Are Vaccines Working? - Gibraltar - Most vaccinated' place on earth cancels Christmas.

[BillyBobzTeeth]

Source - https://www.rt.com/news/540442-gibraltar-cancels-christmas-covid/

 

Amid a surge in Covid-19 cases, Gibraltar has canceled official Christmas events and “strongly” discouraged people from hosting private gatherings for four weeks. Gibraltar’s entire eligible population is vaccinated.

The government of Gibraltar recently announced that “official Christmas parties, official receptions and similar gatherings” have been canceled, and advised the public to avoid social events and parties for the next four weeks. Outdoor spaces are recommended over indoor ones, touching and hugging is discouraged, and mask wearing is advised.

 

“The drastic increase in the numbers of people testing positive for Covid-19 in recent days is a stark reminder that the virus is still very prevalent in our community and that it is the responsibility of us all to take every reasonable precaution to protect ourselves and our loved ones,” Health Minister Samantha Sacramento said. 

 

Gibraltar, a tiny British Overseas Territory sharing a land border with Spain, has seen an average of 56 Covid-19 cases per day over the last seven days, up from fewer than 10 per day in September. The rise in cases, described by the government as “exponential,” comes despite Gibraltar having the highest vaccination rate in the world.

 

More than 118% of Gibraltar’s population are fully vaccinated against Covid-19, with this figure stretching beyond 100% due to doses given to Spaniards who cross the border to work or visit the territory every day. Masks are still required in shops and on public transport. 

 

The initial vaccine campaign on the British outpost came to a conclusion in early spring 2021, with a large proportion of the population fully inoculated against Covid-19. It became one of the first places in Europe to reduce restrictions following a winter of lockdowns, in what was dubbed ‘Operation Freedom’.

 

Gibraltar is currently doling out booster doses to the over-40s, healthcare workers, and other “vulnerable groups,” and administering vaccines to children aged between five and 12.

 

Similarly well-vaccinated countries have also reported surges in Covid-19 infections recently. In Singapore, where 94% of the eligible population have been inoculated, cases and deaths soared to record highs at the end of October, and have since subsided slightly. In Ireland, where around 92% of the adult population is fully vaccinated, cases of Covid-19 and deaths from the virus have roughly doubled since August.

[JustAnotherHun]

Are they working? Yes, but much less than expected.

https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=3949410

[koratkarlos]

You have a good point here Mr. BillyBobzTeeth.  They say the vaccines are reducing deaths and hospitalizations.  But it truly does appear that with the Delta strain, virus transmission is still prevalent even when vaccinated.  So in the end I believe we will all get COVID.  Hopefully by then the vaccines and medicines will make the symptons less severe and we all can go on our merry way.  Thanks for this information.  I find it quite useful.

[Stocky]

From the link in the article to the WHO dashboard. Clearly the vaccines are working very well. Cases might be up but deaths are near zero.

[mommysboy]

Yes they work very well at preventing hospitalizations and deaths across a broad population but less so in old or immuno-compromised people for obvious reasons. But even they provide good protection.  You only have to look at current death rates compared to cases to realize they are good.  Boosters in vulnerable groups are necessary- after a few months ideally.

 

The AZ passive vaccine also looks set to be invaluable, both prevention and cure.

[mikebike]

3 hours ago, BillyBobzTeeth said:

More than 118% of Gibraltar’s population are fully vaccinated against Covid-19, with this figure stretching beyond 100% due to doses given to Spaniards who cross the border to work or visit the territory every day. Masks are still required in shops and on public transport. 

Well, that is bad journalism, isn't it. I'm sure the government of Gibraltar knows the actual % of its own citizens vaxed... why include Spaniards to make an inaccurate number of 118%?

[BritManToo]

9 minutes ago, mommysboy said:

You only have to look at current death rates compared to cases to realize they are good.

Or just maybe all the susceptible have already died.

[Chomper Higgot]

12 minutes ago, BritManToo said:

Or just maybe all the susceptible have already died.

Gibraltar has had a total of 98 COVID related deaths which is around 0.3% of the population.

 

There’s a lot more ‘susceptible’ still around.

 

 

[Nojohndoe]

ok. So seems alarming . No mention of which vaccine > no mention of longevity since last vaccination, etc. No mention of  generalized age of what must be "break through " infections if 100% has been fully vaccinated. Amended to state (eligible for  vaccination). Are the new cases  children then?

Lax reporting !

[mommysboy]

47 minutes ago, BritManToo said:

Or just maybe all the susceptible have already died.

It could be a factor.  There again I think effectiveness is about the same in the UK which had heavy, prolonged waves versus Australia which didn't.  

 

It is sad that those who most need protection unfortunately get the least due to their age or condition.  But again passive vaccines which do work better for them are coming soon.

[placeholder]

2 hours ago, BritManToo said:

Or just maybe all the susceptible have already died.

And how does that explain that a far higher percentage of the unvaccinated than the vaccinated continue to die?

[Scott]

With Delta, we will probably not reach herd immunity until we are 90% vaccinated (and boosted when necessary).  That 90% is going to have to be EVERYBODY, not just eligible people.  As it now stands, few children have been vaccinated.  

 

It is also important that other forms of mitigation be in place, like masks, social distancing, etc.

 

Population density is an important factor and Gibraltar is one of the most densely populated places with a density of 3369 per Km² .  That's pretty close to ideal for a virus.  

 

[placeholder]

Gibraltar may be 100% inoculated but Spain is not. Gibraltar is a very small place. The locals do frequently cross the border. And of course, lots of Spaniards work in Gibraltar.

[placeholder]

I should have noticed before. This report is from rt.com, a mouthpiece of the Russian govt. So what they do is mislead by omission. No statistics are offered on what percentage of the Gibralatar population have serious cases or dying .No information on what percentage of the population has been given booster shots. For other countries no figures on the rates for the vaccinated vs. the unvaccinated. Nor anything about boosters. This is typical of the way they operate.