Covid 44: The Sickening

[Mlle. Zabzie]

1 hour ago, Tywin et al. said:

Put it in the hopper for the impending zombie apocalypse. That's probably about 18 months away at this point. 

Yes but you love a worst case scenario. You really should have been a lawyer

[Mr. Chatywin et al.]

55 minutes ago, Mlle. Zabzie said:

Yes but you love a worst case scenario. You really should have been a lawyer

Nah, I'm just a realist, and right now it's pretty bleak. I wish that wasn't the case, but it's undeniable at this point. To look away and tell yourself otherwise is a great disservice. 

And there's always time, but I do think my now in the zombieverse law prof father was right to say I'd probably hate it and fail or hate myself and succeed. 

[Fragile Bird]

Hmmm, in the movie version of The Sickening, who is the human character, Trump or Biden? Or, in the reverse of that thread’s premise, is Trump the only muppet and everyone else a human?

[Deadlines? What Deadlines?]

One of my nieces has a contact who tested positive. one of my other nieces drove halfway across the city to get rapid test kits. The drug store I went to today is out.

Got my booster today. Slight magnetism but no other symptoms to report. 

Is it true that DeSantis closed FL testing stations back in May? Is he still AWOL?

[Clueless Northman]

17 hours ago, Fragile Bird said:

Canada never had more than 10,000 cases before in the previous waves. Yesterday we had almost 40,000. Ontario alone has more than 13,000 and Quebec more than 14,000. Quebec is imposing a curfew again.

France already had quite a big wave a year ago and they hit 230K cases a day. I fully expect Canada to go way above 100K at the peak. Considering how fast this goes, that peak will be reached before mid-January. Hopefully hospitalizations and deaths will be as low as has been reported in some places and will stay way below previous waves (though I fear that the country might still suffering through the last wave and hospitals are still filled with people sick with Delta).

[karaddin]

It's not so relevant to where the thread is at now, but after catching up to the last thread I just want to say:

Luke - first off I hope the vaccinations do their job and you're doing ok. I feel like a big source of the disconnect you're having with many of the Americans is that you're talking about (for the most part) the unvaccinated populations that most of the western world has, while the Americans on here are talking about specifically the batshit fuckery that is only present in those sorts of numbers in the US. The sort of people whose reaction to being asked to do something mild is to set their own money on fire to make you struggle to breathe in the smoke. I don't think the two are interchangeable, and the US version is much more directed in what it's doing.

I still agree with the sentiment of it not being helpful to wish ill, but I do find the frustration from Americans much more understandable than it is when I see the same sentiment expressed by Australians where it's really just ridiculous. 

This same runs the other way as well, to those Americans - please understand that those of us not afflicted with that level of bullshit are probably talking about a significantly different group of people. It doesn't help anyone to wind up getting antagonized by each other when we're not even talking about the same thing.

[Zorral]

"At least 5 GOP-led states offer jobless benefits to workers who refuse vaccines; others may follow
Critics say the rule changes punish businesses that are trying to avert covid flareups and undermine the White House’s pandemic response."

https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2021/12/27/5-gop-led-states-extend-unemployment-aid-workers-who-lose-jobs-over-vaccine-mandates/

People outside the USA YAY cannot imagine how badly the unvaccinated despise vaccination and the people who do it, as part of a 'political' stance.  Republican states are passing bills to give unemployment benefits to those who have left their jobs because they refuse to be vaccinated.  Keep in mind these are the same states that won't give little kids food vouchers, time off for other workers for being ill, much less paid sick leave, and all the rest.  So the non-vaxxed can pick up a pay check after others of their kind have infected us but we can't get paid time off for being sick, and are expected to just suck it up. Please don't request we give a flying fat turd about those people, please.  They and their republican runners are literally wanting and trying to kill those others of us who are responsible community members.  They make no bones about it either.

 

 

[A True Kaniggit]

17 minutes ago, Zorral said:

"At least 5 GOP-led states offer jobless benefits to workers who refuse vaccines; others may follow
Critics say the rule changes punish businesses that are trying to avert covid flareups and undermine the White House’s pandemic response."

https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2021/12/27/5-gop-led-states-extend-unemployment-aid-workers-who-lose-jobs-over-vaccine-mandates/

People outside the USA YAY cannot imagine how badly the unvaccinated despise vaccination and the people who do it, as part of a 'political' stance.  Republican states are passing bills to give unemployment benefits to those who have left their jobs because they refuse to be vaccinated.  Keep in mind these are the same states that won't give little kids food vouchers, time off for other workers for being ill, much less paid sick leave, and all the rest.  So the non-vaxxed can pick up a pay check after others of their kind have infected us but we can't get paid time off for being sick, and are expected to just suck it up. Please don't request we give a flying fat turd about those people, please.  They and their republican runners are literally wanting and trying to kill those others of us who are responsible community members.  They make no bones about it either.

A coworker is trying to use “I don’t want to endanger my unborn baby with this vaccine” As her medical reason for not having the vaccine, before the mandates take effect and she may be fired. 
 

Even though she is not pregnant. She says she and her husband are trying. 

[Zorral]

While the medical world begs her, for the sake of her baby and herself, to get vaccinated!

At the same frackin' time, the governor of Texas, one of those many governors who refuse masks, vaccinations, test, etc. will not mandate any health protocols at all, doing their best to block any initiative by trained health and medical professionals -- is now demanding federal assistance from Biden because Covid is breaking his state.  No beds, no staff, no nuthin'. No exaggeration either.  I spent a half hour on a group call (so much more expressive of what it was than 'conference call') with friends in Austin.

 

[Wall Flower]

2 hours ago, karaddin said:

It's not so relevant to where the thread is at now, but after catching up to the last thread I just want to say:

Luke - first off I hope the vaccinations do their job and you're doing ok. I feel like a big source of the disconnect you're having with many of the Americans is that you're talking about (for the most part) the unvaccinated populations that most of the western world has, while the Americans on here are talking about specifically the batshit fuckery that is only present in those sorts of numbers in the US. The sort of people whose reaction to being asked to do something mild is to set their own money on fire to make you struggle to breathe in the smoke. I don't think the two are interchangeable, and the US version is much more directed in what it's doing.

I still agree with the sentiment of it not being helpful to wish ill, but I do find the frustration from Americans much more understandable than it is when I see the same sentiment expressed by Australians where it's really just ridiculous. 

This same runs the other way as well, to those Americans - please understand that those of us not afflicted with that level of bullshit are probably talking about a significantly different group of people. It doesn't help anyone to wind up getting antagonized by each other when we're not even talking about the same thing.

Even though it's much, much smaller, there is still an element of that kind of bullshit in Australia. I know my niece was getting quite distressed at having to run the gauntlet of freedom protesters on her way to work in Melbourne.

I think, though, that you are just a much nicer person than I am because I do find myself getting angry at people who think a mask is worn under the nose; who don't know what social distancing is or are like the health food proprietor in Port Macquarie who had anti-vax propaganda on her counter and tried to tell my sister, an actual nurse, that it was downloaded from the NHS. I'm hoping I have a better perspective once I'm triple vaxxed. 

[Xray the Enforcer]

On 12/30/2021 at 7:22 PM, Impmk2 said:

Wrote a post for the previous thread just as it was locked. Anyway, geeking out about this:

 

Omicron has completely swapped cellular entry mechanism(!), n

 

Oh wow, that's fascinating! I'll be curious to see if the data/conclusions hold up!

[The Anti-Targ]

1 hour ago, Wall Flower said:

Even though it's much, much smaller, there is still an element of that kind of bullshit in Australia. I know my niece was getting quite distressed at having to run the gauntlet of freedom protesters on her way to work in Melbourne.

I think, though, that you are just a much nicer person than I am because I do find myself getting angry at people who think a mask is worn under the nose; who don't know what social distancing is or are like the health food proprietor in Port Macquarie who had anti-vax propaganda on her counter and tried to tell my sister, an actual nurse, that it was downloaded from the NHS. I'm hoping I have a better perspective once I'm triple vaxxed. 

I think the fanatically and even violently anti-vax attitudes are the same everywhere, there is just a higher proportion of the US population with that attitude, and it is very much split along party lines. There is no political party (as far as I know) in Aus, NZ, Canada, the UK and most of Europe which is actively promoting anti-vax and anti-mask attitudes. We certainly have individuals and groups here using violent rhetoric and indicating violent and / or socially disruptive intent. The thing that peeves me is that it looks like we might get  through this pandemic with relatively low numbers of deaths, serious illness and long-COVID. But achieving that will not lead to acknowledgement that the policies and vaccination drive worked. It will just be used to promote the claim that COVID wasn't as serious as "they" said and it was right to oppose everything the govt, big pharma and corrupt scientists were saying.

The worst culprits at giving aid and comfort to the anti-people here is the mainstream media. Almost daily there is a sob story in the media about someone who's life has been disrupted because they won't get vaccinated, or follow the vaccine-pass / traffic light rules. Today there is a headline saying that a person has been "forced" to close their restaurant because they are not vaccinated and won't make their staff be vaccinated. Such an emotive word "forced" and so very wrong. The business owner chose not to operate under the current rules and so they are choosing to close their business. They  may have been able to chose to hire a manager who is vaccinated (so they don't need to be vaxed and can run the business remotely), and hire staff who are vaccinated and let unvaxed staff go (closing down has the same effect on those unvaxed people) and remain operational. But no they are taking a political stand and choosing to be a victim of a self-inflicted wound.

[Which Tyler]

18 hours ago, BigFatCoward said:

Our figures in the UK while high, are definitely not reprasentative.

After nearly 2 years of being able to get tested as often as you like, I don't know anyone that isn't looking for LFTs, and PCR tests are almost impossible to come by. 

On a seperate note, I can get tested near work, but if I test positive how do I get home since I live 50 miles away and have to take the train?

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-59833262

 

Quote

Covid: Woman isolates in toilet for five hours after positive mid-flight test

A US schoolteacher says she spent five hours in voluntary self-isolation in a plane's toilet after testing positive for Covid-19 mid-flight.

Marisa Fotieo says she felt her throat hurt while travelling from Chicago to Reykjavik, in Iceland, on 20 December.

Ms Fotieo says she performed a rapid test with a kit she had brought with her, which confirmed she was infected.

She remained in the toilet for the rest of the trip, and a flight attendant provided food and drinks to her.

[karaddin]

3 hours ago, Wall Flower said:

Even though it's much, much smaller, there is still an element of that kind of bullshit in Australia. I know my niece was getting quite distressed at having to run the gauntlet of freedom protesters on her way to work in Melbourne.

I think, though, that you are just a much nicer person than I am because I do find myself getting angry at people who think a mask is worn under the nose; who don't know what social distancing is or are like the health food proprietor in Port Macquarie who had anti-vax propaganda on her counter and tried to tell my sister, an actual nurse, that it was downloaded from the NHS. I'm hoping I have a better perspective once I'm triple vaxxed. 

Yeah what Anti-Targ said is about where I think things are. Those same people definitely exist here, but there are much less of them here and it hasn't become tangled up with support for a mainstream political party (yet). I'd peg it as maybe 5% of the population here compared to probably more like 25% in the US.

And I don't think I'd say I'm a nicer person, I get pissed off at them and rant about them - I just try to put that aside once I've got a little distance. At the end of the day everyone (except those living in the alternate realty) are scared and exhausted at this point and I never know someones personal circumstances to genuinely judge. But I do know the circumstances, at least vaguely, of a lot of people here on this board so I do my best to try and bring some kindness into an interaction where it can actually belong. 

1 hour ago, The Anti-Targ said:

The worst culprits at giving aid and comfort to the anti-people here is the mainstream media. Almost daily there is a sob story in the media about someone who's life has been disrupted because they won't get vaccinated, or follow the vaccine-pass / traffic light rules. Today there is a headline saying that a person has been "forced" to close their restaurant because they are not vaccinated and won't make their staff be vaccinated. Such an emotive word "forced" and so very wrong. 

Yeah the complete and utter failure of the western media to live up to their duty to serve the public over the last couple of decades is a very large contributor to the undermining of our societies. The only lesson they've learnt from how they got played on climate change is how to do the same manipulations more efficiently to undermine the existence of a shared reality.

[lessthanluke]

5 hours ago, Wall Flower said:

 

I think, though, that you are just a much nicer person than I am because I do find myself getting angry at people who think a mask is worn under the nose; who don't know what social distancing is 

Maybe this is also part of my disconnect.  I see this behaviour constantly from people who are vaxxed.

 

Thanks @karaddin 

Had a slight temperature for a few hours one day and that's about it in regards to symptoms! So touch wood that's it going forward.

[Varysblackfyre321]

13 minutes ago, lessthanluke said:

Maybe this is also part of my disconnect.  I see this behaviour constantly from people who are vaxxed.

Significantly more on the anti-Vaxxers to be sure.

When they bother to do such things.

[lessthanluke]

4 minutes ago, Varysblackfyre321 said:

Significantly more on the anti-Vaxxers to be sure.

 

Depends on your definition of anti vaxxer but probably best not to go down this route again.

In personal experience not so much but ymmv.

[Varysblackfyre321]

42 minutes ago, lessthanluke said:

Depends on your definition of anti vaxxer

Deliberately chooses to get vaccinated when they are capable of safely doing so.

 

43 minutes ago, lessthanluke said:

but probably best not to go down this route again.

Eh. People who’ve been anti-mask mandates or see masks as pointless or social distancing as effective tend to be anti-vax.

These sentiments tend to blend into each other.

 

 

[Varysblackfyre321]

1 hour ago, lessthanluke said:

I see this behaviour constantly from people who are vaxxed.

Also: https://www.nbcnews.com/health/health-news/unvaccinated-americans-not-changing-their-behavior-report-finds-n1275815

This is just America but I imagine similar trends play across the world

[lessthanluke]

1 hour ago, Varysblackfyre321 said:

Also: https://www.nbcnews.com/health/health-news/unvaccinated-americans-not-changing-their-behavior-report-finds-n1275815

This is just America but I imagine similar trends play across the world

I doubt it. America has a very higher percentage of crazies Karadin has already said.

 

1 hour ago, Varysblackfyre321 said:

Deliberately chooses to get vaccinated when they are capable of safely doing so.

 

Eh. People who’ve been anti-mask mandates or see masks as pointless or social distancing as effective tend to be anti-vax.

These sentiments tend to blend into each other.

 

 

How many unvaccinated people do you personally know? What are their views on the vaccine/pandemic as a whole?

What this thread shows me honestly is that most people on here haven't actually spoken to many/if any unvaccinated people about their views.

Yes there is a very vocal anti mask anti all measures part of the anti vax group but its a minority imo and in my experience.

I know a LOT of unvaxxed people. Probably down to the industry I work in. 99.9 percent of them are not anti mask, they do not spread anti vax information, they are just quietly trying to get on with their lives like everyone else.

The small minority of those on my social media who are anti everything are Americans...