An umbrella of protection from our pandemic in six months?

Dr. Fauci announced yesterday that the “Umbrella of Protection” is possible by the summer of 2021. Can you believe it? In six or seven months, the pandemic will be an afterthought?
I do not believe it.

Umbrella of Protection

https://www.webmd.com/lung/news/20201223/fauci-umbrella-of-protection-possible-by-summer All of us want to return to normalcy. House arrest, lockdowns, fear of touching things, mandatory face masks, and social distancing are impositions on our personal freedoms. Especially when the threat is nearly non-existent to those under 55 years of age. Why are we so deathly afraid of a disease that has 99+% survivability?

One reason is the unknown. Another reason is not knowing what to do at the right time. A third reason is that people making decisions are not fully informed with accurate data. Our country has responded well to the demands for medical equipment, testing, improved care, and more.
Vaccines and other potential remedies are in our neighborhoods. Dr. Fauci thinks that 70-85% of the American population can be vaccinated by the summer of 2021. Is this realistic?

Who is Disqualified?

https://www.healthline.com/health-news/why-some-immunocompromised-people-may-not-be-eligible-for-a-covid-19-vaccine Some Americans are disqualified from receiving a vaccination. The CDC has identified those people with compromised immune systems, people with cancer, HIV, organ transplants, bone marrow recipients, and people taking prescription corticosteroids as not qualified to receive the COVID-19 vaccine.

Greatest Risk

https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/need-extra-precautions/people-with-medical-conditions.html People with cancer, chronic kidney disease, COPD, some specific heart issues, obese, severely obese, sickle cell disease, type 2 diabetes, and smokers are at greatest risk from the coronavirus vaccine. Additionally, there is a significant risk to those with asthma, cerebrovascular disease, cystic fibrosis, hypertension, dementia, liver disease, overweight, type 1 diabetes, pulmonary fibrosis, and more.

Summer of 2021 Realistic?

The list of disqualified, highly increased risk and increased risk exceed 30% of our population. The list of disqualified people probably approaches the 20% level. If just the disqualified were excluded from receiving the COVID-19 vaccine, it would assume that 100% of the remaining population become inoculated against coronavirus. That is not happening by the summer of 2021 or the summer of 2022.

There are too many things that the medical community does not know about the mRNA vaccines to make people feel comfortable about taking them. That issue plus the quickness of the vaccine development and testing has many Americans worried. That percentage can easily be 20%, probably higher.

If those with highly increased risk and increased risk were added to the pot, then over half of all Americans are not going to get the vaccine. How can herd immunity be achieved with less than half of its population vaccinated?

Pregnancy and Children

https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/vaccines/recommendations/pregnancy.html Pregnancy is a topic that is unknown regarding the COVID-19 vaccine. Researchers feel strongly that there would be no chance of the fetus catching the virus because the mRNA vaccine does not enter the nucleus of a cell. Until studies have been completed, the CDC cannot recommend much.

The same applies to children who are not included in the current COVID-19 vaccination plan. Children are not included in the standard vaccine development and release until adults have been vaccinated and observed. The CDC has clinical trials for children starting in early 2021.

Mutations

https://www.technologyreview.com/2020/12/23/1015469/dont-panic-latest-coronavirus-mutations/ Viruses mutate. SARS-CoV-2 is no exception. The latest headlines in England affirm that there is a more virulent strain of COVID-19 circulating in the United Kingdom. I took a quick look at this topic a couple of days ago to determine if I wanted to write about it then.

Yes, there were increased new cases and hospitalizations had increased, but they were one-third of what they had been six months ago. The daily death rate was also stable and barely beginning to trend upward. This was my first impression

Mutations occur inside the virus and less likely in the spikes that provide a secure landing place for the viral molecule in a host cell. The mRNA vaccines have targeted the protein structure (gene sequencing) in the coronavirus spike to prevent the transfer of the virus into the human body.

Will the current mRNA vaccines work against all coronavirus mutations? It is another unknown. There have been dozens of COVID-19 mutations (some scientists predict thousands) since it reached the shores of America late last year. Should there be fear? No! However, it is what it is. Fearmongering is a way of life in our society.

There is a specific mutation called, N501Y, that has some medical researchers concerned since it caused a mutation in the receptor-binding domain of the spike protein. A mutation does not guarantee it will get worse. It means that the genetic material making up the virus has changed. It might mean a more serious (or less serious) infection, or a faster incubation period, or a higher transmission rate, or many other things.

The COVID-19 genome contains about 30,000 letters. This is roughly three times the size of the typical seasonal influenza virus. The spike protein has 1,270 amino acids.

The current United Kingdom COVID-19 mutation has nine mutations in the spike alone. However, the mRNA vaccines can neutralize the spread of the virus because 99% of the spike protein remains intact. One might ask why the European Union is considering banning travel from the United Kingdom if the current vaccines are 99% effective? Fear, unknown, more?

Conclusion

Who is most likely to contract COVID-19? The elderly and front-line healthcare workers. Who is least likely to catch coronavirus? Children. Who can live easily with the coronavirus and have no serious health issues? Anyone under 55 years of age.

Is fearmongering going to rule our lives for the next year or longer? Probably. Once the door has been opened…

Live Longer & Enjoy Life! – Red O’Laughlin – RedOLaughlin.com

 

 

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