Coronavirus in the United States - news and thoughts

A little extra info. Over 91% of duke is already vaxxed. Waivers avail for medical and religious purposes. Those fired not eligible for rehire.

Duke University requiring COVID-19 vaccine for all workers | wfmynews2.com

 

This is really all I am saying.

 

This. At the end of the day this person will remain unvaxed and likely dig in deeper and spew frustration to fire up others.
A gentle nudge (via the pocket book) towards vaccination might be a better strategy. Same goes for smoking, obesity etc.

 

I'm fighting it because the US is misguided in their approach. Masks don't work on kids. We have zero data showing they do. Your only answer to not having data to back it up is to say it's no "major sacrifice". Look, if we stopped touting masks as a life savor when they aren't we might be in a better position. Instead of pushing masks, lets push the vaccine. The vaccine works. We have data showing that. We had a teacher come to work sick because the teacher thought the mask would protect from infecting others. Maybe if we didn't sell masks as the cure we would be in a better place.

I will say it again, we've had 100 years of science showing that masks don't work. Not sure why we are throwing all that data out. I think some are clinging to false hope and don't want to be proven wrong over the last 18 months. Kids are still very rarely getting sick from delta. It's not even like a typical flu season. Most of Europe doesn't mask kids. They are following the science. Wish the US would also.

 

By getting vaccinated?

 

1. We do NOT have 100 years of science showing masks don't work for protecting OTHER people. And here is the key....people want to twist this into "this does not protect me", yet that was NEVER the intention. You have not provided any reason to not have children masked up other than.....you just dont want to.
2. The vaccine is not approved for anyone under the age of 12, so there is not even any point in discussing that is a mitigation strategy until that is an option.
3. We have 1.5 years worth of epidemiological data showing that, in fact, masks do work in the reduction of the spread (please note, I typed "reduction of the spread" not "prevents all transmission"), and the right kinds of masks can even protect you.

Case study #3 that I have now post in this thread:

A woman spread COVID to 27 customers at a Starbucks. Its mask-wearing employees escaped infection

4. Meanwhile, the Germans are also anti-science with school mask mandates: Masks, Covid jabs, tests and ventilation: How German children are returning to the classroom

5. Italy also seems to oppose science with school mask mandates: https://www.thelocal.it/20210705/co...ep-using-masks-and-distancing-from-september/

6. France : 4 tiered system, if the lowest alesrt level, no masks. If the community spread increases into yellow and above, then kids will wear masks. https://www.thelocal.fr/20210728/france-unveils-covid-plan-for-new-school-year/

7. Spain: anti-science and will enforce mask mandates Covid-19 measures to remain in Spanish schools, with obligatory masks but larger class sizes

Not really sure where the "most of Europe" stuff is coming from, but there are the 4 largest school systems in Europe and looks like that they on-board with protecting children from each other this coming fall.

Additionally, it looks like the English, because you cannot say UK if Scotland and N Ireland are also enforcing mask mandates, and France until the first major surge are the only ones ditching masks. However, they both are using an electronic vaccine checker and/or testing students twice per week.

You want science to drive decisions? Fair enough. I say we ditch all masks in schools for kids who pass 2x weekly rapid tests performed at the school entrances. If the children fail, they are denied entry and the parents have to come pick them up immediately. Science.

 

Well, you are posting one off cases studies. I can post study after study showing masks don't work.

COVID-19 Mitigation Practices and COVID-19 Rates in Schools: Report on Data from Florida, New York and Massachusetts

COVID-19 mitigation measures in primary schools and association with infection and school staff wellbeing: an observational survey linked with routine data in Wales, UK

Reported COVID-19 Incidence in Wisconsin High School Athletes in Fall 2020 | Journal of Athletic Training

Here is a list of countries in Europe not masking in the fall

Ireland
Iceland
Norway
Sweden
Denmark
Finland
Netherlands
Switzerland
Austria

Then Spain, France and Italy won't require children under 6 to mask in nursery or child care.

So yes, a lot of European countries are not masking kids. We don't follow the science.


Children in much of Europe will be going maskless at school this fall.

 

Have a Preprint on Covid survival rate:

AGE Survival Rate
0-19 99.9973% (similar odds of dying from sharp object)
20-29 99.986% (similar odds of dying from sunstroke)
30-39 99.969% (similar odds of dying from choking on food)
40-49 99.918% (similar odds of dying from drowning)
50-59 99.73% (similar odds of dying in pedestrian accident)
60-69 99.41% (similar odds of dying in a car crash)
70+ 94.5%

Have everyone over 18 take the vaccine and move on with life.

https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1101/2021.07.08.21260210v1.full.pdf

 

Judge Orders Hospital to Adminster Invermectin. What if the patient dies?

Judge orders Cinci hospital to treat COVID-19 patient with Ivermectin, despite CDC warnings - Ohio Capital Journal

 

Look...if you want to get the vaccine. Get it. I think a lot should. But if you are young and healthy and prefer to wait until their is long term data. Don't get it.

Sorry if you can't see the consequences of how we have rolled everything out.

 

Young and healthy like the 30-year old from Dallas who lead anti-mask and anti-vaccine rallies? The one who just died leaving behind a wife and 4 kids? We should follow him? No thanks.

Everyone should get vaccinated. Right now, that's everyone 12 and older. By the end of the year, I expect that to be 5 and older. The more people vaccinated, the lower the R0, the less people get sick, and the less people die. There have been over 4 billion jabs around the globe, and ICUs aren't filled up with vaccinated people. They are full with unvaxxed people, of all ages.

For the record, my heart goes out to the widow and kids of the deceased guy. They are the ones who are going to have to live with this guy's stupid decision for the rest of their lives. As for the deceased? I have little sympathy for him. He made his own grave and now gets to lie in it. And who knows who else he hurt in the process?

 

Nice chest pound there.

I will let your ignorance guide you.

 

I wonder when, if ever, even the ardent pro vaxxers will draw the line in the sand. It's already at 3 shots/year, if it goes to 4 or 5, would that even matter?

 

The the data is there for the masks.

Vaccines it will be impossible to know for sure what the correct decisions would have been. That said...I think we should have gone all out for the elderly/overweight/immune compromised. And focused on studying the young and healthy. Maybe I am wrong. But I think we would be closer to a second generation vaccine that could fight delta better if we had done that. I base that on how quick they got out the original vaccines. Then you throw in how complex the human body is and how some things work for some and not for others...and to say there is an absolute with a new technology for a disease that is not that dangerous to a young and healthy person is just wrong. I know you probably think it is something your kids and healthy people should take. And I am not saying that is wrong. I am just saying it is also not wrong to say I do not want to take one of these vaccines right now.

 

I am not antivax. I am not even anti this vaccine. I have said multiple times I recommend taking it in certain circumstances. I do not think someone is wrong for taking it if they are young and healthy. Just like I do not think someone is wrong for deciding to not take it if they are young and healthy.

 

How in the world can a judge force medical professionals to use a drug on their patients? This should piss off all the vaccine mandate protestors since it's the same concept (but I know it won't).

 

The study used data from 2020 before the Delta variant became the prevalent strain of Covid-19. While I do not doubt the accuracy of the data it's pretty much irrelevant at this point. From the linked article:

Although these are primarily anecdotal they are probably more accurate.
The Delta Variant Is Sending More Children to the Hospital. Are They Sicker, Too?
Hospitals In Southern U.S. Report Record Numbers Of Children Hospitalized Amid Delta Surge—Though Deaths Still Extremely Rare

 

LMAO at you calling someone else ignorant.