Coronavirus COVID-19 - Global Health Pandemic #107

[CrimeAway]

Snopes.com article about the John's Hopkins University 'study' on lockdowns:

Here's What We Know About 'Johns Hopkins Study' on Lockdowns

 

[SouthAussie]

Snopes.com article about the John's Hopkins University 'study' on lockdowns:

Here's What We Know About 'Johns Hopkins Study' on Lockdowns

Well, that explains a lot. It was a puzzle as to why the highly respected "John Hopkins University" would state such things.
Turns out that they didn't.
.

 

[ilovewings]

Snopes.com article about the John's Hopkins University 'study' on lockdowns:

Here's What We Know About 'Johns Hopkins Study' on Lockdowns

thanks for posting this very informative article--
The problem is most people reading that study will
Believe it

 

[SouthAussie]

Snopes.com article about the John's Hopkins University 'study' on lockdowns:

Here's What We Know About 'Johns Hopkins Study' on Lockdowns

Other experts are coming forward to say that the 'study' is inadequate and flawed.


"In this case, a trio of economists have undertaken a meta-analysis of many previous studies. So far so good. But they systematically excluded from consideration any study based on the science of disease transmission, meaning that the only studies looked at in the analysis are studies using the methods of economics."

"This report on the effect of “lockdowns” does not significantly advance our understanding of the relative effectiveness of the plethora of public health measures adopted by different countries to limit COVID-19 transmission."

"I find this paper has flaws and needs to be interpreted very carefully.
The most inconsistent aspect is the reinterpreting of what a lockdown is. The authors define lockdown as “as the imposition of at least one compulsory, non-pharmaceutical intervention”. This would make a mask wearing policy a lockdown. For a meta-analysis using a definition that is at odds with the dictionary definition (a state of isolation or restricted access instituted as a security measure) is strange."

expert reaction to a preprint looking at the impact of lockdowns, as posted on the John Hopkins Krieger School of Arts and Sciences website | Science Media Centre

 

[indicolite22]

Does Vitamin D work on Covid after all? Israeli study finds nutrient big indicator of severity | Daily Mail Online

They found people who were consistently deficient in the vitamin were up to 14 times more likely to suffer severe disease, even after adjusting for age and other underlying health woes.

Previous research has been criticised for only looking at vitamin D levels when the Covid patient was already in hospital.

Being ill is known to make levels of the vitamin drop, which may have skewed findings, according to critics.

To overcome this limitation, in their latest study, researchers from Bar Ilan University and the Galilee Medical Center looked at patient records up to two years before they were diagnosed with Covid.

 

[SA55]

All the grocery stores here in Cali have had those stations for years, I can't imagine living without them!

Problem with trying to time shots is that it takes a couple of weeks (or more) to get to maximum immunity after the shot. I tried to time my booster 6 weeks before we were scheduled to go back to real world teaching. As it turned out, we went back online due to Omicron (and now we're going back on Feb 14).

Meantime, entire family got Omicron. Two of us (myself and eldest daughter) remained completely asymptomatic despite living with/being sneezed. upon by COVID positive children and spouses. I figure I had it, but was completely asymptomatic. I now think the variable was a severe flu-like virus I had about 3 years ago, which I acquired on an international flight. I figure it may have been in the Corona family. If I forced myself, I could say I had a sore throat for one day, but I get sore throats from allergies all the time, so it was nothing special.

At any rate, I'm much less worried about going back to school (had the flu shot in October).

Happy to see you back here, I've missed your wisdom. You were so very good at explaining facts to us and I learned so much. Happy to hear your bout with Omicron was mild and behind you

 

[SouthAussie]

Does Vitamin D work on Covid after all? Israeli study finds nutrient big indicator of severity | Daily Mail Online

They found people who were consistently deficient in the vitamin were up to 14 times more likely to suffer severe disease, even after adjusting for age and other underlying health woes.

Previous research has been criticised for only looking at vitamin D levels when the Covid patient was already in hospital.

Being ill is known to make levels of the vitamin drop, which may have skewed findings, according to critics.

To overcome this limitation, in their latest study, researchers from Bar Ilan University and the Galilee Medical Center looked at patient records up to two years before they were diagnosed with Covid.

The sun provides lots of Vit D. Perhaps this also affects the lowered covid severity during the warmer months. We are outside more (well ventilated) and we get more sun (Vit D).


"The best source of vitamin D is UVB radiation from the sun. Vitamin D forms in the skin when it is exposed to UV from sunlight. "
Cancer Council - Vitamin D

 

[CrimeAway]

Wearing a properly fitting N95 or KN95 mask can reduce a person's risk of Covid infection by 83% | Daily Mail Online

Surgical masks reduce risk by 63%, and cloth masks by 50%

 

[acutename]

The sun provides lots of Vit D. Perhaps this also affects the lowered covid severity during the warmer months. We are outside more (well ventilated) and we get more sun (Vit D).


"The best source of vitamin D is UVB radiation from the sun. Vitamin D forms in the skin when it is exposed to UV from sunlight. "
Cancer Council - Vitamin D

a possible problem with this, IMO, is that if you are fairly infirm- maybe bed ridden, mobility impaired, something like that, chances are you are not outside, so your vitamin D levels would be low, and if you are relatively healthy- "out and about" - you should have more sunlight exposure. Does the vitamin D protect you from COVID or is it just a marker of better overall condition?

 

[acutename]

I would almost bet some of those hospitals losing staff are using traveling nurses. I realize part of traveling nurse wages go towards temporary housing. But they could still raise the wages of local staff and probably come out ahead.

My new neighbor is a traveling nurse. A year in, I have yet to meet her.

how does the "traveling nurse" thing work? do they just work for an agency and get temp assignments?

 

[acutename]

There are too many people that seem to think that if you get a mild case of Covid, that't it, over and done, and as you point out, that is certainly not the case. Who knows why some people get long Covid and others don't: we just don't know enough about this virus to understand this aspect of the virus.

I am not a medical professional, but I am concerned about COVID "hanging around" and popping up- ala chicken pox/ shingles, warts, herpes, etc. we have a lot of viruses that are not 100% gone from the body and they just wait for their opportunity to emerge or emerge again.

 

[Sundog]

Kroger's grocery store in Ohio today had the free federal government N95 masks today at both entrances of the store with a sign "Free, 3 masks per customer." I didn't see anyone take any, except me. Most people just walked by them, masks are not mandated in Ohio, although lots of people have been wearing masks since the omicron surge.

 

[CSIDreamer]

how does the "traveling nurse" thing work? do they just work for an agency and get temp assignments?

I'm not overly versed on it. I think it's mainly 13 week assignments. Agencies put out the jobs but I think nurses can negotiate rates. Congress is actually starting to notice the rates they're being paid.

Hospitals ask Biden administration to help lower the soaring cost of travel nurses

Let's not talk about hospital CEO salaries.

 

[Sundog]

Kroger's grocery store in Ohio today had the free federal government N95 masks today at both entrances of the store with a sign "Free, 3 masks per customer." I didn't see anyone take any, except me. Most people just walked by them, masks are not mandated in Ohio, although lots of people have been wearing masks since the omicron surge.

Here is a photo of the model and make of masks that our local Kroger's in Ohio is distributing to customers from the federal government.

2200 N95 Series High Visibility Particulate Respirator | Moldex

 

[Lilibet]

how does the "traveling nurse" thing work? do they just work for an agency and get temp assignments?

That’s my recollection from my covid hospital stay of six days a year ago. In the 10-bed covid wing in our small local hospital, every nurse who cared for me on every shift was a traveler except one. They were from all over the country and assigned through an agency for about three months. I believe they could choose to sign up for another assignment here or move on. All were young and enjoying the travel and money. All did an excellent job and I thanked each of them profusely for coming here to help out.

More recently, the nursing shortage is even worse and the Oregon National Guard is helping at this same hospital.

 

[cujenn81]

Yes, it does sound fair to charge more when available risk reduction measures aren’t taken as long as other issues are treated the same. Does that mean smoking, lack of exercise, sugar consumption, alcohol consumption, untreated high blood pressure, no helmets are higher premiums? Very interesting, fair, but very complicated.

FWIW — I’m a former smoker and had to pay a higher premium before I quit five or six years ago. To have the smoker premium removed, I had to submit a signed affidavit stating that I understood misrepresentations about my smoking status would be considered insurance fraud.

 

[Lilibet]

Yes, it does sound fair to charge more when available risk reduction measures aren’t taken as long as other issues are treated the same. Does that mean smoking, lack of exercise, sugar consumption, alcohol consumption, untreated high blood pressure, no helmets are higher premiums? Very interesting, fair, but very complicated.

FWIW — I’m a former smoker and had to pay a higher premium before I quit five or six years ago. To have the smoker premium removed, I had to submit a signed affidavit stating that I understood misrepresentations about my smoking status would be considered insurance fraud.

Charging higher premiums for the unvaxxed and for smokers is much easier to prove and/or quantify than “lack of exercise, sugar consumption, alcohol consumption, untreated high blood pressure, no helmets.” You are either vaxxed or not and you either smoke or not. It may not seem “fair” to exclude these other unhealthful habits from higher premiums, but it is totally impractical to include, quantify how much is too much or too little and track these in an already overly-complicated insurance industry.
JMO

 

[KALI]

As a long time employer.
Me thinks, the employees may have some harsh words for their former employers...
Sorry for the citizens affected.

More at link
'Unprecedented': This Mass. hospital system has seen 40% of nursing staff leave since 2019

The Massachusetts Nurses Association said on Thursday that the Northeast Hospital Corporation is experiencing an “unprecedented” loss of 40% of the system’s nursing staff since July 2019. Within the last five months alone, the MNA said more than 100 nurses have left.

The exodus, the MNA said is a result of excessive patient loads, the use of forced overtime and the dangers and challenges presented by COVID-19.

Northeast Hospital Corporation is owned by the Beth Israel Lahey Health System, and is comprised of Beverly Hospital, Addison Gilbert Hospital in Gloucester, and Lahey Outpatient Center in Danvers.

Nurses working in the system compared the hospitals to the Titanic, which the last two years representing an iceberg.

“We have hit the iceberg, the pandemic, and now we are sinking,” said Larn Beard, RN, a registered nurse at Beverly Hospital and co-chair of the nurses local bargaining unit with the MNA. “Rather than dealing with our ongoing staffing crisis and doing what they need to do in order to retain and recruit experienced nurses, this administration seems to accept that we will continue to bleed staff.”

According to the MNA, 322 nurses have left NHC since 2019. Not every one of them were replaced. On July 1, 2019, the union said it had 805 members at Northeast Hospital Corporation. On Jan. 22, it had 695, a loss of 110.

Since August 1, 2021, 102 nurses have left the system, the union said.

 

[ilovewings]

I am not a medical professional, but I am concerned about COVID "hanging around" and popping up- ala chicken pox/ shingles, warts, herpes, etc. we have a lot of viruses that are not 100% gone from the body and they just wait for their opportunity to emerge or emerge again.

i know that herpes stays dormant in the body until it is activated-I dont know
if Covid has that characterstic but I dont think it does--dont know for sure though

 

[katydid23]

We have not received our tests, yet, and I didn't get an email notification. I ordered the first day, so I'm not sure what the hold-up is. I hope them come soon.

I did find an email confirming my US gov test kit order, but no shipping confirmation as yet. I ordered on 1/18. Is anyone else still waiting who ordered them?

I'm still waiting, and I ordered right away. I did get an email verification, but no shipping notice...yet.

I thought maybe it didn't "take" so I tried again yesterday, but it gave me an error message saying my address had already been entered.

At this point, I wonder if I will get them at all.

Me too! I signed up on the first day. I got an immediate confirmation email.

Haven't heard a peep since then. I wondered if 'porch pirates' took them---but I haven't had the email notice they are being shipped, so probably not.

I am in Los Angeles but I have friends who received theirs already.