Coronavirus in Massachusetts (credit, school, closing)

[Amontillado]

Originally Posted by OutdoorLover

Recent quote from Anthony Fauci... "I think it's important for people to realize that, because, although immunity following infection and recovery does not last indefinitely, it does give a degree, variable degrees of protection against severe disease if you get re-infected. So, if you add up the people who've been infected, plus the people who've been vaccinated and hopefully boosted, you have a rather substantial proportion of the United States population that has some degree of immunity that's residual"

He is echoing comments I have made here recently, and was attacked for.

Yeah, well. He's been attacked too. Maybe by some of the same people.

[tribecavsbrowns]

Originally Posted by OutdoorLover

Recent quote from Anthony Fauci... "I think it's important for people to realize that, because, although immunity following infection and recovery does not last indefinitely, it does give a degree, variable degrees of protection against severe disease if you get re-infected. So, if you add up the people who've been infected, plus the people who've been vaccinated and hopefully boosted, you have a rather substantial proportion of the United States population that has some degree of immunity that's residual"

He is echoing comments I have made here recently, and was attacked for.

No one is attacking you for saying widespread infection confers some degree of immunity within a population. Get over yourself.

As David Byrne sang, "you're talking a lot, but you're not saying anything." That goes for you and Fauci both.

[OutdoorLover]

Originally Posted by Amontillado

Yeah, well. He's been attacked too. Maybe by some of the same people.

To be honest, there isn't really a lot to (legitimately) object to in these statements - they're pretty safe, and this is a very important aspect to understand as far as where we are today - that's why I bothered to say it. I'll say it again. Between vaccination and Covid-19 infection, the vast majority of Americans have now acquired useful immunity to Covid-19. Yes, the virus continues to mutate and so infection and transmission are no longer attenuated much by this prior immunity, but hospitalization and death are greatly reduced through it. This is actually a good thing!

Of course there are caveats, some people have still had no exposure to Covid-19 antigens, people should still keep up with their vaccinations, some people have compromised immune systems and don't acquire useful immunity, and yes, the virus continues to mutate and it's difficult to predict its future with great certainty. But the population is in much better shape than it was in early 2020 with prior immunity, and we have a revved up vaccine development and distribution infrastructure as well as better knowledge and better agents for treatment. I am more optimistic than I have been at any time since early 2020.

[Amontillado]

I heard on the radio yesterday someone comparing Covid now to AIDS in the 1980s. At first it was a terrifying and mysterious disease with no cure in sight, but then researchers started finding out some details about it that made it seem a lot more controllable. Not that either disease is going to go away or ever stop killing people, but for most of us most of the time, we can feel reasonably safe.

Of course AIDS has a much bigger component of lifestyle choice attached to it. But the "fear of the unknown" issue was definitely part of people's reaction to it when it started to become common.

[jbgusa]

Originally Posted by OutdoorLover

To be honest, there isn't really a lot to (legitimately) object to in these statements - they're pretty safe, and this is a very important aspect to understand as far as where we are today - that's why I bothered to say it. I'll say it again. Between vaccination and Covid-19 infection, the vast majority of Americans have now acquired useful immunity to Covid-19. Yes, the virus continues to mutate and so infection and transmission are no longer attenuated much by this prior immunity, but hospitalization and death are greatly reduced through it. This is actually a good thing!

Of course there are caveats, some people have still had no exposure to Covid-19 antigens, people should still keep up with their vaccinations, some people have compromised immune systems and don't acquire useful immunity, and yes, the virus continues to mutate and it's difficult to predict its future with great certainty. But the population is in much better shape than it was in early 2020 with prior immunity, and we have a revved up vaccine development and distribution infrastructure as well as better knowledge and better agents for treatment. I am more optimistic than I have been at any time since early 2020.

I think this post more or less says it all. Dealing with Covid is similar to dealing with a wave of common colds or at most, a mild flu epidemic. Neither needs to shut down society.

Of course I felt this way at the outset, in April 2020. We as a society, in hindsight, would have been better off with far less lockdown and restrictions. It was depressing seeing everything closed in the name of public health theater.

Originally Posted by Amontillado

Of course AIDS has a much bigger component of lifestyle choice attached to it. But the "fear of the unknown" issue was definitely part of people's reaction to it when it started to become common.

That is honest, but not politically possible to say at the time. I remember a November 1987 issue of Commentary Magazine made that point. See AIDS: Are Heterosexuals at Risk? But of course that was a "right wing" publication. DM me if you wish to see article and can't read because of paywall, with your email address. I PDF'd article and am happy to send.

[bostongymjunkie]

It's interesting that poor dear Dr Fauci was also at the center of the AIDS epidemic. The poor attacked soul.

https://markhyman.substack.com/p/fau...y-backlash?s=r

https://www.inquisitr.com/6497049/an...g-aids-crisis-

[Amontillado]

Originally Posted by jbgusa

We as a society, in hindsight, would have been better off with far less lockdown and restrictions. It was depressing seeing everything closed in the name of public health theater.

Would you care to write down the number of people in the USA who have died of COVID, and then say "We shouldn't have done so many things in an attempt to stop this"?

Better still, imagine saying it in public, with your real identity known. Not anonymously, like here.

[htfdcolt]

Originally Posted by Amontillado

Would you care to write down the number of people in the USA who have died of COVID, and then say "We shouldn't have done so many things in an attempt to stop this"?

Better still, imagine saying it in public, with your real identity known. Not anonymously, like here.

Well said. What's depressing is attending a funeral for a previously healthy 51-year-old, and seeing his two teenagers try to cope with the sudden loss of their father. Much more depressing than seeing stores closed, believe me.

[bostongymjunkie]

Apparently some people have little to no regard for the many many lives lost as a result of the measures.

[htfdcolt]

Originally Posted by bostongymjunkie

Apparently some people have little to no regard for the many many lives lost as a result of the measures.

Cited with zero evidence, of course. Covid was the #3 cause of death in 2020 (when most of the "lockdowns" occurred). Suicide dropped below the top 10.

https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/fastats/lea...s-of-death.htm