Vaccine Anyone?

[Nickdfresh]

You will still test positive for COVID19 but the mRNA vaccines reduce the severity of the symptoms. I’m looking at data out of a hard hit region in Idaho and nobody who has taken the vaccine has died of it. A few have ended up in the hospital. Out of a hundred vaccinated people it’s really reduced the severity of the symptoms.

People are making the mistake of thinking these vaccines are going to build herd immunity. They aren’t a traditional vaccine and don’t work that way. Also the effectiveness of mRNA vaccines is short lived.

THEY ALREADY ARE building herd immunity! In many places transmission is way down, or at least was, despite an slow inoculation campaign. Stop pretending you know what the fuck you are talking about...

[ZahZoo]

I believe you can't discount a certain percentage of herd immunity given the number of positive cases overall and the tiny amount of reinfections. Combine that with the vaccine rollout and that's driving numbers way down.

None of this is absolute and there's going to be statistical exceptions but the reporting numbers are real clear.

At least in Arkansas, which I track... from early January we've dropped from over 4000 new cases a day to 100-200 currently. Hospitalizations from 1400 to less than 200.

I will say that week in February where we had record snow and below freezing/zero temperatures really knocked the numbers way down as people just couldn't get out and most business fully shut down. Not advocating that level of shut down be implemented in any way... but you can't deny the significant fall off in numbers. Yes, testing dropped, but came right back up afterwards and there was no spike or rebound. The numbers just kept falling, especially the percent positive which is trending below 2% from a high of near 25%.

[Nitro Express]

THEY ALREADY ARE building herd immunity! In many places transmission is way down, or at least was, despite an slow inoculation campaign. Stop pretending you know what the fuck you are talking about...

Not because of mRNA vaccines. They do not expose you to the virus. They simply reprogram how your cells work. The Johnson & Johnson vaccine can. The mRNA vaccines simply reduce the symptoms if you catch the virus. So to build herd immunity you have to actually be exposed to the virus.

[Nitro Express]

I believe you can't discount a certain percentage of herd immunity given the number of positive cases overall and the tiny amount of reinfections. Combine that with the vaccine rollout and that's driving numbers way down.

None of this is absolute and there's going to be statistical exceptions but the reporting numbers are real clear.

At least in Arkansas, which I track... from early January we've dropped from over 4000 new cases a day to 100-200 currently. Hospitalizations from 1400 to less than 200.

I will say that week in February where we had record snow and below freezing/zero temperatures really knocked the numbers way down as people just couldn't get out and most business fully shut down. Not advocating that level of shut down be implemented in any way... but you can't deny the significant fall off in numbers. Yes, testing dropped, but came right back up afterwards and there was no spike or rebound. The numbers just kept falling, especially the percent positive which is trending below 2% from a high of near 25%.

Also wearing masks really help. You can compare the data from where there were mask mandates to where there were none. The basic flu precautions with the masks. If people would have followed that we could have avoided the economic damaging shutdowns. I’ve been all around where the COVID risk was high but never caught it. I haven’t even had a cold this year. But I wear my mask, I distance and I wash my hands and don’t touch my face. Simple stuff.

[Nitro Express]

It’s funny. A lot of my neighbors are retired physicians. They all have different opinions on COVID. It’s like anything else. People never seeing anything the same way.

[ZahZoo]

The thing about physicians... some of the basics never change but medical and scientific advances continue to grow at a rapid rate. If the physician doesn't have access and/or the motivation to keep up with the growing body of knowledge... their expertise falls behind rapidly.

Given this virus is so new and the effects still not fully understood... I'd be real skeptical of anything a retired doctor had to say on it.

Hell even the so called current "experts" can't agree on much...

[Seshmeister]

Specialisms are important. A retired orthopedic surgeon could be basing his opinions what he remembers from a few lectures he had in virology at med school in the 1960s and his news feed. which like anyone elses may be biased.

There was a study that showed on average that the best doctors to be treated by is one who is in their 30s because as you say they have the most up to date knowledge.

https://www.bmj.com/content/357/bmj.j1797

[FORD]

[FORD]

[FORD]

[Guitar Shark]

I got my second dose last week. Another 10 days or so and I will lose my main excuse to avoid people.

[Terry]

Got my first shot of the Pfizer yesterday, at a FEMA-run vaccination site. Shot was administered by USAF personnel. Second shot of Pfizer in 3 weeks.

Took a couple of Advil when I got home as a precaution/in anticipation of possible nausea...no nausea. Mildly tired yesterday. No lagging tiredness today.

Was mildly surprised how quick it was in terms of the on-site traffic: was in and out of there in less than a half hour. Am assuming some of that had to do with it being Easter.

[Terry]

The whole issue regarding vaccines is trust. People want to know for sure they are safe with no bad side effects. People don’t trust big corporations or the government anymore. They remember some people were permantly damaged by the swine flu vaccine when that was pushed on the public in 1976.

In fact that’s the whole issue with our politics and everything else. One side doesn’t trust the other side. All the arguing in the world doesn’t fix that reality. So you get one side or the other trying to out maneuver and strong arm the other and forcing them to do stuff. That never ends well.

To me, it seems more than a few people want to have a 100% guarantee that the vaccines are 100% safe for 100% of those who get them. Anything short of that, some people won't get vaccinated.

I'm not an anti-vaxxer, but I'll readily admit I had - and still have - concerns about how fast these various covid-vaccines were ramped up into production and approved. I'd be lying if I said I didn't have any concerns about potential long-term side effects of the vaccine(s) that may not manifest themselves until years down the line.

All of that was contrasted with - and ultimately outweighed by - my desire NOT to contract covid and end up being hospitalized/dying from it.

It is harsh and somewhat obvious to say, but from my experience life doesn't extend many - if any - 100% guarantees.

[Terry]

I got my second dose last week. Another 10 days or so and I will lose my main excuse to avoid people.

Frankly, even after this virus passes...I'll kinda miss not wearing a mask and having people socially distanced from me: people smell and I don't particularly want them up in my grill, anyway.

[Nickdfresh]

I got my second dose last week. Another 10 days or so and I will lose my main excuse to avoid people.

'Sup Shark, good to see you. And exactly!