EDITORIAL: Vaccines remain the best weapon against virus surge

President Joe Biden told voters on the campaign trail last year that he had “a plan” to contain the coronavirus. More than a year after his 2020 election, the country learned the details.

On Thursday, Mr. Biden addressed fears that the omicron variant could cause a major surge in confirmed coronavirus cases during the winter months. The president harangued the unvaccinated, pointing out that they are putting themselves in unnecessary danger. He also announced that COVID tests would be made available to the public for free and that additional federal testing sites will be created while military medical professionals stand ready to help any overburdened hospitals.

Thankfully, there was no talk of a return to lockdowns, school closures or other draconian measures that probably did more harm than good. The president took great pains to point out that this was “not March of 2020.”

Much is still unknown about the omicron variant, but scientists believe it spreads much easier than previous versions of the disease and may be better at evading vaccine protection. But some evidence indicates it triggers a less severe illness. That could still lead to an increase in serious cases if omicron infects more people.

Yet despite the pessimistic tone of many news reports, some hopeful signs have emerged. Daily confirmed cases have dropped for nearly a week now in South Africa, where the omicron variant was first identified. Deaths and ICU admissions have not spiked, as some feared. “Omicron appears to have peaked in South Africa less than a month after it was first detected,” Metro, the United Kingdom’s largest newspaper, reported this week. Confirmed cases are down 40 percent since omicron was detected.

Here in the United States, ramping up testing and fortifying hospital staffs in hot spots will probably prove useful. But vaccines remain the most promising path forward, and protecting the elderly is still the best way to limit deaths. While breakthrough cases have become more common, they are much more likely to be less severe and manageable.

The most recent numbers from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention indicate that the unvaccinated are 20 more times likely to die from COVID than the vaccinated. That doesn’t mean those who refuse the shots are certain to be overcome by the coronavirus, of course, but it does indicate that they are making an ill-informed decision by treating the vaccine as more risky than the disease.

Politicians have an innate need to look like they’re doing something. But it still boils down to this: If you haven’t already, get the shots. And if you’ve gotten the shots, protect yourself even further with a booster.