Posted on 09/18/2021 6:33:49 AM PDT by george76
Research shows the U.S. had reached what some scientists believed to be "herd immunity" status against Covid-19 last May, with more than 80% of the population immune to Covid either through natural infection or vaccination.
And the actual number of immune Americans may be higher.
That's because the new study, funded by the Centers or Disease Control (CDC), factored in only 20% of the population as being protected through natural infection after recovering from Covid-19. But over three months ago, CDC estimated the naturally-infected population to be substantially higher: more than 120 million or 36%. And after the spread of Delta variant, and the passage of three more months, experts say the percentage of naturally immune is much higher than the 36% estimate, though CDC has not publicly updated its number in months.
Still, even assuming the study's lower estimate of naturally immune, and adding in the vaccinated, researchers concluded 83% of the population was immune from Covid-19 as of last May.
One confounding factor is that the vaccines are less effective at preventing Covid infection and spread than hoped.
Many fully-vaccinated patients have gotten Covid-19 in recent months, and thousands of fully-vaccinated have been hospitalized or died of Covid in the U.S. Authorities say that's still a tiny number compared to all who have gotten vaccinated. But they are now looking into different spacing between double-doses and the possibility of additional boosters shots for those hoping to develop immunity through vaccination.
CDC stopped tracking Covid-19 infections among the fully-vaccinated on May 1, when they began to get increasingly common, unless the patients end up hospitalized or dead.
According to CDC, it knows of 14,115 fully-vaccinated people who got Covid-19 and were hospitalized or died (as of September 7).
Some experts now say because the vaccines are not preventing Covid-19 infection, or spread of Covid-19, a higher threshold than initially thought will be necessary to reach herd immunity.
Some scientists hoped a 70% immune rate would do the trick and defeat Covid-19. Now, some are saying it may take 90%. Some experts believe the U.S. has reached that level.
Meantime, the Biden Administration has announced its intention to force 100 million Americans, even the naturally-immune, to get vaccinated for Covid-19 (if they aren't already), or be fired from their jobs. Officials haven't explained why a mandate would come at a time when scientists agree the population has reached or neared herd immunity.
They also haven't explained why vaccination would be required of the naturally-immune, when the bulk of studies show that immunity gained after infection is superior and longer-lasting than vaccine-induced immunity.
Some public health experts dispute the bulk of the studies and say that those who have been infected with Covid-19 can benefit from vaccination. In December, CDC officials got caught falsely stating that studies showed a benefit.
An article in Science also falsely reported that a study found benefits to vaccination for those who already had natural immunity from natural infection. (See #23 here.) Science later corrected the article when a reader flagged the false information.
The Biden Administration hasen't said why illegal border crossers are not required to show proof of vaccination or a negative Covid-test; are not tested before they're released in the U.S.; and are not required to be vaccinated like many legal Americans will be. On the other hand, U.S. citizens returning from abroad are not allowed into the U.S. without proof of immunity or a negative Covid test.
Understandable that those in high risk groups would seek the vaccines...in the 70s group myself with several risk factors that very well might not tolerate any of the offerings without serious outcome...been self quarantined since end of Jan 2020.
But the decision is my own as should everyone else be.
Stay well FRiend
More Americans die of drug overdoses per (each) year (70,000+) like fentanyl - than died in the entirety of the Vietnam War (58,000)..
https://www.drugabuse.gov/drug-topics/trends-statistics/overdose-death-rates
The early doomsday predictions about the coronavirus were all wrong. Everything that justified the lock downs and the shutting down of our economy was wrong. We need to open this country back up…. ~Matt Margolis. May 22, 2020..
“why are vaccinations required from people who have already had Covid and have much more effective resistance to the new strains”
I don’t know of any international clinical trials that determined prior infection provided more effective resistance to new strains. How would you design a trial for that? If a strain is about to appear, how can you test for it?
I think the natural immunity folks are mostly folks who desperately do not want to endure vax and see the natural immunity concept as their escape route. The data I have seen suggests re-infection is rare, but I don’t think there have been international clinical trials proving this and if you haven’t done trials, you know nothing.
From day one, testing has been difficult. Because the virus is so deadly, you can’t provide a volunteer with some test mechanism or behavior and then INTENTIONALLY INFECT them with the virus/mutation. It will never be approved. So instead you have the sample turned loose in society and draw some sort of tentative conclusion about whether or not they were truly exposed to the virus.
So a person vaxed . . . is turned loose and the numbers accumulated. You **could** do this with a previously infected person who recovered (provided you had a reliable database of such people, and I don’t think that exists) and gather the same data. You could do that, but who would pay for it? The vax maker is willing to pay because they can make money. Who would pay for a re-infection trial? Suppose it fails? And thus none have happened.
All evidence you think exists about this is someone took blood samples and looked for antibody titer in previously infected people. This is not a clinical trial. This doesn’t mean much. The Israelis did this with vax and several months time delay and are finding so many vaxed people getting infected that they need boosters — despite the fact those blood titers showed many antibodies still there. So finding natural antibody titers tells you nothing.
Don’t say previous infection provides superior resistance when you have no evidence of this. The only acceptable evidence is clinical trials and there have been none.
That’s not enough. We need 100% vaccinations with weekly boosters, endless social isolation, masks, and never a possibility of exploring treatments or prophylaxis. Vaccines are the way, the truth, and the light.
“Reality is after billions of doses serious side affects are nearly non-existent. I am sorry your relatives are having health issues...I will say a prayer for them and you. Get vaccinated..”.
You’re trying to minimize a serious problem with legitimate concerns.
How dare you tell people to get vaccinated! That should be a personal decision.
Who the hell do you think you are?
“This is the level of evil we’re dealing with in this country, even on a place like FR”.
BINGO!
No one has the right or moral authority to tell someone they should get vaccinated. especially these “vaccines”.
“You’re trying to minimize a serious problem with legitimate concerns.
How dare you tell people to get vaccinated! That should be a personal decision.
Who the hell do you think you are?”
I’m tired of seeing lues and misinformation about these wonderful vaccines that are incredibly safe and very effective. Grow up and get vaccinated.
Go back to Bitchute or Dr Quack Quack or Nurse No Know and leave the thinking to those who are able....
Many FReepers are in the same boat. https://freerepublic.com/focus/chat/3988541/posts?page=131#131
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