From:
Monona Rossol <0000030664c37427-dmarc-request**At_Symbol_Here**LISTS.PRINCETON.EDU>
Subject:
Re: [DCHAS-L] Melbourne, Victoria, AU - Facial Coverings
Date:
Oct 14, 2020 14:19 UTC
Reply-To:
Monona Rossol
In-Reply-To:
Re: [DCHAS-L] Melbourne, Victoria, AU - Facial Coverings
That bus left the terminal back in April. They not only hijacked the terminology, they redefined it and put in it the lexicon. We have no choice but to write and speak clearly to define the meaning of what we say rather than relying on the altered terminology. And there are other ways to say what we mean.
The politicians, media and public have re-defined herd immunity as having so many people immune that the risk is reduced to the point where they can go to bars again. But that objective does not appear achievable with current technology with this particular virus. Long term immunity does not appear to be consistently attainable by 1) getting the disease, or 2) by vaccination with any of the current vaccines under trial (e.g., ~50% effective).
Instead of thinking: "flu-like," it might be more productive to think: "HIV-like." We may need a combination of things that when used together, make it possible to live with this new earthly inhabitant. Because like HIV, COVID-19 ain't going away.
And unless we mask, distance, quarantine, and ventilate now, a significant number of us will not survive to find out if I'm wrong or not. Including me.
Monona
-----Original Message-----
From: Yaritza Brinker <YBrinker**At_Symbol_Here**FELE.COM>
To: DCHAS-L**At_Symbol_Here**Princeton.EDU
Sent: Wed, Oct 14, 2020 9:22 am
Subject: Re: [DCHAS-L] Melbourne, Victoria, AU - Facial Coverings
It's great to see the WHO Director falling into the trap of allowing popular media to hijack scientific vocabulary.
Thank you,
Yaritza Brinker
260.827.5402
From: ACS Division of Chemical Health and Safety <DCHAS-L**At_Symbol_Here**Princeton.EDU>
On Behalf Of TILAK CHANDRA
Sent: Wednesday, October 14, 2020 8:18 AM
To: DCHAS-L**At_Symbol_Here**Princeton.EDU
Subject: Re: [DCHAS-L] Melbourne, Victoria, AU - Facial Coverings
A quote from the WHO Director-General, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, published in the Seattle times:
"Never in the history of public health has herd immunity been used as a strategy for responding to an outbreak"
Tilak
I agree that herd immunity via widespread vaccination is an important public health goal.
In this tread and in the popular press, the advocates of "heard immunity" are using the term to mean spread of the infection through the unvaccinated population without implementing safeguards such as masking and distancing. This is how
the authors in the Nature paper I cited explained heard immunity.
Pete
I think it's gravely unethical to argue against herd immunity. Before you all lynch me- please put down your proverbial pitchforks and indulge me for a bit.
Vocabulary is important in all discussions. Especially true in hot-button ones.
Community immunity: A situation in which a sufficient proportion of a population is immune to an infectious disease (through vaccination and/or prior illness)
to make its spread from person to person unlikely. Even individuals not vaccinated (such as newborns and those with chronic illnesses) are offered some protection because the disease has little opportunity to spread within the community. Also known as herd
immunity.
So, I'll say it again=E2=80=A6 I think it's gravely unethical to argue against herd immunity.
The following article from Johns Hopkins argues about how best to achieve herd immunity. That IS the actual issue facing the nation.
Thank you,
Yaritza Brinker
260.827.5402
