Coronavirus COVID-19 - Global Health Pandemic #109

[Betty P]

​

CDC promises to end disruption; its new guidance won’t do it

Guidance crafted only to keep hospital beds empty will not keep schools and workplaces full or planes in the sky.

thehill.com

Recent census data shows that 7.6 percent of American adults are currently experiencing symptoms consistent with Long COVID. A large study from the Netherlands found that one in eight people infected with COVID-19 went on to have at least one symptom of Long COVID. This ‘epidemic within a pandemic’ could yield a massive long-lasting health crisis with major impacts on health systems and the economy. Katie Bach of the Brookings Institution estimates 2 to 4 million people are out of work due to Long COVID, and its economic burden may amount to $170 to $230 billion a year in lost wages.

First, guidance crafted only to keep hospital beds empty will not keep schools and workplaces full or planes in the sky. The CDC guidance only recommends masking at levels of COVID spread that threaten to limit impact on hospitals. Experts have demonstrated that it sets thresholds above the level to keep schools open stably and keep immunocompromised people safe.

Second, policy decisions on the investment and deployment of next generation tools, including better vaccines, should not only aim to reduce the risk of severe acute illness, but also better prevent disability from Long COVID and disruptions caused by people getting sick from periodic reinfections.

 

[Lilibet]

We have friends (elderly like us) who traveled to France last month and came home Covid-free also. So far, I'm not ready to get on an airplane again or travel with a group. And I'm not up for a road trip if it's more than a few hours to the destination. I feel like a big old stick-in-the-mud!

I’m a “big old stick-in-the-mud” right along with you @anneg! We live downtown where there are lots of wonderful restaurants. Often we can smell their food cooking from our deck! The other night my husband smelled steak and was dying to go have a steak with a baked potato and sour cream (yes, I know…heart attack on a plate ). Poor guy…I’m just not “dying” for a steak or any other restaurant food enough to risk dying for it…yet. I don’t think I can “outrun the zombies” to quote Alexandra Petri’s satire. I guess it’s time to buy a barbecue. But it’s not quite the same as being served in a restaurant…sigh. I really miss that.

 

[Teche]

I’m a “big old stick-in-the-mud” right along with you @anneg! We live downtown where there are lots of wonderful restaurants. Often we can smell their food cooking from our deck! The other night my husband smelled steak and was dying to go have a steak with a baked potato and sour cream (yes, I know…heart attack on a plate ). Poor guy…I’m just not “dying” for a steak or any other restaurant food enough to risk dying for it…yet. I don’t think I can “outrun the zombies” to quote Alexandra Petri’s satire. I guess it’s time to buy a barbecue. But it’s not quite the same as being served in a restaurant…sigh. I really miss that.

Can you order and use a delivery service? My husband uses a cast iron skillet to cook a restaurant quality steak.

 

[ilovepierre]

I’m a “big old stick-in-the-mud” right along with you @anneg! We live downtown where there are lots of wonderful restaurants. Often we can smell their food cooking from our deck! The other night my husband smelled steak and was dying to go have a steak with a baked potato and sour cream (yes, I know…heart attack on a plate ). Poor guy…I’m just not “dying” for a steak or any other restaurant food enough to risk dying for it…yet. I don’t think I can “outrun the zombies” to quote Alexandra Petri’s satire. I guess it’s time to buy a barbecue. But it’s not quite the same as being served in a restaurant…sigh. I really miss that.

I’ve been out to restaurants (not including fast food) maybe a handful of times now. I notice that they still seat every other table if they can and some of the staff are continuing to mask. I feel safe eating out now than I did in the earlier days.

 

[Niner]

I’ve been out to restaurants (not including fast food) maybe a handful of times now. I notice that they still seat every other table if they can and some of the staff are continuing to mask. I feel safe eating out now than I did in the earlier days.

Most of the restaurants that I have eaten at were all outside. So I had no problems with that. And our wait staff also wear masks. People here are pretty good at following the "rules".

 

[BetteDavisEyes]

I’ve been out to restaurants (not including fast food) maybe a handful of times now. I notice that they still seat every other table if they can and some of the staff are continuing to mask. I feel safe eating out now than I did in the earlier days.

We are trying to return to our pre-pandemic schedule of enjoying dinner out once a week. We tend to go early (between 4 and 5:00PM) when most restaurants are not busy, and we request a table or booth that is not close to other tables. We're kind of boring in that we usually go to the same one or two restaurants because we know that we can be isolated from other diners. Very few people in our area (metro Detroit) wear masks, and the only venues that now require them are medical facilities.

Like many others, we have not travelled anywhere for more than two years. We have a 10-night cruise booked for late January 2023 but have yet to purchase airline tickets. We will have to get on that shortly if we want to make sure that we arrive in Fort Lauderdale in time to sail, but we are putting it off as long as possible. We always purchase travel insurance in the event we're unable to make the trip. We are hoping that we can actually go on the cruise, but if Covid has another surge, we'll at least be able to cancel without losing out on the cruise fare and airline tickets.

 

[Dotta]

NHS confirms autumn Covid booster for 26million to begin in September

NHS England said care home residents and people who are housebound will be among the first to be vaccinated against Covid again as the rollout begins from September 5.

www.dailymail.co.uk

 

[Lilibet]

Can you order and use a delivery service? My husband uses a cast iron skillet to cook a restaurant quality steak.

We’ve ordered delivery service meals @Teche and by the time they get to us they are unsatisfactory…something is “lost in transportation.” Even picking them up and bringing them home isn’t worth it.

 

[GarAndTeed]

Hi All,
My friend & counselor, TJ, has had COVID for 2 weeks; he's going into the hospital today. Any healing energy and/or prayers would be much appreciated. (Mods, please move if this is not in an appropriate thread),
Thank you!

TJ has fully recovered. I apologize for not posting sooner...I thank every one of you for your thoughts, prayers, and kindness. I have no doubt that each of you contributed to his healing. Bless you<3

 

[doublestop]

Like many others, we have not travelled anywhere for more than two years. We have a 10-night cruise booked for late January 2023 but have yet to purchase airline tickets. We will have to get on that shortly if we want to make sure that we arrive in Fort Lauderdale in time to sail, but we are putting it off as long as possible. We always purchase travel insurance in the event we're unable to make the trip. We are hoping that we can actually go on the cruise, but if Covid has another surge, we'll at least be able to cancel without losing out on the cruise fare and airline tickets.

Does your trip insurance allow you to cancel if Covid rates go back up? We were supposed to go on a cruise 2.5 years ago and had to cancel (and then the cruise itself got cancelled). We haven't rebooked because (aside from trying to avoid covid) we didn't know how trip insurance handed it if we decided we didn't want to go because rates were high).

 

[BetteDavisEyes]

Does your trip insurance allow you to cancel if Covid rates go back up? We were supposed to go on a cruise 2.5 years ago and had to cancel (and then the cruise itself got cancelled). We haven't rebooked because (aside from trying to avoid covid) we didn't know how trip insurance handed it if we decided we didn't want to go because rates were high).

I don't know the answer to your question and don't want to speculate. We haven't ever had to cancel a trip but, when we book and pay for a trip - usually months in advance - we don't want to risk losing the money if we're unable to travel for whatever reason. When we cruise, we purchase travel insurance with the cruise line and would get a full refund should we have to cancel for any reason. If a voyage is cancelled by the cruise line, I think all passengers would receive a refund regardless of insurance status. If passengers choose to not sail due to fear of Covid, I doubt they would get a refund unless they have trip insurance. JMO

 

[margarita25]

Every time I post these WHO conferences, and Doc T says “Good morning, good afternoon, and good evening”, I feel like I’m stuck in an episode of Groundhog day.

 

[Teche]

Every time I post these WHO conferences, and Doc T says “Good morning, good afternoon, and good evening”, I feel like I’m stuck in an episode of Groundhog day.

Best comment of the day.

 

[MimosaMornings]

Over half of people infected with the omicron variant didn't know it, a study finds — NPR

These undiagnosed infections could be a major factor in the rapid transmission of the omicron variant, the researchers said.

apple.news

 

[CSIDreamer]

Over half of people infected with the omicron variant didn't know it, a study finds — NPR

These undiagnosed infections could be a major factor in the rapid transmission of the omicron variant, the researchers said.

apple.news

So, the true Omicron surge would be double (or more) what was reported?

 

[Sundog]

Over half of people infected with the omicron variant didn't know it, a study finds — NPR

These undiagnosed infections could be a major factor in the rapid transmission of the omicron variant, the researchers said.

apple.news

So out of the 2,479 patients and employees that researchers at the hospital tested for antibodies against Covid-19, 8% of these people tested positive for antibodies, indicating that they had been infected with Covid-19. That's 210 of the people tested in this study (8% tested positive for antibodies).

And out of those 210 who tested positive for antibodies, 56% of them, 118 of them, were not aware that they had ever been infected with Covid-19. The other individuals, 44% of them or 92 of these individuals were aware that they had been infected with covid-19 in the past.

I think the interesting thing is that only 8% of the 2,479 patients and employees tested positive for Covid-19 antibodies, and that out of those 8%, only a little more than half of them didn't know they had ever been infected.

ETA: So less than 5% of the total amount of people tested for antibodies were not aware that they had been infected in the past.


If I've got these numbers right, that doesn't seem like a large percentage of people, it doesn't really surprise me.

 

[ilovewings]

https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/omicron-ba-5-variant-symptoms

Well the news just keeps getting worse with respect to this evil virus. The new news is that stealthy new covid (BA.5) variant can reinfect you every month. I know for myself I am so freaking sick and tired of this horrible virus I could scream. As it is I am almost a shut-in but for going to the grocery store and doctor visits. This is not how I planned to spend my old age. The only good news is that Pfizer and Moderna will have vaccines that can hopefully protect us against the Omicron variant.

 

[ilovewings]

So out of the 2,479 patients and employees that researchers at the hospital tested for antibodies against Covid-19, 8% of these people tested positive for antibodies, indicating that they had been infected with Covid-19. That's 210 of the people tested in this study (8% tested positive for antibodies).

And out of those 210 who tested positive for antibodies, 56% of them, 118 of them, were not aware that they had ever been infected with Covid-19. The other individuals, 44% of them or 92 of these individuals were aware that they had been infected with covid-19 in the past.

I think the interesting thing is that only 8% of the 2,479 patients and employees tested positive for Covid-19 antibodies, and that out of those 8%, only a little more than half of them didn't know they had ever been infected.

ETA: So less than 5% of the total amount of people tested for antibodies were not aware that they had been infected in the past.


If I've got these numbers right, that doesn't seem like a large percentage of people, it doesn't really surprise me.

The one trait that makes this virus 1000 times worse is that people can be totally asymptomatic, thereby spreading the virus to many others. But there is another problem, these days, if people test positive, they may isolate for a few days, then just go out and about which of course means they are spreading the virus. As these people if they care

 

[Sundog]

The one trait that makes this virus 1000 times worse is that people can be totally asymptomatic, thereby spreading the virus to many others. But there is another problem, these days, if people test positive, they may isolate for a few days, then just go out and about which of course means they are spreading the virus. As these people if they care

I read online that Jill Biden has already tested negative and she is out and about already. Things sure have changed with regard to quarantining time.

Edited to add MSM link. Says she isolated for five days.

Jill Biden ending isolation after negative Covid tests

The first lady leaves South Carolina for Delaware on Sunday, the White House said.

www.nbcnews.com

 

[ilovewings]

I read online that Jill Biden has already tested negative and she is out and about already. Things sure have changed with regard to quarantining time.

I read online that Jill Biden has already tested negative and she is out and about already. Things sure have changed with regard to quarantining time.

Seems like lots of people are going out and about without spending much time
Iso!ating for very long---I dont have much confidence in those home tests