Re: [114attendees] [114all] Consultation on COVID management for IETF 115 London

[Personal Sam Smith <[e-mail]>]

> On 16 Aug 2022, at 15:23 , Jeff Haas <[e-mail]> wrote:
> 
> For the most part,
> the same subset of us are aware of what effective mitigations against disease
> spread look like, and are happy with them.
 
Sorry if it is tiresome.
I had hoped that recent changes in CDC policy that reflect new understanding on the ground would be helpful and not tiresome.
I too am tired of those who use mockery and disdain on anyone that disagrees with them or simply bores them. =)

Based on many of the comments in this thread, what counts as "effective mitigations against Covid disease spread " is widely misunderstood.

 For example, for someone who has a severe life-threatening contra-indication to vaccination, a mandatory vaccination policy effectively excludes them from participation. The new guidelines from the CDC now acknowledge those contra-indications which can only be determined at the individual level and those individuals may be better protected using a therapeutic treatment instead of vaccination.

Given that even quadruple-boosted vaccinated individuals can have a breakthrough infection and therefore transmit the disease with comparable titers to someone else who is less vaccinated which breakthrough infection might have minor symptoms or even be asymptomatic (which BTW is one of the problems, i.e. low symptoms but high viral shedding by those who are vaccinated), it seems problematic to assume that such measures are "effective" against the spread of covid disease.  

What the new guidelines do reflect is a recognition that the priority is to protect individuals from severe symptoms, and not from the asymptomatic spreading of the disease. Clearly, symptomatic individuals should self-quarantine. But endemic viruses will spread nonetheless and vaccination no longer counts as an effective measure against the spread, merely one of the ways to reduce symptoms. 

That is why in my original post I asked the question, what is the goal of the IETF policy. Is is to prevent spread? .... or something else.