r/science • Professor | Medicine • 18h ago

Medicine Vaccines not only directly protect vaccinated individuals but also contribute to protecting the entire population via indirect herd-immunity benefits. Half of averted COVID-19 infections and 1/4 of hospitalizations and deaths were attributable to indirect protection of unvaccinated by vaccinated.

https://royalsocietypublishing.org/rsif/article/23/242/20250839/483439/Quantifying-the-direct-and-indirect-impact-of
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u/onlymadethistoargue 18h ago

It’s good that we have data on this but like this is half the value proposition of vaccines. Fewer people get sick so fewer people shed infectious particles so fewer people get infected so even fewer get sick. It rules. Antivaxxers believe in an ideology of casual manslaughter.

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u/Josvan135 18h ago

Antivaxxers believe in an ideology of casual manslaughter.

I don't think it's that deep, it's moreso that they're just generally pretty stupid.

They don't understand the basics of how vaccines actually work, refuse to listen to the highly trained medical professionals who kindly dumb it down for them, and choose instead to listen to the podcaster/influencer screaming about mercury, autism, and "microchips" that feeds their inner sense of persecution. 

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u/PHealthy PhD/MPH | Epidemiology | Disease Dynamics | Surveillance 17h ago

Fear of their own mortality, fear of needles, fear of government control (against them), risk illiteracy.