Category: Herd Immunity
Deepti Gurdasani: “This is a virus that we need to eliminate”, condemns “herd immunity” policies
“There’s no country that has attained herd immunity to SARS-CoV-2. And, certainly, there are countries with different levels of vaccination. I mean, some countries have over 60 percent of their population fully vaccinated. There are also countries that have had natural exposure to the infection at very high rates. But it hasn’t extinguished the pandemic. We’ve always seen surges even after that. And I think that reflects several factors.
One, I think natural immunity can wane over time. And I think the durability of that immunity does depend on the severity of original infection. When infections are mild and asymptomatic, we can have at least weighting of neutralizing antibodies and how that correlates with waning immunity. We don’t know yet, but we know that re-infection, or the getting infected again with the virus, either the same variant or another variant, are far more common than we originally thought. Although there is protection, even over longer duration of time, it’s not absolute.”
WSWS.org interview with Dr. Deepti Gurdasani **
** One of just a handful of people on Earth who seems to understand the existential threat that Sars-CoV-2 poses
USA: Cape Cod superspreader – 79% of breakthrough infections symptomatic, 80% of hospitalized were fully vaccinated
Scientists researching the Provincetown, Cape Cod Covid outbreak reported that 79 percent of the breakthrough infections were symptomatic. Four of five people who were hospitalized were fully vaccinated.
The CDC study “raises the very worrisome possibility that high viral loads can occur in people who have Delta, and this is a fundamental as we have to approach the fall and winter,” said David O’Connor, a professor of pathology and laboratory medicine at the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health.
Image by Mark Martins from Pixabay
Kit Yates on “We have to learn to live with the virus”
What do the people who say “learn to live with the virus” actually mean?
They mean: fail to learn any of the lessons of the last 18 months, fail to mitigate against the spread of the virus and tolerate avoidable deaths and disease burden.
I’d rather we didn’t.
— Kit Yates (@Kit_Yates_Maths) July 30, 2021
Over to you Kirsty….
Israel: We have to learn to live with Covid
“We all need to change our thinking and draw a road map for living with Covid,” says Dr. Manfred Green. We disagree, and we will be explaining why we disagree in a post later.
Editors note: This report comes just 48 hours after our warning that Boris Johnson’s government was proposing to his countrymen that they should also “learn to live with Covid” (see original post below).
Have you ever wondered what happens when you search for “We have to learn to live with Ebola”? Try it.
It’s an idea so insane that only one person in recorded history has actually written it down.
We have to learn to live with Covid.
“Learning to live with Covid” will be coming to your country soon. Be prepared.
Boris Johnson tells Britons to “learn to live with Covid”
UK: ONS estimates over 800,000 had Covid-19 this week
The latest ONS survey of UK Covid-19 infection has confirmed our suspicion that the Covid-19 epidemic has spiralled out of control in Britain, with more than 800,000 estimated to have been infected in England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland last week.
England: 741,700estimated
Scotland: 65,100
Wales: 14,400
Northern Ireland: 10,900
Total: 832,100
UK: No wonder the app is pinging – around 1 million people currently have Covid-19 in Britain
UK: world-beaters in Covid-19 infection rates and hospitalisations
Yet more pictures that say a thousand words about the UK’s abysmal response to Covid-19. This is not government in any recognizable sense, this is cold, calculated, mass murder through neglect.
UK: No wonder the app is pinging – around 1 million people currently have Covid-19 in Britain
Greece: Health Ministry to suspend unvaccinated healthcare workers, cut pay
The Greek Health Ministry submitted an amendment to Parliament on Wednesday according to which healthcare professionals will remain on unpaid leave during which they will also lose their social security if they do not get vaccinated against Covid-19.
The mandatory inoculation concerns medical, paramedical, nursing, administrative and support staff in hospitals, as well as private, public and municipal care facilities for the elderly and people with disabilities.
The unpaid leave will last, according to the government, “as long as the pandemic lasts.” The legislation will take effect as of August 16 for workers at nursing homes and from September 1 for healthcare staff.
** That’s a decision that will certainly come back to bite them ↓ ↓ ↓ **
Israel: Previous Covid-19 infection may offer more protection than vaccination
People who have recovered from Covid-19 are around 9% of Israel’s population, but they’re less than 1% of current cases. That has led to speculation that recovery from past Covid is more protective against infection from the Delta Variant than vaccination. Known recovered people in Israel are mostly not vaccinated, though some chose to get a single booster dose
“There could be other explanations for this result. The Delta wave is, for now at least, not affecting the communities hardest hit by Israel’s previous Covid waves: Ultra Orthodox Jews and Israeli Arabs. So perhaps recovered people aren’t being exposed to the virus yet.
But I’m not sure that’s enough to explain the sharp difference. From data I was passed last week, recovered people were testing at only 0.1% positivity, compared to more than 1% for vaccinated people.
It’s clear that Delta is spreading in Israel’s vaccinated population. Vaccinated people are getting Delta, and — critically — vaccinated people are giving Delta to other vaccinated people.”
Israel: 56% of serious coronavirus cases in hospitals are fully vaccinated
Image by Tom Gordon from Pixabay
UK: Despite vaccinations, one in six council areas in England now recording highest Covid numbers since last summer
The list of councils includes almost all local authority areas in north-east England, close to a half in south-west England and nearly a third in Yorkshire and the Humber. Data also shows that every local area in England is now recording coronavirus rates above the symbolic level of 100 cases per 100,000 people – the first time this has happened since early January, at the peak of the second wave.
Some 50 of the 315 local authority areas in England (16%) are currently recording Covid-19 case rates that are higher than any point since mass testing began, PA analysis shows. Eight of these are in north-east England: Redcar & Cleveland (1,268.0 cases per 100,000 people – the highest anywhere in England); Middlesbrough (1,178.9); Hartlepool (1,061.3); Sunderland (1,036.7); Stockton-on-Tees (944.5); Darlington (863.3); County Durham (783.3); and Northumberland (674.6). In neighbouring Yorkshire & the Humber, six areas currently have record rates: Doncaster (729.1), Wakefield (667.2), Leeds (599.4), Richmondshire (575.1), Hambleton (552.4) and East Riding of Yorkshire (517.9).
Financial Times: Monday is surrender day, not freedom day, in England
“Mass infection risks swamping hospitals, decimating workforces, sickening the young and weak, and creating vaccine-resistant variants — all of which could lead to further lockdowns and, ultimately, less freedom. This is not learning to live with Covid-19 but caving in to it.”
UK: London sees a large rise in coronavirus cases as Freedom Day looms
Photo by Bernard Hermant on Unsplash
English Freedom Day: Lions led by Zombies
A short reminder of what happened after “Freedom Day” was announced in the Czech Republic on July 2nd 2020:
Covid-19 cases after “Freedom Day” in the Czech Republic in 2020:
Covid-19 deaths after “Freedom Day” in the Czech Republic in July 2020:
English Freedom Day – Lions led by Zombies.
UK: Hebburn West in South Tyneside now at nearly 2,000 coronavirus cases per 100,000 people
When we looked at the coronavirus situation in West Hebburn in South Tyneside a week ago we were astonished by the infection rates in that part of North East England, which, at that point, were 1,555 per 100,000 people. Well, one week later, things, it seems, have gone from bad to worse with the infection level now at 1,983.5 cases per 100,000 people in West Hebburn. We’re not sure if that is a UK record for infection levels, but is certainly the highest rate we have ever seen for the UK. And this is two days BEFORE “Freedom Day” on the 19th July 2021, after which all mitigations and restrictions on gatherings will be lifted in the UK.
Last week…
UK: Hebburn West, South Tyneside now at 1,555 coronavirus cases per 100,000 people
UK: Vaccine Breakthrough for Health Minister Sajid Javid
Sajid Javid, who became UK health secretary in June, said he had taken a lateral flow test after feeling a “bit groggy” on Friday night and it was positive. He said he was now self-isolating until he got the results of a PCR test. In a video posted on his Twitter feed, Mr Javid said: “I was feeling a bit groggy last night, so I took a lateral flow test this morning and it’s come out positive, so I’m now self-isolating at home with my family until I get the results of a PCR test.” “I’m grateful that I’ve had two jabs of the vaccine and so far my symptoms are very mild.”
UK: vaccine breakthroughs now nearly HALF of all new Covid-19 cases