Yet, living and let living should not prevent us from asking the question, “Does vaccination against SARS CoV-2 work? Does vaccination against SARS CoV-2 save lives?” Researchers set out to answer this question.

Dr. Alyssa Bilinski and others from Brown University and the University of Pennsylvania analyzed COVID-19 and all-cause excess mortality between June 2021 and March 2022. They compared overall US mortality with that of multiple countries and, interestingly, also compared mortality from the top ten most-vaccinated states (73% vaccination rate) to the ten least-vaccinated states (52% vaccination rate). They found that COVID-19 deaths per capita in the US overall and in both state subgroups was higher – much higher – than all the peer countries during the study period (figure below).

In fact, the per capita COVID-19 mortality in the ten least-vaccinated states was almost double that of the ten most-vaccinated states, and the overall COVID-19 mortality was the most of all the countries and the US overall, by quite a margin. These are pretty striking data.

The researchers also looked at excess mortality from all causes during the same time period, and the same result was found: US excess all-cause mortality also exceeded mortality of peer countries in all periods, as did excess all-cause mortality in the least-vaccinated states. But, this time, the all-cause excess mortality of the ten most-vaccinated states was comparable to that of several countries (Denmark, Germany, the Netherlands, Austria, Italy, Finland).

Now, the overall vaccination rate in the US was 63%. If the overall US vaccination rate was similar to many of the peer countries, the US would have averted hundreds of thousands of deaths according to their mortality models.

The study did have limitations: some of the mortality estimates were provisional, and the mortality was not adjusted by age and comorbid conditions. Yet, the researchers made a good point about this last point: “unadjusted estimates remain important, because a country’s response to COVID-19 should reflect risks in its population rather than a hypothetical standardized population.”

So, in short, did COVID-19 vaccination save lives? Yes, it did. In those countries and states in the US that had higher vaccination rates, the per capita COVID-19 mortality rates were lower. If someone does not want to be vaccinated, that’s fine. That same person, however, should not say, “the vaccines don’t work.” Clearly, the data show that they do.

The post Does Vaccination Against COVID-19 Really Work? appeared first on Medika Life.

Forget election results and petty political divisions. The time has come to focus on our humanity and to heed the call to arms. We are all one family under the shared flag of our humanity and we have forgotten this or chosen to ignore it. If you want to help to end the pandemic and return our lives to normality, we ALL need to take action.

We’ve stumbled and fumbled our way through a difficult year and the calendars we use to mark our progression on this beautiful rock we call home have called time. 

It’s time for the yearly do-over. Fresh goals and aspirations and with it, new hope. Hope, that science and the magical engineers that unlock the secrets of hidden worlds, have afforded us. 

Covid was never going to wipe out the human race. It just wasn’t deadly enough, but it’s wrought destruction on families across the globe and tested the resolve and resources of our medical frontline workers. It’s also far from done and Americans, more than any other country, are realizing this painful truth. 

2020 has been a trial by fire. A global wake up call of our fragility and our inability to properly protect our communities and those we love. 

Covid has also highlighted the importance of science and who mankind’s real enemies are. It is not weapons of mass destruction and each other we need to be wary of, but rather invisible agents, carried on the wind. Viral particles, too small for the human eye to perceive, but potentially deadly in their intent. 

It is these viral agents that represent the real threat to humanity and against which conventional weapons of war are powerless. The coronavirus has provided the call to arms and we will ignore it at our own peril. 

We have an opportunity now, as we face the rest of this decade, to come together cohesively, for the first time in our collective history. 

To join forces in creating a new army, focused on defeating this unseen enemy. A global force that eschews traditional weapons and elects instead to turn to science for its tools. It is in science that our salvation lies. Our salvation and the generations to follow, our children, and theirs. 

We’ve started to gain a better understanding of the real nature of this new enemy and as vaccines make their way into our communities, we are afforded hope of a return to normality. 

The eventual resumption of whatever our lives will look like post-pandemic is inevitable. What matters now is how we mark this passage of time. Science can only provide us with weapons. Victory with minimal loss of life is our goal and that’s up to the footsoldiers. To you and I, citizens of the world. Science can only do so much, then the responsibility falls to you and I to act. 

Forget election results and petty political divisions. The time has come to focus on our humanity and to heed the call to arms. We are all one family under the shared flag of our humanity and we have forgotten this or chosen to ignore it. If you want to help to end the pandemic and return our lives to normality, we ALL need to take action. 

Vaccination is a critical part of this process. The longer it takes, the more lives we lose, the longer our businesses remain shuttered and our lives kept on hold. 

You are by no means powerless. You have the internet at your disposal and you can bring huge pressure to bear on failing government institutions that don’t ensure rapid delivery of vaccines, governors who don’t provide an adequate distribution network within your communities, and unreliable public resources that fail to assist in deploying vaccines. 

Speak up now. Particularly if you are in at-risk groups. Your lives could depend on the vaccine and soldiers cannot be expected to fight the good fight if they aren’t supplied with weapons. If your government and governors are leaving you defenseless, hold them accountable on social media, and please do, when you find systems that work efficiently, sing their praises. 

Everyone wants to know they are appreciated. Let them know. Use Social Media and if possible, send personal messages of thanks. Honest praise can be much-needed sustenance for the soul in hard times and your words can make all the difference.

Medika will engage with all of you to assist in this process in whichever way we can. If you want to share useful vaccination resources and projects from within your states that are effective, send them to us and we’ll publish them. If something is failing, tell us we will help to highlight it and find solutions. You can find contact us through the website, on social media, or simply email us at vaccinateus@medika.life

Let’s start 2021 by all really starting to look out for each other. Every human life we save matters. It starts with each one of us, wear a mask in public, set an example. It says ‘I care about you’ and it shows your humanity. It’s that simple. 

This year, and how we move forward, really is in our hands. Let’s do it together and allow science the space it needs to hone our weapons. 

Finally a word of thanks from all of us to our front-liners who have worked tirelessly and selflessly to keep our loved ones alive. You’re our first line of defense and you haven’t wavered. We are immensely proud of you and deeply grateful. 

Our deepest sympathies go out to those who’ve lost people they love. To all those of you who enter the new year without the companionship of loved ones you’ve lost to Covid, or for that matter, any disease, let’s honor their memories by committing to the fight. At the very least, it will help spare others the anguish you have had to endure. 

The fight is far from over, but we have a light now and between all of us, we can ensure it glows brightly. We wish you happiness and health for the coming year. 

Jan 01, 2021

Robert Turner, EIC and Founder of Medika Life

Dr Jeff Livingston, Founder of Medika Life and EIC, BeingWell

The post A New Year’s Message of Hope from Medika Life appeared first on Medika Life.