[News] Coronavirus

A place to discuss the now-global coronavirus outbreak.

So I'm on day 7 after symptoms, 6 after positive antigen, 5 after positive PCR result. The fatigue has lessened somewhat but is still pretty significant, but, outside of that, it's a low-grade cold. I've gone up and down the stairs a few times this morning and am wheezing a bit; it's genuinely impressive how little energy I have. The bigger concern is my wife tested positive yesterday, which makes 3 of 4 in this house riddled with COVID. She's got some heart issues so is a higher risk, so she's doing a virtual doctor visit at this point. Right now, it appears to be hitting her more gently than it did me, which is good in many ways. My daughter's immune system appears to currently be Neo in the Matrix, dodging COVID like a ninja.

Now, if my @#$!!! antigen tests could stop being positive, maybe I could get some normalcy back . . .

And we just hit a million deaths. I was tempted to post a Team America gif but realize this is just too heartbreaking for gallows humor.

True Pandemic Death Toll More Than Double Official Count, Says World Health Organization

Nearly 15 million people were killed by the coronavirus or by its impact on overwhelmed health systems, the organization said. The official death toll is 6 million.

On the last day physically in my office two years ago, my boss (knowing I'm a history buff) asked me what I thought of COVID and what it would go like. I told her we would be lucky if the death toll didn't hit seven figures. Guess I should pat myself depressingly on the back.

If I had the energy. 10 days after my positive test, and I can't walk upstairs without wheezing. Sleeping like crap, tired all the time, and took the day off work again yesterday because the fatigue is a damn freight train when it hits. If my two vaccines and two boosters reduced how bad this was going to hit me, I sure as hell do not want to know what it would have been like without that.

It bears noting that the estimated real death toll in the US is substantially higher. The IHME, which leans conservative (mathematically, not politically) in their estimates, puts the US at likely sitting just over 1.25 million deaths so far.

MilkmanDanimal wrote:

On the last day physically in my office two years ago, my boss (knowing I'm a history buff) asked me what I thought of COVID and what it would go like. I told her we would be lucky if the death toll didn't hit seven figures. Guess I should pat myself depressingly on the back.

If I had the energy. 10 days after my positive test, and I can't walk upstairs without wheezing. Sleeping like crap, tired all the time, and took the day off work again yesterday because the fatigue is a damn freight train when it hits. If my two vaccines and two boosters reduced how bad this was going to hit me, I sure as hell do not want to know what it would have been like without that.

That's exactly how i felt. I think I would have been one of those healthy younger people that died. 8 months later, the mental fog is gone but I still feel tightness in my lungs and use an inhaler every once in a while.

Farscry wrote:

It bears noting that the estimated real death toll in the US is substantially higher. The IHME, which leans conservative (mathematically, not politically) in their estimates, puts the US at likely sitting just over 1.25 million deaths so far.

Of course it's more. Excess death numbers were higher the last 2 years. Despite lots of people driving less, and car accidents way down under gun deaths. There were no, not enough, or unreliable covid tests for the first few months with President Bleach in charge. There were a bunch of states like Florida actively trying to hide numbers and fire anyone who published true ones. So much GOP bullsh*t to make dear leader look good. Plus lots of cardiovascular issues from covid... someone dies of a stroke, and it doesn't get attributed to covid, but it certainly could have been caused by it.

And how do you calculate someone who dies of a stroke or like affliction because of the stress/impact of COVID? Losing your business/house/job/friends, breakup of the family or support structure, isolation, despair, depression... We all know those impact your health in very negative ways.

fangblackbone wrote:

And how do you calculate someone who dies of a stroke or like affliction because of the stress/impact of COVID? Losing your business/house/job/friends, breakup of the family or support structure, isolation, despair, depression... We all know those impact your health in very negative ways.

Trying to trace causation like that is very difficult. That's why it's simplest to look at the comparison vs previous years and integrate above the trendline. Motivated arguers will always fling sh*t about correlation not equaling causation, but the abrupt spike around April 2020 is pretty f*cking damning.

https://public.tableau.com/views/COV...

fangblackbone wrote:

And how do you calculate someone who dies of a stroke or like affliction because of the stress/impact of COVID? Losing your business/house/job/friends, breakup of the family or support structure, isolation, despair, depression... We all know those impact your health in very negative ways.

That’s what happened to my brother, in part. He was my father’s caregiver and was so paranoid about getting him sick with Covid that he neglected attending his appointments as needed. We believe he started to experience early liver failure a year or so ago and it could have been caught and done something had he gotten to the doctor.

Instead he passed fairly abruptly in October of last fall.

That's terrible DS. I'm so sorry to hear that.
That is another angle isn't it? (self neglect)

fangblackbone wrote:

That's terrible DS. I'm so sorry to hear that.
That is another angle isn't it? (self neglect)

Thanks. It was ultimately alcoholism that was the cause of death, but I think for the hardest hit the pandemic exacerbated what was already going on and in some causes caused them to avoid care they needed.

My condolences DS and certainly we’ve had similar situations in our family.

jdzappa wrote:

My condolences DS and certainly we’ve had similar situations in our family.

Thanks

From the article:

NBC News wrote:

As crime continues to rise in parts of the country, Republicans have sought to make it a key issue in the midterm elections, accusing Democrats of being in favor of “defunding” police departments.

Biden, who has increasingly pushed back against that narrative, maintains that he is for funding the police and has accused Republicans of supporting cuts to police budgets, citing their opposition to the American Rescue Plan.

And just last month:

Worry About Crime in U.S. at Highest Level Since 2016

Gallup wrote:

Americans' concern about crime and violence in the U.S. has edged up in the past year, and for the first time since 2016, a majority (53%) say they personally worry a "great deal" about crime. Another 27% report they worry a "fair amount," which places the issue near the top of the list of 14 national concerns -- behind only inflation and the economy, and on par with hunger and homelessness.

...

The latest reading, from a March 1-18 poll, is in line with similar findings last fall that showed upticks in Americans' anxiety about experiencing a range of crimes and their belief that crime in their local area was worsening. Government national crime data have also shown recent increases in the U.S. homicide rate to its highest point in 25 years.

It's an election year, voters are concerned about crime, and 'defund the police' was spectacularly bad messaging that Dems haven't recovered from yet.

I wasn't making any commentary on it. Just posting some news. I think Democrats are doing great. No notes.

Want to bring down the homicide rate? Start restricting guns. Deregulate guns like the last few years and crime goes up. It is not rocket science.

Also UBI or a job guarantee so people aren’t so desperate.

Mixolyde wrote:

Also UBI or a job guarantee so people aren’t so desperate.

From the D&D picture thread:

farley3k wrote:

IMAGE(https://i.imgur.com/VEFCxaC.jpeg)

The dude has no problem with Cocaine, but a simple vaccine...

When you want to get down, down for 24 to 48 hours after which you'll be just fine, vaccine....

Its all right
Its all right
Its all right
Its all right
Vaccine!

I've been putting off my fourth shot for almost 2 months now, waiting for a good time. A buddy of mine also had to postpone his injection by a week.

He texted me the other day. He's got it and it's running through his family.

I got a Moderna jab today.

What's the recommended time between boosters now?

IIRC 4 months for those at risk and over 50(?)

My symptoms showed up two weeks to the day after my second Moderna booster, tested positive the next day. So, you know, didn't seem to make much difference. The good news is I'm not having any long-term symptoms, and on about day 16/17 or so, I woke up feeling completely normal. It was a patently awful experience, but feel like I've at least gone through it.

From CNN today

What to do if you test positive for Covid-19 now

Pretty much the same advice but still the same flaw -

CNN: If someone gets diagnosed with Covid-19, what should they do? Is isolation still recommended?
Wen: Yes, it is, and in fact, that is the first thing that I recommend for people to do if they test positive for Covid-19. Whether they performed their own home test and have a positive result or received a positive result back from a PCR test, they should immediately isolate. If they are at home, go to a room away from others. If they are at work, put on an N95 mask to transit through public areas and head home, ideally in your own vehicle.
Isolation isn't always easy, especially for those with young children and who live in multigenerational housing. If possible, identify another adult to care for young kids so that the infected person can isolate by themselves. If a child is the one who tested positive, assign one adult to care for that child

Yeah I am sure my boss will be fine with me standing up and walking out immediately. No worries. I am sure the courts will back up any wrongful dismissal claims I have to file after being fired.

And child care is super easy to get in the US because we respect families and try to make the system as easy for them to navigate as possible....

Sorry my sarcasm meter overloaded. This advice is crap for 90% of Americans and their reporter/interviewer should point that out.

I was supposed to come home from europe this last week but my partner got covid so i was forced to go my parents instead. It's been about 10 days since she started showing symptoms and 8 since a positive test. she is still showing mild symptoms and positive at home tests. we are really wanting to see each other, but it still seems risky considering how close of contact we would have. everything we can find on the internet though says that she would not be contagious at this point though. Can a person really not be contagious when they have a positive at home test?