Coronavirus

[Chino]

In other vaccine news, there's a bad trend happening where we vaccines given per day is trending down.  Even with all of the US open for anyone over 16 to get it now, people don't seem to be lining up like one might expect.  It seems the resistance is quite strong, maybe stronger than I had thought. 

I wonder if that could be because people are waiting for dose number two. There's a number of places I could walk into in CT now with no appointment and get a shot if I needed the first one. There's nothing more I can do until the 30th when enough time has gone by between doses. A big chunk of the population got their shots in the same 1-2 week window, and now we're all playing the waiting game.

[cramx3]

In other vaccine news, there's a bad trend happening where we vaccines given per day is trending down.  Even with all of the US open for anyone over 16 to get it now, people don't seem to be lining up like one might expect.  It seems the resistance is quite strong, maybe stronger than I had thought. 

I wonder if that could be because people are waiting for dose number two. There's a number of places I could walk into in CT now with no appointment and get a shot if I needed the first one. There's nothing more I can do until the 30th when enough time has gone by between doses. A big chunk of the population got their shots in the same 1-2 week window, and now we're all playing the waiting game.

About 50% of adults have already received dose one, so I don't think it's that. The number doesn't seem high enough to be just about waiting for shot 2.  An article I read earlier's guess was while a lot of people aren't "anti-vax" there's a significant that are still just waiting to see how things play out and the negative news with J&J last week likely added to people's hesitancy, and IMO some of the words Fauci says and the way he acts doesn't really encourage people to get the shot.  By that, I mean, he still doesn't do anything normal after being vaccinated and still says we should all mask up (which I agree, until a point).  If he would just go out to a restaurant and say "I feel safe" I think it would go a long way in convincing people to get a shot. 

And also, I feel like if Trump would speak out positively it would encourage people as well.  He got the shot, secretly, and maybe I'm just missing it because he's banned from social media but I haven't heard of any reports of him speaking out for the vaccine lately. I've tried pushing the "well Trump got it" card to a couple of my far right Trump loving friends who are anti-vax.  Their response is "he's old" and my go back is "well he also already got covid and STILL got the shot" that kind of ends the conversation. But as I alluded about my sister, there's a portion of the population that cannot be convinced. 

[Ben_Jamin]

You can quietly live your life and make your own choices free from the judgment of others by doing just that. Gloating about your stupid opinions in public gives the public full license to laugh at you especially when those opinions backfire in your face. Don't want to get clowned? Don't be a clown. Simple as that.

Ted and Rush are clowns who both have profited immensely from being that.

Oh absolutely. Both sides need to shut up with the judgmental nonsense. Just live your own life and mind your own business.

Not to open up a can of worms, but that in itself is a value judgment. It’s valuing individualism over community. Which is very American (and somewhat western) but not a universal value set.

I don't think it's so much about individualism versus community. It's more about both sides thinking their way is the best way for the community and thinking the other side is stupid for thinking otherwise. The best solution is probably somewhere in the middle, but heaven forbid we actually listen to each other and compromise.

Which is where I stand; there's nothing funny about EITHER side.  It's all sort of sad, really.  Yeah, we all think we're "right", but we seem to forget that the people that disagree with us are EQUALLY convinced they are right and WE'RE the stupid ones.  At the end of the day, that means the answer is less about who is ACTUALLY right (and the reality is, it's never 100-0, but some degree of 50-50) than who has the loudest voice or the microphone at any given moment.   

Also, we don't know whether these decisions were right or wrong until later on as time goes on. Decades later even, do people realize, that decision was the best decision we could have made or that was the worst decision we ever made, and have to face either consequences for that decision.

Our decisions affect our future generations. We might not be alive to see the consequences of our decisions, but our children will and they are the ones that will have to live with it.

It's why you have to look how all these things will affect the children when they become adults. Same as how 9/11 affects us children that are adults today around the age of 30.


So that's just the thing. We don't know....And that is why I am taking a step back and just watching it. Because later down the line, everything will be fine, it has always been alright and we humans have survived. Throughout all of history and the things we have to face, this is just another one of them, only it's our time to shine.

[hunnus2000]

You can quietly live your life and make your own choices free from the judgment of others by doing just that. Gloating about your stupid opinions in public gives the public full license to laugh at you especially when those opinions backfire in your face. Don't want to get clowned? Don't be a clown. Simple as that.

Ted and Rush are clowns who both have profited immensely from being that.

Oh absolutely. Both sides need to shut up with the judgmental nonsense. Just live your own life and mind your own business.

Not to open up a can of worms, but that in itself is a value judgment. It’s valuing individualism over community. Which is very American (and somewhat western) but not a universal value set.

I don't think it's so much about individualism versus community. It's more about both sides thinking their way is the best way for the community and thinking the other side is stupid for thinking otherwise. The best solution is probably somewhere in the middle, but heaven forbid we actually listen to each other and compromise.

Which is where I stand; there's nothing funny about EITHER side.  It's all sort of sad, really.  Yeah, we all think we're "right", but we seem to forget that the people that disagree with us are EQUALLY convinced they are right and WE'RE the stupid ones.  At the end of the day, that means the answer is less about who is ACTUALLY right (and the reality is, it's never 100-0, but some degree of 50-50) than who has the loudest voice or the microphone at any given moment.   

Also, we don't know whether these decisions were right or wrong until later on as time goes on. Decades later even, do people realize, that decision was the best decision we could have made or that was the worst decision we ever made, and have to face either consequences for that decision.

Our decisions affect our future generations. We might not be alive to see the consequences of our decisions, but our children will and they are the ones that will have to live with it.

It's why you have to look how all these things will affect the children when they become adults. Same as how 9/11 affects us children that are adults today around the age of 30.


So that's just the thing. We don't know....And that is why I am taking a step back and just watching it. Because later down the line, everything will be fine, it has always been alright and we humans have survived. Throughout all of history and the things we have to face, this is just another one of them, only it's our time to shine.

I dunno - if you choose not to get the vaccine and then get covid, it seems to reason that if this happens, it ain't gonna take "decades" to figure you made the wrong decision. 

[Skeever]

There are any number of health professionals you can talk to in order to help you make the best decision for you and your family. Nothing is every certain and nothing is ever guaranteed but I really don't get this "is it good for me? is it bad for me? who knows..... if only there was some way to find out..." mindset.

Go talk to your doctor. If you don't like what your doctor says, go talk to another doctor. Talk to as many healthcare professionals as it takes to get the answers to all of your questions.

[kirksnosehair]

The "we don't know" approach sounds a little like a cop out to me.  No offense, but there are dozens of things we do every day that "we don't know" what the long term effects will be but we do them anyway.  We don't know the long term effects of _______________________ <--I can insert a 100 items here and cite "we don't know the long term effects" as my reason for not doing it.


Metal detector?  We don't know the long term effects of going through metal detectors at airports.  They've only been around for about 50 years.  What if they kill you after 55 years?


Ear buds?  They've only been around for about 30 years.  How do we know they won't make you completely deaf after using them for 40 years?  Answer: we don't know


Does that mean I avoid using ear buds? 


I mean a vaccine for a respiratory illness is not reinventing the wheel here.  We already use vaccines for 100's of illnesses including other respiratory illnesses.   Yeah, I don't know what the long term effect of eating Cheerios will be after 65 years because they were only invented 57 years ago, should I stop eating them because "we don't know" ?


Here's what I think: Some people are young and they don't like needles, or they've seen a bunch of antivax propaganda on youtube or they feel invincible or they've decided that "covid-19 happens to other people not me" or insert your rational here so they're going to try to use some kind of logic to convince themselves that they're doing the right thing. 


And they're absolutely entitled to their own opinions, but they are not entitled to their own set of facts.  And from where I sit most of the vaccine hesitancy I see happening is hanging on some pretty flimsy and in many cases downright absurd rationales. 


You don't want to take the vaccine fine, don't take the vaccine, but don't try to wrap your decision in some pseudoscience nonsense or philosophical mumbo-jumbo.  You absolutely have the right to not take the vaccine, and you have the right to tell me you're not taking it because the ghost of Jim Morrison sang to you in a dream, but the rest of us who have taken the vaccine also have the right to restrict your access to certain public spaces where -due to your decision not to be vaccinated- you pose a risk to others.

[Skeever]

That is why I said, shoulda made the stimmies contingent on getting the shot. All the Christopher Robins musing with their Piglets and Winnie the Poohs about whether vaccines work and whether they should get them would come stumbling out of the 100 Acre Wood very fast.

[kirksnosehair]

Hmm...I have to think about that a little.  I get what you're saying, i just don't know how effective it would be or if it's even constitutional. 

[Stadler]

You can quietly live your life and make your own choices free from the judgment of others by doing just that. Gloating about your stupid opinions in public gives the public full license to laugh at you especially when those opinions backfire in your face. Don't want to get clowned? Don't be a clown. Simple as that.

Ted and Rush are clowns who both have profited immensely from being that.

Oh absolutely. Both sides need to shut up with the judgmental nonsense. Just live your own life and mind your own business.

Not to open up a can of worms, but that in itself is a value judgment. It’s valuing individualism over community. Which is very American (and somewhat western) but not a universal value set.

I don't think it's so much about individualism versus community. It's more about both sides thinking their way is the best way for the community and thinking the other side is stupid for thinking otherwise. The best solution is probably somewhere in the middle, but heaven forbid we actually listen to each other and compromise.

Which is where I stand; there's nothing funny about EITHER side.  It's all sort of sad, really.  Yeah, we all think we're "right", but we seem to forget that the people that disagree with us are EQUALLY convinced they are right and WE'RE the stupid ones.  At the end of the day, that means the answer is less about who is ACTUALLY right (and the reality is, it's never 100-0, but some degree of 50-50) than who has the loudest voice or the microphone at any given moment.   

Also, we don't know whether these decisions were right or wrong until later on as time goes on. Decades later even, do people realize, that decision was the best decision we could have made or that was the worst decision we ever made, and have to face either consequences for that decision.

Our decisions affect our future generations. We might not be alive to see the consequences of our decisions, but our children will and they are the ones that will have to live with it.

It's why you have to look how all these things will affect the children when they become adults. Same as how 9/11 affects us children that are adults today around the age of 30.


So that's just the thing. We don't know....And that is why I am taking a step back and just watching it. Because later down the line, everything will be fine, it has always been alright and we humans have survived. Throughout all of history and the things we have to face, this is just another one of them, only it's our time to shine.

I dunno - if you choose not to get the vaccine and then get covid, it seems to reason that if this happens, it ain't gonna take "decades" to figure you made the wrong decision. 

Yeah, except, no.  I have both shots. In something like 11 days, I'm as immune as I ever will be.   I can still get the virus.  I know, I know, lesser impacts, and less chance of passing it, but still.  I think the problem here is that if you're going to suppose for these people you have to think ALL THE WAY THROUGH like these people.   My brother?  I didn't ask him directly, but I think it's a matter of... I could get hit by a bus tomorrow, or shot by a perp (he's a cop) or get COVID.  It is what it is.   I don't at all suspect if he gets sick he will say "goddamn I should have got the shot!".  I do suspect he will say "goddamn I got the virus" and move on.  It's the way he is. 

[Skeever]

Ah yes, the constitution ...

Literally do not care. Not a lawyer, just a guy on the prog metal forum with a few hot takes lol

[Stadler]

There are any number of health professionals you can talk to in order to help you make the best decision for you and your family. Nothing is every certain and nothing is ever guaranteed but I really don't get this "is it good for me? is it bad for me? who knows..... if only there was some way to find out..." mindset.

Go talk to your doctor. If you don't like what your doctor says, go talk to another doctor. Talk to as many healthcare professionals as it takes to get the answers to all of your questions.

I'm not defending him - I don't agree with his decision - but I do defend his right to make that EVEN IF IT IMPACTS YOU.  There are no doctors in the world that are going to make him change his decision.  As I said, he seemingly knows the risk, knows the information.  This isn't "microchip implantation" reactions. It's just his decision as a living, breathing, sentient, competent American human to decide what goes in his body.

[Stadler]

Hmm...I have to think about that a little.  I get what you're saying, i just don't know how effective it would be or if it's even constitutional.

I don't think it would even be close; it's a matter of privacy, like abortion (the Constitutional rationale for why abortion is a fundamental right).   It's sometimes helpful to replace "vaccination" with "abortion" and see if there's a different answer.   You might be able to restrict access to people, as you've suggested, at least to non-fundamental things but as a general, blanket restriction?  I don't think it would survive scrutiny.   

[soupytwist]

Don't cops have to swear a serve and protect oath?

[Stadler]

Don't cops have to swear a serve and protect oath?

Nope. And even if they did, that doesn't demand them taking a particular vaccine.

[hunnus2000]

You can quietly live your life and make your own choices free from the judgment of others by doing just that. Gloating about your stupid opinions in public gives the public full license to laugh at you especially when those opinions backfire in your face. Don't want to get clowned? Don't be a clown. Simple as that.

Ted and Rush are clowns who both have profited immensely from being that.

Oh absolutely. Both sides need to shut up with the judgmental nonsense. Just live your own life and mind your own business.

Not to open up a can of worms, but that in itself is a value judgment. It’s valuing individualism over community. Which is very American (and somewhat western) but not a universal value set.

I don't think it's so much about individualism versus community. It's more about both sides thinking their way is the best way for the community and thinking the other side is stupid for thinking otherwise. The best solution is probably somewhere in the middle, but heaven forbid we actually listen to each other and compromise.

Which is where I stand; there's nothing funny about EITHER side.  It's all sort of sad, really.  Yeah, we all think we're "right", but we seem to forget that the people that disagree with us are EQUALLY convinced they are right and WE'RE the stupid ones.  At the end of the day, that means the answer is less about who is ACTUALLY right (and the reality is, it's never 100-0, but some degree of 50-50) than who has the loudest voice or the microphone at any given moment.   

Also, we don't know whether these decisions were right or wrong until later on as time goes on. Decades later even, do people realize, that decision was the best decision we could have made or that was the worst decision we ever made, and have to face either consequences for that decision.

Our decisions affect our future generations. We might not be alive to see the consequences of our decisions, but our children will and they are the ones that will have to live with it.

It's why you have to look how all these things will affect the children when they become adults. Same as how 9/11 affects us children that are adults today around the age of 30.


So that's just the thing. We don't know....And that is why I am taking a step back and just watching it. Because later down the line, everything will be fine, it has always been alright and we humans have survived. Throughout all of history and the things we have to face, this is just another one of them, only it's our time to shine.

I dunno - if you choose not to get the vaccine and then get covid, it seems to reason that if this happens, it ain't gonna take "decades" to figure you made the wrong decision. 

Yeah, except, no.  I have both shots. In something like 11 days, I'm as immune as I ever will be.   I can still get the virus.  I know, I know, lesser impacts, and less chance of passing it, but still.  I think the problem here is that if you're going to suppose for these people you have to think ALL THE WAY THROUGH like these people.   My brother?  I didn't ask him directly, but I think it's a matter of... I could get hit by a bus tomorrow, or shot by a perp (he's a cop) or get COVID.  It is what it is.   I don't at all suspect if he gets sick he will say "goddamn I should have got the shot!".  I do suspect he will say "goddamn I got the virus" and move on.  It's the way he is.

Consider - Yes people can get hit by a bus or something unfortunate may happen to your brother in the line of duty but in those examples, people don't have absolute control of their situation. Choosing to get the vaccine is within everyone's control and that's the difference. Regardless how the decision is made, if people choose not to get the vaccine - well it's still a bad decision. But with the example of my co-worker choosing not to get the vaccine but ultimately got covid (she still struggling over a week later) I'm sure her cognitive dissonance will kick in and she will convince herself it was no big deal.

All I can think of is Typhoid Mary.

[lordxizor]

Having said that, I'm starting to feel like once the vaccines administered starts to really twindle down to the point where everyone who wants one has gotten one, I say we really need to start fully opening up.  We can't let the resistance drive society.  They will have made their choice and it seems they are all good with that choice so we should open up and what happens, happens (generally, of course things can change).  I just don't want to see our politicians holding society back because everyone isn't vaccinated or if we don't meet the goals to get the % to herd immunity levels. 

I completely agree with this. We've all been staying home and holding out for the vaccine. It's here now. As soon as it's possible for everyone who wants it to have had it, it's time to fully open back up. No more mask mandates, no more restrictions, everything 100% open. I think we could be there by June. If you choose not to get vaccinated, so be it. You're rolling the dice and that's fine. Time to move on.

[hunnus2000]

Having said that, I'm starting to feel like once the vaccines administered starts to really twindle down to the point where everyone who wants one has gotten one, I say we really need to start fully opening up.  We can't let the resistance drive society.  They will have made their choice and it seems they are all good with that choice so we should open up and what happens, happens (generally, of course things can change).  I just don't want to see our politicians holding society back because everyone isn't vaccinated or if we don't meet the goals to get the % to herd immunity levels. 

I completely agree with this. We've all been staying home and holding out for the vaccine. It's here now. As soon as it's possible for everyone who wants it to have had it, it's time to fully open back up. No more mask mandates, no more restrictions, everything 100% open. I think we could be there by June. If you choose not to get vaccinated, so be it. You're rolling the dice and that's fine. Time to move on.

No, it's not fine. Around a quarter of the population has gotten the vaccine and until we're at 70% then I could see your point but we're not there yet. Because of people's stubbornness it is not time to open up fully, it is not time to lift mask mandates. Time to move on? Not even close.

[hefdaddy42]

Really looking forward to 2 weeks after my second shot, when I'll be as immune as I'll ever be.

I may do something normal, like go to a bookstore, or a movie theater, or a restaurant, none of which I've done in over a year.

[Adami]

Just got the second Pfizer shot. Let’s hope the next two days aren’t so bad.

[hunnus2000]

Really looking forward to 2 weeks after my second shot, when I'll be as immune as I'll ever be.

I may do something normal, like go to a bookstore, or a movie theater, or a restaurant, none of which I've done in over a year.

If you're fully vaccinated then your prolly good to go. 

[Podaar]

Really looking forward to 2 weeks after my second shot, when I'll be as immune as I'll ever be.

I may do something normal, like go to a bookstore, or a movie theater, or a restaurant, none of which I've done in over a year.

Hef, I'm two weeks past my final shot. I went into the cigar shop yesterday without a mask. It actually felt kinda edgy. 

[jingle.boy]

I hate coming across like a negative Nellie, but to those that think it's ok to start and 'get out' there (which I don't think I completely disagree with), have ya seen the stats coming out of India?  They had 'crushed' the curve for four months, then boom.  Literally.  https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-india-56826645

Over 300k cases yesterday... nearly 1/2 the global total.  And I think I heard the test positivity rate was north of 30%.  The additional indirect impact to Canada is that we import our AZ vaccines from India.



I think these are the kinds of things that Fauci et al are concerned about.  Even at 50% vaccinated, the wise move is to slowly loosen restrictions, then wait and see the effect.

[cramx3]

Having said that, I'm starting to feel like once the vaccines administered starts to really twindle down to the point where everyone who wants one has gotten one, I say we really need to start fully opening up.  We can't let the resistance drive society.  They will have made their choice and it seems they are all good with that choice so we should open up and what happens, happens (generally, of course things can change).  I just don't want to see our politicians holding society back because everyone isn't vaccinated or if we don't meet the goals to get the % to herd immunity levels. 

I completely agree with this. We've all been staying home and holding out for the vaccine. It's here now. As soon as it's possible for everyone who wants it to have had it, it's time to fully open back up. No more mask mandates, no more restrictions, everything 100% open. I think we could be there by June. If you choose not to get vaccinated, so be it. You're rolling the dice and that's fine. Time to move on.

No, it's not fine. Around a quarter of the population has gotten the vaccine and until we're at 70% then I could see your point but we're not there yet. Because of people's stubbornness it is not time to open up fully, it is not time to lift mask mandates. Time to move on? Not even close.

He specifically said June, and along the lines of my post where we are at a point where everyone who wants a vaccine has gotten one, even if it's not at 70%.  Personally I had put this date at Memorial day, but shots have been going down and J&J still not back in use so I'm pushing my timeline back to June as well.   But we should be there this summer, herd immunity or not the shots will be there for everyone and we shouldn't, IMO, keep things closed for the people who choose not to get vaccinated.  It's on them, not society, at that point.

Jingle, I can't compare India to the US, they aren't anywhere close to the vaccination levels.  I've read they are only at 1% of population vaccinated.  I do think that was totally within the realm of possibility here in the US without vaccines though.  Having said that, what's going on in India and Brazil should be concern for those who aren't vaccinated.  Covid ain't going anywhere and if we don't ever reach herd immunity (some "experts" have predicted this) then those without vaccines will only be more and more susceptible as the virus mutates to be worse.  Hopefully it eventually mutates to something benign, but that's only a hope at this point and not anything that's going to happen in the near future.

[ProfessorPeart]

I just got off a town hall for our IT department and they had a Doctor come on who is heading up what you could call a Covid Long-haul department in our company. They are trying to figure out what is going on with these long-haulers and how to treat them. They have had nearly 1000 patients come into the program already.

He got a question about what was the most shocking thing to come out of this. His answer was the average age of the long-haulers. Mostly young, and fit people. He mentioned a lady who is/was? a marathoner who was a prime physical specimen. She is a barely functioning human now due to long-haul symptoms and they cannot figure out what is going on. They are taking a one organ at a time approach to try and find a correlation and a cause. Just examine and treat and see what happens. His advice to everyone was to get vaccinated because you do not want to be a long-hauler.

[Stadler]

Really looking forward to 2 weeks after my second shot, when I'll be as immune as I'll ever be.

I may do something normal, like go to a bookstore, or a movie theater, or a restaurant, none of which I've done in over a year.

Hef, I'm two weeks past my final shot. I went into the cigar shop yesterday without a mask. It actually felt kinda edgy. 

It's weird isn't it?   

[King Postwhore]

Taking my dad for seafood Saturday.   It's weird to do so.

[XeRocks81]

finally got an appointment for my first shot thursday may 6th.  Yay canada I guess.

[bosk1]

To the point of the vaccine clinics not filling appointments and low attendance:  Took my 18-year-old to get his first dose today, and the site was pretty packed.  Obviously, it's impossible to say what % capacity they were at, but there were a LOT of people moving through there (it was a drive-through site, as was the FEMA site where I got mine).  And it still takes some work to get an appointment around these parts.  I know that's just anecdotal, but thought I'd share anyway.  I do know people who are eligible that aren't getting it yet and some who do not plan to get it at all.  It is what it is.  But a LOT of people are getting it.

[cramx3]

To the point of the vaccine clinics not filling appointments and low attendance:  Took my 18-year-old to get his first dose today, and the site was pretty packed.  Obviously, it's impossible to say what % capacity they were at, but there were a LOT of people moving through there (it was a drive-through site, as was the FEMA site where I got mine).  And it still takes some work to get an appointment around these parts.  I know that's just anecdotal, but thought I'd share anyway.  I do know people who are eligible that aren't getting it yet and some who do not plan to get it at all.  It is what it is.  But a LOT of people are getting it.

I brought it up, so I'll explain a bit more.  Two weekends ago (right before J&J got stalled) we did 4 million shots administered both days that weekend, the highest to date.  Since then we've been doing only 1.5-3 million per day.  And one might expect this week to shoot up with things opening for everyone, and yet only 2.6M yesterday and 1.8M Tuesday.  This is national so obviously you may see something different locally (I believe it's still a tight squeeze by me locally, but south of me is so easily available now) but it's concerning to me overall to see such a drop and it started that Monday after the record doses so it may not entirely be based on the J&J pause (although I definitely believe that plays a large role here).

I believe the admin is looking to move doses out of mega sites and into more CVS like sites to get things closer to people.  J&J is rumored to come back into play real soon (with a warning maybe tomorrow).  I do hope the numbers come back up, but I fear we may be hitting the wall of resistance and IMO that really sucks to be approaching that already.

[bosk1]

Yeah, I understand.  I think that, just like trends in the virus itself, we are going to see different trends for vaccinations over time as well.  I think it is probably too early to be overly concerned about a down-trend.  It could be explained by any variety of factors.  But I think it's too early to be overly concerned.  We don't know whether it is truly indicative of a slowdown, or just a temporary down-trend for what could be a variety of innocent factors. 

[King Postwhore]

The number I'm only interested in is the % fully vaccinated.   What will be the % that we can move to normalcy?

[cramx3]

Yeah, I understand.  I think that, just like trends in the virus itself, we are going to see different trends for vaccinations over time as well.  I think it is probably too early to be overly concerned about a down-trend.  It could be explained by any variety of factors.  But I think it's too early to be overly concerned.  We don't know whether it is truly indicative of a slowdown, or just a temporary down-trend for what could be a variety of innocent factors.

You may very well be right.  My concern is how quickly we get back to "normal" and I think this stalls that a bit, that's all.  I'm mostly trying to explain not only the numbers but my own opinion.  I said Memorial Day things might be good, we had a slow down, I need to personally account for that. I kind of expected the 3-4M number to be consistent through May. 

The number I'm only interested in is the % fully vaccinated.   What will be the % that we can move to normalcy?

We are at 26.4% fully vaccinated in the US. Experts say around 70% to reach herd immunity. Around 50% had at least one shot so if we assumed those will complete the vaccinate schedule (I think it's over 90% who do come back for the 2nd shot), we will guarantee get to 50% fully vaxxed. Getting that next 20% may take a bit longer due to hesitancy.  This doesn't take natural infections into account.  It's totally possible we are much closer to herd immunity due to infection, but there's no way to measure it.

Fauci has said he thinks things wouldn't get back to normal until we get to 10k new cases daily (the good news, is the daily cases are dropping now after the latest "spike"). I personally feel we should get to normal once everyone who wants to be vaccinated has been vaccinated (minus the under 16 year olds).  I don't know if those two statistics align though, they may likely not, I just think if everyone has the ability to get one and opportunity, we shouldn't hold back the rest of society (here in the US).  Honestly what Jingle shared and what's happening in other spots of the world without vaccines should IMO be a good advisory to why one should get vaccinated.  However,  as said before, convincing those who are against it is an upward slope even when showing evidence of how bad this can get.

[Cool Chris]

I've been checking on getting an appointment and every place by me has nothing open.

I am ready and willing to get one, but not being able to get an appointment isn't keeping me up at night. It isn't going to change much of anything in the course of my daily routine. I still anticipate wearing a mask for the foreseeable future while at work, which doesn't bother me. And as my wife is wont to say, I am often to content to never leave the house if I don't have to. Getting a vaccine isn't going to suddenly inspire me to go somewhere I wouldn't otherwise go. I do wish more things were open for the kids, like the rec center and the pool (which just opened on a limited basis). We have started going to local parks now that the weather is nice, and they are troopers wearing their masks if other kids are around.

[Stadler]

So just for informational purposes... I was scheduled for my second shot on Friday, the 16th.  I couldn't make it, so on the 15th I went on the Walgreens website and had about seven or eight opportunities to reschedule at the same location for Saturday the 17th.  I couldn't make that either, so on Friday or Saturday (I can't remember which) I called the 1-800 number, and had something like 6 or 8 slots to choose from on Monday (the first of which I took).  That was at a different location, slightly closer to my home.   I didn't bother checking other Walgreen's locations, but I imagine on either day I didn't have the only eight spots in the entire state.   

Many places in Connecticut are now advertising walk-up vaccinations with no appointment.   I know someone walked up during my first shot and got one (they gave it to him and we waited together to see if our testicles were going to shrivel up); I don't know if everyone at the second shot had appointments or not, but there were about six or seven people mingling around at the pharmacy.  There was no line to speak of though.

[Adami]

Got my second shot yesterday. Pfizer.

Currently dying. Was lovely knowing all of you. Even Stadler.