The US is starting 2024 in its second-largest COVID surge ever, experts say

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

12 minutes ago, KhunLA said:

There is no free lunch.   Plan B up more than SS COLA.   Health ins up, taxes up ... who and how do you think they are paying big pharma for the vaccines.  

 

Your TAX dollars.

 

Most Americans have to pay taxes regardless. So given that, I don't think there's anything wrong with the poorest, under- or uninsured getting some vax assistance from the feds. Nor do I have any problem with an insured working person, who's paying for health insurance along with their employer, getting the tiny insurance optional benefit of one annual COVID vaccination.

 

The cost of the vaccination is going to be a whole lot less than if the same people end up seriously ill in the hospital with COVID, and the feds, states or private insurers end up having to pay for that.

 

COVID vaccines more than pay for themselves in the avoidance of what otherwise would be significant medical expenses.

 

Report: COVID-19 vaccines saved US $1.15 trillion, 3 million lives

December 14, 2022

 

"Commonwealth Fund study estimates that, through November 2022, COVID-19 vaccines prevented more than 18.5 million US hospitalizations and 3.2 million deaths and saved the country $1.15 trillion."

...

"Without vaccination the U.S. would have experienced 1.5 times more infections, 3.8 times more hospitalizations, and 4.1 times more deaths," the authors wrote. "These losses would have been accompanied by more than $1 trillion in additional medical costs that were averted because of fewer infections, hospitalizations, and deaths."

 

https://www.cidrap.umn.edu/covid-19/report-covid-19-vaccines-saved-us-115-trillion-3-million-lives

 

 

Edited January 13 by TallGuyJohninBKK

[KhunLA]

4 minutes ago, TallGuyJohninBKK said:

 

Most Americans have to pay taxes regardless. So given that, I don't think there's anything wrong with the poorest, under- or uninsured getting some vax assistance from the feds. Nor do I have any problem with an insured working person, who's paying for health insurance along with their employer, getting the tiny insurance benefit of one annual COVID vaccination.

One annual booster ... how many have you had ?

 

I'm not a fan of my tax $$$ being spent on programs I don't believe in.   Part of why I retired & left.

 

And NO, most Americans don't pay their fare share of taxes IMHO.  

Edited January 13 by KhunLA

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

6 minutes ago, KhunLA said:

I'm not a fan of my tax $$$ being spent on programs I don't believe in.

 

Since you're so concerned about how your taxes are spent, maybe you ought to reconsider what you believe in:

 

Report: COVID-19 vaccines saved US $1.15 trillion

[KhunLA]

2 minutes ago, TallGuyJohninBKK said:

 

Since you're so concerned about how your taxes are spent, maybe you ought to reconsider what you believe in:

 

Report: COVID-19 vaccines saved US $1.15 trillion

If you say so ... I can't post on this thread, since not following the MSM spin.

 

We just have to agree to disagree, about everything & anything, covid & vaccine related.

[ozimoron]

2 hours ago, KhunLA said:

If you say so ... I can't post on this thread, since not following the MSM spin.

 

We just have to agree to disagree, about everything & anything, covid & vaccine related.

 

No, we don't have to agree to accept conspiracy theories over science.

[KhunLA]

7 hours ago, ozimoron said:

 

No, we don't have to agree to accept conspiracy theories over science.

As free thinkers, we don't have to accept everything the govt, elite & big pharma is selling.   Controlling and censoring all media, then convince billions to take a drug, stop working, producing income for your families, and take a break on being educated.   Along with limiting your movements, ability to go back to work and or school, if you didn't comply.

 

All my opinion of course, as that's how I saw it play out.  And I don't know 1 person that died from covid.   I don't even know anyone that died with covid. 

 

YMMV

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

Well, I guess that means you didn't know somewhere between 7 million people (the official count) and 27 million people (the estimated potential direct and indirect count) who lost their lives because of COVID since 2020:

 

 

 

 

"in many low- and middle-income countries, undercounting of mortality is a serious issue. The UN estimates that, in “normal” times, only two-thirds of countries register at least 90% of all deaths that occur, and some countries register less than 50% — or even under 10% — of deaths. During the pandemic the actual coverage might be even lower.¹¹

...

"the overall conclusion remains clear: in many countries and globally, the number of confirmed deaths from COVID-19 is far below the pandemic’s full death toll."

 

https://ourworldindata.org/excess-mortality-covid

 

Edited January 14 by TallGuyJohninBKK

[dhupverg]

Amazing how the fear mongering is still with us.

 

Edited January 14 by stats
off-topic diversion comment removed

[BKKBike09]

17 hours ago, TallGuyJohninBKK said:

18 hours ago, BKKBike09 said:

 

Should read:

 

Commonsense Has Replaced Alarm in the Newest COVID Surge

 

Expand  

 

 

About 1,600 Americans are dying of COVID each and every week right now... adding to the COVID total deaths in the U.S. of about 1.1 million.

 

Just how exactly is that "commonsense" for anyone?

 

Many of those deaths could have been avoided, if only people had kept current on their vaccinations and followed sensible precautions like masking and social distancing.

 

 

It's certainly commonsense for anyone under the age of around 60-65 who doesn't have any underlying health conditions.

...

And this latest surge is clearly not a concern for most people. 

 

Here's what CDC said last week:

 

"COVID-19 infections are now causing severe disease less frequently than earlier in the pandemic. Infection levels measured using wastewater and test positivity, which capture both symptomatic and asymptomatic infections, are higher than the year before (currently estimated as being ~27% and ~17% higher, respectively). Wastewater viral levels, in particular, have increased rapidly over the last several weeks.

 

By comparison, measures of COVID-19-related illness requiring medical attention, such as emergency department visit rates, have also increased, but to a lesser extent and remain 21% lower than they were at the same time the year before.

 

Furthermore, the number of COVID-19 hospitalizations are 22% lower than observed the year before, and the percent of total deaths associated with COVID-19 are 38% lower."

 

https://www.cdc.gov/respiratory-viruses/whats-new/JN.1-update-2024-01-05.html

 

As per the topic - the US may be starting its second largest surge ever, but it's no cause for panic and alarm, especially for younger folk.

 

 

Edited January 14 by stats
shortened per forum fair use quoting policy

[Amethyst]

Off-topic comments and posts commenting on fellow forum members have been removed. Please comment on the topic itself and not each other.

 

Per the forum's rules:

 

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