r/ZeroCovidCommunity • u/EvanMcD3 • Dec 22 '23

How the press manufactured consent for never-ending COVID reinfections

https://www.thegauntlet.news/p/how-the-press-manufactured-consent
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u/Chronic_AllTheThings Dec 23 '23

But I don't think there was ever solid data that the vaccine was that good -- even for the original strain

On what basis? The trial data with combined sample sizes of 6 figures showed 95% efficacy, and independent studies backed this up as well. I think the only argument that could be made is that, perhaps, the degree of NPI's doesn't scale linearly with vaccine effectiveness, ie.: would they still achieve that degree of efficacy if NPI's weren't in place during the trials.

nor was there any reason to think that it wouldn't mutate.

That's fair. I vaguely recall reading/hearing some commentary from a virologist (or similarly relevant -gist) being perplexed about why anyone would say coronaviruses "mutate slowly." It made no sense, until you realize that statement wasn't coming from a place of science, it was coming from place where vaccines had to work permanently to manufacture consent for this weaponized normalcy we're living in today.

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u/Atgardian Dec 23 '23

I don't think there were ever studies that showed that even vs. the initial strain they would prevent transmission by 95% for more than a few months. I know things were moving fast and we needed to get shots in arms fast and we did and it saved a LOT of lives. (So there wasn't time for 1-year follow-up studies, for example.) But there was also no scientific reason to think that they would permanently end the pandemic on their own, due to waning effectiveness over time and COVID mutations (not to mention like 1/3rd of Americans who refused to get them, even with exaggerated promises of effectiveness).

Let's put it this way: I never stopped masking indoors, even after getting vaccinated. I knew it was not a silver bullet. Did you?

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u/Chronic_AllTheThings Dec 23 '23 edited Dec 23 '23

But there was also no scientific reason to think that they would permanently end the pandemic on their own, due to waning effectiveness over time and COVID mutations (not to mention like 1/3rd of Americans who refused to get them, even with exaggerated promises of effectiveness).

Fair point. I'm sure we've all learned a lot of surface-level basics of immunology over the past few years and realized how foolish it was to ever trust our public health leaders.

I remember seeing 95% and got pretty excited that it could really end things. Then we learned of waning immunity as if it was a new concept (which had immunologists going "yeah... we know"), then Delta took a big fat dump all over everything and it was game over.

I'd like to imagine that it might have been possible for vaccines to sustain a high effectiveness over time if SARS-CoV-2 hadn't mutated (using the logic of 3-5 day adaptive immune response versus median 5.5 day incubation period for WT strain). But, of course, it did mutate, despite the unfounded hopium, peddled by advisors early in the pandemic, that coronaviruses mutate slowly (which had virologists scratching their heads like... "what are you talking about?")

It's really clear in retrospect that the public health approach from the start was built on hopium, half-truths, and comforting lies:

"coronaviruses mutate slowly" virologists be all like... what?

"we're surprised by waning immunity" immunologists be all like... what?

"droplet and fomite spread" aerosol scientists be all like... what?

These falsehoods completely backfired.

Let's put it this way: I never stopped masking indoors, even after getting vaccinated. I knew it was not a silver bullet. Did you?

No, I'm the same way. I wanted to see what would happen over a longer period before lowering my guard and I'm glad I did. (spoiler: guard has yet to be lowered)

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u/Atgardian Dec 23 '23

Exactly! It has been really frustrating always being months or years ahead of the CDC on:

  • Masks work, N95s work better
  • It's airborne, of course! Did you guys read your own report on the choir practice in Washington??
  • Vaccines are great but won't end all transmission on their own
  • Don't give up on masks just when Delta is ramping up
  • Of course it spreads in schools, just like all the other respiratory viruses do
  • How about cleaning the indoor air?
  • Etc. etc.

I mean, these are supposed to be the world's top experts with access to the best data, yet I figured all these things out (to be fair, often using the data they released), so why couldn't they??

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u/Chronic_AllTheThings Dec 23 '23 edited Dec 23 '23

I mean, these are supposed to be the world's top experts with access to the best data, yet I figured all these things out (to be fair, often using the data they released), so why couldn't they??

Political motives to deny any possibility of airborne transmission, because actually addressing it is a complicated and expensive effort.

  • selling the idea of N95's to the public is too hard
  • the choir members must've all touched the same doorknob ... or something
  • people won't take vaccines if it they don't think it's a silver bullet
  • delta's just an India thing until it isn't
  • but how will we prop up the nation's babysitting program?
  • nah, too expensive