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COVID-19 Megathread


Mesopithecus

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Nine of the drug companies that are working on vaccines, including Moderna, Johnson & Johnson, Biontech, AstraZeneca, and others have pledged to "stand with science" and not put out a vaccine until it has been well tested for safety and effectiveness. Also, they pledged to follow the FDA's guidance. They did not rule out seeking emergency authorisation though.

 

Unfortunately, AstraZeneca has hit a snag which led to their decision to halt their vaccine trial to investigate a tester's illness. AZ did say that while participants sometimes get sick by chance, they need to review this to make sure it's not an adverse reaction. Not cool. I sure hope Moderna doesn't hit a similar roadblock in their P3 trial... even though they had a rough spot earlier, they've been progressing so nicely.

 

How about a nice big... wait a sec here...extra large cup of STFU with free refills for these anti-vaxers?

 

There's a song I listened to today that is appropriate for these times in more ways than one... Chicago's "It Better End Soon".

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  • 2 weeks later...

Summer is over. COVID-19 still out here ruining peoples lives.

 

They should sack all the old, useless Baby Boomers out of Congress and get some people who are not only concerned for the future, but can actually put forth legislation and take action to bring about a better system.

 

We got equipment dating back to the 1940s - 1950s that is probably never going to be maintained or replaced because there isn't the money for it. Meanwhile the politicians sit on their lazy asses and pass these idiotic laws that just send us further backwards.

 

Just look at Fox News and other media stations. They're fucking clueless, like they're out in outer space and they can't seem to bring themselves down to reality. Much of Europe and New Zealand did what they needed to do and today COVID-19 is hardly a threat.

 

But here? No. We got some ignorant rednecks who are just spreading the virus, guys in their 20s - 30s who probably never graduated high school, can't even maintain their stupid pickup trucks that get terrible gas mileage. These are the people Trump is depending on, people who threw out education and automatically discard any view and opinion that doesn't coincide with their own.

 

Idiots. Wasn't George W Bush's eight years of Presidency enough for them?

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One thing that's pretty unsettling is how Trump won't commit to peacefully transferring power in the event of a Biden victory. Should he refuse to leave, it is my understanding that the Secret Service is to consider him a trespasser and escort him out. But let's hope it doesn't have to come to that.

 

I sure hope this goddamned pandemic ends within a couple years. I don't normally use the GD word, but this pandemic is an exceptional case and I just couldn't hold back. Once we're all clear, I think I'm going to dig a pit of exactly 1'8" x 1'8" (20" x 20"... you see what I did there?) and bury my masks in it. Just a ritual to celebrate the end of this. And if (God forbid) something else of this sort happens, I'll buy new masks.

 

These people need to wear their masks in the meantime. Although I am not exactly fond of wearing masks, it serves a purpose at this time and I comply with it.

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2 hours ago, RadiantFlamberge said:

and bury my masks in it.

 

I was really hoping once we're mostly past COVID, people will keep their masks and actually wear them when they're sick, like they're supposed to be worn. Because we all know they're not going (or sometimes able) to stay home, but the least they could do is keep their bodily projectiles to themselves when they leave their houses while sick.

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4 hours ago, DaivRules said:

 

I was really hoping once we're mostly past COVID, people will keep their masks and actually wear them when they're sick, like they're supposed to be worn. Because we all know they're not going (or sometimes able) to stay home, but the least they could do is keep their bodily projectiles to themselves when they leave their houses while sick.

 

I can't honestly see that ever happening.  After all this is over, wearing a mask when sick would just draw attention to the fact that someone is sick and that could easily result in unfair discrimination and poor treatment.  I think the best we can hope for is that in general there will be a greater understanding for the need to stay home when sick.  More employers in the US especially could use to be more understanding of the need to stay home when an employee or someone in their household gets something contagious.  One big change needed in the US is that more employers need to have fair sick leave policies.  I've definitely had some jobs that have zero understanding and others only provide unpaid time.  I've also seen some that require a certain amount of notice before one's shift to call out sick and that's not always possible.  There should be no reason for a sick employee to go in to work and if they get sick while there, they should be encouraged to go home.  Another real problem is how many employers will guilt a sick employee into showing up or staying.  That puts the health of everyone in the workplace at risk and needs to stop.

 

Something else that I think more employers should do is something like what an old workplace of mine did.  During cold and flu season every other month or so they'd have people come in to disinfect the place.  It was a company that specialized in it and was pretty much like an exterminator service, but for germs.  Only worked for one place that did this and it was well before the pandemic, but I think that was a great idea on the part of the owner of the business.  I'm sure the company that provides this service has been doing well during all this.

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15 hours ago, ladynadiad said:

snip


The problem is these people aren’t willing to understand. 
 

Those employers are just stupid. I remember years ago I busted my ass at working long hours at Dollar Tree. At a distribution warehouse no doubt, looking back I would of been more content with working at a Dollar Tree store. 
 

I went on a trip with friends and family to Yosemite Park in California. Enjoyed my time there, spent the rest of the week visiting with relatives I haven’t seen in years. Got a bad virus and had to call in to report I couldn’t work. After what I went through to get a doctors note and talked it through to the HR manager, she still had the audacity to write me up. Write ups lasted for an entire year. 10 months later I’m working during the summer at the warehouse and I was fired for showing up late one day. That write up from the year before was still on my record. 
 

These are the same types of employers who are forcing people to work in unhealthy conditions. Not only is that dangerous but it is potentially life threatening. They don’t fucking understand. I can’t even begin to tell you how many times I’ve seen employers guilt sick employees into staying. It’s no wonder COVID-19 is still a serious problem out here. 
 

It’s a big part of why the United States is in the shit hole that it is in. Things need to change, but this current crop of so called leadership confirms to me that things aren’t likely to change anytime soon. 

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On 9/26/2020 at 5:19 AM, ladynadiad said:

After all this is over, wearing a mask when sick would just draw attention to the fact that someone is sick and that could easily result in unfair discrimination and poor treatment.


When I see people out in public who are clearly sick, sneezing and coughing all over the place, they’re already drawing attention to the fact they’re sick and I already give them dirty looks and have on occasion told them to find other ways to do what they need than spreading their sickness to others.

In several places, it’s already the norm to wear a mask out when not feeling well.

People not getting sick time is a different issue all together. 
 

Regardless of how someone “could” be treated while wearing a mask in public after COVID, I hope fear doesn’t drive the decision making process and rather responsibly and accountability do and we start to teach wearing a mask when sick IF you have to leave your house. We now all have masks. Who wouldn’t mind one less cold virus in their life?

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1 hour ago, DaivRules said:


When I see people out in public who are clearly sick, sneezing and coughing all over the place, they’re already drawing attention to the fact they’re sick and I already give them dirty looks and have on occasion told them to find other ways to do what they need than spreading their sickness to others.

In several places, it’s already the norm to wear a mask out when not feeling well.

People not getting sick time is a different issue all together. 
 

Regardless of how someone “could” be treated while wearing a mask in public after COVID, I hope fear doesn’t drive the decision making process and rather responsibly and accountability do and we start to teach wearing a mask when sick IF you have to leave your house. We now all have masks. Who wouldn’t mind one less cold virus in their life?

 

People not getting sick time is a very related issue.  A large cause of people spreading contagious diseases is because they go to work while sick and interact with people who are not sick.  If you go to say a grocery store and aren't sick, you're far more likely to get something from a sick employee than a sick customer.  Even with COVID, a lot of the biggest outbreaks so far have been from a sick person going to work, especially in factories.  I've worked at many places that discourage people from staying home while sick and the results are that when one person gets sick from someone in their household and shows up to work still, what they have then spreads to most of the employees quickly and within a few days the majority of the employees are sick too.  It's a huge problem that was ignored for the most part before now because so many felt that you should tough out a cold or flu and a good worker wouldn't let a little cold or flu bring them down.  Discouraging people from going to work sick would be a huge step in preventing larger outbreaks of any contagious disease and that's only going to happen when people aren't put in a situation where they feel they must go to work either due to being unable to miss out on pay or because they could be written up or fired for being out for a legitimate illness.

 

The thing is, we already have many measures in place to ensure a sick person can reduce exposure if they need to go out and get medicine or food.  I doubt contactless pickup options are going away.  Even before the pandemic many stores were offering pickup and delivery options for groceries and prescriptions.  I doubt that's going anywhere and that would be a great option for someone who is sick and doesn't have anyone else to go get groceries or medicine because that limits exposure.

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32 minutes ago, ladynadiad said:

A large cause of people spreading contagious diseases is because they go to work while sick and interact with people who are not sick.


And if those people wore masks, they would reduce the spread of viruses that are going to happen. That change we can make now, on our own.

 

This isn’t a binary situation. We can all wear masks while we are sick while we wait for systemic changes to workplace changes to happen. 
 

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On 9/26/2020 at 0:10 AM, DaivRules said:

 

I was really hoping once we're mostly past COVID, people will keep their masks and actually wear them when they're sick, like they're supposed to be worn. Because we all know they're not going (or sometimes able) to stay home, but the least they could do is keep their bodily projectiles to themselves when they leave their houses while sick.

Point taken. I was getting a little overzealous about not wanting any "souvenirs" after this is over. Just daydreaming fever taking over. To 86 all of my masks wouldn't be a good idea... if I had a cold, you can bet I would want to have some available. So when this is all over, I'll take just one that's seen better days and bury it as a symbolic thing post-pandemic. One, not all.

 

This "tough it out" mentality needs to go away. Maybe it could start to fade out before too long. Does wearing a mask reduce the chance of passing an illness around? Yes, greatly. But will it 100% eliminate that chance? No. There are no guarantees. I would tell someone who worked for me "If you're sick, PLEASE DON'T come in. I'd rather not risk anyone else catching this. See your doctor, don't come back until you're well... and I want a note from them". If while shopping I notice an employee who looks sick, then I'll surely be complaining to the manager.

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Trump has tested positive for SARS-CoV-2. The White House physician gave him 8 grams of Regeneron's experimental antibody cocktail for C19, and he then boarded Marine One to go to the Walter Reed military hospital.

 

Melania and several others tested positive also. What a mess. The S&P 500 took a hit, though not quite as bad as expected. Hopefully Trump will change his cavalier attitude about C19. Wonder if we will see him start wearing masks.

 

And BTW, that debate was quite the shitshow. Trump was more than a little out of line. Biden had to ask him to shut up, and the debate moderator Chris Wallace reprimanded the President a few times.

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Trump is on his way back to the White House.  While I'm truly glad he'll most likely be ok, I don't like that this will be used as evidence by some people that this isn't a dangerous disease.  I'm not worried about the president, wonderful fella that he is, who has access to the best physicians in the country, around the clock care, oxygen and treatments as soon as he had the sniffles.  It's the 50-60-something's "riding out" an unknown fever, shortness of breath, heart palpitations and no health insurance that aren't sure if they'll wake up able to breathe well enough to call 911 in the middle of the night... that's not a situation I want anyone to be in, no less my parents, my family, friends or neighbors.  And if they are, I sure as hell don't want it to be because of me.

 

Most people who get it will be fine... but a lot of people haven't been, and won't be.  That's more than enough reason for me to keep doing the right things.  Even what I'd consider small things, wearing a mask, washing my hands, keeping a bit of distance.  It's not about politics or popularity, or left or right... it's just about common decency and respect for eachother though something that has already taken so many.

Edited by Dreakon13
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Trump's return to the White House is a rather reckless act. It's too early! It looks like coming down with this hasn't changed his attitude. I agree with you... I'm afraid some people won't take C19 seriously because of this. He had access to the Regeneron antibody therapy and remdesivir (AKA Veklury). Not everyone will. Now I'm concerned about the people he is going to be around. I worry about the Secret Service officers who escorted him back to the White House, and anyone near to them. He should self quarantine, and that second debate scheduled for 15 October ought to go virtual instead of being at Miami's Adrienne Arsht Center.

 

While 80% of people who come down with it will be fine, that 20% having worse outcomes is still too many people. The death count for USA alone is nearly 200.000. I don't want anyone else to catch C19, especially my family or friends. It would be devastating to lose someone dear to me because of this. Even after the pandemic is over and public mask wearing isn't mandated, I'll take a mask out of my medicine cabinet and put it on right away if I come down with any cold-like symptoms. And will I still follow that washing hands for 20 seconds rule anytime? You bet.

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7 hours ago, Dreakon13 said:

I don't like that this will be used as evidence by some people that this isn't a dangerous disease.  

 

5 hours ago, RadiantFlamberge said:

 I'm afraid some people won't take C19 seriously because of this. 

 

Yeah, especially after he says stuff like "Don’t be afraid of Covid. Don’t let it dominate your life."

 

The Covid shitshow never ends.

 

Meanwhile in Russia, we're at the highest number of new cases since May 12. 

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42 minutes ago, Alderriz said:

 

 

Yeah, especially after he says stuff like "Don’t be afraid of Covid. Don’t let it dominate your life."

 

The Covid shitshow never ends.

 

Meanwhile in Russia, we're at the highest number of new cases since May 12. 

You shouldn't be letting Covid dominate your life. We have literally 0 cases here and we're still forcing young children to wear masks up to 8 hours a day, limiting family interactions etc. I can list more than 40 small businesses that have completely gone under, resulting in hundreds of families losing their income.

 

It's complete BS, just so that we can cater to a minority of people with immune system defects and the elderly, who are already on death's door.

 

 

Edited by VigilantCrow
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6 minutes ago, Alderriz said:

 

If it's 0 where you live then sure, but it's a different story in the US right now.

It's still not a big deal in the US. The overwhelming majority of people in ICU units and those who died are over 65.

When has the US ever cared about that demographic? It's a joke to listen to how they only now care, when it's politically convenient. 

 

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1 hour ago, VigilantCrow said:

You shouldn't be letting Covid dominate your life. We have literally 0 cases here and we're still forcing young children to wear masks up to 8 hours a day, limiting family interactions etc. I can list more than 40 small businesses that have completely gone under, resulting in hundreds of families losing their income.

 

It's complete BS, just so that we can cater to a minority of people with immune system defects and the elderly, who are already on death's door.

 

 

 

I agree that you shouldn't let COVID dominate your life.  Wearing masks, washing your hands, and social distancing isn't an example of doing that.  Your life should be more than those few simple things, if you feel like it isn't... that's a you problem.  With a few exceptions life is basically back to normal in a lot of places, just with masks and some basic hygiene practices that we should've been doing all along.

 

EDIT: The business closures aren't because of masks, if anything they're because of people who refused to wear them and let this get out of hand in the first place.

Edited by Dreakon13
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5 minutes ago, Dreakon13 said:

 

I agree that you shouldn't let COVID dominate your life.  Wearing masks, washing your hands, and social distancing isn't an example of doing that.  Your life should be more than those few simple things, if you feel like it isn't... that's a you problem.  With a few exceptions life is basically back to normal in a lot of places, just with masks and some basic hygiene practices that we should've been doing all along.

 

EDIT: The business closures aren't because of masks, if anything they're because of people who refused to wear them and let this get out of hand in the first place.

The closures are because of social distancing. Corner store buildings for example are too small to maintain the required 2 meters distance, resulting in small towns like mine, forcing these locations to close and ultimately go under. NS is a poor province and relies heavily on fishing. The social distancing requirements have forced ship captains to reduce their crew sizes, resulting in even more people losing their jobs. 


You keep telling yourself that this is just a me problem. 

 

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Just now, VigilantCrow said:

The closures are because of social distancing. Corner store buildings for example are too small to maintain the required 2 meters distance, resulting in small towns like mine, forcing these locations to close and ultimately go under. NS is a poor province and relies heavily on fishing. The social distancing requirements have forced ship captains to reduce their crew sizes, resulting in even more people losing their jobs. 


You keep telling yourself that this is just a me problem. 

 

 

Well, the general rule is masks are sufficient if you cannot maintain social distance... which they are if people actually abide by it.  Unfortunately they don't, and that's the side of history they fall on.

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19 minutes ago, Dreakon13 said:

 

Well, the general rule is masks are sufficient if you cannot maintain social distance... which they are if people actually abide by it.  Unfortunately they don't, and that's the side of history they fall on.

I think the masks work fine under normal use case scenarios (healthy individuals walking around inside, on transit etc). The problem at least in my area, is that we have the highest senior population per capita in the country. Masks aren't feasible when you're got 1.5 out of 10 people, relying on portable oxygen tanks and other old age care equipment. Not sure how feasible masks are on the ocean either. From personal experience crabbing in my youth, it's hard enough to breath when salt water's constantly in your face, a mask with layers of salt isn't going to make it any easier.

 

And that's all assuming that we need masks with 0 cases. You can't spread what you don't have, we're more likely to catch STDs out here, such a dirty province lol.

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21 minutes ago, VigilantCrow said:

I think the masks work fine under normal use case scenarios (healthy individuals walking around inside, on transit etc). The problem at least in my area, is that we have the highest senior population per capita in the country. Masks aren't feasible when you're got 1.5 out of 10 people, relying on portable oxygen tanks and other old age care equipment. Not sure how feasible masks are on the ocean either. From personal experience crabbing in my youth, it's hard enough to breath when salt water's constantly in your face, a mask with layers of salt isn't going to make it any easier.

 

And that's all assuming that we need masks with 0 cases. You can't spread what you don't have, we're more likely to catch STDs out here, such a dirty province lol.

 

I agree, I think a one size fits all approach isn't right for different places with different needs.  So in your case, what they're doing may not be appropriate and they need to come up with a better way.  Not sure what that is, but I don't live there.  The point is though, they still need to come up with a way.  Doing nothing isn't appropriate either... especially if your community does lean elderly.  I dunno if your "fuck the vulnerable, I'm not putting a cloth on my face" platform from a few posts ago is easy to rally behind. xD

 

I think that 0 cases is great, but unless people are just never leaving your small town for other places that do have cases... there's no predicting when that could change.  I think they could probably start to loosen the straps a bit until they cross that bridge, but I understand why they aren't, to a point.

 

EDIT: Long story short... I think the overwhelming majority of people and places can live their lives, with masks, and we can get through this without anything "dominating" us (COVID restrictions, or deaths).  Such a small thing, so simple, so effective... yet so many can't even do that.  It's a damn shame.

Edited by Dreakon13
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15 minutes ago, Dreakon13 said:

 

 I dunno if your "fuck the vulnerable, I'm not putting a cloth on my face" platform from a few posts ago is easy to rally behind. xD

To be fair that was more a jab at the hypocrisy of people only pretending to care about seniors now, when culturally that demographic is discarded after their usefulness is over.

 

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