General COVID-19 Topic

[colin007]

1 hour ago, iacas said:

We’re so close to the finish line here. Let’s not Leon Lett this thing.

[iacas]

2 hours ago, DeadMan said:

Personally, I don't see mask wearing as that big of a deal. I'd much rather have things open sooner with a mask requirement than vice versa. 

Not a glasses guy eh? 😉

[ChetlovesMer]

Well, I am super happy to report the great state of Ohio lowered the age thing to 50. 
So, I got my first dose of the Pfizer vaccine today. 

Originally they told me not to expect to get one in 2021. So, I'm like way WAY ahead of where I thought I would be. 

 

[Double Mocha Man]

2 hours ago, Billy Z said:

I agree, and we may never see a total 'maskless' society because of people's choice.

Hey... going forward I'd like to see a mask requirement every flu season... 😃

59 minutes ago, ChetlovesMer said:

Well, I am super happy to report the great state of Ohio lowered the age thing to 50. 
So, I got my first dose of the Pfizer vaccine today. 

Originally they told me not to expect to get one in 2021. So, I'm like way WAY ahead of where I thought I would be. 

 

Excellent!  In 5 weeks you'll be shaking hands and hugging children...

[Billy Z]

56 minutes ago, Double Mocha Man said:

Hey... going forward I'd like to see a mask requirement every flu season... 😃

 

For all the deaths from the flu, I find it hard to understand why folks don't take more precautions for the flu season. Maybe they will start. Nothing like being next to a sick hacking co-worker.

[iSank]

Got an email earlier today saying 3/27 vaccine open to residents of the island 16 and over.  When I got the call last week and went in for the 1st Pfizer one of my students an 18 yo was getting his too. But at less than 3000 it’s not too hard to offer it to everyone. I have never really got vaccinated before but travel is a major hassle and I’ll do just about anything to ease some of these restrictions. Have fun!

[iacas]

Scheduled my second Pfizer shot for March 22. We got the email tonight.

[Braivo]

4 hours ago, DeadMan said:

For everyone who is really excited to get rid of masks, don't get too excited. I'd guess that masks will be the last restriction to be lifted. Masks are so easy and cheap, and they don't really have economic impacts. For example, I would expect masks to be a requirement for a lot of (most?) schools in the fall still. 

Personally, I don't see mask wearing as that big of a deal. I'd much rather have things open sooner with a mask requirement than vice versa. 

Nope. I refuse to accept this. Masks are a huge deal in schools. When you can't see people's faces it limits your ability to connect with them. This may seem small, but it is HUGE for kids and teens. We need to lift all restrictions on kids and teens ASAP. Let them live normal lives. You want to walk around with a face diaper on forever, be my guest, but leave my kids out of it. This virus is almost no threat to anyone under 18, and with vulnerable people vaccinated, it's no longer a threat that they pass it to them. Let the kids get back to normal life. Fall should be 100% free and normal for schools and kids. 

[StuM]

On 3/9/2021 at 3:04 PM, iacas said:

I don't. That'd be going WAY too far. (I know you said "almost" so I am not saying you think it should be mandatory.)

I agree, it is my choice for my health.  By not getting the vaccine I am risking myself and that would be my choice to make, it is not Big Brother’s choice.

fyi, I get my first shot this Friday.  I believe in freedom of choice and I choose to get it.

[ChetlovesMer]

9 hours ago, iacas said:

Scheduled my second Pfizer shot for March 22. We got the email tonight.

April 5th for me.

I'll be interested to hear how you feel a day or so after. I'll report any difference in my usual sunny disposition as well. 

[DaveP043]

10 hours ago, Braivo said:

This virus is almost no threat to anyone under 18, and with vulnerable people vaccinated, it's no longer a threat that they pass it to them. Let the kids get back to normal life. Fall should be 100% free and normal for schools and kids. 

I do understand that the vast majority of young people who become infected have very minor symptoms, yet a few young people have died from COVID.   And sure, once vaccination levels reach an appropriate point, I think masks will become redundant, but I think we should wait and see when that actually happens, and how current and future mutations affect us.  I hope that by fall we can be back to normal, but its not appropriate to make definitive plans right now.  I'd much prefer a slow but steady diminishing of restrictions to a see-saw effect of freedom and restrictions.

[DeadMan]

11 hours ago, Braivo said:

Nope. I refuse to accept this. Masks are a huge deal in schools. When you can't see people's faces it limits your ability to connect with them. This may seem small, but it is HUGE for kids and teens. We need to lift all restrictions on kids and teens ASAP. Let them live normal lives. You want to walk around with a face diaper on forever, be my guest, but leave my kids out of it. This virus is almost no threat to anyone under 18, and with vulnerable people vaccinated, it's no longer a threat that they pass it to them. Let the kids get back to normal life. Fall should be 100% free and normal for schools and kids. 

1. I have a friend who works in public health, and I'm just passing along what their thinking is right now.
2. The concern is that other countries have seen a rise in cases among children because of new variants, such as in Israel: https://www.jpost.com/health-science/with-more-kids-sick-with-covid-can-israel-re-open-schools-656791. 
3. If we have low level of cases in the fall, then I totally agree that kids shouldn't need to wear masks at school. The good news is that we can all take steps to help case levels be low when schools come back in the fall. So let's do all our parts to keep the spread low: primarily by getting vaccinated when it's our turn, but also by continuing to abide by restrictions and being cautious with our interactions.
4. Calling masks "face diapers" is childish and doesn't help your point of view.

[The Flush]

14 hours ago, ChetlovesMer said:

Well, I am super happy to report the great state of Ohio lowered the age thing to 50. 
So, I got my first dose of the Pfizer vaccine today. 

Originally they told me not to expect to get one in 2021. So, I'm like way WAY ahead of where I thought I would be. 

 

In Pike County Ohio almost anyone can get a shot if they pay attention to the health department Facebook page and see when they announce they have extra doses available. Sometimes younger people can even get scheduled for it.  It seems like they announce 100 doses available each day and a first come first served basis.  My 17 and 21 year old kids have already been vaccinated.  Of course Pike County probably won't have more than 50% of its residents get vaccinated, so they are more like to have extra doses available early on.

[ChetlovesMer]

12 hours ago, Braivo said:

Nope. I refuse to accept this. Masks are a huge deal in schools. When you can't see people's faces it limits your ability to connect with them. This may seem small, but it is HUGE for kids and teens. We need to lift all restrictions on kids and teens ASAP. Let them live normal lives. You want to walk around with a face diaper on forever, be my guest, but leave my kids out of it. This virus is almost no threat to anyone under 18, and with vulnerable people vaccinated, it's no longer a threat that they pass it to them. Let the kids get back to normal life. Fall should be 100% free and normal for schools and kids. 

I don't know that I disagree with this. But as @DeadMan stated, your point would be a lot easier for folks to swallow if you didn't call masks "face diapers". Insulting people who wear masks to try to protect themselves and their loved ones, just shuts them down, or makes them defensive. It doesn't advance the conversation. 

I too would be fine with kids going back to normal school in the fall. On the one condition that everyone in the vulnerable population has been vaccinated. The problem might be "what does vulnerable mean?" I've heard age is the number one risk. I've also heard low immunity is the number one risk. Now, I'm hearing more and more there's a huge correlation to BMI. 

I will say this, my wife, and my adult friends with kids and I all thought that masks were going to be a huge problem for the kids at school. But really it's gone very well. The kids have adapted to wearing them. They've really done fine. At least where I live it's been no problem at all. There have been far more problems with adults fighting over masks or no masks then there have been with the school kids. The speech therapy teachers have used "face shields" and given the kids "face shields" which have been washed between uses and that allows them to do what they do. Even the swim teachers wear face shields which at first was weird, but now seems totally normal. 

The kids have time outside which of course helps. 

The biggest problem by far that our schools have had have been lunches. (Not enough space to distance the kids). When the weather's nice they get to eat outside now. Which most kids think is cool anyways. The other big problem has been bus drivers. We simply don't have enough. Nearly all of our bus drivers were high risks folks and very few of them wanted to come back to work this school year as most of them were doing the job as a retirement job. It doesn't pay enough for many of the high risk population to consider it worth it. 

[Braivo]

5 minutes ago, ChetlovesMer said:

I don't know that I disagree with this. But as @DeadMan stated, your point would be a lot easier for folks to swallow if you didn't call masks "face diapers". Insulting people who wear masks to try to protect themselves and their loved ones, just shuts them down, or makes them defensive. It doesn't advance the conversation. 

I too would be fine with kids going back to normal school in the fall. On the one condition that everyone in the vulnerable population has been vaccinated. The problem might be "what does vulnerable mean?" I've heard age is the number one risk. I've also heard low immunity is the number one risk. Now, I'm hearing more and more there's a huge correlation to BMI. 

I will say this, my wife, and my adult friends with kids and I all thought that masks were going to be a huge problem for the kids at school. But really it's gone very well. The kids have adapted to wearing them. They've really done fine. At least where I live it's been no problem at all. There have been far more problems with adults fighting over masks or no masks then there have been with the school kids. The speech therapy teachers have used "face shields" and given the kids "face shields" which have been washed between uses and that allows them to do what they do. Even the swim teachers wear face shields which at first was weird, but now seems totally normal. 

The kids have time outside which of course helps. 

The biggest problem by far that our schools have had have been lunches. (Not enough space to distance the kids). When the weather's nice they get to eat outside now. Which most kids think is cool anyways. The other big problem has been bus drivers. We simply don't have enough. Nearly all of our bus drivers were high risks folks and very few of them wanted to come back to work this school year as most of them were doing the job as a retirement job. It doesn't pay enough for many of the high risk population to consider it worth it. 

They're saying all adults will have the opportunity to get a vaccine by May 31. School starting in Aug/Sept should be no issue whatsoever. By July 4 everyone should have received two doses if they wanted to. The message should be we fully reopen with zero restrictions on July 4. The only reason any restrictions go beyond July 4 is that we find the vaccine is not as effective as promised. 

[DaveP043]

3 minutes ago, Braivo said:

The message should be we fully reopen with zero restrictions on July 4.

The message should be that we open as soon as the data indicates that its prudent.  Setting specific dates in advance of data has consistently led to overambitious expectations.  Remember when we were going to be just fine by Memorial Day?  That was Memorial Day 2020.  I think its perfectly appropriate to HOPE that July 4 works out, or at least that start of the normal school year in the Fall works out, but we have no guarantees.  

[DeadMan]

20 minutes ago, Braivo said:

The only reason any restrictions go beyond July 4 is that we find the vaccine is not as effective as promised. 

Or that too many people don't get the vaccine. I've seen some bad polling numbers about that. 

[Braivo]

5 minutes ago, DeadMan said:

Or that too many people don't get the vaccine. I've seen some bad polling numbers about that. 

Their choice, their risk. Shouldn't hold the rest of us back.