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JonnyCanuck said:
My suggestion to government to get more people over the hurdle of vaccination

1. Be specific, and repeat often, the types of social interactions (i.e air travel, attending university, large scale sporting events and concerts) that are going to require proof of vaccination.
Let that sink it with the public for a little bit and then ...
2. Announce that up to a certain date, the cost of COVID vaccinations will continue to be funded 100% by public health care. After that date, anyone wanting to get vaccinated it will cost $200 or some number, that will give people further incentive to act now.
Click to expand...

I agree with #1, but not #2. I think we need to work to remove barriers to vaccines, not put them up. My guess are that the majority of people who still haven't been vaccinated are put off more by the inconvenience than by anti-vax attitudes.

If the government is going to start playing hard ball, I'd rather they do that by putting more restrictions on unvaccinated people rather than charging people money for vaccines. Given how many people in their 20s and 30s are still unvaccinated, I'd like to see the universities and colleges start considering the possibility of requiring vaccinations in order to enter classrooms. But I'd also like to see them set up daily vaccination clinics on campus.
 
Surrealplaces said:
We are headed in the right direction, but I hope people don't get too overconfident. We may be back to restrictions before we know it.

Israel data reportedly shows drop in efficacy of Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine as delta variant spreads
fortune.com

Israel data reportedly shows plunge in efficacy of Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine as delta variant spreads

At the same time, the decline in protection against serious cases and hospitalization is considerably milder, the Ynet news website said.
fortune.com fortune.com
Click to expand...
Unfortunately, this news dropped without a lot of data. Everyone of course focused on the 'drop in efficacy' of those already fully vaccinated with Pfizer. What we don't know is if those in the group that were tested with the delta variant, did they get sick or did they just show some symptoms? If just symptoms or mild sickness then this should not be cause for major concern. To me that is the equivalent of coming down with the flu ... not life threatening but probably contagious.
 
JonnyCanuck said:
Unfortunately, this news dropped without a lot of data. Everyone of course focused on the 'drop in efficacy' of those already fully vaccinated with Pfizer. What we don't know is if those in the group that were tested with the delta variant, did they get sick or did they just show some symptoms? If just symptoms or mild sickness then this should not be cause for major concern. To me that is the equivalent of coming down with the flu ... not life threatening but probably contagious.
Click to expand...
You're probably right, it's not necessarily life threatening for people who have been vaccinated, but I can't help but wonder how much we don't know about the new variants. I noticed that the case numbers in the UK are spiking heavily despite a high vaccination rate, but the mortality rate is very low.
 
There are people in the medical community still advocating some form of lockdowns, restrictions, wearing mask etc because of the delta variant and what 'we don't know'. The problem as I see it is that if we don't get on with life, there will always be another variant that gives us pause or sets us back. Now it is the delta variant ... then it will be the 'omega' variant .. and another one ... and another one. In the meantime, the human, social and economic cost will be staggering the longer this goes one.
 
Surrealplaces said:
You're probably right, it's not necessarily life threatening for people who have been vaccinated, but I can't help but wonder how much we don't know about the new variants. I noticed that the case numbers in the UK are spiking heavily despite a high vaccination rate, but the mortality rate is very low.
Click to expand...
The issue with comparing us to the UK is that they used almost exclusively AstraZeneca to vaccinate their population, which is far less effective at protecting against the variants (and even original strain). Given that the majority of people in Canada received mRNA vaccines I'd say we probably don't need to be looking to the UK for comparison. Israel maybe.

Overall though I feel fairly confident that for the time being a fourth wave will be pretty unlikely, or at least have fairly few consequences.
 
Surrealplaces said:
You're probably right, it's not necessarily life threatening for people who have been vaccinated, but I can't help but wonder how much we don't know about the new variants. I noticed that the case numbers in the UK are spiking heavily despite a high vaccination rate, but the mortality rate is very low.
Click to expand...
The UK opened up before young people and most service staff had even a single dose of AZ. Turns out, that was not wise.
 
JonnyCanuck said:
There are people in the medical community still advocating some form of lockdowns, restrictions, wearing mask etc because of the delta variant and what 'we don't know'. The problem as I see it is that if we don't get on with life, there will always be another variant that gives us pause or sets us back. Now it is the delta variant ... then it will be the 'omega' variant .. and another one ... and another one. In the meantime, the human, social and economic cost will be staggering the longer this goes one.
Click to expand...
I haven't heard of anyone advocating lockdowns. I've seen calls for masks and more restrictions on people without vaccines, which are strategies aimed at letting everyone get on with life. The people who are advocating for continued public health interventions are doing so to avoid the possibility of future lockdowns. Wearing a mask in the grocery store is not costing anyone anything.

You have to admit, throughout this pandemic, people advocating caution have continued to be proven right. Governments that have been reluctant to act quickly, and then rushed to remove restrictions, have caused far more damage in terms of human, social and economic cost.
 
Silence&Motion said:
I haven't heard of anyone advocating lockdowns. I've seen calls for masks and more restrictions on people without vaccines, which are strategies aimed at letting everyone get on with life. The people who are advocating for continued public health interventions are doing so to avoid the possibility of future lockdowns. Wearing a mask in the grocery store is not costing anyone anything.

You have to admit, throughout this pandemic, people advocating caution have continued to be proven right. Governments that have been reluctant to act quickly, and then rushed to remove restrictions, have caused far more damage in terms of human, social and economic cost.
Click to expand...
Nope. A balanced approach was the way to go.
 
Without seeking any regulatory recommendation (i.e WHO or CDC), Pfizer has stated that a 3rd booster shot may be needed. In a bold-faced attempt to sell more vaccines, Pfizer have sought approval for this 3rd shot. This of course has gone public and has got some people who have been vaccinated, worried or at the very least confused.
The CDC is saying there is no data to justify that a 3rd booster shot will be necessary for the public at large at least not in the near term. There is some suggestion that it may be warranted for people with co-morbidities.
 
I think booster shots will definitely be a thing, Covid likely isn't going anywhere. If Pfizer can make their vaccine more resilient against the new variants, then it seems obvious to me. I think the focus should be on getting as much of the world vaccinated as possible, but with an eye on the future.
 
As we get more into summer, it's clear those who are unvaccinated are the people who are dying - around 99% of the deaths in the US are unvaccinated. These are American numbers, so might be different in Canada but I suspect the numbers won't be much different.

www.texastribune.org

Texas has seen nearly 9,000 COVID-19 deaths since February. All but 43 were unvaccinated people.

Preliminary data shows 99.5% of COVID-related deaths in Texas were among unvaccinated people, according to the Department of State Health Services.
www.texastribune.org www.texastribune.org

www.cnn.com

Covid-19 hospitalizations and deaths are increasing, and the vast majority were not vaccinated | CNN

The surge in Covid-19 cases fueled by the Delta variant and vaccine hesitancy has now led to increasing rates of hospitalizations and deaths.
www.cnn.com www.cnn.com
 
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