The US has (overall) pretty good levels of vaccination by now and this is excellent and *everyone* involved deserves credit - but the virus is not gone and it is wrong to pretend that it is (teeny slightly ranty thread)
First we have a new variant on the scene (Delta) which is pretty unambiguously worse than its predecessors. Already about 6% of cases and climbing
Then there are a bunch of states in the south that experienced a surged over the summer last year. Some of them are mooting shifting to once a week reporting, which is not a good idea coronavirus.jhu.edu/pandemic-data-…
What about inequities in vaccination and vaccine access? Just imagine a town which is 90% vaccinated, and the 10% that are not are disproportionately in the same workplace (maybe unable to get the shot because they can't get the time off work). That workplace is not vaccinated
ID pros are used to studying things that happen overseas and kill millions there, but which the US struggles to take seriously. The pandemic is headed in that direction, but has room to surprise still.
Delta is here already. It will transmit in poorly vaccinated communities once it gets to them. Those infected are more likely to suffer severe disease than previously, because Delta is nastier. It will also transmit more to others
If you are vaccinated then this is not likely to be very serious, if you are not then I am sorry but the virus is more likely to land you in hospital
(deliberately left at hospitalization because we don't yet know how well those people will recover. We're still getting data)
The virus will continue to circulate at low levels in some states, and higher in others and we can expect it to return in the fall. Whether that is a damp squib (I hope so!) or not will depend crucially on how many are immune - so if you've not already done so, get your shot! end
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