COVID-19/Coronavirus thread

[Texsox]

9 hours ago, caulfield12 said:

For example, what about high contact sports such as football, wrestling and even basketball or soccer?

Will you need a vaccine shot to participate in those?

 

 

In most states the underlying principle has been these are electives and we can adopt standards more stringent than what is required of other students. In discussing this with coaches in my area we believe it's allowable to require vaccine before participating. 

However, with very little data to support it,  anecdotal evidence locally seems to support little transmission between participants in competitions. The outbreaks we have seen have all been contained within that team. 

 

[Kyyle23]

11 hours ago, Balta1701 said:

Newly-submitted paper on the B.1.1.7 variant:

Key points:

• Incidence of the variant is present in >30 states at present. Probably in others, just not enough sequencing done.
• Multiple introductions of the variant occurred as of November 2020.
• By the end of January, 4.2% of the tested samples were this variant, up by more than a factor of 4 over the month.
• Incidence of this variant is doubling approximately every 10 days, at the same time that cases of the earlier virus are dropping nationwide.
• At the current pace, this variant will take over as the dominant one circulating in the US by mid-March, and it will continue expanding rapidly unless additional control steps are taken.
• There is a large cluster already developing in Florida. California is also showing up as noteworthy, but not as much as Florida. Georgia starting to show up as well.

https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1101/2021.02.06.21251159v1

Concentrating around Tampa, I wonder......

[Balta1701]

20 minutes ago, Kyyle23 said:

Concentrating around Tampa, I wonder......

Fwiw, all these measurements were taken well before Sunday. However, you may feel free to speculate as to the effects of holding a large, public gathering and celebration in Tampa, including potentially lots of interstate travel, when Florida is already lighting up with this extremely transmissible variant.

[southsider2k5]

2 hours ago, Kyyle23 said:

Concentrating around Tampa, I wonder......

Really it is about a week too early to be measureable.

[Kyyle23]

Just now, southsider2k5 said:

Really it is about a week too early to be measureable.

Oh I know, my comment was more of a prediction.   
 

it's coming, though 

[southsider2k5]

5 minutes ago, Kyyle23 said:

Oh I know, my comment was more of a prediction.   
 

it's coming, though 

100% agree there.  And probably going nationwide as the Super Bowl crowd probably wasn't very local.

[Jose Abreu]

 

[mqr]

I tend to think I will be able to walk up to the ballpark and see a game at some point this year. Maybe even sooner than later. I think we'll likely have one more jump from the other strands, but ultimately if hospitalizations and deaths are drastically dropped by vaccines, I don't know that you can reasonably expect restrictions to stay in place because we are never going to get to zero cases. 

[Dick Allen]

3 minutes ago, mqr said:

I tend to think I will be able to walk up to the ballpark and see a game at some point this year. Maybe even sooner than later. I think we'll likely have one more jump from the other strands, but ultimately if hospitalizations and deaths are drastically dropped by vaccines, I don't know that you can reasonably expect restrictions to stay in place because we are never going to get to zero cases. 

As long as the vaccines keep you from dying or being severely ill, everything should be back to around normal once enough get their shots. 

[mqr]

Just now, Dick Allen said:

As long as the vaccines keep you from dying or being severely ill, everything should be back to around normal once enough get their shots. 

That's why I lean sooner rather than later. By the time it gets to me (1C) I would think most elderly will have gotten their shots. Granted this is all assuming the evidence toward vaccines eliminating severe illness holds up. 

[bmags]

58 minutes ago, Jose Abreu said:

 

So the story starts about how the people that initially all got the vaccines live in majority white neighborhoods, 2(!) year old census data that can't actually break down accurately by hospital roles shows health care workers live across the city.

Then actual data they had shows that when vaccines were provided to the hospitals, physicians were the ones who were most likely to opt to take it right away, and the physicians tended to live in the majority white areas or in suburbs. Then later after hospital staff saw the vaccines didn't have much side effects, much more of the staff took it.

And it's all wrapped under the insinuation that white wealthy people are jumping the line.

I really get annoyed by articles that insinuate something untoward is happening rather than a more straightforward article about how a high number of healthcare workers were initially skeptical of the vaccine but have now opted to take it in higher numbers.

[bmags]

11 minutes ago, mqr said:

I tend to think I will be able to walk up to the ballpark and see a game at some point this year. Maybe even sooner than later. I think we'll likely have one more jump from the other strands, but ultimately if hospitalizations and deaths are drastically dropped by vaccines, I don't know that you can reasonably expect restrictions to stay in place because we are never going to get to zero cases. 

I think they weren't, in chicago at least, going to make a declaration on it before they got schools in order. But I think you are right and I think it will be much sooner than later. March is really going to be humming with vaccines. I expected IL to be around 30k a day in phase 1b based on how phase 1A went. It's at 50 already, and looks like it should be 60k soon. 

I do agree with Balta that outdoor was an easier decision before the new variants, where it may be more transmissable. But it just depends on what stuff looks like in March. So I think it's just going to be a late decision.

[ScootsMcGoots]

I got mine today. Woohoo!

In the county I live in in Michigan, they said they're vaccinating about 700 people a day now. At just that one clinic.

[mqr]

8 minutes ago, ScooterMcGee said:

I got mine today. Woohoo!

In the county I live in in Michigan, they said they're vaccinating about 700 people a day now. At just that one clinic.

My sister said she gave out a hundred by herself in Alabama the other day. 

[Harry Chappas]

1 hour ago, bmags said:

I think they weren't, in chicago at least, going to make a declaration on it before they got schools in order. But I think you are right and I think it will be much sooner than later. March is really going to be humming with vaccines. I expected IL to be around 30k a day in phase 1b based on how phase 1A went. It's at 50 already, and looks like it should be 60k soon. 

I do agree with Balta that outdoor was an easier decision before the new variants, where it may be more transmissable. But it just depends on what stuff looks like in March. So I think it's just going to be a late decision.

That really was a very misleading story that tried to make a point that was not valid. 

 

 

[Texsox]

Based on a couple family members and people I know the second dose really kicks people's asses. 

[mqr]

1 minute ago, Texsox said:

Based on a couple family members and people I know the second dose really kicks people's asses. 

Seems like it's 50/50 honestly. Know a lot of people it knocked out and a lot of people who shook it no problem. 

[Chisoxfn]

10 minutes ago, Texsox said:

Based on a couple family members and people I know the second dose really kicks people's asses. 

So I can confirm - my wife had her 2nd dose on Thursday - she was just out of it all day Friday...but by next day back to 100%.  Not like bad - she just was lethargic for a day (probably didn't help that we went up to the local mountains on the day after - and I think the combination of altitude and shot was not good - she stayed in the car and slept while my kids and I played in the slow - which is totally unlike her - she like never sleeps). 1st shot - literally nothing.  

My parents and in-laws all are 1 shot in - none of them adverse reaction (like at all).  3 of the 4 get their 2nd shot this week - so I can add some context here on their reaction (to extent helpful to others).  

 

[bmags]

Yes, I am not sure I know of anyone who got moderna, but half the people I know who got pfizer had chills the next day (edit: for shot 2)

Shot 1 had no problem.

[Chisoxfn]

31 minutes ago, bmags said:

Yes, I am not sure I know of anyone who got moderna, but half the people I know who got pfizer had chills the next day (edit: for shot 2)

Shot 1 had no problem.

This is interesting - other than my dad - my wife, mom and in-laws, all got the Moderna shot.  That said - I think the reality is both vaccines are so close to the same thing.  

[Texsox]

Generally I'm a proud Texan, but my county, which is basically San Antonio, absolutely sucks at this vaccine process. The information is confusing and conflicting. No on line system that I can find, it's all call and hope you get through. Most of the people under 70 that I know of that actually received the vaccine basically waited outside a facility like a Depression era soup line and hoped someone missed their appointment. Then they hoped they were older than the other huddles masses hoping to be vaccinated. How hard is it to create a database of ages and medical conditions and give each person a draft number? Announce what numbers are being served that day. We're getting needles in arms, which is obviously the main goal, but this is just so amateurish. 

[ScootsMcGoots]

10 hours ago, Texsox said:

Generally I'm a proud Texan, but my county, which is basically San Antonio, absolutely sucks at this vaccine process. The information is confusing and conflicting. No on line system that I can find, it's all call and hope you get through. Most of the people under 70 that I know of that actually received the vaccine basically waited outside a facility like a Depression era soup line and hoped someone missed their appointment. Then they hoped they were older than the other huddles masses hoping to be vaccinated. How hard is it to create a database of ages and medical conditions and give each person a draft number? Announce what numbers are being served that day. We're getting needles in arms, which is obviously the main goal, but this is just so amateurish. 

Man that sucks. Our process was very smooth and organized. Signs posted so we knew where to park.  People guiding you inside so you knew where to go and what to do. I was in and out in under an hour.

[Texsox]

How did you get your appointment? That's the part of a process that is really inefficient here. 

[ScootsMcGoots]

3 hours ago, Texsox said:

How did you get your appointment? That's the part of a process that is really inefficient here. 

Well, I actually received a link from my employer to sign up. I'm only 26 but I work for an organization that serves one of the most vulnerable populations...the elderly. The link provided time slots for the local county health department, which I had to quickly sign up for to reserve an appointment. I get my second shot in exactly a month (I received Phizer). They set up the 2nd appointment for me while I was there.

For someone who doesn't work in an organization like me or isn't a first-responder, they have it opened to those who are 65 and older now. I'm pretty sure all they need to do is be registered with the health department, and someone from the department either calls or emails people to get the appointments set up.

[Texsox]

Here,  it's call and hope you get through. Seems like there should be an on line registration where you could verify any circumstances that would move you up.