Items

• 
  2022-06-16

  The Diminishing Hope of COVID-19 Herd Immunity

  This is an Instagram post from infectious_disease_modeler (Dr. Jacob B. Aguilar).He wrote an article about how herd immunity doesn't work with COVID as well as it could due to new variants that keep on happening. He says that if vaccines had a 100% effectiveness rates across all situations, this would not really be an issue. Since the vaccines are not entirely effective, the solution, Dr. Aguilar proposes that the way to help mitigate the issue is mass regular testing to slow the spread of new variants.
• 
  2022-05-10

  Evidence Not Fear Key Facts Chart

  The item is a chart from evidencenotfear.org. It can be found on the homepage. This chart can be found under the “key facts” section and explains the information that is claimed to be from experts in epidemiology, microbiology, and virology. The key facts section contains information that is immediately concerning to me. Some of the statements that are the most concerning to me are that children cannot transmit the virus, face masks can create negative health effects for the person wearing them, and more people have died from the panic of COVID-19 than the virus itself. The chart contains links, which I assumed would provide evidence and research to back up the claims. However, each link leads to an archive of news articles that are related to that topic. The message of this item is that the fear of COVID-19 has been worse than what the virus can actually do. This is seen through the explanations of face masks causing complications, lockdowns preventing herd immunity, and children cannot being affected by it. It tries to persuade the reader by providing links to several different news articles supporting the claim. However, the news article that they are using as support does not provide sources either.
• 
  2021-06-05T13:07

  I can see the light!

  Late 2019 and 2020 were years of COVID-19, entirely. The long tunnel, so deep and dark that there seems no exit, is what we walked through. But I can find the light these days, and this article is one of the main causes of such an idea. It seems rapid and effective vaccination is making society stronger by developing herd immunity, and this article shows that the process is smoothly ongoing. I hope this news article is the flare for the victory, and it will free us from this pandemic!
• 
  2021-06-03

  My Covid Vaccine Experience

  These are the two Facebook posts I made the day I got my first shot and my second. I received the Moderna vaccine. As a teacher, I was able to get mine sooner than many others. Many people I know had (and still have) reservations about getting the vaccine. I believe in science. I believe in vaccines. It is disheartening and dangerous to see so many Americans throwing away an opportunity to protect themselves, their families, and their community because of politics. Science should not be political. The vaccine did make me feel ill, especially the second one, but it was temporary. I would do it a hundred more times if I had to. A friend of the family said they would not get the vaccine because, "What's in it for me? Even if I get Covid, I am young and healthy, unlikely to die." I found that statement alarmingly self-centered. Getting the vaccine isn't about you as individual as much as it is about you protecting your community and the world. As the saying goes nowadays, "Until all of us are safe, none of us is safe."
• 
  2021-04-19

  New Phase of the Pandemic

  It was just announced that in all 50 states, anyone who wants to get the vaccine can get the vaccine (or at least anyone who is 16 years old or older). First of all, this is an amazing accomplishment: just a few months ago, COVID-19 was rapidly proliferating and all we had was the hope of a viable solution. Now, we have all the tools we need to essentially end the pandemic. Nevertheless, it should be pointed out that the pandemic has reached a new phase. Now that vaccines are freely available, mandatory restrictions and protections -- social distancing, masking, etc. -- should in the next month or two be made voluntary. This is not just a matter of pandemic fatigue. Rather, the point is to incentivize those people who remain resistant to getting vaccinated to change their minds. If everyone is going to keep up these virus mitigation measures in perpetuity, many unvaccinated people may think there is no reason to change their behavior. More generally, we as a society should prioritize helping people who lack -- for whatever reason -- the means to help themselves. By this standard, the willfully unvaccinated -- who could simply go get the shot and therefore take the pressure off the rest of us -- should be closer to the bottom of our priority list. My guess is that the end of mandatory social distancing and masking, along with various entities -- restaurants, concert venues, universities, etc. -- requiring the vaccine will convince many vaccine hesitant people to change their minds.
• 
  2021-04-10

  Stay-At-Home Order Reinstated for Navajo Nation Residents

  The Navajo Nation has reinstated the “Stay-At-Home” order due to an increase of Covid-19 cases. Two weeks ago, there was one day with zero reported cases. On Friday, there were 26 reported new Covid-19 cases.
• 2021-02-18

  #WhenIAmVaccinated

  I have been vaccinated. I got both of my shots, waited the requisite two-week waiting period, which mysteriously dropped from 30 days to 14, and so as of yesterday, I am as fully vaccinated as I can be. And I am still not traveling. I will continue to wear a mask. In fact, I will be double masking when students return to the high school I work at following spring break. There is still a pandemic. Not enough people are vaccinated. I don’t truly know how effective the vaccine is, no one does. And most of all, I want to make a statement. That masks are important. That masks are important. That social distancing is important. That I might still catch COVID, be asymptomatic, and pass it on. Herd immunity is essential. A lot of life I want to get back to, but I know that so many things should not go back to the days of 2019 and early 2020. We cannot forget. We cannot become complacent. Okay – sometimes I want to keep wearing the mask so hide my sneers so no one can see. ;)
• 2021-02

  Vaccine

  I feel like I am running out of ideas for JOTPY entries so I thought I would share my excitement for my second vaccine appointment next week. While I know we still have a long road ahead with COVID-19, I am excited to take this next step for myself. The peace of mind will be worth it alone. It will be nice when the "plague year" is a memory rather than a current event following herd immunity.
• 
  2020-10-21

  Hermit Herald Vol 1 issue 71

  Herd immunity
• 
  2020-07-24

  Researchers look to unlock secrets of COVID-19 herd immunity by studying Canada's Hutterite colonies

  "'We can answer a lot of questions (in Hutterite colonies) that can’t be answered in mainstream communities,' said Dr. Mark Loeb, a McMaster infectious disease professor who’s heading the project. It’s 'knowledge that couldn’t be obtained anywhere else.'" "The safety council chastised some members for visiting doctors without warning them they were sick, not observing social distancing and travelling outside their colony when it was not essential. Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe said Wednesday the province may impose restrictions on travel to and from the colonies to curb spread of the coronavirus. But Moe also argued against stigmatizing the Hutterites, who have seen businesses indiscriminately barring members of the communities."
• 
  2020-07-06

  Herd Immunity Isn't Going to Work

  I had become fairly ill in December with a respiratory illness that was never diagnosed, but went away after a round of antibiotics. Feeling like I was on the verge of death for over 10 days, I assumed that with the announcement of coronavirus I had already had the illness. I felt safe to try and get back as close to normal as I could, but the overwhelming scientific consensus seems to be that herd immunity may just not be a real idea. This item was added TAGS v6.1.9.1. I originally searched under the hashtag #herdimmunity. Within that search, I have chosen to add the following tweet because it speaks towards the scientific community trying to convince the public that herd immunity is not a thing. Linked article: (https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(20)31482-3/fulltext)
• 
  2020-07-06

  Debating Herd Immunity

  I am pretty sure that I had the coronavirus in December. Speaking with friends and family members, there are multiple instance of people feeling as though they have already been sick and feeling comfortable about heading back out into the world. As evidenced by the study discussed in the article, this may not prove to be as smart as we imagined. This item was added TAGS v6.1.9.1. I originally searched under the hashtag #herdimmunity. Within that search, I have chosen to add the following tweet because it shares an article discussing herd immunity, a recent hot button issue that has been thrown around in the reopening debate. Link to the CNN article: (https://twitter.com/Boyanbc/status/1280216226128633865)
• 
  2020-07-05

  New York vs. California on Coronavirus

  New York was one of the original epicenters of the coronavirus back in the beginning of the Spring. As they have managed to get their cases under control, a similarly large state in California has had an explosion in cases. There have been a variety of discussions about how this happened, as people have debated testing, masks, and the idea of herd immunity. This item was added TAGS v6.1.9.1. I originally searched under the hashtag #california. Within that search, I have chosen to add the following tweet because it provides a comparison of two heavily populated states attempts at handling the pandemic.