Re: ‘We stand strong when we’re united, Julie Adolph, Times, December 1.
The thing about statistics is they’re only numbers and open to interpretation, whereas an expert opinion is a judgment based on the evidence and understanding it.
It is true a vaccinated person can contract Covid-19 and infect another with the SARS-CoV-2 virus, but both outcomes are very much less likely for a vaccinated person. And even less likely again if both are wearing masks and keeping apart.
Now that we will be living with Covid in the community, we need to get a few things straight. As a group, those who refuse a vaccination are a drag on hospital services and a threat to the people around them – even those who have recovered from Covid, and especially old people.
Let’s hope science gives us a vaccine which enhances the natural resistance of the lining in the upper part of the airway, as well as updating the existing vaccines as the virus spike mutates, which act deeper in the body. In the meantime, we must accept vaccination is not perfect but it’s a great deal better than nothing.
Vaccination has just become more important in light of new research: even if you recover from Covid, a severe infection doubles your chances of dying in the following year – from other causes. This is a nasty virus and it may get worse.
Dennis Horne, Howick
