Germany's Fourth Covid Wave: 'A Pandemic of the Unvaccinated'

[Nevilledog]

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James Surowiecki
@JamesSurowiecki
·
Nov 11, 2021
Replying to @JamesSurowiecki
"The University Hospital of Giessen, one of Germany’s foremost clinics for pulmonary disease, is at capacity. The number of Covid-19 patients has tripled in recent weeks. Nearly half of them are on ventilators.

And every single one is unvaccinated."

Germany’s Fourth Covid Wave: ‘A Pandemic of the Unvaccinated’
Germany once set an example for how to manage the coronavirus. Now, deep pockets of vaccine resistance are helping drive daily infections to new heights.
nytimes.com

James Surowiecki
@JamesSurowiecki
Germany has vaccinated only 2/3 of its population. Like the US, it's home to a rabid antivax movement. Just like the U.S., it has states with vaccination rates well below 2/3, and just like in the U.S., those are the states with the highest infection rates per capita.
4:46 PM · Nov 11, 2021

https://www.nytimes.com/2021/11/11/world/europe/germany-covid-unvaccinated.html

No paywall
https://archive.ph/Tj9Ti

BERLIN — The University Hospital of Giessen, one of Germany’s foremost clinics for pulmonary disease, is at capacity. The number of Covid-19 patients has tripled in recent weeks. Nearly half of them are on ventilators.

And every single one is unvaccinated.

“I ask every patient: Why didn’t you get vaccinated?” said Dr. Susanne Herold, head of infectious diseases, after her daily round on the ward on Thursday. “It’s a mix of people who distrust the vaccine, distrust the state and are often difficult to reach by public information campaigns.”

Patients like hers are the main drivers of a fourth wave of Covid-19 cases in Germany that has produced tens of thousands of new daily infections — more than the country has had at any point in the pandemic.

For Germany it is a startling turnabout. At the onset of the pandemic, Germany had set an example for how to manage the virus and keep the death toll low. It was quick to put in place widespread testing and treatment, expand the number of intensive care beds and had a trusted leader in Chancellor Angela Merkel, a trained scientist, whose government’s social distancing guidelines were widely observed.

*snip*

[Doodley]

1. 67% of Germany vaccinated. Only 7 US states are higher. We are at grave risk of another surge.

[dutch777]

2. I guess I am just beyond being surprised by the stupid. The waves will keep coming thanks to stupid

I was a hospital administrator at a hospital in a wealthy suburb of Seattle until I retired 2 years ago and I still follow their feed. Their stats track very closely to what the Germans are reporting. Everyone with Covid in the ICU or on a ventilator is unvaxxed. 87% of folks at lower level of care but with Covid are also unvaxxed. Duh! And yes, no vaccine is 100%. How can this be a surprise?

The REALLY sad thing is the new CDC data that 20k folks died in the last year or so of HOSPITAL acquired COVID. That is folks that went to the hospital for some other treatment and were checked before entering and did NOT have Covid, but got it while there and DIED of Covid. And the hospitals are saying, "who knew it was airborne?" Again, duh!?!?!? And now they are apologizing their staff are STILL not fully vaccinated but come on in and get your XYZ treatment and spend a few days (and roll the COVID dice!).

I need serious spinal surgery to avoid a debilitating nerve impairment to my legs and feet but I am not entering "the system" until the system has its own house in order. Scary and awful if you need treatment but have COVID to worry about too.