Does “being effective only 50-60% of the time” mean that you still get COVID that fraction of the time, or you still get a serious case of COVID that fraction of the time. If this stupid shot turns COVID into the sniffles, that’s what we should define as effective.
You still wear the mask but distancing is reduced to 3 ft. What a farce we’re being dealt.
It means it’s possible that it might only prevent 50-60% of cases. Still a huge win even if it’s true. Also, there are multiple vaccine candidates in phase 3 clinical trials right now, so it’s unclear what he’s even basing any of that off of, but even if that’s the case, if everyone gets the vaccine and it’s 50% effective, and 20% of the country has already had COVID-19, we’re right at the 70% needed for herd immunity.
So whether what he’s saying is true or not doesn’t matter. When one or more vaccine candidates is approved becomes available in large quantities (and they’re already mass producing doses during the trials), this whole thing ends. That’s why President Trump has been pushing so hard for months now to get a vaccine going. He knows that’s how this whole thing ends and he emerges as the hero who ended it.