Although it may be true that ". . . the virus has a limited life . . ," the virus is different from many others like the flu, in that it travels more easily and readily through the air. The so-called 6-foot distancing rule is based on the assumption that the virus is in the form of droplets that generally travel only up to 6 feet before dropping harmlessly to the ground and eventually dying. In fact, more recent research has shown that the Covid-19 virus is so small that it can travel long distances in the air. This is apparently why, even at an outdoor church service, a lot of attendees become infected.
Walking and congregating on the beach, for another example, has become a major risk, as measured by increased positive tests of people engaged in such activities.
Some vaccines are being tested on volunteers as part of phase 3 testing. But a typical phase 3 test also requires control groups, where neither the volunteers nor those administering the vaccine know whether it is a placebo or the real thing. Assuming in the best case that these new vaccines are both safe and effective, it will take a LONG, LONG time before enough people are vaccinated to stop the spread of the virus. By that I mean that even if large numbers are vaccinated beginning in October (the earliest date that large dosage amounts will be available), you would have to see well over 50 percent of an entire population group in a particular region vaccinated before you would see any major effect on the infection rate. That's not going to happen in most places until well into next year. And it depends, of course, on the assumption that these vaccines are safe and actually work.
You want to see something effective? Iceland stopped the spread quickly by testing everybody in the entire country and contact tracing every single individual with a positive test. They did it in a matter of a couple of months, helped by the fact that almost everyone in the country is related and traces their lineage to the original settlers some 900 years ago.
Our testing has been erratic, certainly nowhere near even 50%. Our contact tracing is even worse, almost nonexistent in many areas. Our attitude about the nature of Covid-19 and preventing its spread is so casual and cavalier that what you see happening now, is what we got from this attitude. It will be a long time before air travel gets back even to 80 percent of pre-pandemic levels.
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