I remember when the vaccines were initially distributed. The wisdom at that time was that the vaccine would protect the person from hospitalization and death. Unfortunately, it seemed that only first-line health workers came down with symptoms of COVID-19 at around a one percent rate.
That sounded pretty good months ago – a one percent chance of getting the virus was the way it was interpreted. However, that might not be true. Vaccinated people are getting the virus.
4:1 vs. 14:1
https://ktla.com/news/local-news/fully-vaccinated-people-4-times-less-likely-to-contract-covid-19-14-times-less-likely-to-be-hospitalized/. Los Angeles County sees a 4:1 infection rate for unvaccinated people compared to those vaccinated. Statistics are showing roughly 250 people out of 100,000 unvaccinated people are becoming infected. Vaccinated people are becoming infected at just over 60 people per 100,000. That is the 4:1 ratio.
The 14:1 ratio relates to hospitalizations. The L.A. County Department of Public Health reports fully vaccinated people entering hospitals at nearly 1 per 100,000 people with virtually no deaths. The unvaccinated numbers were not given, but the ratio stands – 14:1 – equates to around 14 unvaccinated people entering hospitals per 100,000. In addition, hospitals see COVID-19 cases with people who have challenged immune systems due to chronic illnesses.
Last weekend in Los Angeles County, there were 1,627 people hospitalized with COVID-19 resulting in just under 25% of them (374) in ICU. I checked the Houston metropolitan stats for hospitalizations and found the following – https://www.tmc.edu/coronavirus-updates/. Forty-three percent of patients in ICU (569) have COVID-19. The Texas Medical Center in Houston has 2,207 ICU beds available, and 1,427 are occupied, including the 569 with COVID-19.
What’s UP?
https://www.newsmax.com/health/health-news/covid-breakthrough-cases-vaccine/2021/08/18/id/1032853/. Are vaccinated people becoming infected and not having symptoms? Quite possibly! Or maybe the vaccine no longer has its potency? No one knows. I opined a short while back that because the vaccine was developed to reduce the severity of symptoms to reduce hospitalizations and deaths, the ability of vaccinated people to catch the virus remains.
We infer those vaccines make us bulletproof to the virus, and that appears not to be true. Whether it is four times, fourteen times, or more, vaccinated people are getting infected. And infection breeds more infection. So is a booster going to continue the reduction in the severity of symptoms? Probably. Will it stop the spread of the virus? Probably not, based on what we see around the country.
Conclusion
If you have a weakened immune system due to chronic diseases, then a booster shot might be your best bet. If you are vaccinated, you might want to consider yourself still unvaccinated to reduce the spread of the disease you might give to others, but more importantly, to limit your exposure to others who are vaccinated and may be contagious.
Some states are seeing a less than one percent infection rate among the vaccinated. However, six states are showing an infection rate for vaccinated people between 18% and 28%. Those numbers are high enough for anyone vaccinated to be wary! However, sources report that these infection rates might be on the low side.
Our governor (state of Texas) is tested daily for infection. He is vaccinated and became infected yesterday (https://www.nytimes.com/2021/08/17/us/greg-abbott-texas-covid-positive.html) and is isolated and undergoing monoclonal antibodies. He has no symptoms!
We are nearing 70% of the American population has had the virus or has had at least one vaccine dose. We should be talking about herd immunity, yet we see more people in the hospital and a slight increase in deaths. The worst is probably over, but the light at the end of the tunnel is not shining.
Live Longer & Enjoy Life! – Red O’Laughlin – RedOLaughlin.com
