Closing Thought–04May21
The big term for that year to describe the possibility of a herd immunity to the Covid-19 as a stop gap to the pandemic….
Well the whole idea for the US is just come to a screeching halt……
For more than a year now, health authorities have been preaching the idea of “herd immunity” in regard to COVID. But it now appears that goal is out of reach for the foreseeable future and perhaps permanently, reports Apoorva Mandavilli in the New York Times. Two main factors are at play—ever-evolving mutations and the estimated 30% of the US population that wants no part of a vaccine. Even if the latter percentage shrinks, however, herd immunity is likely to remain elusive. But that doesn’t necessarily mean a doom-and-gloom scenario. Among scientists and public health experts, a consensus is emerging that “the virus will most likely become a manageable threat that will continue to circulate in the United States for years to come, still causing hospitalizations and deaths but in much smaller numbers,” writes Mandavilli.
That message is a tricky one, however, because it could cause people on the fence about a vaccine to skip it with a what’s-the-point logic. On the other hand, the more people that get vaccinated and thus develop immunity, the more manageable the annual risk becomes, say health experts in the story. One factor is that the concept of herd immunity has much gray area, explains a post at Johns Hopkins. Its basic definition: “When most of a population is immune to an infectious disease, this provides indirect protection—or population immunity (also called herd immunity or herd protection)—to those who are not immune to the disease.” Generally, it kicks in when 50% to 90% of a population is immune, but there’s no “magic” number because of a slew of factors, including the virus’ evolution. And that’s especially true with a new disease such as COVID. Read the Times’ entire piece.
Here is a radical idea….get the shot/s……wear a mask…..and show some concern for this killer.
Turn The Page!
May the Fourth Be With You
I Read, I Write, You Know
“lego ergo scribo”
In Saner Thought 
I have always thought that herd immunity was a failed concept, bought on the lives of thousands of people who respective governments cared nothing for. A shameful experiment, nothing less.
Best wishes, Pete.
This is just a stupid premise….diseases change so herd immunity is never really accomplished…..chuq
Well.. “herd immunity” was originally the Right Wing lamenting about their perceived loss of personal liberties, and preferring to let-nature-take-its-course (or more to the real point, let God sort it all out… somehow presuming God would want to cleanse the political impurities from our ranks)… in other words, thinning the herd is a good thing (as long as it’s the next guy being “thinned” out). This medical “herd immunity” thing is something else entirely.
I just do not see this as an answer…we need to stop using the term altogether….chuq
Interesting report by CNN from their site on just this subject, and questioning whether herd immunity would ever be achievable.. or even necessary.
https://www.cnn.com/2021/05/04/politics/what-matters-covid-herd-immunity/index.html
Thanx Doug….this whole thing just silly….it was the “term” of the day and now they are all walking it back…..this is a typical thing for the media. chuq
Dude, I’m starting to really hate some people and their dumb theories (aka excuses) for not wanting to get a vaccine and wearing a mask in public places. The ignorance is as infectious as COVID.
I agree and it is deadly chuq
Well, it does give us a fresh twist on Survival of the Fittest. Most of the anti-vaccers, we can assume, don’t believe Darwin anyway.
Ignorance can be deadly…..chuq
And that’s a deadpan reply, if ever.