Covid-19 #20: Nowhere to Hide

[A True Kaniggit]

Oh yeah. My test came back negative. So that’s nice. I get to go to work Monday. (Yay?)

The brother is being nice and staying mostly in his room, while I disinfect constantly. 

[Fragile Bird]

19 minutes ago, A True Kaniggit said:

Oh yeah. My test came back negative. So that’s nice. I get to go to work Monday. (Yay?)

The brother is being nice and staying mostly in his room, while I disinfect constantly. 

Glad to hear it! Glad you got an answer back so quickly! Let’s hope now your brother’s case is mild.

[A True Kaniggit]

4 minutes ago, Fragile Bird said:

Glad to hear it! Glad you got an answer back so quickly! Let’s hope now your brother’s case is mild.

Thank you. Just 2 hours in the clinic and they let me know. 

My brother seems fine. Light symptoms so far. With any luck they don’t escalate in the next couple days. He’s well enough to play video games at least.

Best wishes to you and your brother as well!

[SpaceChampion]

My response to people scaremongering about mRNA vaccines is that I'm not terribly fond of my DNA to begin with, so mutate me all you want, scientists!

[A True Kaniggit]

14 minutes ago, SpaceChampion said:

I'm not terribly fond of my DNA to begin with, so mutate me all you want, scientists!

Indeed! 

If only our cells didn’t degrade as they replaced themselves.

Or we became perfectly acclimated to all the climates of our planet.

Or radiation had no damaging affect on us.

All nice mutations I’d think. 

[Fragile Bird]

It is funny how many times I’ve read in the comments section to stories on the internet that people won’t get the vaccine “because it might change your DNA”.

[Crixus]

On 12/2/2020 at 6:51 AM, The Anti-Targ said:

 

Anyway, about COVID-19. Another Pakistani cricketer tested positive here today. The consequence of some of the team breaking quarantine is that they were all confined to quarters. So no risk to the community. 

As a Pakistani, my apologies for these fuckwits. I wish I could say I was surprised, but sadly not. A lot of these cricketers are young and not well-educated - which certainly doesn't excuse this shit of course, especially when they're accompanied by coaches and managers who should've drilled the importance of following rules into their heads pre-tour. 

Back in PK cases and deaths are rising and many hospitals are full or perilously close, and having to turn people away. Meanwhile, massive weddings and parties are in full swing despite the government closing all restaurants and imposing limits on shops etc. Also, huge political rallies are being planned, which basically means thousands of maskless people stuck to each other. I wish I could say we were uniquely stupid, but it seems we're just one of a horde of stupid. 

[VigoTheCarpathian]

4 hours ago, Crixus said:

I wish I could say we were uniquely stupid, but it seems we're just one of a horde of stupid. 

I wish the same - I think this pandemic has wiped away any vestiges of my belief in national unity and the ability of societies to rally around a common good.  Or even common sense.

I worked a volunteer greeter shift in the hospital associated with my job on Friday, ensuring visitor limits and screening for temps/symptoms.  Saw a lot of sad things, people on comfort care rotating through visitors at the end of life, a husband and wife discharging together. A man checking in to see someone in a hospital with a cloth mask with “This mask is as useless as our governor” printed on it. 

Two sad angry thoughts occurred to me about my experience.

1. I think every ad on tv needs to be accompanied by a 30 second clip of overflowing hospital beds and someone struggling to breath on a ventilator.  

2. Americans who espouse “pro-life” values need to put their money where there mask should be.  There also needs to be massive broadcasting of Biblical quotes put into simple COVID terms - “Infect thy neighbor as thyself”, “Cough onto others as you would have them cough on you”, etc.

[DireWolfSpirit]

Our greecy, oily friend Rudy Giuliani, has became the latest covid denier to succumb to the plague.

https://thehill.com/homenews/administration/528965-giuliani-has-tested-positive-for-coronavirus-trump-says?amp=1&amp_recirculation=1

Eta: "All the best people" in a bowl of dipshittery.

[Argonath Diver]

In another world, a passionate Christian politician could have absolutely promoted smart response to the virus through religious views instead of this denialism nonsense. A vengeful god punishing the unfaithful through pestilence and all that. Unite in prayer, solidarity, and wear your masks. 

I mean no insult toward the religion - only that its peaceful, benevolent teachings could have been stressed through this struggle. Alas, we do not have a Christian president.

 

[DireWolfSpirit]

1 minute ago, Argonath Diver said:

In another world, a passionate Christian politician could have absolutely promoted smart response to the virus through religious views instead of this denialism nonsense. A vengeful god punishing the unfaithful through pestilence and all that. Unite in prayer, solidarity, and wear your masks. 

I mean no insult toward the religion - only that its peaceful, benevolent teachings could have been stressed through this struggle. Alas, we do not have a Christian president.

 

Oh he's a Christian alright. You don't get to pawn the s.o.b. off to non christians, he's most definitely not one of ours.

[A True Kaniggit]

6 minutes ago, DireWolfSpirit said:

Oh he's a Christian alright.

Damm straight! We all saw him flashing that bible in front of that church. After those demonically possessed protestors had been so righteously dispersed.

[HexMachina]

Mothership is self-isolating after testing positive. She obviously caught it from him as he tested positive two days prior and they were both having to isolate in their house. Touch wood she has only mild symptoms right now and i sincerely hope it remains that way. Fortunately my Aunty is still able to run shopping to my nanna and make sure she is ok.

There really shouldn’t be anything to worry about logically, I know, she only has mild symptoms and says she is fine, but this still has me anxious and on edge. I took one of my ‘emergency’ anti-anxiety meds (prescribed to me) in the hopes i can get some sleep tonight. 

[The Anti-Targ]

6 hours ago, VigoTheCarpathian said:

I wish the same - I think this pandemic has wiped away any vestiges of my belief in national unity and the ability of societies to rally around a common good.  Or even common sense.

I worked a volunteer greeter shift in the hospital associated with my job on Friday, ensuring visitor limits and screening for temps/symptoms.  Saw a lot of sad things, people on comfort care rotating through visitors at the end of life, a husband and wife discharging together. A man checking in to see someone in a hospital with a cloth mask with “This mask is as useless as our governor” printed on it. 

Two sad angry thoughts occurred to me about my experience.

1. I think every ad on tv needs to be accompanied by a 30 second clip of overflowing hospital beds and someone struggling to breath on a ventilator.  

2. Americans who espouse “pro-life” values need to put their money where there mask should be.  There also needs to be massive broadcasting of Biblical quotes put into simple COVID terms - “Infect thy neighbor as thyself”, “Cough onto others as you would have them cough on you”, etc.

I mean, there are some examples of this so you should still have a small vestige of hope remaining. Indeed what comes out in the wash when all the inquries, investigations and commissions submit their reports, and the PhD and masters theses are written may well be that countries with strong national unity (some more imposed than others) and community solidarity fared a lot better through this crisis, esp when it was combined with listening to ajnd acting on sound scientific and medical advice (evolving though it was). And maybe this might lead to a shift in many countries who didn't do so well in this pandemic and are willing to learn a lesson become a more cohesive society.

If this isn't a catalyst to substantial, permanent change, I guess climate change will have to be. But it will come at a much greater cost to lives and economies.

[Clueless Northman]

42 minutes ago, The Anti-Targ said:

And maybe this might lead to a shift in many countries who didn't do so well in this pandemic and are willing to learn a lesson become a more cohesive society.

If this isn't a catalyst to substantial, permanent change, I guess climate change will have to be. But it will come at a much greater cost to lives and economies.

You mean, if people can't be sensible enough to do the right thing when shit hits the fan at an accelerated speed, when they can see the consequences of their shitty actions in a matter of weeks, then you hope these same people will act sensible when faced with a threat that looms on the horizon but will only become huge in a couple of decades?
Like Vigo, I have no faith left at all when it comes to European and American people. They have failed totally, their governments have failed utterly, and the peoples have failed utterly to hold their failed governments responsible for their crimes. At this point, I think a quarter to a third of Western people should go into PRC / Cultural revolution-like re-education camps if we want to have any hope of making it out of this century without a complete collapse of our societies, because the rot of absolute selfishness from decades of laissez-faire neo-liberal economic ideology is now way too strong to be rooted out by reasoning, educating and explaining things with science or even common sense.

 

12 hours ago, Crixus said:

As a Pakistani, my apologies for these fuckwits. I wish I could say I was surprised, but sadly not. A lot of these cricketers are young and not well-educated - which certainly doesn't excuse this shit of course, especially when they're accompanied by coaches and managers who should've drilled the importance of following rules into their heads pre-tour. 

It's always frustrating to see your fellow countrymen act like total fuckwits abroad, but don't beat you too hard about it. As far as I can see, something like this could've happened with a team of US or European idiots - the huge amount of fools who tried to escape quarantine is proof enough of it.

[Zorral]

https://www.thedailybeast.com/their-pacific-northwest-thanksgiving-hosts-had-covid-and-theyre-finally-scared?

Quote

"Their Thanksgiving Hosts Had COVID—and They’re Finally Scared
Like clockwork, symptomatic patients were being triaged days after a holiday meal with hosts who felt ill—and they were finally exhibiting a sane reaction: fear."

Reported via an emergency triage nurse -- one story like this after another.

Quote

 

One by one, they told the triage nurse their stories.

Each patient had gone to a different Thanksgiving family gathering

Each host had been ill, and felt poorly enough to retire to a bedroom at some point and return.

Nobody was wearing a mask.

Nobody was observing social distancing.

Each of the patients had since been notified by a relative from the gathering that the host had tested positive for COVID.

Each patient had fallen ill and sought medical attention.

And now, in the course of a single shift the Tuesday after Thanksgiving, they were sharing with this nurse in the Pacific Northwest tales of recklessness in the time of COVID. The details became increasingly incredible for being so identical....

 

I got an email from a friend in Maryland  yesterday, that is the same story, about her oldest friend and neighbor, who lives across the street from her, and has observed all the protocols all this time -- until she was determined to have Thanksgiving in Baltimore with her son, dil and grandson -- and some other guests -- who happened to be sick, but came anyway.  Now they are all sick, and so is our friend's friend across the street.  Early days yet, so don't know how badly ill she will be. At the moment she's still at home, but feeling pretty bad.  So my friend is calling her all the time.
 

[The Anti-Targ]

1 hour ago, Clueless Northman said:

You mean, if people can't be sensible enough to do the right thing when shit hits the fan at an accelerated speed, when they can see the consequences of their shitty actions in a matter of weeks, then you hope these same people will act sensible when faced with a threat that looms on the horizon but will only become huge in a couple of decades?
Like Vigo, I have no faith left at all when it comes to European and American people. They have failed totally, their governments have failed utterly, and the peoples have failed utterly to hold their failed governments responsible for their crimes. At this point, I think a quarter to a third of Western people should go into PRC / Cultural revolution-like re-education camps if we want to have any hope of making it out of this century without a complete collapse of our societies, because the rot of absolute selfishness from decades of laissez-faire neo-liberal economic ideology is now way too strong to be rooted out by reasoning, educating and explaining things with science or even common sense.

It's always frustrating to see your fellow countrymen act like total fuckwits abroad, but don't beat you too hard about it. As far as I can see, something like this could've happened with a team of US or European idiots - the huge amount of fools who tried to escape quarantine is proof enough of it.

Nope, that's not what I mean. The world has had many "last" chances to sort itself out collectively, and really only reaching a level national solidarity is inadequate, from the various minor crises (in comparison to what climate change might be) in the post industrial revolution era. It seems crises aren't enough for humanity to wake up. So a full on catastrophe, not just a looming catastrophe, seems to be what is necessary.

I think too many people are going to say, whew we got through it let normal programming resume. The vaccine coming so much quicker than people thought at the start is a double edged sword in this regard. It's going to save a lot of lives and economies, which we have to celebrate and appreciate, but it's also going to have people feeling complacent and looking to rapidly put 2020 in the rear view, best to be forgotten for a lot of reasons. People are going to believe that technology will save us the same way with climate change (in Elon we trust ) so that collective change isn't needed.

[The Anti-Targ]

2 minutes ago, Zorral said:

https://www.thedailybeast.com/their-pacific-northwest-thanksgiving-hosts-had-covid-and-theyre-finally-scared?

Reported via an emergency triage nurse -- one story like this after another.

I got an email from a friend in Maryland  yesterday, that is the same story, about her oldest friend and neighbor, who lives across the street from her, and has observed all the protocols all this time -- until she was determined to have Thanksgiving in Baltimore with her son, dil and grandson -- and some other guests -- who happened to be sick, but came anyway.  Now they are all sick, and so is our friend's friend across the street.  Early days yet, so don't know how badly ill she will be. At the moment she's still at home, but feeling pretty bad.  So my friend is calling her all the time.
 

And for so many others, who didn't get exposed during Thanksgiving, and for almost everywhere in the world that doesn't have Thanksgiving, round two of the same "must carry on with traditions in the traditional way" is just a couple of weeks away.

[DireWolfSpirit]

California

[Clueless Northman]

6 hours ago, The Anti-Targ said:

People are going to believe that technology will save us the same way with climate change (in Elon we trust ) so that collective change isn't needed.

Was discussing this with a friend just yesterday. There are changes and fixes that are low-tech, that we can do now without having to rely on wishful thinking that we'll find a new revolutionary tech in the next decade. All that can be fixed without relying on some elaborate tech should be fixed the old way, because at least we know what the issues might be - meanwhile, history has shown that new techs have their drawbacks, which can be as terrible as the things they were supposed to fix, but we won't be fully aware of them before a long time. Cars and oil being an obvious example. I don't mean that in a reactionary luddite way that all technological innovations are bad, just that these will be the final help that might allow us to make it through this century without a massive collapse, but these won't be the whole solution, just a part of it, most of the solution coming from more basic changes to society and people's behaviour.

Of course, as you said, mankind might need to face the abyss before reacting. This is already a bit of a trouble when facing a pandemic whose death rate isn't horrendous like the Black Plague, but when facing environmental issues which just can't be solved anymore when they actually become a catastrophe, then we're really in serious trouble.