James Surowiecki has some Covid stats from here in Connecticut. We have one of the highest adult vaccination rates in the country. Seniors are vaccinated at a 90+% rate. We had 37 Covid deaths here last week and 29 of them were unvaccinated. Anti-vaxxers will say, "See, 8 people died despite being vaccinated!" But 85.3% of all adults are vaccinated. That means the death rate for the unvaccinated is 16 times higher than the unvaccinated.
The pandemic is not going anywhere, for a number of reasons. One is variants, one is anti-vaxxer refusal to create the sort of barrier to spread, and a big one is that people are just "over" the pandemic. The number of people wandering around with no masks or poorly fitted masks is a sign of basic selfishness. Yes, masks suck. They are mildly uncomfortable. They are a hassle.
They are also the only way to properly fully arrest the spread of the disease. The vaccines do a great job, but they need a little boost and masks can give that.
Take it from me. Vaccines are a great way to prevent serious Covid, but they are not infallible. Well fitting, high performance masks are a great way to prevent serious Covid, but they are not infallible. Combine the two, and you're in a very strong position. Connecticut is demonstrating both the efficacy and the limits of vaccines. Because people are stupid and unserious, they aren't able to grok that distinction between extremely effective and infallible. If something prevents something 95% of the time, it still allows it one time in 20.
I think we have to accept the fact that we live in a country that is willing to accept a large number of dead school children every year in the name of "FREEDUMB!!!!1!!1" We are perfectly fine having people die of Covid as long as I don't have to inconvenience myself in any way.
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