Are vaccines really effective in preventing Covid infections (and deaths)?

Your thread title:

The level of infections has dropped in some places for a variety of reasons. Short term, vaccination does bring down rates of infection all else being equal.

As usual my answer is based on evidence. Here’s some.

First, there is a pre print on actual transmission out of the UK. Here’s Nature’s take on it.

https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-021-02689-y

Here is a published study in NEJM from Qatar on longevity of efficacy. Qatar has much more comprehensive testing of asymptomatics than we do so their breakthrough rates are much different.
https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMoa2114114

And

The evidence shows Covid vaccines are pretty good at preventing transmission for about 3 months in healthy vaccinees. Then it’s not very effective at all by about 5 months post vaccination at reducing transmission/infections.

The situation in Vermont bears this out. They are the #1 state for vaccination rate at over 70%, yet are seeing the highest infection rates they have had at any time during the pandemic. Many citizens of Vermont would be well past month 5 and be transmitting at nearly the same rate as the unvaccinated because only 20% of total (symptomatic and asymptomatic) infections may actually be prevented—not the big numbers like 99% being bandied about based on (very incomplete) US data.

The vaccines are very good at preventing/reducing deaths from Covid. This is because the cellular immunity they provide is longer lasting than the neutralizing antibodies that have the ability to prevent infections.

 

That's just not true. That's even what the CDC says in my link. The vaccines do absolutely nothing to stop the spread. Everyone, vaccinated or unvaccinated will be infected with the virus if they are exposed to enough of it.

 

Wrong!

It's alarming that we have been living with a deadly virus for almost 2 years and you guys on the extreme right STILL don't understand how it works.

All of this just because "the orange leader" and his QAnon conspiracy followers decided to politicize a deadly virus.

However, it is not the purpose of this thread to explain to uniformed people how the virus, mandates and vaccines work. There are many more threads for that.

 

That's all this thread was intended to find out.

 

Well now you know. Only people vaccinated in the last three to five months are affecting infection rates significantly. People vaccinated in January not so much!

If you have any interest in ways you can more permanently affect transmission rates than vaccination, go here. Assuming transmission is your concern and not just political gamesmanship.
http://www.politicalforum.com/index.php?posts/1073045677/

 

Yes it is.

Quote it, then, or surrender to science.

*rolling eyes*

 

"Are vaccines really effective in preventing Covid infections (and deaths)?"

Reducing the severity of infections and death.... yes

 

Well, the current COVID recovery rate is just shy of 100%. I’m not scared of this virus.

 

prevent
[prəˈvent]
VERB

1. keep (something) from happening or arising.
   "action must be taken to prevent further accidents"
   synonyms:
   stop · [more]
   • make (someone or something) unable to do something.
     "window locks won't prevent a determined burglar from getting in"
     synonyms:
     stop · [more]

Because 'prevent' is the wrong word. The vaccine neither keeps infection from happening nor makes infection unable to happen.

It could be said the vaccine reduces infection, since it seems to do that.

 

With so many people vaccinated this year, why were there more COVID deaths in the first seven months of 2021 than in all of 2020?

Could the number of COVID deaths be intimated?


Many “right wingers” are not anti vax or deny that it helps prevent contracting the virus, They think it should be up to the individual. They also think that natural immunity is being ignored.

 

Is it? Quote please

And have you seen the statistics for morbidity? Long term health impact from survivors is very worrying

 

Because America has not reached over 60% vaccinated and most of the deaths are Republicans

Way to destroy political support
https://www.opb.org/article/2021/09/30/covid-19-deaths-higher-washington-republican-counties/

https://news.yahoo.com/covid-cases-deaths-notably-worse-035707646.html

 

Do you realize how stupid that sounds?

 

But it is true and if you had read the links you would have seen that

There is a huge divide between the vaccination rate for Republicans and Democrats.

 

Healthy people have heart disease and cancer?

 

Silly people think government can stop a virus. Guess that makes Biden responsible for all the deaths under his watch.

 

The CDC says the vaccinated infected carry the same viral load as the unvaccinated so…

 

The CDC says so. Why do you refuse to accept the science and listen to the experts?

https://news.yahoo.com/cdc-shifts-pandemic-goals-away-130028307.html?fr=sycsrp_catchall

Vaccines have been quite effective at preventing cases of COVID-19 that lead to severe illness and death, but none has proved reliable at blocking transmission of the virus, Jones noted. The result is that even if vaccination were universal, the coronavirus would probably continue to spread.

 

Even the CDC has give up in the face of republican intransigence.

https://www.salon.com/2021/11/09/in...ans-are-ready-to-of-to-spite-biden-democrats/

Think of it as evolution in action

 

It is in my link!!!!!!

https://news.yahoo.com/cdc-shifts-pandemic-goals-away-130028307.html?fr=sycsrp_catchall

Vaccines have been quite effective at preventing cases of COVID-19 that lead to severe illness and death, but none has proved reliable at blocking transmission of the virus, Jones noted. The result is that even if vaccination were universal, the coronavirus would probably continue to spread.

 

But it DOES reduce the spread and they certainly protect the vaccinated so for the vaccinated the virus goes from being Russian Roulette with three chambers loaded to an empty gun

 

Ummmmmmmmm, Covid is spreading as we speak, not with Texas or Florida being the worst, but being some of the best while blue states with the highest vaccination rates are currently faring the worst.

 

Maybe you have trouble reading science. Even the CDC admits that the vaccines do NOT reduce the spread.

Vaccines have been quite effective at preventing cases of COVID-19 that lead to severe illness and death, but none has proved reliable at blocking transmission of the virus, Jones noted. The result is that even if vaccination were universal, the coronavirus would probably continue to spread.

The left read the science through blue tinted glasses.

 

Yeah... keep a healthy lifestyle is always good advice. But I am more concerned about the polarization created by the right in regards to a deadly disease.

 

Wrong! Vaccines DO prevent infection.

The problem is not the word. The problem is right-wing binary thinking. The concept that everything is either black or white, that vaccines either prevent infection always, or they don't work. It has been exploited by fascists on the media and adopted by their gullible audience. Yes! There are sporadic cases of people that get the vaccine and STILL get infected. That does not in any way shape or form mean that the vaccines don't prevent the spread of Covid. They do because they have. "Prevent" is NOT a binary term. Any moderately intelligent person understands when they are told that seat belts are effective in preventing deaths in traffic accidents. That eating healthy is effective in preventing heart disease. That sexual harassment education is effective in preventing sexual discrimination at the office...

So why are wingnut media fascists now trying to politicize a term that we have used for decades (centuries, actually)?

Now, if your problem is the science ... I took all precautions before I was fully vaccinated, but have been to many meetings with many people since I was fully vaccinated. I have met with people who were not vaccinated and were later diagnosed with Covid. Same happened to my wife (three times.... she's a teacher) and one of my sisters. And we weren't infected. This is anecdotal, but I don't personally know a single vaccinated person who got Covid. But do know many who were not vaccinated. It is a RATIONAL assumption that the vaccine prevented the infection. So YES... the vaccine does prevent it.

"Rational" is not a word in the vocabulary of the right-wingnut media. It wasn't when AGW was controversial, it wasn't when HIV was, or when ... anything that has to do with science was. Why would you believe it would suddenly start being there now?