Now, you see, was it that hard?
Three days ago, he warned that he would not advise vaccinated people to go out to eat or to the movies, not because it is dangerous for them, but because it is potentially dangerous for the majority of the population who have not yet been immunized and who would mix in those public spaces. Vaccinated people * could * continue to spread the virus, even if they spread it less than an unvaccinated person would.
Definitely, though, in the name of giving people who have done their duty by getting jab a relief from the misery of pandemic isolation, we could encourage those who have been immunized to reunite with others who have been immunized. Okay, yes, be careful with strangers, because they may still be vulnerable to infection, but if you really know that all participants in a future social commitment have been vaccinated, why the hell shouldn’t that engagement take place?
Last night, in an interview with CNN, Fauci agreed. Why shouldn’t it? “Even if it is not supported by data,” he said of vaccinated people who socialize safely, “it is supported by common sense.” Which is true and also (finally!) The right message to give Americans who are on the fence about getting their shots a behavioral incentive to take the plunge. Want to have a short dinner with eight to 10 close friends? No problem. You know what to do.
Go here at 5:30 of the clip and watch:
Dr. Anthony Fauci urges all Americans to get vaccinated as soon as it is their turn, promising that there will be “benefits both socially and personally and in terms of public health.” https://t.co/4hzSawki9u pic.twitter.com/FAmROWkwPm
– CNN (@CNN) February 26, 2021
Key bit via Daily Wire:
“I am vaccinated, my wife has been vaccinated, my daughters have been vaccinated,” he continued. “Back before the vaccination, if he wanted to visit them, they would have to be quarantined for a while, to be tested, to wear a mask. What we are saying right now, even if it is not supported by data, is supported by common sense that if you have two people vaccinated and want to reunite, be they family members or friends you know, are vaccinated, you can start receiving , as individuals, even if the risk is not zero. The risk becomes extremely low when you have both sides vaccinated. So, we’re going to start seeing people say, “Hey, as many people as possible are vaccinated, I can have dinner with my family members coming in.”
That sounds suspicious, as Fauci would say: “Any CDC will officially recommend, we know that vaccinated people will come together and we know it’s safe.” So there is your unofficial guide. For once, experts do not sell under the vaccine.
Coincidentally, he said this about 12 hours after the publication by Cambridge University of new data showing that even a single dose of Pfizer vaccine reduces the risk of transmission substantially. We already had evidence from Israel that a single dose dramatically reduces the chances of symptomatic disease, but Cambridge data suggests that it also reduces the chance of even asymptomatic infection:
Findings at Addenbrooke’s Hospital in Cambridge indicated 75% protection against Covid-19.
The results also indicate a four-fold decrease in the risk of asymptomatic Covid infection among health care workers who have been vaccinated for more than 12 days – suggesting that the first dose will significantly reduce the spread of the virus …
Dr. Mike Weekes, an infectious disease specialist at the University of Cambridge’s medical department who led the study, hailed the findings as “wonderful news.”
He said: “The Pfizer vaccine not only provides protection against SARS-CoV-2 disease, but it also helps prevent infection, reducing the potential for the virus to be passed on to others. ”
That means Fauci in common sense, allowing vaccinated people to socialize with each other. If each of them is largely protected not only from disease, but from infections, the mental health benefits allow them to resume a certain degree of normalcy clearly outweigh any risk of transmission that may exist from the encounter.
It’s worth watching the full interview, if you have the time, because he’s eager to understand that people shouldn’t stand up to Cadillac vaccines (Pfizer and Moderna) if the only one available locally is a Lincoln (Johnson & Johnson). Pfizer and Moderna seem to be a bit more effective than J&J, but in the end nothing is more effective in preventing infections than the immunity of the staff. The sooner we get there, the more lives are saved, which means that administering * vaccines * to as many people as possible as soon as possible is the optimal strategy for limiting the risk of each individual, even if not all of these vaccines are at risk. kind of strong. A public health researcher built a computer model to test this theory, in fact, and left feeling confident about it:
Let’s take an example: let’s say that the United States managed to completely vaccinate a million people a day, with a vaccine that was 90% effective (about what is happening so far) and continued until 60% of the population was completely vaccinated. At this rate, it would take about six and a half months.
For comparison, consider a scenario in which people are fully vaccinated at a rate of more than 1.5 million per day, with a vaccine less than about 70% effective, until 60% of the population has been fully vaccinated. At this faster rate, it would take about four months.
We found that this faster scenario with the less effective vaccine could end up preventing an average of over 1.38 million more cases, with over 51,000 more hospitalizations and more than 6,000 more deaths than the vaccination scenario. slower, with greater efficiency. This emphasizes the importance of vaccinating as many people as possible as soon as possible to slow the spread of the virus.
Anyone who resists a Cadillac, because he believes that a Lincoln is not exactly in the same league, puts himself and those around him at unnecessary risk. The best protection we all have, including against the frightening variants that have not yet developed, is to close any transmission vector as fast as we can and deny the virus additional opportunities to move. Every new vaccine that hits the market makes it easier. Coincidentally, the FDA’s external expert advisory group is meeting this afternoon to give a final quarter to J&J before the agency approves this weekend.
By the way, remember what Fauci says at one point about Johnson & Johnson’s single-dose shot. That * can * eventually become a two-dose dispenser, especially if a new variant begins, because one of the strategies to deal with a new dangerous strain is to simply “bombard” the carpet with antibodies. Stay tuned.