Covid-19 miscellany

[Angra Mainyu]

Angra Mainyu, by the way, how is your vaccination status/side effects?

No news, so good news, thanks for asking.

The side effects were very high fever and very bad headache for about a day, fever and headaches for two more days - 3 days in bed in total-, then 3 more days at home, tired and a bid dizzy but nothing beyond that, and nothing else since.
I didn't expect anything else, since thrombosis is very rare, though not as much as I thought (3.1 cases every 100000 people, for the first dose). Also, if it happens, it typically happens between "around 4 to 28 days after vaccination with AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine", so I'm about 1 day away (though, even more improbably, it might happen a bit later). But it's so improbable that I'm not really worried about it; the fever, on the other hand, was high enough to worry me, but that's long ago.

From what I read, the second dose of AZ is usually less bad, unlike Moderna or Pfizer, which is the other way around, so I have no good reason to be very worried...but I can't help but being scared, since it made me feel worse than I had in years, perhaps decades. They don't give me the choice of taking a different shot, so it will have to do. After I got my first dose, they told me that they would let me know me when they schedule the second one, but that would be no less than 84 days after the first one (84 days is the standard here, due to low availability of vaccines and because it's considered good enough).

How are you by the way? And how are things over there?

You got your two doses, so that gives a good amount of protection, so I reckon you'll probably be okay. But for the unvaccinated, have things gotten out of control with the Delta variant?

 

[barbos]

Spike in infections/death in Russia seems to to be either plateauing or going down.
In my immediate region it jumped to 5x the low numbers just before the spike. People are not wearing masks despite all of that.

 

[DrZoidberg]

In what way is someone who is vaccinated "not safe" from the virus ? Not safe from what exactly ? If you are vaccinated, the vaccine protects you from getting sick.

The vaccine protects you from dying. That is all. Your chances of catching it are radically diminished as well as transmitting it. But they're not super low either.

Or to put it more plainly, the vaccine turns Covid-19 into just another flu.

 

[Jimmy Higgins]

In what way is someone who is vaccinated "not safe" from the virus ? Not safe from what exactly ? If you are vaccinated, the vaccine protects you from getting sick.

The vaccine protects you from dying. That is all. Your chances of catching it are radically diminished as well as transmitting it. But they're not super low either.

Or to put it more plainly, the vaccine turns Covid-19 into just another flu.

TSwizzle keeps asking questions that seem to indicate that he thinks all people are single, don't know anyone that is immuno-compromised, don't have children under the age of 12, etc...

Yes, being immunized makes someone substantially safer than unvaccinated. But, if everyone had bothered to get immunized, the risk of virus transmission would be virtually zero. Risk of just about any activity would be virtually zero. Things could become fully normal again, (just being mindful for overseas transmissions if the vaccine wore out).

In other words, this pandemic could be over in the United States now, and TSwizzle is whining, "What, this isn't good enough for ya?"

 

[Jimmy Higgins]

The spike in UK is suspiciously hovering around Euro 2020. Makes one wonder the impact of the EPL opening up in August. Time will tell about a hundreds of 1000+ gatherings. They will lack the boisterous resolve as England being in a continental final, but a dozen plus would be up there.

So, it'll come down to attendees that aren't vaccinated and are in areas that are lesser vaccinated. The math gets quite a bit more complicated, with more isolated areas than broad areas of risk as well as those that are immune but didn't know they had Covid-19. Sporting events will help overlap the isolated areas.

 

[DrZoidberg]

In what way is someone who is vaccinated "not safe" from the virus ? Not safe from what exactly ? If you are vaccinated, the vaccine protects you from getting sick.

The vaccine protects you from dying. That is all. Your chances of catching it are radically diminished as well as transmitting it. But they're not super low either.

Or to put it more plainly, the vaccine turns Covid-19 into just another flu.

TSwizzle keeps asking questions that seem to indicate that he thinks all people are single, don't know anyone that is immuno-compromised, don't have children under the age of 12, etc...

Yes, being immunized makes someone substantially safer than unvaccinated. But, if everyone had bothered to get immunized, the risk of virus transmission would be virtually zero. Risk of just about any activity would be virtually zero. Things could become fully normal again, (just being mindful for overseas transmissions if the vaccine wore out).

In other words, this pandemic could be over in the United States now, and TSwizzle is whining, "What, this isn't good enough for ya?"

Everybody getting vaccinated is a pipe dream. I've seen numbers of 30% being antivaxxers of one sort or another.

As a rule, sentences going "If everyone would just.... " isn't actually a plan to make the world a better place, it's a high horse. You know everybody won't do anything. Humans are opinionated, stupid and, in a free democratic world, empowered.

I think everybody should get vaccinated. But I'm also for people able to make the choice not to. If we're not able to talk people into getting vaccinated our arguments suck and need to be improved.

Even though I think TSwizzle is wrong. He is a kind of canary in the mine. He reminds us of how we need to work on our arguments. TSwizzle isn't a lone lunatic. He's part of a large group of misinformed people who have arguments that are logical and are supported by some data. It's also countered by a lot more data. But it is a coherent position.

 

[Jimmy Higgins]

TSwizzle keeps asking questions that seem to indicate that he thinks all people are single, don't know anyone that is immuno-compromised, don't have children under the age of 12, etc...

Yes, being immunized makes someone substantially safer than unvaccinated. But, if everyone had bothered to get immunized, the risk of virus transmission would be virtually zero. Risk of just about any activity would be virtually zero. Things could become fully normal again, (just being mindful for overseas transmissions if the vaccine wore out).

In other words, this pandemic could be over in the United States now, and TSwizzle is whining, "What, this isn't good enough for ya?"

Everybody getting vaccinated is a pipe dream. I've seen numbers of 30% being antivaxxers of one sort or another.

As a rule, sentences going "If everyone would just.... " isn't actually a plan to make the world a better place, it's a high horse. You know everybody won't do anything. Humans are opinionated, stupid and, in a free democratic world, empowered.

Statistically everyone. For fuck sakes!

I think everybody should get vaccinated. But I'm also for people able to make the choice not to.

Yeah, I'm against alleged liberty that is actually sucking away the liberty of other people. Individual choice is not a blank check.

If we're not able to talk people into getting vaccinated our arguments suck and need to be improved.

Today on, arguments that shouldn't have to be made.

Person A: You getting vaccinated?
Person B: Duh! I'd rather not get sick and potentially make other people sick from diseases if it can be prevented.

Even though I think TSwizzle is wrong. He is a kind of canary in the mine. He reminds us of how we need to work on our arguments. TSwizzle isn't a lone lunatic. He's part of a large group of misinformed people who have arguments that are logical and are supported by some data. It's also countered by a lot more data. But it is a coherent position.

If memory serves (and my memory has gone to hell), TSwizzle is vax'd. TSwizzle's issue is that they are in a state of befuddlement over the concept of empathy.

 

[Shadowy Man]

If we're not able to talk people into getting vaccinated our arguments suck and need to be improved.

I’m not as optimistic as you are that there just exists a better argument out there. That somehow everyone is swayed by arguments in one way or another.

 

[Don2 (Don1 Revised)]

TSwizzle keeps asking questions that seem to indicate that he thinks all people are single, don't know anyone that is immuno-compromised, don't have children under the age of 12, etc...

Yes, being immunized makes someone substantially safer than unvaccinated. But, if everyone had bothered to get immunized, the risk of virus transmission would be virtually zero. Risk of just about any activity would be virtually zero. Things could become fully normal again, (just being mindful for overseas transmissions if the vaccine wore out).

In other words, this pandemic could be over in the United States now, and TSwizzle is whining, "What, this isn't good enough for ya?"

Everybody getting vaccinated is a pipe dream. I've seen numbers of 30% being antivaxxers of one sort or another.

As a rule, sentences going "If everyone would just.... " isn't actually a plan to make the world a better place, it's a high horse. You know everybody won't do anything. Humans are opinionated, stupid and, in a free democratic world, empowered.

You left out one: manipulative/deceptive. That's the problem with politics, especially religious conservative ideology, that it relies on tricking people. If you think this is about a free market of ideas where each person can freely exchange ideas that all can be heard equally and the best wins, then you are being naïve. And that's the critical factor when it comes to stopping End of World scenarios. It doesn't matter if it's a pandemic, climate change, or the Next Big Asteroid. The wolves trick too many sheep into fucking it up for everyone else.

 

[TSwizzle]

I think everybody should get vaccinated. But I'm also for people able to make the choice not to. If we're not able to talk people into getting vaccinated our arguments suck and need to be improved.

While it is desirable that everyone gets vaccinated there is going to be a stubborn, hardcore bunch of unhinged people that will not get vaccinated no matter what the argument is. These people are irrational and will not be persuaded by arguments. You'll get a few that get frightened into getting vaccinated when they know someone who has died or gotten seriously ill with the virus. The jumping up and down, ranting and raving on this board about it is baffling but also actually quite funny.

Even though I think TSwizzle is wrong.

Wrong about what exactly ?

He is a kind of canary in the mine. He reminds us of how we need to work on our arguments. TSwizzle isn't a lone lunatic. He's part of a large group of misinformed people who have arguments that are logical and are supported by some data. It's also countered by a lot more data. But it is a coherent position.

Male bovine excrement.

 

[Keith&Co.]

If we're not able to talk people into getting vaccinated our arguments suck and need to be improved.

I’m not as optimistic as you are that there just exists a better argument out there. That somehow everyone is swayed by arguments in one way or another.

This. The quality of our arguments would only matter if the opposition got where they are by a logical process.
Anyone resisting the vaccine for the exact reason that 'liberals want me to take it, and i'd rather piss them off,' they're not listening to the vaccine's arguments, pro or con. Just the liberal-tears POV.

Kinda like evolution. The MOUNTAINS of evidence is meaningless if it's not the evidence that made them creationists.

 

[ZiprHead]

Progressive pundit launches campaign against Fox News: "Something more needed to be done"

Regular Salon contributor Dean Obeidallah is taking the fight to Fox News — and encouraging others to join him

Dean Obeidallah, radio host and regular contributor to Salon, filed a complaint on Tuesday against Fox News for coordinating a "misinformation campaign" around COVID, suggesting that the channel has systematically downplayed coronavirus and sowed doubt around the efficacy of the vaccine.

The complaint, first announced in an MSNBC op-ed, alleges that Fox News violated the COVID-19 Consumer Protection Act, a December law which "​​makes it unlawful under Section 5 of the Federal Trade Commission Act for any person, partnership, or corporation to engage in a deceptive act or practice in or affecting commerce associated with the treatment, cure, prevention, mitigation, or diagnosis of COVID–19."

Obeidallah's legal action comes on the heels of a bombshell Media Matters report from last week, which found that Fox News has "relentlessly undermined the effort to get Americans vaccinated against the COVID-19 disease."

According to the report, of the 129 vaccine-related segments Fox aired between June 28 through July 11, 57% of them bandied claims that "undermined or downplayed immunization efforts." To boot, nearly 40% of them included language that framed the vaccine as "unnecessary or dangerous."

"I felt that given the spike in COVID cases and deaths – plus the report by Media Matters that came out Friday that quantified the lies by Fox News over the past two weeks on the vaccine – that something more needed to be done than simply yelling about it on my SiriusXM radio show," Obeidallah told Salon over email.

"So I did research over the weekend and discovered the recently enacted COVID-19 Consumer Protection Act, which appears perfectly designed to address Fox News deceptive information," he added. "The goal of that law is to protect the public from deceptive info by those seeking to profit from peddling COVID related lies. Fox News is a for-profit business that sells information. Clearly, it's a business decision by the executives at Fox News to allow lies and other deceptive COVID vaccine info to repeatedly appear on its air."

 

[marc]

And now anti-vaxers rallying in London where the speaker says: "At the Nuremberg trials the doctors and nurses stood trial, and they hung”

Gee, is that a threat to execute medical professionals who support vaccinations? The mayor of London has brought this to the attention of the police.

[TWEET]https://twitter.com/sbattrawden/status/1418984363304394762?s=20[/TWEET]

 

[untermensche]

Evil people put society at risk deliberately then want to kill the medical professionals that will have to treat them.

 

[Shadowy Man]

If we're not able to talk people into getting vaccinated our arguments suck and need to be improved.

I’m not as optimistic as you are that there just exists a better argument out there. That somehow everyone is swayed by arguments in one way or another.

This. The quality of our arguments would only matter if the opposition got where they are by a logical process.
Anyone resisting the vaccine for the exact reason that 'liberals want me to take it, and i'd rather piss them off,' they're not listening to the vaccine's arguments, pro or con. Just the liberal-tears POV.

Kinda like evolution. The MOUNTAINS of evidence is meaningless if it's not the evidence that made them creationists.

What’s the saying?

“You can’t reason someone out of a position they didn’t reason themselves into.”

 

[southernhybrid]

https://www.washingtonpost.com/health/2021/07/26/mandatory-vaccinations-urged-health-workers/

Veterans Affairs makes covid-19 vaccines mandatory for most health workers, making it first federal agency to do so

The department is giving employees eight weeks to comply. “Whenever a Veteran or VA employee sets foot in a VA facility, they deserve to know that we have done everything in our power to protect them from COVID-19,″ Veterans Affairs Secretary Denis McDonough said in a statement.
This is a developing story and will be updated.
Medical groups representing millions of doctors, nurses, pharmacists and other health workers on Monday called for mandatory vaccinations of all U.S. health personnel against the coronavirus, framing the move as a moral imperative as new infections mount sharply.
“We call for all health care and long-term care employers to require their employees to be vaccinated against covid-19,” the American Medical Association, the American Nurses Association and 55 other groups wrote in a joint statement shared with The Washington Post. “The health and safety of U.S. workers, families, communities, and the nation depends on it.”

This should have been done as soon as the vaccine was developed. Plus, the FDA needs to get its shit together and fully approve of the vaccines that have been used to vaccinate hundreds of millions of people with very little serious adverse side effects, and a high degree of efficacy. If all employers and schools would do this, it would help keep this damn virus under control. The FDA is fucked up.

 

[Loren Pechtel]

No, it won’t. The only people I feel for in this case are the medical staff that have to care for his negligent ass.

Anti-vaxers with huge megaphones dying helps. If only they let Trump die.

I wish, but fools only learn by their own experience.

 

[Loren Pechtel]

In what way is someone who is vaccinated "not safe" from the virus ? Not safe from what exactly ? If you are vaccinated, the vaccine protects you from getting sick.

The vaccine protects you from dying. That is all. Your chances of catching it are radically diminished as well as transmitting it. But they're not super low either.

Or to put it more plainly, the vaccine turns Covid-19 into just another flu.

Except for the issue of long covid.

 

[Cheerful Charlie]

https://www.nytimes.com/2021/07/25/health/fauci-prototype-vaccines.html

...
But what will happen if the next pandemic comes from a virus that causes Lassa fever, or from the Sudan strain of Ebola, or from a Nipah virus?
Dr. Anthony S. Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, is promoting an ambitious and expensive plan to prepare for such nightmare scenarios. It would cost “a few billion dollars” a year, take five years for the first crop of results and engage a huge cadre of scientists, he said.
The idea is to make “prototype” vaccines to protect against viruses from about 20 families that might spark a new pandemic. Using research tools that proved successful for Covid-19, researchers would uncover the molecular structure of each virus, learn where antibodies must strike it, and how to prod the body into making exactly those antibodies.
“If we get the funding, which I believe we will, it likely will start in 2022,” Dr. Fauci said, adding that he has been promoting the idea “in discussions with the White House and others.”
...

Getting ahead of the curve. We will have to see who is the first to try to politicize this and demonize Dr. Fauci.

 

[Toni]

In what way is someone who is vaccinated "not safe" from the virus ? Not safe from what exactly ? If you are vaccinated, the vaccine protects you from getting sick.

The vaccine protects you from dying. That is all. Your chances of catching it are radically diminished as well as transmitting it. But they're not super low either.

Or to put it more plainly, the vaccine turns Covid-19 into just another flu.

Except for the issue of long covid.

Or: pure speculation, a re-emergence of the disease in another form, such as chicken pox: shingles.