Coronavirus Thread v.2

[XJDenton]

With luck, I should have my first dose on Monday.

[Stadler]

For polarbear, Elite, and XJ, good luck (not with the shot itself, but getting it)!  It was a big relief for me when I finally got the second one.

[Skeever]

I feel like I'm getting it from both ends. On one hand, I have in-laws that have been anti-mask and anti-vaxx all along. And they've been quite loud and disrespectful about it, telling people who comply or have their kids comply that they are committing child abuse, telling people who get the shot that they support abortion, etc.

On the other hand, now that I'm vaccinated, I've been getting back to normal life as much as I can, and I'm feeling a little bit of shade from people on the other side. Like people telling me "I don't know how you could go out to a restaurant with friends when your kid isn't vaccinated". For starters, whether my kid gets vaccinated at all is a question for his pediatrician. And believe it or not, it doesn't seem to be a sure thing that it will happen at all. 

It was a rough transition getting used to life under covid and I guess now everyone has to get used to some sense of normalcy, people will process that differently and there is enough pent-up anxiety to spew out in any direction.

[Grappler]

I don't pay any attention to it.  Cram is right in this thread - the people that want to be vaccinated have already been, and those that aren't yet, well, they probably won't anyways.  So you just have to live how you are comfortable and forget everyone else's opinions.

My kids are in summer camps, wear masks when they're supposed to and take them off when they can (outdoors).  It is what it is.  We've taken them to the mall, restaurants, and will be going to Florida very soon.  I can't keep them at home for another year - the youngest needs social development and preschool, which he didn't get last year when they cancelled his pre-school classes outright.  They also need to just be kids and play at playgrounds or go on vacations. 

I'm living my life with the guess that 2 of every 3 people I encounter are likely vaccinated.  I live in a very red-county, so maybe that isn't true.  But it makes me feel better being around others and learning to try and trust people again...and also not judge others, like I have been over the last year.  It's nice to feel that life is returning to normal, and that also means encountering some sick people in public, sadly.  We go out with head colds and other illnesses - it is what it is. 

[Ben_Jamin]

I don't pay any attention to it.  Cram is right in this thread - the people that want to be vaccinated have already been, and those that aren't yet, well, they probably won't anyways.  So you just have to live how you are comfortable and forget everyone else's opinions.

My kids are in summer camps, wear masks when they're supposed to and take them off when they can (outdoors).  It is what it is.  We've taken them to the mall, restaurants, and will be going to Florida very soon.  I can't keep them at home for another year - the youngest needs social development and preschool, which he didn't get last year when they cancelled his pre-school classes outright.  They also need to just be kids and play at playgrounds or go on vacations. 

I'm living my life with the guess that 2 of every 3 people I encounter are likely vaccinated.  I live in a very red-county, so maybe that isn't true.  But it makes me feel better being around others and learning to try and trust people again...and also not judge others, like I have been over the last year.  It's nice to feel that life is returning to normal, and that also means encountering some sick people in public, sadly.  We go out with head colds and other illnesses - it is what it is.

Precisely being concerned about yourself.

What they're doing is being over-considerate to where it becomes invasive.

And it's not going back to normal. It's going back to living life again. And being able to do what we please again. Society and Culture dictate what is Normal, and one cultures Normal is vastly different in meaning than Western Civilization and it's Culture.

[Stadler]

I feel like I'm getting it from both ends. On one hand, I have in-laws that have been anti-mask and anti-vaxx all along. And they've been quite loud and disrespectful about it, telling people who comply or have their kids comply that they are committing child abuse, telling people who get the shot that they support abortion, etc.

On the other hand, now that I'm vaccinated, I've been getting back to normal life as much as I can, and I'm feeling a little bit of shade from people on the other side. Like people telling me "I don't know how you could go out to a restaurant with friends when your kid isn't vaccinated". For starters, whether my kid gets vaccinated at all is a question for his pediatrician. And believe it or not, it doesn't seem to be a sure thing that it will happen at all. 

It was a rough transition getting used to life under covid and I guess now everyone has to get used to some sense of normalcy, people will process that differently and there is enough pent-up anxiety to spew out in any direction.

I'm experiencing that difficulty in getting back into the groove too.  The rules are changing again, and that's always a time for turmoil. I will only note that I've been seeing (and experiencing) the "shade" from both sides all along; it's not really new.   It just strikes me that as soon as someone sees something that doesn't jive with their world view, there's this feeling of entitlement that they can or should speak up (which needless to say, I'm not really down with).   Up here, it's actually a little stronger on the bullying side.  Then again, I live in a pretty blue state, so it's sort of par for the course.

[lonestar]

Whole Foods lifted masking for vaccinated employees. Feels fucking weird to be mask less when 90 % of the customers are still masked, but fuck it, it's been long enough.

[King Postwhore]

Whole Foods lifted masking for vaccinated employees. Feels fucking weird to be mask less when 90 % of the customers are still masked, but fuck it, it's been long enough.

It feels normal real fast.

[XeRocks81]

That makes senes since the hesitancy is low.  Good on the people out there to get the jab and being informed.  I spoke to my friend who is not vaccinated (and refuses to) if he was aware of the Delta variant and he was not.  People here in the US are just ignorant to the reality.  He previously had told me "I'm 35 and healthy so no need" which is a big  to me.

No shit.  The UK is seeing virtually no cases of the original strain.  Some people are so blissfully ignorant... I just hope it doesn't cost them their health (or worse).

I just saw an article this morning that stated Canada just passed the UK in terms of % of population with at least 1 dose - 65%.  Hesitancy thankfully isn't a problem; supply *was*, which is why we're so slow on the 2nd doses.  Now our main problem will be distribution and execution.  It's still going to take at least 2-3 months to get that same population their 2nd dose.  Good news is, my pharmacy is getting AZ supply next week or two, and since mrs.jingle and I were vax'd on the first or 2nd day they had supply initially, we should have our 2nd jab within the next two weeks.  jingle.mom got her 2nd shot on Friday.

Case numbers are WAY down in Ontario (less than 300 @ 2.3% test positivity), so that's also a good sign we're trending in the right way. Down over 90% across the country in the last 60 days, under 1000 new daily cases nationally.  Just have to keep an eye on that Delta variant.  That fucker can/will spread like a Californian wildfire.

my original booking for Pfizer dose #2 was august 21st but today I was able to move it forward to july 22nd, things are progressing.

[lonestar]

Whole Foods lifted masking for vaccinated employees. Feels fucking weird to be mask less when 90 % of the customers are still masked, but fuck it, it's been long enough.

It feels normal real fast.

Yup, took all of 15 minutes for the weird feeling to wear off lol

[jingle.boy]

Worst case for me / mrs.jingle, we just booked a Pfizer/Moderna 2nd dose for Thursday through the Provincial booking system.  It's possible our local pharmacy (where we got our 1st dose of AZ) might get an AZ batch before then, but one way or another, we'll be double dosed by this time next week.

[Adami]

Worst case for me / mrs.jingle, we just booked a Pfizer/Moderna 2nd dose for Thursday through the Provincial booking system.  It's possible our local pharmacy (where we got our 1st dose of AZ) might get an AZ batch before then, but one way or another, we'll be double dosed by this time next week.

Is it okay to mix doses?

[Luoto]

Is it okay to mix doses?

Yeah, it's safe. There are folks over here who've had AZ as their first dose, and will have Pfizer or Moderna for their second because AZ has since been shelved by most EU countries.

[cramx3]

Worst case for me / mrs.jingle, we just booked a Pfizer/Moderna 2nd dose for Thursday through the Provincial booking system.  It's possible our local pharmacy (where we got our 1st dose of AZ) might get an AZ batch before then, but one way or another, we'll be double dosed by this time next week.

Is it okay to mix doses?

I heard Fauci say it was fine for Moderna/Pfizer but I never heard about AZ being mixed with either.  My understanding is AZ is an adeno virus and Moderna/Pfizer is mRNA so I'm kind of surprised you could mix those two. 

[lonestar]

Yeah..that doesn't seem right.

[cramx3]

Well I just read this

https://www.yahoo.com/news/covid19-vaccine-astrazeneca-pfizer-moderna-second-shot-naci-230829766.html

"An mRNA vaccine is now preferred as the second dose for individuals who received a first dose of the AstraZeneca/COVISHIELD vaccine, based on emerging evidence of a potentially better immune response from this mixed vaccine schedule and to mitigate the potential risk of VITT [vaccine-induced immune thrombotic thrombocytopenia] associated with viral vector vaccines," the recommendation from NACI reads.

So I guess it is legit.

[jingle.boy]

No peer reviewed studies, and I'm sure AZ (the company) is fucking livid over this, but the whole VITT blood-clot issue has made guidance on AZ shots an absolute cluster fuck - at least here in Canada. 

The reality is, we don't even know what brands of vaccines we receive for other virus' / diseases.  It's only because of the race to market (and the sheer number of companies in the race) that we know the brand name of these.  I mean, can anyone name me the brand of vaccine or booster you got for the flu?  Or MMR?  Or who the maker of Shingrix is?

I was a little skeptical at first, but the field studies are showing that it's at least as good as 2-shots of the same vaccine, and some show it's better - limited formal study though.

Honestly, my gut says it's more likely because of some kind of deal that Pfizer and Moderna have cut with the Cdn government.

BTW, NACI is a fucking joke.  Their "guidance" changes pretty much every week.  Less than a month ago, their guidance on AZ was that it's was safe and effective (because there was AZ-hesitation back in April/May up here).

[ariich]

In the UK, AstraZeneca is still the main vaccine for over 40s as the blood clot risk seems to mainly be among younger people.

[King Postwhore]

What's the % of those with blood clots Rich? 

[ariich]

What's the % of those with blood clots Rich? 

Oh it's really, really tiny still. Like, a fraction of a %.

[Grappler]

I'm putting my vaccine to the test in a trial by fire...family vacation to Panama City Beach, FL.  I can count on one hand the number of people I have seen wearing a mask in Kentucky, Tennessee, Alabama and Florida.   

[King Postwhore]

What's the % of those with blood clots Rich? 

Oh it's really, really tiny still. Like, a fraction of a %.

That sounds very familiar to the Johnson & Johnson issue here.

[bosk1]

I see some masks here locally, but they are definitely on the way out for most people.  I have not been into any businesses in the last few days that are requiring them for customers, but I have been bringing mine just in case. 

[TAC]

I am back to working in the city and I'm finding that black people are still wearing their masks.

[lonestar]

Some observations on the restrictions being lifted around my area. As you all know I picked up a 2nd job at Whole Foods, and it's been a trip not only to watch what has been happening there, but also what happens inside my head, my perception of people and how I have to force changes in how I think of them. I'd say in the three days we've been open, the percentage of customers and employees dropping the mask is slowly increasing. I definitely know of some employees who are full of shit about their vax status, and are just saying fuck it besides. I know of some people who are being toally cautious, are totally vaxxed, and are still wearing their mask, and every bit in between. I personally have dropped it whenever allowable.

So in my head, I'm slowly dropping that instant judgement I've been having about people based on their mask status. Earlier we'd see someone maskless and we'd immediately jump to all sorts of conclusions about them, mostly negative. We wait for the aggression, the defensiveness, and brace for it. Now I go to those same conclusions, and remind myself that they can fit into any of the above categories, the current situation is completely taking away that aspect of the last year, and I love it. Being in that state of defensiveness is fucking exhausting man. Mask or no mask, I could give fuck all about how customers wanna do it, and it feels great.


Also, it's really, really nice to finally smile at a stranger, and get a smile back. I missed that more than I could imagine.

[MoraWintersoul]

Oslo dropped obligatory masks in shops (idk if they were a thing during most of the pandemic in most other places in Norway?), but some stores have notes on the door kindly asking the customers to wear a mask if they can't maintain one meter distance. Let's see how quickly people drop them. It would be nice to feel the good vibes again. The other day I got suddenly sick of it in the phone repair shop, having to project my voice in my third language over my thick cloth mask and squint and angle my face funny when the guy is showing me something on the phone because my glasses have to be on a mask-friendly angle now.

We do everything without masks in kindergartens and I have already picked up the kids' bugs from every place I worked at, so I'm already used to feeling exposed and getting sick again, but I imagine if you spent all of last year masked everywhere, it's quite an adjustment.

Side note, trying to build up immunity again will not be pretty for most of us I always only ever get sick enough to sneeze and cough, but I can stand and do stuff just fine. I got sick twice since March and it was a full fever, couldn't sleep, have to preserve my energy a week into feeling sick still kind of affair.

[Stadler]

Also, it's really, really nice to finally smile at a stranger, and get a smile back. I missed that more than I could imagine.

Word up.  Could not agree with this any more than I already do.

[emtee]

It's been great to see sporting events with live humans in the stands too.

[cramx3]

This happened last night, completely sold out Madison Square Garden.  Had to show proof of vaccination to get in. It was amazing.

[Stadler]

Not the hugest Foo Fighters fan, but that's a beautiful sight.   

[cramx3]

Not the hugest Foo Fighters fan, but that's a beautiful sight.

Me neither, they were good and all but I'm not a crazy fan.  I just really wanted to be there.  It was advertised as the return of Rock n Roll.  It was surreal. 

[jingle.boy]

That's fantastic!

[King Postwhore]

The Foos put on a killer show.  So energetic live.

[Chino]

I love David Grohl and think he's an amazing musician and all around human, but I could never get into the Foo Fighters. I'd see them live in a heartbeat shows. Their shows must be wild.

[ariich]

Also, it's really, really nice to finally smile at a stranger, and get a smile back. I missed that more than I could imagine.

Word up.  Could not agree with this any more than I already do.

Have mask mandates in the US included outdoors as well as indoors?