Even as the authorities continue a historic effort to vaccinate people against COVID, New Yorkers may have to accept that the dreaded virus is here to stay, city health officials suggested Monday.
They were commenting on a new New York Times report noting “herd immunity” — in which the entire population is immune to the virus — may never become a reality in the United States. The article came as vaccination rates have been declining nationwide, prompting scientists to conclude herd immunity may never occur in the short term or beyond.
Mayor de Blasio likened COVID to the flu, that is, a seasonal malady that health officials have managed to contain.
“For a long time, we’ve all understood that COVID will become, if all continues at this pace ... like the flu or other diseases that we’re used to seasonally and we’ll have to deal with it — but we can deal with it,” he said at a press conference.
Last week, he set July 1 as a target for the city to completely reopen. At the time, he said the city was still working on health precautions that would remain in effect even after the “full reopening.”
People wearing protective masks exit the subway station in Kew Gardens in Queens, New York.
People wearing protective masks exit the subway station in Kew Gardens in Queens, New York. (Frank Franklin II/AP)
New variants of COVID that are considered more infectious than the original strain have complicated efforts to achieve herd immunity, noted Health Commissioner Dr. Dave Chokshi.
Those make it “significantly less likely that we will achieve the formal epidemiological definition of herd immunity,” he said.
“We shouldn’t let that terminology distract us from the big picture here, which is that higher levels of population immunity or what some people term ‘community immunity’ will still have major benefits,” Chokshi continued, adding that the vaccination effort to date has led to drastic reductions in hospitalizations and deaths due.
A Northwell Health registered nurse inoculates a patient with the Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine at a pop up vaccinations site the Albanian Islamic Cultural Center, Thursday, April 8, in the Staten Island borough of New York.
More than 6.6 million COVID vaccine doses had been given out citywide as of Monday morning, according to de Blasio’s office. At the end of April, there was an average of 94 COVID hospitalizations per day — down from a recent peak of around 400 in February — according to the city Health Department. Daily COVID deaths were around 30, down from nearly 90 in February.
“Herd immunity” allows people who haven’t been vaccinated to live free of the virus. If the population never reaches that level of immunity, that makes it more important for individuals to get vaccinated themselves, said Dr. Mitchell Katz, head of the city-run hospital system.
“What herd immunity really means is that so many people are vaccinated that those people that are not vaccinated get a kind of free ride. They’re protected by the fact that everybody else is vaccinated and can’t spread the disease,” he said.
“If we’re not at herd immunity, that means that it’s everybody’s responsibility to get vaccinated,” Katz concluded. “They cannot depend on other people to protect them.”
AINT NO HERD IMMUNITY. TOTAL BS. SO GET YOUR VACCINES EVEN AS WE Are being evicted. Many many of us. One should not get a vaccine which can be so problematic to elders and those with underlying issues when one will then be sleeping in a car or such. Just saying. One cannot even rent at a trailer park round here. The realty agencies have taken down most rentals. Now, u gotta buy the damn rental.
And people are taking closets. putting fake toilets in them. The doors to "apt" don't close much less lock.
Even the nicest areas of music and culture such as Beacon NY were grabbed by the young and rich from the City. They have their visitors from NYC every weekend and people in Beacon are having break ins and thefts galore.
Giant towns that I looked into such as Yonkers, is now too dangerous for LE to live there. Daily trouble. Daily attacks on all.
I shall never forget good ole Obama being so angry that Westchester was mainly white. It just was. No prejudice per se. And Obama said if it is the last thing i do, I shall make westchester more equal which seems to have meant all blacks and no asians nor whites.
So he does it. Towns and cities are now hotbeds of corona and crime.
And Obama moved to a very wealthy white area. If racial equality is so impt to u dude, why are u in the most expensive white area u could find?
hxxps://www.nydailynews.com/coronavirus/ny-nyc-covid-vaccinations-no-herd-immunity-20210503-4lrgrbrbbja2jhngvp6p4km3ii-story.html?utm_source=onesignal&utm_medium=notification&utm_campaign=2021-05-03-No-herd-immunit
They were commenting on a new New York Times report noting “herd immunity” — in which the entire population is immune to the virus — may never become a reality in the United States. The article came as vaccination rates have been declining nationwide, prompting scientists to conclude herd immunity may never occur in the short term or beyond.
Mayor de Blasio likened COVID to the flu, that is, a seasonal malady that health officials have managed to contain.
“For a long time, we’ve all understood that COVID will become, if all continues at this pace ... like the flu or other diseases that we’re used to seasonally and we’ll have to deal with it — but we can deal with it,” he said at a press conference.
Last week, he set July 1 as a target for the city to completely reopen. At the time, he said the city was still working on health precautions that would remain in effect even after the “full reopening.”
People wearing protective masks exit the subway station in Kew Gardens in Queens, New York.
People wearing protective masks exit the subway station in Kew Gardens in Queens, New York. (Frank Franklin II/AP)
New variants of COVID that are considered more infectious than the original strain have complicated efforts to achieve herd immunity, noted Health Commissioner Dr. Dave Chokshi.
Those make it “significantly less likely that we will achieve the formal epidemiological definition of herd immunity,” he said.
“We shouldn’t let that terminology distract us from the big picture here, which is that higher levels of population immunity or what some people term ‘community immunity’ will still have major benefits,” Chokshi continued, adding that the vaccination effort to date has led to drastic reductions in hospitalizations and deaths due.
A Northwell Health registered nurse inoculates a patient with the Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine at a pop up vaccinations site the Albanian Islamic Cultural Center, Thursday, April 8, in the Staten Island borough of New York.
More than 6.6 million COVID vaccine doses had been given out citywide as of Monday morning, according to de Blasio’s office. At the end of April, there was an average of 94 COVID hospitalizations per day — down from a recent peak of around 400 in February — according to the city Health Department. Daily COVID deaths were around 30, down from nearly 90 in February.
“Herd immunity” allows people who haven’t been vaccinated to live free of the virus. If the population never reaches that level of immunity, that makes it more important for individuals to get vaccinated themselves, said Dr. Mitchell Katz, head of the city-run hospital system.
“What herd immunity really means is that so many people are vaccinated that those people that are not vaccinated get a kind of free ride. They’re protected by the fact that everybody else is vaccinated and can’t spread the disease,” he said.
“If we’re not at herd immunity, that means that it’s everybody’s responsibility to get vaccinated,” Katz concluded. “They cannot depend on other people to protect them.”
AINT NO HERD IMMUNITY. TOTAL BS. SO GET YOUR VACCINES EVEN AS WE Are being evicted. Many many of us. One should not get a vaccine which can be so problematic to elders and those with underlying issues when one will then be sleeping in a car or such. Just saying. One cannot even rent at a trailer park round here. The realty agencies have taken down most rentals. Now, u gotta buy the damn rental.
And people are taking closets. putting fake toilets in them. The doors to "apt" don't close much less lock.
Even the nicest areas of music and culture such as Beacon NY were grabbed by the young and rich from the City. They have their visitors from NYC every weekend and people in Beacon are having break ins and thefts galore.
Giant towns that I looked into such as Yonkers, is now too dangerous for LE to live there. Daily trouble. Daily attacks on all.
I shall never forget good ole Obama being so angry that Westchester was mainly white. It just was. No prejudice per se. And Obama said if it is the last thing i do, I shall make westchester more equal which seems to have meant all blacks and no asians nor whites.
So he does it. Towns and cities are now hotbeds of corona and crime.
And Obama moved to a very wealthy white area. If racial equality is so impt to u dude, why are u in the most expensive white area u could find?
hxxps://www.nydailynews.com/coronavirus/ny-nyc-covid-vaccinations-no-herd-immunity-20210503-4lrgrbrbbja2jhngvp6p4km3ii-story.html?utm_source=onesignal&utm_medium=notification&utm_campaign=2021-05-03-No-herd-immunit
It is Well with My Soul