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

[Drazzil]

Death is too big a price to pay for any lesson.

Is it though? I'm prepared to make the case that if you go around without a mask and don't vaccinate, you are culpable in murdering those around you. When you drive drunk and wipe out and kill a family, you are punished to the fullest extent of the law. If you go unmasked, and un vaccinated and you expose a family and they die, that's just tough breaks I suppose? I would argue that not taking proper precautions is worse then drunk driving, as you can expose hundreds, or even thousands before you even know you have it.

If you are vaccinated and do mask there is still some risk of transmission. Would that be like "buzzed" driving?

Moooooooore like listening to the radio while driving down the highway. There are studies out there that conclusively state that using the radio while driving is detrimental to reaction times and attentiveness. It's not illegal, but it is sort of frowned upon in some circles. In all seriousness it's like being insured, not drinking and doing everything you can to prevent bad shit. That bad shit still happens, but it's not really something that can be addressed.

[Skinypupy]

There are studies out there that conclusively state that using the radio while driving is detrimental to reaction times and attentiveness. It's not illegal, but it is sort of frowned upon in some circles.

Wat

[Drazzil]

There are studies out there that conclusively state that using the radio while driving is detrimental to reaction times and attentiveness. It's not illegal, but it is sort of frowned upon in some circles.

Wat

Hmmm. Results seem to be mixed now. I heard about a research study on NPR a while back saying that listening to music while driving could be detrimental to attention. I guess... now, it's more of a toss up leaning towards not true. *shrug*

[Blackhawk]

Falling asleep is also detrimental to attention. The human brain can only maintain pure focus for so long.

[Zaxxon]

For Smoove.

https://twitter.com/atrupar/status/1429 ... 52581?s=19

[Smoove_B]

Jesus, he just keeps giving.

I guess last night he was also commenting about how economics majors are the only ones in colleges not being exposed to "left-wing" ideals (way to telegraph your real feelings, bud). I also didn't see it (but it goes with his tweet above) that he was quoting/referencing Dr. Emily Oster earlier this week - the economics professor that has been (rightfully) pilloried regarding her comments on COVID-19 and kids and the paper she wrote on masking that's been used by DeSantis to justify his policies.

So yeah, he's a total piece of work.

[malchior]

Doh. Got bammed quickly there!

Nate is slowly drifting pure MAGA. A lot of folks are disgusted by his act at this point. And like many others he is starting to say MAGA-adjacent stuff as he scrambles to find an audience.

https://twitter.com/NateSilver538/statu ... 1606676486

[Skinypupy]

I’m in Vegas this weekend for a 3-day metal festival. I decided to keep my tickets because both the casinos and all the music venues have mask mandates in place. Plus, I’m vaccinated, have my own N95 masks that never leave my face, and can hang out in the back corner of the venue instead of being in the mosh pit.

I’ve actually been pleasantly surprised at the mask compliance. I’d say that 85-90% of the people are wearing masks in the venues, and staff have been enforcing it quite vigorously. It has restored a tiny sliver of my faith in humanity.

[Smoove_B]

That's certainly encouraging to hear.

In other news, a milestone event for FL:

https://twitter.com/VincentRK/status/14 ... 9275158531

Florida becomes first US state where the daily deaths in current wave have exceeded previous waves.

[Skinypupy]

That's certainly encouraging to hear.

For the record, I know I probably shouldn’t have gone. But rest assured Smoove, all precautions are being taken.

[Blackhawk]

Michelle says that they've expanded the COVID section of the hospital so much that it now represents the majority of the building.

[Brian]

My mother has been in the hospital since Thursday when we took her to the ER due to her having difficulty getting her O2 levels above 75. Turns out she's had multiple pulmonary embolisms that, according to the doctor, were "too many to count."

Her oxygen levels have since improved and she has been moved to a room where she awaits word on what the plan for dealing with this is. Most likely it will be some sort of surgical "clot buster" procedure but we won't know until at least tomorrow.

Here's the thing tho, the hospital she's in dismantled their COVID ward a few months back when the number of cases slowed to a trickle. Currently, the hospital is now at 100% capacity, with most cases being COVID and no separation/isolation of COVID cases. That means she's sharing the same floor with multiple COVID cases and sharing the same staff currently working those cases.

While we were visiting, a doctor walked into the room fully equipped in PPE (mask, face shield, gloves, gown, booties, etc) and said, "oh, sorry, wrong room." The fuck?! What if he'd just come from a COVID patient room? I mean, there's no doubt that if mom get's COVID, that's it, she's done for and the current situation increases her risk factor beyond where it should be. All it will take is a simple slip (like the doctor entering the wrong room) and she's exposed.

In simple terms, this fucking blows.

[Smoove_B]

So sorry to hear that Brian. I hope you get better news soon.

Unrelated, but I was waiting for follow up regarding Sturgis, especially after the Lollapalooza event. I know they're not similar, but they do represent large gatherings during Delta.

https://twitter.com/travisakers/status/ ... 8304115714

NEW: Two weeks after Sturgis, South Dakota leads the nation in the largest percentage increase of new COVID cases. Over the past 14 days, the state has experienced a 230% increase.

Despite the surge, Gov. Kristi Noem says she will not increase efforts to combat the virus.

[YellowKing]

I just don't understand the death cult mentality at play here. 600,000+ dead, and these people don't give a shit. It's not only depressing, it's terrifying.

[Zaxxon]

Not just not giving a shit, but activity giving a not-shit. Today is the first day of mandated masking in our school district, and there are all sorts of protests planned--traditional and 'pull your kids during census week to reduce school funding next year'.

Cause screwing your own kid's school will sure show em!

[Blackhawk]

Not just actively not giving a shit, but doing so proudly and loudly. They don't just refuse to act, they make loud, flashy announcements that they're not going to act, and then they make more announcements that they're going to prevent others from acting, too.

I swear, if you rewrite this story with any disaster other than a disease, it would be impossible to believe. "New Orleans bans sandbags ahead of hurricane!" "Governor of California signs bill forbidding fire departments access to water!" "Mayor holds rooftop scaffold party to discuss frequent earthquakes!"

[LawBeefaroni]

I just don't understand the death cult mentality at play here. 600,000+ dead, and these people don't give a shit. It's not only depressing, it's terrifying.

Its not as simple as good vs. evil.
They are hoping the benefits outweigh the risk, often fooling themselves or being fooled. It's more the frailties of human psychology than death cult.

[YellowKing]

There's some oppositional defiance disorder at play here too.

[raydude]

There's some oppositional defiance disorder at play here too.

Doing it to "own the libs' has never been more deadly or foolhardy.

[Paingod]

Not just actively not giving a shit, but doing so proudly and loudly.

They're so anti-giving-a-shit that they're willingly constipated and waddling around with their ass cheeks clenched so tight they squeak with each step. All while screaming "I aint gonna go! I aint gonna go!"

It's stupidity on an alarming scale, and I agree that these people are now going out of their way to harm others in order to keep their heads stuck in the sand. It makes me angry, sad, and disappointed on a level I never experienced before. I do assign blame for these new waves of hospitalizations and deaths squarely on the anti-mask, anti-vax crowd. There's literally no one else to blame. Those of us wearing masks while vaccinated have done as much as we can and aren't the ones dying in droves.

[Zaxxon]

Parents are Not OK.

[Blackhawk]

Not just actively not giving a shit, but doing so proudly and loudly.

They're so anti-giving-a-shit that they're willingly constipated and waddling around with their ass cheeks clenched so tight they squeak with each step. All while screaming "I aint gonna go! I aint gonna go!"

It's stupidity on an alarming scale, and I agree that these people are now going out of their way to harm others in order to keep their heads stuck in the sand.

I don't think it has anything to do with sand. It's an issue that they've realized they can take a position on that makes the 'others' (libs) upset. As long as they can get that satisfaction, they'll keep doing it.

Side note: I'm just realizing that their constant barrage of slang names - libs, snowflakes, etc - smacks of the wartime psychological ploy used to create an 'other', to turn the opposition into something other than human by not referring to them by names associated with their humanity. If they're something other than human, empathy and compassion don't apply. Democrats are people. Libs are an 'other.'

[malchior]

Side note: I'm just realizing that their constant barrage of slang names - libs, snowflakes, etc - smacks of the wartime psychological ploy used to create an 'other', to turn the opposition into something other than human by not referring to them by names associated with their humanity. If they're something other than human, empathy and compassion don't apply. Democrats are people. Libs are an 'other.'

I see it as more aligned with fascist norming but same idea.

[malchior]

Huh. What a surprise.

https://twitter.com/NBCNewsGraphics/sta ... 3465954312

[Smoove_B]

Maybe a bit too deep in the details for people casually following the pandemic (is that even possible?), but this article from Politico adds more puzzle pieces and will undoubtedly be used when the final history of what the F happened is written:

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is using outdated and unreliable data on coronavirus breakthrough infections to help make major decisions, such as who gets booster shots, according to three officials with direct knowledge of the situation.

The agency originally tried to track all infections in vaccinated people, from mild to severe. But in May it decided to focus on the most severe cases, saying that would allow it to better monitor overall conditions and make more informed, targeted policy decisions.

Forty-nine states are now regularly sending CDC information on hospitalized breakthrough patients. But more than a dozen told POLITICO that they do not have the capacity to match patients’ hospital admission data with their immunization records. Instead, those states rely on hospital administrators to report breakthrough infections. The resulting data is often aggregated, inaccurate and omits critical details for teasing out trends, such as which vaccine a person received and whether they have been fully vaccinated, a dozen state officials said.

More to the point:

Many of the hurdles facing CDC and state officials trying to gather data during the age of the Delta variant are the result of the patchwork of public-health agency data systems, many of which cannot communicate with each other. For more than a decade, states have pleaded with the federal government for money to make it easier to gather and study disease trends electronically. The pandemic has overloaded those arcane systems, revealing the disorganized nature of public health reporting and case investigation.

The CDC has allocated tens of millions of dollars this year to help states address their data woes, but federal and state officials said it will take years for the U.S. to rebuild its public-health infrastructure.

[Smoove_B]

https://twitter.com/BNODesk/status/1430584920838230016

BREAKING: More than 100,000 Americans are hospitalized with COVID-19

For those keeping track, that puts us at 1/28/21 or 12/7/20 (depending on which side of the last surge you want to look).

And yet...you'd never know it.

[LordMortis]

I would. I also know I am out of my hole and the coworker in the next room has been coughing all day. I'm so very more sensitive to this than I was a week ago because the sheep in my family are finally being led unto slaughter.

[Smoove_B]

I'd hope this results in a loss of license.

https://twitter.com/CBSNews/status/1430602125369921542

Going against FDA warnings, Arkansas physician gives anti-parasite drug ivermectin to jail inmates with COVID-19

I'm so very more sensitive to this than I was a week ago because the sheep in my family are finally being led unto slaughter.

I wish I knew how to help, but at some point there's no more you can say or do (which I know is also not helpful or comforting). It's terrible what this virus is doing to families.

[LordMortis]

I wish I knew how to help,

So do I. Moreso, even this late in the game, I wish I knew how to persuade. Even now, not only is there no persuasion, my father answering for both of my parents is that I should not be angry if the worst happens and they want to die at home. And just typing that I lost my stomach.

[Smoove_B]

I only seriously tried with one person and it didn't change anything. It saddens me tremendously. Speaking of which:

https://twitter.com/nytimes/status/1430666331649683456

More people in Florida are catching the coronavirus, being hospitalized and dying of Covid-19 now than at any previous point in the pandemic — underscoring the perils of limiting public health measures as the Delta variant rips through the state.

And yet I still see people saying in my area that DeSantis is a hero and should be emulated. JFC.

[gbasden]

I wish I knew how to help,

So do I. Moreso, even this late in the game, I wish I knew how to persuade. Even now, not only is there no persuasion, my father answering for both of my parents is that I should not be angry if the worst happens and they want to die at home. And just typing that I lost my stomach.

I just cannot wrap my brain around somebody who acknowledges that the disease may kill them and yet still refuses to get vaccinated. I think deniers are stupid, but at least there is some consistency in not wanting a vaccine for something that you don't think is dangerous. But if you see the reality that COVID is dangerous how do you possibly think that the vaccine is riskier than the disease? Unless your sole motivation is to own the libs, how does this square?

[Kraken]

I wish I knew how to help,

So do I. Moreso, even this late in the game, I wish I knew how to persuade. Even now, not only is there no persuasion, my father answering for both of my parents is that I should not be angry if the worst happens and they want to die at home. And just typing that I lost my stomach.

I just cannot wrap my brain around somebody who acknowledges that the disease may kill them and yet still refuses to get vaccinated. I think deniers are stupid, but at least there is some consistency in not wanting a vaccine for something that you don't think is dangerous. But if you see the reality that COVID is dangerous how do you possibly think that the vaccine is riskier than the disease? Unless your sole motivation is to own the libs, how does this square?

Covid is something that might not happen to you; the vaccine definitely will happen to you. If you believe their risks are equivalent, then the maybe is better than the definitely.

Maybe. I'm guessing.

[Victoria Raverna]

I wish I knew how to help,

So do I. Moreso, even this late in the game, I wish I knew how to persuade. Even now, not only is there no persuasion, my father answering for both of my parents is that I should not be angry if the worst happens and they want to die at home. And just typing that I lost my stomach.

I just cannot wrap my brain around somebody who acknowledges that the disease may kill them and yet still refuses to get vaccinated. I think deniers are stupid, but at least there is some consistency in not wanting a vaccine for something that you don't think is dangerous. But if you see the reality that COVID is dangerous how do you possibly think that the vaccine is riskier than the disease? Unless your sole motivation is to own the libs, how does this square?

Covid is something that might not happen to you; the vaccine definitely will happen to you. If you believe their risks are equivalent, then the maybe is better than the definitely.

Maybe. I'm guessing.

Maybe the anti-vax supporters are better at math than vaccine supporters like us.

What is the chance of COVID-19? What is the chance of seriously ill if one get COVID-19? What is the chance of dying if one get COVID-19? So what is the chance of an individu got seriously ill or dead from COVID-19?

Compare that to:

What is the chance of serious bad side effect of COVID-19 vaccine?

Which is less likely? If it is getting seriously ill or dead because of COVID-19 then a selfish person is right to be against vaccine.


One thing is if the anti-vax person is smart, he'll try to get everyone else to be vaccinated. He'll safer if a lot people are vaccinated. Don't get vaccinated yourself, but get everyone else to do it.

[gbasden]

I'm not a doctor, but especially for an elderly person COVID has to be more dangerous by an astronomical amount. There have been virtually no side effects from the vaccine. There are dead piling up in every ICU. It seems to me like the most lopsided risk analysis I can imagine.

[Isgrimnur]

People focus on possibilities much more than probabilities.

[LawBeefaroni]

And yet I still see people saying in my area that DeSantis is a hero and should be emulated. JFC.

Saw a guy at the Cubs game this weekend wearing a Desantis 2024 t-shirt. Waking around trying to get a rise out of everyone. He was largely ignored but fucking hell, these people.

[Kraken]

I'm not a doctor, but especially for an elderly person COVID has to be more dangerous by an astronomical amount. There have been virtually no side effects from the vaccine. There are dead piling up in every ICU. It seems to me like the most lopsided risk analysis I can imagine.

There are objective odds and subjective odds. We all understand the reality-based viewpoint. I'm trying to understand the other mindset.

Objectively, I know that flying on an aeroplane is much safer that driving my motorcar, but flying means placing my trust in other people while driving makes me feel in control, even though I'm really at the mercy of everyone else on the road with me.

[malchior]

I've been noticing lately that #MAGA is going NUTS about Australia lockdowns. They won't stop about how they think that Australia is super authoritarian, creepy, and can't believe people are just taking it. Sample from known #MAGA adjacent asshole as an example.

https://twitter.com/ggreenwald/status/1 ... 6815010820

I watched the video and they are a bit overbearing compared to our standards. But...perhaps, just perhaps, different countries have different limits to how they respond to public health emergencies? It is illustrative to look at their record . Their per capita death rate is ~40 deaths per million people. Ours is ~1900. Yeah that isn't a mistake. #MAGA is criticizing a nation who kept 97% more people alive per capita even amongst a very, very slow vaccine roll out. Sheesh.

[Octavious]

Meanwhile Texas has a new execute order banning vaccine mandates. They really are going out of their way to kill people.

[stessier]

Meanwhile Texas has a new execute order banning vaccine mandates. They really are going out of their way to kill people.

Typo or Freudian slip?