Coronavirus COVID-19 - Global Health Pandemic #111

[Auntie Cipation]

Saw this representation of the current state of the pandemic in the U.S. I follow Michael Hoerger on twitter -- he seems to be up on the current risk.

 

[Stunned]

People are over hearing about it. Well buckle up buttercups!

 

[IceIce9]

I got into a conversation with a neighbor yesterday. She is 77, and in very good health. She told me how anxious she was because so many of her friends and the volunteers she works with have had COVID recently.

She told me she was anxious every time she had to get groceries, or go anywhere where she had to be in a room full of people.

She said her anxiety was because there was nothing she could do to protect herself. She didn’t want to get the new COVID vaccination because most people she knew who had COVID had gotten the vaccination and still got COVID.

I mentioned she could start wearing a mask again, since she had so much anxiety about COVID.

She said quickly, “Oh, no, I’m not going to go back to wearing a mask again. No way!”

Sigh.

 

[Auntie Cipation]

I got into a conversation with a neighbor yesterday. She is 77, and in very good health. She told me how anxious she was because so many of her friends and the volunteers she works with have had COVID recently.

She told me she was anxious every time she had to get groceries, or go anywhere where she had to be in a room full of people.

She said her anxiety was because there was nothing she could do to protect herself. She didn’t want to get the new COVID vaccination because most people she knew who had COVID had gotten the vaccination and still got COVID.

I mentioned she could start wearing a mask again, since she had so much anxiety about COVID.

She said quickly, “Oh, no, I’m not going to go back to wearing a mask again. No way!”

Sigh.

Why are people so seemingly oblivious to basic statistics?

It's not black and white, 100% or zero. The world is full of shades of gray.

Covid vaccine does not mean you won't catch it, but it means you're less likely to catch it.

Covid vaccine does not mean you won't catch it, but it means you'll have milder symptoms if you DO catch it.

Why is that so difficult to understand!

(no need to answer, I know it's half first-world psychology and half intentional political misinformation... Grr!)

I wore my mask into the grocery store today, for the first time in a long time. Got some nasty looks too. I don't care. I read enough to know a very large spike is underway. I don't want to catch it. I plan to hibernate all January in the hopes that the cases resulting from tonight's parties will either die down or will reawaken people's eyes. As you say -- Sigh.

 

[Cool Cats]

The COVID guide: Everything to know about the current state of variants, masking, vaccines and more

Here’s your go-to guide with everything you need to know about COVID-19, from variant and case-tracking to the most up-to-date public health recommendations.

news.yahoo.com

 

[RANCH]

Why are people so seemingly oblivious to basic statistics?

It's not black and white, 100% or zero. The world is full of shades of gray.

Covid vaccine does not mean you won't catch it, but it means you're less likely to catch it.

Covid vaccine does not mean you won't catch it, but it means you'll have milder symptoms if you DO catch it.

Why is that so difficult to understand!

(no need to answer, I know it's half first-world psychology and half intentional political misinformation... Grr!)

I wore my mask into the grocery store today, for the first time in a long time. Got some nasty looks too. I don't care. I read enough to know a very large spike is underway. I don't want to catch it. I plan to hibernate all January in the hopes that the cases resulting from tonight's parties will either die down or will reawaken people's eyes. As you say -- Sigh.

I'm not getting a vaccine because I had side effects in the past from them.

I have resumed wearing a N95 mask when going shopping because I feel it will help in preventing illness. JMO.

 

[Auntie Cipation]

I'm not getting a vaccine because I had side effects in the past from them.

I have resumed wearing a N95 mask when going shopping because I feel it will help in preventing illness. JMO.

I understand. I wasn't claiming the vaccine is for everyone, I was lamenting people basing their decisions on misunderstandings -- willful misunderstandings in some cases, such as "if it doesn't prevent 100% of infection, it's useless."

I had one woman early in the pandemic argue that if a mask blocked the virus, it also blocked air. Now I've worn masks on hot sticky days when it certainly FEELS like the mask blocks air, but I'm aware enough to know there are other factors affecting that sensation (ie humidity etc) and I understand that if I were to look up the sizes of oxygen molecules, covid molecules, and the openings in N95 masks, I would see that the virus is too big (95% of the time) to pass through the mask fabric while the oxygen molecules are not.

It's the poor reasoning and blind acceptance of politicized claims that I lament, not people's reasoned decisions. MOO

 

[Gemmie]

I got into a conversation with a neighbor yesterday. She is 77, and in very good health. She told me how anxious she was because so many of her friends and the volunteers she works with have had COVID recently.

She told me she was anxious every time she had to get groceries, or go anywhere where she had to be in a room full of people.

She said her anxiety was because there was nothing she could do to protect herself. She didn’t want to get the new COVID vaccination because most people she knew who had COVID had gotten the vaccination and still got COVID.

I mentioned she could start wearing a mask again, since she had so much anxiety about COVID.

She said quickly, “Oh, no, I’m not going to go back to wearing a mask again. No way!”

Sigh.

Did you explain to her that vaccination doesn't prevent infection, it prevents severe disease, hospitalization and death? IMO I think people mistakenly believe it's supposed to prevent infection, so when it doesn't... "Why bother getting vaccinated? It doesn't work". They simply aren't looking at the problem correctly.

Also, it's mutating so often that what's going around now isn't the same thing as whatever she's been vaccinated against. Try telling her this way... It's like apples and oranges... they are both fruit but an apple isn't an orange and vice versa. Same with Covid. All the mutated variants (Delta, Omicron, JN.1, etc.) are all Covid, but the variants are all different from each other. Therefore it's best to keep up on vaccinations to protect yourself from what's currently circulating. (they are no longer "boosters" after the last formula change in September 2023).

People need to be educated, IMO. They aren't looking at the facts and are assuming things that are not true which isn't helping ANY of us. So she is right, it didn't prevent infection in all the people she knew, but they likely weren't hospitalized and they aren't DEAD.

When the first vaccines for COVID-19 rolled out in December 2020, some people hoped they would be a silver bullet against the novel virus the way that polio and smallpox shots are nearly 100% effective against those diseases.

Instead, the updated COVID vaccine is being compared to the flu vaccine in the sense that its goal is to prevent severe disease, hospitalization and death rather than to eliminate infection entirely.

That doesn’t mean the COVID and flu vaccines are failures, health experts at Northeastern say.

Why do some vaccines (polio, measles) prevent diseases, while others (COVID-19, flu) only reduce their severity?

Experts say vaccines differ according to whether the viruses they’ve been designed to quell are mutating or stable. Mitigate Impact

news.northeastern.edu

 

[sds71]

NEW YORK (WABC) -- A mask mandate has resumed for all 11 of the city's public hospitals after an increase in coronavirus, flu and respiratory syncytial virus cases.

The mask requirement also applies for all health clinics and nursing homes run by NYC Health + Hospitals.

Health Commissioner Dr. Ashwin Vasan said Wednesday the requirement is for areas of the hospital where patients are being treated.

He said it is also partially to protect the staff from incoming sickness as the numbers of patient cases rise. He said city hospitals are currently handling patient levels well and none are overwhelmed.

Vasan said there are increasing levels of sickness in the city, and health officials are hearing of increased coughing and other symptoms at places where people gather, like work.

He said the most important thing for people who feel sick to do is stay home.

Mask mandate resumes at all 11 New York City public hospitals amid rise in flu, COVID and RSV cases

The mask requirement also applies for all health clinics and nursing homes run by NYC Health + Hospitals.

abc7ny.com

 

[weepingangel]

Somewhat OT but worth a mention re the respiratory soup that’s currently going around. As it does affect hospitals and people just being pretty darn sick with multiple things at once or consecutively. I heard about NY cases on tv, googled for a link and a story from PA also popped up.

I’m waiting for updated Covid etc numbers for the week here in MA(Thursdays I think) I know waste water and cdc respiratory numbers from before Xmas were rising pretty good.

I don’t go out much stores etc, but I’ll be masking kn95 if I do. (I do work and mask there)

Pertussis (whooping cough) outbreak in area prompts advice from St. Luke’s

Unlike viral illnesses, when pertussis or whooping cough is confirmed, everyone in a household should be treated with antibiotics, St. Luke’s says.

www.lehighvalleylive.com

Health officials in Suffolk County, New York, report whooping cough outbreak over the last month

Health officials in Suffolk County, New York, warned that cases of a respiratory bacterial infection called pertussis, also known as whooping cough.

abcnews.go.com

 

[Stunned]

I was surprised today when I went to my small local pharmacy to get my RSV shot that I needed a prescription from my Dr.. Maybe it was discussed here and I missed it, the big Pharmacy chains have people who automatically write those scripts on site. So now I wait for my script, no worries! Hearing about to many sick people!

 

[Arkay]

I was surprised today when I went to my small local pharmacy to get my RSV shot that I needed a prescription from my Dr.. Maybe it was discussed here and I missed it, the big Pharmacy chains have people who automatically write those scripts on site. So now I wait for my script, no worries! Hearing about to many sick people!

@Stunned
I just today was at the CVS on my block and made an appointment for the RSV shot.

I didn’t need a prescription at all.

Maybe because I’m 66? Maybe because a national chain operates differently?

I’ve never heard of a script being needed for any vaccination, and I’ve had them all, even when I was younger than the 65 year old level.

 

[IceIce9]

@Stunned
I just today was at the CVS on my block and made an appointment for the RSV shot.

I didn’t need a prescription at all.

Maybe because I’m 66? Maybe because a national chain operates differently?

I’ve never heard of a script being needed for any vaccination, and I’ve had them all, even when I was younger than the 65 year old level.

There are “Standing Orders” for vaccinations like flu, COVID, etc. RSV might be different because it is recommended for 65 and older.

 

[Stunned]

@Stunned
I just today was at the CVS on my block and made an appointment for the RSV shot.

I didn’t need a prescription at all.

Maybe because I’m 66? Maybe because a national chain operates differently?

I’ve never heard of a script being needed for any vaccination, and I’ve had them all, even when I was younger than the 65 year old level.

I’m 66 and have gotten all of my vaccinations at this Pharmacy but 1. I don’t know if the person who prescribes left? I’ll ask when I go back.

 

[Gemmie]

I was surprised today when I went to my small local pharmacy to get my RSV shot that I needed a prescription from my Dr.. Maybe it was discussed here and I missed it, the big Pharmacy chains have people who automatically write those scripts on site. So now I wait for my script, no worries! Hearing about to many sick people!

Sounds like not all states are handling this the same. Odd.

Georgia, Iowa, Missouri, Utah, and Washington D.C. require adults to get a doctor’s prescription in order to receive the RSV vaccination. The other 46 states do not.

Most states don’t require a prescription to get an RSV vaccine

The new RSV vaccine is now available to seniors over the age of 60 and pregnant people. Four states require people to have a prescription to get the shot.

www.kare11.com

 

[Stunned]

Sounds like not all states are handling this the same. Odd.

Georgia, Iowa, Missouri, Utah, and Washington D.C. require adults to get a doctor’s prescription in order to receive the RSV vaccination. The other 46 states do not.

Most states don’t require a prescription to get an RSV vaccine

The new RSV vaccine is now available to seniors over the age of 60 and pregnant people. Four states require people to have a prescription to get the shot.

www.kare11.com

I’m in NC. Weird!

 

[Gemmie]

I’m in NC. Weird!

I wondered if perhaps you weren't even in any of the 4 excluded states! LOL Maybe no one told your pharmacy how things work? This is so messed up.

 

[neesaki]

I'm not getting a vaccine because I had side effects in the past from them.

I have resumed wearing a N95 mask when going shopping because I feel it will help in preventing illness. JMO.

I agree. I’ve had reactions to vaccines in the past. Plus I have had a long bout of Shingles, not severe, but drawn out….like “long shingles”, strange. So my doc thinks due to that immune issue, he does not recommend me getting the vaccine at this time.
I’m fine with it.
Even though I am just getting over Covid. I mean honestly, it wasn’t as bad as the bout of bronchitis I had back in 2013, that lasted for six to eight weeks. That was the sickest I’ve ever been.
And if I need to wear a mask I will I don’t have a problem with it.

 

[passionflower]

Day 8 getting over covid. Had all my shots even RSV. Careful for years. The only crowded place I was unmasked was church Christmas Eve. Finally I feel half human. Be careful!

 

[BetteDavisEyes]

I agree. I’ve had reactions to vaccines in the past. Plus I have had a long bout of Shingles, not severe, but drawn out….like “long shingles”, strange. So my doc thinks due to that immune issue, he does not recommend me getting the vaccine at this time.
I’m fine with it.
Even though I am just getting over Covid. I mean honestly, it wasn’t as bad as the bout of bronchitis I had back in 2013, that lasted for six to eight weeks. That was the sickest I’ve ever been.
And if I need to wear a mask I will I don’t have a problem with it.

Before I was diagnosed with allergies and asthma in my mid-30s, I had horrible bouts of bronchitis for several years. I ended up with "walking pneumonia" a few times, too. Most of the illnesses started with a cold, but undiagnosed allergies and asthma pushed the "common cold" from bad to worse. Bronchitis can be nasty and seems to go on for weeks before the cough finally goes away, leaving one feeling totally exhausted. Thankfully, I haven't had bronchitis, walking pneumonia, or even a cold for many years. Haven't had a serious cough-variant asthma episode for quite a while, either.