COVID-19/corona virus mega thread/prepping thread

[zxcvbob]

Through most of the "crisis" I was watching one of the statistical sites. It was interesting to me to note that through the whole thing, Idaho, where everyone pretty much did whatever they want and everything was open, had close to the same per capita infection and death rate as locked down California.

That's not to say that it was a standard - very locked down states like Hawaii did better than Idaho, but other open states did better than Idaho and California. If someone wants to debate with me that a complete lockdown (like Australia) creates less infections and death, I will listen, because it probably does. The question is whether it's worth it or not. "Lockdowns" like California and New York, where you had things like senseless restaurant rules, and arresting lone people outdoors who were not near anyone or anything, did nothing. Well, except ruin the economy.

1) I would expect infection rates to be proportional to the population densities.  All the stupid lockdown crap probably helped slow the spread somewhat but was not worth the cost; it wasn't /that/ effective.

2) Arresting lone people outdoors was just thuggishness, and perhaps was intended to ruin the economy; it was a Trump economy.

[Bogie]

Essentially, what I saw were cherry-picked media statistics... "If it bleeds, it leads," and the numbers that they showed you were dripping.
 
By rarely looking at the large numbers - the overall population - they pushed how fatal it had been in small populations - populations which were already susceptible to "herd thinning" bugs.
 
And then... Then they started getting creative with the statistics. And I suspect that in some cases, such as in NY, they even worked to augment the numbers.
 
But hey... I'm not a PhD... I'm not a doctor. I'm just a guy with a B.A. in public relations who spent a decade helping in vetting numbers in the discovery labs of the world's largest pharma company, who was horrified at what he was seeing.
 
In the labs, I was pretty good at grokking statistics - I geek on patterns.
 
Around here? We have the hipsters devoutly masked. Middle-aged black people are wearing message masks or worse (Obama! or they're bedazzled...). Old folks, and anyone who watches too much TV are scared. Youts are putting masks on before they enter the store, and they're looking for cameras. And everyone else? We just keep going. No deaths attributed to (!) it since July 19. But it is still a Casedemic, since a sizable percentage of the people who have presented for testing (which is a skewed factor) are positive.
 
Anyone gonna tell me I'm not an idiot?
 
And... You know what I'm worried about? That a really nasty bug will get loose. And it'll be treated like people were TRAINED to treat this one - with theatre, and not much else.

 

[sumpnz]

SWMBO got the coof.  Pretty bad for the not-yet-hospital trip illness version.  Older boy was probably the Typhoid Mary.  He got sick a couple days after getting back from an Alaska trip with his cross country team.  But he was barely sick for half a day.  Momma went down a few days later.  Figure if anyone else is going to get sick it should be in the next day or two.

Her and the 2 olders got both Pfizer jabs more than a year ago now.  I went with J&J.  2 youngers didn’t get jabbed.  No boosters.

Got some legit pharmaceutical ivermectin and azithromycin and zinc supplements.  I think those have helped enough that she can set-hydrate enough for now.  She is super reticent about going to the doctor when sick, but was saying she’d need iv fluids if that stuff didn’t work. 

[zahc]

I have covid right now, had a 103 fever and still at 100 3 days later. Got jj and Pfizer booster. Starting to think vaccines not only don't work, but it sure seems like vaxed people are the ones repeatedly getting it, like the vaccine actually made it worse.

[HeroHog]

Y'all that have it have my deepest sympathy!

PS: I was J&J jabbed and boosted as well.

[Bogie]

And fall flu season will be upon us shortly, with attendant headlines. Oh, and people still come in the store asking for free masks.

[Ben]

Oh, on masks in my AO: Pretty much just medical services, but it's pretty variable. In the last two weeks:

02AUG: Doctor's office for pre-procedure consult. "Masks required" sign. Free masks available. I took a mask (I no longer carry masks in my vehicle) and put it on. Staff said, "Oh, I guess we should put our masks on too".

15AUG: Dentist. No signs, no available masks, no one was wearing masks except the dentist and tech (as they do regardless of covid).

16AUG: Hospital for medical procedure. Big signs everywhere in the lobby. I walk up to the registration desk, grab a mask, and as I'm getting ready to put it on, the lady at the desk asks if she can help me. I start telling her why I'm there, and she stops me and tells me to put my mask on before I talk to her. Okay lady. Maybe don't ask me questions until I put the mask on then. Geez.

16AUG addendum: I'm taken to the procedure room, where they start hooking me up to the machines and IV, and the nurse says, "Just take your mask off and be comfortable."  Okay then.

Oh, also - no medical people have ever asked me if I'm vaccinated (I'm not - natural immunity for the win!) since this all started. Even during my annual physical, where I was asked about flu and shingles shots, there was no talk of covid boosters.

[K Frame]

My acupuncture office still requires masks.

Whatever.

Personally I think we're going to be seeing MASKUPFORCOVIDHEALTHYOURACISTBASTARD!!! signs for a LONG time.

Seren's veterinarian still won't let people in the office. They come out, take your pet in, and you wait in the parking lot. 

[Ron]

I have covid right now, had a 103 fever and still at 100 3 days later. Got jj and Pfizer booster. Starting to think vaccines not only don't work, but it sure seems like vaxed people are the ones repeatedly getting it, like the vaccine actually made it worse.

Sorry to hear you picked it up, keep us updated zach.

My double vaxxed boosted 84 year old father got it and fought it off, hang in there buddy.

[sumpnz]

SWMBO is recovering faster than expected probably because of the ivermectin.  Going to have to stop the azithromycin though as it’s making her digestive system revolt.

[zahc]

My doctor actually prescribed ivermectin (18mg?) But since I was already on day 2 and didn't feel like driving to the pharmacy I haven't taken it. I will probably pick it up later so I have it for round 2 or when someone else gets it in the family.

[MechAg94]

I have covid right now, had a 103 fever and still at 100 3 days later. Got jj and Pfizer booster. Starting to think vaccines not only don't work, but it sure seems like vaxed people are the ones repeatedly getting it, like the vaccine actually made it worse.

I am hearing that comment quite a bit these days.  At the least, I think they over played the effectiveness a lot (lied would be a better description) and hid the fact that reactions/side effects are at a higher rate than most vaccines.

Caveat:  Before the vaccine, they were saying a portion of the population would be immune or just never get it.  I tend to think a lot of the unvaccinated falls in that category. 

That sad/frustrating part is industries still talking about labor shortages after they fired people who were not vaccinated. 

[sumpnz]

I am hearing that comment quite a bit these days.  At the least, I think they over played the effectiveness a lot (lied would be a better description) and hid the fact that reactions/side effects are at a higher rate than most vaccines.

Caveat:  Before the vaccine, they were saying a portion of the population would be immune or just never get it.  I tend to think a lot of the unvaccinated falls in that category. 

That sad/frustrating part is industries still talking about labor shortages after they fired people who were not vaccinated. 

I’ve had lots of vaccines over the years.  NONE were as bad for side effects as the Covid shot.  For that matter, other than the flu vaccine (which I’ve had maybe twice in 20+ years) I can’t recall ever having side effects beyond soreness at the injection site for a day at most.  Don’t recall any of my kids or my wife, or really anyone I know have any reactions at all beyond that except for flu and Covid shots.  Good friend nearly died and is permanently disabled from encephalitis due to a flu vaccine.

[Ben]

That sad/frustrating part is industries still talking about labor shortages after they fired people who were not vaccinated.

I recently read that the Coast Guard is losing a bunch of rescue swimmers because of the vaccination policy. I wonder if there will be a change in the military with the new guidelines. Though I guess it's too late for a lot of people.

[Bogie]

Seren's veterinarian still won't let people in the office. They come out, take your pet in, and you wait in the parking lot.

There was a buzz through here that dogs could carry the 'vid...
 
And I haven't seen as many hipsters walking their rescue pit bulls...
 
Sigh... A bunch have strollers now tho...
 
Yeah. They procreate.

[Bogie]

Regarding adverse effects...
 
Just after Shot #2, which was pretty much pressured by work, I had two old scars open one. One from the 1990s, and one from about 2014.
 
They both healed pretty fast.
 
The 2014, a spider bite, has reopened, and is slowly healing.
 
Same spot. Same DAMN spot. Same size of crater.
 
This *expletive deleted*it is weird.

[JTHunter]

Bogie - maybe it's the egg the spider buried in your skin that is finally starting to grow. 

[WLJ]

Calling the police on a 4 year old for not wearing a mask. 
And it gets even weirder in the back and forth  

Watch: Police are called to handle a 4-year-old who wouldn’t wear a mask to kindergarten
https://twitchy.com/brettt-3136/2022/08/20/watch-police-are-called-to-handle-a-4-year-old-who-wouldnt-wear-a-mask-to-kindergarten/

[MillCreek]

My wife and I popped positive yesterday.  So far, it seems like a case of the flu: coughing, scratchy throat, mild fever, malaise and body pain.

[HeroHog]

Yup, that's it. It was a 2 week drag for us but we are old and have health issues.

[Hawkmoon]

The CDC is now admitting (while trying not to actually say so) that the boosters are ineffective:

https://www.msn.com/en-us/money/other/omicron-s-mutations-impaired-vaccine-effectiveness-cdc-says/ar-AA115Zc0

Basically, the boosters are always a generation or two behind whatever variant seems to be [au current in circulation.

https://www.msn.com/en-us/money/other/omicron-s-mutations-impaired-vaccine-effectiveness-cdc-says/ar-AA115Zc0

I don't know what good rolling out a booster for Omicron BA.5 will do -- that's the variant that's whacking everyone today. I'm still getting over COVID-19, and I strongly suspect that the variant I had is either BA.4 or BA.5.

[Bogie]

Well, my friend Kay is still dead, after the autoimmune reaction that reared its ugly head after the fall 2021 booster.

[Hawkmoon]

And Moderna is suing Pfizer and Biontech for patent infringement on mRNA technology.

https://www.cnn.com/2022/08/26/health/moderna-pfizer-mrna-patent-lawsuit/index.html

Should be interesting.

Are the boosters also mRNA technology, or are they conventional "hair of the dog" vaccines?

[dogmush]

Are the boosters also mRNA technology, or are they conventional "hair of the dog" vaccines?

mRNA is what they are saying to get for the Boosters unless you had a reaction to it already, then you can look at J&J for a booster.

https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/vaccines/booster-shot.html#footnote01

[Hawkmoon]

mRNA is what they are saying to get for the Boosters unless you had a reaction to it already, then you can look at J&J for a booster.

https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/vaccines/booster-shot.html#footnote01

Unfortunately, my choice is either to get boosted, or not to get boosted. I get most of my health care through the VA hospital, and they're locked into Pfizer and Moderna.