Though obviously better than it has been. Looking at various trackers, it seems that the U.S. is at around 500 COVID-19 deaths per day. Even if that drops by forty percent (I hope it will, but vaccination seems to be stalling out most places) to 300 deaths per day, that’s still 100,000 deaths per year. Were that to continue for a year, that would be over 100,000 COVID-19 deaths. For context, breast cancer deaths are estimated to be around 45,000 deaths annually.
Meanwhile in D.C., we’re at four deaths per week. This does represent a decline. I really hoped we would have been down to one to two deaths per week. These deaths are almost exclusively Black people (starting May 1, 26 of 30 of the dead have been Black), and if we don’t vaccinate further, especially in Wards 7 and 8, I don’t see what will cause the death toll to drop below that (obviously, I hope I’m wrong). 150-200 COVID-19 deaths would be comparable to the number of homicide deaths in (recent) bad years. Though I suppose ‘natural’ herd immunity would kick in at some point eventually.
We really need to push harder on vaccination everywhere.
mikethemadbiologist
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Why do you believe there is such a thing as herd immunity to SARS-CoV-2? There never was any to other coronovirus or influenza…
I think the term “herd immunity” is inappropriate, but we know vaccination helps reduce death rates in influenza, a pretty good analogy to SARS-Cov2. In a good year we “only” have about 30,000 deaths. When the virus mutates differently than the experts predict we have 70-80,000 deaths. Very strangely, the death rate from influenza in 2020 was minuscule. I haven’t seen figures on how many people took their flu shot, but I’ll bet it was lower than usual. There are reasons to be skeptical, but the large number of variants being recorded is an indication that this is going to be as resistant to extinction as the common cold or influenza.
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I’m going to be a nay-sayer on the vaccines until they are modified so that most people aren’t flat on their backs for days on end. Way, way, way too many people I know have had severe side effects. People with no, zero, zip pre-existing conditions are having issues like vomiting for days requiring rehydration and having migraines for weeks when they had no history of headaches. I had to cover for more than one person who had serious side effects from the vaccine at work. A couple of them were out for days. NONE of these people had co-morbidities. Almost everyone I know who has been vaccinated has been flat on their backs for at least a couple days. More commonly, it’s almost a week.
This is not normal.
Meanwhile, a friend of mine with Sjogren’s syndrome had a cytokine storm following her 2nd jab. At least that’s what her doctors are telling her. The nerve in her lower leg is numb and the leg often buckles under her.
THIS IS NOT NORMAL. The cytokine storm “diagnosis” came out of the mouth of the very doctor who pushed her into the second jab even though the first one had left her bedridden for almost 3 weeks.
There is a reason why vaccines are tested for years and not months. These vaccines may be effective in prevent severe disease. We don’t KNOW how fully they protect against transmission. Worse still, no one seems to want to find out. And I think a boatload of serious side effects are being swept under the rug in the name of herd immunity. Big business just wants to close the book on COVID and those who get caught in the cross-fire are merely collateral damage.
Meanwhile, I have an autoimmune disorder and there is ZERO GUIDANCE for any of us. Financially, if I want to survive, I have to remain vertical and WORKING. Am I putting my arm out for vaccination. NOT IN YOUR LIFE. Unless, of course, there is someone I can sue if I’m disabled – or our government steps forward telling me all my medical and personal expenses will be covered for the rest of my life, if I’m unable to work. But we can’t sue (very convenient for Pharma) and no one is going to cover my medical bills let alone living expenses. So guess what? I’M NOT GETTING VACCINATED.
Meanwhile, I’m working remotely and staying the hell away from other people. These vaccines MAY be effective. But we aren’t testing enough on whether they prevent transmission and this whole lessening of restrictions has put people like me in the cross-hairs. Sorry, but I don’t like being collateral damage.
And yes. I’ve been vaccinated for almost everything else out there. I had to be. I worked in hospital settings for years. But I DON’T TRUST THESE VACCINES as far as I can throw a piano.