Covid-19 #37: Mississippi Worming

[Mr. Chatywin et al.]

I’m shocked, shocked, well not that shocked that infection rates for children are spiking towards an all-time high in the U.S. Who could of possibly predicted this incredibly obvious result?

[Mlle. Zabzie]

8 minutes ago, Tywin et al. said:

I’m shocked, shocked, well not that shocked that infection rates for children are spiking towards an all-time high in the U.S. Who could of possibly predicted this incredibly obvious result?

But…but…but…children don’t get Covid, right?  And if they do it is NBD, right?  SMDH.

[Which Tyler]

2 hours ago, Zorral said:

"Massive randomized study is proof that surgical masks limit coronavirus spread, authors say"

A long, detailed report on this massive, randomized study, done in Bangladesh.  The paper itself is under peer review, and authors were given an advance look.  

https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2021/09/01/masks-study-covid-bangladesh/

 

Thank you, or this article is freely available:

https://insights.som.yale.edu/insights/in-first-randomized-study-shows-that-masks-reduce-covid-19-infections

 

Pre-print paper itself: https://www.poverty-action.org/publication/impact-community-masking-covid-19-cluster-randomized-trial-bangladesh

[Mr. Chatywin et al.]

29 minutes ago, Mlle. Zabzie said:

But…but…but…children don’t get Covid, right?  And if they do it is NBD, right?  SMDH.

“My best friend died from Covid, but I’m still afraid that vaccine is more likely to kill me.”

-paraphrasing of a lady on TV this morning.

 

Our country is so dumb.

[Padraig]

8 hours ago, The Anti-Targ said:

The original plan was to get to herd immunity and then drop restrictions.

Ok.  It depends on how far back you want to go.  But the dream of herd immuity was fading even before Delta.  There has been no sudden change in approach in Europe.

People have given up on herd immunity because it doesn't seem feasible.  But Spain has now broken 70% for full vaccination (based on total population) and is getting close to 80% if you include partial vaccination. So its not like some countries haven't made very serious inroads in vaccination.

8 hours ago, The Anti-Targ said:

If COVID-19 hadn't become so politicised and been a fertile ground for conspiracy and a significant rise in opposition to vaccination herd immunity even with Delta may have been on the cards.

Really?  That sounds like wishful thinking.  Nobody knows when herd immunity may be reached.

8 hours ago, The Anti-Targ said:

It could also have been made reachable if the pharma industry started going all out to develop 2nd generation vaccines that would prevent breakthrough infection to a much higher degree.

Given the mRNA vaccines had 90%+ effectiveness, i'm not sure what you mean by this?  You think 100% is plausible?

8 hours ago, The Anti-Targ said:

But it looks like a countries are starting to decide that it's no longer worth trying to achieve any further goal ,other than keep on getting people vaccinated, everyone is going to wind up getting it anyway.

What goal do you think Spain (for example) should be focusing on?  It has done very well on the vaccination front.  Cases are coming down.  Are you proposing locking the country up?  I'm all for a bit of caution but there has be a level of realism in an argument.

8 hours ago, rotting sea cow said:

they are at best a risk mitigation to control the infection rates. If you think that because everybody around you is vaccinated you are safe, you should well think again.

Sure.  But everything we do is a mitigation device.  Masks, social distancing etc.

Now, is the proposal that we shouldn't be opening indoor restaurants (say)?  Mitigation devices aren't enough in that situation?  I think that is a valid argument.  I'm not sure whether I buy it given I haven't seen any research into how bad restaurants are (even with mitigations).

Unrelated, but I do think it is striking that Israel just has record cases of COVID (although it has started to dip now finally).  I'd really like to understand why, but it also has almost 40% not fully vaccinated.  Spain (for example) has had a far better experience (but higher vaccination levels).  I'm sure there are a lot more factors involved though.

[Zorral]

John Varley, well known within the SF/F professional writers field, has covid.  He and his partner, who live in Seattle, where vaccination is very high, both double-vaxxed, went to a restaurant, and Boom for them both.  He's not hospitalized, though he's had serious medical problems earlier in this covid era.  He says They Say he's got a mild case, but if this is so, he really doesn't want to learn what a non-mild case is like, or even a mild case without having been vaccinated.  IOW, this is really awful.

 

 

[SpaceChampion]

 

[Padraig]

4 hours ago, Zorral said:

He says They Say he's got a mild case, but if this is so, he really doesn't want to learn what a non-mild case is like, or even a mild case without having been vaccinated.

Right.  Apparently "mild" can be misleading.  It just means you don't have to go to hospital, which means you can still be seriously ill or it may mean you are barely affected.

[Clueless Northman]

Wasn't rat-fucker DeSantis, who proudly acts like masks are useless, like covid barely exists and is barely worse than a 5-sec itch, and doesn't seem to think vaccines are of much use, if not are downright harmful, actually boasting that Florida's use of monoclonal antibodies was a great success?

We really should make list of people who are too openly stupid to be allowed to wield any power or responsibility of any kind. And I mean "any" - garbage collector or flipping burgers would already be a public hazard if done by people like Rogan, Abbott or deSantis.

[Mr. Chatywin et al.]

13 minutes ago, Clueless Northman said:

Wasn't rat-fucker DeSantis, who proudly acts like masks are useless, like covid barely exists and is barely worse than a 5-sec itch, and doesn't seem to think vaccines are of much use, if not are downright harmful, actually boasting that Florida's use of monoclonal antibodies was a great success?

We really should make list of people who are too openly stupid to be allowed to wield any power or responsibility of any kind. And I mean "any" - garbage collector or flipping burgers would already be a public hazard if done by people like Rogan, Abbott or deSantis.

Still blows my mind that Gov. Rat-Fucker has such an impressive CV. How?!?!?

52 minutes ago, SpaceChampion said:

 

"I'm not getting the vaccine because they're putting microchips in it to track me."

Also, "Did you see my latest pic on the Gram I uploaded from my phone?"

[The Anti-Targ]

We have a representative who works in DC, though he has been more or less working form his beach house on the coast since early 2020. He and his wife are both fully vaxxed. He went to a conference with about 6000 people (I didn't ask him about the mask wearing situation because I didn't want to potentially give him a telling off, and he only works 50% for us, the other 50% he works for a different organisation and the conference was with the other organisation). He came back probably with COVID-19, but he didn't get tested because he actually had very mild symptoms. But his wife got sick (moderate 'flu sort of thing) soon after and tested positive. So now I actually have someone (maybe two) I know irl who had a breakthrough symptomatic infection. 

[The Anti-Targ]

A pattern is starting to emerge with case numbers. Today we have 49 cases, which is down again. But testing rate was also down. Yesterday there was 75 cases and testing rate was higher, but night as high as the day we got our daily peak (so far). We haven't seen an increase on the 83 case peak for 5 days, so I think we can be confident that daily case numbers are not increasing. However because there is a correlation between testing rate and case numbers it's not really clear that a decrease is really a decrease or if case numbers have plateaued and the daily number is just a reflection of how much testing has been done. We need several days of more or less the same number of tests and daily case numbers falling to be confident that actual daily case numbers are falling.

The thing about Joe Rogan getting COVID-19 is that unless he ends up on a ventilator for a week or more, or suffers from long COVID he will take his experience of COVID as proof that his stance on vaccinations and his use of Ivermectin are correct. When all it means is he was one of the lucky majority that does not suffer the severest forms of the disease. No one should wish the severe forms of the disease on anyone but the anti proven public health measures, and pro kooky unproven treatments crowd become insufferable when they experience the milder forms of the disease and call it proof of anything.

[KingintheNorth4]

My Uncle is breathing on his own, though the nurses had to restrain him because he tried pulling his tube out. The edema is about the same.

[Deadlines? What Deadlines?]

3 hours ago, Tywin et al. said:

"I'm not getting the vaccine because they're putting microchips in it to track me."

Also, "Did you see my latest pic on the Gram I uploaded from my phone?"

Everybody knows they're putting the microchips in the horse meds now. We're through the looking glass here, people. 

Also, studies have shown that the horse pills are twice as effective if taken anally. Only you gotta shove them waaaay up there. Why is social media so ineffective at getting this message out? C'mon people.

Somewhat interesting Ivermectin background.

 

[lessthanluke]

9 hours ago, SpaceChampion said:

 

Except he never said the first part but I guess this is the internet and making things up is the standard. He's also not touting Ivermectin or anything else, just said that's what he's thrown at it.

 

Rogan says a lot of stupid shit to be fair so I get it.

[Deadlines? What Deadlines?]

Is Rogan vaccinated?

[BigFatCoward]

2 hours ago, lessthanluke said:

Except he never said the first part but I guess this is the internet and making things up is the standard. He's also not touting Ivermectin or anything else, just said that's what he's thrown at it.

 

Rogan says a lot of stupid shit to be fair so I get it.

Yeah, he advised young, healthy people not to get it, not everyone. As he is 54 I assume he wouldn't put himself in that group. 

[Heartofice]

Think there has been some digging as to whether he’s said he’s been vaccinated and it’s very unclear whether he has. He said he was at some point but also contradicted himself later.

Why he’d take horse dewormer when he’s been vaccinated doesn’t make any sense 

[lessthanluke]

8 minutes ago, Heartofice said:

Think there has been some digging as to whether he’s said he’s been vaccinated and it’s very unclear whether he has. He said he was at some point but also contradicted himself later.

Why he’d take horse dewormer when he’s been vaccinated doesn’t make any sense 

I mean not that I'd take it but there's also a version of Ivermectin that's used for humans for other stuff.

[Heartofice]

7 minutes ago, lessthanluke said:

I mean not that I'd take it but there's also a version of Ivermectin that's used for humans for other stuff.

Yeah I know, I was being a little snide about it. Someone I know is part of the UK trials for it ( he also didn’t get vaccinated, but had caught the virus)

Either way, right now i think Ivermectin doesn’t deserve too much respect. I’ve followed the debate and the research around it for a while , and the case for it is incredibly weak I think.