COVID the 3rd (2 Viewers)

[Warrior]

Larry Allen mentioned this new lambda variant of Covid in a group email today...
I heard it mentioned a month or so ago...
but didn't give it much attention...
til I read this article...
this is scary...
wearing a mask is no big deal to me...
easier than putting on my socks...
pretty simple...
and if provides any protection at all...that's better than nothing...

https://www.infectioncontroltoday.com/view/lambda-variant-of-covid-19-might-be-resistant-to-vaccines

No idea short of banning people coming to the US from other countries or not allowing US citizens to travel to other countries how to avoid this.

This is just an ongoing nightmare, no other way to describe it.

 

[mikemiller1955]

No idea short of banning people coming to the US from other countries or not allowing US citizens to travel to other countries how to avoid this.

This is just an ongoing nightmare, no other way to describe it.

George...
this is an interesting article...

https://www.wcvb.com/article/lambda...ping-up-us-heres-what-you-need-know/37104095#

The delta variant makes up 83% of sequenced samples in the U.S., Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky said Tuesday.
It's more transmissible than any other variant so far, including the lambda variant.
Recent data from Israel evaluating effectiveness of the Pfizer/BionTech mRNA vaccine on the delta variant found the vaccine to be 64% protective against infection and 93% effective in preventing severe disease and hospitalizations.

 

[joesgis]

George...
this is an interesting article...

https://www.wcvb.com/article/lambda...ping-up-us-heres-what-you-need-know/37104095#

The delta variant makes up 83% of sequenced samples in the U.S., Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky said Tuesday.
It's more transmissible than any other variant so far, including the lambda variant.
Recent data from Israel evaluating effectiveness of the Pfizer/BionTech mRNA vaccine on the delta variant found the vaccine to be 64% protective against infection and 93% effective in preventing severe disease and hospitalizations.

One thing I wonder is how do they accurately measure the vaccine's effectiveness against infection outside of a controlled lab setting (per the # cited above at 64%)? It seems it would be very hard to reliably determine how many people have not become infected because of being vaccinated unless the entire population was vaccinated and also exposed to the virus. How can it been known how many vaccinated people are exposed to the virus and not infected? There must be a significant amount of vaccinated individuals who get exposed yet don't get infected. So how are they all accounted for?

Joe

 

[Panzer ace]

I can’t say I always agree with my native Texans and their oft maligned attitudes, but I have to say I do like the “you had your chance to get vaccinated” point of view.

 

[hotel3alpha]

All,

I always said that if the virus were to affect children the response would be different from both the government, the public and world. Well, thats were it is headed and I take zero joy in being the soothsayer on that one...none.

Nobody can force anyone to get vaccinated and I get that. I'm vaccinated and view it as a deterrent to the virus, but not the end all. I am still washing the hands, using the hand sanitizer and wearing the mask when the business I enter requires it. However, I am not wearing the mask everywhere unless posted. The problem is that we (as in Americans) can't SEE the threat/virus, if COVID were a creepy boogey man looking thing floating, slithering or walking around...fughetaboudit...the whole nation would be vaccinated. As pathetic as it sounds, it's true. I ran into a lady at Home Depot that wore a shirt that said "Unvaccinated, Unmasked and Unafraid", well alright then. Loud and proud and I think it is a shirt more for attention or gas lighting a response from somebody in order to get into some sort of stupid debate about constitutional rights or whatever. In my opinion she has a piss poor attitude about the pandemic and good luck with that and your DIY project.

Meanwhile, Governors around the Nation are thumbing their noses at imposing mask rules or whatever. I guess its a "been there done that" attitude and yeah it is too late to go back to that. However, is there another approach that could be done? I mean they have had a year plus to figure it out. Nah, its good politics to get in front of the camera and say "enough" and be tough on masks...not crime or other pressing issues. Honestly, I would hate to be in their shoes.

On the other hand, I ran into the Doctor who performed the surgery that removed the cancer from my wife and basically saved her life. I unashamedly kissed his hands (through my mask) in public in front of his wife.

John from Texas

 

[Horus]

All,

I always said that if the virus were to affect children the response would be different from both the government, the public and world. Well, thats were it is headed and I take zero joy in being the soothsayer on that one...none.

Nobody can force anyone to get vaccinated and I get that. I'm vaccinated and view it as a deterrent to the virus, but not the end all. I am still washing the hands, using the hand sanitizer and wearing the mask when the business I enter requires it. However, I am not wearing the mask everywhere unless posted. The problem is that we (as in Americans) can't SEE the threat/virus, if COVID were a creepy boogey man looking thing floating, slithering or walking around...fughetaboudit...the whole nation would be vaccinated. As pathetic as it sounds, it's true. I ran into a lady at Home Depot that wore a shirt that said "Unvaccinated, Unmasked and Unafraid", well alright then. Loud and proud and I think it is a shirt more for attention or gas lighting a response from somebody in order to get into some sort of stupid debate about constitutional rights or whatever. In my opinion she has a piss poor attitude about the pandemic and good luck with that and your DIY project.

Meanwhile, Governors around the Nation are thumbing their noses at imposing mask rules or whatever. I guess its a "been there done that" attitude and yeah it is too late to go back to that. However, is there another approach that could be done? I mean they have had a year plus to figure it out. Nah, its good politics to get in front of the camera and say "enough" and be tough on masks...not crime or other pressing issues. Honestly, I would hate to be in their shoes.

On the other hand, I ran into the Doctor who performed the surgery that removed the cancer from my wife and basically saved her life. I unashamedly kissed his hands (through my mask) in public in front of his wife.

John from Texas

John
You are one of the few of us who can really appreciate the worth of what really is, the only thing that matters ! :salute::

Steve

 

[Warrior]

I ran into a lady at Home Depot that wore a shirt that said "Unvaccinated, Unmasked and Unafraid", well alright then. Loud and proud and I think it is a shirt more for attention or gas lighting a response from somebody in order to get into some sort of stupid debate about constitutional rights or whatever. In my opinion she has a piss poor attitude about the pandemic and good luck with that and your DIY project.

This made me laugh out loud, especially this part........."and good luck with that and your DIY project."

That lady and her shirt are the reason why the "I'm with stupid" shirts were invented.

 

[OzDigger]

Yep no matter what advancements are made in Medicine, there's no cure for Stupid.

 

[Panzer ace]

We had a client at one of our gyms who wanted to do rehabilitation after he was involved in a huge car accident where he was ejected from his vehicle.

One day I asked him what he thought about and saw as he was launched through his windshield.

He point blank told me he saw nothing as he thought, too late now but everyone was right, I should have worn a seatbelt….

Argue with reality all you want, you will lose.

Like it or not the vaccine works.

 

[mikemiller1955]

.

Argue with reality all you want, you will lose.

Like it or not the vaccine works.

Jason...
very good...
that's the hammer and the nail...

 

[tdubel]

I honestly do scratch my head at why anybody is against the vaccine. I understand some of the arguments at first (new, untested, etc), HOWEVER, all of the testing that is continuing on the vaccines show that they are highly effective and are showing their staying power. Additionally outside of the testing, those who are vaccinated who happen to test positive are either have zero or low symptoms, certainly very very little hospitalization or death. So, seems to be a no brainer, not sure why it is that hard of a concept.

 

[mikemiller1955]

So, seems to be a no brainer, not sure why it is that hard of a concept.

agreed Tom...like Matt said...there is no cure for stupid...

 

[Warrior]

I honestly do scratch my head at why anybody is against the vaccine. I understand some of the arguments at first (new, untested, etc), HOWEVER, all of the testing that is continuing on the vaccines show that they are highly effective and are showing their staying power. Additionally outside of the testing, those who are vaccinated who happen to test positive are either have zero or low symptoms, certainly very very little hospitalization or death. So, seems to be a no brainer, not sure why it is that hard of a concept.

I would HATE to think of where we would be with this Delta variant now roaring through the country without a vaccine, peak infection numbers are still about 4 to 6 weeks away.

I'm trying to think, what event in the country is 8 weeks from today; hmmm..........give me a minute, I'll come up with it.

We'd be in lockdown again 100% and even that would not save us, hospitals would be overflowing.

As would morgues.

I'm noticing more and more people are stepping up and getting vaccinated.

Except my cousin; he and his wife went to a packed Fenway park yesterday to watch the RS blow a 3-0 lead to the Yankees; no vaccine for him, no mask, no nothing.

He's completely OTL and God forbid he gets the virus, he'll be SOL.

In the end, whoever is responsible for the vaccine should win the Nobel Peace Prize.

 

[The Military Workshop]

I honestly do scratch my head at why anybody is against the vaccine.

Tom (and others),
How about a vaccine where everybody initially is encouraged to get it. Talking Astra Zeneca.
Then you find out your state Premier, Chief Health Officer and Health Minister have not been vaccinated despite Federal and other state counterparts being vaccinated months before. Premier pretty much says getting it as needed to travel to Tokyo for Olympics.
Then media reporting people dying of blood clots. 2 or 3 but at that point only 1 from Covid in about 6 months in whole country.
Then they say nobody under 50 should get AZ.
Then weeks after that and another death they increase age to nobody under 60 should get AZ.
Followed by your Chief Health Officer pretty much going against what the Prime Minister had said within 24 hours. On the one hand PM saying get the Vax after discussing with Dr. Then CHO next day pretty much says doesn't want young dying of the AZ.
Well for many that was game over as far as AZ goes. Good on those who went ahead but count me as
vax hesitant for now.

Pfizzer initially was more for frontline workers and AZ for the majority. AZ actually made here under licence and much cheaper. The situation is ironic as the female creator of AZ in UK was recently widely acclaimed at Wimbledon.

1800 cases in 18 months in my state with 7 deaths. Average age of deaths over 80. By my thinking I can afford to wait. Even if want to travel overseas not likely to happen for at least a year.

So far I have not met anybody who even knows somebody who has had virus. Only yesterday was talking to somebody who said same thing but they've did know somebody who had a very bad reaction after AZ and has been in hospital for weeks.

So for now I am happy to take my time.

Might be be different if I was in NY but I can only go on situation where I am.

 

[marco55]

If you have been vaccinated you should have no worries about catching it from those who are not. If you are one of the few who do very high chances are you won't get it bad. This virus is going to be around for awhile and it's going to mutate. You can't live every minute of the rest of your life in fear. We have had pandemics before and the people of those times dealt with them and moved on. I don't think there has ever been a group of leaders (worldwide) like now who have used a virus as a weapon against the mass of people. My opinion is if you don't want to take it then don't. We have had many people die to defend our freedoms of making our own choices. God gave us free will and I will not let some political hack think for me.
Mark
Mark

 

[bradleyl30]

I now know multiple people who have gotten it even though they are vaccinated. The great news is they have not spread it to their families and only one had symptoms beyond a mild cold. She has other factors, but it’s still just a bad cold. Glad everyone I care about deeply is vaccinated if they’re old enough.

 

[Warrior]

Spoke to a friend of mine today employed in the medical field, his specialty is Immunology and Virology and in his opinion, we missed our window here in the US to effectively get those who are not vaccinated vaccinated in time.

"Don't get me wrong, every vaccination helps, but the problem is dose one, then dose two three weeks later, then full immunity two weeks after that, so in theory, if someone gets vaccinated today, they are still not out of the woods until 5 weeks from now/September and mid September or so is when I estimate peak infections to be, then a decline from there, so again, every vaccination is a victory, but the window has closed, the ride is going to be bumpy the next 5 to 6 weeks."

Yeah, that's just ****ing all sorts of awesome.

 

[tdubel]

Tom (and others),
How about a vaccine where everybody initially is encouraged to get it. Talking Astra Zeneca.
Then you find out your state Premier, Chief Health Officer and Health Minister have not been vaccinated despite Federal and other state counterparts being vaccinated months before. Premier pretty much says getting it as needed to travel to Tokyo for Olympics.
Then media reporting people dying of blood clots. 2 or 3 but at that point only 1 from Covid in about 6 months in whole country.
Then they say nobody under 50 should get AZ.
Then weeks after that and another death they increase age to nobody under 60 should get AZ.
Followed by your Chief Health Officer pretty much going against what the Prime Minister had said within 24 hours. On the one hand PM saying get the Vax after discussing with Dr. Then CHO next day pretty much says doesn't want young dying of the AZ.
Well for many that was game over as far as AZ goes. Good on those who went ahead but count me as
vax hesitant for now.

Pfizzer initially was more for frontline workers and AZ for the majority. AZ actually made here under licence and much cheaper. The situation is ironic as the female creator of AZ in UK was recently widely acclaimed at Wimbledon.

1800 cases in 18 months in my state with 7 deaths. Average age of deaths over 80. By my thinking I can afford to wait. Even if want to travel overseas not likely to happen for at least a year.

So far I have not met anybody who even knows somebody who has had virus. Only yesterday was talking to somebody who said same thing but they've did know somebody who had a very bad reaction after AZ and has been in hospital for weeks.

So for now I am happy to take my time.

Might be be different if I was in NY but I can only go on situation where I am.

I unfortunately have no knowledge of the AZ vaccine other than it is not in the US. I consider myself very lucky as I got Moderna, which is proving to be quite the vax so far from the initial and continued testing. Now, I may very well be an anomaly as I said before on the board I have never had the flu and I can't remember the last time in my adult life I had a virus. Maybe I am lucky or just have strong immunity, however, end of day, when I was given choice to take Moderna, I took it. Of course I consulted with my own doctor as well as a family member who is a neuro MD. I think everyone has to do what is best for their own situation.

I tend to tune out the press, I really do try as when I watch it, no matter what the topic is, my blood pressure goes up.

Tom

 

[The Military Workshop]

I unfortunately have no knowledge of the AZ vaccine other than it is not in the US.

AZ comes out of Uk Oxford Uni. When Bruce Springsteen had his concert recently those with AZ Vax not allowed. This was because not approved by US Govt at the time. That is obviously a problem as most Europeans getting AZ. Early on, before Oz production got going, the EU were holding up shipments to Oz as wanted for own people. Then more recently I read the Oz production plant was not approved by EU regulators so Oz AZ Vax technically not approved. Probably sorted now.

The problem here is mixed messaging from Federal and different state Health officers and leaders. Initially saying not a race as country isolated anyway. Then due to outbreak in Sydney a month ago our Prime Minister makes a phone call to he the approving body to change their advice and now encourage all to get AZ as better than nothing.

However I think it fair to say AZ's reputation suffered greatly and now most would prefer Pfizzer. Unfortunate when we have a AZ production facility here. Govt now purchased 85m Pfizzer booster doses to cover next few years.

Our population is 25m with less than 1,000 deaths. 80% of those deaths in one state (VIC) and 80% of those were elderly in aged care. That then brings you into the debate about dying of Covid or with Covid in the case of comorbidities.


As I have said before totally different situation to US and Europe and India etc, If you want to leave Oz at the moment it is very difficult and only a few thousand a week are being allowed in. Strangely half of Hollywood seems to be here {sm4}

People from three other major states currently not allowed into Queensland. A returning Queenslander must do 2 weeks hotel quarantine. Our Premier now in hotel quarantine after coming back from Tokyo.

 

[marco55]

They gave me the Pfizer. Tuesday will be 2 weeks since I got the second shot.
Mark