COVID Developments and News

[wbradley]

My uncle and aunt both became sick the last week of Jan. They lived in a high rise condo and my aunt relied on my uncle most of the time since he had good mobility and mental clarity whereas my aunt has some signs of dementia and has physical issues, requires a walker and assistance getting around.
My aunt recovered but my uncle didn't make it. He was home in bed and as my cousin described it, weak as a kitten. Definitely not his usual self. So, they got him into the hospital but like my father, he lasted another 10 or 12 days. So sad. He and my aunt used to come visit my father in his seniors home on Sundays when I was there.
I am so shocked.

[Dadhawk]

Originally Posted by wbradley

My aunt recovered but my uncle didn't make it.
I am so shocked.

Sorry to hear of your loss.

[Capt Spaulding]

Well, we are well on the wrong side of 900,000 deaths in from covid in less than 2 years; and still running 2500 - 2800 deaths per day. The daily number, and with it, the average will probably begin to decline in the nearish future lagging the case and hospitalization numbers.

I have little doubt, however, that the US will surpass 1,000,000 deaths from Covid by the 2nd anniversary of Gov, Greg Abbott's declaring Texas "open for business" on Memorial Day 2000. We will probably pass that milestone much sooner. 100,000 divided by 2500 equals 40. So we have a shot at reaching that magic number by Easter.

Events like the "Freedumb Convoy" will no doubt contribute to an early reaching of that goal. I say goal deliberately. Some of us, in the US, and across the globe have done everything we could to make the pandemic longer and more deadly; and those "people" continue to devote tremendous energy to that end.

Reading back on some of the posts I wrote in other threads - just 12 months ago - I cautioned not to take the initial success of the vaccines as a sign that the pandemic was over, because, as I said then, "we can still fuck this up." And fuck it up we have - in countless ways.

Yesterday, I read an article in the Times that reported that in parts of the country huge numbers of whitetail deer are infected with our pet coronavirus. Those deer will more than likely become the Horseshoe bats of North America - serving as a reservoir and incubator for the virus, allowing for the creation of new variants. It doesn't take an epidemiologist to suspect that one of those variants could be much more contagious and much more virulent - putting us back at square 0. So, things may very well be fucked up for a long time. And we should all remember the actions of that cretinous minority of our fellows who stood staunchly on the front lines and fought so valiantly for the right of the virus to kill as many of us as possible. Yes - we should remember their efforts - for a very long time.

[TylerLieberman]

Originally Posted by Lantanafrs2

Science
https://www.cnn.com/2022/02/08/polit...use/index.html

hmmm must be time for midterms

[TommyW]

Originally Posted by TylerLieberman

hmmm must be time for midterms

A little too late for the Dems. That's why so many won't attempt re election. Virginia was a wake up call.

[soundman98]

funny how now it's 'science' when it finally supports a specific narrative.

[NoHaveMSG]

Coworkers husband passed away today. Complications with covid. He had a liver transplant like 5ish years ago, pretty much ticked every comorbidity box.

[dpfarr]

I think my university is back to 90% repopulation as of Monday. I’ve had to be here the whole time and haven’t struggled for a parking spot, waited for a group of students exciting a class to walk down stairs, or been in a room with 30 other people.

Initially this semester with omicron concerns, we decided to hold the first two weeks virtually with exceptions. There were a few science classes with labs applying for that exception for face to face. With that severe depopulation, we had 51 employees 39 students the first week. Second week, 28 employees and 60 students with Covid. Most cases were off campus but extrapolate that to repopulation and I’m pretty sure there’s going to be a spike next week.

[soundman98]

did you ask if they're following the science?

[dpfarr]

They didn’t ask us. However, retaining accreditation requires x number of in person courses, have well, in person attendance. So…

[wbradley]

This whole situation reminds me of an old Star Trek episode where something infects the crew and takes over their minds.
Not quite the same, but so many people fighting passionately for the survival of this virus, it's mind boggling.
If the whitetail deer aren't proof this insidious virus is well dug in, I don't know what is.
Wait for the outcry of the unvaxxed being restricted from petting zoos.

I know this sounds horrible, but it seems like the only way to get through to unvaxxed is to prove the danger. Take 2 groups of people, one vaccinated and the other not. Look at the statistics for infection rate, severe symptoms, hospitalization, long Covid and death. It's blatant.

Of course there will always be more people passionately arguing for the survival of this virus. I keep hearing Star Trek music in my head, the track they play when a strange alien form is exposed.

Maybe if/when overfilled hospitals are refusing patients who ultimately die due to their own ignorance, the fear will take over.

[Lantanafrs2]

Originally Posted by wbradley

This whole situation reminds me of an old Star Trek episode where something infects the crew and takes over their minds.
Not quite the same, but so many people fighting passionately for the survival of this virus, it's mind boggling.
If the whitetail deer aren't proof this insidious virus is well dug in, I don't know what is.
Wait for the outcry of the unvaxxed being restricted from petting zoos.

I know this sounds horrible, but it seems like the only way to get through to unvaxxed is to prove the danger. Take 2 groups of people, one vaccinated and the other not. Look at the statistics for infection rate, severe symptoms, hospitalization, long Covid and death. It's blatant.

Of course there will always be more people passionately arguing for the survival of this virus. I keep hearing Star Trek music in my head, the track they play when a strange alien form is exposed.

Maybe if/when overfilled hospitals are refusing patients who ultimately die due to their own ignorance, the fear will take over.

Unfortunately, guys like you bolster the anti vaxxers rhetoric

[weederr33]

Originally Posted by Lantanafrs2

Unfortunately, guys like you bolster the anti vaxxers rhetoric

Unfortunately, guys like you bolster the anti vaxxers rhetoric

[Capt Spaulding]

Originally Posted by wbradley

This whole situation reminds me of an old Star Trek episode where something infects the crew and takes over their minds.
Not quite the same, but so many people fighting passionately for the survival of this virus, it's mind boggling.
If the whitetail deer aren't proof this insidious virus is well dug in, I don't know what is.
Wait for the outcry of the unvaxxed being restricted from petting zoos.

I know this sounds horrible, but it seems like the only way to get through to unvaxxed is to prove the danger. Take 2 groups of people, one vaccinated and the other not. Look at the statistics for infection rate, severe symptoms, hospitalization, long Covid and death. It's blatant.

Of course there will always be more people passionately arguing for the survival of this virus. I keep hearing Star Trek music in my head, the track they play when a strange alien form is exposed.

Maybe if/when overfilled hospitals are refusing patients who ultimately die due to their own ignorance, the fear will take over.

I do not think it is possible to convince them of the danger. If any other thing, activity, disease, or event was killing a half million Americans a year, many of these same would be demanding the government respond to it. Instead they continue, as the late Tommy Magliozzi (Car Talk - NPR) was fond of saying, completely "unencumbered by the thought process." But theirs is not ignorance based on simple lack of knowledge, it is ignorance they actively cultivate. They revel in their short sightedness. Anti-social behavior becomes their "Red Badge of Courage." They have joined a cult and that twisted sense of purpose is like a good set of ANC headphones. Ideas and information from outside simply never penetrate.

I have a grandchild with an autism spectrum disorder. These people remind me of that kiddo. There are times when they can simply not be reasoned with.

"But I WANT IT"

Any attempt at reasoning with them simply releases another chorus.