Coronavirus

[TAC]

Yeah, I think that's cool, and this article seems to illustrate that.

[cramx3]

Yeah, I think that's cool, and this article seems to illustrate that.

It does, but I had to explain this to someone yesterday who used it as a anti-vax reason. "oh but the yankees are all sick, and so is Bill Maher" ... uh huh they are all 100% fine.

The reality is, and the article also suggested it, that there's likely a significant amount of breakthrough cases but because people feel fine, they aren't just going to go get tested unlike the Yankees who will get tested regularly. 

[Ben_Jamin]

Yeah, I think that's cool, and this article seems to illustrate that.

It does, but I had to explain this to someone yesterday who used it as a anti-vax reason. "oh but the yankees are all sick, and so is Bill Maher" ... uh huh they are all 100% fine.

The reality is, and the article also suggested it, that there's likely a significant amount of breakthrough cases but because people feel fine, they aren't just going to go get tested unlike the Yankees who will get tested regularly.

And that's how it was before the pandemic. People would only go to hospitals if they felt really bad. People never really went to hospitals until they were/are very bad, where it's revealed they waited too long and now need to be an in patient. Some people have high pain thresholds, and don't bother going in at all, until they're basically dying.

With the Pandemic, you had people going due to their fear of thinking they have Covid, which they never bothered to before. Which likely revealed that many of these people were in fact, not as healthy as they thought.

[King Postwhore]

Yeah, I think that's cool, and this article seems to illustrate that.

It does, but I had to explain this to someone yesterday who used it as a anti-vax reason. "oh but the yankees are all sick, and so is Bill Maher" ... uh huh they are all 100% fine.

The reality is, and the article also suggested it, that there's likely a significant amount of breakthrough cases but because people feel fine, they aren't just going to go get tested unlike the Yankees who will get tested regularly.

People will take any sentence and spin it to their beliefs.   

[Ben_Jamin]

Yeah, I think that's cool, and this article seems to illustrate that.

It does, but I had to explain this to someone yesterday who used it as a anti-vax reason. "oh but the yankees are all sick, and so is Bill Maher" ... uh huh they are all 100% fine.

The reality is, and the article also suggested it, that there's likely a significant amount of breakthrough cases but because people feel fine, they aren't just going to go get tested unlike the Yankees who will get tested regularly.

People will take any sentence and spin it to their beliefs.

I don't even know what their Anti-Vax reason is they're trying argue to Cram based on what he said. I just don't get what they're trying to argue with "Oh but, the Yankees got it and Bill Maher". Is it that they don't work at stopping infection?

Because vaccines are not a cure. They're a remedy, just like every medicine, both western and holistic, is a remedy to ease the pain, and help us feel good enough where the pain or sickness isn't impairing us from living out our life.

All medicines have side effects, and affect people differently, it's why you should always talk to your doctor before trying any medicines or remedies.

This vaccine is no different, it affects people differently. There is no real way to know how it will affect someone, unless they actually take it, that's why they had people wait to gather data on how that person will react to it. The only thing we know is that most people should be fine and shouldn't be feeling severe side effect symptoms from the vaccine.

This vaccine eases those severe symptoms that had caused many people to die,  and more to overwhelm the hospitals to where they couldn't handle the influx of patients and supplies for emergency care became so low, they had no choice but to focus primarily on these people, neglecting the other health issues that are just as bad or worse.

So if you are/were worried about it yourself, I sure hope you did get the vaccine. Those whom are not, will not get it. That doesn't necessarily mean they are Anti-Vax people. They just don't view the risks of catching Covid and the symptoms as much as you do.

 And how people suddenly started to care about the risks, I find interesting to ask about, if it was media that played into their fear and if they wouldn't have feared as much if they never knew about it through the media?

[hunnus2000]

Two things:

CDC guidelines are that if you are vaccinated then there is no need to to get tested.

Baseball protocol along with the NBA is that they get tested everyday and I think the NBA tests twice a day.

Conclusion - If vaccinated people got tested, I'm pretty sure the number of breakthrough cases would spike significantly but that doesn't mean the vaccine is not working. Just the opposite.

[Ben_Jamin]

Two things:

CDC guidelines are that if you are vaccinated then there is no need to to get tested.

Baseball protocol along with the NBA is that they get tested everyday and I think the NBA tests twice a day.

Conclusion - If vaccinated people got tested, I'm pretty sure the number of breakthrough cases would spike significantly but that doesn't mean the vaccine is not working. Just the opposite.

Precisely, they only knew they had it because they had no choice to test. If they didn't, they wouldn't have known.

And exactly...The only reason we know people were sick was because of the mass testing that people voluntarily did. People did this because of their fear of catching it and either dying or being one of those severe cases, or passing it onto their loved one who may die or have a severe case. Even though, that loved one may not or just doesn't care at all or doesn't fear catching it. People did this because of their fear of losing that loved one. And those loved ones did so out of fear for dying or getting it severely. But there are people who just don't care either way and some likely welcomed it and wanted the sickness, so they can die and leave this world, there are people who actually want to die, but don't want to die by their own hand, and would prefer the "God strike me down now, please" approach.

This is why I played along and masked up and did not let the fear affect me at all. It's hard to stand your ground in the face of fear of the unknown. Which is what this pandemic was and people played on that fear.

Now that these vaccines work and those whom are worried got the vaccines and the only ones who should be concerned are those that are not vaccinated. Well, that's their choice and always has been their choice, whether they want to risk dying or getting severe symptoms of the virus.

There are also those that got it and are fine. And also, those cases that likely had Covid before it was known as Covid, and was the "Unknown Flu Like Virus".  All these people should have antibodies built up that should work just as fine as the vaccine does. Isn't this how we humans develop our immunity?

[XeRocks81]

Ben you always make it sound like covid is nothing, is that really what you believe or not?

[TAC]

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/stop-and-shop-wont-require-face-masks-for-fully-vaccinated-massachusetts-shoppers-after-may-29/ar-BB1gUPig?li=BBnbfcL

I don't work for S&S, but they are basically our main competitor. I hope we announce something similar soon, and I'll only have to wear my mask at work for another week.

[Adami]

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/stop-and-shop-wont-require-face-masks-for-fully-vaccinated-massachusetts-shoppers-after-may-29/ar-BB1gUPig?li=BBnbfcL

I don't work for S&S, but they are basically our main competitor. I hope we announce something similar soon, and I'll only have to wear my mask at work for another week.

I’ve seen that kind of stuff. But what’s the difference between no masks for vaccinated people and no masks for anyone? I doubt they’re checking who’s vaccinated.

[TAC]

Yeah, there's no way to make any distinction.

[Adami]

Yeah, there's no way to make any distinction.

I guess one just sounds more responsible?

[Ben_Jamin]

Ben you always make it sound like covid is nothing, is that really what you believe or not?

That is not my intention if it comes across that way.

I do know that it is around. I know this, because the people in my community also had gotten hit hard, with a flu-like illness, during the mid-December to mid-January months, this was when Covid wasn't really known about, yet these people all experienced the symptoms that were pretty much identical to the symptoms of Covid, My dad included. Although, they were hit pretty good, it wasn't bad to where they needed to go into the hospital. As of this moment, we don't know what it was they had, all they were told is that it was a "Stronger Flu" and to get rest, it could very well have been covid, but as it stands we don't know.

I am just a person who tries not to let fear get the best of me. I try not to fear when in the face of danger. Even regarding Death, I do not see it as a big issue or deal, and this I feel is due to how much death I have seen already and experienced with many people I knew, Friends, Family, and people from my community. I've come to accept, death is a part of life, and we are all going to die someday. The catch is we just don't know when or how, and that is what I believe to be the fear of dying, and the concept of "Carpe Diem", seizing each day, and living like it's the last.

This has led to me to understand that we all are in control of our own lives, and that every decision we make in our lives is our own choice and decision, and there really is no one else to blame but you. As you are the only one in control of your own body. The main focus of your life should be you and only you, and then the other. That is self-responsibility, and I believe we are all accountable for this, and it is an important aspect to having compassion and to have an understanding and respect for the other.

I also did wear a mask when I went out, I did use sanitizer, I do wash my hands all the time when using the bathroom. I did all these things required of us, and am still fine, so are the people I have been around and continued to hang around with. And that was an agreement and decision Me and that person made ourselves. As time went on in the pandemic, I slowly opened up to outside friends, and they were/are fine as well. In the end, they just don't see it as a big enough deal to not want to hang out and enjoy our company. We all are doing these requirements, some took the vaccine and some didn't, and I only know this because they took it upon themselves to tell me, I didn't ask them at all.

Basically, what I believe is. Before you demand to control what someone does to their own body, you should consider looking at your own first before pointing that finger.

[Elite]

I'm crying about $2.85 per gallon.

Wow, I never realised gasoline was that cheap in the US. It costs more than twice that here.

[XJDenton]

*Laughs in Swedish*

In Sweden, they have extended work from home and social distancing orders for Government agencies up until September. This is starting to drag...

[Stadler]

Yeah, there's no way to make any distinction.

I guess one just sounds more responsible?

I think there's a sort of honor system, like most things in life.  We don't check other drivers to see if they have licenses and insurance, we just sort of assume that most people follow the rules.  The difference here is just that we don't have that obvious presence of a mask - or not - from which to hurl our judgement and condemnation at the other person.   

I know for me, I've been a willing and compromising actor in all of this.  ALWAYS a mask (I have like five or six in each car, just in case).  Mask on when people come to the house.   Six feet where possible (I've gotten in so many steps by going down other aisles in Home Depot to avoid contact).  I went and got the vaccine almost first day.   I have my vax card in a plastic sleeve that I can take with me (and in photo on my phone).  I'm sort of interested myself what I'm going to do/say when someone walks up to me and gives me bizniss for something that really ISN'T their business.   I know me, I'll probably be polite but firm in flashing my card, but still, the temptation is there to be more aggressive in telling them to mind their own goddamn business, and tend their own goddamn garden.

[lonestar]

I'm crying about $2.85 per gallon.

Wow, I never realised gasoline was that cheap in the US. It costs more than twice that here.

You live in California too?

[cramx3]

I have my vax card in a plastic sleeve that I can take with me (and in photo on my phone). 

Have you actually had to pull that out?  I don't carry mine around.

[Stadler]

I have my vax card in a plastic sleeve that I can take with me (and in photo on my phone). 

Have you actually had to pull that out?  I don't carry mine around.

Not yet, at least not like that.  I went to a bar last week to meet a friend and I put the card on the bar and asked the bartender if I could take off my mask.  She looked at me like I put my penis on the bar.    She didn't care even one bit, as long as I was ordering drinks (they did have plexiglass up, though, so there was that.)

[cramx3]

Well, were you expecting to have a drink with the mask on?  And yea, I don't think bartenders gaf, they have been dealing with people maskless drinking this whole time.

[Ben_Jamin]

Well, were you expecting to have a drink with the mask on?  And yea, I don't think bartenders gaf, they have been dealing with people maskless drinking this whole time.

I went to Dave and Busters when it finally opened back up here, and laughed at how they played it smart and had the tables set up by the Bar, it's a pretty thick bar from the customer to the Bartender, that way the bartender can just place the drink by the bar and the customer can reach and grab it, without having to go all the way around and give it to you, or wait for the server, as you sit and look at it sitting there. 

I also got a free cake for dining in, so that was a nice inventive to go and eat there. Wasn't expecting that, but it was nice. This was before they allowed them to open their arcade room.

Next is likely, Mini-golf and then Bowling.

[cramx3]

The numbers continue to get better:

28,541 positives reported yesterday compared to 35,926 week over week. 7-day rolling average is at 29,975.

Fatality was 636 compared to 733 yesterday and 848 week over week, 7-day rolling fatality at 591.

Hospitalizations reported 7 day rolling average is 26,415 compared to one week ago 30,991 down 14.8%.

Hospital admissions reported 7 day rolling average is 3,501 compared to one week ago 4,146 down 15.6%.

Under 30k daily cases is a nice milestone, although I do think some of this has to do with less testing going on.  Vaccinated people aren't getting tested, school sports are either over or ending so there goes lots of testing too.  But the hospitializations have steadily gone down and deaths are just slowly coming down.  I suspect due to the lag of deaths being 4 or so weeks behind cases.  I expect those will drop soon enough.

My guess of being fully open by memorial day seems to have been legit (even though I thought maybe mid June was more likely after the J&J pause and slowdown of shots).  NJ basically fully opened yesterday (indoor large events still have a restriction, but that's about it). I see Fenway Park will be at full capacity before the end of the month.  Mets/Yankees will be July 1st.  I haven't seen a date for NJ to remove the mask mandate (NY did yesterday) but I think that's the next local hurdle.  Otherwise... things seem almost 100% back to normal here.  Back to having traffic on my commute 

[lonestar]

Well, were you expecting to have a drink with the mask on?  And yea, I don't think bartenders gaf, they have been dealing with people maskless drinking this whole time.

Yeah, even here bartenders don't care. My good friend is a dive bar bartender in a very upscale east bay town, and she says they're pretty much taking them off as they walk in. She even loses her around 11pm.

[gmillerdrake]

I mean....I still don't want to make light of the virus and all but with the successes of Texas and Florida who have been 'opened up' for a while now.....other states are following suite. I know Missouri is. The Cardinals baseball stadium will return to 100% capacity on 6/14.....the Blues are at 9k attendance (normal is 14k). All the local cities have dropped the mask mandate. I think we know it isn't 'gone'....but a ton of people are vaccinated.....kids have a 99.9% survival rate and rarely even show symptoms....I don't think you're going to be able to restrict peoples lives anymore.

It's a shame this thing was so politicized. If there were a unified front on this when it first came about we'd have reached this point quite some time ago. Once it was politicized and the media realized how much $$$ they could make off of fear mongering.....it snowballed.

[cramx3]

I mean....I still don't want to make light of the virus and all but with the successes of Texas and Florida who have been 'opened up' for a while now.....other states are following suite. I know Missouri is. The Cardinals baseball stadium will return to 100% capacity on 6/14.....the Blues are at 9k attendance (normal is 14k). All the local cities have dropped the mask mandate. I think we know it isn't 'gone'....but a ton of people are vaccinated.....kids have a 99.9% survival rate and rarely even show symptoms....I don't think you're going to be able to restrict peoples lives anymore.

It's a shame this thing was so politicized. If there were a unified front on this when it first came about we'd have reached this point quite some time ago. Once it was politicized and the media realized how much $$$ they could make off of fear mongering.....it snowballed.

I agree that this doesn't mean the virus is gone, and that it is a shame this has been politicized.  But I'm not sure we'd get to this point any quicker.  I think it's a scientific and logistic miracle we are where we are.

[XeRocks81]

It's a shame this thing was so politicized. If there were a unified front on this when it first came about we'd have reached this point quite some time ago. Once it was politicized and the media realized how much $$$ they could make off of fear mongering.....it snowballed.

See I don’t disagree with that, but I think it’s worth noting that part of having a unified front was having everyone take it seriously and realize how dangerous it is.  The media has to do it’s part to spread that message and I wouldn’t call that fear mongering but civic duty really. 

[KevShmev]

I can't remember the numbers, but I saw some that showed the US media was far more negative about COVID than media in other countries all over the world in regards to COVID in the last year.  It was nothing but gloom and doom from our media, like the world was coming to an end.

[cramx3]

There was definitely fear mongering from the media IMO

[XeRocks81]

and I’m not saying there wasn’t any,  just that the media’s role was still to make us understand the stakes.

[gmillerdrake]

It's a shame this thing was so politicized. If there were a unified front on this when it first came about we'd have reached this point quite some time ago. Once it was politicized and the media realized how much $$$ they could make off of fear mongering.....it snowballed.

See I don’t disagree with that, but I think it’s worth noting that part of having a unified front was having everyone take it seriously and realize how dangerous it is.  The media has to do it’s part to spread that message and I wouldn’t call that fear mongering but civic duty really.

Ehh...I certainly don't want to argue with you about the media. I get that the media has to do it's part. But when your 'Corona Death Ticker' disappears from your continual timeline scroll the day after Biden is sworn in and you spend a year pimping only the scariest...most random death stories associated with the virus....I can't get onboard with they were just spreading the message.

They exploited the heck out of it for ratings and they knew fear and death would get them the big numbers.

[Adami]

They exploited the heck out of it for ratings and they knew fear and death would get them the big numbers.

So they treated it like every other story for the last several decades?

[XeRocks81]

It's a shame this thing was so politicized. If there were a unified front on this when it first came about we'd have reached this point quite some time ago. Once it was politicized and the media realized how much $$$ they could make off of fear mongering.....it snowballed.

See I don’t disagree with that, but I think it’s worth noting that part of having a unified front was having everyone take it seriously and realize how dangerous it is.  The media has to do it’s part to spread that message and I wouldn’t call that fear mongering but civic duty really.

Ehh...I certainly don't want to argue with you about the media. I get that the media has to do it's part. But when your 'Corona Death Ticker' disappears from your continual timeline scroll the day after Biden is sworn in and you spend a year pimping only the scariest...most random death stories associated with the virus....I can't get onboard with they were just spreading the message.

They exploited the heck out of it for ratings and they knew fear and death would get them the big numbers.

again I agree there was fear mongering, but part of the reason there wasn’t a unified front was that not enough people took it seriously.  So there’s a line here somewhere and they definitely went over it but where that line was supposed to be… I don’t know. 

[gmillerdrake]

They exploited the heck out of it for ratings and they knew fear and death would get them the big numbers.

So they treated it like every other story for the last several decades?

Pretty much. Failure on all fronts from leadership to national media. Should have dropped the BS for a bit to responsibly tackle the pandemic. I know that’s asking too much

[Adami]

They exploited the heck out of it for ratings and they knew fear and death would get them the big numbers.

So they treated it like every other story for the last several decades?

Pretty much. Failure on all fronts from leadership to national media. Should have dropped the BS for a bit to responsibly tackle the pandemic. I know that’s asking too much

Silly goose.

[SwedishGoose]

Silly goose.

Yes I do feel silly now 

Silly for not taking a vaccine, no not the covid of which I got the first so far.
Silly for not taking the Shigles vaccine, oh well hopefully I got it diagnozed quickly enough that the antivirals will help.

Had I taken that vaccine I would not have to worry (not too much).