Originally posted by Larrymc Well the answer is therapeutics and not vaccines at least until a dependable reliable vaccine can be thoroughly researched and proven before being deployed . Just as it should have been from the start of this debacle. You can blame that on a famous short little PHD who did the same thing during the aids epidemic era. Depend on a vaccine when other measures possibly could have help solve that problem. If therapeutics along with vaccines had been employed at the beginning of this 2 year nightmare instead of depending solely on experimental vaccines this debacle probably could have been ended a lot sooner. But noooooooo people were told to go home until you feel really lousy and then come on back to the hospital and we'll finish you off and file a report so we can collect a nice tidy bit of government cash.
I think there are a couple of things to mention.
(1) Vaccine reactions are real, but not as significant as bad reactions to COVID infections. The death totals in the US alone are nearly at 900,000 over the last two years. The number of patients in the hospital with COVID in Lynchburg right now is 150 (this a 350 bed hospital). COVID has been really bad. Full stop.
(2) Even against Omicron, vaccinations have prevented serious illness with COVID. Unvaccinated folks over 65 were 50 times more likely to end up in the hospital than vaccinated folks in the same age range.
CDC COVID Data Tracker There was significant prevention of hospitalization rates for younger people as well. Once again, this doesn't say that Omicron doesn't breakthrough. It does. It just doesn't cause severe illness in the way that unvaccinated people experience it.
(3) Work on vaccines did not prevent work on antiviral agents. It takes time to develop antivirals. Paxlovid is out now and monoclonal antibodies have been out for some time. I think it is important to remember that there are significant side effects noted with antiviral agents too. Paxlovid interacts with blood thinners, statin drugs, and some antidepressants. The FDA EUA of Paxlovid lists diarrhea, altered taste, elevated blood pressure, and muscle aches all as possible side effects of this medication. Merck's is less effective and has more side effects.
https://www.fda.gov/media/155052/download#:~:text=Possible%20side%20effects%...se%20reactions. Once again, these medications will help, but they are expensive and not perfect. Certainly there weren't any available two years ago "when this whole thing started."
(4) Hospitals are paid a little more for providing care to COVID patients, but this does not make up for revenue lost when they have to cancel elective procedures. Doctors and nurses are not compensated any more and many physicians saw their income drop significantly over the last couple of years due to periodic cancellations of said procedures. The stress level on hospitalists and nursing staff is phenomenal. The idea that they are milking this along because of extra compensation is simply not true.
Maybe I've said too much, but the last couple of years have been awful in ways that are difficult to describe and the fact that many have attacked medical folks who are doing their best feels wrong to me.