[News] Coronavirus

A place to discuss the now-global coronavirus outbreak.

Amoebic wrote:
Marchantia wrote:

Listening to english podcasts is not much fun at the moment, as everyone starts off talking about their vaccinations. My vaccination is still so far away that I'm not even thinking about what month it will be. Meanwhile, the third wave is getting off to a really good start. I'm not looking forward to going back to work next week.

This is why I 100% checked out of most of my media consumption and social media since all of my family and most of my friends are in the states. I'll be extremely lucky if I get on a list before 2022 while every discourse, media outlet, and every single one of the group chats starts and ends with people talking about their vaccinations right now. Yeah it's great and all I'm happy for all the people getting theirs, (please, for the love of everything, continue to do so) it's just fuel for the fire of the constant anxiety/depression spirals to have constant reminders that I do not live in the same world, and I won't for a very long time.

I feel you completely. I live in Canada (like you) and as a healthy late-40s male whose job has been 100% work at home since March 12th (2020), I am at almost the very bottom of the list. And, given a number of successive governments have killed (and then not re-animated) Canada's ability to create it's own vaccines, we are stuck waiting for others to produce our vaccines.

kazar wrote:
DSGamer wrote:

Huh? I’m more concerned about the plague going on and on and more people dying.

Not the topic we where discussing. If we are talking about the greater picture, yeah. But the discussion was about vaccine passports.

It’s not off topic. Large gatherings of unvaccinated people will cause unnecessary spread and unnecessary death. Vaccine passports could prevent that and I think the value of protecting lives is far more important than any social value of coddling people who believe in conspiracies and refuse to do even the basic work to help protect their fellow man.

kazar wrote:

Edit: To nitpick, it isn't a plague. Plagues are caused by bacteria usually transmitted by small animals and bugs. They also killed 30+% of the people that get it before antibiotics, depending on which plague we are talking about.

That’s one definition of plague. Yes.

"Plandemic of Allegiance"?

kazar wrote:

I am more concerned that we won't get to herd immunity and companies will exercise their right to refuse service to those who are not vaccinated resulting in those against the vaccine (not all are on the same side politically, I know many democrats that are hesitant to get the vaccine too) to have animosity because of their choice which is just another thing that could lead to civil unrest.

I honestly don't understand this.

If we replace "who are not vaccinated" with say "refuse to wear pants", or "refuses to stop saying f*ck you c*cksucker loudly over and over" we would all be like of course a company can refuse service but for some reason some ....people .... have decided this is an important issue to care about.

Of course the fact that most of them have had their immunizations for mumps, measles, rubella, as well as a host of other diseases doesn't even enter their minds.

And what is more those same people were (I am guessing) championing the baker who didn't have to make a cake for a gay wedding because they have the right to refuse service to people.

Dr. Drew, like Rand Paul, is a hack. While not required, there are plenty of vaccinations that you can/should get when planning on visiting a foreign country. Hepatitis A & B, Typhoid, Malaria pills.

South Africa has a vaccination requirement already with Yellow Fever.

Required if traveling from a country with risk of YF virus transmission and ≥1 year of age, including transit >12 hours in an airport located in a country with risk of YF virus transmission.1

So Dr.Drew can go back to talking about STDs and giving crappy relationship advice with Adam Corrolla (I'm old).

kazar wrote:

I am more concerned that we won't get to herd immunity and companies will exercise their right to refuse service to those who are not vaccinated resulting in those against the vaccine (not all are on the same side politically, I know many democrats that are hesitant to get the vaccine too) to have animosity because of their choice which is just another thing that could lead to civil unrest.

That's just another way of saying, "Play nice with the people being assholes or they might act like assholes." or maybe, "Let the bullies do what they want or they might act like bullies.”

mudbunny wrote:
Amoebic wrote:
Marchantia wrote:

Listening to english podcasts is not much fun at the moment, as everyone starts off talking about their vaccinations. My vaccination is still so far away that I'm not even thinking about what month it will be. Meanwhile, the third wave is getting off to a really good start. I'm not looking forward to going back to work next week.

This is why I 100% checked out of most of my media consumption and social media since all of my family and most of my friends are in the states. I'll be extremely lucky if I get on a list before 2022 while every discourse, media outlet, and every single one of the group chats starts and ends with people talking about their vaccinations right now. Yeah it's great and all I'm happy for all the people getting theirs, (please, for the love of everything, continue to do so) it's just fuel for the fire of the constant anxiety/depression spirals to have constant reminders that I do not live in the same world, and I won't for a very long time.

I feel you completely. I live in Canada (like you) and as a healthy late-40s male whose job has been 100% work at home since March 12th (2020), I am at almost the very bottom of the list. And, given a number of successive governments have killed (and then not re-animated) Canada's ability to create it's own vaccines, we are stuck waiting for others to produce our vaccines.

Yeah, here in South Africa I also have absolutely no idea when I will get close to a vaccine. Probably next year sometime. Good times...

Chumpy_McChump wrote:
kazar wrote:

I am more concerned that we won't get to herd immunity and companies will exercise their right to refuse service to those who are not vaccinated resulting in those against the vaccine (not all are on the same side politically, I know many democrats that are hesitant to get the vaccine too) to have animosity because of their choice which is just another thing that could lead to civil unrest.

That's just another way of saying, "Play nice with the people being assholes or they might act like assholes." or maybe, "Let the bullies do what they want or they might act like bullies.”

Actually, it wasn't saying anything of the sort. It was saying, I am concerned this will be a scenario that will play out.

kazar wrote:
Chumpy_McChump wrote:
kazar wrote:

I am more concerned that we won't get to herd immunity and companies will exercise their right to refuse service to those who are not vaccinated resulting in those against the vaccine (not all are on the same side politically, I know many democrats that are hesitant to get the vaccine too) to have animosity because of their choice which is just another thing that could lead to civil unrest.

That's just another way of saying, "Play nice with the people being assholes or they might act like assholes." or maybe, "Let the bullies do what they want or they might act like bullies.”

Actually, it wasn't saying anything of the sort. It was saying, I am concerned this will be a scenario that will play out.

Sigh.

I am so over all the terrorist adjacent posturing of idiots that I am at the point of saying FAFO.

The truth of the conservative mindset is truly thrown into sharp relief when "businesses have the inalienable right to be assholes to whomever they want" view meets "individuals have the inalienable right to be assholes to whomever they want" view, and it turns out the actual view is just "conservatives can do whatever they want."

Oh!

JC wrote:

Dr. Drew, like Rand Paul, is a hack. While not required, there are plenty of vaccinations that you can/should get when planning on visiting a foreign country. Hepatitis A & B, Typhoid, Malaria pills.

South Africa has a vaccination requirement already with Yellow Fever.

Required if traveling from a country with risk of YF virus transmission and ≥1 year of age, including transit >12 hours in an airport located in a country with risk of YF virus transmission.1

So Dr.Drew can go back to talking about STDs and giving crappy relationship advice with Adam Corrolla (I'm old).

Given what was available to me in the 90s, I'll defend Loveline at that time. Since then... Not so much.

BadKen wrote:

I think Dr. Drew is just a doctor of pop psychology or relationship advice or something.

OG_slinger wrote:

He earned an MD at the University of Southern California in the 80s. I don't know if he's still actively practicing or not.

He may have the degree, but he promptly put all that science stuff out of his mind as soon as he became a talk radio (and later MTV) CELEBRITY. That's all I meant. He doesn't practice medicine in the media.

It's like... there's Sanjay Gupta, and then there's Dr. Oz. They may both have medical degrees, but...

Covid: Brazil has more than 4,000 deaths in 24 hours for first time

God, I feel terrible for any non-Bolsonaristas struggling through this.

And he'll never take a lick of responsibility for anything because that's what those men do.

Brazil has recorded more than 4,000 Covid-related deaths in 24 hours for the first time, as a more contagious variant fuels a huge surge in cases.

Hospitals are overcrowded, with people dying as they wait for treatment in some cities, and the health system is on the brink of collapse in many areas.

The country's total death toll is now almost 337,000, second only to the US.

But President Jair Bolsonaro continues to oppose any lockdown measures to curb the outbreak.

He argues that the damage to the economy would be worse than the effects of the virus itself, and has tried to revert some of the restrictions imposed by local authorities in the courts.

Speaking to supporters outside the presidential residence on Tuesday, he criticised quarantine measures claiming they were linked to obesity and depression and led to unemployment. He did not comment on the 4,195 deaths recorded in the past 24 hours.

To date, Brazil has recorded more than 13 million cases of coronavirus, according to the health ministry. Some 66,570 people died of Covid-19 in March, more than double the previous monthly record.

COVID is also having a devastating impact in Mexico as well.

Speaking to supporters outside the presidential residence on Tuesday, he criticised quarantine measures claiming they were linked to obesity and depression and led to unemployment. He did not comment on the 4,195 deaths recorded in the past 24 hours.

Good thing dead people aren't obese or depressed. Pretty sure they're unemployed though.

We need to warm up the Hague for evil cretins like Bolsonaro.

BadKen wrote:
Speaking to supporters outside the presidential residence on Tuesday, he criticised quarantine measures claiming they were linked to obesity and depression and led to unemployment. He did not comment on the 4,195 deaths recorded in the past 24 hours.

Good thing dead people aren't obese or depressed. Pretty sure they're unemployed though.

Can you imagine what the unemployment rate would be if they started counting the deceased as unemployed?

Surely if they can vote they can be employed too.

Unsurprisingly, Trump poorly negotiated our vaccine contracts and now we can't distribute any excess to other countries.

Vanity Fair wrote:

...

For officials hoping to finally pivot from domestic to international vaccination strategy, there was another major catch, reported here for the first time.

The contracts the Trump administration signed with the vaccine manufacturers prohibit the U.S. from sharing its surplus doses with the rest of the world. According to contract language Vanity Fair has obtained, the agreements with Pfizer, Moderna, AstraZeneca, and Janssen state: “The Government may not use, or authorize the use of, any products or materials provided under this Project Agreement, unless such use occurs in the United States” or U.S. territories.

The clauses in question are designed to ensure that the manufacturers retain liability protection, but they have had the effect of projecting the Trump administration’s America First agenda into the Biden era. “That is what has completely and totally prohibited the U.S. from donating or reselling, because it would be in breach of contract,” said a senior administration official involved in the global planning effort. “It is a complete and total ban. Those legal parameters must change before we do anything to help the rest of the world.”

In a statement to Vanity Fair, a Defense Department spokesperson acknowledged the contract restrictions, saying: “DoD did attempt to negotiate terms that would allow the use of vaccine doses outside the U.S., but in some cases, the vaccine manufacturers refused.” Given the imperative to produce 300 million doses for the American public, said the spokesperson, Operation Warp Speed officials agreed that it was “more important to contract with the vaccine manufacturers for doses that could be used” by U.S. citizens “than walk away from the negotiations based on this single term.”

...

A series of scares in the early 2000s, including the 2001 anthrax attacks on members of Congress and the press and the 2004 worldwide outbreak of H5N1 “bird flu,” prompted Congress to pass the Public Readiness and Emergency Preparedness (PREP) Act. The 2005 law gives manufacturers of vaccines and therapeutics developed in response to public health emergencies sweeping protection from liability, and makes the U.S. government a guarantor of that protection.

The law provides an “almost Star Trek–level ‘shields up,’” said Nicholas Pace, a senior social scientist at the RAND Corporation. But “the moment that vial walks across the border, PREP has no effect. The cross-border liability problem is a huge one.”

According to a briefing document prepared during the Trump administration for the National Security Council, a portion of which was obtained by Vanity Fair: “This type of liability protection is unique in the world; most other countries provide no protection at all and only in some cases provide some level of legal protection.”

In the wake of such woebegone public health campaigns as the U.S. government’s 1976 mass vaccination against swine flu, which led to numerous cases of paralysis from Guillain-Barré syndrome, liability exposure has become the “third rail for these companies,” a senior Biden official acknowledged. “They are not going to do business unless they’re protected.” Paul Mango, a Trump administration Operation Warp Speed official, put it another way: “If I am a vaccine manufacturing CEO, I did not sign up to do this so that I would be liable to Ethiopia.”

Operation Warp Speed seemed to bend over backward to avoid that possibility, agreeing to a sweeping restriction that prevents the United States from sharing its bounty and thereby reaping any diplomatic rewards.

Experts say the Trump administration—which, after all, was in the position of doling out billions of dollars in development funds—was not required by any law to roll over for the vaccine makers. Sam Halabi, a scholar at the O’Neill Institute for National and Global Health Law at Georgetown University, who is currently advising several international organizations involved in the global vaccination effort, said the U.S. had been in “a very good position to call the manufacturers’ bluff: ‘if you want the billions in procurement dollars then we want the flexibility to send’” doses overseas. But U.S. negotiators likely “didn’t have any interest in sharing outside of U.S. territory.”

By contrast, during the H1N1 flu outbreak in 2009, a U.S. donation campaign was planned early and geographic restrictions were not imposed, said a former Obama administration official who had helped plan H1N1 vaccine donations. Given that history, “I am really surprised the U.S. would agree to constrain its options,” said the official, after being read the contract language by Vanity Fair.

The result of Operation Warp Speed’s acquiescence is yet another manifestation of Trump’s nativist, “America First” agenda. The contracts, said one Biden health adviser, reflect the “whole ethos” of the Trump administration.

Good grief

turn our Embassies into vaccination centers?

What a horrible crock of sh*t. There has got to be a war powers act or something that can override this, no?

There is just the general power of influence of the US government. It has many avenues by which they could pressure vaccine companies to allow a change. It sucks we agreed to it though.

As for the Trump administration I'm not surprised at all they didn't push back on a clause preventing the US from assisting other countries. They didn't even want to help Puerto Rico.

So there is a church out in Alberta that has been ignoring their provincial COVID restrictions.

The Albertan government put up a chain-link fence around the church.

GOOD!!

Amoebic wrote:
Marchantia wrote:

Listening to english podcasts is not much fun at the moment, as everyone starts off talking about their vaccinations. My vaccination is still so far away that I'm not even thinking about what month it will be. Meanwhile, the third wave is getting off to a really good start. I'm not looking forward to going back to work next week.

This is why I 100% checked out of most of my media consumption and social media since all of my family and most of my friends are in the states. I'll be extremely lucky if I get on a list before 2022 while every discourse, media outlet, and every single one of the group chats starts and ends with people talking about their vaccinations right now. Yeah it's great and all I'm happy for all the people getting theirs, (please, for the love of everything, continue to do so) it's just fuel for the fire of the constant anxiety/depression spirals to have constant reminders that I do not live in the same world, and I won't for a very long time.

This got me thinking about how much we talk about vaccines on the corporate Slack. We have a lot of employees in India and I have no idea when they'll be vaccinated. They must love seeing that stuff.

God, can you imagine how the conservative crowd would react if we got into an actual war and they needed to do without stuff? Or turn off the lights at night so we didn't get bombed?

I used to think America would come together and make things happen when threatened. Not anymore.

We've lost more people to COVID than WW1 and 2 combined, and they won't even wear a goddamn mask in public.

I got my second Moderna shot at Publix today. Slight mix up with the paperwork. I wasn't on the appointment list. 4 weeks ago I was scheduled for Friday but the pharmacy called me up to see if I could come in Wednesday or Thursday instead. They had 90 appointments on Friday but only 30 on each of Wednesday and Thursday. So I was on the appointment book for Friday. I had to wait 30 minutes, but they switched me to Wednesday.

I cleared all commitments for Thursday and Friday expecting to out for the count.

In vaccination uptake news, while there were only 30 appointments 4 weeks ago, there were over 70 today. Most were 1st appointments. They saw 7 people while I was there and all except me were 1st shots.

Wife got shot #2 today, very relieved. She's got a heart condition (Saturday is the three-year anniversary of her having open-heart surgery), so we've been very cautious, and the sense of security now is so much better. Son gets his second next week, my daughter and I are both later this month. By mid-May, we'll be ready to go, and at least on occasion do limited indoor social engagements again.

I wasn't even eligible to register until today.

Got my 2nd around 2pm today. No noticeable effects, yet.

J&J shot knocked me down hard about eight hours after I got it. So tired that I felt like I was running a fever (very typical response for me) but wasn't. Guess it's doing its job.

Admittedly, last year's flu vaccine did the same thing but about 24 hours later. I'm half convinced there that I was possibly fighting something off when I got the flu shot tho. That's my pop doc-ology take.

So, thank you, Trump administration, for once again making an easy deal instead of fighting for a better deal for everyone. Now I feel guilty I managed to get a shot as early as I have.