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Notwithstanding all the anecdotal accounts of “breakthrough” COVID cases, which the media so loves to trumpet, the data from the states clearly shows that the vaccines are very effective at reducing COVID hospitalizations. This is a chart that compares the number of COVID hospitalizations per 100,000 individuals in each state to the percentage of that state’s population that is fully vaccinated. The correlation could not be clearer or more compelling.
You cannot look at any media outlet today without seeing multiple stories about someone, typically a politician or celebrity, getting COVID after being vaccinated. It is as if these were totally unexpected, which was never the case. The MRNA vaccines were, at best, about 90% effective in reducing the risk of infection and the viral vector vaccines only about 70%. At those rates, and with nearly 170 million Americans fully vaccinated, we should expect that more than 20-30 million of those vaccinated might still catch the virus.
The vaccines never came with an absolute guarantee. They were always about reducing infections and even more so, serious illness – never about completely eliminating either.
As much as we like to think of ourselves as analytical creatures, our brains are still most affected by personal experiences. A story, the way we have shared knowledge for millennia, still has a more dramatic impact on our psyche than a chart like the one above.
In this case we need to rely on the statistical analysis and not some media story seeking to sensationalize and not elucidate. If you want the epidemic over, get vaccinated.
