Just wondering? If you don't trust the vaccine why take it? I've had both Pfiser shots as directed by the Health Dept. Got the mask out to do some sanding today and thought it a better use. Have you seen the charts about mask mandates and how well it controlled the infections?
Apparently the chances of catching covid from surfaces is very tiny when compared to flu, which is one reason we didn't have a flu season, so that leaves airborne spread and there is data to support it, masks are most effective at stopping others from being infected. The good news is the vaccines are phenomenally effective and can stop the spread of the original and UK strains, but the Brazilian variant is worry some and we don't yet know if some people will be asymptomatic and if 30% of adults don't get vaccinated we won't all go mooow any time soon.
The Brazilian variant is a kid killer and that is the main issue, the protection of children, especially younger ones who won't be vaccinated for a long time. In Brazil 1300 infants alone have died from this variant that is 100% more contagious and much more virulent than the original strain that hardly affected kids at all. The hospitals are now filling with younger folks as many older folks are either fully or 80% immunized with a single shot.
Having kids die or fucked for life is the reason all adults need to get vaccinated and why you'll see marketing by musicians and celebrities making PSAs. If you wanna come to my concert this summer make sure yer vaccinated or I won't let you in... Young people are the most vaccine resistant, but they are more subject to social influences like marketing and peer pressure. If children's safety is emphasized it should drive up vaccination rates among all groups.
Here is a typical news story and there are lot's like it now, news out of Brazil is dire.
Variants and children heating up Wisconsin's COVID-19 surge | Local Government | madison.com
Variants and children heating up Wisconsin's COVID-19 surge
The race to vaccinate Wisconsin has gained urgency as fast-moving COVID-19 variants become the dominant strains and infections in children too young for vaccines drive a surge of new cases, doubling that statistic in recent weeks.
“We are in a new phase of the epidemic that is clearly worse than we were before,” said Dr. Ryan Westergaard, the state’s top communicable disease official. “And it's transmission among young people who are driving the change in the curve.”
With 1,046 new cases reported on Thursday, the first time since Feb. 11 that the daily count topped 1,000, the seven-day average for new infections has risen to 733. The daily average on March 23 was 387.
“There are still a lot of vulnerable people at high risk,” Westergaard said.
Adding to the risk, he said, are children who this week have the highest numbers of infection as in-person school resumes and extra-curricular activities activities ramp up.
“We can’t think that we’re done with this," Westergaard said. "We have to be vigilant, we have to wear masks, we have to gather outdoors, we have to encourage vaccination for everyone that is eligible.”
New data posted by the state show that a variant from California, which was previously unrecorded, has become the most common variant, though it's likely not as contagious as the B117, or UK variant, which Westergaard said is likely to soon become the dominant strain in the state. On Wednesday, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported that it has emerged as the dominant strain in the U.S
But a California variant — actually two variants called B.1.427/B.1.429 because they share key mutations — appears to have overtaken the UK variant. While 148 cases of the UK variant have been detected, 216 cases of the California variant have been found. Fifteen infections of a South African variant and four infections of a Brazilian variant have also been detected.
All five variants, designated by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention as “variants of concern,” are known to be more easily transmissible and may be more likely to cause severe symptoms and death.
Statewide, only about 5% to 10% of new infections are being sequenced to determine the genetic makeup, so the actual number of infections from variants could be considerably higher.
Collectively, the variants make up more than half of recent cases, Westergaard said.
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