Re: The Vaccine Thread
Originally Posted by
beeatnik
Octave, aren't a couple of those papers pre Delta?
Yes.
Originally Posted by
beeatnik
Octave, are you suggesting that the only way to escape that trend is for 100% vaccination? A few weeks ago, there were a few calculations posted about Delta's R0 and how that raised the necessary herd immunity vaccination rate to above 100%
I'm not suggesting anything, just presenting relevant data. If you want my interpretation of these data (which, again, is my full-time job) in layman's terms, as we are not in a tits-deep scientific arena here, it would be that, put simply, more vaccinations = less transmission. There have been vague suggestions that, because the vaccinated breakthrough cases of infection are more likely to be asymptomatic, that transmission might actually increase as infected individuals are less likely to be isolated and therefore present more opportunity for transmission. Those suggestions have not borne out to any degree in the data. Infection clusters initiated by unvaccinated persons still represent the vast, vast majority of instances. I am not aware of significant cluster data which originate and propagate entirely in vaccinated persons.
Regarding the herd immunity achievement, I do not believe (nor do most scientists working in this arena) that this is the goal anymore, nor has it been for a long time. Disease management is the goal, and a reduction in transmission and severity both serve this purpose without question.
I will not espouse my entire political viewpoint here but I do believe in individual liberty and I do not support gross public vaccine mandates. I do believe that private and/or individual entities have a right to do so. I do not believe there is a valid argument against the notion that increased vaccination rates will decrease disease spread and severity.
"Do you want ants? Because that's how you get ants."
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