As the Delta variant became the dominant strain of coronavirus across the United States, all three COVID-19 vaccines available to Americans lost some of their protective power, with vaccine efficacy among a large group of veterans dropping between 35% and 85%, according to a new study.
Okay, LA Times, I’m gonna go ahead and stop you right there: they told us the Covid vaccines would work against the Delta variant.
They said it didn’t matter: Delta Variant, Schmelta Variant–these vaccines are KICK ASS, BRO!
UChealth.org, June 28, 2021: Vaccines work well against Covid-19 Delta variant.
World Economic Forum, July 7, 2021: “Yes, vaccines do protect against the Delta variant. A WHO scientist explains“:
The CDC left itself a little more leeway with some careful language, but on August 16 proudly proclaimed that “FDA-authorized COVID-19 vaccines help protect against Delta and other known variants“
Here’s FactCheck.Org snarking on July 30: “Vaccines Remain Largely Effective Against Delta Variant, Counter to Claims From Fox News Guest“:
On July 8, NBC News quoted Joe Biden as saying the following:
“Fully vaccinated Americans have a high degree of protection, including against this delta variant,” Biden said at a news briefing, pointing out that virtually all Covid-19 hospitalizations and deaths in recent months have been among the unvaccinated.
One more thing before I get back to the LA Times article: notice how they always use the word “protect.”
They don’t say “immunize” or “grant immunity” or “provide immunity against.” They don’t even say “prevent.”
Remember that the CDC changed the definition of the word “vaccine” back in early September:
First it was prevention, then it was “produce immunity” (also notice how they removed the part about “injecting a killed or weakened infectious organism” in 2015–Perhaps in preparation of mRNA “vaccines”?).
Now it’s merely “protection.”
They all say that word “protect” and “protection.”
That’s because it provides them some flexibility over the vaccine not actually granting immunity or preventing infectious diseases.
Now they can say, “Nobody ever said the vaccines would prevent you from getting Covid. We only said it would protect you.”
There’s a difference.
“Protect against” and “prevent” mean two different things.
Anyway, back to the LAT article:
Researchers who scoured the records of nearly 800,000 U.S. veterans found that in early March, just as the Delta variant was gaining a toehold across American communities, the three vaccines were roughly equal in their ability to prevent infections.
But over the next six months, that changed dramatically.
By the end of September, Moderna’s two-dose COVID-19 vaccine, measured as 89% effective in March, was only 58% effective.
The effectiveness of shots made by Pfizer and BioNTech vaccine, which also employed two doses, fell from 87% to 45% in the same period.
And most strikingly, the protective power of Johnson & Johnson’s single-dose vaccine plunged from 86% to just 13% over those six months.
It must be that damn Delta variant!
What’s the solution, then?
Booster shots!
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has recommended booster shots for everyone who got the Johnson & Johnson vaccine at least two months earlier.
Boosters are also recommended six months after a second dose of the Moderna or Pfizer vaccines for everyone 65 and older; those with medical conditions that make them more vulnerable to a serious case of COVID-19; those who live in nursing homes or other group settings; and those who live or work in high-risk settings like hospitals or prisons.
In addition, all people with compromised immune systems are advised to get a booster shot if it’s been at least 28 days since their vaccine took full effect.
With millions of vaccinated Americans pondering whether they need a boost, the new study offers the most comprehensive comparison yet of how the three vaccines have performed across the nation this year.
Nah, they’re pondering why they were blatantly lied to by the media, the CDC and Joe Biden about the vaccines.
They’re pondering why the fuck they already need booster shots.