Thread by @TaisonBell

I've gotten a couple of Qs about the increasing deaths in #Israel w/ #Omicron & reports that the majority of their deaths are in vaccinated folks. Anti-vax antennae are activated. What's happening?

TL/DR: Vaccines work and be careful with headlines.

Let's break it down
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1st point: Vaccination in Israel is not as great among the developed world as it seems. This was a surprise to me. The constant barrage of vaccine headlines make it seem they lead the world. They do not.

66% of the population is fully vaccinated. Pretty close to the US 64.4%
2/

In that context, it's not surprising that their death rate per million is in line with the US. And-just like in the US-you see a dramatic rise with #Omicron ripping through the population.

So what about this part about the majority of deaths are vaccinated people?
3/

2nd point: You have to account for seeing a skewed view of the world.

Say someone visits the US for the 1st time & lands in #Boston on ⚾️ opening day.

They'd see mostly #RedSox gear & maybe a couple weirdos in #Yankees caps.

Conclusion: The majority of 🇺🇸's = RedSox fans
4/

And (sadly) we know this to not be true. You have to look at the # of RedSox fans relative to ALL baseball fans. What seems like a lot is actually a little.

Similarly, looking at Israeli patients dying from COVID you see a much higher percent are unvaxed or partially vaxed
5/

BT deaths do occur, but luckily, they are rare:
- 88% of Israeli's >60 fully vaxed & a super small % who die from COVID
- 12% are uvaxed & die at a much higher rate

It's a lie to say the 88% is less protected b/c they may be higher in number

This graph tells the real story.
6/

In sum:
- The vaccines work
- Israel, the US, and nearly every other country needs to increase rates of vaccination and boosting
- Don't mistake a skewed picture with reality
- #GoSox

More here from @PaulNuki
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