In Waterford, Ireland, a Covid Story That’s Inconveniently True

 

Waterford city, Ireland is fast becoming popular online for these two pictures attached to each other. Waterford is the largest city in the South East of Ireland, famous for its crystal, its ancient status as the first city founded in Ireland, and for its local food, namely a bread called the blaa (true story). It is also my city as I am within 20 minutes of its centre, albeit in a different county.

But Waterford is now becoming popular in an unwanted fashion. Over the last week, these two images have circulated as a reply to the covid vaccine mandaters, Covid vaccine pushers, and pro-Covid vaccine extremists (or fascists if we are honest). The reason is simple enough.

Waterford county and Waterford city have one of the highest take-ups of Covid vaccine in Ireland. So high that it’s above 90%. I think the county rate of Covid vaccine take-up is higher than the city’s which is being possibly conflated in the pictures, but it doesn’t really matter, as numbers are nearly the same.

The vast majority of Waterford people got the shot as a means to get back to normal. Full disclosure, I too got the shot. Not that I wanted to, I had severe doubts about its effectiveness. Nevertheless, I got it due to personal reasons. I don’t judge anyone who has taken it or anyone who has refused or will not. It’s not my place and it’s not my job. I’m not a CNN worker, vaccine denier, or vaccine fascist.

Anyway, something is amiss in Waterford. As one can see with one of the highest uptakes of the vaccine in Ireland, something strange is happening. The Covid rates and cases in Waterford have rapidly gone up. In fact over the last week, Waterford now has more Covid cases than Ireland’s capital city Dublin and its second city Cork, with each having a far higher population. In short, the Covid vaccine, where a huge percentage of the population is vaccinated, has failed to cut the number of Covid cases. Rather the number is now climbing right as winter kicks in. 

This story is now becoming one of the most commonly searched topics in Ireland and I’m sure is being seen abroad. What does this mean? Why is this happening? What does it say about the effect of the vaccine? People are rightly curious. As of now, the fourth estate in Ireland is downplaying or ignoring the story. A common tactic in both the USA and Ireland to inconvenient news. And this is if we are honest; very inconvenient especially to the Joe Bidens of this world. A vaccine that does not seem to reduce Covid numbers in a population where the vast majority are using it raises disturbing questions.

Perhaps risk compensation is involved. That is as so many Waterford people have the shot they are forgetting to do the anti-Covid basics: washing hands, social distancing, and taking risks. Many more people of all ages are congregating in Waterford now that did not do so last October. Perhaps the vaccine has reduced their threat sensors. As a result, they are doing things that lead to numbers rising. Perhaps it’s the new variants. It could also be the vaccine has cut the death rate for Covid (to be fair, it has worked in that regard) and is not designed to fully block Covid, merely turn the virus mild for those who have taken it.

But for many Covid pushers, this shouldn’t be happening. The vaccine is supposed to stop the virus. That’s what the media and many politicians’ narratives have been. That’s why they justify mandating or putting in legal restrictions against the unvaxxed.

Yet Waterford is proving them as ignorant or liars. The honest truth seems that whilst the vaccine is lowering the death rates of Covid across the world but it is not killing the disease. That means Covid is going to stay with us. This isn’t what the Covid masters were insisting for months. They have said it does both.

But Waterford also raises another question. Take out the risk compensation and the relaxed attitude of people here as causes for the spike, or the new Covid variation; we may have to look at the vaccine itself. Have the vaccines affected the increase? I honestly don’t know but it’s time for people to ask that question.

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  1. Matt Bartle Member
    Matt Bartle
    @MattBartle

    Things that make you go, “Hmmm . . . “

    Here’s one attempt to deal with what appears to be the case, that the shots do help on an individual basis but don’t help on larger scales: 

    https://boriquagato.substack.com/p/the-vaccinated-superspread-hypothesis

     

     

    • #1
  2. Percival Thatcher
    Percival
    @Percival

    Paddy! Long time no see. I thought maybe the gypsies had got ya.

    • #2
  3. Arahant Member
    Arahant
    @Arahant

    Paddy S: So does Waterford mean the vaccine has should we say effect issues.

    It just might be doing other than advertised.

    • #3
  4. Paddy S Member
    Paddy S
    @PaddySiochain

    Job hunting alas Percival. Ricochet friends and acquaintances say a prayer for me. Work wise has been difficult. Teaching jobs are rare in Ireland right now

    • #4
  5. Nohaaj Coolidge
    Nohaaj
    @Nohaaj

    Prayers for future employment.

    I am curious, what vaxxes were distributed in Waterford?  Frankly, I don’t think it matters, they all seem to have the same lack of efficacy. 

    Brandon and Saint Fauci will solve this by requiring boosters every six weeks.  

    • #5
  6. Doug Watt Member
    Doug Watt
    @DougWatt

    I’m not a medical expert, or a virologist. It does appear to me that the vaccines for Covid cannot prevent a Covid infection. It appears they can mitigate the symptoms for those that have underlying health problems. There are individuals that can be infected but do not suffer any symptoms.

    The Corona virus appears to be like the common cold virus, and there is no preventative vaccine for the common cold. Perhaps politically mandated vaccine requirements would be better served by acknowledging that Covid vaccines cannot prevent infection. An emphasis on individuals consulting with their doctors based upon their health history, rather than shaming those who choose not to take the vaccine regardless of their health history would better serve the public.  

    • #6
  7. Arahant Member
    Arahant
    @Arahant

    Doug Watt (View Comment):
    An emphasis on individuals consulting with their doctors based upon their health history, rather than shaming those who choose not to take the vaccine regardless of their health history would better serve the public.

    Amen and amen! With my personal and family health history, I don’t even allow anesthesia at the dentist’s office. Have you ever had cavities fixed without anesthesia? I’ve done it three times. I wouldn’t recommend it, but it’s better than dying for a filling. I’ve reacted to medications many, many times, and am not going to trust any I don’t absolutely have to.

    • #7
  8. MarciN Member
    MarciN
    @MarciN

    Doug Watt (View Comment):
    An emphasis on individuals consulting with their doctors based upon their health history, rather than shaming those who choose not to take the vaccine regardless of their health history would better serve the public.  

    This is so obviously missing from this entire pandemic vaccine story. It’s been very frustrating to me. 

    There were no doctors in between the general public and the vaccines the government was distributing. I understand why they did that, but they should have stopped there with just vaccinating those who wanted to try it, and then do their best to track the health of those patients through maintaining some type of follow-up contact with them. 

    It’s interesting how eager the government was to try the vaccine hail Mary pass but not the Ivermectin. 

     

    • #8
  9. Jim McConnell Member
    Jim McConnell
    @JimMcConnell

    Percival (View Comment):

    Paddy! Long time no see. I thought maybe the gypsies had got ya.

    I’m sorry, but we are no longer allowed to use the term “gypsies.” I believe the currently preferred term is “travelers.” (I may be mistaken, it’s been a couple of days since I checked the Glossary of Approved Terms.)

    • #9
  10. Michael Collins Member
    Michael Collins
    @MichaelCollins

    Could this be the Epsilon variant?????

     

    • #10
  11. Nohaaj Coolidge
    Nohaaj
    @Nohaaj

    Arahant (View Comment):
    Have you ever had cavities fixed without anesthesia?

    Pre-fluoridated water, all of my molars will drilled and filled as a youngin, all sans any numbing device.  The evil man at the time known as a dentist, would say, “when it gets too painful, squeeze my arm, and I’ll stop for second.  but know I have to continue so you should let me get it all done at once…”  

    • #11
  12. Nohaaj Coolidge
    Nohaaj
    @Nohaaj

    Doug Watt (View Comment):
    would better serve the public.  

    Doug, with all due respect, this pandemic induced power grab has NEVER been about “better serving the public”.   “C’mon Man, wear a face diaper and get the jab!,  I’m losing patience with you!” Premier Xiden 

    Let’s Go Brandon! 

    • #12
  13. DonG (CAGW is a hoax) Coolidge
    DonG (CAGW is a hoax)
    @DonG

    https://citizenfreepress.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/Waterford.jpg

    • #13
  14. DonG (CAGW is a hoax) Coolidge
    DonG (CAGW is a hoax)
    @DonG

    I think in the USA we use daily incidence of cases per 100,000 instead of weekly per 100,000.

    Image

    • #14
  15. The Reticulator Member
    The Reticulator
    @TheReticulator

    Paddy S: The covid vaccine is supposed to stop the covid virus. Thats what the media and many politicians narratives have been saying. Yet Waterford is proving them as false, ignorant or liars. So does Waterford mean the vaccine has should we say effect issues. Its time to ask that question people.

    Ever since I first learned about the vaccine, I didn’t expect the vaccine to stop the virus in its tracks. I expected it to give my body a good chance at fighting it. If it doesn’t succeed in stopping it in the upper respiratory system, it will have activated my body’s forces to stop it from the lungs, where it’s much more dangerous.

    It’s disappointing that more vaccinated people aren’t doing well enough to stop it in the upper respiratory system, because without that, the vaccines aren’t doing much to stop the spread.  But the rest of the story about about vaccine efficacy is about whether they are still stopping severe covid and death.  Are they still doing that?

    I’m all in favor of the vaccines, and wish more people, at least in some demographic groups, would get vaccinated.  And some people should not.

    But the data you did present show us the idiocy of vaccine mandates on airlines, in workplaces, schools, etc.  The real objective should be saving lives and stopping the spread. It should be more important for airlines to know if its passengers are immune than whether they are vaccinated, which is not the only way to get immunity.  But even more important than immunity is infectiousness.  Are people infectious?  Then they should stay away from other people for a few days. If rapid antigen testing were more widely available, people could get tested or test themselves, and could also know when they are no longer infectious.  Any self-quarantining could be done much more efficiently without taking people out of circulation for long periods.

    I learned the other day that in Germany, rapid antigen tests are now available for the equivalent of $1 a test.  Here in the U.S., the least expensive test is a little over $10 a test.   Biden’s recent pronouncement about rapid tests isn’t going to do anything to change that. 

     

    • #15
  16. The Reticulator Member
    The Reticulator
    @TheReticulator

    Arahant (View Comment):

    Doug Watt (View Comment):
    An emphasis on individuals consulting with their doctors based upon their health history, rather than shaming those who choose not to take the vaccine regardless of their health history would better serve the public.

    Amen and amen! With my personal and family health history, I don’t even allow anesthesia at the dentist’s office. Have you ever had cavities fixed without anesthesia? I’ve done it three times. I wouldn’t recommend it, but it’s better than dying for a filling. I’ve reacted to medications many, many times, and am not going to trust any I don’t absolutely have to.

    When I was young I was often able to talk dentists into doing my fillings without anesthesia. If they knew they were getting into a nerve, they would insist on the anesthesia, which I wanted in those cases.  I hated the anesthesia more than the pain, so long as it wasn’t too severe.  I still ask if I really need to be given anesthesia for every little thing, such as putting a crown on.  I’ve had dentists say, “No, we don’t need to use anesthesia for that.” That last one who said that before he put the needle away was a Sikh. I don’t know if that had anything to do with it.

    I’ve had several adventures with anesthesia in operating rooms. It seems anesthesiologists have had a lot of trouble getting the dose right for me. But my last surgery, just about 20 years ago… Well, no, I had an unhappy adventure with anesthesia that time, too.   It was something different each time.   I understand the work and tools of anesthesiologists are much improved in recent years, but I’d prefer not to have to put it to the test. 

     

     

    • #16
  17. Flicker Coolidge
    Flicker
    @Flicker

    My understanding has been that neither vaccines nor boosters are tailored to prevent the delta variant.

    • #17
  18. The Reticulator Member
    The Reticulator
    @TheReticulator

    Flicker (View Comment):

    My understanding has been that neither vaccines nor boosters are tailored to prevent the delta variant.

    They aren’t, but that’s not the problem. Tailoring them for Delta wouldn’t make much difference. A little, maybe.

    • #18
  19. The Reticulator Member
    The Reticulator
    @TheReticulator

    The Reticulator (View Comment):

    Flicker (View Comment):

    My understanding has been that neither vaccines nor boosters are tailored to prevent the delta variant.

    They aren’t, but that’s not the problem. Tailoring them for Delta wouldn’t make much difference. A little, maybe.

    When my wife said she would get the booster when it’s available, I said I was planning to hold out for one tailored for the variants. But then I learned that it doesn’t really make much difference, so I went ahead and got my booster with her. There are companies working on boosters more tailored for a range of variants, but whether it’s worth their while to go through all the testing, etc. is not so certain. We’ll see, I guess.

    • #19
  20. Flicker Coolidge
    Flicker
    @Flicker

    The Reticulator (View Comment):

    The Reticulator (View Comment):

    Flicker (View Comment):

    My understanding has been that neither vaccines nor boosters are tailored to prevent the delta variant.

    They aren’t, but that’s not the problem. Tailoring them for Delta wouldn’t make much difference. A little, maybe.

    When my wife said she would get the booster when it’s available, I said I was planning to hold out for one tailored for the variants. But then I learned that it doesn’t really make much difference, so I went ahead and got my booster with her. There are companies working on boosters more tailored for a range of variants, but whether it’s worth their while to go through all the testing, etc. is not so certain. We’ll see, I guess.

    But I heard that the delta variant was side-stepping the vaccines, and that’s why it’s so prevalent.

    • #20
  21. The Reticulator Member
    The Reticulator
    @TheReticulator

    Flicker (View Comment):

    The Reticulator (View Comment):

    The Reticulator (View Comment):

    Flicker (View Comment):

    My understanding has been that neither vaccines nor boosters are tailored to prevent the delta variant.

    They aren’t, but that’s not the problem. Tailoring them for Delta wouldn’t make much difference. A little, maybe.

    When my wife said she would get the booster when it’s available, I said I was planning to hold out for one tailored for the variants. But then I learned that it doesn’t really make much difference, so I went ahead and got my booster with her. There are companies working on boosters more tailored for a range of variants, but whether it’s worth their while to go through all the testing, etc. is not so certain. We’ll see, I guess.

    But I heard that the delta variant was side-stepping the vaccines, and that’s why it’s so prevalent.

    A little, maybe, but not very much. It’s mostly that it reproduces more and faster than the antibodies can dispose of them (until the b-cells get a larger force of antibodies produced).  It’s not that the antibodies induced by immunity don’t recognize it as something to dispose of. 

    • #21
  22. Doctor Robert Member
    Doctor Robert
    @DoctorRobert

    What is a “case”?  

    • #22
  23. Arahant Member
    Arahant
    @Arahant

    Doctor Robert (View Comment):

    What is a “case”?

    It’s what you put your oboe in, but that’s not important right now. 😄

    • #23
  24. Full Size Tabby Member
    Full Size Tabby
    @FullSizeTabby

    Doctor Robert (View Comment):

    What is a “case”?

    Testing for the presence of a virus in a place outside where the body’s defensive systems can work on it is not a reasonable measure of how the body’s defensive systems are working (vaccine enhanced or not). I have heard some complaints that some of the Covid tests take samples from parts of the body that are outside the body’s defense mechanisms. (I don’t know enough to know if that is true.) Also I can’t get too excited about upending our entire way of life for “cases” that people don’t notice (asymptomatic) or that at most cause them to feel kinda yucky for a few days. 

    I have never trusted the Covid numbers, but have believed them even less since the fear-mongers switched the emphasis from deaths to “cases.”

    • #24
  25. The Reticulator Member
    The Reticulator
    @TheReticulator

    Full Size Tabby (View Comment):
    Testing for the presence of a virus in a place outside where the body’s defensive systems can work on it is not a reasonable measure of how the body’s defensive systems are working (vaccine enhanced or not). I have heard some complaints that some of the Covid tests take samples from parts of the body that are outside the body’s defense mechanisms. (I don’t know enough to know if that is true.)

    Some tests are done in the nose, which is where the body’s defensive forces need to defend against the invasion while the rest of the body is gearing up (via b-cells). The upper respiratory tract is the first line of defense. It’s also a good place to determine whether a person is infectious, as that’s where the virus shedding takes place.

    Other tests (of blood or lymph nodes) can give a better picture of how other parts of the immune system are doing, but those are more invasive and expensive, and therefore not practical for use on such a large scale. 

     

    • #25
  26. Jim McConnell Member
    Jim McConnell
    @JimMcConnell

    The Reticulator (View Comment):

    Arahant (View Comment):

    Doug Watt (View Comment):
    An emphasis on individuals consulting with their doctors based upon their health history, rather than shaming those who choose not to take the vaccine regardless of their health history would better serve the public.

    Amen and amen! With my personal and family health history, I don’t even allow anesthesia at the dentist’s office. Have you ever had cavities fixed without anesthesia? I’ve done it three times. I wouldn’t recommend it, but it’s better than dying for a filling. I’ve reacted to medications many, many times, and am not going to trust any I don’t absolutely have to.

    When I was young I was often able to talk dentists into doing my fillings without anesthesia. If they knew they were getting into a nerve, they would insist on the anesthesia, which I wanted in those cases. I hated the anesthesia more than the pain, so long as it wasn’t too severe. I still ask if I really need to be given anesthesia for every little thing, such as putting a crown on. I’ve had dentists say, “No, we don’t need to use anesthesia for that.” That last one who said that before he put the needle away was a Sikh. I don’t know if that had anything to do with it.

    I’ve had several adventures with anesthesia in operating rooms. It seems anesthesiologists have had a lot of trouble getting the dose right for me. But my last surgery, just about 20 years ago… Well, no, I had an unhappy adventure with anesthesia that time, too. It was something different each time. I understand the work and tools of anesthesiologists are much improved in recent years, but I’d prefer not to have to put it to the test.

     

     

    I, too, have had issues with anesthesia. I’ve had to be resuscitated on two different occasions. Since then, I always have a talk with the anesthesiologist before a surgery (or I opt for a local anesthetic instead). I’ve had a couple of eye surgeries with locals — no fun.

    • #26
  27. Gumby Mark (R-Meth Lab of Democracy) Coolidge
    Gumby Mark (R-Meth Lab of Democracy)
    @GumbyMark

    The data from Ireland makes for a good argument that the worst impacts of covid are blunted by the vaccine and it is time for the restrictions to be phased out. 

    Looking at the 7-day averages throughout covid for Ireland show data consistent with other countries with high vaccination rates.  The vaccine has some impact on limiting infection but its main value is reducing hospitalizations and deaths.

    At the peak of the January 2021 surge, Ireland’s 7 day case average was 6,363 a day with about 52 deaths.  At its low at the beginning of July (post-vac) it was 370 a day with 2 deaths.  Since mid-August the 7-day average has been around 1,600 a day (a 4.3X increase since July) but the average for deaths is still only at 4.

    You’re right.  We won’t get to zero covid anywhere.  Time to start getting back to normal.

    • #27
  28. Old Bathos Member
    Old Bathos
    @OldBathos

    Michael Collins (View Comment):

    Could this be the Epsilon variant?????

     

    Epsilon is a dud. Beta was so-so. Lambda was only big in Peru. I am aware of a few dozen variants that have been tracked with cases numbers but apparently there are thousands more out there. I don’t see a new one really taking over for Delta anywhere but who knows what is ready to pop in some Fauci-funded commie lab somewhere.

    • #28
  29. Old Bathos Member
    Old Bathos
    @OldBathos

    Excerpt from Irish article reflecting that Irish public health experts like their American counterparts are really slow learners:

    While the data indicates a troubling scenario, ESRI Behavioural Scientist Pete Lunn has suggested that non-compliance with basic Public Health measures is contributing to Covid-19′s rise. 

    Lunn said that people could become increasingly frustrated that certain people are not vaccinated and that the vaccine may be the only effective tool left against Covid-19. 

    “The question is – what have we got left in our arsenal?” Lunn said. 

    “I don’t know the answer to that but I’m just raising it as an issue. You have to ask yourself that question – what weapons do we have left?

    “It may just change the argument a bit.”

     

    You never had anything in the arsenal, dummy. None of this stuff worked. None of it was ever gonna work. It’s not working now. COVID’s out there. You have no clue how it spreads or why it seems to break out in waves. You don’t know why the waves recede long before herd immunity numbers accrue.  Just admit it. Go away. Let us live our lives, you fascist clown.

    • #29
  30. Roderic Coolidge
    Roderic
    @rhfabian

    Paddy S: . In short, the Covid vaccine, where a huge percentage of the population is vaccinated, has failed to cut the number of Covid cases. Rather the number is now climbing right as winter kicks in. 

    Currently there are about a thousand new cases of COVID daily in Ireland, so we are dealing with small numbers when looking at it city by city. 

    So that Waterford has seen an increase in cases or that it exceeds that of Dublin doesn’t necessarily mean much.  

    There is no question that the vaccines are effective.  They cut the chance of getting COVID by more than 90%, and, if you get it, they cut the chances of getting severe disease and dying by a huge amount as well.  

    Note that 95% protection with vaccination does not mean that no vaccinated people will catch it.    It improves your odds, but it doesn’t take your chips out of the game.

    • #30
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