Israel is seeing a surge in COVID cases among the vaccinated, and the effectiveness of the Pfizer vaccination is plummeting. Part of the problem appears to be that Israel has used the Pfizer vaccine almost exclusively, which has pushed natural selection of virus strains that bypass that vaccine. As these strains make there way to the US, the Pfizer vaccine is likely to become progressively less effective at preventing infections.
Here is a recent report from Israel:
On July 20, The Jerusalem Postreported that of the 143 hospitalized patients, 58% were fully vaccinated, 3% were partially vaccinated, and 39% were not vaccinated at all. . .
Israel was able to achieve an impressive rollout of vaccinates â and not only to vaccinate much of the adult population, particularly the elderly who were vulnerable to Covidâs first waves, but also to achieve impressive vaccination levels in the military, where 83% were vaccinated by March and there were zero deaths.
Yet today in the Jewish state, despite all this and without being able to blame the âunvaccinatedâ â who make up only a small number of people â there is a rise in Covid cases beyond 1,000 a day to even 2,000, which is a lot for such a small country. . .
researchers released data last week showing the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine was just 39% effective against preventing infection from the delta variant and 91% effective at preventing severe disease.
Should the US suspend further vaccinations with the Pfizer vaccine because of the poor effectiveness shown in Israel?
My understanding is that the different brands of vaccination produce similar types of antibodies, so the other vaccinations may not give much of an advantage.
Would it be better to allow healthy vaccinated people to be exposed the new variants so they develop natural immunity while the risk of serious illness is still low?
Yes, for now there is an apparent advantage in reducing severity of the illness.
One problem with the analysis is that the small number of people who are too sick to get vaccinated may be biasing the numbers since they are the ones who are most likely to suffer severe illness.
Yes, a basic problem with flu shots is they protect only against last yearâs strains, and the new variants can be the most dangerous.
A similar situation is occurring with COVID. It is likely that there is no way to get rid of COVID with vaccinations. Practically everyone is going to get infected eventually, but the natural evolution usually favors strains that are less lethal but more contagious.
They need to do their best on clamping down on letting variants in. It is costly but way loss costly than if a new variant ends up bypassing the vaccine altogether.
South Korea and some others doesnât let a person off the international airplanes or boats until they are tested and cleared.
I donât even want to think about the mess at the southern border at the same time a new variant that is supposedly avoids the vaccine more than delta (Lambda Variant) is I am sure making its way among migrants to bring it via the southern border lord knows we need the lambda variant to.
Governments are pushing fascist policies to force vaccinations and to blame any outbreaks on the unvaccinated.
The reality is that the higher the vaccination rate, the less effective the vaccinations are likely to be.
Contrary to conventional wisdom lockdowns and masks may make the situation worse. They reduce exposure of vaccinated persons to the new variants and which prevents getting the population to herd immunity.
The vaccine appears to reduce the severity of symptoms. That is a good thing.
On the other hand, the greatest threat to the vaccinated is arguably coming from the other people with the same vaccination. It is unlikely that new versions of the vaccines are going to keep up with the evolution of new variants.
The government is pushing a policy with very little chance of success. Their main efforts are towards restricting information and discussion that show the weakness of the official line.
I have no problem with vaccines. I have problems with governments working to end civil liberties in order to push their policies.
People should be free to choose their treatment and free to refuse treatment.
The FDA is on track to approve a vaccine that is reportedly only 39% effective in preventing infections. The approval will then be used to force vaccinations in the armed forces, government workers, and many private employers.
At the same time the government is refusing to allow use of existing, inexpensive drugs with a proven safety record because of limited data on effectiveness.
The policy is not just that vaccinations are a good option. It is that vaccinations are required and they must be the only option.
We are watching in real time why we are bad at eradicating diseases and why we take a flu shot each year with less than 50% success rate because of the mutations.
There was a recent outbreak in China the first thing they did was test the entire city and are trying to isolate the delta virus. We quit testing for the most part and think we can vaccinate our way out of it full well knowing viruses throughout history mutates to the point the vaccine is largely ineffective.
And if delta wasnât bad enough here comes Lambda from the south which is showing strong resistance to the vaccine. What happens when the vaccine is 45% effective at best thatâs were we are heading full steam ahead because we quit trying to keep the variants out and never really took testing seriously.
Yes, I donât see us getting rid of COVID through vaccinations.
I expect that China will see its first major epidemic this fall as the cooler drier weather favors transmission. If the virus is really as contagious as chicken pox, I doubt they will be able to control it in urban areas.
Rapid inexpensive saliva-based tests could be very useful. The idea is that people use them daily. They are not as sensitive as the PCR test, but they can show if someone is likely to be contagious.
of course not. weâve known from the beginning that covid antibodies are short lived and we would be relying on memory cells to render covid the âlessor fluâ.
the question the op asks is a valid question based on logic. the answer of course is no, keep vaccinating and keep using as many different vaccines as prove effective
