Coronavirus (Covid-19) informational thread

[Ethrem]

Thanks for sharing this. That’s really interesting to see how different people are in terms of how they view this entire pandemic. As you can see, some people are willing to take the measures necessary for others and their communities, and for some, you couldn’t pay them enough money for their health and safety.

If you really want to see how those people are, check out r/HermanCainAward. You'll lose your soul if you read too much there but it's really hard to feel sorry for people with their heads buried so deeply in the sand.

My roommate fortunately isn't that far gone.

 

[pshufd]

He refuses to show proof of vaccination for any reason. He believes mandates are unconstitutional and he plans to fight it kicking and screaming. In some ways I admire his ability to stick to his guns but honestly it's a rather stupid hill he has picked to die on.

He's getting the shots done and that's the important thing. He's been walking around maskless for months now because he stopped wearing them as soon as they said the vaccinated could stop. He hates people so he social distances anyway but myself and his wife have been really irritated with him over all this and I'm just glad it's coming to an end.

It's all stored in a central database in CO that is open to anyone who wants their records so they will be able to get them regardless of the card situation. I just checked the CO portal. They wanted my name, date of birth, and they texted me a code which I put in and it pulled up my vaccine record. So yeah, he doesn't know about this system and I see no reason he needs to know until after he gets his second shot done.

Jacobson vs Massachusetts is the SCOTUS precedent case for mandatory vaccines and it deals with the matter of constitutionality.

 

[Gregg2]

I shudder watching college football games, which I love, with their packed stadiums. So far, I have not heard of a COVID outbreak traced back to any of these stadiums, but I think it's only a matter of time before that happens.

 

[pshufd]

I shudder watching college football games, which I love, with their packed stadiums. So far, I have not heard of a COVID outbreak traced back to any of these stadiums, but I think it's only a matter of time before that happens.

Our local vaccination rate is finally above 60% for at least one dose. My gym is very busy these days. They aren't running the kids camps but they do run daycare so there are about 50 kids there during the weekdays. They have swim meets a few times a week and there are a ton of kids going there for swimming - presumably because other forms of sports and recreation have been curtailed.

There has only been one case of COVID at this gym and that was back in Spring 2020 and it was an infant. It appears that the infant was infected somewhere else and didn't pass it on to anyone at the gym.

So I do worry about COVID in this gym; but the evidence to date shows that they haven't had any outbreaks. They do not require masks for vaccinated people. I would say that mask use is about 10%. It is quite possible that everyone that goes there (outside of kids) are vaccinated.

We have 46 active cases in my town which is less than 0.2% and everything is wide open. There are a few places which "strongly recommend masks" but that's the extent of it. We have not had any cases in our schools which have been open for two weeks. Our overall state numbers are stable between 2,900 and 3,200. We are down to less than 20% capacity for ICU beds but I think that we have about 80% availability for all beds. Our Governor stated yesterday that he expects a surge in the number of cases this winter. The combination of people traveling for holidays and being inside.

I was looking at the vaccination portal last week and there was one day where there was only 1 vaccination in the state and that's really pathetic.

 

[pshufd]

 

[Healer Flame]

Sorry this is bit off subject but i was shocked to read Aids virus killed 770 000 people around the world in 2018 but we hardly talk about it?

Its less contiguous than corona but i really thought the virus is gone by now.

 

[I7guy]

Sorry this is bit off subject but i was shocked to read Aids virus killed 770 000 people around the world but we hardly talk about it?

Its less contiguous than corona but i really thought the virus is gone by now.

AIDS was terrible, but not transmissible in the same way.

 

[Healer Flame]

AIDS was terrible, but not transmissible in the same way

Still managed to take almost 40 000 000 lives. I really thought its slowed by now so was a bit shocked to learn 770 000 deaths in 2018 ...wow.

 

[pshufd]

Still managed to take almost 40 000 000 lives. I really thought its slowed by now so was a bit shocked to learn 770 000 deaths in 2018 ...wow.

If you know that you can't get it, and you think that the behavioral practices of those that do get it are against your beliefs, then you really don't care about it from a personal protection perspective. My understanding is that HIV is treatable and that it's just managed with medication. There are people with cancer in the same boat: we call it the chemo for life program.

 

[poorcody]

I'm glad to see California taking a nice downward trend. My wife is going to be TA'ing in person at a college in California in a few weeks. (We're vaccinated) but still makes me a bit worried. I too wonder how everyone going back to in person classes over the next month is going to affect things.

A few weeks ago I was pretty worried given the reports of Delta infecting vaccinated people and the Israeli data that seemed to show waning effectiveness... but since then it seems like vaccinations have really held-up well against Delta (e.g. article).

If you wanted more peace of mind, you could consider a booster shot. From my understanding, Delta infects some vaccinated people because it comes on with such high viral loads that the T/B-cells can't produce antibodies fast enough initially (but eventually are almost always successful). A booster will revive active antibodies in your blood stream for at least a few months so they can attack immediately. If a fall/winter/school-opening Delta-wave hits your area, the active antibodies could be an added level of defense.

Good luck to the Mrs. with the new job!

 

[poorcody]

Still managed to take almost 40 000 000 lives. I really thought its slowed by now so was a bit shocked to learn 770 000 deaths in 2018 ...wow.

I'm shocked the numbers are that high still too. Diving into them a little, I see most of the deaths are in Africa where there still is huge denial that AIDS even exists. But 13,000 deaths a year in the U.S. is surprising given I thought medications kept it under control.

Of course an airborne virus (COVID) is a little scarier...

 

[pshufd]

I'm shocked the numbers are that high still too. Diving into them a little, I see most of the deaths are in Africa where there still is huge denial that AIDS even exists. But 13,000 deaths a year in the U.S. is surprising given I thought medications kept it under control.

Of course an airborne virus (COVID) is a little scarier...

HIV testing is important for both treatment and prevention efforts. Yet, 13% of those with HIV are unaware they are infected.6

Antiretroviral therapy (ART) has substantially reduced HIV-related morbidity and mortality, improved long-term outcomes for people with HIV and plays a key role in HIV prevention. Treatment guidelines recommend initiating treatment as soon as one is diagnosed with HIV.7 When an individual with HIV is on antiretroviral therapy and the level of HIV in their body is undetectable, there is “effectively no risk” of sexual transmission.8 Still, many people with HIV are not in care, on treatment, or virally suppressed.9

The HIV/AIDS Epidemic in the United States: The Basics | KFF

This updated fact sheet provides the latest data on the U.S. HIV epidemic, including key trends over time, impact by region and population, and information on the U.S. government's response.

www.kff.org

 

[poorcody]

We have 46 active cases in my town which is less than 0.2% and everything is wide open. There are a few places which "strongly recommend masks" but that's the extent of it. We have not had any cases in our schools which have been open for two weeks. Our overall state numbers are stable between 2,900 and 3,200. We are down to less than 20% capacity for ICU beds but I think that we have about 80% availability for all beds. Our Governor stated yesterday that he expects a surge in the number of cases this winter. The combination of people traveling for holidays and being inside.

One interesting thing I heard Gottlieb say was that we have a lot less visibility with testing because a lot of testing is now done with the home kits you can buy at the drug store, and the results are never reported. So comparing positive test rates today versus six months ago when all testing was reported may be misleading. Something to keep in mind when we make decisions based on the stats.

 

[pshufd]

One interesting thing I heard Gottlieb say was that we have a lot less visibility with testing because a lot of testing is now done with the home kits you can buy at the drug store, and the results are never reported. So comparing positive test rates today versus six months ago when all testing was reported may be misleading. Something to keep in mind when we make decisions based on the stats.

That's all that we have though. I look at the evidence and our lower vaccination rate (compared to the other New England states), and our hospital system and deaths would be higher if the infection numbers were really a lot higher. The feel of the state is nothing like what it was last fall or winter when numbers were skyrocketing and there were concerns about hospitals and deaths.

 

[Healer Flame]

There are people with cancer in the same boat:

I think there is big differences. Cancer is not transmittable, it originates from your own faulty or bad cells, Whereas Aids virus we know all how you can get it.

 

[pshufd]

I think there is big differences. Cancer is not transmittable, it originates from your own faulty or bad cells, Whereas Aids virus we know all how you can get it.

HPV, which you can get from another infected person, can cause cancer. The usual types are cervical, oropharyngeal, anal, penile, vaginal and vulvar. A few of the guys on my forum got cancer from HPV.

My reference to cancer is that you live with a disease and just get treated for it to control the symptoms and disease progression. Diabetes would be another disease in this class.

 

[44267547]

If you really want to see how those people are, check out r/HermanCainAward. You'll lose your soul if you read too much there but it's really hard to feel sorry for people with their heads buried so deeply in the sand.

My roommate fortunately isn't that far gone.

I don’t feel sorry for those people at all what happens to them. They had a choice to make, and the empirical research/data has been available for quite some time. I do feel bad for the surrounding families for the losses, but I know too many people around me who still want to hide behind the 1% of “I could die if I get the vaccination” or “The vaccine is unsafe”. But they would rather ignore the greater magnitude of long-term health damage/possible death knowing if they contract the virus.

When I do have a discussion about the vaccine with people. I tell everybody the same thing, ‘I’m not here to sway your decision one way or the other’, I do try to have an educated discussion and understand their mindset of they refute the vaccine. And every discussion I’ve had with someone outside this forum, haven’t had a valid reason why they won’t take the vaccine, it’s just more of ‘I don’t wanna be told what to do’. I can’t feel bad for those people, and I certainly did my best to educate, not on my beliefs, but proven data that’s available with a click of a button. Educate, not denigrate.

 

[Ethrem]

Jacobson vs Massachusetts is the SCOTUS precedent case for mandatory vaccines and it deals with the matter of constitutionality.

States have the power to mandate their people get vaccines but the federal government does not, that's his argument. He also believes that the supreme court was too liberal back then and that things will be different with a conservative majority.

Personally I think that since most of the supreme court justices would be considered to have risk factors for bad COVID that they would be more likely to vote for self-preservation than not but it will be interesting to see it all play out regardless.

 

[pshufd]

States have the power to mandate their people get vaccines but the federal government does not, that's his argument. He also believes that the supreme court was too liberal back then and that things will be different with a conservative majority.

Personally I think that since most of the supreme court justices would be considered to have risk factors for bad COVID that they would be more likely to vote for self-preservation than not but it will be interesting to see it all play out regardless.

Too liberal in the early 1900s? Society has been getting more liberal over time.

The federal government can make requirements for classes of work, though, and that's what they are doing.

They are considering making requirements for certain classes of travel too.

 

[Ethrem]

I'm shocked the numbers are that high still too. Diving into them a little, I see most of the deaths are in Africa where there still is huge denial that AIDS even exists. But 13,000 deaths a year in the U.S. is surprising given I thought medications kept it under control.

Of course an airborne virus (COVID) is a little scarier...

Not everyone will do the treatments. Quite frankly if I got HIV I wouldn't take any of the poison cocktail either. Those drugs have horrible side effects, no way in heck would I ever take them. I have the same stance about chemo (which shouldn't be surprising since a lot of chemo drugs were used for HIV). I won't fight if I get either.

Fortunately I don't have to worry about HIV since I don't do any kinds of risky behavior and my genetic screening doesn't show any increased genetic risk factors for cancer so I'm not worried about it either but I made these decisions years ago and I will stick to my guns.

 

[Ethrem]

I don’t feel sorry for those people at all what happens to them. They had a choice to make, and the empirical research/data has been available for quite some time. I do feel bad for the surrounding families for the losses, but I know too many people around me who still want to hide behind the 1% of “I could die if I get the vaccination” or “The vaccine is unsafe”. But they would rather ignore the greater magnitude of long-term health damage/possible death knowing if they contract the virus.

When I do have a discussion about the vaccine with people. I tell everybody the same thing, ‘I’m not here to sway your decision one way or the other’, I do try to have an educated discussion and understand their mindset of they refute the vaccine. And every discussion I’ve had with someone outside this forum, haven’t had a valid reason why they won’t take the vaccine, it’s just more of ‘I don’t wanna be told what to do’. I can’t feel bad for those people, and I certainly did my best to educate, not on my beliefs, but proven data that’s available with a click of a button. Educate, not denigrate.

Some of us are taught not to trust doctors or the government. Some of us also have our own reasons for not trusting big pharma. I was a vaccine holdout until last month myself and I'm a relatively level-headed guy with strong critical thinking skills. Of course I was taking precautions and only left the house when it was absolutely necessary to do so but I could have easily become one of those people if my personal care assistant or my roommate brought it here and gave it to me.

I don't feel bad for those spreading all kinds of memes and encouraging people not to get the vaccine but I do feel bad for the ones that just don't trust the doctors or government. You'll find that most of us who have had mental health issues really don't trust doctors because their stupid pills messed us up. The vaccine was firmly in the "no way in heck" camp with psych meds, painkillers, HIV meds, and cancer drugs until I changed my mind last month specifically because of my distrust of doctors and big pharma (not so much the government, I didn't have any conspiracy theory ideas).

 

[Ethrem]

Too liberal in the early 1900s? Society has been getting more liberal over time.

The federal government can make requirements for classes of work, though, and that's what they are doing.

They are considering making requirements for certain classes of travel too.

I'm not the one making these arguments, I'm just repeating what he has said. He has the same feelings about travel bans that the government doesn't have the right to restrict free movement.

I don't really argue with him, it's an exercise in futility, but unfortunately I can't just tune him out either when he goes on his rants.

 

[pshufd]

Not everyone will do the treatments. Quite frankly if I got HIV I wouldn't take any of the poison cocktail either. Those drugs have horrible side effects, no way in heck would I ever take them. I have the same stance about chemo (which shouldn't be surprising since a lot of chemo drugs were used for HIV). I won't fight if I get either.

Fortunately I don't have to worry about HIV since I don't do any kinds of risky behavior and my genetic screening doesn't show any increased genetic risk factors for cancer so I'm not worried about it either but I made these decisions years ago and I will stick to my guns.

I've been through chemo, radiation, and multiple surgeries. It's fairly horrible stuff but I'd guess that most people go through it. I've chatted with many that have survived stage 4 through treatment and some of the new treatments are basically miracles.

 

[pshufd]

I'm not the one making these arguments, I'm just repeating what he has said. He has the same feelings about travel bans that the government doesn't have the right to restrict free movement.

I don't really argue with him, it's an exercise in futility, but unfortunately I can't just tune him out either when he goes on his rants.

I know lots of people the same way. It's broken apart one of the communities that I used to belong to.

 

[pshufd]

Some of us are taught not to trust doctors or the government. Some of us also have our own reasons for not trusting big pharma. I was a vaccine holdout until last month myself and I'm a relatively level-headed guy with strong critical thinking skills. Of course I was taking precautions and only left the house when it was absolutely necessary to do so but I could have easily become one of those people if my personal care assistant or my roommate brought it here and gave it to me.

A family I know had their son in terrible pain and asked our minister what they should do. He said that it was up to them and to use medical help if they thought it best. Most of the people in this group do not have a science background and haven't taken courses in biology, chemistry and physics. So they believe a lot of things or assume understanding that may or may not be correct.

They took him to the hospital, diagnosed as kidney stones and blasted them with a machine.

Lots of people question doctors, modern medicine, vaccines; but they run to the hospital when they get very sick.

In my cancer communities, some try natural remedies. They all wind up in the obituary section.