Up to now Africa hasnt had a big wave of covid, but this 3rd wave has hit us really hard (and I know, Africa is not a country, I live in South Africa).
What experts warned about might happen is happening now: because of insufficient vaccinations the Covid pandemic will stick around and mutate in poor countries.
The really depressing part is that the exact same logic applies to climate change, so I’m not exactly full of hope for the future right now.
This isn't that remarkable. Previous attempts to deal with respiratory disease pandemics using vaccines have proved pretty futile, even though it is a standard part of pandemic planning.
For example the cost of a dose of Biontech Pfizer vaccine is roughly the same as the cost of getting a single antigen test performed in Germany (both roughly 20 EUR).
With the variants/mutations it seems we should invest much more in vaccine capacity to avoid spending 2022 in another lockdown.
> there still aren't the doses to vaccinate the planet any time in the imminent future let alone the on-the-ground infrastructure to deliver them everywhere
I think the vaccinations campaigns everywhere (in the developed world at least) have shown that the infrastructure to vaccinate everyone is there if only we have enough supplies of vaccines.
This is why we should suspend IP / patent protection and increase production.
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/may/06/covid-vaccines...
If throwing money at it won't help, there should be specific answers to that question.
Only a few specialists knew how, and industrial production was a hypothetical dream.
The ramping up to billions of doses since have gone as fast as is humanly possible, with very little expense or effort spared.
Everyone would like it to go even faster, but there are limits to what money can buy.
(This is what I've heard. I'm not any kind of insider)
If ramping up the production comes at a cost of cutting some corners, and a contaminated/dangerous batch of mRNA vacciness comes along as a result, the antivaxx movement will have a field day whose impacts will be felt even fifty years from now. We (as humanity) cannot affort a massive vaccine screw up.
> so I’m not exactly full of hope for the future right now
Don't be. The vaccine is being used as a political tool currently (Pfizer good, Sinovac bad, etc...) and to restrict/grant movement around countries.
1: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/dec/18/belgian-minist...
By and large Africa doesn't do mass testing the way the developed world does. No tests, no cases. Young population, very few deaths.
Voila. No pandemic.
In covid deaths occurring in the under 65 population, there is often a significant comorbidity that contributed to severe illness. Obesity, diabetes, etc, are at the top of that list.
Africa by and large does not have the same health profile or concerns as Japan, the UK, or the U.S.
None of this is to suggest that vaccines should not be distributed there. I think they should.
What I'm questioning is if COVID-19 deserves to be even on, let's say, the top 10 list of problems facing Africa in 2021. Probably not.
You don't need to die from COVID-19 to experience health issues, even without previous issues.
I haven't seen anything remotely convincing. But I am open to changing my mind.
https://www.healtheuropa.eu/research-shows-long-covid-is-lin...
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41591-021-01283-z
https://www.gov.uk/government/news/new-research-shows-2-mill...
https://www.nihr.ac.uk/news/nihr-publishes-second-themed-rev...
https://www.forbes.com/sites/ninashapiro/2021/06/20/study-do...
What exactly are you not convinced about?
What's your resource that long covid isn't a thing @chitowneats?
I don't understand how people can think that dying is the only issue with covid.
I know young people ( mid 30), that had it very bad. And I was scared as shit to have the same. I'm vaccinated now though.
Like masks on 4 year olds.
From the first link above: "loss of taste and/or smell (28%, 17/61), fatigue (21%, 13/61), dyspnea (13%, 8/61), impaired concentration (13%, 8/61) and memory problems (11%, 7/61)."
Does anyone really consider these to be a serious syndrome caused by covid infection? I'm pretty sure I experienced most of these from the lockdowns alone. Lots of folks also think they have fibromyalgia and that it's not just in their head (it is).
From the second link:
“It remains to be established if these immune alterations are unique to COVID-19, or whether they are also observed following other severe respiratory infections."
Uh, ok...
Two of those are in people 30-40 years old. Third one is over 60. One had some unusual brain fog and memory issues, second one is unable to work and still treated for various symptoms. The older one became housebound while before that she was self sufficient and even taking care for young girl from extended family. To think of it I also know of one very young person in family of my friends that had to be hospitalized multiple times for post covid stuff. He's not even 20.
You may of course discount all of this that it couldn't happen spontaneously or after a bad flu. That's why I believe long covid is a thing mostly because of reports comming from all over the globe and associated research not because of those personal stories.
If you need evidence of your own eyes to believe something I don't envy you or anyone that relies on your decisions.
It was so obvious that you're statement was just a fluff.
Long covid isn't easy to measure. Eg. Not everyone was admitted to the hospital, what are the symptoms related, are those symptoms unique to long covid, ...
But by now, it should be clear that long covid exists and covid deaths aren't the only problem related to this disease.
Being in a denial state is your problem, not mine. I think it's currently a specific US political motivated issue, as I haven't encountered anyone in Belgium that claimed it's irrelevant/not existing.
The state wants people to be vaccinated as quick as possible and a political party + Anon is dismissing it as "just a cold/5G/nanobots" and some people believe it.
It's more like propaganda against the state and a lot of Americans believe that misinformation.
At least other countries / citizens seem to have more common sense.
The reason I post here anonymously is because tying my identity to this can lead to consequences elsewhere. Everyone knows there is unprecedented censorship around this issue. Which is part of why we have failed so utterly to comprehend and contextualize this virus.
Some guy even put my governments politicians through AI and nothing happened to him either.
https://mashable.com/article/flemish-politicians-ai-phone-us...
1) Your population is by and large not susceptible to severe illness from the virus. Rates of asymptomatic & mild cases are much higher than in developed countries. Tragically, this is because most do not live long enough to be in the high risk group.
2) No widespread testing. Pneumonia deaths are just pneumonia.