Unit2Sucks said:
B.A. Bearacus said:
Hmmm. How did 8 vaccinated Yankees manage to get COVID? One previously had COVID just 6 months ago. If I were unvaccinated (as my kids are) I would still take precautions where the virus is still prevalent.
Guys, we need to start reading what the vaccines do and don't do.
No vaccine stops the virus from entering your body. They work by boosting your immune system's response when the virus does actually enter your body.
So what does "getting COVID" mean? 7 of the 8 players were asymptomatic. Did they really "get COVID"? Or did they test positive for the COVID virus?
If asymptomatically testing postive for the COVID virus means "got COVID" then we are not reading and understanding what the vaccine claims to do.
The J&J vaccine is the least effective of the three, but none of the vaccines stop you from testing positive for COVID and they don't claim to.
1. You have a much lower chance of testing positive for COVID. Not zero. There is actually a pretty significant chance of getting enough of the COVID virus to test positive.
2. A large majority of vaccinated people who are exposed, will not come down with symptomatic COVID. It is not a negligible number, but it is low
3. The viral load that vaccinated people who contract COVID is not high enough to present a significant risk of transmission. They can transmit it. But it is a much lower chance and frankly they have done their duty and should not have to change their lives for those who won't help themselves
4. The MAIN THING the vaccines do, especially Pfizer and Moderna, is make the chance of developing SEVERE COVID negligible.
They are not promising you won't test positive, though you have a far lower chance to. They are not promising you won't get sick, though you have a far, far lower chance to. They are saying your chance of being hospitalized or dying is reduced to extremely low.
Bottom line, if you are vaccinated, you now have a much, much, much, much, much lower chance of dying of COVID than you have of dying of the flu and we don't stay in our houses or socially distance or have mandatory mask requirements for the flu.
For those who aren't vaccinated, well different story. You should be taking precautions. The first one being to get vaccinated if you can. Luckily, Pfizer was just approved down to 12 and those under 12 are just not at a high risk of developing severe COVID.
I'm sorry, but bearister is just wrong about the motivation here. They knew that the vaccines stopped severe COVID. They have had that data for a month or more. They were waiting on more data on the rate of transmission from vaccinated people. They got that data last week. The science indicates zero reason to restrict vaccinate people. Further, we are at the point where everyone who wants the vaccine can get it. That really has just happened. My teenage kids made a vaccine appointment as soon as they were eligible. My last one got the second shot earlier this week. Between waiting for an appointment, getting the shot, waiting 3 weeks, getting the second shot, and waiting 2 weeks until you are fully vaccinated, the process is about 6 weeks. We are nearing that point of 6 weeks out from the point that the vaccine was opened up to everyone 16 and over.
That is why the CDC is issuing new guidance. Not because of the Republicans who have been pushing to open things up for 13 months with the same repetitive mantra. If the CDC is wrong, it is square on them. But they are making the decision that is backed by the science when the science became conclusive.
I know we have been fighting for precautions for over a year. But it was a fight to follow the science. I know it is hard to get used to the idea, but we are returning to normalcy. Normalcy does not mean no one will die of COVID. First of all the unvaccinated will surely continue to die of COVID. 600 deaths a day is ridiculous for what is now a largely preventable disease. But now is the time to get vaccinated, make your travel plans, go for a hike, go to a restaurant, go to a movie, dance naked in a public fountain, all maskless (at least when state and local ordinances catch up). You don't stop all those things because you could die of the flu, or of an accidental death, or as the result of criminal activity, or of pneumonia, and if you are vaccinated those things all are a greater risk to you now.
I understand if people aren't emotionally ready, and that is fine. Come out when you are ready. But we can't ask the government to give guidance based on those fears. This is the right guidance at the right time. Time to get used to your life getting back to normal.