Covid 19 Part XXXV-956,720 ROI (5,952 deaths) 452,946 NI (3,002 deaths) (08/01) Read OP

"Pandemic of the unvaccinated" as the CDC says. Delta looks to be topping out in a few countries, probably because it's transmitting through the population quicker than expected. We should hopefully be good as we have great vaccination numbers, no thanks however to those "patriots" who are dragging this out by refusing to take any of the measures required to get us safely to the finish line.

If we don't need to eradicate it - then what is the logic behind vaccinating everyone (not just the vulnerable)?

And so long as the virus is in circulation, it will continue to mutate - eventually it will create an immune escape mutation.

Historically we did not vaccine against RNA viruses such as influenza with a goal of wiping them out. Infact, influenza viruses change most years due to viral mutations.

From an evolutionary standpoint - yes - vaccines get more infectious and less fatal over time. But throw vaccines in the mix and now you have introduced evolutionary pressure for the vaccine virus to evolve in such a way that it evades the vaccines. Add in a non-sterilizing vaccine and now the virus is sure to eventually evolve to evade it entirely. The question is how long.

Exactly my point - why bother forcing vaccines on the young and healthy if the goal is simply prevent symptoms in those at risk?

The goal is to suppress the circulation of a dangerous new virus which represents a risk to the whole of society and threatens to overwhelm hospital systems if let circulate freely. No-one outside of the anti-lockdown campaigners has ever said the goal is to "prevent symptoms in those at risk". The Influenza virus back in 1918 started out as a largely benign virus which infected people without being noticed (until researchers looked back at their records), and then mutated into something which killed large numbers of the healthiest young people, and then mutated again into something which affected everyone before eventually receding.

Covid itself may not have reached the same killing power as 1918, but this was mostly due to the interventions we made to break chains of transmission and now to vaccinate people. We have seen in some other unfortunate countries what can happen if the virus is left to circulate freely.

Is that died in June or deaths notified in June ?

edit rte says 10 Deaths in July. Journal says 9. I think i heard Glynn on radio saying 9.

But if by and large only the vulnerable and being admitted to hospital in large numbers, once theyre vaccinated the risk of hospitals being overwhelmed is minimal.

Covid never had anywhere near the mortality rate of Spanish Flu - any comparisons with it are incredibly disingenous.

I'll ask again - if its not about protecting the vulnerable through vaccination, what is the end-goal? What is the exit strategy for this pandemic?

It's just being talked about, US has its own vaccination troubles.

Not disputing part it plays but when it's the only determinant of actions, like now, it needs to be a whole lot more accurate

Reading Richard Chambers tweets, that is the most optimistic sounding briefing imaginable, there was enough positivity there for the media outlets to be proclaiming the end of Covid is nigh!

But nah, they've glossed over all the positivity and gone straight for the negative bits. I'm no fan of Holohan whatsoever, but he must be despair at the reporting of their message - its appalling - particularly from rte and the irish times. The journal have a bit of his good news.

The media are a disgrace, and continue to be. Here's me just about to relent and pay my license fee...

When Covid eventually fades into the rear view mirror RTE are going to have to actually produce creative, entertaining television rather than rely on further scaring a captive, institutionalised audience.

God help them.

RTE will not be looked on favorably after Covid given the atrocious behavior in reporting with their unbalanced reports and out and out scare mongering. Not that RTE is looked on favorably as it is.

The end-goal is mass vaccination to ensure that most of the population will not encounter Covid, or variants, as a virus unknown to their immune system. This has always been the goal.

I'm not going to bother challenging your "vulnerable" comments, that's just naive and has been debunked several times already by others.