COVID-19 Megathread 6: Return of the Omicron

[Sprouts Farmers Market ✘]

So anyone want to actually explain why teaching shouldn't involve more than 2 hours of live instruction per day and why I'm wrong or they just going to say I don't understand anything?

We should support no school openings so we can destroy public schooling forever. Bolster the rapidly ascending Catholic school enrollments! Things have really been made great again. I was a little worried about Cuomo's vision of online schooling future until I realized that any sensible person of means would withdraw their tax dollars.

[Sprouts Farmers Market ✘]

I thought Gen X'ers were always complaining about being the only ones to take this seriously, monitoring both unruly children and elderly parents.

[Sprouts Farmers Market ✘]

Any punishment by colleges for social gatherings is completely unacceptable, especially the threat of expulsion. It is their faults, not the students' faults.

[Sprouts Farmers Market ✘]

It’s such a shame. Virus truthers like Greenline, Averroes and Del Tachi have been barely affected while genuinely good people like PQG, Fuzzy, and Badger have/are suffering. This is why I tell my mother she is crazy for believing in karma.

On a more positive note, vaccine progress is accelerating rapidly. I do fully expect a vaccine to be distributed to at risk groups this year. (And that would be a remarkable scientific milestone)

You should feel really bad about this post. This single issue is not an end-all of all morality. Those three posters are all outstanding people.

[Sprouts Farmers Market ✘]

Northeastern tosses 11 students without refund

Their horrible crime?

The students were caught at the Westin Hotel, which is being used as a temporary dormitory this semester, on Wednesday night without masks and not social distancing, according to university spokeswoman Renata Nyul.

Imagine using masks during social gatherings.

Just so completely immoral what these all powerful institutions are doing to Gen Z. More evidence of the absolute worst tragedy going on in our nation, "education"

[Sprouts Farmers Market ✘]

The idea is to discourage these sort of close contact social gatherings, which we know help spread this virus.

ok? And every young person has agreed that we don't care. I have these types of get-togethers 3-4 times a week. Thank heavens I'm not part of this evil and totalitarian education system any longer. Coronavirus itself had all but discouraged me from going back, and now I can absolutely never see it.

[Sprouts Farmers Market ✘]

Northeastern tosses 11 students without refund

Their horrible crime?

The students were caught at the Westin Hotel, which is being used as a temporary dormitory this semester, on Wednesday night without masks and not social distancing, according to university spokeswoman Renata Nyul.

Imagine using masks during social gatherings.

Just so completely immoral what these all powerful institutions are doing to Gen Z. More evidence of the absolute worst tragedy going on in our nation, "education"

The university was stupid to open to begin with, but let's not pretend like the students weren't being selfish idiots.

You're a selfish idiot to go in another student's dorm with like 10 people there? BRB, gotta tell my grandmother she's a selfish idiot for going to condo neighbor's for Mahjong tournaments instead of sitting like a dead person on a sofa all day.

I'm all for going back to 19th century university discipline as soon as they bring back the 19th century educational standards and pricing.

[Sprouts Farmers Market ✘]

Basic social distancing is now totalitarianism?
Shame on you posters, your absolute stupidity knows no bounds.

I don’t care about whatever sob story you try to DM me in an attempt to look like a good guy, your ideas are still absolutely ridiculous.

Basic f**king rules aren’t totalitarianism, do you think seatbelt laws are totalitarian?

What the f**k is wrong with America in which this type of rhetoric is not openly condemned by both sides.

Your actions have consequences. That’s not totalitarianism.

A $36,000 bill for nothing is a life crippling sentence.

[Sprouts Farmers Market ✘]

A single social media post can screw someone over. Why is that okay, but enforcing masks and social distancing isn’t?

When did I ever say that is okay? I am one of the strongest voices against that on this blog.

[Sprouts Farmers Market ✘]

They should get a refund.  But simply expecting people to wear masks if they are going to have a gathering seems like a very reasonable expectation to me.

I am teaching an in-person college class right now, and while I am not privy to the students’ social lives, mask compliance on campus seems close to 100%, even outdoors.

As a high schooler I can safely say that mask compliance here is approximately 100% on campus. It’s obviously different off-campus where it isn’t enforced, but the punishment seems to be a good deterrent.
The worst we have are the people who wear it over their mouth and not their nose, but I have yet to see someone who wasn’t eating/drinking, completely maskless.
I would think college students would be at a similar level.

Safe to say you have no understanding of what college is. There is a difference between wearing it in class/outdoors (where there should be compliance) and wearing it in social outings, where I have yet to see anyone comply.

[Sprouts Farmers Market ✘]

Also it’s hilarious.
The same side that cries about “muh right to deny service” is the one crying about the expulsion itself.
You can be upset with the money theft, but the expulsion was perfectly justified and honestly a good thing.

No, 'honestly', it was not. It's a draconian response to something mundane and it will hurt our efforts to contain this disease.

Young people have been confined indoors for the better part of seven months and they're disproportionately suffering from anxiety, stress, and depression. Without in-person social connections, I think we'll see mental health indicators decline even more. Expelling kids for small in-person gatherings is ludicrous and counterproductive.

See...there is this thing called a face mask that makes these social gatherings much safer. Are you familiar with such a contraption?

You see, that kinda makes it impossible to drink. Are you familiar with literally the only reason people get together?

[Sprouts Farmers Market ✘]

Are most people still wearing masks in your area? I went out for the first time in a while and about 80% of people weren't even wearing masks. Kind of shows you why Biden and Harris backtracked on the mask mandate.

This was my experience beginning about three weeks ago. I haven't been outside without one, but the overwhelming majority is even in a city.

[Sprouts Farmers Market ✘]

I've missed that, but Europe has started to have more death per capita on weakly basis (NOT cumulatively, Europe has 60% of USA deaths # cumulatively). 12% more and gap growing rapidly (60% more cases per capita, too). And it increases much more rapidly. Because of weather? Anyway, US will probably follow them in 2-4 weeks. Terrible.

Europe seems to have at least tied to the US on an excess casualty basis (percentage increase) last month after the US took a brief lead with the summer impacts.

https://twitter.com/lymanstoneky/status/1321094259584487425?s=20

[Sprouts Farmers Market ✘]

Which county in the US has the highest death rate per capita?

Probably best to measure my congressional district since that actually has a far more consistent denominator than counties, which are skewed by small population numbers. 19 of the top 20 congressional districts for deaths per capita are still in New York/New Jersey with NY-15 at the top of the list. TX-34 (RGV) is the lone CD outside NYC metro in the top 20.

https://geographicinsights.iq.harvard.edu/coviduscongress

[Sprouts Farmers Market ✘]

Why does every anti-lockdown rally have to have people walking with Confederate flags?

https://bronx.news12.com/business-owners-march-in-protest-of-gov-murphys-new-restrictions

Because we are just itching to rebel against our insane dictators.

[Sprouts Farmers Market ✘]

Love how Minnesota, the ultimate good governance, high social trust/compliance liberal haven out of all 50 states in this country is about to take over the top state in 7 day trailing case total.

But it was totally Kristi Noem and anti-mask Dakota Republicans responsible for South Dakota's outbreak, right? Not the normal weather pattern at all!

[Sprouts Farmers Market ✘]

Now demand that they enforce your draconian COVID regulations 😃

[Sprouts Farmers Market ✘]

https://twitter.com/NYGovCuomo/status/1348673192609591296?s=20

America's Governor!!! 😍😍

[Sprouts Farmers Market ✘]

Why won't God answer my prayers for another snowstorm in Texas. The first answered prayer was clearly insufficient.

[Sprouts Farmers Market ✘]

We had such large declines the last few days that it's kind of disappointing seeing a red number again. Still, one day is not a trend so I won't read too much into it.  

Unfortunately, states like Texas and Mississippi are intent on sending us on the wrong path.

Zero evidence of this in the numbers. New York is the state that has the gentlest downward slope that has basically flatlined at a number per capita much larger than it's large state peers. And New Jersey is seeing the upward tick in its moving average, tied with NY for highest per capita in this timeframe.

Texas, Mississippi and Connecticut are down 20 percent W:W. But please keep up with your easily verifiable falsehoods for the sake of the #narrative.

And if those states do see a jump next month, I'm not going to whine about it either! Because what they do doesn't affect me at all, and frankly it barely impacts them! They have decided wisely not to care!

[Sprouts Farmers Market ✘]

Thanks Gretchen Whitmer.

[Sprouts Farmers Market ✘]

I regret to inform you that the highly dishonest New York Times is at it again.
https://twitter.com/PhilWMagness/status/1376607203227004936?s=20

[Sprouts Farmers Market ✘]

I really hope we get a vaccination mandate soon. The sooner we're out of all this the better.

lol, good luck with your authoritarian fantasies.

[Sprouts Farmers Market ✘]

Philadelphia is about to implement the card for indoor dining, and I'll be darned if that isn't my last straw with this city. One more year and I am out of this nightmare.  The whole northeast has lost its collective minds, and every time I have travelled in the last two years, it depresses me endlessly that I have to return to this disgusting and filthy place when it's all over while those locals get to keep on living normal lives.

[Sprouts Farmers Market ✘]

I got my booster today and then did a bunch of Christmas shopping in Madison.  I saw a pretty fair number of unmasked people in the stores despite a mask mandate being in effect.  From my experience, people at Madison stores have been pretty consistent with wearing masks when a mandate is in effect.  I’m guessing these stores and malls are currently getting a good number of shoppers from more rural, maskphobic areas as Christmas approaches.  

I feel like I live in the only city in America where people wear masks consistently (only exceptions being church and work).

I don't think these shoppers were necessarily faraway travelers, so much as sick of it. This is how New Jersey malls have been since the mask mandates were first lifted earlier this year.

When I was in Virginia Beach last month, there was a mall with a "mask mandate" postered on the window of every store despite no local ordinance. I had not brought one, but once I peaked in, I saw the 90% of shoppers were not masked. People simply don't care outside of the absolute biggest cities. Once you cross the city line here, the suburbs are completely free - no second thoughts. Not just rural reactionaries.