Despite high vax rates, Europe sees new highs in Covid cases

[BigmanPigman]

"Vaccinated, Recovered or Dead’: Europe Fights Covid Wave — and Itself"

https://www.nytimes.com/2021/11/22/world/europe/covid-europe-surge-protests.html

"Europe is again at the center of the pandemic, and amid vaccine resistance and protests, nations are imposing new rules and pressuring people to get inoculated."

"About 68 percent of Germans and 66 percent of Austrians have been fully vaccinated against Covid-19, and hospitals are mostly filled with those who have not been vaccinated at all. Early in the pandemic, scientists thought 70 to 80 percent vaccination might be enough for a population to reach “herd immunity.” But the virus is now so widespread, with new variants arising and some vaccinated people suffering “breakthrough” infections, that many experts say herd immunity is unattainable."

"Belgium is highly vaccinated, at 75 percent, but a rise in cases has caused the government to impose tighter restrictions, including more working from home and wider mandatory mask wearing. That prompted a protest in Brussels on Sunday of an estimated 35,000 people near the European Union headquarters. Some protesters threw stones and set fires, the police made more than 40 arrests, and three officers were hurt."

“Immunity will be reached,” Mr. Spahn said at a Berlin news conference. “The question is whether it’s via vaccination or infection, and we explicitly recommend the path via vaccination.”