Why I'm Thankful
The COVID-19 vaccines have saved countless lives and allowed our lives to return to normal.
I’m Michael A. Cohen, and this is Truth and Consequences: A no-holds-barred look at the absurdities, hypocrisies, and surreality of American politics. If you received this email - or you are a free subscriber - and you’d like to subscribe: you can sign up here.
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“Yeah, Science”
For my MSNBC column this week, I wrote about one of the many reasons I am thankful this Thanksgiving week - the COVID-19 vaccines.
On Dec. 14, Sandra Lindsay became one of the first Americans outside a clinical trial to receive a coronavirus vaccine, and everything changed. Since then, more than 231 million people in the U.S. have received at least one dose of a Covid vaccine, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. More than 80 percent of Americans ages 12 and over have received at least one dose, and more than 69 percent are fully vaccinated. For those ages 65 and over, the age group most vulnerable to the ravages of Covid, more than 99 percent have received at least one dose.
Around the world, 7.78 billion doses of Covid vaccines have been given out, and a stunning 3.32 billion people worldwide are fully vaccinated.
To be sure, there are still enormous lengths to go for before the world is completely safe from COVID. That 3.32 billion number is stunning. It’s also less than half the global population. Still, to have made this much progress in the production and distribution of vaccines in such a short period of time is simply unprecedented. As Christopher Nichols, a historian at Oregon State University, who has written about past pandemics, said to me, “the vaccination and distribution race likely saved us all from a pandemic much closer to the 1918 flu pandemic, in which a far smaller global population had an estimated 50 million deaths.”
What’s perhaps even more remarkable about the COVID vaccines is that they are insanely effective. So if you’re vaccinated, your chance of dying from COVID is extraordinarily slim. In addition, there are no major reported side effects from the vaccines.
Countless lives are being saved, and many of us can now return to something resembling pre-pandemic normalcy. A year ago, this would have seemed unimaginable. Yet, there is still panic and fear out there. In particular, I was taken aback when I came across this tweet from rock icon David Crosby:
This seemed so blatantly incorrect that it compelled me to do some research.
Each NBA team has played around 18 games. In the NHL, the number is around 20. Doing some back-of-the-envelope math, that’s around 600 games. Based on attendance figures, that’s around 8 million fans (since season ticket holders attend multiple games, the actual number is probably a bit lower). All these games are in indoor arenas — and yet none have been reported as super spreader events.
Millions have attended professional and college football games — some inside and some outside. There have been tens of thousands of concerts. No super spreaders there either. Of course, some people may have been exposed to COVID at these events. But, in New York, where I live, there are mandatory vaccination checks at every concert I’ve attended. I imagine this is not the case in every state, and I’d likely be wary of going to a show if there weren’t checks. But if you’re vaccinated, you are, again, at little risk of getting sick.
The bottom line is that in a multitude of ways, we can go back to doing the activities we did before — and that’s a tribute to the production and distribution of life-saving COVID-19 vaccines.
The Variant
This morning, however, there’s some bad news on the COVID front. Scientists in South Africa discovered a new variant of the virus, and there are fears that it could be deadlier than the Delta variant and, even worse, could infect those who are vaccinated. However, these fears are likely overstated, and it’s worth noting that when it comes to Delta, the vaccines were highly effective against them.
I highly recommend reading this excellent thread — and this one as well. No variant has been able to evade the protections of the vaccine, and there is little reason to believe that this latest one is any different.
Still, this latest news reminds us of the desperate need to get more of the world’s population vaccinated. In South Africa, the vaccination rate is at a paltry 24 percent. Until we see these numbers increase, variants will continue to arise and ravage the unvaccinated.
If you want to do your part, I highly recommend doing what I did on Wednesday morning — get your booster shot (and if you’re not vaccinated, get the shot now).
What’s Going On
This Isaac Chotiner interview with Allen Guelzo, who recently wrote a biography of Robert E. Lee, is completely fascinating.
Great piece from David Frum reminding us that the Russia investigation of Trump was not a hoax.
An oral history from guest stars on Curb Your Enthusiasm … yes, please.
Robert Mann has a few thoughts about Louisiana Senator John Kennedy
Musical Interlude
On Wednesday night I went to see Bob Dylan in concert. The man is 80 years old, and he can still bring it! He mostly performed songs from his 2020 album “Rough and Rowdy Ways.” It’s a fantastic record, and the song “Key West,” which he performed on Wednesday, is my personal favorite.