Antivaxxers are going wild on all fronts and reports such as this one below make no difference to their “rational delusions.” We now discover daily that human nature possesses an unusually powerful component of self-destruction, which the pandemic has pushed to new unprecedented heights. With study after study finding that 90 of those dying from Covid belong to the unvaccinated (e.g. see this, this, and this) one would expect that reason may make inroads into the heads of the stubborn.
Regrettably, however, the antivax trend remains “healthy” and will continue to claim the lives of the hesitant and/or the bullheaded — while all the while endangering the community at large and causing “collateral” infections and deaths, which will ironically affect the same unvaccinated disproportionally.
That the vaccinated have been found to infect others is now an antivaxxer banner argument, which, however, misses the key point that it is still the unvaccinated, who would continue to suffer and die in disproportionally large numbers. Now though I’m waiting for the other boot to drop—and the unvaccinated to accuse the vaccinated for spreading the virus and demand that vaccinations cease altogether so that we all suffer “proportionally.”
Before I’m accused of “demonizing” people who value their “freedom to choose” I will say this: there are always limits to everything including, unfortunately, whatever “freedoms” we may claim as inviolable. If you haven’t noticed we’re at an unconventional war of survival with an unprecedented pestilence, which allows little room for (amateur) constitutional “debates” (hint: visit the history of WWII restrictions for some ideas on the limits of democratic freedoms). Having said that, Covid government mandates should be limited to the absolute minimum necessary to deal with the current crisis—and not give the opportunity to politicians to increase their appetite of dabbling with pernicious limitations to establish themselves and extend beyond the current state of emergency.
Pfizer Covid jab ‘90% effective against hospitalisation for at least 6 months’
Study shows protection against severe illness stays high, but scientists say boosters key to stopping spread of infection
Two doses of the Pfizer/BioNTech Covid vaccine are “highly effective” at preventing hospitalisations for at least six months, a large-scale study shows, but protection against infection nearly halves over the same period.
Effectiveness against all Covid infections fell from 88% within a month of having two doses to 47% after six months, according to the research. However, effectiveness against hospitalisations remained high at 90% overall – and crucially across all variants, including delta.
The findings, published in the Lancet, are consistent with preliminary reports from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and Israel’s ministry of health that suggested protection against the virus fades within six months.
The results underscore the vital importance of improving Covid vaccination rates globally, researchers said.In the UK, the NHS is already offering booster jabs to people who had their second vaccine at least six months ago, are living in residential care homes for older adults, are over 50, or are frontline health and social care workers.
It is also inviting 16- to 49-year-olds with underlying health conditions that put them at higher risk of severe symptoms and adults who have household contact with immunosuppressed individuals to go for their third inoculation.