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Not sure what’s happened at WHO but I strongly recommend you don’t let any A-level biology students see this lot of chuff. It’s factually wrong in numerous ways.
The phrase “herd immunity is achieved by protecting people from a virus, not by exposing people to it”.
They mustn’t have noticed that 99.94% of exposed populations survived the spring pandemic & all infected survivors are now immune. Their immunity is likely to be better than..
They mustn’t have noticed that 99.94% of exposed populations survived the spring pandemic & all infected survivors are now immune. Their immunity is likely to be better than..
...that achieved with a vaccine limited in the epitopes (components of the virus presented to the immune system).
Agreed generally a well developed vaccine shouldn’t make you ill. Shame we have zero data on that beyond a few months.
As to whether vaccines protect us against...
Agreed generally a well developed vaccine shouldn’t make you ill. Shame we have zero data on that beyond a few months.
As to whether vaccines protect us against...
...severe illness & death, that’d be good. Regrettably there is no data whatsoever in relation to that necessary objective. Bit of a problem given we’re lied to & told “it’s the light at the end of the tunnel”. It’s been my 30y+ experience of drug development that hoping it’ll...
...be alright on the night generally isn’t effective as a strategy. Better to actually have the clinical data before building the marketing plan.
Vaccines, if effective, do prevent you from getting ill (see above) & prevent you passing it on (see above - as we have no data on...
Vaccines, if effective, do prevent you from getting ill (see above) & prevent you passing it on (see above - as we have no data on...
...effectiveness, we’ve none on transmission either.
By contrast every person who’s been infected & survived (99.9% or so) are not only immune but will neither get ill nor pass it on to anyone else.
This is, at most, undergraduate immunology.
Then the shocker. I think they...
By contrast every person who’s been infected & survived (99.9% or so) are not only immune but will neither get ill nor pass it on to anyone else.
This is, at most, undergraduate immunology.
Then the shocker. I think they...
...must have had an intern write this, and they used an unreliable source. A government publication, say?
No: there isn’t a value for “the percentage of people who need to have antibodies in order to achieve herd immunity...”.
Really, there isn’t. Notice our national serology...
No: there isn’t a value for “the percentage of people who need to have antibodies in order to achieve herd immunity...”.
Really, there isn’t. Notice our national serology...
...surveys show a continual trend to lower prevalence of antibodies in the population, as the year’s gone on. Does this mean the community immunity is falling in England all year?
The BBC might want you to think that. But it’s just not true. The better interpretation of falling..
The BBC might want you to think that. But it’s just not true. The better interpretation of falling..
...antibody prevalence is that the virus prevalence itself has fallen continually through the year, as all prior expectations would lead you to expect. Remember, viruses don’t do (dirty great, invented SAGE-type) waves, possibly a #SecondaryRipple at most. So of course, after...
...almost a year of it being among us, and the proven ineffectiveness of blocking methods, it’ll be in the toilet.
Then they get into outright lying. Plenty of practise I suppose. “The vast majority of people in most countries remain susceptible to this virus”. Oddly enough...
Then they get into outright lying. Plenty of practise I suppose. “The vast majority of people in most countries remain susceptible to this virus”. Oddly enough...
...this is precisely the wording used by Sir Patrick Vallance at a press conference a couple of months ago.
Pat: you know, and I know, and you know I know, that statement was never true, was it?
If you’ve a reasonable knowledge of basic immunology, as people on SAGE like...
Pat: you know, and I know, and you know I know, that statement was never true, was it?
If you’ve a reasonable knowledge of basic immunology, as people on SAGE like...
...Vallance, Whitty & Semple (who, according to his bio, trained under Ivan Roitt, a colossus of British science & especially of immunology, making several pivotal discoveries & literally writing the text book all of these gents used in their training, as did I) you’ll be able...
...to read this without becoming infected by the #FearPornVirus which, in media types, causes previously decent science correspondents & medical experts to completely have their memories of immunology wiped. There is no hope for them.
Everyone else, please steer well clear.
Everyone else, please steer well clear.
