re: #18 Hecuba’s daughter

Have to say that what concerns me about the vaccine were the reports that it might be only 50% effective at reducing transmission. So instead of a vaccine that is for some period is basically 100% effective, we end up with something that will require that we continue living in a partially opened economy for an indefinite period of time. Of course, if they develop a truly effective treatment, then we may be able to resume normal life. Or maybe the disease will mutate into a far less lethal strain.

The annual flu vaccine is like that. I remember being bemused on hearing that after I started getting them. The idea is just to reduce the transmission rate below 1.0. That way, the disease just naturally dies out. So it’s not so much about protecting you as it is about society protecting itself.