No variant has yet been immune to the vaccines so I think that unlikely but if it were to happen we’re already developing new vaccines to counter the most likely mutations that might escape the existing vaccines.
I think UK is doing well in vaccination front, as fast as it could and at the forefront. And vaccination is an important element in opening up of course.
But what I think the countries who have vaccinated fast is forgetting one thing. So far even UK with its progress, has only 60% with first dose and around 45% who are fully vaccinated? (I might not have the latest day to day numbers). This means there are 40% with no protection at all with vaccines. There are 55% who are not enjoying the vaccine’s maximum protection.
And I am afraid this gives people a false sense of security and economies so eager to open up, too soon too fast. You must remember that vaccines give the person vaccinated a very very high protection from falling very ill but they can still pass the virus to the other 40% who have no protection at all and in turn these people can start spreading it around.
I don’t want to rain on the parade but its very important especially now, not to allow impatience to ruin all the good work done so far.
Worth bearing in mind that those %s are of the total population and we know that pre-pubescent children are not effective spreaders and tend not to get ill beyond mild symptoms (many are asymptomatic).
Of the adult population 75% have had at least one dose, nearly half have had two. I’d expect that to be 90%+ and 75%+ by the end of July.
While I have no exact numbers, we are seeing in Singapore that children are getting infected in bigger numbers now with the Indian variant, compared to previous iterations where the numbers are significantly lower. We even had a 8 month old baby infected now. So we do have to bear that in mind.
But in any case, like I said, I am careful not to rain on any parade because afterall, the purpose of any measures are to eventually open up the economies again but I am just worried about too soon too fast.
Maybe I was not listening properly, as I’m currently eating dinner, but did the medical expert on BBC News just say that the government were told before 17th May that relaxations on that date should not have taken place?
This is the professional involved:
This Twitter thread is not about this specific issue but gives some idea of her level of knowledge.
Sure and there’s nothing wrong with diverse opinions. I just don’t put much store in hers. There are a few who post on social media (a lot) who seem to relish in being doom mongerers.
Cases will go up when schools go back. They didn’t.
Cases will go up when restrictions were relaxed in April. They didn’t.
They basically want to see us in lockdown in perpetuity, it feels like.
Anybody would think that during lockdown, people spend more time on the internet consuming news and driving up traffic. That could just be the cynic in me though (the part that’s unfailingly accurate)
Week total for the Netherlands was 899.219 that below the expected 1m. People who were born between 1972 and 1981 are getting an invite from this Monday on.