Here we go, again (COVID)

[Ms. Toad]

My parents' retirement community announced on Sunday that they could (for the first time since COVID started) bring guests to breakfast or dinner (starting Monday at supper).

Monday, at 2:00 PM, they announced 5 new COVID cases - which was up to 8 by today. They are back on lockdown (no one is even admitted to campus - for the first time in about a year). They had a grand total of 9 cases before this week - so they are one shy of doubling their all-time number of infections. They had a big party last week/weekend - guests remarked it was the the biggest since COVID started - not a mask in sight.

I guess they're in good company, given the number of diagnoses of big name Dems in the wake of the DNC.

Meantime, since my county went to semi-weekly reporting I wasn't aware until today (whenthey reported for the first time since teh 18th) that the number of new cases per 100,000 over a two-week period has increased each day since March 20. We're still below 50/100,000 total in the 2 week period (~38, at the moment). But it looks like my new-found freedom to unmask in well-ventilated, uncrowded places will be short-lived.

[NutmegYankee]

1. If vaccination reduces severity, we need to rethink lockdowns.

We can’t stay in emergency mode forever. It is seriously damaging to mental health. COVID isn’t going away. We need to treat it like colds/influenza and move on.

[Ms. Toad]

4. Did I advocate lockdowns?

I reported that my parents' retirement community - filled with people in their 70s-100s - in the face of a near doubling of their entire number of COVID cases EVER, chose to lock back down after nearly a year of an open campus.

But - NO - we do not need to treat it like colds/influenzas and move on. Colds and influenzas are known entities, as far as long-term consequences. We have all of 2 years data on COVID, and the news we know is bad on the long term front: Heart damage that lasts more than a year, and they have just document brain shrinkage, and loss for at least 6 months. Studies are just beginning to define the long-term impacts of COVID - even COVID with reduced symptoms. Treating it as if it is no big deal to have is likely to create long term health care burdens, if not crises.

Thinking about the long-term consequences doesn't even address the continuing generation of new variants, the most recent of which is about 30% more transmissible than omicron.

Public health is not a binary choice: lockdown v. everything goes

Masks are effective. Social distancing is less so, but still helpful. We need to stop treating masks are a punishment, and require them as a public health measure in circumstances likely to transmit covid (when new cases in an area are over a certain threshhold - for 50/100,000 over two weeks is the earlier threshhold for moving from low to medium community infection rates), and in crowded locations - like the one that has shut down my parents' retirement community (lots of people, extended period, indoors).

Our inability to put up with minor inconveniences (or to think beyond binary solutions) will be the death of us. Literally.

[NutmegYankee]

6. I was replying to the phrase "They are back on lockdown".

As for the rest, society is just done with Covid. Most people are simply exhausted. If we stay on the masking path, we will be out of power and living in a fascist state.

[Ms. Toad]

9. So exhaustion as disease prevention?

Last time I checked, that works about as well as thinking that you can't get it from family members, or you can't get it before the person infected has symptoms, or that horse deworming past or drinking chlorox will cure it.

We accused the other side of placing politics over public health, and far too many on our side are now doing (or advocating) the same thing. It's no better when we do it.

[NutmegYankee]

11. I'm not in a bubble.

I'm out and about in a blue state, A BLUE STATE, and hearing what people think. The fight is lost. I'm not making a public health argument, I'm just telling you how people actually feel. We can ignore that, but it'll cost us dearly with loss of political control.

It's over. You can attack me all you like. I'm just honestly conveying the zeitgeist.

[Ms. Toad]

12. Exactly what I said - you're elevanting politics over public health.

The exact same thing Republicans did, and we (correctly) blasted them for it.

Feelings don't matter. This is a public health matter - we need to treat it as such - otherwise we were just lying, or hypocritcal, when we blasted Trump for making political choices, rather than public health ones. The fact that it's 2 years later and people are tired is no justification for sacrificing public health at the altar of politics..

[NutmegYankee]

15. I have a lot to lose if we lose politically.

I have family in same sex marriages, I have family who may need medical care like abortions. There’s a lot to lose with fascists in power. So yes, I am putting politics first and will do so without shame.

If we lose in 22 and 24, nothing will matter anymore.

[liberal_mama]

29. I get what you are saying

I am also terrified that the fascists will get in power, but I don't know why we have to pretend the pandemic is over when it is obviously not. This will kill and disable a lot of people.

There has to be another way. Cases are already climbing back up in New York.

[Meowmee]

16. Agree completely

There is so much stupidity and narcissism here in the Us and it’s here on this board as well too sadly.

[Blues Heron]

7. Well said

+1000

[gldstwmn]

20. We've never actually had a lock down in the US.

[Solomon]

22. Yep. Never really had one. That's the problem. Covid is NOT like the flu. Haven't had it and

don't want it. The stories about long Covid scare the crap out of me.

[gldstwmn]

23. Long Covid is terrifying to me. There was some data that was just published but now I can't find it

We are going to be dealing with this for a long time.

[gldstwmn]

21. ...

Link to tweet

?t=Ub1P2AjMANuGK1QuyCJB7A&s=19

[CrackityJones75]

25. Completely agree.

[leftstreet]

2. DURec

[abqtommy]

3. I haven't given up masking, distancing, sanitizing or getting vaxxed. Back in early 2020

many of us knew that things were never going to be normal again. If we're sensible we
can survive being out and about. I enjoy going out to the store, the post office and a
restaurant occasionally. but, dammit, these are not normal times and I for one am
going to survive. I can't afford to get even a mild case of covid since my son depends on
me.

Many people don't see things the way I do but then many people agree with me.

[Ms. Toad]

5. I've been out and about since August 2020,

including going to the office daily, and teaching up to 100 students at a time.

I don't get people who beleive there are only two options: complete lockdown v. anything goes.

[CrackityJones75]

26. I hear you.

I drive a school bus. Started in January as they were desperate for drivers and I wasn’t working any more.

Now I did have covid in Sept of 2020, have had all my shots and boosters. But given my new job I am a prime candidate to get covid. I haven’t gotten it. Even though I know at least 10 of the students I drive have gotten it recently.

The vaccines work.

[Ms. Toad]

27. Vaccines + masking.

I'm around tons of students all of the time and, despite the fact that they are all adults, they don't know how to mask. At least according to tests I haven't had it. I had one suspicious illness, and 6 days later my daughter had COVID, but I never tested positive (either antigen or PCR). She works in a place where people aren't all vaccinated, some are downright COVIDiots (including the guy she was dating at the time, whose child had COVID) and doesn't wear her mask in the break room. (She's vacinated and boosted - but still had active symptoms for about 2 weeks.)

My employee and her husband were also vaccinated and boosted but still got it. My employee has long COVID - pretty significant brain fog several months later.

[CrackityJones75]

28. Yep.

Although they did away with masks on the bus a couple weeks back for us. Even still it was impossible to get them to wear them correctly and honestly I had to give up after trying to police it because it was just too dangerous for me to keep watch over the road and to yell about masks every second. I did a lit of pulling the bus over and talking, sometimes yelling, sometimes refusing to move the bus until they all wore them properly but it just made life hell. At some point I felt bad but I said to myself if they won’t listen to reason after the 500th time I have said something and if they aren’t vaccinated….. I am not about to crash my bus or keep myself from being able to go home on time to see my own kids.

I tried talking to school admins and they were so exhausted they offered little help. I don’t think the rate if infection has increased, and I haven’t caught it (again) so what else can I do?

[Ms. Toad]

30. At least protect ourself with a mask. n/t

[Sogo]

8. China is locking down whole cities again.

I heard this from a friend who gets business products from China.

Supply chain disruptions, big time....

[Ms. Toad]

10. For a couple of weeks, now.

I'm not advocating large-scale lock-downs. Targeted ones - to prevent infection of particularly vulnerable populations, perhaps.

As I said - I've been living life normally with two exceptions for over a year and a half - the exceptions being mask wearing, and (related) not eating indoors with people I don't live with. It's really not that much to ask to minimize disease prevention.

[rockfordfile]

14. China has a pos vaccine

[spinbaby]

13. I swear, there are so many stupid

It’s been two years and so many people still seem to have no idea how disease spreads or how to wear a mask correctly. And now, at least in my area, they seem to have decided it’s all over and carry on as usual. I actually saw someone post on Facebook that they were just so disappointed that they couldn’t go on a cruise because they tested positive for covid, so they had to fly home. Didn’t think twice about flying after testing positive.

[Ms. Toad]

19. That's scary.

I'm going to be flying in June for the 1st time since COVID. Still contemplating driving to Texas to shrink the flying time - I'll still have a flight at the end of the trip (and 1st leg on the way home), but I wouldn't have to be on a plane ferrying me between the idiots in Ohio and the idiots in Texas.

I just don't get why people are so bent out of shape at wearing a mask to protect themselves and others. I've seen too much echoing of the Republican taunts on DU recently - suggesting anyone who takes any steps in the name of public health is living in fear.

[Meowmee]

17. People seem to think they had a terrible trauma because they had to mask

Stay at home, sd etc. They didn’t. I hope there is another country where people are intelligent and more caring.

We are still masking n95 for the forceable future.

I hope your mom is masking and ok.

[Ms. Toad]

18. Neither parent masked at the big party.

My mother is more medically oriented - but is now legally blind, and relies on my father to relay important information. He doesn't always recognize when medical information is important (although he is getting better). For example, last fall (when things were heating up) they went to a concert in a open-sided but sardine-can chairs environment. My mother wasn't aware that there was a recommendation to wear masks, and my father knew but didn't relay the information. I convinced them both to test after that - and fortunately no disaster.

And they both trusted the retirement community to keep them safe. After all, the 350 person community had a grand total of 9 cases in the past 2 years, so they did something right. But, had they asked me about going to an indoor party with more than 100 people present in close quarters for an hour or two, I would have told them to mask up. They didn't ask.

My mother was in close contact for at least a few minutes with patient 0 for this go-round. They both have the sniffles, but are saving their 4 COVID tests for when they really need them. I suggested they check the expiration dates (since they likely expire in a couple of months) and reminded them that they can get 4 more tests now, and that "sometime this spring" they will be able to get 8 COVID tests/month on Medicare (just like insurance pays for now). (My mother always has the sniffles in the spring; my father doesn't.)

They sounded fine today - but it will be a few more days before they are out of the woods.

[Meowmee]

24. That is good they are ok

They should test and make sure to tell them to mask at any such event or even with close contact with any group. I do. There is only one person I will be unmasked around, my brother. We n95 mask everywhere we go and still social distance.

[spinbaby]

31. It's the smart thing to do now

I’m wearing KN94 masks nowadays and mask up whenever I’m not with close family, but when I go out, I’m often the only masked person in the store or wherever. Even medical establishments don’t seem to mask up here (Western Pennsylvania).

[Meowmee]

32. Wow

Medical establishments still masking requiring it here except my dvm. But everywhere else it is optional or not required. There are still a few people here and there in stores etc. almost none of my students which is where I am at highest risk.

Good thing you are! And sd etc.