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Last week, more than a year after COVID-19 arrived in the United States, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced that one of the primary mechanisms of spread is from small droplets that can float in the air, for distances greater than 6 feet. The 6-foot rule no longer applies; the virus is airborne. In poorly ventilated buildings, 60 feet is as safe as 6 feet away. These aerosols can be produced by talking, shouting and singing.
This delayed proclamation will be viewed by many as a failure of science, but we need to look much deeper, for it reflects the values of our society. In Australia they prioritized life over short-term prosperity, but in actuality no country can achieve long-term prosperity without controlling this virus.
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The recent CDC report concerning an Eastern Kentucky Nursing Home has refocused concern on the rapidity of spread of the COVID-19 virus along with the dangers of new variants wielding immunity escaping mutations. However, the report is also a testament to the ability of the COVID-19 vaccine to stop this pandemic.
There were 83 residents in the Kentucky Nursing Home who were exposed to a virus harboring the E484K (EeK) immunity escape mutation. The spread in the facility was relentless, but only 25% of the vaccinated residents compared to 75% of the unvaccinated residents acquired the virus. The vaccine’s ability to prevent severe disease was even more impressive, with 2.8% of the vaccinated residents requiring hospitalization compared to 50% of the unvaccinated residents.