How do they know that two vaccines are not enough?

[cheeriobye]

How do they know that two vaccines are not enough in respect of Omicron?

@Mojoj

What's wrong with letting our immune systems do their job? Eat well and exercise. Be the healthiest version of yourself. I don't want to be coerced into getting endless boosters for a virus that I've already had and survived.

Why bother to vaccinate against smallpox or polio? Just be healthy and let your immune system do its job. Most people survived absolutely fine with no vaccinations — shame about the children in the iron lungs or with heart problems; or the people who died or were horribly scarred for life, but they were in the minority and anyway, I guess they just weren’t the healthiest version of themselves.

I’m sorry to hear that!

Replying to an earlier comment made to me

Data.

@BubblingRiver

Smallpox and polio didn't have a survival rate of over 99% with an average age of patients dying over 80 and neither disease required jabs every few months so it's a silly comparison talking about children with iron lungs *@foxgoosefinch*

Au contraire (you should do your vaccine research a little better) only around 0.5 percent of cases led to paralysis in polio - a much smaller mortality rate than coronavirus - yet I don’t see anyone arguing we should just not bother with polio vaccination.

Whether a booster jab makes a difference or not in combating Covid this winter is largely irrelevant to the need for as many people as possible to have it.

There are basically two scenarios:

1. the booster jab makes a big difference in preventing hospitalisation and reducing the death rate. Ergo the Government would urge as many people as possible should have it the booster.

2. the booster jab makes little or no difference on n preventing hospitalisation or reducing the death rate. If the Government admits this they are basically saying "we're terribly sorry but the whole Covid vaccination program didn't work and you have to take your chances ".
   At this point half the population erupts into panic and the other half erupts in anger questioning what was the point of all the cost, restrictions etc. The country then becomes pretty volatile, Boris definitely goes and everything is in a big mess. Therefore it is better for the Government to urge as many people as possible to have the booster in order to give the country hope and stability.

So it doesn't really matter if a booster jab is enough or makes a difference - the point is we all still need to have it regardless.

I was wondering how they seem to know thus so well, when we are still awaiting information on severity of disease produced, and what proportion of cases can be expected to be mild.

Because on one hand we're being told it's uncertain, and we need to watch evidence energing in the coming few weeks (with the star of mutterings about plan c)

Yet they seem to know enough about its behaviour to make assertions about vaccine effectiveness.

How?

@WhiskyTangoFoxtrot

I was wondering how they seem to know thus so well, when we are still awaiting information on severity of disease produced, and what proportion of cases can be expected to be mild.

Because on one hand we're being told it's uncertain, and we need to watch evidence energing in the coming few weeks (with the star of mutterings about plan c)

Yet they seem to know enough about its behaviour to make assertions about vaccine effectiveness.

How?

Lab studies on how well antibodies from vaccinated people neutralise omicron, how else?

They make models predicting immune antigen response from previous studies involving different coronavirus variants. Then they look at the behaviour and effectiveness of immune cells against variants in the lab to see if these correlate with the models. They then start cross-comparing with real time emerging data on infections as it develops.

How did you think they do it?

@BubblingRiver

Why don't I want endless boosters? Well let's see, I don't want the risk of a myriad of different side effects reported by thousands of people every few months is one reason for a virus everyone will contract jabbed or not where for the vast majority it is no worse than a cold.

The other reason is my health is my own business not the state, if you want to go down the road of protecting the NHS I am happy to take my jab proviidng the people that advise me aren't overweight alcohol takers who are a far bigger stretch on hospital services than me online and off it.

I struggle to understand why anyone not at serious risk of covid would want endless jabs where drs say everyone will contract covid regardless of who is vaccinated or not.

Oh, I see - you get your information from Facebook. These lines are so tired. Perhaps you could think up some original ones of your very own?

How did you think they do it?

I didn't know - that's why he asked, of course!!

Polio requires one vaccination in childhood. Not different vaccinations every few months and new strains of polio appearing constantly about which little is known.

Basic science education in this country is so bad!

I just read that the Royal Institution Christmas Lectures are being given by Jonathan Van Tam this year on virology and epidemiology. It strikes me that these will be a good and very engaging and accessible format that would be a great way to learn about some of the ways virologists and epidemiologists make studies and predictions.

[quote BubblingRiver]@foxgoosefinch " Overall, 5 to 10 percent of patients with paralytic polio die due to the paralysis of muscles used for breathing. The case fatality rate (CFR) varies by age: 2 to 5 percent of children and up to 15 to 30 percent of adults die."

As I said, comparing one or two jaba for polio to countless jabs for a much milder virus of covid is ridiculous[/quote]
That’s 5-10 percent OF 0.5 percent there @BubblingRiver, not 5-10 percent overall

I agree that basic science education in this country is abysmal which is probably why you are attempting to draw parallels between child killers smallpox/polio and covid

For someone who has just drastically misinterpreted some basic statistics (0.5 percent of polio cases were paralytic polio, 5-10 percent OF THOSE die) you don’t seem to be able to lecture others about basic science there @BubblingRiver

@BubblingRiver

No *@megustalacerveza* I haven't " got it yet" as all I see is you appearing on multiple threads like a bad smell relentlessly pushing your vaccine agenda.

Just accept large numbers of people don't want endless boosters for endless strains and move on. People like you encourage less of a vaccine takeup not more

I'm pointing out a FACT. You were the one who lied.

…but do go off on how they’re not similar despite being one of the world’s most successful vaccination programmes, in which everyone gets vaccinated precisely in order to mitigate risk.