Covid vaccinations, which are widely available are the most effective way of stopping Covid-19.
The New York Times reported on “The Morning” report of September 7 (“Good morning. We explain the exaggerated fears about breakthrough infections”) that “How small are the chances of the average vaccinated American contracting Covid? Probably about one in 5,000 per day, and even lower for people who take precautions or live in a highly vaccinated community.”
The story cites three areas of the country (Utah, Virginia and the Seattle area), which have detailed data on Covid infections by vaccination status “that about one in 5,000 vaccinated Americans have tested positive for Covid each day in recent weeks.”
The article points out that areas with high vaccination rates (Palisades has higher than an 80 percent rate) that chances of getting Covid after vaccination are lower “1 in 10,000” and notes that the numbers don’t include undiagnosed cases, which are often so mild that people don’t notice them and don’t pass the virus to anyone else.
“There’s been a lot of miscommunication about what risks really are to vaccinated people, and how vaccinated people should be thinking about their lives,” Dr. Ashish Jha of Brown University told the NY Times.
For people who have not been vaccinated, the risks are far higher and the story notes that “the talking point about viral loads was problematic . . . Even when the size of the viral loads are similar, the virus behaves differently in the noses and throats of the vaccinated and the unvaccinated.”
“In Britain, many people have become comfortable with the current Covid risks. The vaccines make serious illness rare in adults, and the risks to young children are so low that Britain may never recommend that most receive the vaccine. Letting the virus continue to dominate life, on the other hand, has large costs.”
The article concludes with a quote from Dr. Monica Gandhi, an infectious-disease specialist at the University of California, San Francisco, “The messaging over the last month in the U.S. has basically served to terrify the vaccinated and make unvaccinated eligible adults doubt the effectiveness of the vaccines.”
(To read the article: www.nytimes.com/series/us-morning-briefing)
Sue…I just spent 2 weeks traveling, socializing at large gatherings indoor and out…through 5 airports, Amtrak rides and New York City subways ( all related to my daughter Helene’s wedding..)…had to get a Covid test before heading back to our summer house in Canada…negative! I am vaccinated and took the usual precautions…the media hype does not match what is going on in real life…it’s busy out there in the world!! Back in LA in 3 weeks…Andrea