Despite breakthroughs, COVID-19 vaccines are working | Health | The Daily News – Galveston County Daily News
A hospital greeter was recently heard reminding an elderly lady in the facility to mask up and stay safe. The lady stated she would, as she hadn’t received nor intended to receive a COVID-19 vaccine. The greeter replied, “That’s OK, the vaccine doesn’t work anyway.”
The greeter couldn’t have been more wrong. We suspect her misinformation was in some way related to the Provincetown, Massachusetts outbreak.
Provincetown is a seaside town on the northern tip of Cape Cod. During the festivities this past July, the population swelled from 3,000 locals to around 60,000 with tourists. The Fourth of July celebration overlapped with “Bear Week,” an annual gathering of gay men in the town.
Bars, restaurants and other venues were tightly packed, and the majority of people weren’t masked.
Following the events, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention identified 469 COVID-19 cases among Massachusetts residents who’d been in the town sometime during the period from July 3 through July 17. Among a sample of the cases, about three-quarters were fully vaccinated. Additionally, test results suggested the vaccinated had similar amounts of virus RNA in their noses as the unvaccinated. Based on these findings, the CDC reversed its recommendation stating vaccinated individuals should wear masks.
Social media was abuzz following the CDC announcement. A trendy theme was COVID-19 vaccines failed. Many didn’t realize the data are incomplete. No conclusions can be reached because the vaccination rates of those present at the festivities is unknown. Likely, the percentage vaccinated was high as locals, the gay community and Massachusetts overall are supportive of COVID-19 vaccination.
It may not be surprising that three-quarters of COVID-19 positives were vaccinated. To illustrate, if 100 percent of the population was vaccinated, 100 percent of the COVID-19 cases would be in vaccinated individuals. In the words of the CDC, “Data from this report are insufficient to draw conclusions about the effectiveness of COVID-19 vaccines.”
More negative spin — vaccinated individuals are just as likely to transmit the virus as unvaccinated. The jury is still out on this one. Studies indicate vaccinated individuals are less likely to become infected, so they’re less likely to transmit.
Also, vaccinated individuals test positive for a shorter time, so the contagious period would be briefer.
Lastly, the COVID-19 tests based on viral RNA don’t demonstrate infectious virus is present. At least one quality study indicates infectious virus may not be present. Some experts believed the large number of infected meant it must’ve been spread by vaccinated individuals. Other experts state it’s just as plausible that the packed venues served as super-spreader events. Just a few unvaccinated individuals could’ve spread it to dozens of others.
Looking at data from closer to home, 45 percent of Texans are fully vaccinated while more than 95 percent of current COVID-19 hospitalizations are in the unvaccinated. More striking is that 99.5 percent of the COVID-19 deaths in Texas since early February are among the unvaccinated.
Clearly, vaccination works.