People be very careful this virus is not done yet
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But Florida bro? Cali has better weather, lifestyle, dining etc. You can live out of the city and have a decent lifestyle. I have a few properties in Cali so I'm biased, but Florida is shitty and full of shitty people and one of the worst governors in the country.
Biden's vaccine mandate for workers is supported by legal precedents, experts say
On September 9, US President Joe Biden announced a plan to require all private businesses with 100 or more employees to ensure that their workers are fully vaccinated against COVID-19, or get tested weekly. The mandate will be implemented through an Emergency Temporary Standard to be issued by the Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA). Experts predict legal challenges to be launched, but they say OSHA has the authority to protect workers' safety by requiring vaccinations, Bloomberg reports. The 1905 Supreme Court decision in Jacobson v. Massachusetts has also been widely cited, in which the court upheld the Cambridge, Massachusetts Board of Health’s authority to require vaccination against smallpox during an epidemic.
What you need to know
- The White House says the requirement will impact over 80 million workers in private sector businesses with more than 100 employees.
- The mandate will be issued by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration.
- Under the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970, OSHA has the authority to adopt an Emergency Temporary Standard if such measure "is necessary to protect employees from such danger."
On September 9, US President Joe Biden announced a plan to require all private businesses with 100 or more employees to ensure that their workers are fully vaccinated against COVID-19, or get tested weekly. The mandate will be implemented through an Emergency Temporary Standard to be issued by the Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA). Experts predict legal challenges to be launched, but they say OSHA has the authority to protect workers' safety by requiring vaccinations, Bloomberg reports. The 1905 Supreme Court decision in Jacobson v. Massachusetts has also been widely cited, in which the court upheld the Cambridge, Massachusetts Board of Health’s authority to require vaccination against smallpox during an epidemic.
What you need to know
- The White House says the requirement will impact over 80 million workers in private sector businesses with more than 100 employees.
- The mandate will be issued by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration.
- Under the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970, OSHA has the authority to adopt an Emergency Temporary Standard if such measure "is necessary to protect employees from such danger."
'Jeopardy!' Host Mayim Bialik Confronts Criticism Over Her Vaccine Comments
Mayim Bialik's almost decade-old comments about vaccines resurfaced soon after it was announced that she had been hired as a "Jeopardy!" host.
www.newsweek.com
Jeopardy!' Host Mayim Bialik Confronts Criticism Over Her Vaccine Comments
BY RYAN SMITH ON 9/24/21 AT 5:49 AM EDT
Jeopardy! host Mayim Bialik is reiterating her stance on vaccines as she continues to swat away accusations that she's a vaccine skeptic.
Shortly after it was announced that Bialik would be one of the permanent hosts on Jeopardy!—along with now-ousted Mike Richards—she was soon hit with scrutiny over comments she had made in her book, Beyond the Sling, published in 2012.
"We made an informed decision not to vaccinate our children, but this is a very personal decision that should be made only after sufficient research, which today is within reach of every parent who seeks to learn about their child's health regardless of their medical knowledge or educational status," she wrote at the time.
Mother-of-two Bialik has since clarified that she is not anti-vaccines, tweeting back in February 2015: "dispelling rumors abt my stance on vaccines. i'm not anti. my kids are vaccinated. so much anger and hysteria. i hope this clears things up."
And in October 2020, Bialik shared a YouTube video in which she revealed that she and her children would be receiving the COVID-19 vaccine and seasonal flu jabs.
However, the unrelenting criticism has continued to pour in over her perceived point of view on the matter, which the actress has now sought to put to rest once and for all.
When asked about the controversy in an interview with The Associated Press (AP), the star, who holds a Ph.D. in neuroscience, said: "I don't regret that at the time I wrote a book about parenting, my kids were young, they hadn't received all their vaccines.
"Now I've been very public and declared that I am a vaccinated person, we're a vaccinated family, we're all vaccinated for COVID. That's part of the challenge of being a public person, and the court of public opinion is extremely significant.
"I'm grateful to Sony and to Jeopardy! for believing in me as a host right now, with the ability to do my job with all the other things aside."
Mayim Bialik discusses her new book "Girling Up: How to Be Strong, Smart and Spectacular" at Build Studio on May 9, 2017 in New York City. The "Jeopardy!" host has addressed the ongoing criticism of her stance on vaccines.BRAD BARKET/GETTY IMAGES
Former Jeopardy! executive producer Richards' old comments also came back to haunt him when he landed the coveted role as the late Alex Trebek's successor on the long-running primetime quiz show.
The Ringer published an article detailing the series of offensive remarks Richards had made while hosting his now-defunct podcast between 2013 and 2014, when he served as a producer on The Price Is Right.
Amid an outcry, he stepped down from his role as host on August 20—just nine days after his appointment was announced. He also lost his job as executive producer of Jeopardy! and Wheel of Fortune on August 31.
Addressing the upheaval, Bialik told the AP: "There have been many conversations and weeks and weeks of us all getting adjusted to what's been going on.
"There hasn't really been anything that's been a surprise, so there wasn't really awkwardness. I'm just excited to be able to do my job and do it to the best of my ability, as someone who likely would get everything wrong on Jeopardy! It's a real honor to get to stand up there."
The Big Bang Theory star Bialik, who had initially been appointed as host of Jeopardy! tournaments and specials, has stepped in to host the show following Richards' unceremonious exit.
Mike Richards attends the 41st Annual Daytime Emmy Awards CBS After Party at The Beverly Hilton Hotel on June 22, 2014 in Beverly Hills, California. Richards stepped down as "Jeopardy!" host just nine days after his role was announced.ALLEN BEREZOVSKY/WIREIMAGE
With her stint already airing on screens across the U.S., the actress will present the show until November 5, after which she will split presenting duties with all-time Jeopardy! champ Ken Jennings.
However, in her interview with the AP, Bialik stressed that she no longer feels as though she's still auditioning for the role of permanent Jeopardy! presenter, as she essentially had done earlier in the year along with a host of other celebrities.
"As far as I'm concerned, I'm not auditioning for anything anymore," she said when asked if it felt like her new stint felt like another round of tryouts. "I'm doing the job that's in front of me and letting the business executives do what they need to do.
"For me, I'm getting more and more comfortable with the language of Jeopardy!, as we call it, and making the crew and the staff feel like we have consistency and that I'm a person really interested in maintaining the integrity of the show."
Yeah, you're already priced into Cali and have adjusted to costs. For me, it's ridiculous. I think it adds a million easy to the budget for just housing.
I love ignant cac shit
- The share of Hispanic adults in the U.S. who have received a vaccine surged in recent months to 73 percent — and now exceeds the vaccinated share of white adults (71 percent), according to a Kaiser Family Foundation poll.
- The share of Black Americans who are vaccinated has also risen significantly, to 70 percent.
- President Biden got a Pfizer booster shot on camera. “I know it doesn’t look like it, but I am over 65,” he said.
- They are a small minority, but some health care workers would rather be fired than vaccinated.
This is the shit that bothers me when I hear ppl talk about the low mortality rate for this who contract it. We have no idea what the long term effects are gonna be for people. Almost everyone I know who's had it have had some lasting shit. From fatigue to hearing loss to intermittent taste loss. That's so scary shit.
Pre existing conditions for insurance companies.
This is why medical professionals need to get vaccinated because of stupid patients like that she was speaking about
NBA Says Unvaccinated Players Who Can't Play in Games Won't Get Paid
NBA players who do not comply with local vaccination requirements will not be paid for the games that they miss due to their status, NBA spokesperson Mike Bass said Wednesday.
Such a policy could impact players with the Warriors, Nets and Knicks, as all three teams play in areas in which local jurisdictions are requiring people to be fully vaccinated to be allowed indoors for entertainment.
Last week, Knicks general manager Scott Perry said the entire New York roster is vaccinated. The policy outlined Wednesday could, however, still impact the Warriors and Nets.
Brooklyn guard Kyrie Irving did not attend Nets media day in person Monday due to New York City's health and safety protocols. Irving would not comment on his specific vaccination status, saying, Monday via Zoom, that he "prefers to keep that stuff private."
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"Living in this public sphere, there's a lot of questions about what's going on in the world of Kyrie, and I would love to just keep that private and handle that the right way with my team and go forward with a plan," Irving said.
Golden State forward Andrew Wiggins was similarly asked to clarify his vaccination status on Monday but declined, saying, "it's none of your business."
"I'm just going to keep fighting for what I believe and for what I believe is right," Wiggins said. "What's right to one person, isn't right to the other and vice versa."
The executive orders creating vaccine requirements only apply to the players who play in those markets, meaning out-of-market players are exempted from them.
On Tuesday, the league informed teams that it was close to finalizing an agreement with the National Basketball Players Association on health and safety protocols for the upcoming season. On Tuesday, the league informed teams that it was close to finalizing an agreement with the National Basketball Players Association on health and safety protocols for the upcoming season.
NBPA executive director Michele Roberts said Tuesday that more than 90% of the league's players are fully vaccinated.
NBA players who do not comply with local vaccination requirements will not be paid for the games that they miss due to their status, NBA spokesperson Mike Bass said Wednesday.
Such a policy could impact players with the Warriors, Nets and Knicks, as all three teams play in areas in which local jurisdictions are requiring people to be fully vaccinated to be allowed indoors for entertainment.
Last week, Knicks general manager Scott Perry said the entire New York roster is vaccinated. The policy outlined Wednesday could, however, still impact the Warriors and Nets.
Brooklyn guard Kyrie Irving did not attend Nets media day in person Monday due to New York City's health and safety protocols. Irving would not comment on his specific vaccination status, saying, Monday via Zoom, that he "prefers to keep that stuff private."
Get SPORTS ILLUSTRATED's best stories every weekday. Sign up now.
"Living in this public sphere, there's a lot of questions about what's going on in the world of Kyrie, and I would love to just keep that private and handle that the right way with my team and go forward with a plan," Irving said.
Golden State forward Andrew Wiggins was similarly asked to clarify his vaccination status on Monday but declined, saying, "it's none of your business."
"I'm just going to keep fighting for what I believe and for what I believe is right," Wiggins said. "What's right to one person, isn't right to the other and vice versa."
The executive orders creating vaccine requirements only apply to the players who play in those markets, meaning out-of-market players are exempted from them.
On Tuesday, the league informed teams that it was close to finalizing an agreement with the National Basketball Players Association on health and safety protocols for the upcoming season. On Tuesday, the league informed teams that it was close to finalizing an agreement with the National Basketball Players Association on health and safety protocols for the upcoming season.
NBPA executive director Michele Roberts said Tuesday that more than 90% of the league's players are fully vaccinated.
Unvaccinated Americans Blame Everyone But Themselves—Children, Vaccines And Not Wearing Masks—For Covid Surge, Poll Finds
Vaccinated Americans overwhelmingly blamed the unvaccinated for sky-high Covid-19 cases, a new Kaiser poll found, while the unvaccinated ranked the holdouts last out of all reasons for the surge polled.
www.forbes.com
Unvaccinated Americans Blame Everyone But Themselves—Children, Vaccines And Not Wearing Masks—For Covid Surge, Poll Finds
Robert Hart
Forbes Staff
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TOPLINE
While most Americans blame vaccine holdouts for surging coronavirus cases, rationed medicines and overwhelmed hospitals, few unvaccinated people feel any responsibility, according to new polling by the Kaiser Family Foundation, underscoring the tough barriers officials must overcome as they seemingly hold anyone and anything other than themselves responsible for the dire outbreak.
The unvaccinated do not view themselves as responsible for U.S. Covid surge, poll finds.
ANADOLU AGENCY VIA GETTY IMAGES
KEY FACTS
Nearly 8 in 10 (77%) vaccinated Americans blame the high number of Covid-19 cases on people refusing to get vaccinated, according to the poll conducted September 13-22 among 1,519 U.S. adults.
Vaccinated adults also pinpointed people not taking enough precautions like mask wearing and social distancing (73%), the infectiousness of the delta variant (67%), and local and state governments lifting restrictions too soon (59%) as key reasons for the rise in cases, the poll found.
PROMOTED
Just 12% of unvaccinated adults believe people refusing the vaccine is a major factor behind the high case numbers, the poll found, with the majority (58%) thinking the surge is driven by vaccines being less effective at preventing the spread of Covid-19 than scientists initially thought.
Unvaccinated people even cited vaccine holdouts last among all reasons driving the high case numbers polled by Kaiser, including children who aren’t eligible for vaccination (15%), governments lifting restrictions too soon (27%), the infectiousness of the delta variant (35%), people not taking enough precautions (37%) and immigrants and tourists bringing Covid-19 into the country (40%).
Divergent beliefs in what is driving the wave of coronavirus highlight the wider differences in opinion between the vaccinated and unvaccinated, with a majority of holdouts thinking that breakthrough infections (66%) and the potential need for booster shots (71%) show the vaccines don’t work.
Just 11% of vaccinated people thought breakthrough cases indicate the vaccines aren’t working, Kaiser found, and 19% thought the same of booster shots.
TANGENT
Throughout the pandemic, vaccination has been an intensely partisan issue. Consistently, Republicans have been less likely to accept the vaccine and more likely to question the public health measures put in place to end the pandemic. This latest Kaiser poll is no different: Republicans (32%) were the least likely to cite people refusing the vaccine as a major reason for high cases when compared to Democrats (87%) and Independents (54%) and the most likely to blame immigrants and tourists bringing Covid-19 into the country (55% of Republicans versus 21% of Democrats and 34% of Independents).
SURPRISING FACT
Despite 77% of vaccinated people holding the unvaccinated responsible for the rise in cases, just over half (51%) said they were angry with them. Unsurprisingly, only 3% of the unvaccinated said they were angry with people who hadn’t gotten a Covid-19 vaccine. As with other opinions on vaccination, the anger is partisan: 65% of Democrats said they were angry with the unvaccinated, while just 16% of Republicans felt the same. Instead, a majority of Republicans (59%) and the unvaccinated (56%) said they were angry with the federal government for the state of the pandemic, compared to 30% of the unvaccinated and 20% of Democrats.
KEY BACKGROUND
Safe and highly effective Covid-19 vaccines have been freely available to all adults, and many children, for months. While they cannot provide complete protection against Covid-19, they effectively prevent serious illness, hospitalization and death and slash the risks of developing long Covid. The vast majority of hospitalizations and nearly all deaths from Covid-19 are in unvaccinated people, who have cost the healthcare system at least $5.7 billion in the last three months alone. The huge surge in demand for what few medicines are licensed to treat Covid-19 in the U.S. has triggered nationwide shortages and rationing of scarce supplies, with some areas prioritizing scarce supplies for unvaccinated patients.
But they told me on bgol its just like the flu
I was in a cricket store about to fight 3 black men and a Puerto Rican woman last summer. I had the hammer on me and I was going to use in the woman and her husband.
I had to ban myself from stores for a while because I didn't want to run into people like that anymore.
They better. Death is death.
One Day After Broadway Return, Aladdin Shuts Down Due to COVID
By Bethy Squires
Don’t let the CBS special fool you. Broadway’s back — but only with big, big provisos. Disney Theatrical Productions has halted performances of Aladdin on Broadway after unnamed cast/crew tested positive for COVID-19. The announcement was made through the show’s Twitter, with a statement that concluded “We will continue to provide support to the affected ‘Aladdin’ company members as they recover.” At least one upcoming show will be cancelled due to this breakthrough case. It is only recently that Broadway shows have been open to full capacity. Masks and proof of vaccination are still required. Per the New York Post, at least 30 shows will be reopening this year.
By Bethy Squires
Don’t let the CBS special fool you. Broadway’s back — but only with big, big provisos. Disney Theatrical Productions has halted performances of Aladdin on Broadway after unnamed cast/crew tested positive for COVID-19. The announcement was made through the show’s Twitter, with a statement that concluded “We will continue to provide support to the affected ‘Aladdin’ company members as they recover.” At least one upcoming show will be cancelled due to this breakthrough case. It is only recently that Broadway shows have been open to full capacity. Masks and proof of vaccination are still required. Per the New York Post, at least 30 shows will be reopening this year.
Lord
ESPN's Sage Steele calls company's COVID vaccine mandate 'sick' and 'scary': 'I didn't want to do it'
"SportsCenter" anchor Sage Steele says she got the COVID-19 vaccine to keep her job.
This article is dumb as shit. He clearly said himself you can't pass on the virus if you don't have the virus, well duh. That also goes for unvaccinated people as well. Idk why people act like all unvaccinated people are walking around carrying the virus and no unvaccinated person has any type of immunity or protection against Covid. He even admits after all that dribble that, as we all should know by now, that vaccinated people can spread covid then tries to alleviate that with moot points about the length of time transmission is possible, doesn't matter. Fact is unvax or not, you can transmit the virus, many vax ppl have transferred it to other vax people, hell look at the broadway Alladin show, canceled due to covid contamination in the vaccinated staff; or rather "breakthrough" infection as they call it. And there are many instances of vaccinated spreading it to other vaccinated people or them spreading it to unvaccinated people, even on this board, people whose family members or kids got it from them or someone else in the family who is vaccinated. Long story short, vax or not, if you have the virus, you're contagious.. Period. And not every unvaxxed person is walking around with covid just waiting to give them to the next person.
I hear you
Update: I sent them an email about what you said.
It's dangerous for folk just cause they are vaccinated to think that NOTHING going to happen.
If your vaccinated you can still get covid and transfer it.
That's why we should STILL FOLLOW PROTOCOLS like wearing a mask, washing hands, keeping clean, not bring around people when your sick, don't cough and sneeze on people, social distance etc etc
But sticking to transfer
We trying to LESSEN TRANSFER & SERIOUS INFECTIONS
First off the rise of variants is because of people NOT following protocols and the unvaccinated.
And trust the mutated virus is a serious issue
You gotta acknowledge that if we had been more proactive about getting vaccined DELTA would not be so prevalent.
I read the confusing part...
He was kinda all over the place
The point he making is this
the vaccine DOES LESSEN TRANSFER
so if you following protocols and DO get it
your transfer rate IS LESS
Cause if they DO get covid?
The vaccinated don't get covid as LONG
As opposed to raw dog and spreading the full strength to EVERYONE especially DELTA.
(And yes the unvaccinated can get delta and spread it too, but it for less time and they are less likely to get serious symptoms)
Also the vaccinated are less likely to get covid PERIOD
that is the key.
So if you less likely to get covid in the first place
You less likely to spread it.
Being vaccinated obviously helps if you DO get it....
And helps protect you from someone who has it.
Which may be the most important benefit
So the positives outweigh the negatives
I don't like shaming unvaccinated people and hate misinformation on both sides.
And ALL THIS STUFF IS CONFUSING
I recommend if you have questions go to your trusted DOCTOR.
Not a message board or youtube
And like I tell EVERYONE?
Please just Keep ya ass clean
we should all be able to agree with that!
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Sidebar...
For unvacciated folk
Please always consider you do not know the true medical history of ALL those around you
People have preexisting conditions that they themselves might not even be aware of
There are many people from children to adults who are immunocompromised
And YOU could be one of those people.
So vaccinated or not
Please be respectful and humane to your neighbors and follow protocols
And get vaccinated if you can.
We don't need any further mutated viruses of potentially more severe infections.
But whatever your decision?
Don't chose to do NOTHING
For unvacciated folk
Please always consider you do not know the true medical history of ALL those around you
People have preexisting conditions that they themselves might not even be aware of
There are many people from children to adults who are immunocompromised
And YOU could be one of those people.
So vaccinated or not
Please be respectful and humane to your neighbors and follow protocols
And get vaccinated if you can.
We don't need any further mutated viruses of potentially more severe infections.
But whatever your decision?
Don't chose to do NOTHING
No, Vaccinated People Are Not ‘Just as Likely’ to Spread the Coronavirus as Unvaccinated People
This has become a common refrain among the cautious—and it’s wrong.
By Craig Spencer
A vaccine umbrella surrounded by green dots
Katie Martin / The Atlantic
SEPTEMBER 23, 2021
SHARE
About the author: Craig Spencer is an emergency-medicine physician and director of global health in emergency medicine at New York Presbyterian/Columbia University Medical Center.
For many fully vaccinated Americans, the Delta surge spoiled what should’ve been a glorious summer. Those who had cast their masks aside months ago were asked to dust them off. Many are still taking no chances. Some have even returned to all the same precautions they took before getting their shots, including avoiding the company of other fully vaccinated people.
Among this last group, a common refrain I’ve heard to justify their renewed vigilance is that “vaccinated people are just as likely to spread the coronavirus.”
This misunderstanding, born out of confusing statements from public-health authorities and misleading media headlines, is a shame. It is resulting in unnecessary fear among vaccinated people, all the while undermining the public’s understanding of the importance—and effectiveness—of getting vaccinated.
So let me make one thing clear: Vaccinated people are not as likely to spread the coronavirus as the unvaccinated. Even in the United States, where more than half of the population is fully vaccinated, the unvaccinated are responsible for the overwhelming majority of transmission.
Read: ‘Post-vax COVID’ is a new disease
I understand why people are confused. In April, after months of public-health experts cautiously promoting the merits of vaccination, CDC Director Rochelle Walensky cited new real-world data of the shots’ effectiveness to jubilantly proclaim that “vaccinated people do not carry the virus.” The CDC later walked back her comment, but headlines such as “It’s Official: Vaccinated People Don’t Transmit COVID-19” had already given many the impression that in addition to their remarkable protection against infection with the coronavirus, the shots also prevented them from passing the illness on to others.
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Scientists and researchers objected, warning that there weren’t enough data to support such a proclamation. Their concerns were prescient. As Delta first took hold early this summer and then quickly spread, our collective relief turned into dejection.
An outbreak in Provincetown, Massachusetts—in which 74 percent of the 469 cases were in the fully vaccinated—forced the CDC to update its mask guidance and issue a sad and sobering warning: Vaccinated people infected with the SARS-CoV-2 Delta variant can be just as contagious as unvaccinated people.
In the aftermath of the Provincetown announcement, many who had gotten their shots were confused about what the news meant for them, especially when headlines seemed to imply that vaccinated individuals are as likely to contract and transmit COVID-19 as the unvaccinated. But this framing missed the single most important factor in spreading the coronavirus: To spread the coronavirus, you have to have the coronavirus. And vaccinated people are far less likely to have the coronavirus—period. If this was mentioned at all, it was treated as an afterthought.
Despite concern about waning immunity, vaccines provide the best protection against infection. And if someone isn’t infected, they can’t spread the coronavirus. It’s truly that simple. Additionally, for those instances of a vaccinated person getting a breakthrough case, yes, they can be as infectious as an unvaccinated person. But they are likely contagious for a shorter period of time when compared with the unvaccinated, and they may harbor less infectious virus overall.
Related podcast: Where does our bodily autonomy end and our duty to others begin? Listen to The Experiment, a show about people navigating our country's contradictions.
Listen and subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Stitcher | Google Podcasts
That’s why getting more people their shots is crucial for controlling the spread of the coronavirus: Every vaccinated person helps limit the virus’s ability to hide, replicate, and propagate.
Among the unvaccinated, the virus travels unhindered on a highway with multiple off-ramps and refueling stations. In the vaccinated, it gets lost in a maze of dead-end streets and cul-de-sacs. Every so often, it pieces together an escape route, but in most scenarios, it finds itself cut off, and its journey ends. It can go no further.
This is borne out by recent data from New York City that show that more than 96 percent of cases are among the unvaccinated. Only 0.33 percent of fully vaccinated New Yorkers have been diagnosed with COVID-19.
To highlight what this means in the real world, imagine two weddings with 100 guests, one where everyone is unvaccinated and another where all the guests are vaccinated.
In the unvaccinated wedding group, the likelihood that at least one of the guests has COVID-19 is high. Similarly, everyone present is more susceptible, and the virus will likely infect many others, given the increased transmissibility of the Delta variant.
At the wedding with exclusively vaccinated attendees, however, the likelihood that anyone present has COVID-19 is minuscule. Even if someone present is infected, the likelihood that the other guests will contract the virus is similarly low, given the protection afforded by their shots.
This is exactly why vaccine mandates are so important—and why going to events that exclude unvaccinated people is much, much safer than those that are open to all. Everyone knows that the vaccines help protect each individual who gets their shots. But when more people get vaccinated, this helps keep everyone else (including children and others ineligible for vaccination) safe as well.
It’s worth acknowledging that even though the vaccines are our best protection—and still do what we need them to do very well—they’re not perfect. Vaccinated individuals can experience breakthrough infections, and when they do, they can potentially infect others. Some may also develop long COVID, although thankfully the shots dramatically lower this risk too. These reasons are exactly why, in many circumstances, mitigation measures such as masking and mandates still make sense to help limit the spread, even for the vaccinated.
As an emergency-medicine physician, I’ve seen firsthand the vaccines’ dramatic role in reducing severe outcomes from a virus that flooded my emergency room early in the pandemic. And as a member of one of the first groups vaccinated in the rollout, I was kept safe by the shots while I cared for patients, and they prevented me from bringing the virus home to my family.
Craig Spencer: Relax, America: the vaccines are still working
But ultimately, a COVID-19 diagnosis in someone close to me is what highlighted why the assertion that the vaccinated are as likely to spread the coronavirus as the unvaccinated is so wrong.
Recently my cousin contacted me when her daughter tested positive for COVID-19. Her daughter fell ill just weeks before her 12th birthday, when she would’ve been eligible for a vaccine. My fully vaccinated cousin spent nearly every moment at her side—always indoors and usually unmasked—yet never fell ill herself.
“The vaccine seems to be working. It’s magic!” she texted me. Before getting her shots, she would have almost certainly been infected, and likely passed it on to others. But the vaccine broke the chain of transmission. My cousin never spread her daughter’s COVID-19 to anyone because she never caught it.
Craig Spencer is an emergency-medicine physician and director of global health in emergency medicine at New York Presbyterian/Columbia University
This has become a common refrain among the cautious—and it’s wrong.
By Craig Spencer
A vaccine umbrella surrounded by green dots
Katie Martin / The Atlantic
SEPTEMBER 23, 2021
SHARE
About the author: Craig Spencer is an emergency-medicine physician and director of global health in emergency medicine at New York Presbyterian/Columbia University Medical Center.
For many fully vaccinated Americans, the Delta surge spoiled what should’ve been a glorious summer. Those who had cast their masks aside months ago were asked to dust them off. Many are still taking no chances. Some have even returned to all the same precautions they took before getting their shots, including avoiding the company of other fully vaccinated people.
Among this last group, a common refrain I’ve heard to justify their renewed vigilance is that “vaccinated people are just as likely to spread the coronavirus.”
This misunderstanding, born out of confusing statements from public-health authorities and misleading media headlines, is a shame. It is resulting in unnecessary fear among vaccinated people, all the while undermining the public’s understanding of the importance—and effectiveness—of getting vaccinated.
So let me make one thing clear: Vaccinated people are not as likely to spread the coronavirus as the unvaccinated. Even in the United States, where more than half of the population is fully vaccinated, the unvaccinated are responsible for the overwhelming majority of transmission.
Read: ‘Post-vax COVID’ is a new disease
I understand why people are confused. In April, after months of public-health experts cautiously promoting the merits of vaccination, CDC Director Rochelle Walensky cited new real-world data of the shots’ effectiveness to jubilantly proclaim that “vaccinated people do not carry the virus.” The CDC later walked back her comment, but headlines such as “It’s Official: Vaccinated People Don’t Transmit COVID-19” had already given many the impression that in addition to their remarkable protection against infection with the coronavirus, the shots also prevented them from passing the illness on to others.
RECOMMENDED READING
Eighteenth-century public square with pillory crowned by the Twitter logo and surrounded by a crowd
The New Puritans
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Dusty wallet containing ID, credit card, and other items
What Bobby McIlvaine Left Behind
JENNIFER SENIOR
SPONSOR CONTENT
The Rust Belt is Going Green
ALLSTATE
Scientists and researchers objected, warning that there weren’t enough data to support such a proclamation. Their concerns were prescient. As Delta first took hold early this summer and then quickly spread, our collective relief turned into dejection.
An outbreak in Provincetown, Massachusetts—in which 74 percent of the 469 cases were in the fully vaccinated—forced the CDC to update its mask guidance and issue a sad and sobering warning: Vaccinated people infected with the SARS-CoV-2 Delta variant can be just as contagious as unvaccinated people.
In the aftermath of the Provincetown announcement, many who had gotten their shots were confused about what the news meant for them, especially when headlines seemed to imply that vaccinated individuals are as likely to contract and transmit COVID-19 as the unvaccinated. But this framing missed the single most important factor in spreading the coronavirus: To spread the coronavirus, you have to have the coronavirus. And vaccinated people are far less likely to have the coronavirus—period. If this was mentioned at all, it was treated as an afterthought.
Despite concern about waning immunity, vaccines provide the best protection against infection. And if someone isn’t infected, they can’t spread the coronavirus. It’s truly that simple. Additionally, for those instances of a vaccinated person getting a breakthrough case, yes, they can be as infectious as an unvaccinated person. But they are likely contagious for a shorter period of time when compared with the unvaccinated, and they may harbor less infectious virus overall.
Related podcast: Where does our bodily autonomy end and our duty to others begin? Listen to The Experiment, a show about people navigating our country's contradictions.
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That’s why getting more people their shots is crucial for controlling the spread of the coronavirus: Every vaccinated person helps limit the virus’s ability to hide, replicate, and propagate.
Among the unvaccinated, the virus travels unhindered on a highway with multiple off-ramps and refueling stations. In the vaccinated, it gets lost in a maze of dead-end streets and cul-de-sacs. Every so often, it pieces together an escape route, but in most scenarios, it finds itself cut off, and its journey ends. It can go no further.
This is borne out by recent data from New York City that show that more than 96 percent of cases are among the unvaccinated. Only 0.33 percent of fully vaccinated New Yorkers have been diagnosed with COVID-19.
To highlight what this means in the real world, imagine two weddings with 100 guests, one where everyone is unvaccinated and another where all the guests are vaccinated.
In the unvaccinated wedding group, the likelihood that at least one of the guests has COVID-19 is high. Similarly, everyone present is more susceptible, and the virus will likely infect many others, given the increased transmissibility of the Delta variant.
At the wedding with exclusively vaccinated attendees, however, the likelihood that anyone present has COVID-19 is minuscule. Even if someone present is infected, the likelihood that the other guests will contract the virus is similarly low, given the protection afforded by their shots.
This is exactly why vaccine mandates are so important—and why going to events that exclude unvaccinated people is much, much safer than those that are open to all. Everyone knows that the vaccines help protect each individual who gets their shots. But when more people get vaccinated, this helps keep everyone else (including children and others ineligible for vaccination) safe as well.
It’s worth acknowledging that even though the vaccines are our best protection—and still do what we need them to do very well—they’re not perfect. Vaccinated individuals can experience breakthrough infections, and when they do, they can potentially infect others. Some may also develop long COVID, although thankfully the shots dramatically lower this risk too. These reasons are exactly why, in many circumstances, mitigation measures such as masking and mandates still make sense to help limit the spread, even for the vaccinated.
As an emergency-medicine physician, I’ve seen firsthand the vaccines’ dramatic role in reducing severe outcomes from a virus that flooded my emergency room early in the pandemic. And as a member of one of the first groups vaccinated in the rollout, I was kept safe by the shots while I cared for patients, and they prevented me from bringing the virus home to my family.
Craig Spencer: Relax, America: the vaccines are still working
But ultimately, a COVID-19 diagnosis in someone close to me is what highlighted why the assertion that the vaccinated are as likely to spread the coronavirus as the unvaccinated is so wrong.
Recently my cousin contacted me when her daughter tested positive for COVID-19. Her daughter fell ill just weeks before her 12th birthday, when she would’ve been eligible for a vaccine. My fully vaccinated cousin spent nearly every moment at her side—always indoors and usually unmasked—yet never fell ill herself.
“The vaccine seems to be working. It’s magic!” she texted me. Before getting her shots, she would have almost certainly been infected, and likely passed it on to others. But the vaccine broke the chain of transmission. My cousin never spread her daughter’s COVID-19 to anyone because she never caught it.
Craig Spencer is an emergency-medicine physician and director of global health in emergency medicine at New York Presbyterian/Columbia University
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