Reply to Why doesn't MCPS seem to have a covid plan for the fall?

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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]

Masks help, vaccines help but it’s not perfect and many kids are not vaccinated so talking about vaccines when the bulk of the school population may be unvaccinated is pointless.  [/quote]

Masks help a lot. Vaccines help a lot, including [b]by protecting the unvaccinated[/b].[/quote]

[b]Unfortunately the bolded is proving to be untrue. [/b]We expected vaccines to get us to herd immunity, but this batch of vaccines won't, because of the emergence of a variant that partially evades them - Delta. Because Delta can infect vaccinated people EASILY, this means that unvaccinated people living among them ARE NOT PROTECTED. The only thing that can protect them is their own vaccine! This is the best argument to get vaccinated, actually: only your own vaccine can save you.

Yes, it helps to have so many vaccinated people, of course. It means our medical resources can be reserved for the unvaccinated. 
But no, unvaccinated people are not protected in the sense that if they get infected, they are just as likely if not more likely to have complications from Covid, or die, than before. Also, they are at extremely high risk of infection, because, I repeat, Delta circulates freely when you don't mask, whether you're vaccinated or not.

And that's not all. Virologists around the world expect a more dangerous variant to emerge in the next few months. Statistically, it is a high probability event, simply because we are putting too much pressure on this virus, and it has to mutate and become more transmissible, and possibly more virulent, as time progresses in order to survive.
[/quote]

No, it's not. Breakthrough infections are very rare. The vaccines provide a lot of protection against infection - not 100%, but a lot. They are very highly effective vaccines.

As for future dangerous variants - first of all, your teleological explanation is completely unscientific. That's not how evolution works. Also, are you proposing that MCPS close schools now, based on dangerous variants that might emerge in the next few months?[/quote]

Sorry, I know you don't know me from Adam, but this is my field and I'm telling you the truth. 
Breakthrough infections are very common, and under-reported because thankfully most are very mild. 
Vaccines save lives. We must all be vaccinated, this isn't up for debate. However immunity wanes after 5-6 months. Everyone will need boosters. Watch out for yourself after the 6 months mark, because it's likely you won't be eligible for a booster yet.
And sadly I'm also right on the variant emergence front. This IS how evolution works... in viruses.

Finally - I feel like screaming and stamping my feet - I don't want schools to close! I want unmasked activities to be outdoors, and kids to wear masks that are manufactured to health agency standards - the most readily available one sized for kids are the Korean KF94s. These two actions have the potential to see us through the year (or at least, through a variant like Delta), without closings!!!

But I realize that I'm in the very tiny sane minority, that lunches will be indoors, that kids will go to school with ridiculous excuses for masks, and therefore...

I predict school closures. It didn't have to be this way. But it will be, because people are too slow to understand and react.
[/quote]

Makes sense. Israel had one of the highest vaccination rate but is dealing with a rise in cases and hospitalizations. Breakthrough infections with Delta do seem to be common than with other variants. That’s worrisome since kids are unvaccinated and vaccinated teachers and parents can easily get the kids infected. Masks might make a difference if worn properly. However, as much as I would like to see my kids go to school I anticipate school closures and eventually remote learning. [/quote]

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