In summer, the northeast & US government called the pandemic a “pandemic of the unvaccinated” and blamed transmission in southeast on politics & vaccine hesitancy
As we see cases swamp the Northeast, I hope we remember that this is a pandemic of a virus
I feel like “we” are very quick to look for scapegoats as the rhetoric and force of scientists and politicians has become increasingly heated around vaccines.
Vaccines work extremely well, yes. But this remains a pandemic of a virus. The core problem is the virus.
Again - I am 1000% for vaccines & want every one to be vaccinated
I'm not in favor of blaming by our federal government rather than trying to better understand underlying / root cause of vaccine hesitancy and work towards that.
While remembering that the enemy is the virus.
And yes. hospitalizations are primarily a result of unvaccinated! Get a vaccine, it will keep you safe!!
But the pandemic is not the fault of unvaccinated. It's just so sad to blame in this way.
• • •
Missing some Tweet in this thread? You can try to
force a refresh
My goal is to say simply -
Focus on the science and the data and what we know of biology. Then message and create policy off that.
Yes we want everyone vax’d. But really we want everyone protected. With >50% of Americans exposed/infected… we should at least consider this…
2:
We absolutely do not want ppl to intentionally go out and get infected. But we also can’t reverse time. We know a majority of Americans have been infected. Given that protection is derived from infection - assuming you do OK through it - we should leverage that, not ignore it
I’ve been working w vax hesitant and anti vax groups for years BEFORE the pandemic
Blame and Shame has never, ever, been the appropriate tactic to change minds. This is a pandemic of a virus
Ppl are either scared or misinformed,
First thing is GAINING TRUST
1/
Shaming and blaming does the exact opposite of gaining trust.
We cannot overlook that we had and still have leaders who have confused the shit out of ppl. Scared them of vaccines. Told them over and over that the virus is not bad.
Additionally (and for a different thread) it is clear that concerns Of having a narrow vaccine as our primary intervention is going to come up short. It’s always been the case, despite media, that infections (should you do ok through them) would offer robust immunity.
2/
I’ve said many times we should be considering vaccines that are not solely a Wuhan strain spike only but perhaps boost, for example, w live attenuated or some other form of vax that offers immune system a broader education
As I said last year, Narrow vaccines can be shortsighted
If using rapid tests this holiday season and asking ppl to test before a gathering… or any time…
Suggest they be done before leaving the house, or in the car, etc. Someplace >55 F
Also, if your counter or table or wherever you are letting them sit for the 15 minutes is cold (like a granite countertop) - place it on top of the box or literally any other surface that’s not cold (wood table, book, etc)
Also - this is not the same as storage. If they are sitting inside the box not being used yet, then store ideally in a slightly cooler location - but don’t let them freeze - it can potentially impact their chemistry.
This reminds me of early 2020 when we forgot so much of what we knew of epidemiology, immunology, infectious disease & thought we needed to rewrite textbooks. But we knew so much about this before it was ever detected
The reporting is really nice. But the title attached to it is frustrating to say the least.
It screams loudly and demonstrated well how we have thought about the importance of the unknowns compared to the knowns of this virus this entire pandemic.
3/