3 ms·

I recognize that the Delta variant is serious topic for much of the world, but as a vaccinated person in the US it feels more like media hysteria than anything

I recognize that the Delta variant is serious topic for much of the world, but as a vaccinated person in the US it feels more like media hysteria than anything else. As the article states, for vaccinated people, the risk is low and the Delta variant is likely of little concern, especially when cases are as low as they've been since the start of the pandemic here in the US. However, it seems that the media is pushing the Delta variant as a narrative to help get people vaccinated but it's all falling on deaf ears of those who are specifically choosing not to get vaccinated. The stronger media coverage winds up making those who are vaccinated overly concerned about it, when they as protected as they will be from the variant. For the unvaccinated countries and people, the Delta variant is definitely something to be concerned about. What we should be doing is trying to get vaccines rolled out to as many countries and people as possible, as that's our best tool for getting things under control.

modmans2nd 5y ago
The difference between 95% protective and 88% is more significant than you think if you live in a low vaccinated area. The more exposure to the virus you have the more likely it is you will get infected. It’s the spread we need to concern ourselves with, not just personal protection.
- polygotdomain 5y ago
  To level set, my comments were mainly targeted at the US coverage of the Delta variant where the vaccination rates are largely due to choice rather than accessibility. >The difference between 95% protective and 88% is more significant than you think if you live in a low vaccinated area. ..but if I live in a low vaccinated area, the only thing that will help me after getting vaccinated is other people getting vaccinated. Also, the 88% effective rate of the mRNA vaccines against the delta variant is still significantly higher than the non-mRNA vaccines like Astrazeneca against the primary strain. Is 95% better than 88%, sure, but as far as vaccines go 88% is still very effective. The FDA was originally targeting 50-65% effectiveness in their initial approval guidelines. >It’s the spread we need to concern ourselves with, not just personal protection. Those two concepts are interlinked. If people are not concerned with personal protection, then it's highly unlikely that they will be concerned about the spread. The best thing to minimize the spread and protect yourself is to get the vaccine. It's that straightforward. >The more exposure to the virus you have the more likely it is you will get infected This is the same for everything, not just Covid. As I mentioned, the numbers in the US are very low, so my chance of exposure is already low. In a nation of 330 million people the total number of cases over the last week can fit in a football stadium. In regards to the exposure risk in the US it's fairly minimal.
jibbit 5y ago
As a vaccinated person - the risk of dying is quite low. That isn't the only criteria i use to decide if something should concern me.
- selectodude 5y ago
  As a vaccinated person, I've never really paid much thought to other diseases that could make me, at worst, mildly ill. One may have to enlighten me as to why this one should be different from, say, influenza in my day to day activities at this point.
  - mousepilot 5y ago
    My current thinking is for the unvaccinated, its a terrible thing not to be able to take advantage of the vaccine and I tend to wear masks even being vaccinated because of this. I initially thought that all the vaccine refusenics were politically motivated but I've revised that after actually talking to some folks about why they don't want it. Still even with me still masking up in many situations, its probably a futile gesture on my part as not many folks share this view. Probably at this point my actions are more symbolic than anything else.
    - selectodude 5y ago
      The background reasons for not wanting to get vaccinated are not medically indicated. Unless you have a PEG allergy (which means you need to get Janssen instead of Pfoderna) the CDC has zero contraindications for the vaccine. If somebody doesn't want the vaccine, that's on them. I have family members who won't get vaccinated and will give you a shopping list of reasons why they "can't". They're all bullshit.
      - mousepilot 5y ago
        I do feel frustrated with the vaccine hesitancy but I'm finding that folks fears are real, if not completely rational. I would think that a straightforward comparison of the risks of getting vaccination versus getting infected would be enough, but I also understand that sometimes fears are simply not based on rational thought. In my case, one aspect of wearing a big scary kn95 mask is my way of reminding the unvaccinated that this virus is still around, heh maybe thats me being a bit of a pain by intruding into folks fantasy of the virus not being a thing anymore. Right now, my county of residence has a vaccination rate of under 40 percent among folks 60 years or older and thats crazy, but cases have been at zero for a bit. I'm thinking that this won't last, and this county I live in is a giant target for the delta variant. I hope wearing a big ugly mask about town might remind folks that covid19 is still a thing to think about.

modmans2nd 5y ago

The difference between 95% protective and 88% is more significant than you think if you live in a low vaccinated area. The more exposure to the virus you have the more likely it is you will get infected. It’s the spread we need to concern ourselves with, not just personal protection.

polygotdomain 5y ago
To level set, my comments were mainly targeted at the US coverage of the Delta variant where the vaccination rates are largely due to choice rather than accessibility. >The difference between 95% protective and 88% is more significant than you think if you live in a low vaccinated area. ..but if I live in a low vaccinated area, the only thing that will help me after getting vaccinated is other people getting vaccinated. Also, the 88% effective rate of the mRNA vaccines against the delta variant is still significantly higher than the non-mRNA vaccines like Astrazeneca against the primary strain. Is 95% better than 88%, sure, but as far as vaccines go 88% is still very effective. The FDA was originally targeting 50-65% effectiveness in their initial approval guidelines. >It’s the spread we need to concern ourselves with, not just personal protection. Those two concepts are interlinked. If people are not concerned with personal protection, then it's highly unlikely that they will be concerned about the spread. The best thing to minimize the spread and protect yourself is to get the vaccine. It's that straightforward. >The more exposure to the virus you have the more likely it is you will get infected This is the same for everything, not just Covid. As I mentioned, the numbers in the US are very low, so my chance of exposure is already low. In a nation of 330 million people the total number of cases over the last week can fit in a football stadium. In regards to the exposure risk in the US it's fairly minimal.

jibbit 5y ago

As a vaccinated person - the risk of dying is quite low. That isn't the only criteria i use to decide if something should concern me.

selectodude 5y ago
As a vaccinated person, I've never really paid much thought to other diseases that could make me, at worst, mildly ill. One may have to enlighten me as to why this one should be different from, say, influenza in my day to day activities at this point.
- mousepilot 5y ago
  My current thinking is for the unvaccinated, its a terrible thing not to be able to take advantage of the vaccine and I tend to wear masks even being vaccinated because of this. I initially thought that all the vaccine refusenics were politically motivated but I've revised that after actually talking to some folks about why they don't want it. Still even with me still masking up in many situations, its probably a futile gesture on my part as not many folks share this view. Probably at this point my actions are more symbolic than anything else.
  - selectodude 5y ago
    The background reasons for not wanting to get vaccinated are not medically indicated. Unless you have a PEG allergy (which means you need to get Janssen instead of Pfoderna) the CDC has zero contraindications for the vaccine. If somebody doesn't want the vaccine, that's on them. I have family members who won't get vaccinated and will give you a shopping list of reasons why they "can't". They're all bullshit.
    - mousepilot 5y ago
      I do feel frustrated with the vaccine hesitancy but I'm finding that folks fears are real, if not completely rational. I would think that a straightforward comparison of the risks of getting vaccination versus getting infected would be enough, but I also understand that sometimes fears are simply not based on rational thought. In my case, one aspect of wearing a big scary kn95 mask is my way of reminding the unvaccinated that this virus is still around, heh maybe thats me being a bit of a pain by intruding into folks fantasy of the virus not being a thing anymore. Right now, my county of residence has a vaccination rate of under 40 percent among folks 60 years or older and thats crazy, but cases have been at zero for a bit. I'm thinking that this won't last, and this county I live in is a giant target for the delta variant. I hope wearing a big ugly mask about town might remind folks that covid19 is still a thing to think about.