Originally Posted by
SHVC
Chill out bro. As you pointed out, NZ eliminated it 6 times so they have not eliminated it because it’s come back 6 times. Maybe they have just stopped waves of it like NSW. Point is you will never eliminate this virus even with the vaccine.
I am chill, however, NZ has eliminated it.
But the world will not eradicate it.
As the epidemiologists keep saying elimination is not a point in time, but a continual process of outbreaks, crushing them and moving on.
We can eliminate it as we have done with things like typhoid and to an extent measles. The diseases are still out there, won’t be going away in a hurry, but it does not run rampant and out of control. It is a very easy process, vaccine is one step, more effective treatments are the next step. Until these two methods are widespread, social methods of control are the only guaranteed way to continue elimination.
Australia has eliminated the virus, evidence of lockdowns going on in states and the zero tolerance attitude for rampant disease spread is elimination. Each state may use the social tools available at its disposal and vary between states how they are used, but all methods witnessed across all states of Australia are an elimination process.
The world has only eradicated smallpox and it took a very very long time and a multi-national response of elimination in each country.
It may appear to be semantics; elimination vs eradication but both have very different outcomes, although as individual countries work towards elimination, eventually we will reach eradication, if it’s possible.