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Comment by ahmedalsudani | Hacker News Reader

There is plenty of evidence that the first shot reduces the risk of the worst symptoms quite significantly.

> reduces the risk of the worst symptoms quite significantly.

Right, reduces, but the full dose is needed to render the virus mostly harmless. My partner's coworker has Covid and one does of the vaccine, they are still severely ill.

Do you happen to know roughly how long after getting vaccinated they caught covid?

It takes ~14 days after the first dose to get the ~80-90% protection (Pfizer/Moderna).

Unfortunately, I think this is not true for the latest mutations that appeared within the last months (e.g. B.1.1.7 from the UK).

Please correct me in case you have different information

First of all, when we read or hear about severe illnesses due to COVID in the news and articles, what they mean is hospitalization, ICU, and death. Are your coworkers in the hospital? If so, my thoughts and prayers go to them. I hope they make it.

Second of all, the choice was never between giving two doses to 16 million people (as of today) or giving one dose to 16 million people. The choice was giving two doses to 8 million people or one dose to 16 million people. The total death toll from the pandemic would be lower the sooner we get to the point of herd immunity. Giving everyone one dose gets us there sooner and ultimately saves lives.

FWIW, in the United States, it isn't clear we are ever going to herd immunity... like we are at the point where the New York Times is just reporting on the idea that we've lost that battle. So I can feel sympathy for the strategy of getting our essential workers and old people--at lease the ones willing to take a vaccine--double-doses before moving on to people who are less likely do die from the disease.

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