I'm no math whiz, but I'm having a hard time making sense of the numbers in this article.

"As of July 4, there were 35 serious cases of coronavirus in Israel, compared with 21 on June 19."

Yes, that is a "sharp increase". However, 5,180,000 people have been vaccinated. So out of 5 million, 35 current serious cases.

"Ynet said. Last Friday, 55% of the newly infected had been vaccinated"

So to be generous and say all 35 cases were new, and more than half of them were vaccinated, we are talking less than 20 people out of 5 million.

How does that add up? I understand how serious a single case is (I really do). I just can't figure out how they are calling that a drop in efficacy against Delta because it is so far below the number of actual cases I'd expect at 95% efficacy.

I got the Johnson&Johnson single-dose vaccine about 2 weeks ago, but a lot of young people here in the UK still haven't been fully vaccinated, so as a courtesy to them I intend to continue wearing a mask until everyone's been offered both doses. Things have been moving a bit more sluggishly when it comes to vaccinating the young on this side of the pond than stateside AFAIK.

Same confidence overseas?

I want to travel folks...Please convince me why 2023-4 is not the safest .

That's Covid Classic. New and improved Delta Covid only requires a brief encounter.

Except for point 3, is there a study that proves your points? Not what I remember of how variants work but I’m sure those upvoting your post understand it much more completely.

There is no 100% effective vaccine. That means the virus can enter cells of a certain amount of VACCINATED individuals and replicate. Any error in replication can theoretically produce a variant. Therefore, technically, any individual can produce a variant. We have yet to determine if infected, vaccinated people actually produce enough to infect another individual, but if it is a strong variant- they will. I don’t know if I would rather encounter a variant from an unvaccinated or vaccinated individual- the vaccinated will probably produce a much more nefarious virus. Would more vaccinated people probably result in less variants? Yes- probably.

Several medical professionals(recent op Ed by UCLA assoc professors) are advising caution in vaccinating groups that are not at risk due to incidence of myocarditis, blood clots, and other reactions. Covid vaccines did not go through regular approval process. Members of these groups which do get covid, will likely recover and have likely greater immunity then vaccinated individuals. Several will not recover and their families will have to live with those choices.
There are “selfish” individuals not vaccinating, there are also highly educated people not vaccinating who simply can’t overlook the risks vs risks- there is no reward necessarily.

I am Pfizer vaccinated and have allergies for first time in my life. Did I get old or vaccinated?

It’s playing the odds. Odds are good at this point that the variants will occur in the population where covid is raging. This population pool is the unvaccinated.

We are no where near an overuse of antibiotics type situation. The vaccinated population is not high enough to exert evolutionary pressure. It is debatable that we even can ever exert pressure.

True there are risks with the vaccine…but they are minuscule and the risks of covid are worse. True for any age group so far approved for vaccination. One example, the increase in Misc-c rates in covid areas. Still rare, but Misc-c alone is more concerning (to me) than all the vaccine adverse effects combined.

That last bit though. If you were being tongue in cheek, Bravo. The first thing that came to mind was:

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Are you saying that you are still going to wait another 2-3 years before you travel?

Because you don’t know if you’ll even be around then, life is short, be safe and smart and enjoy your life.

Just because a vaccine is not 100% efficacious, do we throw up our hands and say, "well some folks will get infected and we could get a variant from them so why bother"?

If everyone were vaccinated, we'd lessen the chance of a variant occurring by 95%...give or take and this pandemic would end very, very quickly. Additionally, even if the vaccinated get infected, it is far less likely to cause them to develop serious disease.

As you said, variants occur when a virus is replicating. Basically it is a screw up in replication. The virus infects someone and makes billions of copies of itself. Errors happen all the time. Most of the time, those errors make the copy unviable. Sometimes those errors actually make it better. If it can't infect people (because of vaccination or prior infection), it has no vector to replicate, therefore a variant can't be created. Yes, some breakthrough infections will occur, but they will occur at a FAR, FAR lower rate and those affected will be 93% less likely to develop sever illness.

This is why the unvaccinated are screwing things up for everyone. This is also why it is in our best interest to make sure the vaccine makes it everywhere. (Meaning other countries with lesser means than us)

When you advocate not vaccinating certain groups because they will likely recover....I am guessing you mean minors. While they are VERY unlikely to die, they can develop debilitating symptoms and we don't know yet how long they last. Also, approximately 386 minors have died from Covid in the US as of June 30th. How many have died from the vaccine?

I could not go overseas. I also have zero desire to travel outside of the United States (all 50 states) and Canada.

Myocarditis and clotting are far more common in those infected with Covid than the very small number that get those AE's from the vaccine.

I rember last fall, there was a lot of discussion around whether any college football season would occur and one of the major reasons discussed was the risk of myocarditis amongst college football players due to Covid. The Big 10 and PAC-12 delayed their seasons starts into October/November, largely due to this concern.

Those are young, college athletes so it isnt as if getting Covid is nothing and risk free for all young people, particularly with the Delta varient spreading rapidly.

https://www.espn.com/college-football/story/_/id/29633697/heart-condition-linked-covid-19-fuels-power-5-concern-season-viability

If you are vaccinated, it may be better to travel now as you never know what variant is around the corner. A lot of the Caribbean countries have a lot less active cases per capita than Canada. If you have the cash, you could travel to the countries/islands around the world that have not experienced a single case of covid, if they will let you in

I had never even heard of MIS-C before the last couple months, and then my cousin’s 4 year old almost died with it a couple months ago. When people in your family have a ‘rare’ condition it sure gives you pause about what is currently going on.

A picture is worth a lot of words.

https://www.cnn.com/interactive/2021/07/health/us-covid-vaccination-disparities/

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People are getting facts percentages odds, etc. confused with all the misinformation out there. Some common ones I hear...

"They were working on them for 20 years then they were rushed because of the pandemic."

*** The delivery system (mRNA) was in the works for 20 years but NOT the vaccines. The vaccines were mapped very early on last year then trials and testing began. mRNA vaccines have been studied before for flu, Zika, rabies, and cytomegalovirus (CMV). As soon as the necessary information about the virus that causes COVID-19 was available, scientists began designing the mRNA instructions for cells to build the unique spike protein into an mRNA vaccine. The advantage of mRNA technology compared with conventional approaches is that it allows for faster development and scale-up of production. mRNA vaccines teach our cells how to make a protein—or even just a piece of a protein—that triggers an immune response inside our bodies.

"People have died so I'm not getting one"

*** The J&J had a pause because 28 people had a rare clotting issue and a few have died out of millions and millions and millions of people. The same for other vaccines where some have had issues. The odds are very much in your favor that if exposed to COVID you'll get it before dying of of a vaccine. The vaccines are safe and available so get one.

"Masks don't work"

*** They DO work and have been used in medicine since we understood germs back in LATE 19th century around the Civil War. Washing your hands, wearing masks are what keep people from getting infections when getting surgeries.

It would be nice for the mods to mark a key post with know SCIENTIFIC FACTS so those here can refer to. Sort of a a no BS Zone.

I don't know but I doubt I would climb aboard a cruise ship just yet

Do they truly have a lot less? Are they doing adequate testing? Does the average Caribbean run down to the Minute Clinic at the first sniffle? I don't think so....

I took my daughter to a large anime convention last weekend. They required masks, and yet I'd say about 20% of the people weren't wearing them. They clearly weren't enforcing the rule, which kind of pissed me off. That being said, we're fully vaccinated, so I felt pretty safe. There were a few instances when we were in one of the smaller rooms at the hotel and it was packed full of people. It defintely made me feel kind of vulnerable, but at that point you just have to have faith that the vaccine will do its job.

If you need convincing that travel is safe while millions are doing so every day, then you're probably not ready to travel.

There are still people really vested in talking down the dangers of the virus and talking up the dangers of the vaccine for whatever reason, who knows? They could be victims of bias confirmation, anti-vaxxers, hydroxychloraquiine salesmen, I don't know.

"Have you seen a study for that?" is a phrase you hear used a lot to start their specious arguments. Most people on this thread don't really read or understand study results completely, myself included. Pick some actual experts in the fields and listen to what they say. Current experts I follow include Scott Gottlieb, Fauci, and Tom Frieden. All very accomplished experts in virology, epidemiology, public health, pharmacology, immunology, and they have all served publicly in these capacities to one extent or another. I trust them to "read my studies" better than I trust me.

You can find an 'expert' to tell you about anything you want to hear. There is apparently super money and fame available in abusing your credentials to become a Contrarian Expert in just about any field nowadays but Covid has taken it to a whole nutha level.

Here is an easy to understand study - 99% of current Covid deaths are from unvaccinated people. 250 people a day, 7500 a month that have (mostly) been misinformed (killed?) by the Contrarian Experts. https://apnews.com/article/coronavirus-pandemic-health-941fcf43d9731c76c16e7354f5d5e187

Dominica had 197 cases and no deaths, Grenada 161 cases, 1 death, St. Kitts 517 cases, 3 deaths. So those would be some good options. If money is no object, the island of Palau has had zero cases (or maybe one now?). Looks pretty nice.

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Buffets would be out of the question but how do you trust the people/food in the kitchen ?
I assume the staff confirm they are all vaccinated.

I'm talking flying to the topics and mixing with people around the world. My wife's uncle is sparing no expense to travel this year ...I just think he's foolish...but Mabey I'm wrong. I should add he is a microbiologist.

There are 3 golden corrals in my region. None of them ever re-opened since the initial lock down last year; not even for curbside pick-up. They were all shuttered and that was it.

I don't think buffets are coming back for a good while.

Really good point about what variant is around the corner?...Russian roulette percentage every quarter.

Are they reporting these deaths accurately or ? Im not saying yes or no but while we question everything else I am cautious about another countries reporting especially if it affects the number 1 source of income.Tourism dollars

buffetts open here.Roll those dice.

I’m not too worried about travel as a fully vaccinated person taking sensible precautions, but didn’t do cruises or buffets prior to Covid. I think flying is prob safe now, but would wear a good mask in the airport and on the plane.

My wife is high risk from severe asthma (fully vaccinated) and my grandchildren aren’t old enough yet for the vaccine, so I wear a mask when in close quarters for the time being to protect those around me. Because my decisions/actions affect others.

Buffet at Monarch Casino-Spa near Denver, which four of us enjoyed, was open on April 22nd. Buffet at Atlantis Casino Resort was open when I was there a few weeks ago. Buffet at South Point Casino, MGM Grand, Bellagio and Wynn Resort in Las Vegas have all reopened.
For non-casino buffets, the Kirin Buffets and Buffet@Asia have reopened all of their Las Vegas locations....

Our east side GC closed down. The west side unit is still open. I have been there for several years and do not know how they were dealing with Covid issues.

Yesterday, I ate lunch an an old time restaurant that closed last year. It reopened several months ago. New ownership. New menu. It is not the same old place; Just because of the menu. I will not be returning.

I was grossed out by buffets before the pandemic but loved to gorge on Chinese food once or twice a year. I can't imagine now grabbing 10 spoons that 100s of other people have touched. Filling my plate and going back to my table and using my hands to eat food, lick them, etc

Buffet is definitely out for me now and probably forever. Yuck

Buffets have some of the worst food in Vegas. There are so many better options, especially if you don't want to gorge yourself. I travel to Vegas alot, but stopped doing buffets 20 years ago.

Agreed, The only buffets I patronize in the Las Vegas area are at Station Casinos. None of them have been open since March, 2020. The Monarch Gaming buffets (Reno NV and Black Hawk CO) are awesome.

Also note that buffet serving utensils are changed every 15 minutes.

They are making people put the mask on while getting the food and wear provided gloves to touch plates and serving spoons.Is it a good idea ?If everyone were vaccinated it would be better.you should have to wear fresh gloves and mask up before covid IMO

I'm generally not a fan of buffets, but for me, it's the only way to eat Indian food.

I think the real concern with buffets, for Covid anyway, is that it brings people together breathing the same air. I don't think Covid on surfaces is a serious source of infection.

In general, how are businesses doing in everyone's cities? Seattle recently fully opened up on masking and capacity, which means even bars and restaurants with no outdoor seating can be open now. I'm noticing a bunch are not, even places that had been open for part of the pandemic with outdoor seating. I live near a busy neighborhood area with tons of stores, restaurants and bars, and it looks like at least 25% are not coming back, that number is probably a lot higher. Lots of "Closed for remodeling" signs that have been up for ages with no work being done. While it's sad, I think most of those businesses were already struggling pre-pandemic. I'm hoping rents have dropped and new businesses will have the opportunity to take over their spots as the economy moves back towards full swing this Summer.

On the flipside, it's great to see the restaurants and bars that massively expanded their outdoor seating into parking lots, sidewalks and parking strips work with the city to keep those areas and now have much more capacity. So much great outdoor seating now! The city is now looking at permanently closing some parking strips, roads, or making some streets one way to keep all the outdoor seating. It's great.

I have alter my views about the vaccine a little bit. My niece has many medical problems: has pacemaker ( soon to have #5 replaced with #6), wears an O2 generator 24-7 in an effort to keep her O2 levels in the 90 range. Learning disabled, heat problems, lung problems.

She got the 1st jab with no probs. The 2nd jab did not work out so well. Her O2 levels starting falling into the 70s range, she could breathe, etc. She had to spend several days in the hospital due to an allergic reaction.

My sister-in-law also has several allergies to other medicines and she will not be getting the vaccine. They both wear their masks out in public.

The one closest to me closed long ago. There is a popular chain called the mandarin . All you can eat homer Simpson type huge Chinese buffet. Charged over 30 bucks per poor soul.
Have to check if they are still opened .I only go when I'm dragged

I hope shes doing better,there are legitimate reasons not to get the shot.We can still get to herd immunity even if a few need not take the shot.Best wishes

Oh yeah, this has been talked before. You Tube took advantage of everybody being home with Covid and too much time on their hands and started Turing on the advertisements.

It now feels like You Tube has fully morphed itself into another network TV channel. The commercials are really coming on heavy.

It is a contest to see how many commercials I will choke on before I decide to subscribe. Trouble is is that YT really has not very much I would subscribe for.

Pfizer making a 3rd injection booster shot for delta variant:

https://www.cnbc.com/2021/07/08/pfizer-says-it-is-developing-a-covid-booster-shot-to-target-the-highly-transmissible-delta-variant.html

For the first time in almost 2 years we went to a Seafood Buffet for my birthday a few weeks ago.

The parking lot was packed, but that place is very large with several different large rooms with high ceilings, and did not feel crowded at all.

They make everyone have their temperature checked to enter, and you have to wear masks when not eating.

We took our vaccination cards just in case, but they did not ask.

And yeah, at one point I got choked on my water, and I got a lot of evil looks, (when they refilled my glass and I took a drink it was warm, and I was expecting cold water).

We will probably go again next month for my girlfriends birthday.

I did notice a few items were missing, mainly pork for whatever reason, and also no pudding, and ice cream is in cups now instead of dip your own.

If you are in my area, it is the Pacific Buffet, pretty good place.

Havent seen a ad on youtube in few years, best $12 i spent that i didnt want to ever. Youtube premium is way worth the money especially with 2 boys that love youtube and i use it alot myself.

My question is if it just a slightly tweaked version of the
existing and widely used vaccine, is it really necessary to go through the full clinical trial process again? They tweak the flu vaccine every year for the anticipated strains without clinical trials.

I can see a small phase 2 study for safety and ecffcacy but timing may be important here. I'd gladly volunteer to get the Delta booster right now. Im not worried about it at all.

Those with a history of allergic reactions whether to foods, medications, etc should consider the J & J or the new,Novavax vaccine (hopefully available soon). Those type of reactions tend to happen primarily with the mRNA vaccines (although it could still happen if she is prone to them).

" Pfizer says it’s time for a Covid booster; FDA and CDC say not so fast"

https://www.cnn.com/2021/07/08/health/pfizer-waning-immunity-bn/index.html

"The company specified it would seek FDA emergency use authorization for a booster dose in August."

" But in an unusual move, two top federal agencies said Americans don’t need boosters yet and said it was not up to companies alone to decide when they might be needed."
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Looks like Pfizer is wanting to ring its cash register. But the buyers disappeared.

Exactly what I thought when I read that article.