Free Republic

Covid cases are on the rise again. Hospitalizations have spiked noticeably since the beginning of July. But doctors say we're far from a place of panic. There's also promising new protection on the horizon as a highly contagious new variant spreads. As North Texas prepares for the return to school and enjoys the last bit of summer, the CDC is keeping a close watch on those COVID cases. In the first hospitalization spike, we’ve seen this year, just over 8,000 hospital admissions were reported on July 22. That was up 12% compared to the prior week.

Achieving herd immunity with Covid vaccines when the highly infectious delta variant is spreading is “not a possibility,” a leading epidemiologist said. Experts agree on several reasons why such a goal — where overall immunity in a population is reached and the spread of the virus is stopped — is not likely. Sir Andrew Pollard, head of the Oxford Vaccine Group, told British lawmakers Tuesday that as Covid vaccines did not stop the spread of the virus entirely — with vaccinated people still able to be infected and transmit the virus — the idea of achieving herd immunity was “mythical.”...

Sen. Ron Johnson (R-WI) on Fox News: "...I just received this morning data out of Israel that shows the populations about 84% vaccinated, but the new cases of Covid in Israel are about 84% with vaccinated individuals." ...