12-29-2021, 03:58 PM
(12-29-2021, 02:39 PM)jeffster Wrote: Todays numbers will continue to show that unvaccinated individuals are 17x more likely to end up in the ICU than vaccinated (4.22 per 100k vs 0.25 per 100k), however, they are 31% less likely to contract Covid (56 per 100k unvaccinated vs 72 per 100k vaccinated).
What this shows is: 1) the vaccine continues to work to prevent serious illness and hospitalizations -- but it doesn't offer any extra protection against infection and 2) vaccinated individuals are not using any caution when going about their business.
Well ... not exactly. What has not changed is that the vaccines are still effective against Delta and other prior variants. Not 100%, but they significantly reduce infections.
What is new is the Omicron, which can escape the immunity provided by a two-dose vaccination (and possibly three-dose). Since Delta has trouble with this defence, Omicron now has about 80% of the population to itself, while Delta is attacking only 20%.
Omicron has other differences from Delta but much still remains to be discovered ... but, increasingly, it looks like we might need to look at Omicron and pre-Omicron as almost two different diseases.