COVID-19/corona virus mega thread/prepping thread

[RoadKingLarry]

^^^So clearly, you survived your latest involvement with the medical system.

The night is young.

[Bogie]

I wonder if this was St. Louis?

https://gunfreezone.net/they-asked-for-tolerance-but-give-none/

Do any of you guys know Miggy from GunFreeZone? I think he'd be a good addition to our little thing here.

[Bogie]

My store is interesting...
 
There are basically three adjacent neighborhoods/cultures.
 
The woke folk (my neighborhood) who are driving a Prius or something similar, who make a big deal of recycling their grocery/store bags, if they don't shop with burlap, and who are STILL masked, because they Believe.
 
The Old Farts who are looking for parts for their 1998 Buick.
 
The folks from the north side who are more interested in air fresheners, ozium and tire shine than in making sure there is enough oil in the car.

All of them have their mask adherents, but it is the younger woke folks who are still really sticking to it. Some of the Old Farts who watch too much TV (and who often have Hillary or Obama stickers still on their cars) are the most serious covid dancers. They're the ones who  you see with three pairs of gloves, who will tell you that thousands of people are dying daily in STL...
 
According to the City web page, which is probably biased high, three people have died with it since April 1...

https://www.stlouis-mo.gov/covid-19/data/index.cfm

[Ben]

Fauci is saying the pandemic is over, even while China locks people in.

It seems to me history has shown he has normally been saying the opposite - if this China stuff were happening a year ago, even with the US having it's currently low numbers at that time, he would be calling for strict protocols. You just can't help but think November, rather than science,  has something to do with his current views.

https://www.foxnews.com/politics/fauci-us-is-certainly-out-of-the-pandemic-phase

[Pb]

Fauci is saying the pandemic is over, even while China locks people in.

Can he now go away and never be heard from again?

[WLJ]

Can he now go away and never be heard from again?

Will only happen if he openly comes out expressing a less than far left view on anything and openly supports someone on the right for president. Until then he's a god like expert on everything.

[Jim147]

Do any of you guys know Miggy from GunFreeZone? I think he'd be a good addition to our little thing here.

Only online. We talk Prog Rock from time to time. Besides me telling him about this place he hangs out with Oleg.

[sumpnz]

On my flight to DFW on Monday I’d estimate that at SeaTac about 80% of people (including at least half of TSA) were maskless.  On the plane it was closer to 90%.  At Peterbilt it’s been 95+%.  Unfortunately the prettiest lady engineer was one of the very few maskers.

[Ben]

More politics of covid, and why the rich and famous are "immune" to the virus and can do whatever they want without masks.


https://twitchy.com/dougp-3137/2022/04/28/transportation-secretary-pete-buttigieg-explains-why-its-safe-to-be-mask-free-at-the-whcd-but-not-on-airplanes/

[Perd Hapley]

a large-scale study conducted in Japan found that masks do not help defend against viruses such as the 2009 influenza. Instead, the main advantage of masks is to cause frightened behavior.

“The major efficacy of a mask is that it causes alarm in the other person, so you stay away from each other,” Garrett said.

https://thefederalist.com/2022/05/11/flashback-2018-video-shows-public-health-expert-admitting-masks-only-work-to-cause-alarm/

[zahc]

There's a French study that concluded the opposite... people stamd closer to strangers when they are masked. Whether it's because they felt safer, or because they can't hear as well and get closer to be able to hear, is uncertain.

[Ben]

There's a French study that concluded the opposite... people stamd closer to strangers when they are masked. Whether it's because they felt safer, or because they can't hear as well and get closer to be able to hear, is uncertain.

Many Europeans tend to have a much smaller "personal space buffer" than do Americans. I don't know if that might contribute. I don't know what the Japanese personal space boundary is.

[MechAg94]

I saw this in an update this morning.   

Fauci, Collins Shared In ‘Secret’ NIH ‘Royalties’ Totaling $350M: Watchdog Report
https://www.dailywire.com/news/fauci-collins-shared-in-secret-nih-royalties-totaling-350m-watchdog-report

The report from OpenTheBooks.com said the royalty payments, including at least 23 to Fauci and 14 to his former boss, Collins, were paid out between 2010 and 2020. Government scientists got the payments for being credited as “co-inventors” of various treatments and pharmaceutical products, according to the report.
“Because those payments enrich the agency and its scientists, each and every royalty payment could be a potential conflict of interest and needs disclosure,” OpenTheBooks.com co-founder and CEO Adam Andrzejewski wrote. “NIH is a revolving door of tens of billions of dollars in government grant-making coupled with hundreds of millions of dollars in private – non-transparent – royalty payments.”

[zahc]

Many Europeans tend to have a much smaller "personal space buffer" than do Americans. I don't know if that might contribute. I don't know what the Japanese personal space boundary is.

Japanese is probably even smaller. But the french study specifically tested by asking strangers on the street for directions. So communication was a big factor in the french study.

[zxcvbob]

Japanese are probably used to having their personal space crowded and don't get bothered by it anymore.  There are a lot of people on those islands.

[Perd Hapley]

I remember hearing, long, long ago, that the Japanese tend to want more personal space than most Westerners do.

But I don't remember where I heard that, so...

[Ben]

So communication was a big factor in the french study.

I could buy that for a dollar. During all the mask craziness I was starting to feel like my hard of hearing dad, continually saying, "What's that?" to masked people. I already have background hearing issues, and many masked people were sounding like "background noise" to me.

[zahc]

My FIL is deaf in one ear, but he can get around ok normally. During mask mandates, he was basically handicapped and couldn't go grocery shopping or anything.

[MechAg94]

New Data from Walgreens Reveals Unvaccinated Have the Lowest Positivity Rate for COVID — Triple and Double Vaxxed Groups Have the Worst Rate
https://freedomminds.com/2022/05/10/stunner-new-data-from-walgreens-reveals-unvaccinated-have-the-lowest-positivity-rate-for-covid-triple-and-double-vaxxed-groups-have-the-worst-rate/

There is likely some selection bias at this point as the most vulnerable are likely in the vaccinated group.

[MechAg94]

Analysis of Federal Data Shows Increase in Covid-19 Deaths Occurred Among the Vaccinated – Experts Warn More Breakthrough Deaths to be Expected with More Americans Reaching Fully Vaxxed Status
https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2022/05/analysis-federal-data-shows-increase-covid-19-deaths-occurred-among-vaccinated-experts-warn-breakthrough-deaths-expected-americans-reaching-fully-vaxx-status/

Maybe the same.  Hard to say.

[Ben]

Speaking of masks, I guess there really still are mask nazis out there. In this case, yelling at someone for "improper masking" while they themselves are maskless. Freakin' actors.


https://twitchy.com/dougp-3137/2022/05/11/truly-insane-maskless-broadway-actress-flips-out-after-spotting-audience-members-masks-not-covering-noses/

[sumpnz]

Had to wear a mask yesterday as I went to my doctor.  I’ll be very glad when even that goes away.  So tiring not being able to see faces or understand half of what someone is saying.

[Bogie]

Want to have fun? Call your local car parts store about something moderately technical. Have the window open, be driving next to a truck, have the radio on, and a screaming kid in the car, and make sure you are triple-masked for the call.
 
Me: "Hey, are you on speaker phone?"

[WLJ]

More Shanghai news

Shanghai officials will over the next few days further restrict access to food and hospitals in some parts of the city, the most severe phase of its extended lockdown yet.

Commercial food deliveries are not allowed and access to hospitals for all but emergencies must first be approved.

Neighbours of Covid-19 cases and others living close by are also being forced into government quarantine facilities.

Shanghai moves to impose tightest restrictions yet
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-china-61404082

[kgbsquirrel]

More Shanghai news

Shanghai moves to impose tightest restrictions yet
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-china-61404082

Intentionally staving their citizens to death.  Communists love their holodomors.