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vAxene Opponents are confiscating On the death of former Secretary of State Colin Powell, who was fully vaccinated, yet died of Covid-19 complications, to cast doubt on an attempt to vaccinate against the virus. As always, these people are dangerously wrong. The death of someone like Powell, who was 84 years old and fighting multiple myeloma, a blood cancer that significantly disrupts the immune system, is a powerful argument for getting vaccinated as widely as possible.
Data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention make it abundantly clear that while fully vaccinated people can contract Covid, it is much less common. In fact, it was six times less common in August than the unrelated in all age groups.
The risk of death was 11.3 times higher among those without vaccination during the same period.
Read also: Colin Powell, first black US Secretary of State, 84 due to complications from Covid. die in
The more you break down the data, the more clear it becomes that even when Powell is healthy, there is a much lower risk than most people. Most of the associated breakthrough infections occur in older people because they produce a weakened immune response to vaccines and diseases even when they are healthy and more often have other conditions that can worsen the effects of Covid. The risk of dying from Covid when fully vaccinated is most pronounced in people over the age of 80 – although the death rate is still lower than for people aged 50-64 – and falls sharply from there.
Older people were also vaccinated earlier than others and the vaccine’s efficacy may fade over time. For this reason, they are preferred for booster shots that can increase protection. Pfizer Inc. And people over the age of 65 who received BioNTech SE vaccines became eligible for a booster in late September, for whom vaccinations with Moderna Inc. and Johnson & Johnson shots are expected soon.
Because Powell was treated for multiple myeloma, he may have been eligible for a third shot starting in August. While the CDC data doesn’t break down people with these types of additional vulnerabilities, it is clear that they make up a substantial portion of those who become extremely ill. A study conducted from March to May this year found that 44.7% of success cases Hospitalization was required in people with weakened immune systems.
a spokesperson told the New York Times That Powell had planned to get a booster shot last week before falling ill, but even that may not have eliminated his risk. People with blood cancer may have a weak response Covid vaccines, and some produce no measurable protection. Sometimes they don’t even respond to the third shot. It’s not the vaccines’ fault; It is the result of a disease that specifically interferes with the body’s ability to protect itself and the aggressive treatments needed to prevent it.
Powell’s age and condition put him at exceptionally high risks that make generalizations about vaccine efficacy the least accurate. In his case and in the case of many others, personal protection is not enough. He needed to vaccinate as many people around him as possible to take extra precautions and reduce the chances of contracting the virus.
About 23% of eligible Americans have not received even a single dose of the Covid vaccine. Powell’s death serves as a particularly prominent reminder of why the number is actually much higher.—bloomberg
Read also: Colin Powell was a ‘man of ideas’ but not ideological, says Antony Blinken
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