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

Small update from California, with mask mandate having recently been lifted.

Just got back from a quick run to the local grocery store. Most of the COVID signage there has been removed, but employees were still wearing masks. While there weren't many people at the store, most of them were still wearing masks (including yours truly, who has been fully vaxxed (Moderna) since May). Also got an email from a local comic shop saying that people who have been vaxxed don't need to wear masks.

 

On the university topic, last week mine lifted all restrictions for students in summer housing (which, like every year, is apartments only, no dorms due to limited dining hall operations). So we are no longer required to wear masks in the hallways if vaccinated and can now have guests in the building.

They're currently working through a technical issue, but as soon as that is fixed, all residents will have to report their vaccination status. Those who are not fully vaccinated will very soon be required to undergo regular COVID testing to remain on campus. Come fall, when dorms open back up, residents will be required to be fully vaccinated in order to be eligible to have a roommate. Unvaccinated students will not be permitted to have roommates and will be required to participate in the COVID testing program.

That said, this is a university where a slight majority of the students are commuters, so testing of residential students is like trying to kill Godzilla with a flyswatter.

 

Employees at my job are still required to wear masks, customers aren't, and they don't have to distance in lines either.
I'm glad at least some people are relieved of masks- I understand the safety issue, but I have a hard time as it is reading social cues.
Still, I can't help but feel intimidated by no-maskers.

 

@Jedi_Sith_Smuggler_Droid For the unvaccinated, no there is no way of really stopping it from eventually leading to a big surge of cases. It's already happening in some highly unvaccinated areas and the estimates are fall could ne really bad in highly unvaccinated areas. The hope is by then enough of us *knock on wood* have the vaccine and it continues to hold up well enough we won't have go back to restrictions. Going to be tenuous and nerve wrecking fall since nobody knows how this plays out. I just hope the 5-11 year olds get approve for it by early fall since elementary schools could be a big issue without it especially since most districts are pushing for everyone back like before. Higher levels of education (junior high and up) isn't as big of a worry since they will hopefully mostly vaccinated but until early grade levels can get its an issue.
Again hopefully they are approved for it and that along with better technology (second generation vaccines and pull form therapeutics) will save our paint this fall and beyond.

@anakinfansince1983 So far so goodn*fingers crossed* with our summer school and cases but our kids are wearing masks and many been vaccinated. I cannot imagine what's in like where they are not vaccinated and not wearing masks.

@Lowbacca_1977 Ricky Schroeder was one of the few nuts protesting the show. To paraphrase what I said on another thread, someone should tell Ricky that the shot will resurrect his failed career if he gets it then watch him break the world record for the fastest 100 yard getting in line for it.

 

The pandemic seems to be mostly over in my expanding subjective bubble. The building where I work has just lifted all mask restrictions in public spaces for vaccinated individuals, though of course the unvaccinated seem to be on the honor system. My office is following building protocol, so there are no more masks for vaccinated employees inside our office spaces. We still have a hybrid office/remote work plan in place for the remainder of the summer at least.

The gym in my building just opened up. It's a nice one. Today, I worked out there for the first time in 15 months...and I was completely alone. That has never happened to me before in the history of gym membership. If I could have a high end gym completely to myself for the rest of the summer, I would not complain. Also the gym gave me a free month and $25/month for the rest of the year. I'd pay three times that if I never had to see anyone else.

 

The masks fell off today. So did the sky, it's been raining cats and dogs all the while I made my way back home

 

It’s understandable but a little weird seeing the end of outdoor masks be such a big deal in other countries. I feel like all three times it happened here there was an attempt at making it gradual that everyone shrugged and gave up on. “Weren’t we supposed to keep these on in built up areas?” “Eh.”

 

Since half of Americans at least got there first dose of the vaccine, how many around the world got vaccinated or at least one dose of the vaccine since 2.5 billion doses of the vaccines are administered around the world?

 

you can easily look up these things

it would take you you five minutes at most

 

I tried to look up the world population vaccination rates and still no answers but I do know that half of Americans are vaccinated.

 

Wanna see the Boss on Broadway? Can't if you've been vaxxed with AstraZeneca. Be nice if something wasn't America first considering the rest of the world is using AZ.

My province moved the limit from 12 weeks to 8 weeks if you had AZ for a 2nd shot due to Delta variant concerns, although it still says that waiting 12 weeks is optimal length so I'm gonna trust the Skience and wait it out (another month at this point isn't gonna change my life that much). I think AZ has actually been slowly phased out here so my 2nd shot would end up being probably, Pfizer. Get the MDM/MP3/mRNA whatever it is. Which is now recommended to be the 2nd dose anyway, not AZ. "It also says it reviewed emerging evidence “suggesting better immune responses” when an individual receives a first dose of AstraZeneca and a second dose of an mRNA vaccine."

So yah definitely going with that and I guess if I ever want to see Springsteen (which I don't) I'll say Pfizer which is essentially true!

 

As someone who just got his second shot of AZ yesterday & has tickets to a Broadway reopening night at the end of September this makes me nervous.

I hope as travel resumes they update this as it's not like people get to pick which vaccine they get.

 

Listen to this radio story for some of the info you are looking for.

https://www.wbur.org/hereandnow/2021/06/14/who-global-vaccines-pandemic

I’m vaccinated and enjoying the safety and freedom that comes with it. There is also a ‘make hay while the sun is shining’ feeling for me with this protection.

If a mutation arises that the vaccine doesn’t protect us from - I am concerned how soon it’s existence would become public knowledge. Do communities get a warning and start lockdowns again to slow it’s spread? Or do we learn about it after it’s too late from huge new outbreaks?

 

Which is why I still wear a mask so that way I don’t catch the variants or get the delta variant despite the fact that I got vaccinated.

 

I am glad according to dr fauci that being vaccinated does protects us somewhat from the variants of the virus but I do worry more about those who are not vaccinated are at risk getting the variants of the virus harder.

It looks like to me we might have to get not only a third shot sooner or later, but a booster shot too.

 

The rest of the world is using a lot more than AZ. Moderna, Pfizer, Sputnik, Sinovac are all out there.

 

True, the US should take into account that there's multiple different vaccinations out there that isn't just the ones that only get used in the US.

 

And put more effort into a program to get more anti vaccine idiots to get vaccinated.

I understand that not everybody who is hesitant to get the vaccine aren’t Trump supporters but there are those who would rather trust in god and hope for a magical miracle instead of listening and paying attention to the science.

There needs to be a program to get the Republican leaders who are spreading false stories about the vaccines fired from there jobs and because of that, lots of southerners are refusing to get vaccinated because of the misinformation.

 

Looks like the virulence of the delta variant is on display in the UK, and the expectation is that this will soon be the dominant COVID strain in the US as well:
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2...nd-doubling-every-11-days-as-delta-takes-hold

And QGM may get his goal of dead children soon enough, as there's concerns that this is able to infect and have serious health impacts on children at a higher rate than previous strains. These children, incidentally, are not able to get vaccinated currently, so they are vulnerable through the hard work of people like QGM in making sure COVID isn't stopped.

We could learn from what's happening in other countries, but that wouldn't be possible because other countries are different, so nothing can possibly be learned from them.

 

@Rylo Ken We been just told no masks are required outside at school so it is slowly subsiding in my own little world as well but until were all back in person without masks and social distancing it won't feel like it truly is ending. Still see a lot of masks when we are out and about which is good. Only place we don't is at the boys baseball games and the pool which we been living at btw this summer so far are the only places we don't see masks regularly worn. We have ours almost all the time when were out except those two places I listed or when we are without the kids and it's a place where itd safe plus staff seems okay with it. I pick up bagels on Monday and the sign said "masks preferred" so I immediately put mine on. No reason to make the staff uncomfortable at all. They been so much this past year. Illinois btw for those who don't know hit 70% of adults with at least one shot as we are the first Midwest state to do that and were over 62% of ages 12 and up with at least one dose. It took us longer to get going then others but in the end our vaccine rollout was better then most.

@Lowbacca_1977 Again that is one of the reasons they are trying to push up the timeline for kids. My wife as a elementary school principal is already on meetings about vaccine drives could be at the distict as early as October for the kids. The hope is by then not only will the vaccines be better but hopefully one dose for them. I certainly will feel better when my kids can get it which is one of the many reasons were laying relatively low this summer. It honestly feels like a summer as a kid. BBQ's, going to the pool, kids playing baseball, going to the zoo and parks etc but were not going anywhere other then to maybe our family summer home for a weekend nor going to any big event stuff. Staying away from any parades or any type of town fairs that have massive crowds. The kids really want to hit Great America but were skiddish about that still in terms of crowd size since again they are not vaccinated. Might have to wait untl next year. After last summer of basically being stuck in our backyard, having a summer like I did as a kid (minus the movie theater since not only am I skiddish about taking them without being vaccinated, there is nothing good to see for them) feels incredible.

So while last year we (USA) went all in on creating vaccines, this year we are all in on creating therapeutics:

https://dnyuz.com/2021/06/17/a-pill-to-treat-covid-19-the-u-s-is-betting-on-it/

If one or several *knock on wood* were
developed, it obviously that depends on rapid testing and a person going quickly to either their doctor and/orr tested. The good news is we have the rapid testing now. The bad news is people who haven’t gotten the vaccine are most likely going to ignore the symptoms and/or getting exposed and not get tested until a therapeutic that acted like Teraflu was no longer effective. And we all know the types don't we.

 

New York State guidelines updated so now Springsteen (and presumably Broadway on reopening in September) will accept any FDA or WHO approved vaccine

https://www.broadwayworld.com/artic...ted-With-FDA-or-WHO-Approved-Vaccine-20210619

 

Welp. We finally got our 2.5 yo to wear a mask. We've been testing it out in stores with no luck and lots of tantrums, and so all week we've been telling him that we're going to the grocery store on Saturday and we need to wear a mask. For some reason he loves grocery stores. He hadn't been in any cuz of the pandemic but now he asks us if "we go to grocery store?". He even wakes up in the morning asking "We go to grocery now?"

Anyway. Got to the parking lot and we said "Okay buddy, now we need to wear the mask to go inside". And he pouted and almost cried but then ... moved his head forward and looked up, all ready for the mask. And he wore it. The entire time. 1 hour. Half way thru shopping it fell off and we were about to put it away when he whimpered and said "nooo...I need mask. I don't wanna leave grocery".

Made it about an hour before he finally flung it off. I have hope that he'll wear on on the airplane in 2 weeks.

 

I've had to do one flight an hour long to pick up my grandfather's car to drive it back, and the number of people in the airport not wearing masks tells me that there's a lot of people that should be on no-fly lists at this point. Especially embarrassing how many kids were wearing masks with parents that were too cowardly to do so. And the guy wearing a shirt about needing to protect America while making a point to not protect America.

And this is why I'm not doing any recreational or business travel involving shared indoor spaces until COVID is taken care of or vaccines are required.

 

It's amazing how the flip switched in our neighborhood. Last summer the pool stayed closed all season. Yesterday, because one of our neighbors is moving, a group of us brought food up, placed it on a table buffet table and everyone dripped all over it, kids touched everything and people ate. Yuck before Covid. Buffets aren't going anywhere, those of us grossed out by buffets before will remain the ones grossed out now.

 

I had my first dose of the AZ vaccine the other day and am waiting for my second; then the Federal government advised that only the over 60s should get the AZ vaccine. This has thrown a lot of clinics and hospitals into confusion because now they don't know whether to give the second dose of AZ or some other vaccine. The government's response has been to leave it to the individual states to decide.

The least the government should have done is make it abundantly clear at the time of the announcement that the second dose should be administered instead of being wasted. Time is of the essence. If information isn't crystal clear, then yet more delays lead to an even slower vaccination rate; and this at a time when they are finally trying to ramp up vaccination rates.

According to the GP that administered my first dose, the lack of available vaccine was the main limiting factor for ages, but now that we have enough vaccine (supposedly), the main limiting factor is the lack of doctors available to give it.

Only 3% of Australians are fully inoculated ATOW. This is a joke. The government has only approved the AZ and Pfizer vaccines and is still umming and erring on whether to approve the Moderna vaccine or not.