This article is part of TPM Cafe, TPM’s home for opinion and news analysis. It first appeared at The Conversation.
This is a companion discussion topic for the original entry at https://talkingpointsmemo.com/?p=1397602
This is a companion discussion topic for the original entry at https://talkingpointsmemo.com/?p=1397602
It’s still early days, but the big takeaway right now is that three exposures is the best way to avoid infection. The vaccinations by themselves still seem to help avoid serious cases, but you need the booster to have the best chance of avoiding any illness…and that effect wanes over time, so another booster is 6-ish months is probably on the table. If you’re fully vaccinated and had a COVID infection, then you’re in about the same boat. If you just had COVID, you’re worse off as the antibodies from one variant aren’t as helpful against later variants…South Africa is showing a lot of people who were exposed to COVID getting sick, though I don’t think they have published anything about reinfection yet. And, if you’re unvaccinated, get ready, because omicron seems to be spreading really fast and we really don’t know if it’s milder for the unvaccinated or if those reports are coming from the milder effect on the vaccinated.
The biggest takeaway is get vaccinated and boosted as soon as you can, it’s your best chance to avoid any illness, and especially severe illness that will put you in the hospital or worse.
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OT but… in the age of filibusters this shouldn’t have made it past cloture, right? Or did I miss count and dems have less than 40 senators?
Republicans used a process that allows them to call a majority-only vote that isn’t affected by the filibuster.
There are so many exceptions to the filibuster already that it’s maddening that Manchin and Sinema refuse to allow another one that would protect our democracy from oncoming Republican dictatorship.
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If only there were unvaccinated guinea pigs to use as a control group.
Oh wait, there’s the Bible Belt.
Scientists will need to determine how a drop in “neutralization titer,” or how good antibodies are at blocking the virus in the lab, corresponds to a drop in “[vaccine effectiveness]"
The problem with that is antibody testing is specific but not sensitive meaning that there is a high likelihood of false negative results. Low or even undetected antibody titers do not necessarily mean there won’t be a rapid humoral (i.e., antibody) response if a new infection occurs.