Why do I, a fully vaccinated person, have to wear a mask and socially distance? I'm fucking sick this. What's the point of getting vaccinated if you still need to do all the same shit as someone who's unvaccinated?
If the vaccines don't protect you and others enough then there's no end to this ever.
There will be an end to this, eventually. Realistically we should hit a point where you will probably need an annual COVID shot (like a flu shot) but otherwise everything will be back to normal. It's going to take a lot of hard work and sacrifice to get there, but we'll get there. The good news is we are much closer than we were a year ago. We may still have a ways to go, but we'll get there. Hang in there.
+5
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Librarian's ghostLibrarian, Ghostbuster, and TimSporkRegistered Userregular
I wish I lived in New Zealand right now instead of a state where our governor is just like, shrug, please be nice we aren’t doing anything else lol.
I'm so depressed, angry, and just disappointed right now. My best friend's mom was taken to the hospital last night and might not make it through the day. Two weeks ago they all got together for a game night (none of them vaxed) and half of them got COVID. On Tuesday my friend was cheering on the governor for signing the bill that basically cancelled out the vaccine mandate, the next she's riding in an ambulance with her mom scared she's about to die. For two weeks her mom has been suffering, crawling around the house because she can't feel her feet most of the time, but she's still gleeful about not having to get vaccinated. I want to scream at her but I can't do it.
I'm sorry to hear that. I hope this gets them motivated to get the shot but I suspect it won't. People can't admit they're wrong especially after all this time.
Got day 2 COVID seminar, company brought a second doctor to explain how vaccines work.
Also, he brought up some data. 73% of companies in Peru are switching to at least hybrid for 2022. Yay! It also benefits the owners, is less money on rent and utilities and less dealing with terrible city traffic.
And almost at 80% vaccine rate nationwide, though is slowing down. Everybody is also bracing for a third wave.
Jesus goosing Christ, only 41 people have died in New Zealand and someone's complaining about their governmental response? Do you have any idea how amazing an outcome that is? 29,500 of my fellow Canadians are dead because of Covid. Nearly 800,000 deaths in the USA.
Looking at deaths per million population, New Zealand has performed incredibly compared to your commonwealth and USA compatriots.
Shit, just look at my province, British Columbia, with basically an identical population number(5.07 vs 5.08 million) to New Zealand. 2,313 people are dead here from Covid.
Data per Worldometers
:so_raven:
+45
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ApogeeLancks In Every Game EverRegistered Userregular
So apparently yet another new varient has been detected in South Africa, and it's different enough to be more or less immune to the current vaccine strains:
"Professor Tulio de Oliveira: Unfortunately, we have detected a new variant, which is a reason for concern in SA. The variant has a very high number of mutations #COVID19"
So apparently yet another new varient has been detected in South Africa, and it's different enough to be more or less immune to the current vaccine strains:
"Professor Tulio de Oliveira: Unfortunately, we have detected a new variant, which is a reason for concern in SA. The variant has a very high number of mutations #COVID19"
Not looking good.
Fucking awesome.
This is exactly why this shit needs to be contained. The more spread, the more replications, the more likely one of those replications hits the virus lotto.
So apparently yet another new varient has been detected in South Africa, and it's different enough to be more or less immune to the current vaccine strains:
"Professor Tulio de Oliveira: Unfortunately, we have detected a new variant, which is a reason for concern in SA. The variant has a very high number of mutations #COVID19"
Not looking good.
All I'm hearing is "start locking down international travel".
+11
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lonelyahavaCall me Ahava ~~She/Her~~Move to New ZealandRegistered Userregular
hasn't' there been a panic about new strains coming from South Africa at least 3 times already?
there are literally 0 vaccines that provide 100% immunity and mean you can put yourself out into the world without fear of incidence
vaccines are part of a larger process that is about throwing up bulwarks against a virus to mitigate its effects, in order to get to a point in our lives where we don't worry about it. what people are either unaware of or forget is the multitude of actions and time taken to get us there, because most of us have lived a life where all those diseases were already functionally eliminated for us. a lot of people only hear "we got a vaccine and smallpox was eradicated" (which, in fairness, is probably partially because it was the first major vaccine we managed to invent), and are not told about the other work done to control the disease.
we are not at the end of history, no matter how many people try to pitch that as an appeal, we are still in the thick of doing everything
I have this conversation with patients frequently.
"These vaccines are a joke! you can still GET Covid!"
"Breakthrough infection doesn't mean you can never catch Covid ever again, it means you're 99.99% not likely to die from it while also reducing the chance of passing it to someone else. It's the difference between deep water diving with a scuba tank and wetsuit, and holding your breath."
Vaccination is not, and never has been, a 100% effective method of preventing the spread of disease. It's a part of a multi-layered approach to disease prevention that's extremely effective, but requires other measures depending on the current circumstances.
Vaccinated individuals should continue to wear masks and keep distance because they care about their loved ones and their community. Right now we're seeing upticks in case numbers pretty much across the board as vaccination protection wanes for those vaccinated in the beginning of the year.
I would like to clarify that ultimately this probably not sustainable for the next 20 or so years. Vaccine protection only "runs out" in the temporary sense, antibody decline is natural. If you do get reinfected with Covid after vaccination, your body will respond quicker, more efficiently, and with far less risk than never having had a vaccine at all. But with respect to those who plan on getting revaccined every year from now on, it is not a strict requirement to end the pandemic on its own. The flu kills thousands, which is also preventable in many cases, but for many people, right or wrong, it's not a societal requirement.
UK is banning flights from 6 african countries and making UK folks quarantine when coming back.
One of the reasons that previous new mutations have been less of a concern is that Delta was just outcompeting them. Even if the new mutations looked like they evaded vaccine protection, Delta was just more prevalent and the other mutations never got a foothold.
This time around, this new variant seems to be outcompeting Delta. Preliminary indications are that, where it has been observed, Delta drops off and this new bastard just takes over.
4. Here's how variants have spread in SA:
1. Light gray: lots of different types of virus (1st wave)
2. Green: 2nd wave (Beta)
3. Red: Delta, 3rd wave
4. Yellow: C.1.2 (still detected at low levels, but not increasing)
5. Blue: B.1.1.529 (increasing fast)
This new variant, B.1.1.529 seems to spread very quick! In less than 2 weeks now dominates all infections following a devastating Delta wave in South Africa (Blue new variant, now at 75% of last genomes and soon to reach 100%)
Vaccination is not, and never has been, a 100% effective method of preventing the spread of disease. It's a part of a multi-layered approach to disease prevention that's extremely effective, but requires other measures depending on the current circumstances.
Vaccinated individuals should continue to wear masks and keep distance because they care about their loved ones and their community. Right now we're seeing upticks in case numbers pretty much across the board as vaccination protection wanes for those vaccinated in the beginning of the year.
I would like to clarify that ultimately this probably not sustainable for the next 20 or so years. Vaccine protection only "runs out" in the temporary sense, antibody decline is natural. If you do get reinfected with Covid after vaccination, your body will respond quicker, more efficiently, and with far less risk than never having had a vaccine at all. But with respect to those who plan on getting revaccined every year from now on, it is not a strict requirement to end the pandemic on its own. The flu kills thousands, which is also preventable in many cases, but for many people, right or wrong, it's not a societal requirement.
there are literally 0 vaccines that provide 100% immunity and mean you can put yourself out into the world without fear of incidence
vaccines are part of a larger process that is about throwing up bulwarks against a virus to mitigate its effects, in order to get to a point in our lives where we don't worry about it. what people are either unaware of or forget is the multitude of actions and time taken to get us there, because most of us have lived a life where all those diseases were already functionally eliminated for us. a lot of people only hear "we got a vaccine and smallpox was eradicated" (which, in fairness, is probably partially because it was the first major vaccine we managed to invent), and are not told about the other work done to control the disease.
we are not at the end of history, no matter how many people try to pitch that as an appeal, we are still in the thick of doing everything
I have this conversation with patients frequently.
"These vaccines are a joke! you can still GET Covid!"
"Breakthrough infection doesn't mean you can never catch Covid ever again, it means you're 99.99% not likely to die from it while also reducing the chance of passing it to someone else. It's the difference between deep water diving with a scuba tank and wetsuit, and holding your breath."
Vaccination is not, and never has been, a 100% effective method of preventing the spread of disease. It's a part of a multi-layered approach to disease prevention that's extremely effective, but requires other measures depending on the current circumstances.
Vaccinated individuals should continue to wear masks and keep distance because they care about their loved ones and their community. Right now we're seeing upticks in case numbers pretty much across the board as vaccination protection wanes for those vaccinated in the beginning of the year.
I would like to clarify that ultimately this probably not sustainable for the next 20 or so years. Vaccine protection only "runs out" in the temporary sense, antibody decline is natural. If you do get reinfected with Covid after vaccination, your body will respond quicker, more efficiently, and with far less risk than never having had a vaccine at all. But with respect to those who plan on getting revaccined every year from now on, it is not a strict requirement to end the pandemic on its own. The flu kills thousands, which is also preventable in many cases, but for many people, right or wrong, it's not a societal requirement.
It's definitely a level of nuance that people seem bafflingly unprepared for.
No, it's not a magical shield.
From what I've read at least;
It reduces the chances of you getting it.
And if you do get it, the vaccine reduces the odds of you spreading it (apparently reduced with Delta?).
And it drops the chances of you ending up hospitalized dramatically.
And if you end up hospitalized, it drastically reduces the odds of you dying from it.
It's not like we were going to get to 80-90% vaccination and could just go back to pre-Covidian normal like nothing happened in the last year and a half.
It's not perfect, but the risks of complications with the vaccine are something akin to one in a million, rather than the 1-2% (or whatever it might be) fatality rate this bullshit has, and keeping people out of hospital has the extra benefit of allowing medical capacity to provide care for people who are getting chemo, or having a heart attack, or need elective surgery (as defined as 'not likely to kill you in the next few days', if still very important for longevity/quality of life).
Not that I need to tell you this, MWTMG, but your post felt like a jumping off point for some frustrations I've been having as well, and it all just lined up in my head in a way that had to get out.
It was not and will never be a perfect 100% impossible to get or pass it immunity. But it's a training regimen for the immune system that will provide a head start that could save lives (yours, mine, a strangers, whatever).
It's an emergency crumple zone and airbag system. Ideally you wouldn't have to use it, but it might be the thing that saves your life if you get hit. It might not prevent serious injuries or even death in some cases, but it's massively better than needing it and not having it.
First they came for the Muslims, and we said NOT TODAY, MOTHERFUCKER!
+1
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ApogeeLancks In Every Game EverRegistered Userregular
there are literally 0 vaccines that provide 100% immunity and mean you can put yourself out into the world without fear of incidence
vaccines are part of a larger process that is about throwing up bulwarks against a virus to mitigate its effects, in order to get to a point in our lives where we don't worry about it. what people are either unaware of or forget is the multitude of actions and time taken to get us there, because most of us have lived a life where all those diseases were already functionally eliminated for us. a lot of people only hear "we got a vaccine and smallpox was eradicated" (which, in fairness, is probably partially because it was the first major vaccine we managed to invent), and are not told about the other work done to control the disease.
we are not at the end of history, no matter how many people try to pitch that as an appeal, we are still in the thick of doing everything
I have this conversation with patients frequently.
"These vaccines are a joke! you can still GET Covid!"
"Breakthrough infection doesn't mean you can never catch Covid ever again, it means you're 99.99% not likely to die from it while also reducing the chance of passing it to someone else. It's the difference between deep water diving with a scuba tank and wetsuit, and holding your breath."
Vaccination is not, and never has been, a 100% effective method of preventing the spread of disease. It's a part of a multi-layered approach to disease prevention that's extremely effective, but requires other measures depending on the current circumstances.
Vaccinated individuals should continue to wear masks and keep distance because they care about their loved ones and their community. Right now we're seeing upticks in case numbers pretty much across the board as vaccination protection wanes for those vaccinated in the beginning of the year.
I would like to clarify that ultimately this probably not sustainable for the next 20 or so years. Vaccine protection only "runs out" in the temporary sense, antibody decline is natural. If you do get reinfected with Covid after vaccination, your body will respond quicker, more efficiently, and with far less risk than never having had a vaccine at all. But with respect to those who plan on getting revaccined every year from now on, it is not a strict requirement to end the pandemic on its own. The flu kills thousands, which is also preventable in many cases, but for many people, right or wrong, it's not a societal requirement.
It's definitely a level of nuance that people seem bafflingly unprepared for.
No, it's not a magical shield.
From what I've read at least;
It reduces the chances of you getting it.
And if you do get it, the vaccine reduces the odds of you spreading it (apparently reduced with Delta?).
And it drops the chances of you ending up hospitalized dramatically.
And if you end up hospitalized, it drastically reduces the odds of you dying from it.
It's not like we were going to get to 80-90% vaccination and could just go back to pre-Covidian normal like nothing happened in the last year and a half.
It's not perfect, but the risks of complications with the vaccine are something akin to one in a million, rather than the 1-2% (or whatever it might be) fatality rate this bullshit has, and keeping people out of hospital has the extra benefit of allowing medical capacity to provide care for people who are getting chemo, or having a heart attack, or need elective surgery (as defined as 'not likely to kill you in the next few days', if still very important for longevity/quality of life).
Not that I need to tell you this, MWTMG, but your post felt like a jumping off point for some frustrations I've been having as well, and it all just lined up in my head in a way that had to get out.
It was not and will never be a perfect 100% impossible to get or pass it immunity. But it's a training regimen for the immune system that will provide a head start that could save lives (yours, mine, a strangers, whatever).
It's an emergency crumple zone and airbag system. Ideally you wouldn't have to use it, but it might be the thing that saves your life if you get hit. It might not prevent serious injuries or even death in some cases, but it's massively better than needing it and not having it.
I got in this argument with a coworker last week. And then I pointed out that the Measles vaccine also has a 3% breakthrough rate, and it stopped him cold for a bit. I assume the arguments will resume, but it was interesting to see.
"I will write your name in the ruin of them. I will paint you across history in the color of their blood."
So apparently yet another new varient has been detected in South Africa, and it's different enough to be more or less immune to the current vaccine strains:
"Professor Tulio de Oliveira: Unfortunately, we have detected a new variant, which is a reason for concern in SA. The variant has a very high number of mutations #COVID19"
Not looking good.
I would like to correct the phrasing you use, "more or less immune to vaccines."
This is not at all what that Twitter thread states. They're keeping an eye on it. We don't know at this stage. But it's certainly not confirmed.
It's not like we were going to get to 80-90% vaccination and could just go back to pre-Covidian normal like nothing happened in the last year and a half.
It seems to me that that is exactly the bill of goods the public was sold actually.
HamHamJ on
While racing light mechs, your Urbanmech comes in second place, but only because it ran out of ammo.
It's not like we were going to get to 80-90% vaccination and could just go back to pre-Covidian normal like nothing happened in the last year and a half.
It seems to me that that is exactly the bill of goods the public was sold actually.
The problem is that the pro-infection population has been massive and aggressive in promoting the virus's agenda, so now there are a shitton of variants and reservoirs everywhere.
Incenjucar on
+23
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Dark Raven XLaugh hard, run fast,be kindRegistered Userregular
It's not like we were going to get to 80-90% vaccination and could just go back to pre-Covidian normal like nothing happened in the last year and a half.
It seems to me that that is exactly the bill of goods the public was sold actually.
I mean, it certainly was theoretically possible at the outset! It just depended on people prioritizing public health over their own personal wants and governments valuing human life over money and uh, whoops! Turns out that's not how we work.
It's like how people fantasize about solving climate change via the development of fusion reactors. Nah dog, idiots are gonna be rolling that coal out of spite to own the fuser losers.
Siouxsie Wiles write-up on the 'Nu' variant, and what's currently known - her writeups on Covid have been excellent thus far, and have had excellent explanations for those that needed them.
It's not like we were going to get to 80-90% vaccination and could just go back to pre-Covidian normal like nothing happened in the last year and a half.
It seems to me that that is exactly the bill of goods the public was sold actually.
I mean, it certainly was theoretically possible at the outset! It just depended on people prioritizing public health over their own personal wants and governments valuing human life over money and uh, whoops! Turns out that's not how we work.
It's like how people fantasize about solving climate change via the development of fusion reactors. Nah dog, idiots are gonna be rolling that coal out of spite to own the fuser losers.
Is not even about money. Money wants this to be over with so money is pushing everybody to get vaxxed and telling people to do it or get fired. Is just sheer fucking spite and conspiracy theories all the way down.
+18
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TetraNitroCubaneThe DjinneratorAt the bottom of a bottleRegistered Userregular
Siouxsie Wiles write-up on the 'Nu' variant, and what's currently known - her writeups on Covid have been excellent thus far, and have had excellent explanations for those that needed them.
Of its 50 or so mutations, some are already quite well-characterised as being involved in increasing the virus’s transmissibility and ability to evade the immune system. But many of the mutations have not been seen before. This begs the question, how will this combination of mutations impact on each other? Will they make this variant more transmissible than delta? Will the vaccines be less effective against it? Might it reinfect people who’ve already had Covid-19? Will it cause milder or more severe disease?
Researchers in South Africa have already started their experiments to find out, but on the basis of the mutations we do know about, there is real cause for concern. The delta variant has two mutations in its receptor binding domain that help make it more transmissible. This variant has ten. It also has more than 30 mutations in its spike protein. This is the protein all our current vaccines target, so that’s a real worry.
For a while now, the running theory has been that the spike protein couldn't mutate significantly enough to evade vaccines, because it would hamper the ability of the virus to bind to and infect cells. The fact that this variant is infecting people with this degree of mutation calls that into question.
It's still way too early to tell, and we need more data. But 30 mutations in the spike protein sounds concerning to say the least.
It's not like we were going to get to 80-90% vaccination and could just go back to pre-Covidian normal like nothing happened in the last year and a half.
It seems to me that that is exactly the bill of goods the public was sold actually.
I mean, it certainly was theoretically possible at the outset! It just depended on people prioritizing public health over their own personal wants and governments valuing human life over money and uh, whoops! Turns out that's not how we work.
It's like how people fantasize about solving climate change via the development of fusion reactors. Nah dog, idiots are gonna be rolling that coal out of spite to own the fuser losers.
Is not even about money. Money wants this to be over with so money is pushing everybody to get vaxxed and telling people to do it or get fired. Is just sheer fucking spite and conspiracy theories all the way down.
Oh it's very much been about money. Because a big part of the spread of this pandemic has been the desire to keep businesses open or reopen businesses as soon as possible. And basically always at the expense of either public health or the well-being of school aged children. Money is why governments were opening up in-person dining before in-person schooling.
Posts
There will be an end to this, eventually. Realistically we should hit a point where you will probably need an annual COVID shot (like a flu shot) but otherwise everything will be back to normal. It's going to take a lot of hard work and sacrifice to get there, but we'll get there. The good news is we are much closer than we were a year ago. We may still have a ways to go, but we'll get there. Hang in there.
Edit- Happy Thanksgiving
Also, he brought up some data. 73% of companies in Peru are switching to at least hybrid for 2022. Yay! It also benefits the owners, is less money on rent and utilities and less dealing with terrible city traffic.
And almost at 80% vaccine rate nationwide, though is slowing down. Everybody is also bracing for a third wave.
Get. vaccinated.
What's SK?
Is this only EU countries? Like, no Bosnia, Serbia, etc...?
SK is Slovakia. And, yeah, this is only EU countries.
Looking at deaths per million population, New Zealand has performed incredibly compared to your commonwealth and USA compatriots.
Shit, just look at my province, British Columbia, with basically an identical population number(5.07 vs 5.08 million) to New Zealand. 2,313 people are dead here from Covid.
Data per Worldometers
"Professor Tulio de Oliveira: Unfortunately, we have detected a new variant, which is a reason for concern in SA. The variant has a very high number of mutations #COVID19"
Not looking good.
Fucking awesome.
This is exactly why this shit needs to be contained. The more spread, the more replications, the more likely one of those replications hits the virus lotto.
"if we don't get this under control, it will mutate, and become almost uncontrollable"
we can only hope booster shots for this new variants can be made fast
All I'm hearing is "start locking down international travel".
Democrats Abroad! || Vote From Abroad
I really hope that report is overblown, or it's basically back to step one.
Folks seem to be taking this one more seriously.
UK is banning flights from 6 african countries and making UK folks quarantine when coming back.
I have this conversation with patients frequently.
"These vaccines are a joke! you can still GET Covid!"
"Breakthrough infection doesn't mean you can never catch Covid ever again, it means you're 99.99% not likely to die from it while also reducing the chance of passing it to someone else. It's the difference between deep water diving with a scuba tank and wetsuit, and holding your breath."
"Oh... well okay then."
I would like to clarify that ultimately this probably not sustainable for the next 20 or so years. Vaccine protection only "runs out" in the temporary sense, antibody decline is natural. If you do get reinfected with Covid after vaccination, your body will respond quicker, more efficiently, and with far less risk than never having had a vaccine at all. But with respect to those who plan on getting revaccined every year from now on, it is not a strict requirement to end the pandemic on its own. The flu kills thousands, which is also preventable in many cases, but for many people, right or wrong, it's not a societal requirement.
He then promptly got covid.
This feels like 2020 level writing again.
Wow parliamentary immunity works really well, doesn't it?
I shouldn't laugh, but this was very clever.
One of the reasons that previous new mutations have been less of a concern is that Delta was just outcompeting them. Even if the new mutations looked like they evaded vaccine protection, Delta was just more prevalent and the other mutations never got a foothold.
This time around, this new variant seems to be outcompeting Delta. Preliminary indications are that, where it has been observed, Delta drops off and this new bastard just takes over.
Completely agreed. Antibody decline is in fact natural. But there's something peculiar going on in the present moment - Hospitalizations and severe illness among vaccinated individuals is rising quicker than anticipated. In the US, this may be because we bungled the timing of the doses. If that's the case, then we really need boosters to approach an end to this all.
Nature article on the new variant, tentatively going to be named Nu.
It's definitely a level of nuance that people seem bafflingly unprepared for.
No, it's not a magical shield.
From what I've read at least;
It reduces the chances of you getting it.
And if you do get it, the vaccine reduces the odds of you spreading it (apparently reduced with Delta?).
And it drops the chances of you ending up hospitalized dramatically.
And if you end up hospitalized, it drastically reduces the odds of you dying from it.
It's not like we were going to get to 80-90% vaccination and could just go back to pre-Covidian normal like nothing happened in the last year and a half.
It's not perfect, but the risks of complications with the vaccine are something akin to one in a million, rather than the 1-2% (or whatever it might be) fatality rate this bullshit has, and keeping people out of hospital has the extra benefit of allowing medical capacity to provide care for people who are getting chemo, or having a heart attack, or need elective surgery (as defined as 'not likely to kill you in the next few days', if still very important for longevity/quality of life).
Not that I need to tell you this, MWTMG, but your post felt like a jumping off point for some frustrations I've been having as well, and it all just lined up in my head in a way that had to get out.
It was not and will never be a perfect 100% impossible to get or pass it immunity. But it's a training regimen for the immune system that will provide a head start that could save lives (yours, mine, a strangers, whatever).
It's an emergency crumple zone and airbag system. Ideally you wouldn't have to use it, but it might be the thing that saves your life if you get hit. It might not prevent serious injuries or even death in some cases, but it's massively better than needing it and not having it.
Nu-Covid is way cooler than old Covid.
Really? Nu? Fucking hack writers for reality the lot of em.
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No, that'll be when we get to Ω
I got in this argument with a coworker last week. And then I pointed out that the Measles vaccine also has a 3% breakthrough rate, and it stopped him cold for a bit. I assume the arguments will resume, but it was interesting to see.
The Monster Baru Cormorant - Seth Dickinson
Steam: Korvalain
It’s going to get really confusing when it is then later replaced by another newer variant.
Nu SARS-CoV-2 & Knuckles
I would like to correct the phrasing you use, "more or less immune to vaccines."
This is not at all what that Twitter thread states. They're keeping an eye on it. We don't know at this stage. But it's certainly not confirmed.
It seems to me that that is exactly the bill of goods the public was sold actually.
The problem is that the pro-infection population has been massive and aggressive in promoting the virus's agenda, so now there are a shitton of variants and reservoirs everywhere.
I mean, it certainly was theoretically possible at the outset! It just depended on people prioritizing public health over their own personal wants and governments valuing human life over money and uh, whoops! Turns out that's not how we work.
It's like how people fantasize about solving climate change via the development of fusion reactors. Nah dog, idiots are gonna be rolling that coal out of spite to own the fuser losers.
Siouxsie Wiles write-up on the 'Nu' variant, and what's currently known - her writeups on Covid have been excellent thus far, and have had excellent explanations for those that needed them.
Is not even about money. Money wants this to be over with so money is pushing everybody to get vaxxed and telling people to do it or get fired. Is just sheer fucking spite and conspiracy theories all the way down.
For a while now, the running theory has been that the spike protein couldn't mutate significantly enough to evade vaccines, because it would hamper the ability of the virus to bind to and infect cells. The fact that this variant is infecting people with this degree of mutation calls that into question.
It's still way too early to tell, and we need more data. But 30 mutations in the spike protein sounds concerning to say the least.
Oh it's very much been about money. Because a big part of the spread of this pandemic has been the desire to keep businesses open or reopen businesses as soon as possible. And basically always at the expense of either public health or the well-being of school aged children. Money is why governments were opening up in-person dining before in-person schooling.