COVID Flip Flops Likely Cause of Growing Distrust of Public Health Officials
With all the sudden resurgence of mask mandates, and daily drumbeats of stories about exploding COVID cases (reportedly due to the Delta variant) we sought to find some answers. People are questioning the so-called guidance they are now being given which contradicts what they were told before. You can read this data and decide for yourself.
Covid Survivors Have Antibodies, Don't Need Vaccine?
During much of 2020 before the vaccines were available, persons who were known to have had COVID and recovered were told they had antibodies. The perception was given by news stories and public health officials these people would not likely need a vaccine.
Even earlier this year, the National Institute of Health (NIH) reported in a study of blood tests that 95% of recovered persons had antibodies. A study from the Cleveland Clinic reported earlier this summer said people who've recovered may not necessarily benefit from the vaccine.
But now many government agencies, including the Washington State Department of Health, are saying recovered persons should still get a vaccine, because it reportedly provides a boost to the already 'antibodied' immune system. This claim is still being researched and is not considered conclusive. A study by Penn Medicine says recovered COVID persons 'may' benefit from one vaccine, but virtually no benefit from both injections. The second round had virtually no effect on immunity.
Get The Vaccine, We Can Return to "Normal"
As the vaccine rollouts began, public health officials bombarded citizens with goals of 70% vaccination or higher and life would return to normal. Especially in WA State, where promises of being "fully open" were dangled if or when we got to 70%. It was presented as the 'cure-all'.
Yale Medicine online said in February vaccines had a 90% rate of effectiveness, while Phizer trials showed 95% in preventing COVID according to the CDC.
But now we are hearing about fully vaccinated persons having what is called breakthrough cases. People who test positive despite getting 'both' shots (one shot for Johnson-Johnson). According to The Guardian Newspaper August 5th, these breakthroughs are being blamed on the newer Delta Variant. It appears it is more easily transmitted than the previous strain. The CDC is not tracking numbers of vaccinated people who have become infected, only those who have been hospitalized or died from breakthrough infections. They also stopped tracking breakthrough cases May 1st.
I Got the Vaccine, But We're Back to Masks Again?
Back in May of this year, the CDC said vaccinated persons did not need to wear masks. Now, that has changed. Again. The CDC says (paraphrased) if vaccinated persons can still get COVID, then they can still spread it. This cycles back to the earlier vaccination effectiveness rates. What happened to the 90-95 percent prevention effectiveness rates? People ask, if the vaccine is so effective, why masks again?
How Many Have Actually Recovered from COVID in the US? If So Many Vaccinated Persons, why are cases reportedly rising so fast?
According to the Wall Street Journal in Oct. 2020, we in the U.S. don't conclusively know. Granted, this article is 8 months old, but aside from organizations such as Johns Hopkins or other medical groups, there's no overall public health (government) tracking data. Statista.com, a global economic and statistical tracking group, says worldwide (as of August 9) about 203 million persons have tested positive, with 183 million recovering. That's some very rough data, but in the U.S. we don't really know. Nor are the severity of cases logged. All we get are positive tests, and then hospitalizations and deaths.
These are some of the more often asked questions by citizens here and across the country. Public health officials, especially in WA state, continue to act confused as to why more are questioning what they were told about COVID and why vaccine resistance and mistrust appear to be growing.
You can read this data, and draw your own conclusions.
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