COVID-19: 5 Knowns and 6 Unknowns

Created August 2021

THE MESSIEST PHASE OF THE PANDEMIC YET The Atlantic

Table of Contents

The Knowns

  • 1. The vaccines work very well to reduce the likelihood of an individual being hospitalized or dying from COVID-19.

  • 2. Even high levels of vaccination in local regions are not enough to prevent the spread of the Delta variant.

  • 3. There is still a lot of randomness to where the worst outbreaks occur.

  • 4. Kids remain at the lowest risk of any group for hospitalization and death.

    • And kids are at higher risk of hospitalization now than ever before in the pandemic.

  • 5. Vaccinated people can be infected with and transmit the virus.

The Unknowns

  • 1. How many people have had COVID-19?

    • That is, how many people have some immunity, from vaccination or prior infection?

  • 2. How well do the vaccines work to prevent infection?

  • 3. Why have so many more people been hospitalized in the United States than in the United Kingdom?

  • 4. What percentage of infections are we confirming as “cases”?

  • 5. How many people will die?

  • 6. What are the risks of long COVID?

Uknowns not mentioned include:

  1. What is difference in % of asymptomtic cases betwen vaccinated, unvaccinated, and those with previous infection?

  2. How quickly does the effecitveness decrease if there had been only 2 weeks between jabs

  3. Is there any science behind the idea of giving everyone a booster shot?

  4. Why are low-cost ways proven to reduce COVID-19 being actively rejected in many countries?

    • Such as vitamin D and ivermectin

  5. Is there any possibiliity of achieving herd immunity for the entire world?

Tags: Virus