Corona Virus: It's a Marathon, Not a Sprint

[LordMortis]

If we ever reach "smoke em if you got em" let me know ahead of time so I can get a pack. As much as I miss Beer Thirty, I really miss my smokey treats.

[Formix]

As an interesting postscript, our team had a 30 person meeting today in the same room I was bitching about before. The irony was that the main thrust was to tell us we might all have to pitch in because so many staff members are out with COVID. I almost wanted to stand up and suggest that maybe they were out with COVID because they spent TOO MUCH TIME IN AN ENCLOSED SPACE WITH TOO MANY OTHER PEOPLE! I now know what it feels like to live for two years inside the "Crazy Pills" gif. I really hope my new job pans out.

[raydude]

As an interesting postscript, our team had a 30 person meeting today in the same room I was bitching about before. The irony was that the main thrust was to tell us we might all have to pitch in because so many staff members are out with COVID. I almost wanted to stand up and suggest that maybe they were out with COVID because they spent TOO MUCH TIME IN AN ENCLOSED SPACE WITH TOO MANY OTHER PEOPLE! I now know what it feels like to live for two years inside the "Crazy Pills" gif. I really hope my new job pans out.

You could phrase it as the person who just wants to know.

<Raises hand> I was wondering if people gave any thought as to the reason why so many people are out with Covid. I mean, they were just here in an enclosed space with a bunch of other people recently. Could that have something to do with it?

[Smoove_B]

Yeah, and then get a real inspired look on your face - like you just had a great idea. Maybe someone at the federal government in charge of protecting workers could do something - like pass a safety regulation! Then yell for the good of the city you must go to Washington and run out of the room.

[Freyland]

"DON'T WORRY! I'LL BE SURE TO FILE AN EXPENSE REPORT!"

[El Guapo]

Well, now the 10 YO son of one of our neighborhood friends tested positive. Apparently just a bit of congestion for him so far, at least. Haven't seen them face to face in awhile, so not a COVID exposure for us, but that's one of the more cautious families we know.

[Smoove_B]

Everything is fine in the hospitals

A nurse at a Colorado health system shared an internal memo with me. "Staff and providers with symptoms of a runny nose, sore throat, body aches and/or loss of taste or smell may continue reporting to work unless symptoms worsen," it reads.

I would not blame a single one of them for saying f-this and quitting. What is being asked here is too much. Above and beyond their own health, they're potentially putting vulnerable people at risk, as ordered by an employer.

[Smoove_B]

So when tests are forcing shut downs, we just get rid of using them. In Ohio, a teacher shortage means just lower the bar for what it means to be a substitute so we can keep the doors open:

"A lot of people don't know the rules have changed in Ohio, and you don't need a teaching license. You have a temporary license right now to do that," Carson said. "In Mason, we'd love to encourage, if someone has just graduated from college, doesn't have a job yet, come sub for us, make $125 a day and get to be with students."

Both districts upped their pay for substitute teachers to that rate during this time of need. Applicants will still be vetted and have to go through a background check.

If this doesn't demonstrate quite clearly what is going on, I don't know what else to say.

[Smoove_B]

So very mild.

The only time the US crossed 125,000 hospitalized Covid patients was January 5, 2021, when there were ~0 vaccines.

We're at ~126,000 (+6,000 from yesterday)https://newsnodes.com/us Whatever "decoupling" hoped for vs prior peak is quickly getting minimized
graph by @jburnmurdoch

Oh, and child hospitalizations are at the highest level that they've ever been. What is it going to take?

[YellowKing]

It's remarkable how many friends of mine who are pro-vaccine, pro-mask folks are still buying into the "hospitalizations are low and this is all going to blow over" mentality. A buddy of mine just the other day was talking about how low the hospitilizations were. I had to correct him and tell him how we jumped from 5 Covid patients in-house to 60+ in less than two weeks. And we haven't seen the New Year folks yet.

[Isgrimnur]

$125 a day

$15.63 an hour for an 8-hour day.

[Isgrimnur]

CNN

Former health advisers to President Joe Biden say the US strategy for the Covid-19 pandemic needs to be updated to face a "new normal" of living with the virus, rather than aiming to eliminate it.

In three pieces published in the Journal of the American Medical Association on Thursday, six former Biden advisers proposed a new plan and detailed strategies for testing, mitigation, vaccines and treatments.

"Without a strategic plan for the 'new normal' with endemic COVID-19, more people in the US will unnecessarily experience morbidity and mortality, health inequities will widen, and trillions will be lost from the US economy," wrote Dr. Ezekiel Emanuel, a former Obama health adviser now with the University of Pennsylvania; Michael Osterholm, the director of the Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy at the University of Minnesota; and Dr. Celine Gounder, an infectious disease expert at Bellevue Hospital Center and at Grossman School of Medicine at New York University.

All were appointed to Biden's Transition Covid-19 Advisory Board in 2020.

For this new strategy, "humility is essential," they wrote. There remain unknowns about the virus and its future, and "predictions are necessary but educated guesses, not mathematical certainty." Leaders will have to communicate specific goals and benchmarks, and national plans will need to be adapted for local use.

They push for modernized data infrastructure to provide real-time information, a bolstered public health work force, more and empowered school nurses, and moves to rebuild trust in public health institutions. Substantial resources will be needed to "build and sustain an effective public health infrastructure," they write.

[Smoove_B]

That's a good piece by trusted voices. And I'm not just saying that because Dr. Grounder liked one of my Tweets over the summer.

This part here:

They push for modernized data infrastructure to provide real-time information, a bolstered public health work force, more and empowered school nurses, and moves to rebuild trust in public health institutions. Substantial resources will be needed to "build and sustain an effective public health infrastructure," they write.

Is long overdue (obviously) and I've yet to see a definitive plan that's been proposed on how it gets done. I do think so much of our problem is a lack of national public health function and until we somehow figure that out, the investments we make are ultimately going to be limited by whatever each state decides to continue to do (or even start). As I hope everyone has seen, state level control of policy and response during a pandemic has made a bad situation worse.

This piece by Gregg Gonsalves (another trusted voice) was also a great read today:

While the president is emphasizing vaccination as the only national response to the pandemic, we have an entire political party (aided and abetted by corporate actors) pursuing a strategy of “let ’er rip”: promoting community transmission through opposition to vaccine and mask mandates, colluding with anti-vaxxers suggesting that resistance to vaccination is an embrace of freedom and liberty, discouraging testing—and then demanding expensive drugs to treat Covid-19 when people get sick. I don’t even know what to call this strategy in technical terms—or even in polite language. What is clear is that “the best lack all conviction, while the worst are full of passionate intensity,” as said W.B. Yeats in his poem “The Second Coming,” written in 1919 in the wake of the first world war’s devastation. Those oft-repeated—perhaps too often—lines perfectly describe our pandemic predicament as we enter 2022, the third year of this plague.

Even better:

We have become a nation of death-eaters. We can consume the tragedy of losing 826,063 men, women and children to this disease and respond with cries to do less, to get us back to normal. And our politicians, pundits, and business leaders are all too willing to oblige. We are all exhausted, frustrated, and angry. We could actually have a better, more humane approach to Covid-19 in the United States—beating back the virus, while lifting up all of us—because other countries have done it. Only there are simply not enough people willing to fight for it; there is no political will to do more.

[Pyperkub]

So when tests are forcing shut downs, we just get rid of using them. In Ohio, a teacher shortage means just lower the bar for what it means to be a substitute so we can keep the doors open:

"A lot of people don't know the rules have changed in Ohio, and you don't need a teaching license. You have a temporary license right now to do that," Carson said. "In Mason, we'd love to encourage, if someone has just graduated from college, doesn't have a job yet, come sub for us, make $125 a day and get to be with students."

Both districts upped their pay for substitute teachers to that rate during this time of need. Applicants will still be vetted and have to go through a background check.

If this doesn't demonstrate quite clearly what is going on, I don't know what else to say.

If you haven't seen this from McSweeney's...

https://www.mcsweeneys.net/articles/a-n ... n-policies

I think they used it for the policy.

[Smoove_B]

Wow. I hadn't seen that...it's eerily on point.

[Ralph-Wiggum]

Was informed yesterday that someone I interacted with at work on Wednesday for ~5 minutes tested positive on Thursday. We were both wearing masks (mine an N95), but I'm still going to work from home today and try to get a test on Monday. I think this is going to be a pretty common occurrence the next few weeks....

[Zaxxon]

We've been Yonged again.

(thread, and article)


He's not saying anything we haven't discussed here, but as per usual Ed Yong lays it out in devastatingly-detailed fashion.

[Smoove_B]

I'm not so sure. He didn't speak to the people on my local FB page that are saying it's just people with a cold that are using the ER as their primary doctor and if people would just deal with it at home, we'd be fine. Then they also add in that when we force ER nurses to get the vaccine and they quit, what do we expect will happen?

While I have no doubts there are "worried well" jamming up some of the hospital capacity, there's a frighteningly low number of unvaccinated and partially vaccinated people in my area and state (and nationwide).

Off to read Yong!

[LordMortis]

I'm not so sure. He didn't speak to the people on my local FB page that are saying it's just people with a cold that are using the ER as their primary doctor and if people would just deal with it at home, we'd be fine. Then they also add in that when we force ER nurses to get the vaccine and they quit, what do we expect will happen?

While I have no doubts there are "worried well" jamming up some of the hospital capacity, there's a frighteningly low number of unvaccinated and partially vaccinated people in my area and state (and nationwide).

Off to read Yong!

From the anecdotal files, I'd be terrified to spend my time around people in that environment if I had what felt like minor cold coming on. It sucks, as that's when you/re supposed to go in for prophylactic treatment, before it gets too strong. I've had to go in for various treatments and I've terrified every time. This weekend marks the first time I'm going in for an infusion since omicron and I know from having to hear smug loud broadcasting patriots that this is no place for me. I may have to go looking for n95 masks tonight. I don't want to be in that environment for 3+ hours full of self important liars tomorrow. The idea of being around sick people known to be contagious because I have light cough? Nope. Nope. Nope.

[Smoove_B]

Yes, you absolutely want to be in an n95 at this point indoors around strangers. I am actually considering adding safety glasses (I already wear glasses) because of the insanely high levels of circulating virus and people's inability to wear masks correctly.

[stimpy]

My wife is assistant to the vice principle at a high school in a Chicago suburb.
She was notified that although the school is closed and all teachers and students are to stay home, support staff is required to be at work in person.
Guess their health and safety doesnt matter,,,,,,,

[LordMortis]

Sold. I think I'm off to Home Depot at lunch.

[Smoove_B]

Guess their health and safety doesnt matter,,,,,,,

I'm sure the principal needs someone to answer the phones as all the angry parents are calling. Tell your wife to wear an n95 and to eat her lunch in her car.

[LawBeefaroni]

My wife is assistant to the vice principle at a high school in a Chicago suburb.
She was notified that although the school is closed and all teachers and students are to stay home, support staff is required to be at work in person.
Guess their health and safety doesnt matter,,,,,,,

Support staff aren't union. It's the same in Chicago, principals and their support staff along with janitorial and food service are in.

[LordMortis]

3M 8210Plus N95 "use only in NON-HARMFUL environments" achieved. Not a lot of confidence inspired there but we get what can get, I guess.

[Smoove_B]

Yeah, that'll work - just follow the instructions - shaving being the most important. We have a really good thread on shaving if you need tips.

[LordMortis]

We'll see about that shaving part tonight.

Edit, the seal actually seems surprisingly good over my fat ugly hairy maw. I got face bulging out all over the place around the mask locking the hair down. The seal is actually better than is the seal of my CPAP even when am cleanly shorn.

[Isgrimnur]

I ordered 3M 9132s through Walmart. They passed the order to cpap1000.com.

[Smoove_B]

For anyone else looking, you can also try to get stuff through Project N95, especially if you're trying to get some for an organization (like a school or a non-profit). But even for individual use, still a trusted resource.

[Smoove_B]

Something else that dropped yesterday that is getting lost in the current "it's mild" noise - we're at the point where we have ~10K deaths a week from COVID-19. The CDC model is estimating that by the end of the month, that number might be between 20K and 30K deaths a week.

The CDC projects #COVID19 will very mildly kill 3,500 people every day within a month.

For those saying, "Oh, this is what endemic COVID looks like" or "We're all gong to get it now", THIS IS NOT NORMAL.

[Isgrimnur]

Maybe this will cool down the housing market.

[El Guapo]

sigh. So my FIL's birthday is today. A group from that side of the family is going to gather at a brewery in Boston for dinner / cake / drinks / etc. The brewery in question requires customers to be vaccinated. One of my BILs who is planning on going has an unvaccinated girlfriend (sounds like due to holistic "take vitamins" type hippie BS reasons), and he's indicated that they're going to show some fake vaccine card for her (or a picture of a fake vaccine card, something like that). And who knows if the brewery is even going to actually ask people for proof of vaccination.

This is what I mean when I say if none of them get COVID by the end of the winter then I'm going full "COVID is a HOAX".

[LordMortis]

Maybe this will cool down the housing market.

CNBC just were talking about a 295 Million dollar home going on the market...

[stimpy]

My wife is assistant to the vice principle at a high school in a Chicago suburb.
She was notified that although the school is closed and all teachers and students are to stay home, support staff is required to be at work in person.
Guess their health and safety doesnt matter,,,,,,,

Support staff aren't union. It's the same in Chicago, principals and their support staff along with janitorial and food service are in.

She is most definitely union. Up until last year, she was heavily involved in union meetings and matters.
She became disenfranchised when more and more staff found out that they did not have to actually be in the union to receive full union benefits and there was a mass exodus of paying union members.
That's right, even those that dont join the union and pay dues still reap all the union benefits.
Gotta love Illinois.......

[El Guapo]

My wife is assistant to the vice principle at a high school in a Chicago suburb.
She was notified that although the school is closed and all teachers and students are to stay home, support staff is required to be at work in person.
Guess their health and safety doesnt matter,,,,,,,

Support staff aren't union. It's the same in Chicago, principals and their support staff along with janitorial and food service are in.

She is most definitely union. Up until last year, she was heavily involved in union meetings and matters.
She became disenfranchised when more and more staff found out that they did not have to actually be in the union to receive full union benefits.
That's right, even those that dont join the union and pay dues still reap all the union benefits.
Gotta love Illinois.......

Yeah, that's exactly why the GOP politicians / judges have been pushing rules allowing that - to encourage freeloading and thereby discourage Union membership.

[LawBeefaroni]

My wife is assistant to the vice principle at a high school in a Chicago suburb.
She was notified that although the school is closed and all teachers and students are to stay home, support staff is required to be at work in person.
Guess their health and safety doesnt matter,,,,,,,

Support staff aren't union. It's the same in Chicago, principals and their support staff along with janitorial and food service are in.

She is most definitely union.

Teachers' union?

[Isgrimnur]

That's right, even those that dont join the union and pay dues still reap all the union benefits.
Gotta love Illinois.......

Thanks, Alito!

In this decision, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled 5-4 that an Illinois law requiring non-union members to pay agency fees for the union to engage in collective bargaining and related activities amounts to an unconstitutional compulsion of speech in violation of the First Amendment. The Court overruled its decision in Abood v. Detroit Bd. of Educ. (1977), which had upheld a similar agency shop arrangement.

The Illinois Public Labor Relations Act allows state employees to unionize. When they unionize, individual employees don’t have to join the union but that union becomes their sole permitted representative and they have to pay a percentage of the union dues – called an agency fee.

Under the rationale of Abood, non-union member employees must pay chargeable expenditures – those that are germane to the union’s collective bargaining responsibilities but don’t have to fund political and ideological efforts of the union.

[stimpy]

My wife is assistant to the vice principle at a high school in a Chicago suburb.
She was notified that although the school is closed and all teachers and students are to stay home, support staff is required to be at work in person.
Guess their health and safety doesnt matter,,,,,,,

Support staff aren't union. It's the same in Chicago, principals and their support staff along with janitorial and food service are in.

She is most definitely union.

Teachers' union?

Yep. IFT 1274

[YellowKing]

Remember when there were diseases other than Covid? My son managed to find one, and came home today after throwing up *spectacularly* in the middle of his classroom.

[Smoove_B]

Novovirus!