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The vaccination rate isn’t “low”. Portugal is an exception in this regard and can’t be used as an example since most countries in Europe are similar, give or ta

by blub 5y ago

The vaccination rate isn’t “low”. Portugal is an exception in this regard and can’t be used as an example since most countries in Europe are similar, give or take 10%. When one looks at the rate by age, we see that 60+ is at almost 87% and 18-59 is at almost 78%. 12-17 is dragging the average down and for good reason: it was only recommended by the vaccine commission since August and the kids have to have a discussion with the doctor about risks/benefits for their particular case. Biontech is to be used exclusively and there were issues with availability, as the new health minister was complaining last month. One has to also consider that in Germany people who were sick have the same rights as the vaccinated because of the natural protection they got from the disease and there was no strong incentive for them to get the vaccine. I don’t get this obsession with hitting some arbitrary numbers. Herd immunity’s been off the table since Delta. The vaccines don’t protect well from infection with Omicron. And getting those 20% vaccinated (which is not going to happen) will be too late to make a difference. This obsession with the unvaccinated has caused more harm than good in European societies. If you want to see what low vaccination rates look like, watch Eastern Europe. Interestingly enough, they’re also surviving and haven’t gone extinct. Food for thought… * https://de.statista.com/statistik/daten/studie/1258043/umfrage/impfquote-gegen-das-coronavirus-in-deutschland-nach-altersgruppe/ https://de.statista.com/statistik/daten/studie/1258043/umfra...

rsynnott 5y ago
> When one looks at the rate by age, we see that 60+ is at almost 87% This... isn't great, tho. It's high 90s in Ireland and Spain, say. Unvaccinated over-60s drive a lot of hospitalisation; this really needs to be as high as possible. > I don’t get this obsession with hitting some arbitrary numbers. Herd immunity’s been off the table since Delta. The vaccines don’t protect well from infection with Omicron. The vaccines provide considerable protection against hospitalisation and death. Right now, really, no-one is worrying that much about infection; that ship has largely sailed. The key to getting through the current wave in Europe will be protecting the hospital system, and the best remaining way to do that is to get people, particularly older people, vaccinated and boosted.

by blub 5y ago

rsynnott 5y ago

> When one looks at the rate by age, we see that 60+ is at almost 87% This... isn't great, tho. It's high 90s in Ireland and Spain, say. Unvaccinated over-60s drive a lot of hospitalisation; this really needs to be as high as possible. > I don’t get this obsession with hitting some arbitrary numbers. Herd immunity’s been off the table since Delta. The vaccines don’t protect well from infection with Omicron. The vaccines provide considerable protection against hospitalisation and death. Right now, really, no-one is worrying that much about infection; that ship has largely sailed. The key to getting through the current wave in Europe will be protecting the hospital system, and the best remaining way to do that is to get people, particularly older people, vaccinated and boosted.