Interacting with unvaccinated people when you must

[Jdarby]

Originally Posted by John Mercier

40,000-50,000 Americans die from the flu each year... we have a vaccine... and still the death toll. The historic record is that we will never vaccinate our way out of this one. We'll see a decline in deaths and hospitalizations, but those that didn't get the ''message'' never will. And those that have, will get every booster - annual or otherwise.

The challenge with discussing “flu” deaths and vaccination is that there is no single “flu” vaccine. There are 4 types of influenza viruses (A,B,C,&D) Influenza D only effects animals. A,B, & C effect people with A having the highest chance for severe illness. Each virus type has many strains. Every year the influenza vaccine is re-engineered to target the most likely Influenza A virus strains for the upcoming year. It doesn’t even cover all of the a Influenza A strains. The strains chosen are based upon the prevalence of those strains (variants) in the population. So, even people who get the flu vaccine can contract a strain of Influenza A that the vaccine does not protect against. They can also contract B&C. Unfortunately, COVID with its developing variants may become the same battle. The more we can stop the spread of COVID through vaccination and other means, the less variants we are likely to see.


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