Vaccination reduces the probability of new variants
Professor Joel Eissenberg, Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
While vaccination reduces the probability of new variants; sadly, there are selfish citizens among us who refuse to be vaccinated for COVID-19. Their belief in a decision only affecting themselves. This belief is false. Failing to get vaccinated increases the chances of infecting others and of hosting a more dangerous variant.
The latest data I’ve seen shows that even though vaccinated people can get breakthrough infections, the viral load is lower and the infection clears faster than in unvaccinated infections.
This means that with more people being vaccinated, the pool of replicating viruses shrinks. The major source of variation in SARS-CoV-2 is mistakes during viral replication, so the higher the viral burden and the longer the infection, the more viral replication that occurs. Ergo, vaccination not only benefits the vaccinated person and slows the transmission to others, but it also decreases the chance of new viral variants that might be more infectious and/or virulent.
Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine is associated with lower viral load in breakthrough infections, News Medical Life Sciences, Colin Lightfoot. Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine is associated with lower viral load in breakthrough infections (news-medical.net)
Excellent – thanks. Unfortunately the MSM, which informs the uninformed opinions of most of our fellow citizens, consistently garbles this message.
The difference perhaps between MSM networks is whether they garble the message with intent or rather they garble the message with incompetence. This leaves me asking which is worse?
But a lot of variants arise in places where people who want to get vaccinated cannot. So I would place more of the blame on policies (especially of governments and companies) that impede making vaccination as available as possible to anyone who wants it, anywhere in the world.
@Mike,
I place the blame on people who have choices and make the selfish choice. YMMV.
Joel
does your anlysis take into account that Omicron remains in the body of the vaccinated person for a long time, offering it more chances to mutate and infect others than just the single episode that seems from here to be what your analysis is based on?
I am probably more concerned with your readiness to blame people who don’t agree with you as”making selfish choices.” It makes you sound too much like them.
coberly;
Oh yeah, that will elicit a return comment . . . Not.
run
can’t say that i understand that. Joel wishes to be considered a scientist, but “selfish choices” is not a scientific concept.
Just by coincidence I happened to be reading an essay by Justice Holmes in which he claimed that the world is ruled by selfish choices, which is what all of us do. I don’t go so far as the Randians who claim that since altruism makes people feel good it is therefore a “selfish” choice. But I think I have seen enough of people accusing each other of being selfish to know where hate comes from and the damage that causes the hater as well as innocent bystanders.
I don’t claim to be a scientist, but I think I asked a reasonable question.
“ergo” does not constitute scientific proof. and frankly if the people don’t trust Fauci I don’t tink they are likely to trust Joel. The danger with people like Joel is they can convince people they are doing the lords work when they force other people to what “science” demands. Or at least someone in a scientist suit.
[oh, Holmes went on from there to say that the law is not, cannot be, there to enforce morality, but only to show people clearly what the law is likely to say about some action they are considering. sadly, he also went on to endorse war as the highest, most purifying and enobling activity man could engage in. he also said that the law need to be flexible and change with the times. I don’t know he reconciled that with showing people what the law would say about their choices..except that it would be on the side of “progress.”]
in fairness to Holmes
he was no great believer in “logical consistency” and many (at least) of his decisions (in the minority) showed a willingness to apply the law in favor of humanity rather than inhumane allegience to a narrow view of the Constitution.
of course this opens us up to “anybody’s view”, but i would rather base the law on humaneness than what i can convince myself was the original “intent” of the Framers.
even Joel would say he agreed with that.: light green in the front of the bus. dark green in back.
He said it better:
But go ye and learn what that meaneth, I will have mercy, and not sacrifice: for I am not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.
“He” in this case being the great big huge looming Chief Justice of All, or so they say. But of that Science sayeth naught.
[Whether we choose to blame the vaccine hesitant or policy makers, then those two points of view are not mutually exclusive when it comes to our failure to manage mutation risks for Covid-19 both initially and subsequent to emergence of the novel strain. The same misconceptions about virus evolution and risks that keep many in developed nations from getting vaccinated also underlie the lack of political support for helping the RoW get vaccinated. Given the acceptance of global trade despite its downside consequences on both ends, then the prevailing view of policy makers and the general public on global health is inane if not simply insane. This is precisely how Trump lets us get caught unawares after he pulled out 2/3rds of the former CDC staff that had been in China.]
https://www.advisory.com/daily-briefing/2021/12/03/omicron-origins
Did omicron originate in South Africa?
Omicron was first identified by South African scientists, who reported the variant to the World Health Organization (WHO)—however, it’s not certain that the variant started in that country. For example, the National Institute for Public Health and the Environment in the Netherlands said retests of samples taken on Nov. 19 and 23 found that omicron was already in the Netherlands before South Africa reported it to WHO…
[The Trumplastic back story.]
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-health-coronavirus-china-cdc-exclusiv/exclusive-u-s-slashed-cdc-staff-inside-china-prior-to-coronavirus-outbreak-idUSKBN21C3N5
March 25, 2020
6:26 PM Updated 2 years ago
Exclusive: U.S. slashed CDC staff inside China prior to coronavirus outbreak
By Marisa Taylor
11 Min Read
WASHINGTON(Reuters) – The Trump administration cut staff by more than two-thirds at a key U.S. public health agency operating inside China, as part of a larger rollback of U.S.-funded health and science experts on the ground there leading up to the coronavirus outbreak, Reuters has learned…
first, this link Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine @ News Medical Life Sciences goes to an article about Kamela Harris at the LA Times which i don’t think was intended…
then, i have a question about this peer reviewed draft posted @ nature:
this line is what i’d like explained: “[Pfizer] generated an anti-Omicron neutralizing response, with titers 6 to 23 fold lower against Omicron than against Delta.” i’m understanding that to mean that the Pfizer booster is more effective against Omicron than Delta….is that accurate?
finally, even if i’m right about that, it seems we’d be better off in the long run by using a Moderna booster:
@rjs,
““[Pfizer] generated an anti-Omicron neutralizing response, with titers 6 to 23 fold lower against Omicron than against Delta.” i’m understanding that to mean that the Pfizer booster is more effective against Omicron than Delta….is that accurate?”
No, just the opposite.
From what I’ve seen so far, folks vaccinated and boosted with the Moderna vaccine have somewhat more protection than those with the Pfizer vaccine. Since the vaccines are nearly identical, I’m chalking that up to the higher dosage of the Moderna vaccine. Even though the Moderna booster is half that of the original shots, it’s still higher than the amount in the Pfizer vaccine.
Once Trump is back in office, no doubt he will institute
mandatory vaccinations that will eradicate covid posthaste.
In the meantime, perhaps there should be some concern about
declining numbers among his supporters (the GOP base) due to covid.
Fred:
It is sacrificial measure taken individually in support of the Social Security TF.
Alas, dare say, it’s much appreciated by all who remain.
Fred
Run75441 enjoys his little joke, but I dare say he knows better.