Q: So why can't we just use a vaccine-only strategy where we just keep going like we have been and wait to get vaccinated? That's what the Biden administration is doing now, won't it work?

A: Unfortunately no.

The experts agree: vaccination isn't enough to end the pandemic.
Q: Why aren't vaccines enough to stop the pandemic?

A: There are many reasons including: variants, continued community transmission, unequal distribution inside countries and globally, structural inequality that leads to resurgence, and continued infection after vaccination.
There is absolutely no question that everyone who can get vaccinated should get vaccinated. Along with following all the other precautions this is how you can protect yourself from dying.

But government can do much more to protect everyone than just distributing vaccines.
We must continue: "masking, social distancing, staying home when leaving the house is not essential, avoiding gatherings outside our household, avoiding enclosed spaces, ventilating when possible, washing our hands, and disinfecting high-touch surfaces." https://slate.com/technology/2021/01/covid-pandemic-vaccine-distribution-biden.html
We Cannot Rely Exclusively on Vaccines to End the Pandemic

We are a long way from being able to pop the Champagne and raise a toast to a job well done.

https://slate.com/technology/2021/01/covid-pandemic-vaccine-distribution-biden.html
But: "We can’t vaccinate our way out of this pandemic.

And the myopic focus on achieving herd immunity through mass vaccination may even make it tougher for America — and the world — to defeat Covid-19." https://www.statnews.com/2021/02/10/vaccines-alone-wont-end-pandemic/
Do the math: Vaccines alone won't get us out of this pandemic- STAT

The myopic focus on achieving herd immunity via vaccines may make it tougher for the U.S. — and the world — to defeat Covid-19.

https://www.statnews.com/2021/02/10/vaccines-alone-wont-end-pandemic/
Although we must wear masks to protect ourselves and others, and get vaccinated to protect ourselves and others, this is not enough right now to prevent continued community transmission, infection, Long COVID, hospitalization, and death.

Especially for our high-risk community.
The pandemic causes "disproportionate harm to the most disadvantage groups based on ethnicity, income, long-term illness" and other factors. (Baker and McKee 2021)

And only government can address these structural inequalities by using a pandemic strategy that accounts for them.
A COVID-19 elimination strategy with social support is one proven way to stop community transmission, protect the most vulnerable members of society, re-open schools and business more quickly AND reduce infections, hospitalizations, and deaths.

This is the plan New Zealand used.
A COVID-19 elimination strategy has been proven successful in mainland China, Taiwan, Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos, Mongolia, Singapore, Australia, and New Zealand.

Countries that are "diverse in geography, population size, resources, and styles of government." (Baker and McKee 2021)
It's important to understand that "elimination" doesn't mean "eradication."

A COVID-19 elimination strategy doesn't mean there will be no cases, it means we *aim* for zero cases. We try.

This is why it's often called #ZeroCOVID, or #COVIDZero, or #NoCOVID strategy.
In some countries, though, we haven't even had a discussion about strategy.

This is especially true in the United States where there has been no real attention by the media or the public to the many options our government has for how they respond.

A deadly mistake.
Here is a figure comparing possible pandemic strategies.

From: Baker et al. 2020 "Elimination could be the optimal response strategy for covid-19 and other emerging pandemic diseases" BMJ 2020;371:m4907 https://www.bmj.com/content/371/bmj.m4907
These are strategies for responding to a pandemic based on the goal:

An exclusion or elimination strategy means no community transmission.

A suppression or mitigation strategy means controlled transmission.
China, Taiwan, Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos, Mongolia, Singapore, Australia, and New Zealand have all used an "elimination strategy"

But Canada and the US are using a "suppression" strategy. The US verges into only "mitigation" sometimes as well.
Ever wonder WHY the US has half a million deaths and over 27 million cases of COVID-19?

This is why.

Because Trump decided to use a suppression strategy, and Biden is continuing to use a suppression strategy. Often dropping into a mitigation strategy. https://twitter.com/OmanReagan/status/1360337487076286466
What's important to understand here is that as a country we have chosen a strategy from these options.

You didn't pick it, you didn't even really vote on it because it wasn't part of the primary or general election debate.

Trump and Biden chose a suppression strategy.
However, last year when Biden was running against Trump the people who are now working on his COVID response in the White House did *not* promote a suppression strategy!

They promoted an elimination strategy, like New Zealand. They said elimination was our *only* option.
It's never too late to adopt an elimination strategy in the US, Canada, and other countries.

We can start a #ZeroCOVID strategy any time.

As Biden's Senior Advisor for COVID Response said last year: https://twitter.com/ASlavitt/status/1287524301499965441
A COVID-19 elimination strategy is possible. It's scientific, it's proven to work, and it's being considered by politicians and citizens in other countries right now as the best way to tackle the pandemic during the second year.

It's not a fringe idea, it's mainstream science.
On February 11th an editorial about using the COVID-19 elimination strategy was published in The Lancet Infectious Diseases called "The COVID-19 exit strategy—why we need to aim low." https://twitter.com/OmanReagan/status/1360171505657651203
On January 30th a comment was published in The Lancet titled "The case for No-COVID" that explains proposals in Europe for a COVID-19 elimination strategy right now.

It explains how it could be implemented. https://twitter.com/OmanReagan/status/1359978734523064322
On January 28th an editorial was published in The Guardian titled "All countries should pursue a Covid-19 elimination strategy" providing a list of 16 basic reasons an elimination strategy works and why it should be tried by every country. https://twitter.com/OmanReagan/status/1359621630956249092
A COVID-19 elimination strategy doesn't become unnecessary just because you have vaccines, it becomes even EASIER to implement.

Again listen to Biden's Senior Advisor for COVID Response: https://twitter.com/ASlavitt/status/1287525994513956864
In his thread about why we must use a COVID-19 elimination strategy Biden's Senior Advisor for COVID @aslavitt46 makes the same point that Baker and McKee do in their recent Guardian piece.

Even with vaccines, we still need to try #ZeroCOVID. https://twitter.com/OmanReagan/status/1359622820632752128
We know that the vaccination program in the US, Canada, and around the world is going to take all year in some countries like the US, and many years in other countries if thing continue as they are.

We must ask: Why would we not try to stop preventable deaths right now?
What does Biden's Senior Advisor for COVID think about the elimination strategy?

Here's what @aslavitt46 said last year:

"We will do this.
There is no other way.
The question is when.
The question is who will convince us.
The question is the leadership it takes."

#ZeroCOVID
In the US we've spent a lot of time discussing $2000 checks.

We've said that we need monthly survival checks so people can stay home and stay safe.

Guess what? That's a key part of the #ZeroCOVID strategy.
Last year Dr. Michael Osterholm, now a member of Biden's COVID-19 Advisory Board, made the argument that we needed to shut down and pay people to stay home to stop the pandemic.

Here's his NYT piece on #ZeroCOVID: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/08/07/opinion/coronavirus-lockdown-unemployment-death.html
Opinion | Here’s How to Crush the Virus Until Vaccines Arrive

To save lives, and save the economy, we need another lockdown.

https://www.nytimes.com/2020/08/07/opinion/coronavirus-lockdown-unemployment-death.html
You can follow @OmanReagan.
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