Seems we've forgotten all about how viruses work over the last couple of years.
Without a vaccine, viruses will still evolve to be less virulent and more transmissible, leading to endemic status. Within this a large number of the population gain natural immunity also reducing spread.
Vaccines, done poorly and too frequently, cause vaccine escape where the immune system actually does a worse job fighting infection and you get more virus (aside other immune system issues). Which is exactly what we're seeing now where a lot of places have more hospitalisation and death per capita in the vaccinated...two years into the pandemic
The most ignorant thing to think at the moment is 'just need more jabbing.'
More transmissible (specifically fitter) but not necessarily, or even usually, less virulent. That is just an urban myth sadly.
Endemic just means 'regularly found', it does not mean mostly harmless!
Vaccine escape refers to a virus evolving to avoid vaccine induced immunity - and can happen with infection induced immunity too. As it happens T cell immunity against severe disease has been holding up just fine - and has saved countless lives. If vaccine uptake was universal, and we took a few sensible precautions, a virus can be completely suppressed, like measles, so wouldn't have a chance for escape mutations.
Your per capita statement is plain wrong.
Now you've been taught a few things about viruses, you can stop spreading misinformation!
For viral diseases, especially coronavirises. Source for the explanation of the myth/urban legend?
Immune system escape can occur, usually in adults, but generally not in children because their immune systems are young and not 'trained' so do a great general response effort.
Vaccines force a targeting of the immune system (e.g. particular spike proteins) that specifically leads to escape, as we're seeing with the vaccines being not only mostly useless, but potentially worse for Omicron.
Per capita not wrong, just not everywhere yet. Example:
If we had protected the vulnerable the best we could, focused on treatments, and let the vaccine rip through the remainder of the population (particularly healthy children) as fast as possible would we have arrived at Omicron levels of deadly much sooner and saved more lives overall?
Not suggesting we should have done that. Just wondering if it might be the case. Guess we'll never know for sure.
> Without a vaccine, viruses will still evolve to be less virulent and more transmissible, leading to endemic status. Within this a large number of the population gain natural immunity also reducing spread.
This is a thorough misreading of the evolution of viruses.
Without a vaccine, viruses will still evolve to be less virulent and more transmissible, leading to endemic status. Within this a large number of the population gain natural immunity also reducing spread.
Vaccines, done poorly and too frequently, cause vaccine escape where the immune system actually does a worse job fighting infection and you get more virus (aside other immune system issues). Which is exactly what we're seeing now where a lot of places have more hospitalisation and death per capita in the vaccinated...two years into the pandemic
The most ignorant thing to think at the moment is 'just need more jabbing.'
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