Covid/2022

[Ishmael]

Apologies if this has been posted or is old news. At Covid.gov, every US household can order 4 completely free at-home covid tests. It literally takes 30 seconds to fill out the form.

Stay healthy!

Cool. There's a rack of free ones in many of the drug stores here.

 

[Bus Driver]

Apologies if this has been posted or is old news. At Covid.gov, every US household can order 4 completely free at-home covid tests. It literally takes 30 seconds to fill out the form.

Stay healthy!

Here's the link - https://special.usps.com/testkits

 

[Steam Flyer]

(simulated RWNJ rant) But the tests don't work. You can take all the test you want and you can still catch the disease! The more testing there is, the more disease there is!

Oh, and look at the deficit, this is just more wasteful libby-rull tax-and-spend

 

[Clove Hitch]

I guess you have to beat good health practices into people these days, and I don't think we are done with this by a long shot.

Let me preface these comments by saying what is going on in China is a whole different discussion than what is going on here- both in the causes of their current nightmare and their series of disastrous public health steps.

I wear a mask frequently and test myself (and others) but let's be plain about one thing: We will never be rid of COVID. We will reach a point where we just don't care, anymore. The 1919 Spanish Flu mutated into our common cold. COVID (so far and predictably) is doing the same thing.

Ten years from now if somebody has the sniffles you could give them a COVID rapid antigen test and get a positive result. The question is what sort of public health steps do we take for the sniffles- whether it's the cold, flu or COVID?

Hospitals are going to be strained and short staffed when ANY pressure is put on them until nurses organize and there is a structural change to our system. Hospitals are built to run "lean" and the Pandemic DID NOT CHANGE that. Doctors can generate income by ordering tests and billing for treatment, but all other staff are a COST to hospitals and are something to be minimized.

 

[badlatitude]

Let me preface these comments by saying what is going on in China is a whole different discussion than what is going on here- both in the causes of their current nightmare and their series of disastrous public health steps.

I wear a mask frequently and test myself (and others) but let's be plain about one thing: We will never be rid of COVID. We will reach a point where we just don't care, anymore. The 1919 Spanish Flu mutated into our common cold. COVID (so far and predictably) is doing the same thing.

Ten years from now if somebody has the sniffles you could give them a COVID rapid antigen test and get a positive result. The question is what sort of public health steps do we take for the sniffles- whether it's the cold, flu or COVID?

Hospitals are going to be strained and short staffed when ANY pressure is put on them until nurses organize and there is a structural change to our system. Hospitals are built to run "lean" and the Pandemic DID NOT CHANGE that. Doctors can generate income by ordering tests and billing for treatment, but all other staff are a COST to hospitals and are something to be minimized.

When it reaches these shores, I think this current coronavirus will be a tragedy for the unvaccinated. But, for the rest of us, the slowdown of the manufacture of certain medicines for the American market will be costly in other ways. As far as not caring anymore, we are already at that point. I was at a large mall yesterday for some last-minute shopping, and I saw two masks, of which one was mine, out of maybe 5,000 people.

 

[billy backstay]

When it reaches these shores, I think this current coronavirus will be a tragedy for the unvaccinated. But, for the rest of us, the slowdown of the manufacture of certain medicines for the American market will be costly in other ways. As far as not caring anymore, we are already at that point. I was at a large mall yesterday for some last-minute shopping, and I saw two masks, of which one was mine, out of maybe 5,000 people.

WOW!! Where is this large mall? Our towns around here typically have between 5,000 and 8,000 people and way more are wearing masks in the stores.

 

[Clove Hitch]

When it reaches these shores, I think this current coronavirus will be a tragedy for the unvaccinated. But, for the rest of us, the slowdown of the manufacture of certain medicines for the American market will be costly in other ways. As far as not caring anymore, we are already at that point. I was at a large mall yesterday for some last-minute shopping, and I saw two masks, of which one was mine, out of maybe 5,000 people.

This article is a month old, but apparently China is getting hit with an Omicron strain.

Beijing's number of new infections caused by the highly transmissible Omicron variant BF.7 is rising, with surging COVID-19 community transmission and the risk of a hidden spread, local health authorities said on Thursday, adding that BF.7 has become the main strain in the latest COVID-19 flare-up. https://www.reuters.com/world/china...-keep-operations-running-normally-2022-12-13/

I'm not too worried about the Omicron strain here. As I said, the Omicron specific boosters seem to be fabulous ("chingon" as my Red cross Mexican ambulance crew would say). I just hope the CDC finally dumps the focus of case count/case numbers because people are fixated on that and they are no where close to accurate. Better to focus on waste water levels if you want an accurate picture of COVID.

You are certainly right in that COVID has been a tragedy for the unvaccinated and the emphasis is on tragic- meaning something horrific that was preventable. The darkest days of the pandemic when I was a COVID nurse and the most strained our hospital ever got was AFTER the vaccines were widely available- the second wave in my area. It is very unpleasant watching someone die of COVID and the day my unit had so many dead hospital admins had to come and cart them away because we were so short staffed nobody could leave the floor was months after the vaccine was available to anyone. My humble suggestion at the time, which I still think is a good idea, was for COVID specific hospitals. Not "unvaccinated" hospitals, but they would clearly be that. This would take the strain off hospitals and let the anti-vaxxers proudly meet their doom.

 

[badlatitude]

WOW!! Where is this large mall? Our towns around here typically have between 5,000 and 8,000 people and way more are wearing masks in the stores.

South Coast Plaza in Costa Mesa, CA. Two hundred seventy-five shops, something like almost three million square feet. Orange County is famous for no masks.

 

[badlatitude]

China estimates 37 million infected with COVID in a single day​

Source: New York Post

Nearly 37 million people may have contracted COVID-19 in China earlier this week, making the country's viral outbreak the world's largest.

Minutes from an internal meeting of the National Health Commission (NHC) revealed that as many as 248 million people - nearly 18% of China's population - came down with the virus in the first 20 days of December, as a surge that began in Beijing is now spreading to rural regions, Bloomberg News reported.

It is unclear how Chinese health officials arrived at that estimate, as the country's network of PCR testing booths were shut down earlier this month.

Read more: https://nypost.com/2022/12/23/china-estimates-37-million-infected-with-covid-in-one-day/

 

[Alan H]

I have two young friends, college-educated friends with degrees from a big, famous, prestigious university who have now had COVID three times. Both of them still won't mask. They both got the first vaccination but haven't gotten any subsequent boosters. Interestingly, both of their partners have done all the boosters and both of them have gotten sick once.
I, personally am not terrified of getting COVID and having a bad cold for a week, but I'm pretty damn concerned about Long Covid, which is something that doesn't get much press, or get talked about, much. I wear a mask when I'm in class (at age 60-mumble, I'm going back to school) and in any sort of crowd that I have to be in, but I'm seriously crowd-averse. I walked out of the last YC meeting because it was cheek-by-jowl, everybody jammed together and a perfect superspreader event. No, thank you.

 

[Sol Rosenberg]

This article is a month old, but apparently China is getting hit with an Omicron strain.



I'm not too worried about the Omicron strain here. As I said, the Omicron specific boosters seem to be fabulous ("chingon" as my Red cross Mexican ambulance crew would say). I just hope the CDC finally dumps the focus of case count/case numbers because people are fixated on that and they are no where close to accurate. Better to focus on waste water levels if you want an accurate picture of COVID.

You are certainly right in that COVID has been a tragedy for the unvaccinated and the emphasis is on tragic- meaning something horrific that was preventable. The darkest days of the pandemic when I was a COVID nurse and the most strained our hospital ever got was AFTER the vaccines were widely available- the second wave in my area. It is very unpleasant watching someone die of COVID and the day my unit had so many dead hospital admins had to come and cart them away because we were so short staffed nobody could leave the floor was months after the vaccine was available to anyone. My humble suggestion at the time, which I still think is a good idea, was for COVID specific hospitals. Not "unvaccinated" hospitals, but they would clearly be that. This would take the strain off hospitals and let the anti-vaxxers proudly meet their doom.

A “Own the Libs” hospice facility.

 

[Bus Driver]

I have two young friends, college-educated friends with degrees from a big, famous, prestigious university who have now had COVID three times. Both of them still won't mask. They both got the first vaccination but haven't gotten any subsequent boosters. Interestingly, both of their partners have done all the boosters and both of them have gotten sick once.
I, personally am not terrified of getting COVID and having a bad cold for a week, but I'm pretty damn concerned about Long Covid, which is something that doesn't get much press, or get talked about, much. I wear a mask when I'm in class (at age 60-mumble, I'm going back to school) and in any sort of crowd that I have to be in, but I'm seriously crowd-averse. I walked out of the last YC meeting because it was cheek-by-jowl, everybody jammed together and a perfect superspreader event. No, thank you.

I have had similar experiences. I wear a mask while at school and in crowds (which I try to avoid).

Double-vaxxed and triple-boosted (got the bivalent, this morning).

The long-COVID stuff is real. My nephew/godson contracted COVID in November of 2020. Pretty bad, at the time. He has NEVER recovered. Brain fog, massive headaches, easily winded. The kid is a senior in HS, had to go to a reduced load (from all GATE and AP classes), and regularly sees a pulmonologist, an immunologist, a neurologist, and a cardiologist.

 

[billy backstay]

I have had similar experiences. I wear a mask while at school and in crowds (which I try to avoid).

Double-vaxxed and triple-boosted (got the bivalent, this morning).

The long-COVID stuff is real. My nephew/godson contracted COVID in November of 2020. Pretty bad, at the time. He has NEVER recovered. Brain fog, massive headaches, easily winded. The kid is a senior in HS, had to go to a reduced load (from all GATE and AP classes), and regularly sees a pulmonologist, an immunologist, a neurologist, and a cardiologist.

That is scary shit right there!! Is this young man otherwise normal/healthy? No underlying risk factors? Re thinking our own masking and crowd avoidance now....

 

[Alan H]

I have had similar experiences. I wear a mask while at school and in crowds (which I try to avoid).

Double-vaxxed and triple-boosted (got the bivalent, this morning).

The long-COVID stuff is real. My nephew/godson contracted COVID in November of 2020. Pretty bad, at the time. He has NEVER recovered. Brain fog, massive headaches, easily winded. The kid is a senior in HS, had to go to a reduced load (from all GATE and AP classes), and regularly sees a pulmonologist, an immunologist, a neurologist, and a cardiologist.

I'm really sorry to hear that. That's awful, and I'm sorry.... I wish that long covid wasn't a thing, but it is. I hope that in time, he gets better, but what a way to fuck up a couple of years of his life.

 

[Bus Driver]

That is scary shit right there!! Is this young man otherwise normal/healthy? No underlying risk factors? Re thinking our own masking and crowd avoidance now....

Thanks. He has always been, er, hefty. But, he played soccer, and was quite active. A flight of stairs means he has to sit and catch his breath. While he IS getting better, is is some slooooooow going.

 

[Bus Driver]

I'm really sorry to hear that. That's awful, and I'm sorry.... I wish that long covid wasn't a thing, but it is. I hope that in time, he gets better, but what a way to fuck up a couple of years of his life.

Thanks. His spirits are remarkably good. He is getting better, but has a long road, ahead.

 

[badlatitude]

Let me preface these comments by saying what is going on in China is a whole different discussion than what is going on here- both in the causes of their current nightmare and their series of disastrous public health steps.

I wear a mask frequently and test myself (and others) but let's be plain about one thing: We will never be rid of COVID. We will reach a point where we just don't care, anymore. The 1919 Spanish Flu mutated into our common cold. COVID (so far and predictably) is doing the same thing.

Ten years from now if somebody has the sniffles you could give them a COVID rapid antigen test and get a positive result. The question is what sort of public health steps do we take for the sniffles- whether it's the cold, flu or COVID?

Hospitals are going to be strained and short staffed when ANY pressure is put on them until nurses organize and there is a structural change to our system. Hospitals are built to run "lean" and the Pandemic DID NOT CHANGE that. Doctors can generate income by ordering tests and billing for treatment, but all other staff are a COST to hospitals and are something to be minimized.

The 1918 pandemic did fizzle after 1921, but that will not happen with covid. Moreover, the 1918 survivors had strong immunity, which we lack because covid rapidly mutates, and we can be reinfected within weeks. Science can save us, but Republicans will likely block funding for human testing.

 

[jerseyguy]

Apologies if this has been posted or is old news. At Covid.gov, every US household can order 4 completely free at-home covid tests. It literally takes 30 seconds to fill out the form.

Stay healthy!

Good reminder. My wife has done that two or three times. Waiting for the newest batch now.

 

[LB 15]

The Chinese government are reporting that despite over 200 million infections last week they have only 7 deaths. From covid I mean. I am sure the CCP killed at least a hundred citizens for saying covid is out of control.

 

[badlatitude]

The Chinese government are reporting that despite over 200 million infections last week they have only 7 deaths. From covid I mean. I am sure the CCP killed at least a hundred citizens for saying covid is out of control.

They are expecting up to 800 million infections or roughly 10% of the planet. Death predictions vary because they don't know if people will voluntarily shelter. One website talked of a million deaths, another, 2 million.