I wonder if those hospitalizations are among vaccinated or unvaxxed people...or what the split is. Other than very small kids, at this point, if someone is unwilling to be vaccinated, then I think they have to live with the risk of severe consequences. Well, and immunocompromised, but they have to worry about any illness, not just covid. I have very little sympathy for people who get sick because they believe covid is a hoax.
Now, if the majority if the hospitalizations are among vaccinated people, that's a very different story, and one that needs to be addressed by everyone.
The majority of our hospitalized patients have been under- or not vaccinated, or have had other factors that increase their risk. Of course, vaccines don't confer perfect immunity, so there would be hospitalized patients even if 100% of the population were fully vaccinated.
Millions of people are following a similar thought process about COVID-19: It's nearly unavoidable unless I isolate completely, which is untenable for most; if I'm vaccinated, my symptoms will probably be mild, or perhaps like a bout of influenza, which I've had before and lived through; wearing a mask for the indefinite future is too much of an inconvenience and/or has its own downside.
That's understandable, especially when there's no shortage of examples of people enjoying themselves in places like movie theaters, restaurants, and bars. Then, too, we see folks at the highest levels of government in close proximity to other people, all unmasked. They all seem to be doing alright, so what's the problem?
Unfortunately, this calculus ignores the problem of long COVID. As many as 10 - 30% of people who have mild or moderate COVID-19 have persistent symptoms 3 - 4 months (the WHO and CDC definitions are different) after their acute infection. Some estimates are even higher, though it's hard to tell because of self-reporting. The most common symptoms are fatigue and cognitive impairment, also called "brain fog," and they can be extremely debilitating. Women are affected more often than men, and the adverse effects seem to be most problematic in 30 - 50-year-old people. Vaccination reduces, but doesn't eliminate, the risk. There are also patients who experience symptoms long after having recovered completely from COVID-19. They also represent a form of long COVID, and the symptoms can affect any organ system.
There is much active research on this, though it should be funded to a much greater extent. This includes determining the underlying cause(s), which may include persistent inflammation or an immune reaction to viral remnants. I think we'll know much more over the next year. As well, preventive measures such as intranasal vaccines are actively being tested, and I'm sure there will be better treatments than Paxlovid, which may help with long COVID.
While all this is happening, I'm still wearing high-quality masks when I'm indoors. I've worn masks my entire professional life, and I don't find them too much of a burden. Would I like to not have to wear them as much as I am now? Sure, but for the time being, I'm trying to be reasonably cautious. I've heard the argument that immunocompromised and other vulnerable individuals should just stay home and can mask in public, but I believe I'm protecting them if I'm unknowingly infected (which happens far more often than people are aware).
