Well, as I'm half South African and lived half my life in that country (and I've just returned to Europe from there 3 months) ago, I find it difficult to believe that almost half the world's population has been vaccinated. Not from where I am standing.
Could you give me a source for that? Thanks.
Next, I knew from January last year that it was the big one. Been waiting for it for years. And, yes, it could have been eliminated. Again, it depends on what economic price one wants to pay, whether one wants to eliminate capitalism, put into effect a system whereby people are more isolated and we exist in smaller communities that are isolated from each other. International travel would have to stop for quite a long time.
So, yes, it does depend on economics. If one completely and utterly prevented people from infecting each other, the virus would die.
But, of course, nobody has ever been willing to pay that price - least of all right at the beginning when politicians were hoping that they could waffle their way through - the way they usuall do.
I never expected the vaccine to work after a year. I thought it pretty much impossible, so I'm truly impressed that we've come this far.
And I think the virus is here to stay. There's not a hope in hell that people in the third world are going to be sufficiently vaccinated to prevent constant reinfections. And, certainly, the virus could grow weaker in time (as some have said, historically pandemics have lasted two or three years), but I don't think this is going to be the case.
