Coronavirus COVID-19 - Global Health Pandemic #108

[CSIDreamer]

I used to drink low sodium V8 for the same reason, but my potassium is under control after taking Klor-Con for nearly a year. Now I drink original V8 because my sodium tends to fluctuate and dip below normal level. We buy original V8 by the case at Costco. I always have Pedialyte (Meijer brand) on hand, as well.

I'm glad you've got it under control now. It's ridiculous what low potassium (or even borderline) can do to your body. It's a blessing I can gobble avocados and baked potatoes in the absence of V8. I'm a stick in the mud who prefers to avoid rx meds unless absolutely necessary. So far, I'm only on one.

Far ranging effects of this pandemic leading to shortages and issues that affect health.

 

[GRT]

Looks like mask requirements will soon be a lot less strict.

"WASHINGTON (AP) — The Biden administration will significantly ease federal mask-wearing guidelines to protect against COVID-19 transmission on Friday, according to two people familiar with the matter, meaning most Americans will no longer be advised to wear masks in indoor public settings.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Friday will announce a change to the metrics it uses to determine whether to recommend face coverings, shifting from looking at COVID-19 case counts to a more holistic view of risk from the coronavirus to a community. Under current guidelines, masks are recommended for people residing in communities of substantial or high transmission — roughly 95% of U.S. counties, according to the latest data."
​

CDC to significantly loosen pandemic mask guidelines Friday | WKRN News 2

 

[sds71]

Most Americans live in places where healthy people, including students in schools, can safely take a break from wearing masks under new U.S. guidelines released Friday.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention outlined the new set of measures for communities where COVID-19 is easing its grip, with less of a focus on positive test results and more on what’s happening at hospitals.

The new system greatly changes the look of the CDC’s risk map and puts more than 70% of the U.S. population in counties where the coronavirus is posing a low or medium threat to hospitals. Those are the people who can stop wearing masks, the agency said.

The agency is still advising that people, including schoolchildren, wear masks where the risk of COVID-19 is high. That’s the situation in about 37% of U.S. counties, where about 28% of Americans reside.



CDC: Many healthy Americans can take a break from masks
https://apnews.com/article/coronavi...d-prevention-87d7bdc811ba6521e32017072d5ea180

 

[cujenn81]

Today marks Day 14 since DH tested positive for COVID. He only showed mild symptoms (headache, cough, and nasal congestion; no fever, chills, or aches and pains) for 3-4 days. I took two rapid tests — on Day 5 & Day 10 — and both were negative. I almost said I got lucky… BUT we’re only 40 and we both got boosted in November. I feel certain that played a pivotal role here.

 

[dmac55]

Most Americans live in places where healthy people, including students in schools, can safely take a break from wearing masks under new U.S. guidelines released Friday.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention outlined the new set of measures for communities where COVID-19 is easing its grip, with less of a focus on positive test results and more on what’s happening at hospitals.

The new system greatly changes the look of the CDC’s risk map and puts more than 70% of the U.S. population in counties where the coronavirus is posing a low or medium threat to hospitals. Those are the people who can stop wearing masks, the agency said.

The agency is still advising that people, including schoolchildren, wear masks where the risk of COVID-19 is high. That’s the situation in about 37% of U.S. counties, where about 28% of Americans reside.



CDC: Many healthy Americans can take a break from masks

Sometimes I feel like I may be the only person a little uncomfortable with this, but I'm hermity by nature, so the masks and other mitigating things didn't affect me as much as regular people

 

[jjenny]

Sometimes I feel like I may be the only person a little uncomfortable with this, but I'm hermity by nature, so the masks and other mitigating things didn't affect me as much as regular people

You are certainly not the only one. I plan to wear masks everywhere, no matter what CDC says.

 

[Lilibet]

Most Americans live in places where healthy people, including students in schools, can safely take a break from wearing masks under new U.S. guidelines released Friday.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention outlined the new set of measures for communities where COVID-19 is easing its grip, with less of a focus on positive test results and more on what’s happening at hospitals.

The new system greatly changes the look of the CDC’s risk map and puts more than 70% of the U.S. population in counties where the coronavirus is posing a low or medium threat to hospitals. Those are the people who can stop wearing masks, the agency said.

The agency is still advising that people, including schoolchildren, wear masks where the risk of COVID-19 is high. That’s the situation in about 37% of U.S. counties, where about 28% of Americans reside.



CDC: Many healthy Americans can take a break from masks

According to the link…CDC: Many healthy Americans can take a break from masks

“Mask requirements already have ended in most of the U.S. in recent weeks. Los Angeles on Friday began allowing people to remove their masks while indoors if they are vaccinated, and indoor mask mandates in Washington state and Oregon will be lifted in late March.”

BBM

I’m in Oregon, and if you look at the linked map, most of the state is orange (high risk) including my county (Jackson) in southern Oregon bordering northern California (also orange). I fail to see how it can be considered safe to remove masks in these areas, which have resisted both vaccines and mask wearing. My local hospital is running at about 30% staffing, supplemented by traveling nurses and national guard troops, as I learned during a recent non-covid stay.

The same loosening up was done early last summer, just in time for Delta. I didn’t stop wearing my mask then and I won’t stop wearing it now.

 

[TootsieFootsie]

I like that word, hermity, and I think that could apply to me too.

At times, for me, being locked down kind of freed me from having to go to "things"

Right now though, I'm looking forward to my U3A classes starting again this week.
I'm going to break the waters and go to my Philosophy class, and maybe the movie class.
I might not stay for the coffees and/or lunch afterwards as they tend to bunch up together.

In my state, NSW, we are now mask free in many places as of Friday.. I might keep mine on and sit back behind during the classes.

So I guess most of the time I'm "hermity". Being by myself is actually when I feel the most free and the most myself.
Free to be me

<modsnip- broken quote>

 

[Lilibet]

I like that word, hermity, and I think that could apply to me too.

At times, for me, being locked down kind of freed me from having to go to "things"

I’m very happily hermity! I love not having to go do things. While I do sympathize with those who need activities and people more than I do, I’m perfectly fine Zooming and texting and phoning.

 

[Teche]

I like that word, hermity, and I think that could apply to me too.

At times, for me, being locked down kind of freed me from having to go to "things"

Right now though, I'm looking forward to my U3A classes starting again this week.
I'm going to break the waters and go to my Philosophy class, and maybe the movie class.
I might not stay for the coffees and/or lunch afterwards as they tend to bunch up together.

In my state, NSW, we are now mask free in many places as of Friday.. I might keep mine on and sit back behind during the classes.

So I guess most of the time I'm "hermity". Being by myself is actually when I feel the most free and the most myself.
Free to be me

<modsnip -broken quote>

I would guess that most of us here are in the hermity club.

 

[anneg]

I’m very happily hermity! I love not having to go do things. While I do sympathize with those who need activities and people more than I do, I’m perfectly fine Zooming and texting and phoning.

I am another hermity (love this word!) person by nature. I am happy to stay home and not have to go anywhere. But it's good for my physical and mental health to get out and about. I just rejoined the local gym after 2 years so now I have to go regularly to justify the cost.

 

[charminglane]

I will now go by the name Happy Hermity Helen.
Very happily.

I had to tell a few people to put their mask on at work today, or to pull it up and keep their nose covered. I walk around and do a nose check. We are in L.A. County but we are a special library district and do our own thing. We do not want to have a table with staff asking to see patrons vaccine cards. Privacy, for one, and two - there are many people that go in and out all day, and as staff changes shifts, the patron would have to show proof over and over.
Just wear the mask, get a grip.

 

[sds71]

According to the new CDC metrics, about 70% of the U.S. population lives in a place where they no longer need to wear a mask to protect themselves and others. Their calculation is based on three variables: rates of new cases, new hospital admissions and hospital capacity.

But infectious disease specialists surveyed by NPR say they're not ditching their masks just yet. Many still plan to wear them because they live in a part of the country where the coronavirus is still spreading widely — at least for the time being.


It's safe to unmask in many places, says the CDC. These experts aren't quite ready

 

[mickey2942]

Mask off, mask on, mask off, mask on, mask off...whatever. So, now the CDC says, "mask off"?

 

[Yesiamapirate]

Mask off, mask on, mask off, mask on, mask off...whatever. So, now the CDC says, "mask off"?

Right! I did not wait for the CDC to tell me to take my mask off. Nor would I take my mask off now if I really wanted to wear one.

 

[BetteDavisEyes]

Nearly half of Biden's 500M free COVID tests still unclaimed (clickondetroit.com)

WASHINGTON – Nearly half of the 500 million free COVID-19 tests the Biden administration recently made available to the public still have not been claimed as virus cases plummet and people feel less urgency to test.

Wild demand swings have been a subplot in the pandemic, from vaccines to hand sanitizer, along with tests. On the first day of the White House test giveaway in January, COVIDtests.gov received over 45 million orders. Now officials say fewer than 100,000 orders a day are coming in for the packages of four free rapid tests per household, delivered by the U.S. Postal Service.

Still, the White House sees the program as a step toward a deeper, yet more elastic, testing infrastructure that will accommodate demand surges and remain on standby when cases wane. “We totally intend to sustain this market," Dr. Tom Inglesby, testing adviser to the COVID-19 response team, told The Associated Press. "We know the market is volatile and will come up and down with surges in variants.”...

 

[BetteDavisEyes]

Mask off, mask on, mask off, mask on, mask off...whatever. So, now the CDC says, "mask off"?

Your post made me laugh and remember those silly commercials about The Clapper "Clap on, clap off, clap on, clap off... the Clapper!" I'll have that dang jingle in my head for days.

 

[Teche]

It took forever to receive those “free” covid tests. I wish they'd just send the extras to those of us who have requested them.

 

[Sundog]

Nearly half of Biden's 500M free COVID tests still unclaimed (clickondetroit.com)

WASHINGTON – Nearly half of the 500 million free COVID-19 tests the Biden administration recently made available to the public still have not been claimed as virus cases plummet and people feel less urgency to test.

Wild demand swings have been a subplot in the pandemic, from vaccines to hand sanitizer, along with tests. On the first day of the White House test giveaway in January, COVIDtests.gov received over 45 million orders. Now officials say fewer than 100,000 orders a day are coming in for the packages of four free rapid tests per household, delivered by the U.S. Postal Service.

Still, the White House sees the program as a step toward a deeper, yet more elastic, testing infrastructure that will accommodate demand surges and remain on standby when cases wane. “We totally intend to sustain this market," Dr. Tom Inglesby, testing adviser to the COVID-19 response team, told The Associated Press. "We know the market is volatile and will come up and down with surges in variants.”...

The tests have an expiry date, so they are limited in duration.

 

[dmac55]

You are certainly not the only one. I plan to wear masks everywhere, no matter what CDC says.

Me too