Something I didn't want to go too deep into because I'm assuming many people understand the basics of Immunology, Vaccinology & Immunotherapeutics via reading up on it online. Every vaccine in history will (has) wane over time. Typically it begins within the first year. This occurs because of a decline in antibody levels within the person that's vaccinated. Therefore, many studies often are not able to discern if the mutation is more transmissible or is it because the person that's vaccinated has declining antibody levels. As stated, mutations happen every day in many countries using different vaccines to fight the same disease. Usually, when a mutation pops up on the radar they first identify how is it spreading from one region to another region prior to labeling it as a Variant of Interest or Variant of Concern. Sometimes that identification of spread is isolated or it's a breakout. So far, this mutation has not been classified as a Variant of Interest nor Variant of Concern...its a mutation that's being watched and studied...usually contact tracing is involved too which is why I was surprised the article did not explain how the mutations traveled from the United Kingdom to the United States while borders were closed. There's a possibility that the same mutation occurs in different areas of the world but not likely because it will need similar conditions within a host for such to occur (e.g. different patients in different countries with the same underlying medical condition being infected by the same type of virus strain, same culture in different countries that have recovered from a Covid infection etc)... Again, they would know this via contact tracing to discover when/where the patient was infected with the mutation. For example, with the Delta Variant...they knew who was patient #1 (October 2020) and where the patient travel for infection of an entire family in another region of India. They also knew what city had the first outbreak of Covid Delta Variant for it to qualify as a Variant of Interest and they knew patient #1 (Delta Variant) was immuno-compromise. My point, contact tracing is critical in understanding the spread and part of determining how transmissible a virus is to those that are not vaccinated and to those that are vaccinated...reason for my earlier question about borders being closed. Of most countries in the world...the United States has the worst contact tracing. Thus, if we were to ever produce a deadly mutated strain of our own of Covid...we most likely would not know it. Back to the issue of declining antibodies (vaccine wane)... it's normal and you must study a mutation against a vaccine at full strength versus a vaccine that's been waning for several months including studying the mutation against a vaccine with a booster shot. Many countries are now doing booster shots but just like the initial vaccination...a country will again need a good size of their population (at least those with immune compromise conditions) to receive a booster as a defense against the mutation and to help minimize the next mutation if the patient has a breakthrough infection. Note: Most mutations occur in those not vaccinated. The first Variants of Interest and Variants of Concern occurred prior to vaccinations and prior to vaccine trials. That would then imply the mutations popped up on the radar of researchers in sick patients that were not vaccinated. Yet, the probability is extremely low for a fully vaccinated person to cause a virus mutation that results in a Variant of Interest or a Variant of Concern even if the vaccinated person has a breakthrough infection... Breakthrough infections that result in a severe Covid infection are rare in North America which is one of the reasons our hospitals have Covid patients, ICU admission, and Deaths from those that are not vaccinated. Therefore, the key is to look at the hospitalizations, ICU admissions, and Deaths in comparing those in the population not vaccinated versus those in the population of fully vaccinated. It's critical especially in populations that have high vaccinations. Here in North America...our vaccination rate / vaccine mandates are directly correlated with our declining Covid numbers that include hospitalizations, ICU admissions, and Deaths. It's the one key fact those posting misinformation can not run around here in North America Covid statistics. Just as important, as stated multiple times the past few months...most of the severe Covid infections in North America that result in hospitalization or Death have been those not vaccinated. We're doing good now as in getting better. wrbtrader
Maybe if Republicans politicians and pundits would stop constantly pushing Covid misinformation then we would not have the vaccine hesitation problems caused by their politicization of Covid to further their personal agendas.
Well, like a good little sheep you are parroting Biden's excuses. I encourage you and Biden to keep it up. It is working so well..........for the republicans. And all that inflation and supply chain and gas problems? "A high class problem." An "extraordinary success" just like Kabul. Yeh. Stay the course. You are right about everything. Me? And the public that views him dimly now? We are totally wrong. Do more of what you are doing. And China and Russia and Iran and the Drug Cartels are all cheering for Joe and your ilk so you know it's all good when you have that kind of international support. Full speed ahead. giggle.
Heard a song the other day, blast from the past..... I nominate it as the theme song for covid’s Dynamic Duo, GWB & WRB. I especially liked the part...... Remember when the circus came to town. And you were frightened by the clown. Wasn't it nice to be around someone that you knew. Someone who was big and strong and looking out for you. For you guys.
Admit you're jealous because one of us actually is educated in Immunology and still has close friends in the field. Regardless, I strongly dislike people posting online misinformation about Covid. In fact, I enjoy giving a contrasting view to their misinformation / disinformation mainly because I know that misinformation / disinformation can kill or cause greater harm to society as a whole during a Pandemic. P.S. Above image is something being posted on military bases in the United States including within their communities surrounding the bases. I think it has something to do with civilian aerospace people contracted with the military. wrbtrader
Back in the 1950/60s white Republicans were the most likely to step forward and get vaccinated with the brand new polio and other vaccines. The Republican party back then was pro-science and strongly promoted everyone getting vaccinated. Boy... how things have changed.
The long term Southern Strategy drew in all the bad uns. Its amazing how unable to see the woods for the trees, so many sustain 'conservative' talking points which were never conservative thought just a few decades ago.
The entire Republican party has moved away from its traditional core values... which is why I am no longer a registered Republican. The GOP has become the party of idiots, narcissists, conspiracy peddlers and cranks. SAD.
Vaccine hesitancy has been a historical problem in many countries in which each country had a different reason. Thus, it's not associated with a global political party. In contrast, in North America, vaccines were widely accepted by both parties for smallpox, polio, and many other diseases including +50 states using it as a requirement for access to schools along with the fact that the federal government used it as a requirement for immigrants & refugees entry into the United States. So yeah, in the past...vaccines were widely accepted in North America with only a very small percentage of the population being anti-vaccine and anti-government control. Yet, there's a dark side to vaccination in North America...vaccines were in fact weaponized against the Indigenous Americans in Native American Boarding Schools and used to experiment on other cultures like African Americans without their knowledge or lied to about the known side effects and then often denied medical treatment for the side effects. It's not just the vaccines...the diseases themselves were used as a weapon against people of color regardless of the political party in office... The reason why I do not see this as a white republican issue. In fact, diseases and Pandemics of the past scared the hell out of people. Today, with social media, the ignorant are easily misinformed and manipulated into spreading the misinformation / disinformation first about Covid, then about the Pandemic and now about Vaccines. People today just don't like being controlled by a government that has a bad history of using vaccines against its citizens. Unlike the past, we didn't have check & balances in place to prevent government from harming its citizens with vaccines...today we do. wrbtrader