Coronavirus COVID-19 - Global Health Pandemic #88

[margarita25]

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DeWine to give presser:

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Worth a watch

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[I'm Just Here]

Those who reject masks aren’t going to go for it either way. I will say, Texas has had a state-wide mask mandate for months. I believe it went into effect early July, so about five months at this point. We were the first state to hit a million cases, and our hospitals are buckling under the pressure of the recent surge just like most other states.

Don’t get me wrong, I do believe masks help. I think things would be far worse if we weren’t wearing masks in public. I’ve worn an N95 at work since early June and don’t leave my house without either an N95 or KN95. My college-aged daughter had covid 3 months ago. We all wore N95’s and nobody else got it (we were all tested multiple times, and I test 1-2 times per week at work anyway). But 30 days isn’t long enough to see an impact of wearing masks due to the lengthy incubation period and time it takes to develop serious symptoms.

My fear would be two fold if they tried to go with 30 days. One, we know it would have to be extended, and that alone kills trust and makes things seem truly endless when it’s done in 10/14/30 day increments. Two, we would get to the end of 30 days, and things will inevitably be worse due to the fact that infections that occurred prior to the mask-wearing would still be getting worse, deaths climbing, etc.

I distinctly remember people in Texas grumbling “see, masks don’t work!!” A WEEK after the mask mandate went into effect and cases were still rising. It’s going to take longer than 30 days to see an impact on universal masking.

I see your point. I don't blame people grumbling "masks don't work". Wish there was a way to get across how things will change for the future good. People like instant, faster results. I am thinking simple education on it & more emphasizing a " being kind action" in a plan to reach out. Even our health workers pleading seems to not do much. I don't know what to think anymore.

 

[ColyH]

I agree that masks aren't 100% effective against the coronavirus but they do slow down the spread. Refusing to wear a face mask because there not 100% effective is like driving over the speed limit because driving safely is is not a guarantee you won't get in a car accident.

 

[sds71]

HHS launches national ad campaign promoting Covid-19 vaccine

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HHS launches national ad campaign promoting Covid-19 vaccine

 

[CoverMeCagney]

I agree that masks aren't 100% effective against the coronavirus but they do slow down the spread. Refusing to wear a face mask because there not 100% effective is like driving over the speed limit because driving safely is is not a guarantee you won't get in a car accident.

Or wearing a seat belt because it's more likely to save you in a crash.
Or using a condom because you're less likely to get riddled with chlamydia.

It's quite simple really, isn't it!

 

[drama_farmer]

Sadly, imo, there's no "right approach" to convince a segment of the US population that face masks (and other tactics) are still a formidable weapon at this point in the battle.

That ship has sailed, and it's full of feverish cruisers who are more fearful of losing their deposit than perpetuating a pandemic.

Attempts to educate, humor, cajole, plead with, demand and even beg the non-believers to follow the guidelines have been unsuccessful and have even triggered violence.

There is a relatively significant group of people who rely on lies, misinformation, fantasy and "my own research" to determine that they have stumbled upon answers on Facebook and in YouTube videos that have eluded the experts.

It might have been different. We could have been encouraged to show our true patriotism by fighting the evil foreign interloper that is COVID. We could have rallied around the concept that it's up to every American to fight against an invisible, powerful enemy that was coming after our jobs, our loved ones, and the American way.

The terror attacks of 2001 ushered in the Patriot Act, a still-controversial set of policies that, in some cases, actually did curtail America's "freedoms." But, at that time, patriotic fervor and a desire to retaliate against the "bad guys" carried the legislation through.

If it hasn't happened already, the US will be losing the equivalent of those who lost their lives on 9/11 on a DAILY basis. Day after day after day.

Instead of fighting for our lives against an evil, invisible, but ultimately beatable foe (COVID), we are fighting against a mindset that appears to be selfish, misinformed/willfully ignorant and shockingly cult-like in its fervor. IMO

 

[SouthAussie]

Wow! Seems terrible to me putting it as 100 days and I usually have no problem wearing a mask, even faceshield when required. The dividing up days does sound so much more doable letting people know this is a 100 day divided up that we all are trying to reach a goal to numbers dropping. Then to praise the results between chunks of days, be positive, encouraging plus proud of the accomplishment when its showing. We are tired of the Covid daily number, people making poor choices so forth. Many of us try and still see no end. There must be a way to make the people not feel pushed but wanting to join the upbeat approach. We all love praise and more might react positively with it plus might want to join a not so hard challenge!

The media *could* go a long way to help drive this effort.

There must be many ways to put a positive slant on things .... like
"today we were in Smithville CA where all the residents wear a mask ...."
"Betty Boop has been making masks by the hundreds and delivering them to the disadvantaged at homeless shelters in Philadelphia ..."
"Mask competition this week, draw your idea of a favourite mask for you, for a chance to win one of ten baskets of M&Ms worth $100 ...."
"Look at all of our beautifully masked volunteers assisting at the local food bank ..."

And stop speaking of the non-mask wearers retaliating.

It is all in the describing. In the overall perception.
Along with seeing President Elect Biden's team in masks all of the time, this would help to normalise mask wearing.

 

[SouthAussie]

I think you're right. 100 days sounds like a long time.

Tell that to the Melburnites ... who did 100 days of hard lockdown.
100 days of mask wearing sounds like a walk in the park.

 

[SouthAussie]

I wonder if he should have asked people to wear a mask for 30 days-- initially and then he could have asked after that time for 30 more days, etc. 30 days sounds a lot more doable to those people who are reluctant-

Justin Trudeau's trick. We'll look at opening the border in 60 days.
Oh, we'll go 60 more days now and look at it again.
How about we go 60 more days and then look at it again.

 

[ilovewings]

The media *could* go a long way to help drive this effort.

There must be many ways to put a positive slant on things .... like
"today we were in Smithville CA where all the residents wear a mask ...."
"Betty Boop has been making masks by the hundreds and delivering them to the disadvantaged at homeless shelters in Philadelphia ..."
"Mask competition this week, draw your idea of a favourite mask for you, for a chance to win one of ten baskets of M&Ms worth $100 ...."
"Look at all of our beautifully masked volunteers assisting at the local food bank ..."

And stop speaking of the non-mask wearers retaliating.

It is all in the describing. In the overall perception.
Along with seeing President Elect Biden's team in masks all of the time, this would help to normalise mask wearing.

i love your post- unfortunately we seem to lack the will and creativity to
do those wonderful things you suggest

 

[CoverMeCagney]

Tell that to the Melburnites ... who did 100 days of hard lockdown.
100 days of mask wearing sounds like a walk in the park.

Yeah, different species though

 

[10ofRods]

I wonder if he should have asked people to wear a mask for 30 days-- initially and then he could have asked after that time for 30 more days, etc. 30 days sounds a lot more doable to those people who are reluctant-

I don't think it would have made one bit of difference. And it would be anti-scientific AND it would show him as less than transparent. The people who don't want to wear masks will resist and it will be their own local enforcement that makes a difference.

The current situation, wherein non-masking wearing states get extra federal support in the distribution of PPE - and now the vaccine - is about to end.

i love your post- unfortunately we seem to lack the will and creativity to
do those wonderful things you suggest

Give it time. I see small changes already, and by end of January, I predict we'll be doing better with messaging. Our main problem is that news sources are incredibly scattered, there are no national messaging systems - we've lost that altogether. I just got done surveying 70 students as to their news-watching habits. 69 said they *never* watch any form of news (or read it); of those, 10 said that they "probably should" pay attention to current events. IOW, just one person (older than the rest) consumed news regularly - that person checks some form of news every day.

A few said that something related to current events occasionally shows up on their Instagram (almost no one used FB), but that they do not read or register it. So they hadn't heard about the Monolith(s) nor about how bad COVID is elsewhere or who, locally, is most likely to get it. They had no idea that a new stimulus plan was being debated. Average age = 23.

 

[Medstudies]

I haven’t commented in a few months, because, ... yea I gotta sit on my hands

But this I have to share:
Indiana nurse: ‘I can describe the sound a zipper on a body bag makes’ | Fox 59


“I can describe the sound the zipper on a body bag makes,” said Brandie Kopsas-Kingsley, ICU nurse. “I know the feeling of my hand on a chest and the feeling of two minutes of CPR before the next pulse check.”

“I can describe with great detail the odd and very ugly of purple-ish grey you turn when your body is suffocating. So, for me, whereas I cannot understand the numbers, I can understand humans behind those numbers and that every single one of those was a life,” she said.

—-

and I just gotta ask, how inappropriate would it be to say to a murder victims family: “so what? “it’s no big deal, more people die from the flu.” Or to a LE family “Most cops don’t get killed in the line of duty, Only like 0.00001%”.

...why would anyone think it acceptable to say these things about COVID deaths?


It’s indefensible...MOO

 

[10ofRods]

dbm

 

[10ofRods]

I haven’t commented in a few months, because, ... yea I gotta sit on my hands

But this I have to share:
Indiana nurse: ‘I can describe the sound a zipper on a body bag makes’ | Fox 59


“I can describe the sound the zipper on a body bag makes,” said Brandie Kopsas-Kingsley, ICU nurse. “I know the feeling of my hand on a chest and the feeling of two minutes of CPR before the next pulse check.”

“I can describe with great detail the odd and very ugly of purple-ish grey you turn when your body is suffocating. So, for me, whereas I cannot understand the numbers, I can understand humans behind those numbers and that every single one of those was a life,” she said.

—-

and I just gotta ask, how inappropriate would it be to say to a murder victims family: “so what? “it’s no big deal, more people die from the flu.” Or to a LE family “Most cops don’t get killed in the line of duty, Only like 0.00001%”.

...why would anyone think it acceptable to say these things about COVID deaths?


It’s indefensible...MOO

Your post reminded me of the grim statistics on the Officer Down webpage (memorial to all public safety/LE officers who die in the line of duty):

2020

158 died of work-acquired COVID. 43 were killed by gunfire.

Where is the outrage?

 

[10ofRods]

I know. But it’s a slippery slope. What if the powers that be decide someone observing the vaccine causes birth defects (as example) is alarmist and incorrect? IMO as soon as people feel entitled to control the information flow because they think the public is too stupid to recognize nonsense we’re all in trouble.

Wow, that's an interesting take. How would the average person know what caused a birth defect?

So you really think that a person's view on what caused birth defects (based on no science at all) should be encouraged to decide this on their own?

You'd be surprised at what people already believe about birth defects. The entire history of folk theories about birth defects shows that all of the folk theories were wrong, except perhaps a few related to prior pandemics...measles and some forms of flu can heighten the number of birth defects, but these theories were promulgated by big jumps in numbers in birth defects.

I'd hope that people would wait for epidemiological information to disentangle such a complex question. I am completely stumped as to how any particular individual observation could show that either COVID or the vaccine caused a particular condition, without a scientific study.

 

[charminglane]

Wow. So you won't even be able to offer curbside pick-up for patrons? (You work at a library, right?)

No curbside after tomorrow.
Jumping right now to fill orders.
No staff in building after tomorrow.
Now I think we will be out until St. Patrick’s Day.
Because I’m informed from reading here.
SIL is a nurse at White Memorial in L.A. They just opened another Covid unit. Says it’s back at the level where they were 4 months ago.

 

[Medstudies]

Your post reminded me of the grim statistics on the Officer Down webpage (memorial to all public safety/LE officers who die in the line of duty):

2020

158 died of work-acquired COVID. 43 were killed by gunfire.

Where is the outrage?

indeed!

I guess COVID deaths are not considered heroic or noble.


... . But it seems fair play with COVID deaths: victim blaming

 

[dixiegirl1035]

The media *could* go a long way to help drive this effort.

There must be many ways to put a positive slant on things .... like
"today we were in Smithville CA where all the residents wear a mask ...."
"Betty Boop has been making masks by the hundreds and delivering them to the disadvantaged at homeless shelters in Philadelphia ..."
"Mask competition this week, draw your idea of a favourite mask for you, for a chance to win one of ten baskets of M&Ms worth $100 ...."
"Look at all of our beautifully masked volunteers assisting at the local food bank ..."

And stop speaking of the non-mask wearers retaliating.

It is all in the describing. In the overall perception.
Along with seeing President Elect Biden's team in masks all of the time, this would help to normalise mask wearing.

Remember when Cuomo made a wall of masks that were sent to him from all over the US!



Coronavirus News: Governor Cuomo unveils mask wall, 'Self-portrait of America'

 

[dixiegirl1035]

Your post reminded me of the grim statistics on the Officer Down webpage (memorial to all public safety/LE officers who die in the line of duty):

2020

158 died of work-acquired COVID. 43 were killed by gunfire.

Where is the outrage?

Wow, I'm sharing that stat with a few folks re police killed by COVID, thanks.