Japan reports 76,200 coronavirus cases

The current vaccines will not prevent infection or transmission. Most will have antibodies now from prior infections, there’s no problem unless a more dangerous variant appears.

The vast majority of responsible people clearly understand that vaccines will not prevent infection or transmission… that’s a “go to” phrase the anti everything clan often repeats like we don’t already know….. antibodies? Prior infection? Seems like a different way of falsely claiming natural immunity or mythical herd immunity is as good or better than vaccines…. NOT!!! No problem ? 19 people (Japan) today died today …. From Covid !!!! No problem? Acceptable??? Wow …. Factoring in that the vast majority of responsible people were vaccinated when omicron started here this year …. And compounding that with the FACT that omicron has been the deadliest variant of Covid in Japan to date…. I hope a more or equally dangerous variant does not appear ….

You left out the bit about hospitalisation and serious illness being seriously reduced, making vax worthwhile.

Seriously reduced? The numbers are increasing daily and you call an increase, reduction? I wonder where you went to school. Wait you didnt, I get it now!

Looks like a few people are still in panic mode despite the vast majority getting on with their lives like normal.

if you want to stay in, get boosters or whatever do as you wish, as others have choice to do as they wish. The current vaccines will not prevent infection or transmission. Most will have antibodies now from prior infections, there’s no problem unless a more dangerous variant appears.

Elvis is hereToday  05:50 pm JST

Drastically up since last Monday. Just a reminder;

Fact: vaccines save lives

Fact: masks are effective 

hahaha so that’s why there are 80000 daily cases ? In the most diligent mask wearing vaccinated country in the world??…oh dear…

wow the blinkers are well and truly on!

luckily this variant is mild as the vaccines won’t be saving anyone!

Good to see Japan quickly getting the virus under control again.

If you’re not vaccinated…. Get it done asap ! If you’re eligible for a booster….. get it done asap !!! Vaccines provide you regardless of your health status with the absolute best protection against severe symptoms!!! And NO…. Infection does not provide anyone with better protection.:.. or mythical natural immunity….mask up when you absolutely cannot avoid compromising situations to your health and those around you! Follow the 3 C’s but do it for real this time! Okinawa declaring that their healthcare system is on the brink of total collapse is just the beginning of what’s to come …. It’s way past time for the anti everything clan to get on the wagon with the vast majority of responsible people! Stop whining about lockdowns or restaurant we’ve never had! It won’t be good for your overall health when the govt decides it’s time to curb movements…. 76000 cases on a holiday …. Sunday when clinics / hospitals are working with skeleton staffs….. Wednesdays numbers should be a wake up call…. I suspect we will only get the numbers that they had the capacity to actually test ….. we’re in for a very long few weeks…. Keep safe people ! Curb your dangerous behaviors!

Virulence is not the sole determinant of how deadly a variant can be

Infectivity, pathogenicity (capacity of the virus to cause symptomatic disease) and virulence (how dangerous is the disease produced) change not only the danger a virus represent, they also change the best way to limit their risk for a population.

A virus with relatively low infectivity and high pathogenicity/virulence is more easily stopped before the infection (isolation), but the more the infectivity increases this becomes more and more difficult to do until the efficacy stops being cost effective, but if the pathogenicity or virulence get lower (like with Omicron) then it becomes more important to treat the disease than to avoid the infection.

Vaccines have the advantage of acting both ways, but the most important thing for the current variants is to limit the complications of the disease produced and vaccines are one of the best ways to do it.

But previous infections offer greater protection, which lasts over a year.

Symptomatic, complicated infections, even then there is no guarantee the reinfection is not possible or even worst disease is produced the next time. And since you need to run the full risks of the infection to get it then it is meaningless as a method to prevent those risks, is like saying that having a broken finger makes it so painful that people instinctively avoid doing things that get it fractured in a different place. It makes absolutely no sense to avoid the problem in the first place.

In terms of preventing symptomatic infection, at most vaccines have a small effect between 1/2 to about 3 months after vaccination.

That is still a 50% higher than not vaccinating, and can get boosted for no detectable risk to keep the protection high. Not to count that protection against the worst complication last much longer and can be boosted also.

 After that they have a negative effect, according to a recent large study from Qatar:

That is false, the authors of the study clearly conclude vaccines are beneficial and protect people, they never showed any negative effect.

https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMoa2203965?query=featured_home

As the authors of the study clearly say in the conclusions:

Vaccination enhanced protection among persons who had had a previous infection. Hybrid immunity resulting from previous infection and recent booster vaccination conferred the strongest protection. 

Why do you thought it was fine to give a false conclusion completely contradicted by the authors of the study? if it is so important for you to "prove" you are right that you feel it is justified to misrepresent a study that clearly supports the value of vaccines then you should seriously consider the purpose of your comment.

But mainly from previous infections. 

Not at all, most of the population are already vaccinated, previous infections do not guarantee lack of reinfections either.

But previous infections offer greater protection, which lasts over a year.

In terms of preventing symptomatic infection, at most vaccines have a small effect between 1/2 to about 3 months after vaccination. After that they have a negative effect, according to a recent large study from Qatar:

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=zyYq93YtScE

So if you want to be protected by the vax, you better get it at least every 3 months! If not, you're better off never getting it.

But mainly from previous infections. 

Not at all, most of the population are already vaccinated, previous infections do not guarantee lack of reinfections either.

The most important part is that vaccination greatly reduce the risk that comes from the infection, so it is the most rational way to be protected. There is no point in running the full risk that you want to prevent in order to be incompletely protected against those risks again.

Virulence is not the sole determinant of how deadly a variant can be. Omicron is less virulent than delta but killed much more in a comparable period of time and probably overall

So why does every variant disappear? What prevents us from catching previous variants?

They get replaced by the most prolific variant. Like a new generation of rockers (Ed Sheridan, shudder...etc) replacing us oldies.

Yes, but plenty of people still listen to the oldies....

And immunity from previous infections as well as vaccines prevents us from getting infected

Yes, that's what I mean.

But mainly from previous infections. Effects from vaccines are very short lived, and they offer very little protection from infection (as admitted even by Pfizer's CEO).

Yes, but for much of that time, they were banging on about reaching herd immunity with "vaccines," which has been recognized for some time not to be possible.

The issue was that if herd immunity was possible (reach a point where infection no longer meant an increase of risk) this point is better reach with vaccines than with natural infection, because it requires less deaths and complications for the population in general.

 Those who get a second infection, do so with some level of protection from previous infections

People that have been infected still get a benefit (a reduction of risk) from being vaccinated, this completely contradicts what you believe.

So why does every variant disappear? What prevents us from catching previous variants?

They get selected out by the measures that make infection more difficult so the variants with an advantage naturally become prevalent, even a tiny difference in fitness causes this.

But I believe reaching herd immunity naturally is the way to go. 

Natural herd immunity isn't possible. That is why people keep being re-infected over and over again.

So why does every variant disappear? What prevents us from catching previous variants?

But I believe reaching herd immunity naturally is the way to go. 

Natural herd immunity isn't possible. That is why people keep being re-infected over and over again.

I think we should focus on the number of deaths as they are the most important factor. 

You are quite wrong, hospitalization rates going up are a bigger problem overall than deaths. The health system here is under a heck of a lot of pressure to take care of the sick,

While it may sound crass, the dead dont need medical assistance, and its sad that people are dying from this, we have to think of the living and how they will be taken care of for regular medical care.

aim for herd immunity!

People on here have been banging on about this imminent "herd immunity" for two and a half years now.

Yes, but for much of that time, they were banging on about reaching herd immunity with "vaccines," which has been recognized for some time not to be possible.

But I believe reaching herd immunity naturally is the way to go. All previous variants have come and gone.

Almost 8 million people have had a confirmed infection with omicron. I suspect the actual number of infections is likely at least 10X that, so most of us have had omicron already, and the remainder will get it soon. Those who get a second infection, do so with some level of protection from previous infections.....

Of course, the numbers will be down, because it's a long weekend, and families are visiting family members in other prefectures. Let's see if those numbers start rising again by the end of this week, shall we?

Quite so, but as the past has been a guide, when Monday, or after holiday numbers are high, over 1900 here in Okinawa alone, over double from last week, and a record high for a Monday, it is a guide to what the weeks numbers are going to be.

This coming weeks does not look good, and hospitalization rates are over 66%, and if the week ahead is anything like last week, these rates are going over 70% or more, which is not good at all.

we should stop counting daily infection cases

Maybe there's a case for reporting things differently. In the UK, currently results of random tests are being reported weekly rather than numbers testing positive daily. The advantage of this is that it picks up infections where there are no symptoms. Typically, such people don't get tested. So we probably get a better picture of how widespread infections are with random testing. (The latest data shows 1 in 18 infected in the UK.)

That spread fear over people I think instead we should stop counting daily infection cases and aim for herd immunity!

The whole herd immunity idea is pretty useless when a single person can't even get immunity.

aim for herd immunity!

People on here have been banging on about this imminent "herd immunity" for two and a half years now.

Of course, the numbers will be down, because it's a long weekend, and families are visiting family members in other prefectures. Let's see if those numbers start rising again by the end of this week, shall we?

think instead we should stop counting daily infection cases

Yeah, because less information available to society is always a good thing. SMH…