I don't agree with people who make the claim that vaccines are less effective against Omicron; it's a highly misleading claim as the purpose of a vaccine is to protect against severe illness, hospitalisations and deaths and the vaccines continue to be effective in that regard.
The people who claim vaccines are less effective against Omicron are either very misguided or are being disingenuous; they are saying that you are more likely to be
infected with Omicron, but that's likely principally due to the nature of Omicron replicating
much more in the upper respiratory tract compared to Delta.
Protection against
infection is not a fair measure of vaccine effectiveness; people who suggest a vaccine is ineffective just because it does not prevent an infection are setting a very high bar and missing the point of vaccines.
In order to get the best possible immunity, I think we need exposure to the
full virus, not just the spike.
If a vaccine becomes available that includes more of the virus and is perhaps updated in some way that makes it a closer match for variants that are circulating at the time, then
maybe another dose may be worth getting at that time; until/unless that happens, we probably need a full exposure to the actual virus in order to get the broadest possible immune response. We should not be hiding from the virus and expecting we can avoid being exposed to it as that is simply unrealistic and is not an approach we take with any other respiratory virus.
(note: the above was posted as areply to a post in
another thread but is probably a better fit for this thread)
I'm sure we are in for another rollercoaster of a day today and tomorrow. What fun.
What absolutely needs to happen is for no more restrictions. Cases will naturally stop rising and hospitaliations remain at modest levels (nothing like January). A not unreasonable scenario considering the tentative data from South Africa and others. This will surely expose Sage, the modelling and the hysteria around omicron as a busted flush (although I would have thought the summer would have done that to the modelling).
On the other hand, if restrictions are introduced, any stabilisation/decline will 'prove' the fear was jutified and the worth of restrictions. We are then in a very dangerous position for the rest of winter and years to come.
Indeed; Sage must be desperate for restrictions because they know that based on the data from South Africa, a natural fall will occur within a matter of weeks if no restrictions are imposed. This could ruin their (already very poor) reputations.
Drakeford has reminded us how we would be living now if Labour were in power,...
A vote for Labour is a vote for restrictions and lockdowns. We must remember that when we are next at the ballot box.