[We are not going to be able to outrace this thing. The current vaccines will provide some protection but will become less effective as time goes on and the virus mutates. It’s clear we are in a game of catch up that we cannot win. We are going to have to reach herd immunity, ~90% of the pop. exposed and immune or immunized to stop it and at our current rate of vaccination only 50% of the population will be vaccinated six months from now! We have to continue to wear masks, there is just no other way of protecting ourselves.]
Dr. [Rochelle] Walensky [new head of CDC] also issued a plea to Americans to continue wearing masks and practice social distancing, and to avoid travel.
[False conundrum: wearing masks retards reaching herd immunity. We have to wear masks to keep from getting really sick and risk dying. The science is not robust yet but the data so far seems to show that the mask filters out a lethal dose of the virus.]
Earlier this month, the C.D.C. warned that the variant circulating in Britain could become the dominant source of infection in the United States and would likely lead to a surge in cases and deaths that could overwhelm hospitals. And given the speed at which the variant swept through that country, it is conceivable that by April it could make up a large fraction of infections in the United States.
[Just the worst.]
