US childhood vaccination rates continue to drop. 95% → ~92%: Small numbers, big implications for public health 💉
(source New York Times @nytimes)
US childhood vaccination rates continue to drop. 95% → ~92%: Small numbers, big implications for public health 💉
(source New York Times @nytimes)
We should stop quoting the vaccinated rate and start quoting the unvaccinated rate.
As in, the proportion of children unvaccinated has nearly doubled*, from 5% to 8%! Shock horror alarm.
*In journalistic terms it's sort of ok to describe 8 as nearly twice 5.
Actually to be properly nerdy we should quote the odds ratio. Going from 5% to 8% is a 60% change in the unvaccinated rate (accurately, without journalistic hyperbole).
But it works out to a 65% change in the odds of being unvaccinated (8:92 versus 5:95).
No one calls or 60% or 65% a small change.