Covid-19 miscellany

[Metaphor]

What is the point of reporting the statistics in the first place? Is it possibly that we cannot expect a fifth peak of new cases and a sixth peak of new deaths, therefore the pandemic is about to fizzle out?

It's a COVID-19 miscellany thread. It seems to me it is quite on topic. If you do not find value in the updates, why not simply move on?

The value of statistics consists of predictions you can derive from them.

Prediction is a benefit, but it's not the primary benefit. The value of statistics is in informing people about the past and present.

"Just for information" then. I believe you. Thousands wouldn't, but I do.

I am so glad that you have the independence of spirit to believe a mundane fact.

 

[Toni]

My boys have been invited to a birthday party for their half- brother, age 4-8, at a Chuck e cheese.

My wife is immune compromized and is not yet elligible for her booster. She also read that because she had mono when she was a kid she is at greater risk of long covid. I told my boys that their mother plans to stay at my parent's unoccupied house for several days to protect herself. And so she is not going to be here to drive one to high school at 7:30an and not here to drive the other to commuter rail at 6am. I am not. They can ride their bikes.

If I had a plan to do something that was such concern to my wife she would feel the need to move out for several days to protect herself I would change my plans.

I am really disappointed with my boys.

And frankly their birthmom (we adopted them when she was deemed unfit) is in my opinion, a moron to do this at chuck e cheese.

What is even more nuts is that my boys were planning to go tomorrow without knowing anything about it. My daughter said she will drive them and I learned from her. She is not planning to go in. I can't imagine planning to go to an event with zero knowlege on the situation.

Teenager truly are stupid and as I said, I am really disapointed that they are Ok putting my wife in a situation where she feels to need to temporarily move out of the house to protect herself.

How old are your boys? You are disappointed in them because they were invited to and want to attend a family member's birthday party?

19 years old. One 20 in a week.

I think I was clear that I am disappointed that they do not seem to care that due to their choice, my wife, to protect herself, my will temporarily move out of the house.

It was not clear the age difference between themselves and the children at the other party.

Have your children been vaccinated? Your wife? Do you expect your children to forever avoid social contact for your wife's sake?

She has had 2 moderna but is not eligible for booster yet despite being immune compromised. Her condition is not on the CDC list so she can't get her booster yet even though she is in fact immune compromised. She was stuck in Canada from March to November 2021 and couldn't start the vaccine process until the 2nd week of November when she got home. She was stuck in Canada caring for her 94 year old mother and could not get vaccinated while in Canada for not having a Canadian issued ID. And she's at higher risk of long covid.

The boys have had their boosters and I also. But we know that the vaccine is not great at stopping Omicron infection. It is good at reducing the risk of severe illness for boosted people who are not immune compromised.

We do not expect the boys to forever live in a void. The older one commutes to college every school day. He goes to Umass Boston. I do expect them to make choices that are not so risky as going a Chuck e Cheese birthday party around lots of people, inside, some unvaccinated, who are eating and I do think it's appropriate for them to discuss plans with us given that they live in our house, and we support them 100%.

And the older one is known to lie to us about keeping his mask up.

I understand how disappointed you are at your sons. I’m not adopted but my understanding is that there can be an enormous pull and frankly just curiosity and some very confusing and overwhelming feelings, especially when there is another not adopted sibling.

Kids that age are usually…self involved and also not as cognizant of risks as their parents wish them to be.

I had not heard that a previous mono infection placed one at higher risk of long COVID. I will have to continue my vigilance.

When is your wife eligible for her booster?

I know how careful you’ve been and your wife, as well. It must be really upsetting to think that your sons are not more concerned about their mom’s welfare. I didn’t know they were in contact with their birth mom at all…It must be even harder for them as they may have some memories of their birth mom—it must be very overwhelming fir all of you.

 

[Ruth Harris]

They are more i\mportant than your wife

I realize that this is not really a reportable infraction, but I am appalled that anyone would think that just because someone is young they should be considered more important than the people who raised them and provide all their support. @crazyfingers is right - it is not asking too much for these kids to at least consider the well being of the people in their home. Quite frankly, if my son did something like this he would be looking for somewhere to live. It is not as though they are being asked to give up their life.

Ruth

 

[Angra Mainyu]

...hostility on your part...

Ah. The tone police strikes again.

Police? Nope, I am not a moderator or administrator. I have no power to do any policing.

 

[repoman]

Ruth, your son is probably doing this already, not being too careful with masks. Don't ask too much if you don't want to have to be hard.

And more than 50% chance he has already had covid and will clear a new encounter pretty quickly - with or without a mask.

Any society that does not see youth as more important is fucked up.

Too bad that the truth is so appalling.

 

[bilby]

Any society that does not see youth as more important is fucked up.

Why? What have young people ever done to be considered so important?

They have potential; Older people have actuality.

If young people are so important, how come we all aspire to grow older?

I want to love in a society that values me more over time, for the experience and knowledge I have acquired; Not one that values me less and less, for no particular reason.

 

[Hermit]

...hostility on your part...

Ah. The tone police strikes again.

Police? Nope, I am not a moderator or administrator. I have no power to do any policing.

You're not?

Why didn't anyone tell me?

OK, I'm over it now.

If you look up tone police, you'll discover that you don't have to be a moderator or administrator to engage in this form of finger-wagging.

 

[Ruth Harris]

Ruth, your son is probably doing this already, not being too careful with masks. Don't ask too much if you don't want to have to be hard.

And more than 50% chance he has already had covid and will clear a new encounter pretty quickly - with or without a mask.

Any society that does not see youth as more important is fucked up.

Too bad that the truth is so appalling.

Think again. My son is grown, with his own home – and he has the same rules in his house that I have in mine. He has refused to host family and friends who weren’t vaccinated and would not mask.

Neither my son nor I have had COVID. We both take all reasonable precautions, including masking in public places and avoiding the non vaccinated as much as possible since we both have health issues that could make it deadly to us.

When my mother was undergoing chemotherapy for Stage 4 liposarcoma, I was her transportation to and from treatments most of the time. The entire family was made aware that any infection could kill her. We all took great care to not be around her if there was any possibility of passing something, even a simple cold. My son caught something at school one time so my sister took my place taking Mom for her treatment. He understood then that even the small things can kill someone who is immune compromised. He did not complain then, and he does not complain now because he does not want to be the person that killed someone they loved.

I am sorry you don’t have anyone that is that important to you.

Ruth

 

[Angra Mainyu]

...hostility on your part...

Ah. The tone police strikes again.

Police? Nope, I am not a moderator or administrator. I have no power to do any policing.

You're not?

Why didn't anyone tell me?

OK, I'm over it now.

If you look up tone police, you'll discover that you don't have to be a moderator or administrator to engage in this form of finger-wagging.

Thanks for the link. Funny, you made a derogatory comment when complaining about my pointing out your derogatory posts before. And you did not address the substance.

 

[Hermit]

Funny, you made a derogatory comment when complaining about my pointing out your derogatory posts before. And you did not address the substance.

O noes. Not a derogatory comment! Quick, bring forth the tonepolicedroschke!

 

[Angra Mainyu]

Funny, you made a derogatory comment when complaining about my pointing out your derogatory posts before. And you did not address the substance.

O noes. Not a derogatory comment! Quick, bring forth the tonepolicedroschke!

Another one now (as the definition of "tone police" you provided shows). Still no substantial response, though.

 

[Hermit]

Funny, you made a derogatory comment when complaining about my pointing out your derogatory posts before. And you did not address the substance.

O noes. Not a derogatory comment! Quick, bring forth the tonepolicedroschke!

Another one now (as the definition of "tone police" you provided shows).

I am happy to provide you with fuel to justify your desire to engage in tone policing without indulging in tone policing myself.

 

[Elixir]

I am happy to provide you with fuel to justify your desire to engage in tone policing without indulging in tone policing myself.

Are you sure you don’t want to rephrase that?

 

[IIDB Staff]

​

This thread once again has become heated and some of you are brinking forum rules and tossing insults around.

If it continues, this thread will be locked for at least three (3) days and possibly forever.

Please pause before you click Post and ensure that your post addresses the argument and not the user.

 

[Loren Pechtel]

No way that as little as 37 million infected with omicron.

Two things.

1) There is no question we seriously undercounted Omicron--our testing ability got swamped.

2) How many of those Omicron infections were of people who already got it before? Seroprevalence isn't going to count them.

You mean got it again as in got it deep in their system again or had a second infection that was a glancing blow and only tested positive because of high PCR cycles?

And by it, do you mean omicron twice or omicron after a different strain?

Omicron after a different strain. A simple test for past Covid infection won't distinguish strains and thus the increase in seroprevalence will only show how many caught it for the first time in the Omicron wave.

 

[Jimmy Higgins]

Well, Ohio is looking good at the moment. We are at our second lowest rate of cases since the pandemic started. Which is pretty pathetic to be this far out and be second lowest. The lowest was when immunization was widespread and vaccinated people couldn't get Covid or alpha (or it seemed as much based on the data).

Hope this trend continues.

 

[Elixir]

Well, Ohio is looking good at the moment. We are at our second lowest rate of cases since the pandemic started. Which is pretty pathetic to be this far out and be second lowest. The lowest was when immunization was widespread and vaccinated people couldn't get Covid or alpha (or it seemed as much based on the data).

Hope this trend continues.

+1
We are basically right where we were in mid July of last year, regarding new cases. Still >35k new cases a day. Back then, it was rising. Right now it's falling, fast.
But the body count is unrelenting. Still over 1100 US deaths every single day, the lowest level seen since mid August, but an utterly shocking figure nonetheless. Hopefully the decline in deaths will match the decline in new cases... soon.

 

[crazyfingers]

Well, Ohio is looking good at the moment. We are at our second lowest rate of cases since the pandemic started. Which is pretty pathetic to be this far out and be second lowest. The lowest was when immunization was widespread and vaccinated people couldn't get Covid or alpha (or it seemed as much based on the data).

Hope this trend continues.

I keep having to remind myself when I look at the daily statistics that it's no longer about cases but hospitalization and death rates per 100K. While there is no question that rates are going down, home test kits are huge and people are told not to report positive results from the home tests. Also I think that a lot of Omicron cases are just not being recognized at the rate that Delta cases were.

 

[Jimmy Higgins]

Yes, hospitalizations matter, but even with home testing, we were seeing huge confirmed case spikes... and in Ohio, we lacked the ability to track the true spike! And hospitalizations, are also dropping, though like deaths, this lags new cases. I was surprised to see how few ICU beds were available at Akron General. Summa, not as bad.

Based on the numbers, I'd say Omicron burns itself out after infecting so many. We've seen it everywhere, these sharps spikes and then equally sharp drops.

So we have people with Covid-19 immunity due to infection providing a perverse herd immunity-like status for everyone else now.

 

[ZiprHead]

Ivermectin, condemned by experts as COVID-19 treatment, continues to be easily accessible through telemedicine

Despite warnings from major health institutions, some telehealth services are providing easy access to unproven drugs for the treatment of COVID-19.

abcnews.go.com

At your doorstep within days​

Despite the warnings from health agencies about unproven COVID-19 treatments, several physicians groups have partnered with telemedicine platforms and pharmacies to offer easy access to drugs like ivermectin. But the easy access comes at a cost, with a telemedicine visit and the cost of the prescription typically ranging from $90-$300.

ABC News was able to obtain 28 pills of ivermectin for a total of $339, including a $90 telemedicine consultation fee and a charge of $249 from an online pharmacy -- which included a $25 shipping fee for overnight delivery -- after filling out an application and providing a medical history through a telemedicine platform, and having a brief conversation with someone who claimed to have no knowledge about the drug or COVID-19.

More details in the link.