Bacon's Rebellion

Democracy Thrives in Sunlight

What If They Threw A Party And No One Got COVID?

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by

James A. Bacon
in

Photo credit: Reinhold Matay-USA TODAY Sports, by way of National Review

by James A. Bacon

It has been a month since Hokie fans packed the stands of the Virginia Tech-University of North Carolina football game in Tech’s Lane Stadium, sparking social-media fears of a massive spread. Despite the spectacle of thousands of screaming, expectorating fans in close quarters, there has been no meaningful outbreak.

Not only has there been no surge within the university community, Tech spokesman Mark Owczarski told National Review, but “seven day positivity rates in the Tech community have declined.” 

Over the past month Tech, which has mandated vaccines and imposed other strict COVID-control measures, actually saw a decline in the percentage of positive tests. The game took place Sept. 3. Between Sept. 28 and Oct. 4, only 14 students of Tech’s 37,000 students tested positive. Likewise, the New River Health District, which tracks the population beyond the university community in Blacksburg, saw no meaningful increase.

The Virginia Tech experience was not an outlier. “This is consistent with what has been seen in other college football towns,” Noelle Bissell of the Virginia Department of Health told National Review.

Photo credit: Danville Register & Bee

Similarly, last month a rock festival in Pittsylvania County that drew 33,000 visitors failed to trigger a massive outbreak, as some people had feared, even though some people showed up knowing they were sick.

As of Friday, the Virginia Department of Health had traced only 25 suspected virus cases to the Blue Ridge Rock Festival outside Danville. Locally, only eight infections were confirmed from the event in which mostly maskless people stood shoulder-to-shoulder listening to bands performing on multiple stages.

“So far the Blue Ridge Rock Festival has had little to no significant impact to our area,” Chris Garrett, the local emergency coordinator with the Pittsylvania-Danville Health District, told the Register & Bee.

Neither the account of the Tech football game nor the Pittsylvania rock concert made any mention of hospitalizations, much less deaths.

Given the high percentage of people who have either gotten vaccinated or acquired natural immunities from previous infections, it looks like we’re finally approaching herd resistance. So, get vaccinated, wear masks in public indoor places, and don’t be too scared to enjoy life.

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12 responses to “What If They Threw A Party And No One Got COVID?”

  1. vicnicholls Avatar
    vicnicholls

    No more reason to get jabbed for those unjabbed.

    1. Nancy Naive Avatar
      Nancy Naive

      You got jabbed for those unjabbed? Wow! How altruistic of you!

    2. Eric the half a troll Avatar
      Eric the half a troll

      Yes! That is the message you should take away from all this!! …smh…

      1. Stephen Haner Avatar
        Stephen Haner

        Those that have not gotten the shot at this point never will. Pretty standard example of rationalization as a psych phenomenon. Can’t admit their error so they dig in, grasp at any reason. Many will die, many will get sick and spread it, and not a damn thing we can do about it.

        1. killerhertz Avatar
          killerhertz

          Mass psychosis is also a symptom of the pro-vax zealots. Never before have you seen people bragging about what make of vaccine they received.

  2. Stephen Haner Avatar
    Stephen Haner

    VDH data continues to show a major advantage to being vaccinated, settling in at about 6 or 7 to one greater chance for the unvaccinated to end up in a hospital or die.

    https://www.vdh.virginia.gov/coronavirus/covid-19-in-virginia/covid-19-cases-by-vaccination-status/

    I continue to believe that, while that advantage doesn’t seem great, what that really reflects is the very low chance of even the unvaccinated to get sick and die. Vaccination rates are now highest among the older and more vulnerable, and “unvaccinated” includes those with a prior infection providing at least some protection (in some cases good protection.) How many fit both categories, unvaccinated and not previously infected, is unknown. But they are the ones really taking a stupid chance. Assume (reasonable) about half the unvaccinated have been previously infected, and suddenly the advantage of vaccination looks even better. (Hint, hint, VDH…)

    1. Nancy Naive Avatar
      Nancy Naive

      If you consider greatly reduced risk of death, uh yep.

    2. killerhertz Avatar
      killerhertz

      Natural infection is clearly superior. When you have people getting serology confirmation after 6-12 months natural infection and the first double jab mrna vax wanes after 3-4 you have your answer. If you don’t underestand how the vaccines work I don’t understand how you can argue it offers superior immunity. The vax only encodes the spike protein, which is what mutated (one amino acid).

      Also this “reduced risk of symptoms” is a total bs argument and not one to “vaccinate” children, let alone an entire population.

  3. LesGabriel Avatar
    LesGabriel

    After all this time, the CDC has not measured the value of natural immunity as compared to the vaccines or it has studied it and are withholding the results from the public (and from Dr Fauci). They have, however, apparently done double-blind placebo studies on children under 15 in order to come to the conclusion that they also need the vaccines. I say apparently because I have not been able to find any published results of these studies.

  4. Nancy Naive Avatar
    Nancy Naive

    Remdesivir cost per dose, $2,000.
    Vaccine cost per dose, $20.

    Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19)

    Indicated for adults and pediatric patients aged ≥12 years who weigh ≥40 kg for treatment of COVID-19 requiring hospitalization
    Day 1 loading dose: 200 mg IV infused over 30-120 min, THEN
    Day 2 and thereafter: 100 mg IV qDay
    Treatment duration
    Not requiring invasive mechanical ventilation and/or extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO): 5 days; if clinical improvement not demonstrated, treatment may be extended up to 10 days total
    Requires invasive mechanical ventilation and/or ECMO: 10 days

    Okay, where are you fiscally responsible Republicans? Let’s have a cost minimization P-hack outta ya.

    1. VAMom Avatar
      VAMom

      The Remdesivir cost is closer to the per treatment 5-day cost of $2340, far less than your $10k. Not that this matters to the partiers in Blacksburg and Danville, since they won’t be needing it.

      1. Nancy Naive Avatar
        Nancy Naive

        Up to $3,120 depending on insurance. Still, $20, $40, $60, for J&J, Moderna, and Pfizer, respectively, is a lot cheaper.

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