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=1390923
This is a companion discussion topic for the original entry at https://talkingpointsmemo.com/?p=1390923
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Well, add two more to the list. My wife and I were vaccinated with the J&J in April. She tested positive 3 days ago, I tested negative, but we both have the same symptoms. It seems like a bad cold. I’m going back for another test because the first one was probably too soon. We are just staying at home recovering, and feeling grateful.
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And we don’t have to model how many have died in the U.S. because they didn’t get the vaccine. Looks like it’s a bit under 200,000 (and counting) since May 9.
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Depending on your beginning point, 140K lives saved during the first 4 months of 2021 (when vaccination rates were very low) would give you 35,000 lives saved per month. As vaccination rates go up, so should lives saved, so at a conservative 50,000 a month since then that would be about 350,000 additional people by now.
Those are also people who haven’t been piling up in hospitals preventing care for other patients.
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This bit gets a bit of perspective wrong. “large scale clinical” trials are not the gold standard the author is looking for. Clinical Trials are just the initial observation of a drug when used as it will be in clinical practice, usually under special use approval. To get a real look at what Sumedha Gupta is concerned with she’ll need retrospective studies and it’s a bit early for them. In 3 years the impact of vaccines will be clear and easily accessible after COVID has been reduced to medical records and numbers.
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All I can say is Hallelujah for the vaccines. And @thebishop - I hope you and your wife have speedy recoveries and that your symptoms don’t get any worse.
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I would be interested in seeing a demographic breakdown. It appears that this is more dangerous for minorities and old people, but I know that there are younger people who are affected. Those lost lives have a larger emotional and - for the society - financial cost.
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Not mentioned… how many people would have caught COVID and died, had the people who were vaccinated - even those who became symptomatic - had not been vaccinated and spread a full viral load into their communities.
This data only shows the consequence of one generation of the illness.
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I’ve done an analysis of how many have died by state (per 100,000 population) before and since the introduction of the delta variant to the United States (February 23, 2021). I used that date as a somewhat arbitrary cut-off: it also represented a time when vaccination was getting well underway.
The early high death rates occurred in New Jersey, New York, some New England, and a mix of red states. The later high death rates have concentrated around red states. Trump won the 2020 election in 12 out of the top 14 states with the highest post February 23rd death rates, and came close in the other two: Georgia and Nevada.
Not surprisingly, death rate ranking corresponds to vaccination rate.
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My son was vaccinated with Pfizer (2 dose) in May and tested positive in September. He lost his sense of taste and felt lousy for about 5 days. He did NOT die or end up in the hospital. It was a definite WIN!
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Get well soon. Lots of healing energies being sent your and your wife’s way. 
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More than 200 million U.S. residents have gotten at least one shot of a COVID-19 vaccine with the expectation that the vaccines slow virus transmission and save lives.
the United States 2020 population is estimated at 331,002,651 people at mid year
By comparison, the younger population under age 18 numbered 73.1 million , or 22.1% of the U.S. population in 2020,
So - just crude “in the general neighborhood” math … of the total 331 million … take away the under 18 (yeah some 16-18 year olds were eligible for vaccine - but set that aside) that leaves 258 million …
about 58 million have not gotten and vaccine
… and here’s a Scientific wild-ass guess (SWAG) - (but very conservative guess) say roughly 25% of the so far non-vaxing is because of health/ medical/ access / have not yet been able issues - (not just flat -out opposition.)… so the 58 becomes … around 43.5 million …?
… this (200 million vs 43.5 million) is not in any way a “closely divided” breakout of opinion issue … and it is a critical issue of health an survival … so the ultimate question becomes where will it end up ?
… possibly the eventual decline of the roughly 43.5 million by persuasion, incentivization or extinction of enough … such that the total population reaches a rough for of her immunity and deprives the virus of ease replication paths … ?
Of course the hard-core survivors in that dwindling 43.5 million will latch on to some weird-ass unscientific self-justifying explanation as to why the virus ultimately declines
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Did he get his taste back? I havn’t totally lost mine so far.
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Thanks, and good to see you!
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You’re welcome and thanks! hahaha
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I’d appreciate if someone could comment on testimony given in front of the FDA recently that estimated that 150,000 people have died as a direct result of vaccination.
[quote=“oderb, post:16, topic:213071”]
could comment on testimony given in front of the FDA recently that estimated that 150,000 people have died as a direct result of vaccination.
[/quote
Edited. Data in January
Results: As of January 8, 2021, 55 deaths were reported, and the mortality rate of COVID-19 vaccination was 8.2 per million population. A total of 37 deaths were reported among long-term care facility residents, and the mortality rate was 53.4 per million population. Top reported comorbidities associated with deaths included hypertension, dementia, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), diabetes, and heart failure. In addition, dementia was more likely to be associated with deaths vaccinated at long-term care facilities than at other locations.
Not printably in a public forum. Note, btw, that this isn’t actually testimony to the FDA, it’s a public comment that’s been submitted by the author, something that essentially anyone can do. From reading the first few pages, it’s about the same level as the Stop The Steal affadavits.
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Damn! Take care.
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Thanks. We are. I crashed last night and slept for 12 hours, with another long nap today. Now I am ready to go, but I still have a head ache (sinus), and sniffles. I’m just doing some house work and popping on here once in awhile. It’s time to settle down with a book or movie and some tea.
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