Originally Posted by
StudentInDebt
what about the people who spend weeks in ICU units, go on to develop long-COVID or die?
Well the vast, vast majority of people in ICUs are unvaccinated.
We’ve now reached a point where Australia’s high vaccination levels will mostly keep ICUs from overflowing. Every leader is now pretty much abandoning those who’ve chosen to not take a vaccine. And Australia has, through want of getting out of lockdowns or mandates, one of the highest vaxxed adult populations.
Those who die of Covid are now matching standard excess mortality, which means they’re not causing a massive increase in death. Check out this graph of UK excess mortality for instance:
Excess Mortality in England
Spikes around early 2020 and winter 20/21 but now more in line with expected numbers. Basically the populations vulnerable to influenza now the ones vulnerable to Covid (so make sure they’re vaccinated and avoid contact if contagious please).
The prevalence of long Covid after vaccination is still unknown, however it’s probably safe to say you’re less likely to get symptoms, the symptoms will probably be mild, and the time they persist for measured in weeks rather than months. Here’s a good article to read:
Do vaccines reduce your risk of long COVID? Here's what we know so far - ABC News