Forget politics... or why... this seems like good news. NO?
Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EsVSn8dJey0
Sorry to get all "Nerdy" on you, but the following equation and data set I threw together from the attached Lancet article is important for understanding 'WHY'...
Epidemiologists use the expression Pc = [1-1/R0]/E, to determine what proportion of the population needs to be immune from a pathogen through vaccination, or prior antibodies (e.g. survival from infection).
Pc = % of the population that needs to be vaccinated (or otherwise immune)
R0 = the "Reproduction #", or the degree of 'contagiousness' (the higher, the more dangerous)...can be diminished with "mitigation" (e.g. wearing masks, etc.)
E (Epsilon) = Vaccine efficacy
Ok...here we go...
E R0 Pc
----- ------- -------
100% 2.5 60%
95% 2.5 63%
90% 2.5 67%
95% 3.0 70%
90% 3.0 74%
95% 3.5 75%
90% 3.5 79%
-----------------------------------------------
95% 5.0 84%
90% 5.0 89%
While the Moderna and Pfizer vaccines promise to be highly effective (95% and 90%, respectively), the "R0" factor is NOT static...the current estimate of ~2.5 is based on mitigation through mask wearing, social distancing, etc...in the early days of the pandemic, estimates of R0 were on the order of 5.7, so from the equation and chart above, you can readily see the risk we face if a) folks don't mitigate, or b) don't want to take the vaccine. If we fail to "Make our Numbers", we'll be stuck in 'Pandemic Land' until hundreds of thousands more die here in the USA.
Please read the article itself, in case I mis-represented something, and get the word out to as many friends and family members as you can...
Link: https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(20)32318-7/fulltext
Not that I am an expert. But, Rt is the "real time" R0 value. And I don't think the Rt is over 2 anywhere in the US right now. R0 or Rt will also differ by location. It's not a measure of how infectious a virus is. It takes into account human behavior and patterns. So to say the US has a R0 of X seems limited in it's utility.
Anyway, I don't disagree with the main point of your post. But I don't think the answer is black and white.
want to get "down in the weeds" too much and distract from the fact that the level of 'contagion' is affected by how we respond to it...i.e. Mitigation...we can't let our guard down.
for how they are rolling it out.
They have suffered disproportionately and some of this is because of systematic racism.
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Or do you deny that there is employment discrimination based on race?
The first thing you mentioned (using public transit more) is not systemic racism. But maybe you just meant that as an effect leading to exposure, not as an example of racism.
The second thing you mentioned was discrimination in hiring. How is that systemic? I dare say that every company has anti-racism policies. Most have minority hiring programs. The fact that they do not hire more minorities is not due to anything systemic. Do you agree with that? Indeed, a racist HR person throwing away minority resumes would be in direct contravention of systemic policies which are in place to stop such activities, and so such acts would be individual racism in violation of systemic anti-racism.
It sounds like you are saying that blacks are statistically poor and urban, and the urban poor are exposed more. That is not systemic racism; it is an observation of statistics. I suppose you could argue that past systemic racism leaves blacks in a position of being more likely to be poor...So maybe early vaccines would be a reparation of sorts. But, in your second post, you said there is systemic racism now, which is why I was looking for an example.
If you said the urban poor regardless of race should get vaccines first, instead of African Americans, it might be more fair (and less racially divisive).
As for "Systemic Racism"...here's a question...When did the "Mentality" behind 'Lynchings'...'Red Lining'...'Voter Suppression'...'Denial of Service'...'Back of the Bus Rules'...and more recently "Tiki Torch Parades'...end?...Be specific.
Link: https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/covid-data/investigations-discovery/hospitalization-death-by-race-ethnicity.html
Give one example of that mentality being in the system today. It should be easy, but it apparently isn't...because it is not systemic. All of that stuff either no longer exists, or if it does exist, it exists as an isolated violation of systemic anti-racism.
furthermore, I believe that the vast majority of people in this country (regardless of party) honestly do not view themselves as "racist' and in fact do not act in any way that would be construed as "racist"...however...the lack of outrage from all those people at the truly racist statements and actions that occurred in places like Charlottesville allows an unacceptable level of racism to persist.
BTW, on a political level, I'd encourage you and others to read "It Was All a Lie", by former GOP strategist, Stuart Stevens, who traces the evolution and 'utility' of Racism by that party.
Maybe it's just me, but that litany of racist attacks on Black Americans I wrote in the earlier post occurred because many people truly believed in, and practiced overt racism...there was a widespread "mentality" in favor of it. I'm wondering when that all went away and we had finally reached Dr. King's dream...I believe that the majority that we represent needs to join together and be un-mistakenly vocal in our denunciation of "Racism" or "Discrimination" in any form.
Meanwhile...how do you feel about the destruction of "Open Skies" aircraft...along with U.S. participation.
furthermore, I believe that the vast majority of people in this country (regardless of party) honestly do not view themselves as "racist' and in fact do not act in any way that would be construed as "racist"...however...the lack of outrage from all those people at the truly racist statements and actions that occurred in places like Charlottesville allows an unacceptable level of racism to persist.
BTW, on a political level, I'd encourage you and others to read "It Was All a Lie", by former GOP strategist, Stuart Stevens, who traces the evolution and 'utility' of Racism by that party.
Maybe it's just me, but that litany of racist attacks on Black Americans occurred because many people truly believed in, and practiced overt racism...there was a widespread "mentality" in favor of it. I'm wondering when that all went away and we had finally reached Dr. King's dream...I must have missed it.
Meanwhile...how do you feel about the destruction of "Open Skies" aircraft...along with U.S. participation.
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nonetheless...check out my reply...clearly, we need to understand what we (and perhaps others) really mean by the term "systemic racism".
Systemic racism is racism which is systemic, which is to say, imposed by the system, such as laws & regulations of the nation, states and municipalities. You can even include racism which is systemic in companies, which is to say, institutionalized by the by-laws and policies of companies. All of our systems are now systemically anti-racist. This is a change from years past.
Systemic racism no longer exists in this country. If anyone thinks it does, I invite them to provide an example.
People say "systemic racism" to make it sound more ominous than mere racism, and to many people who don't think about it, it sounds bad. But if you think about it, there is no such thing these days. The system is anti-racist. There are only instances of rare racism which get a lot of press. Quote from cheek's linke article: "What the writer Shelby Steele has said about progressives and racist events is equally true of statistical disparities that disadvantage blacks: When they learn of one, 'they rent a jet plane and fly to it!'"...because they are not common.
But I don’t believe basic racism has disappeared.
I have seen far too many examples of it in full force
I'm sure it happens, but it isn't systemic. I would bet anything that it is more common for obese or unattractive people to be denied employment. Far more common.
Oh! And die of COVID at a rate far higher than caucasians.
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Link: https://quillette.com/2018/05/14/the-racism-treadmill/
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You said there "is" systemic racism in hiring. I asked for an example. Because if there is systemic racism, we should shut it down now.
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Oh wait, there is.
Interestingly, California Dems tried to legalize racial discrimination with a ballot initiative this past election. Thankfully, the more centrist Dems voted it down.
So the US for example should send their vaccine to Bangladesh before they give it to you.
Dem & GOP don't directly translate to international political movements.
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but I will take the vaccine asap..