COVID-19/Coronavirus thread

[NWINFan]

Trump says we have turned a corner and wants to things to return to normal. Normalcy is something we all want, but we have not turned any corner. Denial like this only worsens things and leads to more sorrow.

[Kyyle23]

14 minutes ago, NWINFan said:

Trump says we have turned a corner and wants to things to return to normal. Normalcy is something we all want, but we have not turned any corner. Denial like this only worsens things and leads to more sorrow.

He has been saying that the whole time. No point in listening to him, we all know he is full of shit and everything for the next week and a half will be impatient nervous flailing to convince people to vote for him despite nothing truly getting better.

[southsider2k5]

 

5 minutes ago, Kyyle23 said:

He has been saying that the whole time. No point in listening to him, we all know he is full of shit and everything for the next week and a half will be impatient nervous flailing to convince people to vote for him despite nothing truly getting better.

Well except when he was saying that China had this all under control and their dictator was doing a great job

[Dick Allen]

32 minutes ago, NWINFan said:

Trump says we have turned a corner and wants to things to return to normal. Normalcy is something we all want, but we have not turned any corner. Denial like this only worsens things and leads to more sorrow.

He is actually mocking Joe Biden for saying he would listen to the scientists. I guess it will just magically go away once it gets warm is the way to think.  Says if he listened to Fauci, over 500k would be dead.  No logic, but that doesn't matter. And of the 3 (Biden, Trump, Fauci) 1 got the virus, and it wasn't the two Trump thinks have no clue.

Edited October 21, 2020 by Dick Allen

[NWINFan]

2 hours ago, Kyyle23 said:

He has been saying that the whole time. No point in listening to him, we all know he is full of shit and everything for the next week and a half will be impatient nervous flailing to convince people to vote for him despite nothing truly getting better.

Yes, he has been saying this all the time, but 31 states are now spiking, and the constant denial gets old. Things are getting worse, and there are no easy solutions. Like I said, we all want normalcy, but just saying it doesn't make it so.

[bmags]

Still not at office, but we get emails if anyone who was in the entire building gets a confirmed positive. Got maybe 3 from March to September. I've gotten one every day for last week and a half and a bunch of people who were all last there 10/9. Wondering if a superspreader event happened.

[StrangeSox]

 

[Iwritecode]

17 minutes ago, bmags said:

Still not at office, but we get emails if anyone who was in the entire building gets a confirmed positive. Got maybe 3 from March to September. I've gotten one every day for last week and a half and a bunch of people who were all last there 10/9. Wondering if a superspreader event happened.

I'm pretty sure we've had multiple people with confirmed positives in my building but they don't tell anyone about it except apparently the people that they work closest to. The coworker that sits in the cubicle across from me tested positive and I'm pretty sure they only emailed the people in our department (6 people).

[Look at Ray Ray Run]

26 minutes ago, bmags said:

Still not at office, but we get emails if anyone who was in the entire building gets a confirmed positive. Got maybe 3 from March to September. I've gotten one every day for last week and a half and a bunch of people who were all last there 10/9. Wondering if a superspreader event happened.

Started a new job with a new company and have never once been in their office. It feels weird for sure, and the way things are going, I may never actually go there. I enjoy remote working quite a bit to be honest, but I get that for some it's a struggle. For me, I work when I want outside of calls, and when I finish my work I'm just done for the day instead of sitting around trying to appease bosses with my presence. Thinking about moving to a more nature filled area with the wife and sticking with remote contract work as a systems analyst. 

School has been move 100% online, but I get an E-Mail a day from DePaul lately - similarly to what you are saying - about a positive test on campus.

[southsider2k5]

35 minutes ago, bmags said:

Still not at office, but we get emails if anyone who was in the entire building gets a confirmed positive. Got maybe 3 from March to September. I've gotten one every day for last week and a half and a bunch of people who were all last there 10/9. Wondering if a superspreader event happened.

Shared air supply in a place where the same people are for long periods of times are about every red flag possible for this.

[southsider2k5]

7 minutes ago, Look at Ray Ray Run said:

Started a new job with a new company and have never once been in their office. It feels weird for sure, and the way things are going, I may never actually go there. I enjoy remote working quite a bit to be honest, but I get that for some it's a struggle. For me, I work when I want outside of calls, and when I finish my work I'm just done for the day instead of sitting around trying to appease bosses with my presence. Thinking about moving to a more nature filled area with the wife and sticking with remote contract work as a systems analyst. 

School has been move 100% online, but I get an E-Mail a day from DePaul lately - similarly to what you are saying - about a positive test on campus.

We have two employees who have never seen our office.  It is so weird, but we make it work.  No one on the outside knows the difference,

[bmags]

1 minute ago, southsider2k5 said:

Shared air supply in a place where the same people are for long periods of times are about every red flag possible for this.

I think interesting part to me is I knew a number of people affected in March, we really tightened our circle since and after april didn't know any contacts in IL who had it.

Starting in september it has been really bad. Friends, family, 2nd-hand contacts all coming down with it. This recent wave has really been apparent to me. Ultimately, we've been careful and will just keep what we've been able to do to keep going. But just staring at winter and knowing it is really going to be like this for months is wearing on me.

[southsider2k5]

Just now, bmags said:

I think interesting part to me is I knew a number of people affected in March, we really tightened our circle since and after april didn't know any contacts in IL who had it.

Starting in september it has been really bad. Friends, family, 2nd-hand contacts all coming down with it. This recent wave has really been apparent to me. Ultimately, we've been careful and will just keep what we've been able to do to keep going. But just staring at winter and knowing it is really going to be like this for months is wearing on me.

Yeah, it has been a long seven months. 

I didn't attend a live sporting event from March 9th until the middle of September.  And even that one was running the scoreboard alone int he pressbox for a JV football game.  I worked two other games this year. 

I haven't been to a barber since February.

I haven't eaten a sitdown meal in a restaurant since early March

I haven't done any out of state travel for almost exactly a year if you don't include Chicago.  if you do, it since January when we saw the last Chicago showing of Hamilton the first weekend of 2020. 

We took our first overnight getaway from home since January last week.  It took us a week to figure out, but we went to state park down state Indiana, and got a single family cabin, and spent two days hiking.  We didn't even include any weekend days so that we wouldn't be around too many people hiking.  We brought food and either made it ourselves, or ordered carryout for two meals.

Our kids just went back to school in person on Monday, and we weren't sure we were even going to do that.  We might still pull them back out for virtual if we don't feel good about it after a week or two.

We haven't been indoors with either mine or my wifes parents since Feb.

People are being less and less careful, so you know there is no reason for optimism.  I get it for sure.  Winter is going to suck. 

[Look at Ray Ray Run]

15 minutes ago, bmags said:

I think interesting part to me is I knew a number of people affected in March, we really tightened our circle since and after april didn't know any contacts in IL who had it.

Starting in september it has been really bad. Friends, family, 2nd-hand contacts all coming down with it. This recent wave has really been apparent to me. Ultimately, we've been careful and will just keep what we've been able to do to keep going. But just staring at winter and knowing it is really going to be like this for months is wearing on me.

My wife got a new gig and they make her go in 2 weeks and then work from home for 2 weeks - to limit how many people are in the office. She said no one wears a mask except to enter the office; she keeps hers on while she works and people tell her she doesn't have to. It's baffling to me. 

My wife just started, and it's a new field for her so the training is really important but I still don't understand why so many people are there. The way things are going, it's just a matter of time. 

[StrangeSox]

25 minutes ago, bmags said:

I think interesting part to me is I knew a number of people affected in March, we really tightened our circle since and after april didn't know any contacts in IL who had it.

Starting in september it has been really bad. Friends, family, 2nd-hand contacts all coming down with it. This recent wave has really been apparent to me. Ultimately, we've been careful and will just keep what we've been able to do to keep going. But just staring at winter and knowing it is really going to be like this for months is wearing on me.

Some advice on another forum from someone who's done a few stints at research bases in Antarctica where you don't necessarily know when winter will end and you get to go home:

Don't set a date, even in your mind. "The end" is out of your control entirely. While it may seem nice to think about "well, we should be good by next June, then we can X," if June comes and goes, you'll be in worse spot mentally. Focus on things you can control.

[bmags]

20 minutes ago, Look at Ray Ray Run said:

My wife got a new gig and they make her go in 2 weeks and then work from home for 2 weeks - to limit how many people are in the office. She said no one wears a mask except to enter the office; she keeps hers on while she works and people tell her she doesn't have to. It's baffling to me. 

My wife just started, and it's a new field for her so the training is really important but I still don't understand why so many people are there. The way things are going, it's just a matter of time. 

Haven't shared this before but my mom works retail in the south. The store which is national mandated masks, her boss flouted it. My mom wore a mask but came down with it along with half the employees (guess who was the source). Thankfully, my mother's case was very mild. I think when this all pans out the viral load issue will show masks helping in that department, but we may have just gotten lucky.

She took FMLA in March-May to take care of my grandparents, but after that there was nothing she could do except quit. She had to go back just as cases were rising in SC, and we assumed it would be taken care of.

Had it gone worse, it would have been so bad.

[bmags]

37 minutes ago, southsider2k5 said:

Yeah, it has been a long seven months. 

I didn't attend a live sporting event from March 9th until the middle of September.  And even that one was running the scoreboard alone int he pressbox for a JV football game.  I worked two other games this year. 

I haven't been to a barber since February.

I haven't eaten a sitdown meal in a restaurant since early March

I haven't done any out of state travel for almost exactly a year if you don't include Chicago.  if you do, it since January when we saw the last Chicago showing of Hamilton the first weekend of 2020. 

We took our first overnight getaway from home since January last week.  It took us a week to figure out, but we went to state park down state Indiana, and got a single family cabin, and spent two days hiking.  We didn't even include any weekend days so that we wouldn't be around too many people hiking.  We brought food and either made it ourselves, or ordered carryout for two meals.

Our kids just went back to school in person on Monday, and we weren't sure we were even going to do that.  We might still pull them back out for virtual if we don't feel good about it after a week or two.

We haven't been indoors with either mine or my wifes parents since Feb.

People are being less and less careful, so you know there is no reason for optimism.  I get it for sure.  Winter is going to suck. 

I don't know why but the one scene of life that I miss so much is going out to meet a friend for dinner after work and getting there before them. And just sitting at the bar with a drink.

Probably because I have young kids. My fantasy is sitting at a bar by myself lol.

[southsider2k5]

1 minute ago, bmags said:

I don't know why but the one scene of life that I miss so much is going out to meet a friend for dinner after work and getting there before them. And just sitting at the bar with a drink.

Probably because I have young kids. My fantasy is sitting at a bar by myself lol.

One of our absolute favorite things is there is a bar they put up at our beach about 5 years ago.  It is on a rooftop about 100 yards from the water with perfect views of the lake, the lighthouse and Chicago skyline.  We would take the kids up there, and let them play on the beach (where we could see them) and we'd have a couple while watching the sunset and hanging out with friends.  Sadly the place never even opened this year, as most of the summer our beach was shutdown.  It sucked.

For me its been live sports.  Even besides Sox games, I do a TON of stuff for our HS teams.  I run scoreboard for football.  I help out at basketball.  I announce track meets. It has been so strange to have sports complete disappear until July, and even then to not be a regular part of life for me.

[Dick Allen]

8 minutes ago, bmags said:

Haven't shared this before but my mom works retail in the south. The store which is national mandated masks, her boss flouted it. My mom wore a mask but came down with it along with half the employees (guess who was the source). Thankfully, my mother's case was very mild. I think when this all pans out the viral load issue will show masks helping in that department, but we may have just gotten lucky.

She took FMLA in March-May to take care of my grandparents, but after that there was nothing she could do except quit. She had to go back just as cases were rising in SC, and we assumed it would be taken care of.

Had it gone worse, it would have been so bad.

That the whole thing. They have always said wearing a mask, may help you slightly, but its main purpose is to help protect those around  you. The guy who is not wearing a mask doesn’t care about anyone else, and POTUS and the like spread “fake news” about masks. 

Edited October 21, 2020 by Dick Allen

[southsider2k5]

8 minutes ago, bmags said:

Haven't shared this before but my mom works retail in the south. The store which is national mandated masks, her boss flouted it. My mom wore a mask but came down with it along with half the employees (guess who was the source). Thankfully, my mother's case was very mild. I think when this all pans out the viral load issue will show masks helping in that department, but we may have just gotten lucky.

She took FMLA in March-May to take care of my grandparents, but after that there was nothing she could do except quit. She had to go back just as cases were rising in SC, and we assumed it would be taken care of.

Had it gone worse, it would have been so bad.

There have been early studies here that show that masks limit virus load and might be serving as a pseudo vaccine as it limits your exposure to a small enough load where many just get mild symptoms.  

[bmags]

1 minute ago, southsider2k5 said:

There have been early studies here that show that masks limit virus load and might be serving as a pseudo vaccine as it limits your exposure to a small enough load where many just get mild symptoms.  

Yeah it's definitely pointing there. 

[Look at Ray Ray Run]

1 hour ago, bmags said:

Haven't shared this before but my mom works retail in the south. The store which is national mandated masks, her boss flouted it. My mom wore a mask but came down with it along with half the employees (guess who was the source). Thankfully, my mother's case was very mild. I think when this all pans out the viral load issue will show masks helping in that department, but we may have just gotten lucky.

She took FMLA in March-May to take care of my grandparents, but after that there was nothing she could do except quit. She had to go back just as cases were rising in SC, and we assumed it would be taken care of.

Had it gone worse, it would have been so bad.

Glad everything worked out OK for you and the family; that stuff is just inexcusable. It drives me nuts. 

I've heard people say you can't use raw numbers because it makes it sounds worse; as if a life is worth less today than it was 50 years ago because the population is higher. I just don't understand the thought process some have.

[Look at Ray Ray Run]

28 minutes ago, Tony said:

This is really big for me as well, and there is a pro/con to it. 

The pro is what you said, if I have a good day and I'm done with everything I need to by 2:30, then my workday is over and I don't feel bad about it. 

The con for me is on a busy day, I can work to 7-8pm no problem because I can still wear shorts and t-shirt and be comfortable, but I'm sitting in my home office and it's easy to get sucked into things because you're also home. 

But overall I enjoy it, and it will be especially nice this winter. 

I suffered mightily with ADHD as a kid but have learned to use it as an advantage in my career. That said, I get zoned and when I get zoned I'll usually knock out a ton of work quickly. That zone can take some time; some mornings I'm in it, other times it takes me until noon, sometimes even early afternoon. I don't mind working at night if I'm at my house with my wife doing other things. My brain likes multiple things going on more than one, so it works out well for me.

[Bob Sacamano]

26 minutes ago, Look at Ray Ray Run said:

I suffered mightily with ADHD as a kid but have learned to use it as an advantage in my career. That said, I get zoned and when I get zoned I'll usually knock out a ton of work quickly. That zone can take some time; some mornings I'm in it, other times it takes me until noon, sometimes even early afternoon. I don't mind working at night if I'm at my house with my wife doing other things. My brain likes multiple things going on more than one, so it works out well for me.

This is how I am too. Unfortunately, my team isn't as stacked as it should be and I find myself working 10-12 hour days pretty often. For each deadline cycle, I usually try to have a day where I'm on from about 9-5 (also am guilty of walking away to run a quick errand or doing something around my condo), but then I jump back on around 9pm when no one else is on and stay on until 4/5am since I can knock more out. It's nice being on when everyone is going to sleep for the next work day, and the world is just quiet in general.

Edited October 21, 2020 by manbearpuig

[Balta1701]

4 hours ago, southsider2k5 said:

There have been early studies here that show that masks limit virus load and might be serving as a pseudo vaccine as it limits your exposure to a small enough load where many just get mild symptoms.  

Now that we're into spike 3, I'm familiar with the initial literature on this but I don't feel bad about suggesting it's a minor effect unless you get the circumstances correct. Even though people are wearing masks a lot more, we're seeing that the population continues acting like 90% of the country hasn't had it yet. During the second spike, even with a lot of mask wearing, it's difficult to say there was a huge decrease in the death rate, which would be the measureable result if it was was alleged by one study. Texas, for example, at its peak had something like 8k cases per day in the seven day moving average, and had well over 100 deaths per day in the moving average - meaning that there was still a large number of cases missed even if treatment had the death rate down to 0.8% from better treatment. If "mask vaccines" were dramatically cutting into that, it would require Texas to have had what, 25,000 cases per day and detected 8,000? Testing is available enough now that also seems unlikely.