Senate Pandemics in the Age of Globalization: Coronavirus (COVID-19) Discussion: See OP Warning

My university continues to slowly open up. We used to have to wear masks indoors but now it’s only in class or meetings. And that’s basically the only rule.

I am not optimistic about there not being a surge, but I’ll add you to the pile of hope I am building that there won’t be @jcgoble3

 

Good Luck with the interview @jcgoble3 Just remember you can take pictures outdoors afterwards, even if it's cold and your wearing a coat, it's still your graduation day and the photo still counts. Also you are graduating into a very good job market, ask us older folks how many of us would trade in some in person events to get that? I know I'd what I'd say, but I really don't count since my entire family consists of 4 people. Honestly, I hope you get the best graduation, but look for the positives if you have to.

We are closing in on some of the younger kids getting their shots, including my youngest and I'm not as excited as I thought I would be. I think I've just grown used to this mess.

I've gone back to the gym again, yo covid isn't a thing anymore. Gym is crowded, everyone sweating all over each other. The only thing missing is towel service, I wonder if they will ever bring that back. And the rates continue to go down here, even with everyone sweating all over each other at the gym, no masks. Vaccines work, because I heard it on the news that the most cases right no in VA are being diagnosed in kids...who can't get vaccines Which brings back to the weirdness of me not being excited for my son. I think I'm just numb at this point or afraid to get excited and let down.

 

So our daughter's nursery started politely asking parents to wear masks again when dropping children off/picking them up, because "cases are going up". *sigh* It really makes no sense anymore, because:

1. Drop off/pick up happens outside, 1 child at a time.
2. All the staff are fully vaccinated.
3. Presumably all parents (or at least a vast majority of them) are fully vaccinated.
4. And most importantly: The children all mingle inside anyway (within their age groups). Neither they nor the staff wear masks inside (and rightly so).

What's the point of wearing masks outside when picking them up? None whatsoever. At this point it's a purely performative exercise. If a transmission occurs, it will occur inside where there's no masks and no distancing. Wearing masks outside for those 5 minutes while picking a child up/dropping the off won't make a blind bit of difference.

*sigh*

 

Is it possible the outside mask rule was put in place for an inside problem, but the outside rule was the most effective way to prevent a few bad apples from breaking an inside rule?

 

Not sure what you mean by "inside problem".

 

Wow. We've been wearing masks, and only one parent for drop/pick up all along at our son's daycare. They did just separate preschool back into the normal age specific classrooms. So my son isn't hanging out with 4 year olds, lol. And the numbers in Boston/MA haven't really gone up, which probably has something to do with that.

Can't tell if everyone there is vaxed. I think most are. There's one or two that might be Trumpers, I'm not sure.

 

From the president of the Victorian branch of the Australian Medical Association:

https://www.theguardian.com/austral...-health-system-and-let-nature-take-its-course

 

@Mar17swgirl There has been some insistences where transmission happened outside but you are correct in that circumstance it is not really necessary. I think it could be where they want to follow best practices and have it be universal. At school masks have to be on at all times unless you are eating regardless where you are. Even if a student is sitting on their own someplace inside their mask is supposed to be on. Some schools have been a bit more looser in those situations which has bleed into situations where students should clearly be wearing masks but refuse since they were allowed before to not have it on if they were sitting alone. Having it just be a universal rule regardless of situation makes it easier to keep masks up IMHO when it's needed then to have different rules for different situations.

Here apparently is a guide to mix and matching booster shots:



She clarifies later in the thread that three doses of Pfizer is also very good.

 

*headdesk*

 

I see he’s been watching the end of Spaceballs.

Not sure if this belongs in pandemic thread or Forceboat JC games but:

https://www.razer.com/campaigns/road-to-zephyr

Razer Zephyr N95 respirator goes live in about an hour. Going to try to get one for myself and if it works well/fits comfortably maybe one for the wife since we both have nonstop contact with people off the streets.

 

Pfizer is apparently 90% effective in 5-11 year olds

 

DeSantis' quack Surgeon General made a speech cementing his strong anti-vax beliefs, attacking other doctors and scientists, and praising DeSantis' work (despite DeSantis... encouraging people to get vaccinated?). And his speech was laden with Trump's favorite tactic - anonymous anecdotes where obviously fictional people come up to him personally to tell him stories about the horrors of 'forced injections'.
Don't be too surprised to find out that he also was a signatory to a group of conservative medical professionals that believes the best way to deal with the pandemic is 'herd immunity' i.e 'do nothing, let people die'.

 

@Jedi Knight Fett And to add on, Pfizer is showing 95.6% efficacy rate in it's booster shot:

https://www.cnn.com/2021/10/21/health/pfizer-booster-dose-efficacy-wellness-bn/index.html

That does fit into lab tests which really showed promise that it have a stronger and hopefully longer high efficacy against COVID. This on top of the CDC Report that showed even before the booster that it only 1% of COVID deaths were from fully vaccinated individuals over the past several months:

https://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/covid-19/health-departments/breakthrough-cases.html

But naturally FNC and the antivaxxers will roll out their insanity. Again I truly think we are heading into two societies one where most people will see cancer as something you just live with and move while others will die from the equivalent of using leeches to suck their blood out.

@blackmyron It's like Ron Flipkowski said. The Florida Surgeon General is a paid political operative giving political statements that are 1000000% scientific inaccurate that non even other MAGA State Surgeon Generals are saying. Maybe some of them are pushing for mandates but all of them are saying everyone should get vaccine. This goon is giving Tucker Carlson talking points. Medical boards are looking at pulling medical licenses of quack doctors. My guess is though even if did DeSantis would make sure he stayed on even without a medical license and even if he took away his doctorate. I guess DeSantis is more worried about making sure he has Trump's hand movements down then keeping his citizens safe.

 

My first vaccine dose was J&J so, per recommendations, I scheduled a Pfizer booster for tomorrow. I still feel very uncomfortable with this whole arrangement as the entire continent of Africa is only about 3% vaccinated, but what can I do, send my dose to Sudan? Pharmaceutical companies and the vaccine apartheid caused by their hunger for profit are disgusting.

 

Logistics are the main reason why developing companies are struggling with getting vaccines though part of it is we just wasted so many waiting for MAGAers to get it. Novavax was supposed to been filled the gap when it came to developing countries since their vaccine is much more traditional but they are hampered by manufacturing issues:

https://www.politico.com/news/2021/10/19/novavax-vaccine-rush-process-global-campaign-516298

The good news is that the vaccine appears to be very effective and ultimately manufacturing issues is something that is fixable compared to had the vaccine failed but still they are just beginning to apply for EUA's which were supposed to happen months ago. The Novavax vaccine btw is one a lot of antivaxxers said they will get. Whenever it comes available get ready for goalposts moving:

 

Speaking of Pfizer boosters, I just acquired mine about two hours ago. I just logged into V-safe and reported the dose, so it's back to the daily check-ins for the next week. I had just gotten my first V-safe check-in in three months (the 6-month check-in) a week ago today. Preparing for a day in bed tomorrow just like the second shot in April, though of course hoping I will be able to get up and do stuff.

 

That's why I got it!

 

I thought getting the vaccine would help me not worry so much about getting covid while visiting my sister in Italy. Nope. Absolutely terrified that I will get stuck here.

 

I dunno. Needs more talking serpents or something. These guys have gotten lazy lately,

 

Continue to wear a mask and you’ll be doubly protected

 

20 hours post-booster, and I have no side effects other than a sore arm and a very, very mild headache.

If this holds, it will be a pleasant change from what the second shot did to me back in April.

 

Another day, another Republican Congressman has COVID.

 

For the first time, since the pandemic started, a coworker of mine got Covid. He's fine. Resting. Vaccinated. And to be honest, I haven't seen him in ... 17 months now. But that's a first for a coworker I know and work with directly.

And last week two of my close friends here in the city had a covid scare. They had a close contact w a confirmed case, and then got sick themselves. They fortunately tested negative yesterday.

 

The marks have gotten easier to dupe over the years.