Even accepting your argument that vaccines are just therapeutics there would still be reasons for governments to mandate them to prevent hospitals from being overwhelmed.
This isn't true - we have tons of data showing the vaccine effectively stopped spread and infection of the original variant, that it was less effective against Delta but still helped, and that it's not terribly efffective against Omicron. We also have the science on the mutations and understand why that is. This also is more true now, but wasn't true during the original variant which had much lower particle density. We have plenty of studies showing that lesser masks help. They just don't work very effectively for the current strain because it spreads so easily. The CDC is following the science - as the virus mutates, so does the science.
Data point is from Duke University, academic year 2020-2021. Duke had in class lectures. Masks were required for lectures. Duke tested students, faculty and staff about once a week. More frequently via contact tracing. Vaccines were required but there were some limited, well vetted exceptions. Testing caught breakouts. Contacts were traced. Duke found zero outbreaks from in class exposure. The most common outbreaks occurred at off campus social events with a mixture of alcohol and unvaccinated non-Duke students. The take away is that vaccines, masks and social distancing work … at least for the variants in play in the time frame.
This has been frequently brought up by anti-vaxxers including Aaron Rodgers that the vaccines affect fertility. A new study shows there is no evidence of this but getting COVID might. https://www.nih.gov/news-events/new...-not-reduce-chances-conception-study-suggests COVID-19 vaccination does not reduce chances of conception, study suggests NIH-funded research shows infection can affect male fertility. COVID-19 vaccination does not affect the chances of conceiving a child, according to a study of more than 2,000 couples that was funded by the National Institutes of Health. Researchers found no differences in the chances of conception if either male or female partner had been vaccinated, compared to unvaccinated couples. However, couples had a slightly lower chance of conception if the male partner had been infected with SARS-CoV-2 within 60 days before a menstrual cycle, suggesting that COVID-19 could temporarily reduce male fertility. The study was conducted by Amelia K. Wesselink, Ph.D., of Boston University, and colleagues. It appears in the American Journal of Epidemiology. “The findings provide reassurance that vaccination for couples seeking pregnancy does not appear to impair fertility,” said Diana Bianchi, M.D., director of NIH’s Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, which funded the study. “They also provide information for physicians who counsel patients hoping to conceive.” Researchers analyzed data from the Pregnancy Study Online (PRESTO(link is external)), an internet-based prospective cohort study of U.S. and Canadian couples trying to conceive without fertility treatment. PRESTO is led by Lauren A. Wise, Sc.D., of Boston University. Study participants identified as female and were 21 to 45 years old. They completed a questionnaire on their income and education levels, lifestyle, and reproductive and medical histories, including whether or not they were vaccinated against COVID-19 and whether they or their partners had ever tested positive for SARS-CoV-2. They also invited their male partners aged 21 or older to complete a similar questionnaire. Female partners completed follow-up questionnaires every eight weeks until they became pregnant, or up to 12 months if they did not. The investigators found no major differences in conception rates per menstrual cycle between unvaccinated and vaccinated couples in which at least one partner had received at least one dose of the vaccine. Results were similar when the investigators looked at factors that could potentially influence the results, such as whether study participants or their partners received one or two doses of a vaccine, the type of vaccine they received, how recently they were vaccinated, whether they were American or Canadian, whether they were health care workers, or they were couples without a history of infertility. Overall, testing positive for SARS-CoV-2 infection was not associated with a difference in conception. However, couples in which the male partner had tested positive within 60 days of a given cycle were 18% less likely to conceive in that cycle. There was no difference in conception rates for couples in which the male partner had tested positive more than 60 days before a cycle, compared to couples in which the male partner had not tested positive. Fever, known to reduce sperm count and motility, is common during SARS-CoV-2 infection and so could explain the temporary decline in fertility the researchers observed in couples in which the male partner had a recent infection. Other possible reasons for a decline in fertility among male partners who recently tested positive could be inflammation in the testes and nearby tissues and erectile dysfunction, all common after SARS-CoV-2 infection. The researchers noted that this short-term decline in male fertility could potentially be avoided by vaccination. The researchers concluded that their results suggest that vaccination against COVID-19 had no harmful association with fertility. Vaccination against COVID-19 also could help avert the risks that SARS-CoV-2 infection poses for maternal and fetal health.
So are there morons in this country that believe a definitive answer could be given at this time? Are you one of those morons or do you think you're just posting a meme?
Do you think a N95 would block your own poo smell if you wore it while pooping? How many cloth masks would it take to completely block your own poo smell on the toilet? I imagine your own diet has some have to some factor in all of it. Toilet thoughts.
Hey, Aaron, nobody wants your incoherent political or medical takes. Just shut up and dribble the cold hard ball to Nick Bosa, *******.
Whelp finally happened to us. Looks like my daughter picked it up at school and brought it home. She is confirmed positive, assuming its only a matter of time before the rest of us get it.
Most prob you all will be fine, but take care. Some people who do get the bad kind of sick still seem to do so about a week after first symptoms. This whole pandemic is like a really long, overly agro game of dodgeball. Very few left untouched.
Updates for NYC. Remember that Unvaccinated also include those with prior infections and we know that a large % of NYCers were infected in previous waves.
