Coronavirus Discussion

[Astreya]

@Lagie

Wow. Some people really got some weird notions...

 

You might tell him that while the current anti-covid vaccines don't creep into the body's DNA, viruses so successfully do that that nowadays the human genome consists of about 10 percent virus DNA. I bet that would surprise him!

 

By the way, the surest way to affect your reproductive abilities is by getting killed by SARS-CoV-2. ^^

 

----------

As of today, Saturday, May 22, 10:00 GMT+2, my home town (population 211 000) has 262  (+9) active cases, while 10 235 (+2)  people are considered to have recovered. 343 (+3) persons sadly died. 776 persons are currently quarantined. All in all there have been 10 840 (+14) people who suffered from Covid-19 since the beginning of the pandemic. The number of newly infected people per 100 000 citizens in the last 7 days is 64.1 (+3.8).

 

Currently 23 (+-0) persons are treated in hospitals, with 10 (+3) of them in intensive care, 8 (+2) of these needing artificial respiration.

There have been 86 075 (1st jab, 40.8%) and 25 655 (2nd jab, 12.2%) vaccinations so far.

 

----------

As of today, Sunday, May 23, 10:00 GMT+2, my home town (population 211 000) has 257  (-5) active cases, while 10 251 (+16)  people are considered to have recovered. 343 (+-0) persons sadly died. 715 persons are currently quarantined. All in all there have been 10 851 (+11) people who suffered from Covid-19 since the beginning of the pandemic. The number of newly infected people per 100 000 citizens in the last 7 days is 61.2 (-2.9).

 

Currently 22 (-1) persons are treated in hospitals, with 8 (-2) of them in intensive care, 8 (+-0) of these needing artificial respiration.

There have been 86 512 (1st jab, 41.0%) and 25 993 (2nd jab, 12.3%) vaccinations so far.

[Source: Stadt Oberhausen]

Edited May 23, 2021 by Astreya

[Kaini]

Went to the store today. Some people wearing masks, some not since KC lifted their mandate. I will continue to wear mine.

[HeatherMarie]

2 hours ago, Kaini said:

Went to the store today. Some people wearing masks, some not since KC lifted their mandate. I will continue to wear mine.

 

Same here. Mask mandate has been lifted, and while I deliberately don't look too hard at news I did see that our County/Governmental buildings aren't even enforcing social distancing anymore. I'm fully vaccinated and most people I know here in town are as well, but after the past year I feel like things are moving too fast... We need to be cautiously optimistic when it comes to lower covid rates and vaccination numbers, not just throw away all precautions like that. We are still having covid deaths, even if it's only a few a week now it's still deaths, you know?

[Kaini]

5 minutes ago, HeatherMarie said:

 

Same here. Mask mandate has been lifted, and while I deliberately don't look too hard at news I did see that our County/Governmental buildings aren't even enforcing social distancing anymore. I'm fully vaccinated and most people I know here in town are as well, but after the past year I feel like things are moving too fast... We need to be cautiously optimistic when it comes to lower covid rates and vaccination numbers, not just throw away all precautions like that. We are still having covid deaths, even if it's only a few a week now it's still deaths, you know?

 

People are definitely still getting sick and still dying. I have an online acquaintance (a long ways away I've never met in person) that has it and describes it as feeling like death, and the worst thing they've ever experienced. I'm definitely afraid this sort of pretending it's all done and gone will lead to higher numbers, more infections and more deaths.

[trystan]

so PA has the same guidelines for fully vaccinated people as the CDC has said.  my retail store has said, as of today, if you're fully vaccinated, you do not have to wear a mask inside - customers and employees.  so technically i don't have to wear my mask anymore.  however - heck no, i'm keeping my mask on.... it's too people-y in there to not!  and i don't trust the customers. (i mean, quite a number of them are still wearing masks below their nose.  seriously? that's still not how that works)  i have seen a few customers this weekend and last who weren't wearing masks... and i know those kids certainly aren't vaccinated yet.... yeesh.  there still is a pandemic happening.

[HeatherMarie]

26 minutes ago, trystan said:

so PA has the same guidelines for fully vaccinated people as the CDC has said.  my retail store has said, as of today, if you're fully vaccinated, you do not have to wear a mask inside - customers and employees.  so technically i don't have to wear my mask anymore.  however - heck no, i'm keeping my mask on.... it's too people-y in there to not!  and i don't trust the customers. (i mean, quite a number of them are still wearing masks below their nose.  seriously? that's still not how that works)  i have seen a few customers this weekend and last who weren't wearing masks... and i know those kids certainly aren't vaccinated yet.... yeesh.  there still is a pandemic happening.

 

Yeah, that's the thing, *if* you are vaccinated you don't have to wear a mask, but who's going to actually check that people not wearing masks are in fact vaccinated? In a world where people fought against wearing masks for so long even as death rates soared I have no confidence at all that the only people not wearing them now are vaccinated. That becomes outright dangerous in places like grocery stores and such where there are so many people, strangers, with no way to know who has been vaccinated and who hasn't. 

[trystan]

2 hours ago, HeatherMarie said:

 

Yeah, that's the thing, *if* you are vaccinated you don't have to wear a mask, but who's going to actually check that people not wearing masks are in fact vaccinated? In a world where people fought against wearing masks for so long even as death rates soared I have no confidence at all that the only people not wearing them now are vaccinated. That becomes outright dangerous in places like grocery stores and such where there are so many people, strangers, with no way to know who has been vaccinated and who hasn't. 

completely agree.

 

I saw a funny meme that was of an older guy wearing a Joe Biden t-shirt, and the caption was all g the lines of people who are fully vaccinated should wear Biden stuff so we know they're actually fully vaccinated as opposed to being an anti-vaxxer/anti-masker 

 

but yeah,  I don't trust people so I'm still wearing my mask indoors with lots of people. 

[Lagie]

Not to mention, being fully vaccinated doesn't guarantee you won't get it. I will keep mine on even if the rules change. Wearing them is thankfully still mandated by law here. $250 fine without.

 

49 new cases Friday from 515 tests (positivity rate 9.5%), 46 of those on my island. One additional death (a 37-year-old) takes that total to 225. Apparently this wave has a lot more younger people getting sick.

[trystan]

11 hours ago, Lagie said:

Not to mention, being fully vaccinated doesn't guarantee you won't get it. I will keep mine on even if the rules change.

yep yep!

 

so.... it turns out my older daughter (she's 23) DID get her first vaccine dose about 3-1/2 weeks ago, and her second dose just this past wednesday.  she kinda let us harass her about not making an appointment, when she actually just walked into a Rite Aid and said "hi! i'd like a covid vaccine" and they said "sure! here ya go!"  even if she didn't know when she was going to do that, she was planning it, so when we (me and younger daughter) asked if she'd gotten an appointment, instead of saying "i'll get there," she could have just said "yes, i have an appointment" and be done with that.  sily girl.

[Lagie]

Ah, but at least she's done!

 

So... of our 380,000 +/- population, 44,226 have had their first shots and 6,016 are fully vaccinated. Which really... isn't that many.

Two islands are going into a full two week lockdown to try to stop the spread there.

 

53 new cases yesterday from 356 tests (positivity rate 14.9%), for a new total of 11,552 cases, 33 of those on my island. One additional death takes that total to 226.

[trystan]

49 minutes ago, Lagie said:

Ah, but at least she's done!

true true!

 

wow, another lockdown  

[PrincessLucy]

Well, here in Connecticut, starting May 19, people who are fully vaccinated no longer need to wear masks indoors unless your town has different rules, or if you are in a store or private event that has different rules. Many stores are still requiring masks, but many are not. They also say mask restrictions end on May 29, but I will still wear mine after that.

 

I was in Home Depot, and a woman with her mask hanging around 1 ear was wiping her nose on the arm while in line for a cashier. Classy.

 

My overnight girl in the grocery store I work at got her 2nd Moderna vaccine on Friday, so she took Friday night off to recover, only to be sick Sat night. I am hoping that she feels better soon.

[Astreya]

In Germany, the overall incidence is slowly going down. At the moment, the average 7-day-incidence per 100 000 persons for the whole of Germany is 62.5. Of course people are shouting for an easing of the restrictions ASAP, and in some districts, there already are more openings. Also of course, people now stream into the eased-up areas and "forget" to don their masks or keep social distancing. In a news report on TV, one reporter interviewed a young woman (I think in Hamburg), and she said while looking around "I guess with all those people here so close together, the numbers will certainly rise again." *headdesk* Why, dear Lady, are you out there in the crowd when you are perfectly aware how stupid an idea it is?

 

----------

As of today, Monday, May 24, 09:00 GMT+2, my home town (population 211 000) has 267  (+10) active cases, while 10 254 (+3)  people are considered to have recovered. 343 (+-0) persons sadly died. 709 persons are currently quarantined. All in all there have been 10 864 (+13) people who suffered from Covid-19 since the beginning of the pandemic. The number of newly infected people per 100 000 citizens in the last 7 days is 63.1 (+1.9).

 

Currently 20 (-2) persons are treated in hospitals, with 9 (+1) of them in intensive care, 7 (-1) of these needing artificial respiration.

There have been 86 983 (1st jab, 41.2%) and 26 276 (2nd jab, 12.5%) vaccinations so far.

[Source: Stadt Oberhausen]

 

Edited May 25, 2021 by Astreya

[HeatherMarie]

17 hours ago, Astreya said:

In Germany, the overall incidence is slowly going down. At the moment, the average 7-day-incidence per 100 000 persons for the whole of Germany is 62.5. Of course people are shouting for an easing of the restrictions ASAP, and in some districts, there already are more openings. Also of course, people now stream into the eased-up areas and "forget" to don their masks or keep social distancing. In a news report on TV, one reporter interviewed a young woman (I think in Hamburg), and she said while looking around "I guess with all those people here so close together, the numbers will certainly rise again." *headdesk* Why, dear Lady, are you out there in the crowd when you are perfectly aware how stupid an idea it is?

 

 

That's... wow. Like, you actually told a reporter you expect the numbers to rise and you are deliberately putting yourself right in the middle of it? What on earth? Stupid people. And yes, there is a lot of 'forgetting' around here too. Has been the whole time, even when restrictions were tighter, even when grocery stores and such had strict limits on the number of customers allowed inside at once... There are markings all over the floor of the entire store visually showing the 6-foot guideline but people think nothing of coming right up next to you to grab something on the shelf you are in front of. Or actually make body contact as they squeeze by you in a smaller aisle. I have issues with social anxiety in the first place and *that* just makes it so much worse.

[Astreya]

@HeatherMarie

Frankly, in some cases I really wonder if people are really so stupid when you hear some of the statements on TV. Plus how they can be doubly stupid in that they allow the broadcaster to show the stuff they say!

 

Another problem is that in some immigration heavy areas, people have problems getting proper information as in their own language bubbles sometimes the weirdest misinformation runs around. About two or so weeks ago, when a reporter asked random people in a Covid hotspot whether they would go vaccinated, a woman said in somewhat broken German: "Of course not because I would die!" Only rather recently people have been sent out to talk with these people in their own languages to distribute proper information to them, and interestingly this really helps to alleviate the fears and get the vaccination rate up in these areas, too.

 

----------

As of today, Tuesday, May 25, 10:15 GMT+2, my home town (population 211 000) has 239  (-28) active cases, while 10 284 (+30)  people are considered to have recovered. 343 (+-0) persons sadly died. 697 persons are currently quarantined. All in all there have been 10 866 (+2) people who suffered from Covid-19 since the beginning of the pandemic. The number of newly infected people per 100 000 citizens in the last 7 days is 59.3 (-3.8).

 

Currently 20 (+-0) persons are treated in hospitals, with 8 (-1) of them in intensive care, 6 (-1) of these needing artificial respiration.

There have been 87 420 (1st jab, 41.4%) and 26 547 (2nd jab, 12.6%) vaccinations so far.

 

----------

As of today, Wednesday, May 26, 10:30 GMT+2, my home town (population 211 000) has 209  (-30) active cases, while 10 314 (+30)  people are considered to have recovered. 345 (+2) persons sadly died. 647 persons are currently quarantined. All in all there have been 10 868 (+2) people who suffered from Covid-19 since the beginning of the pandemic. The number of newly infected people per 100 000 citizens in the last 7 days is 51.2 (-8.1).

 

Currently 25 (+5) persons are treated in hospitals, with 8 (+-0) of them in intensive care, 7 (+1) of these needing artificial respiration.

There have been 89 956 (1st jab, 42.8%) and 27 356 (2nd jab, 13.0%) vaccinations so far.

[Source: Stadt Oberhausen]

 

Edited May 26, 2021 by Astreya

[Ruby Eyes]

On 5/21/2021 at 10:59 PM, Lagie said:

It gets worse. One of my customers won't get vaccinated because it will affect his reproductive abilities. 

Tell him to get the Pfizer one. After all, they're known for helping guys with that sort of issues

 

[Lagie]

1 hour ago, Ruby Eyes said:

Tell him to get the Pfizer one. After all, they're known for helping guys with that sort of issues

 

Sadly, not an option here. We only have the AstraZeneca.

 

28 new cases Sunday from 215 tests (positivity rate 13%), for a new total of 11,579 cases, 25 of those on my island.

[trystan]

so. the CDC has said if you're fully vaccinated, essentially you don't have to wear your mask outside or in.

we have a little convenience store in the town i work in (ok, there's pretty much a Wawa everywhere in southeastern PA, NJ, some in MD, and some even in FL!) and they've taken their sign about needing to wear a mask in the store.  however - that means if you're fully vaccinated you don't have to wear a mask.

my boss goes to Wawa this morning for her free coffee (it's a rewards thing) and comes back and says "they took their signs down! you don't have to wear a mask anymore."  i tell her "if you're fully vaccinated, that is."  she shrugs and says she didn't wear hers.  it wouldn't be the first time, as she's said she's not worn her mask other times before as well.

cue me trying NOT to headdesk, because i know, and SHE KNOWS FULL WELL she's NOT and NEVER WILL BE vaccinated for covid.

argh.

 

[Lagie]

Aargh indeed.

 

18 cases yesterday from a mere 120 tests (public holiday; 15% positivity) takes the total to 11,597.

Today's newspaper headline says more younger people are getting sick now. The 30 - 39 year old group has the highest number of cases now.

[Kestra15]

I am very, very glad I'm not particularly active, I think I might have gone a bit mad on this thread...

[Confused Cat]

I just got my first shot!    The next one is in four weeks. I got the Moderna vaccine, I don't know if I'll automatically get the same one next time.

 

I was terrified something would go wrong - what if my car breaks down on the way there, or there's a big traffic jam and I miss the appointment, or I just can't find the right building, or my brain stops working and I forget to go, or what if a hacker gets on my phone and clicks the "cancel" link... But it all worked out fine, and the place was organized very well with lots of signs and arrows and numbers and very kind people.

So now I can start being terrified of side effects instead! Yay! 

[Kestra15]

Congrats, I suggest plenty of fluids and rest for the day in case it kicks in with a vengeance tomorrow.

[Confused Cat]

Thanks @Kestra15! I often forget to drink enough, so that was a useful reminder.

[Kestra15]

No worries

[Lagie]

3 hours ago, Confused Cat said:

Thanks @Kestra15! I often forget to drink enough, so that was a useful reminder.

And have Panadol or Tylenol on hand just in case. Congrats on your shot!