COVID-19 treatment and vaccine update thread

[Zarathud]

The vaccine distrust and refusal in communities with multigenerational households makes no sense.

They lined up US children in the 1950s for vaccines to stop polio. It took 40 years to cover the world and we can’t wait even 12 months anymore.

[Kraken]

I only learned a couple of weeks ago that Mitch McConnell is a polio survivor.

[Rumpy]

My Dad had polio. But he thankfully had it at the tail-end when they all the research and vaccines available, so he didn't get the worst of it. He did have to spend time in those machines though, which he describes as a scary experience. He still gets pain now and then due to residuals.

[Alefroth]

I only learned a couple of weeks ago that Mitch McConnell is a polio survivor.

That's too bad.

[Max Peck]

I only learned a couple of weeks ago that Mitch McConnell is a polio survivor.

That's too bad.

[YellowKing]

The next county over decided not only to resume in-person schooling, but to do so with no masks, no social distancing, and no sanitization between class changes. Not surprisingly, they've had 13 cases in the first week back. Weird how science predicts stuff, innit?

[coopasonic]

The next county over decided not only to resume in-person schooling, but to do so with no masks, no social distancing, and no sanitization between class changes. Not surprisingly, they've had 13 cases in the first week back. Weird how science predicts stuff, innit?

My kids go back in two weeks. My youngest can get his first shot in six weeks. *sigh*

[El Guapo]

The next county over decided not only to resume in-person schooling, but to do so with no masks, no social distancing, and no sanitization between class changes. Not surprisingly, they've had 13 cases in the first week back. Weird how science predicts stuff, innit?

My kids go back in two weeks. My youngest can get his first shot in six weeks. *sigh*

I assume no masks because freedom?

[coopasonic]

My kids will be wearing them, or at the very least sent to school with them, but the governor says no mandates.

[Zaxxon]

The next county over decided not only to resume in-person schooling, but to do so with no masks, no social distancing, and no sanitization between class changes. Not surprisingly, they've had 13 cases in the first week back. Weird how science predicts stuff, innit?

My kids go back in two weeks. My youngest can get his first shot in six weeks. *sigh*

I assume no masks because freedom?

Viruses have rights, too.

[stessier]

My kids will be wearing them, or at the very least sent to school with them, but the governor says no mandates.

Same. I think my 7th grader will be good with it at least until 9/11 when she is fully vaxxed. My sophomore seems to understand we are protecting the 7th grader, so I think she'll be good for that long too. After that, we'll see.

[Rumpy]

And speaking of school, in the Province of Ontario, unvaccinated students will face stricter COVID outbreak rules.

https://www.thestar.com/news/gta/2021/0 ... -says.html

[Max Peck]

The province of Alberta lifted all pandemic-related public health restrictions on 1 July. Here's how that's working out for them...

COVID-19 spreading faster in Alberta than during peak of 3rd wave

Health and infectious disease experts say the rate at which COVID-19 cases are growing in Alberta is alarming, as it spreads faster than during the height of the pandemic's third wave.

The R-value, which represents the number of people infected by each infected person, was 1.48 (with a confidence interval of 1.38-1.59) in Alberta as of Sunday, according to Alberta Health.

That number — which has doubled in recent weeks — means 100 people with the virus will spread it to 148 others.

"The current R-value provincewide is one of the highest we've seen throughout the pandemic. So although the numbers are low today, the rate of viral spread is really as fast as we've seen at any other point during the pandemic," said Craig Jenne, an immunologist and microbiologist at the University of Calgary.

"This really is the foundation for what everybody refers to as exponential growth … it is definitely laying the potential and the groundwork for a large surge of viral cases in the coming weeks."

During the pandemic's third wave, when around 1,500 new cases were being reported in Alberta each day, the R-value hovered around 1.15.

[Jeff V]

The Edmonton Chamber of Commerce can safely claim to have lost at least one potential tourist.

[dbt1949]

So Alberta is Canada's version of Arkansas.

[Isgrimnur]

More Texas.

Although Alberta has a presence in many industries such as agriculture, forestry, education, tourism, finance, and manufacturing, the politics and culture of the province have been closely tied to the production of fossil energy since the 1940s.

[Rumpy]

Yep, heavy on the oil. They're the Province that really wanted the Keystone pipeline.

[Max Peck]

The provincial government in Saskatchewan also dropped all public health measures back on 11 July. I haven't found any information on Saskatchewan's Rt, but their daily infection numbers seem to be on a similar trajectory as what we see for Alberta.

[Max Peck]

I hadn't realized that Alberta did, in fact, still have some COVID-19 public health measures in place. They are, however, correcting that oversight on my part.

Dr. Hinshaw tells CBC News there has been a 'dramatic shift' in COVID-19 risk to the general population

The dramatic shift in the risk the coronavirus poses to the general population justifies removing the province's remaining COVID-19 protocols, Alberta Chief Medical Officer of Health Dr. Deena Hinshaw told CBC News.

The province announced Wednesday that Alberta will soon have no mandatory COVID-19 protocols: no more mandatory masking, contact tracing or isolating. It's part of a move to treat the coronavirus more like other respiratory viruses.

Starting Thursday, anyone with COVID-19 symptoms or a positive test result must isolate, but quarantine for their close contacts will be recommended and not mandatory.

On Aug. 16, isolation following a positive test will no longer be required but "strongly recommended," and by the end of August, testing will be scaled back to only those with severe symptoms.

Calgary Mayor Naheed Nenshi said that lifting the remaining health orders in Alberta was "the height of insanity."

[Sudy]

On Aug. 16, isolation following a positive test will no longer be required but "strongly recommended," and by the end of August, testing will be scaled back to only those with severe symptoms.

Uh... wow. So is covid no longer killing people out there at all?


Also from that article:

Q: There are other jurisdictions reimposing mask mandates to deal with the spike in delta cases — even Disney World and Disneyland. To paraphrase a local political scientist yesterday, why does Disney World care more about my children than my provincial government does?

A: It's important to remember that COVID-19 is not the only risk our kids face. For children under 12 in particular, COVID-19 infection is equivalent to or even possibly slightly less risky than something like seasonal influenza.

If we look at our last seasonal influenza year of 2019-2020, we had a higher ICU rate for influenza in kids between the ages of five and nine than we've had for COVID-19 throughout the last 17 months.

The whole thing is horrific.

[Hrdina]

My Dad had polio. But he thankfully had it at the tail-end when they all the research and vaccines available, so he didn't get the worst of it. He did have to spend time in those machines though, which he describes as a scary experience. He still gets pain now and then due to residuals.

My dad had polio too. He spent some time in an iron lung when he was four or five years old.

When I was young, he used to be able to move around with a very noticeable limp, but without supports. At the time I didn't fully realize the efforts he made just to get around and do stuff with us.

Later he had to use a little support then shifted to using scooters. He was also on oxygen, both due to PPS (Post-polio syndrome) and because he let his weight get way too high. He moved from NJ to Florida because he said the climate was much better for his breathing.

He died just after his 65th birthday of apparent heart failure and the PPS. So, yes, the parallels between polio and covid are quite real to me.

[Rumpy]

My Dad had polio. But he thankfully had it at the tail-end when they all the research and vaccines available, so he didn't get the worst of it. He did have to spend time in those machines though, which he describes as a scary experience. He still gets pain now and then due to residuals.

My dad had polio too. He spent some time in an iron lung when he was four or five years old.

Sounds like your Dad was more highly affected than mine. But either way, things would have been so much worse without a vaccine. I don't think those refusing the vaccine realize the implications. And I think that's maybe partly because we haven't had such a widespread epidemic in quite some time, and have become too comfortable in our surroundings. To anti-vaxxers, it's viewed as nothing more than an interruption into their daily lives the way the flu might be. They haven't had the weakup call of it hitting close to home.

[Paingod]

Q: There are other jurisdictions reimposing mask mandates to deal with the spike in delta cases — even Disney World and Disneyland. To paraphrase a local political scientist yesterday, why does Disney World care more about my children than my provincial government does?

The answer is obvious. Children are Disney's target demographic and survival means dollars. Lawmakers can't even extract one vote from them, let alone campaign contributions.

[Hrdina]

Sounds like your Dad was more highly affected than mine. But either way, things would have been so much worse without a vaccine. I don't think those refusing the vaccine realize the implications. And I think that's maybe partly because we haven't had such a widespread epidemic in quite some time, and have become too comfortable in our surroundings. To anti-vaxxers, it's viewed as nothing more than an interruption into their daily lives the way the flu might be. They haven't had the weakup call of it hitting close to home.

The ironic thing is that my dad's views after he moved to Florida became a bit more aligned with the groups that are pushing anti-vax rhetoric (at least here in the US). I'm not 100% certain that he would have gotten the covid vaccine if he were still around (he would have been almost 80).

[LawBeefaroni]

To anti-vaxxers, it's viewed as nothing more than an interruption into their daily lives the way the flu might be. They haven't had the weakup call of it hitting close to home.

It's more than that, unfortunately. It's become a political loyalty test. There is no wake-up call that will over come the politics for so many people.

[Rumpy]

Sounds like your Dad was more highly affected than mine. But either way, things would have been so much worse without a vaccine. I don't think those refusing the vaccine realize the implications. And I think that's maybe partly because we haven't had such a widespread epidemic in quite some time, and have become too comfortable in our surroundings. To anti-vaxxers, it's viewed as nothing more than an interruption into their daily lives the way the flu might be. They haven't had the weakup call of it hitting close to home.

The ironic thing is that my dad's views after he moved to Florida became a bit more aligned with the groups that are pushing anti-vax rhetoric (at least here in the US). I'm not 100% certain that he would have gotten the covid vaccine if he were still around (he would have been almost 80).

Huh, that'd be a shame if so. If anything, I would have thought he would be among those who'd be stressing the importance due to his previous experience.

To anti-vaxxers, it's viewed as nothing more than an interruption into their daily lives the way the flu might be. They haven't had the weakup call of it hitting close to home.

It's more than that, unfortunately. It's become a political loyalty test. There is no wake-up call that will over come the politics for so many people.

Yeah, they've unfortunately made it political when it shouldn't have to be. Viruses hold no political allegiance.

[Smoove_B]

I guess...it wasn't urgent until now? WTF?

BREAKING: FDA, under pressure, plans ‘sprint’ to accelerate review of Pfizer’s Covid-19 vaccine for full approval

[Lorini]

Employers won't require vaccinations until the approve the vaccines. I guess the FDA just got the memo.

[jztemple2]

Our county emergency management office put out another bulletin today, noting that three of the hospital systems in our county are repurposing rooms for COVID patients due to being slammed. Cases have doubled every week for the past three weeks. And... "Most of those being hospitalized (97-99 percent) with COVID-19 symptoms in Brevard County are unvaccinated, officials said."

My wife has surgery scheduled for the third week of August, but because she's seventy they won't do it in their surgery center but will do it at a hospital. Assuming that the damn hospital doesn't postpone non-mandatory surgeries. Her surgery isn't considered mandatory but she's been miserable for months waiting for the doctors, hospital and Medicare to get their shit together. And now this.

Meanwhile our moron governor has issued an edict that no city or county can establish mandatory mask rules, and that school districts can't require masks for any students because it violates the rights of parents. So if your kid catches COVID from another kid at school, well, too bad.

[jztemple2]

And being a Florida resident continues to be an embarrassment: Florida breaks its COVID-19 hospitalization record

A day after it recorded the most new daily cases since the start of the pandemic, Florida on Sunday broke its previous record for current hospitalizations, set more than a year ago.

The Sunshine State had 10,207 people hospitalized with confirmed COVID-19 cases, according to data reported to the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services.

The previous record was from July 23, 2020, more than a half-year before vaccinations started becoming widespread. Florida then had 10,170 hospitalizations, according to the Florida Hospital Association.

Florida is now leading the nation in per capita hospitalizations for COVID-19, as hospitals around the state report having to put emergency room visitors in beds in hallways and others document a noticeable drop in the age of patients.

In the past week, Florida has averaged 1,525 adult hospitalizations a day, and 35 daily pediatric hospitalizations. Both are the highest per capita rate in the nation, according to Jason Salemi, an associate professor of epidemiology at the University of South Florida.

[Smoove_B]

One for SkinyPupy

[Jeff V]

What took him so long?

[Kraken]

What took him so long?

He had to find a blind nurse.

[Blackhawk]

Do you have any idea how hard it is to find a hypodermic needle with Armor Piercing?

[El Guapo]

I like how they call him "Mr. Lordi". Have to mind our manners, after all.

[Max Peck]

That's his actual stage name. He goes by "Mr. Lordi" not "Lordi" (or so the intertubes tell me).

[dbt1949]

The governor has recalled the legislature to amend or recall the no mask law passed earlier this year.

[LawBeefaroni]

The governor has recalled the legislature to amend or recall the no mask law passed earlier this year.

This is called have cake and eat it too.

[Smoove_B]

Pfizer allegedly getting full, final approval 9/6.

[Zaxxon]

Pfizer allegedly getting full, final approval 9/6.

If only. (50+ million won't have it for months after that*.)

I know you know this, but I'm already tired of seeing it framed that way by various news outlets. Still, good news.