COVID-19 Megathread 6: Return of the Omicron

[Calthrina950]

Why are there all of these fears that we're about to get plunged back into lockdown, simply because of the issues with Johnson and Johnson? We have two other vaccines out there, and we are on track to have the vast majority of the population immunized.

The chattering class wants lockdowns and mandatory masks forever - literally.

While I've expressed my own concerns about when mask mandates and pandemic restrictions will finally be dropped, I don't think we'll be stuck in this mode of living eternally, and I think that such "doomerism" is unfounded and irrational.

Why are there all of these fears that we're about to get plunged back into lockdown, simply because of the issues with Johnson and Johnson? We have two other vaccines out there, and we are on track to have the vast majority of the population immunized.

The concern is this will increase vaccine hesitancy among the uninformed and ignorant. I'm not actually sure that it will but it's certainly possible.

I will agree with Jimmie that the newly found liberal support of online schooling is extremely disturbing.

No, I've read about that, but some of the posters on here are acting as if our entire society is about to crash down.

[Calthrina950]

Is there an actual breakdown of variants for now positive tested patients? How dominant is the UK variant? It basically replaced the so called wildtype in Europe within just two months. At least vaccines aren't considerably less effective with this one and the South African one.

From what I've heard, it might actually be a good thing that the UK variant is taking hold. While it is more infectious and lethal than the original strain, it might actually be pushing out the more problematic and lethal Brazil and South Africa variants.

Looking at the areas of high infection rates, I'm still concerned over Brazil. I also think India could be a big problem. The more the virus is allowed to propagate the more likely it is that we're going to run into a variant that isn't covered by vaccines. This isn't rocket science. All vaccine efforts have focuses on the spike protein. I'm worried about that mutating into something that could evade all current vaccines.

But hey, we have a bunch of whiny 2 year olds that only care about themselves. Let's keep risking a serious viral mutation that could render all our vaccine efforts moot just because some people want to drink in a bar.

Do you think the variants are going to prolong this pandemic past this summer? Will we still be under mask mandates, capacity restrictions, etc. this time next year?

[Calthrina950]

Do you think the variants are going to prolong this pandemic past this summer? Will we still be under mask mandates, capacity restrictions, etc. this time next year?

I don't think it'll matter in a year. The virus could mutate into something like a highly infectious strain of the original SARS virus and many states would probably do nothing. It could start killing 10k/day and many states would call it a government conspiracy from the "Deep State". I have no confidence in the American people anymore. People are just plain stupid and want to bitch and whine about everything. The fact that so many are already trying to rescind mask mandates says everything. It is quite literally the least you can do as an individual.

The truth is that I'd like to see capacity restrictions lifted for those that have been fully vaccinated. That would mean letting those that have been fully vaccinated into restaurants and letting them sit down without masks. I don't see any reason to lift mask mandates where they're not in the way. In a restaurant full of vaccinated people? Fine, let's drop the masks. In a grocery store with many people coming and going? What is the harm of wearing a mask?

So you're saying the mask mandate should become permanent?

[Calthrina950]

Do you think the variants are going to prolong this pandemic past this summer? Will we still be under mask mandates, capacity restrictions, etc. this time next year?

I don't think it'll matter in a year. The virus could mutate into something like a highly infectious strain of the original SARS virus and many states would probably do nothing. It could start killing 10k/day and many states would call it a government conspiracy from the "Deep State". I have no confidence in the American people anymore. People are just plain stupid and want to bitch and whine about everything. The fact that so many are already trying to rescind mask mandates says everything. It is quite literally the least you can do as an individual.

The truth is that I'd like to see capacity restrictions lifted for those that have been fully vaccinated. That would mean letting those that have been fully vaccinated into restaurants and letting them sit down without masks. I don't see any reason to lift mask mandates where they're not in the way. In a restaurant full of vaccinated people? Fine, let's drop the masks. In a grocery store with many people coming and going? What is the harm of wearing a mask?

So you're saying the mask mandate should become permanent?

Unfortunately there is a subsection of the left that really does seem to want this.

You're exactly right. Many people seem to be obsessed with allowing this pandemic to permanently change our lifestyles.

[Calthrina950]

Do you think the variants are going to prolong this pandemic past this summer? Will we still be under mask mandates, capacity restrictions, etc. this time next year?

I don't think it'll matter in a year. The virus could mutate into something like a highly infectious strain of the original SARS virus and many states would probably do nothing. It could start killing 10k/day and many states would call it a government conspiracy from the "Deep State". I have no confidence in the American people anymore. People are just plain stupid and want to bitch and whine about everything. The fact that so many are already trying to rescind mask mandates says everything. It is quite literally the least you can do as an individual.

The truth is that I'd like to see capacity restrictions lifted for those that have been fully vaccinated. That would mean letting those that have been fully vaccinated into restaurants and letting them sit down without masks. I don't see any reason to lift mask mandates where they're not in the way. In a restaurant full of vaccinated people? Fine, let's drop the masks. In a grocery store with many people coming and going? What is the harm of wearing a mask?

So you're saying the mask mandate should become permanent?

Unfortunately there is a subsection of the left that really does seem to want this.

You're exactly right. Many people seem to be obsessed with allowing this pandemic to permanently change our lifestyles.

I was as anal about masks and social distancing as anyone before the vaccines came out. Hell I went over a year without seeing any family at all (they all live far away). And I still mask up pretty much everywhere besides state parks. But it seems like a small number of folks (the extremely introverted and often misanthropic) preferred things the way they were last year.

It certainly is a minority who want to keep this going forward. I continue to support masks and social distancing while the vaccination process is underway, and until we've reached a "desirable" vaccination rate-which I think will be around 70% of the population. From what I've read, we're on track to reach that benchmark by around June; Dr. Fauci, from what I gathered from his appearance on This Week earlier today, seems to believe that we will be back to normal by the end of this summer. That is also what the Governor of my state, Polis, believes.

Moreover, I'll note that at my job (Home Depot), the numbers of maskless customers have increased over the past week. I'd say about 25-30% of people are now going about maskless. The "tough guy" types who've remained maskless throughout the pandemic are now being joined by couples and families who have probably been vaccinated, or at least, have gotten tired of wearing masks and reverted to their "pre-pandemic" ways. The mask mandate in Colorado is set to end on May 2, and with Polis handing over more control over pandemic restrictions to the counties, it's unlikely that it will be extended further. This is why I'm still sure that masks will be largely gone before this year is out, excepting the minority who will continue to wear them.

[Calthrina950]

https://twitter.com/therecount/status/1383093445829525504

Perhaps, the most pro-science Gov of US. There is virtually no reasons for vaccinated people to act differently than they do during a flue season. At best, there are "solidarity" reasons.

I feel like this is just common sense. I'm genuinely wondering what world a lot of these media types live in.

A few months ago, one of my co-workers urged me to start wearing two masks. That was when the CDC began recommending it, when we were going through another one of the "pandemic surges". I bought myself a new set of masks, but I didn't follow her advice, and now that I've gotten my first dose (and will be getting my second one next month), I don't plan on double masking now. I don't find it to be necessary, and it's been discomforting enough to wear one mask as it is, as I've had to do for over a year now.

[Calthrina950]

And if I see someone walking around on the street without a mask, I don't know if they're vaccinated, so I just assume they're a dick who doesn't care about other people.

Now that a majority of the country has received at least one vaccine, this isn't really logical.

You aren't fully immune until 2 weeks after your 2nd dose, unless you're part of the J&J crew.

Of course. My point is, with every day that goes by hundreds of thousands to millions of Americans pass that two week threshold. So when you see someone in public not wearing a mask they could very well just be fully vaccinated instead of a horrible person who doesn't care about the health of others.

I noted this above when discussing the uptick in the numbers of maskless customers at my job over the past week. Many of those who I see probably are vaccinated and are simply tired of wearing a mask.

[Calthrina950]

I just can't get over how much of an inconvenience people think wearing a mask is. Maybe I've just become used to it, but I'd still rather be safe than sorry, even when I get fully vaccinated. We especially don't know how things are going to pan out with new strains popping up everywhere. It appears that even a first dose is enough to stave them off for now, but this virus is unlike anything the medical communtiy has ever encountered before, but I have no qualms with still wearing a mask, and really nobody should. To me, it's also a matter of mutual respect to those who aren't vaccinated yet. To me blatantly not wanting to wear a mask because I'm immune comes off like "na na na na na I'm immune and you're not!"

I certainly think that it's selfish for people to stop wearing a mask just because they've been vaccinated. I think we should continue to don them, but only until we've reached an adequate vaccination rate. I do not want this to become permanent, and I certainly hope that we still won't be wearing them next year.

[Calthrina950]

https://twitter.com/samstein/status/1385587437699837952

People of Wisconsin...please get rid of this jerk if he runs again.

Ron Johnson is quickly climbing the ranks of the worst people in the US Senate.

He's among the worst people in the entire Congress. And its astonishing how low he's gone in an effort to appeal to the Trumpists, when they won't be enough by themselves to win him reelection next year. His previous two wins over Feingold were fueled by his dominance in the ancestrally Republican WOW suburbs, and as 2020 showed, they are trending away from the Party.

[Calthrina950]

https://twitter.com/samstein/status/1385587437699837952
People of Wisconsin...please get rid of this jerk if he runs again.

Ron Johnson is quickly climbing the ranks of the worst people in the US Senate.

He's among the worst people in the entire Congress. And its astonishing how low he's gone in an effort to appeal to the Trumpists, when they won't be enough by themselves to win him reelection next year. His previous two wins over Feingold were fueled by his dominance in the ancestrally Republican WOW suburbs, and as 2020 showed, they are trending away from the Party.

They may just be Trump skeptics rather than those feeling abhorrent of the Republican Party. We just don't know right now how much redder rural areas will become. Every time I think I have seen a despicable remark, someone new always seems to come along to prove me wrong. I've learned to keep myself open to facing the worst.

Many of them are, yes. But it's undeniable that there is a long-term Democratic trend in the WOW counties, as there have been in educated suburbs throughout the country, and it's one that I expect to continue. Trends are indeed real, and I wouldn't be surprised if Johnson does better than he's ever done before in Wisconsin's rural areas next year, assuming he runs for reelection.

[Calthrina950]

The one year anniversary of this:

Trump suggests 'injection' of disinfectant to beat coronavirus and 'clean' the lungs

The depressing part is that this ended up being fairly irrelevant in the end.

The predicted Biden surge among senior voters certainly did not materialize. If it had, he would have won Arizona and Georgia by more and would have come closer in Florida, Iowa, Ohio, North Carolina, and Texas.

[Calthrina950]

The one year anniversary of this:

Trump suggests 'injection' of disinfectant to beat coronavirus and 'clean' the lungs

The depressing part is that this ended up being fairly irrelevant in the end.

The predicted Biden surge among senior voters certainly did not materialize. If it had, he would have won Arizona and Georgia by more and would have come closer in Florida, Iowa, Ohio, North Carolina, and Texas.

Biden did improve with seniors. It just wasn't by as much as polls indicated. The swing he got probably pushed him over the finish line.

That's what I meant. In Florida, for example, Biden registered minor improvements in senior-heavy areas of the state (i.e. Pasco, Hernando, Sumter, Collier), and flipped both Duval and Seminole Counties, but his improvements in those areas weren't enough to offset Trump's massive gains in Miami-Dade, and thereby cost him the state.

[Calthrina950]

The one year anniversary of this:

Trump suggests 'injection' of disinfectant to beat coronavirus and 'clean' the lungs

The depressing part is that this ended up being fairly irrelevant in the end.

The predicted Biden surge among senior voters certainly did not materialize. If it had, he would have won Arizona and Georgia by more and would have come closer in Florida, Iowa, Ohio, North Carolina, and Texas.

Biden did improve with seniors. It just wasn't by as much as polls indicated. The swing he got probably pushed him over the finish line.

That's what I meant. In Florida, for example, Biden registered minor improvements in senior-heavy areas of the state (i.e. Pasco, Hernando, Sumter, Collier), and flipped both Duval and Seminole Counties, but his improvements in those areas weren't enough to offset Trump's massive gains in Miami-Dade, and thereby cost him the state.

Or it could of been that opposition to public health changed the vote more than support for it.

What do you mean? That Trump was helped by opposition to the coronavirus restrictions? DeSantis, as you're well aware, certainly has taken a much lighter approach then his Democratic counterparts in California, Illinois, and New York.

[Calthrina950]

WV Gov. Jim Justice announces any West Virginia resident age 16-35 who gets vaccinated will receive a $100 savings bond: https://www.wvnews.com/news/wvnews/west-virginia-gov-justice-state-will-use-covid-19-stimulus-funds-to-give-all-residents/article_3464b366-a6af-11eb-8cef-a3be246c97ac.html

As I noted a few weeks ago, Justice is corrupt, but he has done an excellent job with his coronavirus response, and has had one of the best responses of any Republican Governor.

[Calthrina950]

https://twitter.com/justinbaragona/status/1386837979453399049

I'm just gonna mention the....interesting claim that Carlson said a Pew survey "from last March" found that "64% of white Americans who classify themselves as liberal or very liberal have been diagnosed with an actual mental health condition".

Carlson seems to be considering mask-wearing to be akin to a mental illness. It's insane how the anti-mask rhetoric from the right continues on, more than a year into the pandemic. Fortunately, the vast majority of Americans are still wearing masks in public.

[Calthrina950]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h7PB1-66ues&t=1s

Republican doctors in Congress put out a PSA urging people to get the vaccine and calling it the only way to get back to normalcy. This is absolutely true.

I commend them for this effort. Many Republican voters have been hesitant about obtaining the vaccine because of their distrust (unfounded, in my view), of Dr. Fauci, the CDC, and public health experts in general-to say nothing of Democratic governors, mayors, and councils who have imposed coronavirus restrictions. Perhaps they will be more likely to heed appeals from their own politicians; even Trump is now telling his supporters to get the vaccine. There is one prominent Republican doctor in Congress who did not appear in this PSA, however. I'm sure everyone knows who that is.

[Calthrina950]

Some good news on the California front. Especially after the disastrous surge we had had this past fall:


LA Times: In dramatic turnaround, California now has the lowest coronavirus case rate in the U.S.

Months after a coronavirus surge sickened hundreds of thousands of people, left thousands dead and pushed hospitals to their breaking point, California’s virus case rate is now the lowest of any state in the nation, federal figures show.

Although the distinction doesn’t lessen the heavy toll exacted by the fall-and-winter wave, it does demonstrate the tremendous strides the state has made in its fight against the COVID-19 pandemic — progress that, to this point, has not been interrupted even as the state more widely reopens its economy.

For the record:

9:34 AM, Apr. 27, 2021An earlier version of this article reported that Dr. Mark Ghaly, the California Health and Human Services secretary, said that until October diners should probably eat outdoors at restaurants. Ghaly said people will probably prefer dining outdoors at restaurants instead of indoors until that time.

California’s latest seven-day rate of new cases was 32.5 per 100,000 people, according to data from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Over that same period, Hawaii had the second-lowest rate, at 36.8, and the nationwide rate was 114.7. California has for weeks reported one of the lowest case rates in the nation — though the top spot had remained largely out of reach.

https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2021-04-26/california-lowest-coronavirus-case-rate-nation

This kind of news is the reason why the recall against Newsom is doomed to failure. By the time the recall is actually held, the coronavirus situation in California will be even better than it is now, and vaccination rates will be much higher.

[Calthrina950]

India just came in at an eye-watering 386,452 new daily cases with many cases going undiagnosed in the country.

The corollary of record breaking cases will be felt in 3 weeks time.

It does not look like they have the necessary social infrastructure to back out of this one.

Terrible. I have to say though, I'm surprised a country as densely populated as India did so well for so long. Unfortunately, I think this was bound to happen eventually.

Although India is obviously a much different country from ours (higher and denser population, greater levels of economic inequality, inferior healthcare and education, lower standards of living, etc.), it should nevertheless serve as an instructive example of why we must vigorously continue on with the vaccination process and adhere to reasonable precautions in the meantime. I can only imagine how the situation would be in our country now had we followed a laissez-faire approach to this last year.

[Calthrina950]

I came back from work not too long ago, and I'm going to make another entry to my "reports" about who has and has not been wearing masks, which I've done throughout the pandemic. The numbers of maskless customers at my job have increased significantly over the past week. Now, I would say that about 30-35% of people are no longer wearing masks. Those who have been maskless throughout the pandemic are now being joined by those who've decided to discard them recently. I am curious as to how many of the maskless have actually been vaccinated.

Some have taken the stance that because they've received the vaccine, they no longer have to wear a mask. And I suspect that the vast majority of the maskless lean to the right, or are conservatives, Republicans, or Trump supporters. Polls have indicated throughout the pandemic that Republicans are more likely to be maskless than Democrats or independents, and they are also revealing that Republicans are less likely to be vaccinated (or planning on getting vaccinated) than Democrats or independents.

[Calthrina950]

7-day positive rate is now down to 3.52%.

If it’s under 2%, I’m going to try to stop wearing masks. If people don’t get vaccinated and they end up missing work, on a ventilator, or worse, it’s their own goddamn fault.

People who say things about the vaccines or do things to discourage vaccinations should be sued.

I’ll change my tune if this thing gets out of containment again but if it does, what good does public health do if enough people are this mentally ill?

Maybe there should be a rule where patient dumping is allowed if it is determined that the patient actively participated in a disinformation campaign.

A coworker at my job, who refused to get the vaccine because they "didn't trust it", contracted the virus earlier this week and is now out sick. At this point, that is what is going to happen with many people, and it shouldn't be allowed to prevent those of us who have been vaccinated to return to normal life.

[Calthrina950]

So looks like we'll almost certainly have a 7-day average of less than 50K tomorrow. How quickly will it take us to reach 40K? 30? 20?

Probably soon enough given vaccinations.
It could be all of these hit within the next few weeks.

What do you think of Polis' revised mask mandate? I've had great difficulty understanding it.

[Calthrina950]

I can’t believe some of you are completely shocked that some corporations are still enforcing some light COVID safety restrictions. They’re covering their asses. If there’s a small outbreak that starts at the stadium then they have those restrictions as an excuse to say they were enforcing safety.

Bro bars have been open here since like May 2020 and they’ve been at full capacity since March 2021. We had a whopping total of 16 cases the past week. People are barely even vaccinated here too. If people are fully vaccinated, everything should be COMPLETELY back to normal for them. Get the f out of here with the social engineering

Bro congrats to your bars but I'm just saying that large corporations always do the most to cover their asses so it's not a surprise to see places like stadiums, convention centers and supermarket and retail chains continue to enforce safety restrictions like mask wearing. I'm sorry that upsets you.

The question then becomes: How long will private businesses maintain restrictions? The statewide mask mandates are slowly going away, and I think all of those will be gone by fall. But will private restrictions continue? I certainly don't think it's feasible for them to continue beyond when it is necessary.

[Calthrina950]

I can’t believe some of you are completely shocked that some corporations are still enforcing some light COVID safety restrictions. They’re covering their asses. If there’s a small outbreak that starts at the stadium then they have those restrictions as an excuse to say they were enforcing safety.

Bro bars have been open here since like May 2020 and they’ve been at full capacity since March 2021. We had a whopping total of 16 cases the past week. People are barely even vaccinated here too. If people are fully vaccinated, everything should be COMPLETELY back to normal for them. Get the f out of here with the social engineering

Bro congrats to your bars but I'm just saying that large corporations always do the most to cover their asses so it's not a surprise to see places like stadiums, convention centers and supermarket and retail chains continue to enforce safety restrictions like mask wearing. I'm sorry that upsets you.

The question then becomes: How long will private businesses maintain restrictions? The statewide mask mandates are slowly going away, and I think all of those will be gone by fall. But will private restrictions continue? I certainly don't think it's feasible for them to continue beyond when it is necessary.

Republicans wanted liability protections for private businesses last summer, but Democrats called that a no-go.

Such protections are an important part of getting America back to normal; after all, it is only because of liability protections that we brought the vaccines and other treatments to market as quickly as we did.

Are you saying then, that businesses might keep mask mandates in place for the near-future because they lack these protections? Of course, many businesses-such as my own workplace, Home Depot-haven't been enforcing the mandates throughout the pandemic (except for their own employees)-so it won't make a difference to those who've stopped wearing masks or refused to.

When do you think people should stop wearing masks? Once we've reached an optimal vaccination rate?

[Calthrina950]

I think it's a poor reflection on our populace that people need more incentive to get vaccinated. Apparently the health of themselves and society isn't enticing enough. But whatever, I get why these deal-sweeteners (sometimes literally) are being done. As long as it helps us reach herd immunity at all I can get past it.

Unfortunately Americans as a whole are selfish and lazy and generally not prone to doing something if there's not immediate personal gain involved.

This is the sad reality. But logically, becoming immune to a deadly disease and being less likely to spread it really ought to be personal gain enough. Our populace isn't so logical though, especially anti-vax ideology. Meanwhile, in places like India, there are potentially a billion people who would give anything to the have the access to vaccines that we do.

You are dead on with these. Americans are privileged enough, compared to countries in the developing world, that they can refuse to take the vaccine. People in India and elsewhere are absolutely grateful for these same vaccines, as they are grateful for so many other things in life that we take for granted.

[Calthrina950]

A new study published earlier this week estimates that more than 900,000 Americans have died from COVID-19, nearly double the amount recorded by health officials and trackers.

Data compiled by Johns Hopkins University, for example, has the coronavirus death toll in the US at around 581,000 people. A tracker from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has a number within the same range, at about 577,000 deaths.

“We’ve been saying – and the CDC has been saying all along – that it is very likely that we’re undercounting,” Fauci, the director of the US National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, said in an interview on NBC’s “Meet the Press.”

https://www.businessinsider.com.au/fauci-no-doubt-undercount-covid-19-death-toll-2021-5

Very bad news. In comparison the number of people who died from the flu in recent years ranged from 23,000 to 61,000 annually. And without containment measures it would have been even worse. So the idea that the pandemic was nothing was obviously wrong.

If this is true, that means coronavirus has killed more Americans than either the Civil War or the Spanish Flu did.