One of the most interesting things about this pandemic is that there are many things we do not know. Really there are lots. For example, at this point we really do not now when we will have a vaccine, if it will work, what harms it may cause, how much will be available, how it will be administered, and the is goes on. Perhaps some Government entity has a plan written by some consultant hidden in some safe, but clearly we do not know. There is a long CDC proposal just released but it leaves everything to the States. Are they prepared. Also note timing dates are missing.
Furthermore, and this is critical, we do not really know how it is transmitted. The assumption is by an aerosol, that enters the mouth or nose. But then again it may equally enter the eyes, or via the hands, or even in one's hair. How long are those aerosols aflight? We really do not know despite the baseless assertion by academics.
Finally we really do not know the environmental factors such as temperature, open versus closed, humidity, etc which may affect the viral spread.
The above, at least, have not been presented by any Government entity. Just try reading the CDC web site. Egyptian tombs are easier to decipher.
Now the NY Times reports about a presentation by one of our Government types noting:
At his Senate hearing, Dr. Redfield said vaccines may be available in November or December, but only a “very limited supply” at first that would go initially to health care workers and the most vulnerable Americans. Such a vaccine, he said, would not be widely distributed until next summer or later, echoing recent comments by Dr. Anthony S. Fauci, the government’s top infectious disease specialist. “If you are asking me when is it going to be generally available to the American public so we can begin to take advantage of vaccine to get back to our regular life, I think we are probably looking at third — late second quarter, third quarter 2021,” Dr. Redfield told the senators. He also called masks “the most important, powerful public health tool we have” in fighting the pandemic, adding that universal use of face coverings could bring the pandemic under control in months. “I might even go so far as to say that this face mask is more guaranteed to protect me against Covid than when I take a Covid vaccine,” Dr. Redfield said. Vaccines are not 100 percent effective, whereas masks, worn properly, do what they are designed to do.
First, the "very limited supply" statement seems baseless since no vaccine has finished a trial. Second, the issue of widely distributed is open to question since we have not seen the "Plan", if any exists. Now to the mask statement. There are masks and there are masks. There is no Government standard and one would suspect that the good Doctor would have generated one. (Note there are suggestions and when one purchases a mask one has no idea if it meets the suggestions) Are all masks equally good? What of those 30% of the people who wear a mask with the nose fully exposed? If it is a good mask what good is it if the main entry point is exposed? Now the good Doctor says the mask is a guarantee against the virus. Amazing. What of the cashier who touches everything then scratches her nose under the mask?
To make the statement that something guarantees something is a risky remark. In fact in my opinion it is both baseless and reckless. We do not have a vaccine yet and thus we cannot state what its efficacy rate is. One would hope Galen is not turning over in his grave to the assertions of these physicians.
The Government seems like a bumbling set of comedy actors. Perhaps there is a vaccine plan, perhaps there is a "standard" a mask must meet, perhaps there is data on transmission that is generally accepted. Unfortunately there are just too many perhaps and no true facts. I just don't know is a better answer.
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