they are about to release an update to their existing… either/or). I’m had my first shot… but it was the Astrazeneca one, which only protects against the original and the UK variant, so if any of the others hit our shores, I will be masking up if out and staying home otherwise.

Umm... no. While vaccination isn't guaranteed to stop you catching Covid, it does makes you much less likely to catch it, as well as making the illness less sever if you do catch it.

All the current vaccines give some protection against all the currently known variants. I don't think there have been any studies showing whether any are better than others against particular variants.

[Sirtel]

Originally Posted by DNSB

...claiming that the vaccine would destroy your DNA, wearing masks was proven to cause cancer and that being vaccinated allowed the government to track you.

Yeah. The latest idiocy that is being spread here is that vaccinated people radiate the live virus out of them and this causes infertility in unvaccinated women.

[haertig]

Originally Posted by kyteflyer

I’m seeing a lot of posts which seem to indicate that people think that the vaccination will prevent them from catching Covid-19. It will not.

And does that matter? If you do catch covid, but due to the vaccine don't even know you have it and don't spread it, is that a whole lot different than not catching covid? Seems to me it's a meaningless distinction.

[DiapDealer]

Originally Posted by haertig

And does that matter? If you do catch covid, but due to the vaccine don't even know you have it and don't spread it, is that a whole lot different than not catching covid? Seems to me it's a meaningless distinction.

If you catch it and are asymptomatic, why would you assume the vaccine would keep you from spreading it? Infected is infected, and contagious is contagious.

[4691mls]

Anybody who is anti vax will probably just take off their mask and start spreading Covid.

Instead of this, they should have announced that when a certain percentage of people are vaccinated, masks restrictions would be removed. That might have provided some incentive.

[haertig]

Originally Posted by DiapDealer

If you catch it and are asymptomatic, why would you assume the vaccine would keep you from spreading it? Infected is infected, and contagious is contagious.

I am assuming nothing. Studies have confirmed that vaccinated people are not contagious. They may catch covid (probably not even knowing it) and have it be detectable, but the viral load is so low that they are not contagious. This is also why they are largely asymptomatic. This exact point was mentioned in an article in the Denver Post newspaper this morning.

You are the one who is assuming that because the virus can be detected, you are contagious. This is incorrect. Studies have shown that vaccinated people who subsequently test positive for covid have such low viral loads as to be considered non-contagious. This is one of the reasons the CDC now says that vaccinated people do not need to wear masks.