Go read all the studies and information about the lethality and infectiousness of the U.K. and Brazil variants... then get back to us once you are educated and stop being a COVID-denier.
This is more inline with how evolution/mutations work. A virus will evolve to create an oozing, coughing, sneezing, phlegming mess of the host and keep it live enough to pass on its genetic code. In theory, free reign of a fast killer like ebola would become less deadly over time to ensure the same as it kills too quickly to spread. Or it could do an unlikely 180 & evolve into some symbiotic benign bacteriophage over time, who knows, we hardly hear of benign viruses. https://earthsky.org/human-world/trillions-of-viruses-human-virome
Ebola and MERS both had a death rate that is too high to effectively become widespread easily from a global perspective. It is interesting that the most recent variants of Ebola coming out of Africa (meaning they crossed out of the country of onset) are less lethal. The disease evolved to become a more effective spreader via "survival of the fittest" a strain that kills fewer so it can spread easier became more dominant. While the "super killer" outbreaks of Ebola draw the most press attention; they tend to flash up before quickly burning out because they effectively "consumed" the available host thereby self-limiting its spread. These deadlier variants of Ebola evolve but they tend to flash up in a community before dying out without spreading globally (e.g. - Kivu Ebola—is a variant of a species known as the Zaire Ebola virus).
Science can predict which viruses will most likely mutate and which virus will not mutate. There were scientific models last year that the SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19 will mutate. Soon afterwards, virus variants from the Kingdom of Denmark, the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, and the Republic of South Africa became known. The problem is this...Covid had already started mutating before the predictions models via a D614G substitution in the gene encoding the spike protein emerged as early as late January or early February 2020. Yet, they were not dominating infections. Just the same, they weren't a key focus in the vaccination trials except for a few (I can't remember which vaccine trials included the variants). Within several months...I had begun debating with the Covidiots about mutations and the dangers of countries wanting to let Covid rip in their society without therapies and without vaccination. I remember clearly their debates...they started with the its only attacking the high risk groups or let the old people die and let the rest of the world live. Mutations can become more deadly and Covid did produce variants that are more deadly. As stated, luckily most countries are better at treating the Covid sick while other countries are getting murder like Brazil. Now in 2021...the low risk groups (young adults) are now the target of the variants. Many of the low risk groups now bitching that vaccinations are too slow when in reality they now have fear because they know they're now the new high risk group. They Reap What They Sow KARMA is a Bitch. wrbtrader
Fauci says new Covid-19 cases are at a disturbing level as the US is primed for a surge https://www.cnn.com/2021/04/08/health/us-coronavirus-thursday/index.html The number of new Covid-19 cases has plateaued at a "disturbingly high level," and the US is at risk from a new surge, Dr. Anthony Fauci warned on Wednesday. While lower than the peak earlier this year, there were still more than 61,000 new cases reported on Wednesday, according to data from Johns Hopkins University. And the lack of continued significant decreases in infections is a concern, the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases told CNN's Anderson Cooper, particularly given the spread of variants. "It's almost a race between getting people vaccinated and this surge that seems to want to increase," Fauci said, noting Europe is experiencing a spike much like the one experts worry about for the US. The US is vaccinating people quickly, with more than 33% of the population -- more than 112 million people -- having received at least one dose of a vaccine, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. About a quarter of US adults -- more than 66 million people -- are fully vaccinated. Those vaccines may be behind the decrease in Covid-19 fatalities, CDC Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky said Wednesday. But the pace of getting vaccines into the arms of Americans will need to keep increasing now that the virus variant first identified in the United Kingdom, known to be more transmissible and believed to be more deadly, is the most common strain in the US, Walensky said. To fight the variant, Fauci urged Americans to get vaccinated and stick to preventative measures. "Hang in there a bit longer," he said. "Now is not the time, as I've said so many times, to declare victory prematurely." Cases skew younger The country's daily rate of new coronavirus cases rose over most of the last four weeks. Part of that is due to the spread of B.1.1.7 and other concerning variants, Walensky said earlier this week. The US has averaged more than 64,760 new coronavirus cases a day over the past week -- slightly lower than week prior, but still about 21% higher than two weeks ago, and more than 12% higher than four weeks ago, according to Johns Hopkins. While many states have seen new cases decreasing, several have witnessed large increases, including North Dakota, Montana and Michigan. Each has seen an increase of more than 50% in new cases in the last 30 days compared to the 30 days prior, according to a CNN analysis of Johns Hopkins data. Recent infections have skewed toward younger people, which Fauci said can be attributed in part to so many older people being vaccinated. More than 75% of people ages 65 years and older have received at least one shot of the Covid-19 vaccine in the US, he noted. Dr. Leana Wen, a CNN medical analyst and former Baltimore health commissioner, agreed. She believes the country is in the middle of a fourth surge. But this surge looks different than its predecessors because many of the people most vulnerable to the coronavirus are vaccinated, she said. "Before we would have seen a steeper rise in the number of cases followed by a steep rise in hospitalizations and deaths," she told CNN. "This time, that's blunted a lot because the most vulnerable are vaccinated." "But at the same time," she said, "we are seeing a higher proportion of younger people who are getting ill and unfortunately getting hospitalized." Many students still remote as in-person learning expands As the cases trend toward younger Americans, many schools are expanding access to full in-person learning. About three-quarters of US public schools are open for full time in-person or hybrid learning. Still, many remain in remote learning. Just 39% of 4th graders and 29% of 8th graders, for example, were attending full time, in-person school, according to data released Wednesday by the Department of Education's National Assessment of Educational Progress. The data stems from a nationwide survey of school districts looking at 4th and 8th grades, assessing the methods of instruction available along with what proportion of students are using those methods. Additionally, the data break down students attending in-person learning, with more than half of Black, Hispanic and Asian 4th graders learning remotely, while nearly half of White 4th graders learning in-person. Those students returning to school are not yet eligible for vaccines, though studies will hopefully show the effectiveness of vaccinations in children as young as six months in the coming months, Fauci said. Until then, students under 16 should continue wearing masks, avoiding close contact and avoiding indoor settings, Fauci said. On Thursday, officials announced changes to the rules dictating closures in New York City schools, where at least some students at all grade levels have been welcomed back for in-person learning. For individual classrooms, one confirmed case would require remote learning, Mayor Bill de Blasio said, and after 10 days the classroom would come back to in person learning. For an entire school, two cases, or three cases in a week, would lead to an increase in testing but would not be enough to close the school, he said. Schools will only close when there are four or more cases in different classrooms that can be traced to a known exposure within the school, he said. In those cases, a school will close for 10 days. New York City Health Commissioner David Chokshi said that the city will "continue to have the most rigorous measures of any public school system in the nation," adding that classroom and school closure rules "will remain stricter than the CDC's recommendation." Vaccine risks and benefits As the US races to vaccinate people, experts and officials are contending with adverse reactions believed to be linked to some shots. Operations were paused at Dick's Sporting Goods Park in Colorado on Wednesday after health officials reported that 11 people who received their vaccinations became ill. Those patients experienced symptoms like nausea and dizziness and were transported to a local hospital for observation out of an abundance of caution, according to a news release from the Colorado State Joint Information Center. Although the cases might sound concerning, state officials said they don't have reason to believe that people vaccinated at the center should be concerned. "The state has no reason to believe that people who were vaccinated today at Dick's Sporting Goods Park should be concerned," state officials said. "From what we know, today's side effects were consistent with what can be expected," said Scott Bookman, COVID-19 Incident Commander in the news release. "Getting a vaccine is far safer than getting severely sick with COVID-19."
Gwb, you've been staying on top of this, what's the word on spreading the virus once you've been vaccinated, is it possible?
I believe your question is -- is there evidence that COVID vaccination slow or stop community spread under real world conditions? Are we achieving "vaccinated herd immunity". Israel has effectively been the world's laboratory in COVID vaccinations (Pfizer) and studying the impact across the community with careful documentation. The are multiple studies and articles on the lack of COVID transmission in communities in Israel among the vaccinated. There are now multiple studies showing vaccination blocks infections and reduces viral load in individuals so they will not infect others. Moderna and Pfizer COVID-19 vaccines may block infection as well as disease Studies suggest fully vaccinated people pose a low risk for transmitting the coronavirus https://www.sciencenews.org/article/coronavirus-covid-vaccine-moderna-pfizer-transmission-disease
Yeah, what I was really wondering I suppose is if I should continue to wear a mask, to protect others, until "everyone" else is vaccinated. Good enough, thanks.