Covid-19 News/Discussion

[Xenos]

Every important question and answer so far about the Delta Variant:

https://www.statnews.com/2021/07/23/burning-questions-delta-next-phase-covid-19-pandemic/

Quote

I’m hearing a lot about breakthrough infections. Is Delta causing more of them? What does that mean about the vaccines? 

We’ve never really had a good estimate for how frequently breakthrough infections occur. The carefully monitored clinical trials that gave us our best estimates for vaccine effectiveness were generally designed to measure how well the shots protect against symptomatic Covid-19 cases — not any infection. And in the real world, it’s presumed that a lot of mild and asymptomatic breakthrough infections go undetected. Without that baseline, it’s hard to say how the rate is changing over time. What is clear is that the vast majority are asymptomatic or mild.

There are a couple reasons why you might be hearing more about breakthrough infections now. One is that they make news — someone contracting the coronavirus even though they’re vaccinated makes for an easy headline, even though we’ve been told from the early days of the vaccine campaign that immunized people would still sometimes get Covid-19. Also, people are coming to realize that even if vaccines broadly limit disease to “mild” illness, that can still leave them feeling pretty crappy for a few days — even as it saves them from feeling worse for longer, and from getting much sicker.

It’s also possible that breakthrough infections are happening more frequently for reasons that have nothing to do with how well vaccines are working. For one, many of us have returned to activities we had put off. Having more, unmasked contact with others — at bars, weddings, family gatherings, whatever — increases the risk that we’ll come into contact with an infectious person. (It’s no surprise that the place with the highest rate of new cases in Massachusetts is summer tourism hot spot Cape Cod.) Plus, as cases increase, there’s just more virus around, so we’re more likely to be exposed.

There’s a statistical reason that could also be playing a role. The higher the percentage of a community that’s vaccinated, generally the lower the absolute number of cases will be — which is what everyone is aiming for. But as a greater proportion of that community becomes vaccinated, breakthrough infections will actually account for a greater share of overall cases. Think about a scenario where 100% of people are vaccinated — 100% of cases would be among the vaccinated.

Then, there’s Delta’s impact on vaccines. The good news is that the vaccines are maintaining their ability to protect against hospitalization and deaths, even in the face of this evolved virus. As researchers wrote in a New England Journal of Medicine study this week that looked at the effectiveness of the Pfizer-BioNTech and AstraZeneca vaccines against Delta, “only modest differences in vaccine effectiveness were noted with the Delta variant as compared with” other forms of the virus, as long as people had both shots of the two-dose regimens.

But it is possible — though not confirmed — that the mutations in Delta give it some room to wriggle around the vaccine’s full defenses. The result could be that Delta is more likely to establish a breakthrough infection and possibly cause some symptoms, though the bulk of the protection still kicks in and guards against the worst outcomes. Health officials, however, say they’re not seeing signs that Delta or some other variant is causing a disproportionate number of breakthrough cases.

 

[MrOaktown_56]

7 hours ago, pwny said:

Please cite evidence that beards have killed 610,000 Americans. 

Otherwise, please stop posting logical fallacies as if they're a gotcha.

The whole point of government is to put the good of everyone above individual "rights". Keeping other people safe isn't an obstruction of freedom. It's part of the contract we all enter into when we live in a governed state. We have to be team players in exchange for protection/infrastructure.

[AFlaccoSeagulls]

On 7/23/2021 at 8:29 AM, ramssuperbowl99 said:

In the same breath these people are saying "don't tell me what to put in my body" and "it's not approved yet".

They're gonna be so mad when they learn that it's the big bad gubment that approves drugs.

Let's be honest...the people pretending like they're not getting the vaccine because "it's not FDA approved!" are just lying. They're using that as an excuse, and once the vaccines do get fully approved here in the next month, they'll move the goalposts and make up some other excuse.

On 7/23/2021 at 8:31 AM, JonStark said:

So I'll drop it after this, but your attempts to discredit anyone who disagrees with you do more harm than goodto those who support the vaccine. My wife and I both work in pharmaceuticals (her more in the research aspect). Recently, she was working on something to ease covid patients off of the ventilators. 

You can say "you don't know what you're talking about", "you have no experience", and all the other condescending stuff you want, but that doesn't help anyone still on the fence decide to do the right thing and get the vaccine. It pushes them away. 

Anyone still on the fence isn't on the fence in actuality. The people who followed the science got their vaccines already. The people who don't have it never will.

[DontTazeMeBro]

23 hours ago, MrOaktown_56 said:

The whole point of government is to put the good of everyone above individual "rights".

Says who? Stalin?

If that’s too extreme is **** Cheney better?

Holy **** this is getting terrifying.

[MrOaktown_56]

10 minutes ago, DontTazeMeBro said:

Says who? Stalin?

If that’s too extreme is **** Cheney better?

Holy **** this is getting terrifying.

It's literally how the government works. Because to live in a lawful society means to abide by basic rules.

People are crying about giving up tiny things like getting a simple set of safe shots to safeguard the LIVES of other people. The incredible lack of empathy and courtesy in this country, poorly disguised as "freedom" and "individuality", is what's made us the laughingstock of the western world.

[MrOaktown_56]

13 minutes ago, AFlaccoSeagulls said:

Let's be honest...the people pretending like they're not getting the vaccine because "it's not FDA approved!" are just lying. They're using that as an excuse, and once the vaccines do get fully approved here in the next month, they'll move the goalposts and make up some other excuse.

Anyone still on the fence isn't on the fence in actuality. The people who followed the science got their vaccines already. The people who don't have it never will.

It's comical.

[pwny]

16 minutes ago, DontTazeMeBro said:

Says who? Stalin?

If that’s too extreme is **** Cheney better?

Holy **** this is getting terrifying.

Literally learn what a social contract is lmao

[MrOaktown_56]

Just now, pwny said:

Literally learn what a social contract is lmao

It's like people didn't get a high school education.

[DontTazeMeBro]

1 minute ago, MrOaktown_56 said:

It's literally how the government works. Because to live in a lawful society means to abide by basic rules.

People are crying about giving up tiny things like getting a simple set of safe shots to safeguard the LIVES of other people. The incredible lack of empathy and courtesy in this country, poorly disguised as "freedom" and "individuality", is what's made us the laughingstock of the western world.

Lmao at the western world. The western world exists because of us and our military. If anything they should worry about what we think about them and not the other way around.

 

[Malfatron]

38 minutes ago, DontTazeMeBro said:

Says who? Stalin?

If that’s too extreme is **** Cheney better?

Holy **** this is getting terrifying.

lol, you are literally scared?

[pwny]

38 minutes ago, AFlaccoSeagulls said:

Let's be honest...the people pretending like they're not getting the vaccine because "it's not FDA approved!" are just lying. They're using that as an excuse, and once the vaccines do get fully approved here in the next month, they'll move the goalposts and make up some other excuse.

They’re already moving the goal posts. We had someone in here just say he’s worried because the vaccine hasn’t completely phase 3. It has. It was completed in November 2020. He got linked to the article about it twice. I guarantee he has a new reason, now. 

[Glen]

24 minutes ago, DontTazeMeBro said:

Lmao at the western world. The western world exists because of us and our military. If anything they should worry about what we think about them and not the other way around.

 

Tiny pp energy 

[-Hope-]

25 minutes ago, DontTazeMeBro said:

Lmao at the western world. The western world exists because of us and our military. If anything they should worry about what we think about them and not the other way around.

 

when you're a big strong boy >>>

[Xenos]

44 minutes ago, DontTazeMeBro said:

Says who? Stalin?

If that’s too extreme is **** Cheney better?

Holy **** this is getting terrifying.

Can you drive drunk in this country? Is it legal to not wear seatbelts?

[AFlaccoSeagulls]

5 minutes ago, pwny said:

They’re already moving the goal posts. We had someone in here just say he’s worried because the vaccine hasn’t completely phase 3. It has. It was completed in November 2020. He got linked to the article about it twice. I guarantee he has a new reason, now. 

Or he'll just pretend he never saw it. Either way, literally anything except admitting you're wrong.