Covid vaccines have been a mainstay in how we function during a pandemic. While not all age groups statistically show a marked need for vaccination, in the USA, we are rolling them out to most Americans. People over 65 and those who have metabolic syndrome are those most likely to be harmed by the virus. These groups are also highly vaccinated. The vaccine offers protection against severe illness and hospitalization, yet, many Americans after the politicization of the vaccine have still refused to get it. While these conversations continue in a tribal fashion, like many vaccines that offer a less invasive illness to chickenpox and shingles, this vaccine has reduced the impact of the virus and reduced the intensity of the covid illness. While the vaccine is not perfect, this is likely the largest trial ever done with a vaccine internationally. Pfizer's vaccine has been approved for most of us other than children under 5, although they just applied for usage in that group as well. The two-shot regimen for children under 5 is likely to be approved although the results of the trial are less convincing than other trials probably because this group recovers quickly and has little risk even without the vaccine. Moderna's vaccine according to CNN has also been fully approved as well by the FDA. Many more became vaccinated as Omicron came and took over our dinner conversations. Omicron was different as it offered natural protection to other versions of this virus and many people also received booster shots. It is thought that the boosters helped reduce the Omicron wave but truthfully, only 40 percent of the vaccinated public was boosted according to the CDC. Omicron for most was less harmful and more like a common cold. Is it possible that Omicron offers us additional immunity to future versions of the virus ending the pandemic? How do we know these vaccines work. Vox magazine offers two charts on how the vaccines reduced illness in the general population. Check it out below The extraordinary success of Covid-19 vaccines, in two charts Deaths tell one story of the pandemic. The lives saved tell another. By Umair Irfan Jan 27, 2022 There are several ways to look at the Covid-19 pandemic. One is that a cataclysm we weren’t prepared for — worsened by policy mistakes, misinformation, and global inequity — claimed more than 5 million souls and stalled the lives and livelihoods of billions of people around the world. As the pandemic drags into its third year, it’s hard to see it any other way. But another story of the pandemic focuses on its unprecedented scientific achievements: In record time, scientists went from discovering a new virus to unpacking its genome to developing multiple effective ways to prevent and treat it, fueling what may be the largest public health effort in history. The most visible part of the pandemic is what has been lost. Trackers have counted the mounting death toll since 2020, each spike revealing setbacks and missteps. But these numbers can obscure the progress against the disease. To understand the current moment, we need both — the harm done as well as the harm avoided. By studying the number of lives saved and how those deaths were averted, we can decide what to do next. Perhaps, we can even find some hope and optimism amid a stream of misery. Read more