COVID-19 Megathread 6: Return of the Omicron

[Horus]

Louisiana State University to require fans at football games to show proof of vaccination or recent negative test:

LSU will require anyone attending Tiger Stadium who is 12 years of age or older to provide proof of vaccination or a negative COVID-19 PCR test taken within the last 72 hours, the school announced on Tuesday.
...
Those younger than 12 will not have to show proof of a negative PCR test. However, masks will be required for children between 5 and 11 years old and encouraged for those younger than 5.

https://www.espn.com/college-football/story/_/id/32077089/proof-vaccination-negative-covid-19-pcr-test-required-enter-tiger-stadium

And here's the counterpoint, which it greatly pains me to post:

https://twitter.com/bluestein/status/1430238454617722883

There should definitely be proof of vaccination but other than that this is the correct policy for outdoor events.

The primary reason to even consider different standards for indoor and outdoor events is that people are spread out at most outdoor events. That's definitely not the case for the stands at a sporting event.

Lolla was 90% vaccinated and people were packed like sardines. So long as a crowd is full of fully vaccinated individuals they should be able to get as close to one another as they like.

[Horus]

Louisiana State University to require fans at football games to show proof of vaccination or recent negative test:

LSU will require anyone attending Tiger Stadium who is 12 years of age or older to provide proof of vaccination or a negative COVID-19 PCR test taken within the last 72 hours, the school announced on Tuesday.
...
Those younger than 12 will not have to show proof of a negative PCR test. However, masks will be required for children between 5 and 11 years old and encouraged for those younger than 5.

https://www.espn.com/college-football/story/_/id/32077089/proof-vaccination-negative-covid-19-pcr-test-required-enter-tiger-stadium

And here's the counterpoint, which it greatly pains me to post:

https://twitter.com/bluestein/status/1430238454617722883

There should definitely be proof of vaccination but other than that this is the correct policy for outdoor events.

The primary reason to even consider different standards for indoor and outdoor events is that people are spread out at most outdoor events. That's definitely not the case for the stands at a sporting event.

Lolla was 90% vaccinated and people were packed like sardines. So long as a crowd is full of fully vaccinated individuals they should be able to get as close to one another as they like.

The key difference is that Lollapalooza was requiring proof of vaccination or a recent negative test, but UGA isn't requiring *anything* for football games.

Of course, but I already said just in my last post that besides the lack of a vaccine mandate, UGA has the correct policy. Masks for vaccinated individuals are bad enough, but making us social distance is quite frankly intolerable.

[Horus]

Louisiana State University to require fans at football games to show proof of vaccination or recent negative test:

LSU will require anyone attending Tiger Stadium who is 12 years of age or older to provide proof of vaccination or a negative COVID-19 PCR test taken within the last 72 hours, the school announced on Tuesday.
...
Those younger than 12 will not have to show proof of a negative PCR test. However, masks will be required for children between 5 and 11 years old and encouraged for those younger than 5.

https://www.espn.com/college-football/story/_/id/32077089/proof-vaccination-negative-covid-19-pcr-test-required-enter-tiger-stadium

And here's the counterpoint, which it greatly pains me to post:

https://twitter.com/bluestein/status/1430238454617722883

There should definitely be proof of vaccination but other than that this is the correct policy for outdoor events.

The primary reason to even consider different standards for indoor and outdoor events is that people are spread out at most outdoor events. That's definitely not the case for the stands at a sporting event.

Lolla was 90% vaccinated and people were packed like sardines. So long as a crowd is full of fully vaccinated individuals they should be able to get as close to one another as they like.

I remember the days when libertarians at least pretended to care about potential harm to others. The vaccines we have for COVID are quite capable of keeping someone out of the hospital, but not as much when it comes to keep them from getting infected and spreading COVID to other people.

I'm not even close to being a libertarian though so not sure where that came from? Not too many libertarians support universal healthcare and trust busting.

And as transmissible as Delta is we've probably all had COVID by now and most of us just didn't know since we're fully vaccinated. I'm glad people are enjoying outdoor events again. Besides, we were told at the beginning of the pandemic that the point of all of these policies was to lower the hospitalization rate. Now they're to prevent us from getting sick at all?

[Horus]

I now have 4 people in my circle with covid and all of them were fully vaccinated. It’s extremely discouraging and worrying.

Everyone is going to get COVID, if they're not symptomatic and more importantly not hospitalized, the vaccine is working.

[Horus]

Just curious…

Any vaccinated people starting wearing masks again when going out?  Any choosing not to mask up?

If it's mandated, or in a medical setting. Here in DeKalb county all businesses seem to be mandating them again, other than my local gas station.

I never wear my mask outdoors. That's silly.

[Horus]

At this point I unironically believe that mask mandates are oppressive. Simply because they target even those who are fully vaccinated and have done everything right, whereas most of those who refuse to get vaccinated are also not going to wear masks anyway. That's a textbook form of collective punishment as far as I'm concerned. Literally the entire thing is now a performative stunt among people who already are effectively immune from the virus (or its worst effects at least) trying to show off to each other how woke and enlightened they are because they cover their faces with a placebo cloth. While the only people who might possibly benefit from it shun and scoff at it. It's incredibly bizarre to me, and alienates me even farther from "my side" (the left) than I already was. And I can't imagine I'm alone in that.

My philosophy about this whole thing now is simple:

1. Let those who insist on dying die. Don't try to interfere with the will of Darwin!

2. Let those of us who long ago made the decision to take the f--king shot and get on with our lives actually do so, rather than continue to try in vain to "protect" those who clearly and adamantly do not want to be "protected."

3. Don't worry about the children, as even an unvaccinated child is still exponentially less likely to die from COVID than a vaccinated middle aged adult, who himself has a smaller risk of dying from COVID than from a bee sting.

The entire thing at this point strikes me now less as a public health concern and more as some bizarre religious ritual crossed with a dick measuring contest. Just STOP. Just STOP already. Leave me alone, leave the kids alone, leave EVERYONE alone. If they are stupid enough to expose themselves to the virus unvaccinated, LET THEM! That is THEIR choice and THEIR problem! Ours is NOT an authoritarian country like China, or at least it's not supposed to be.

Fact of the matter is COVID-19 can now safely be considered a nuisance virus like the flu that CAN be deadly to those who refuse to take the vaccine against it, but ultimately is basically a complete non-threat to those who do and isn't even likely at all to kill most of those who don't. We'll probably be stuck with it forever, like the flu, but we don't HAVE to be stuck with ridiculous Draconian measures to "stop" it forever unless we choose to. These tactics will never actually successfully purge the thing from the Earth but they can and will anger many reasonable people who might otherwise sympathize with the side of the political aisle that is pushing them.

I mean seriously, some of the takes I'm seeing from Twitter and elsewhere seem to be logically implying that any risk whatsoever in life, no matter how minute, is absolutely unacceptable and anyone who believes otherwise is a literal murderer. By this "logic," driving a car is murder, as it is now far, far, far, far, infinite number of FARs more likely to kill a vaccinated adult or child than COVID.

I say the loons who unironically believe we all still need masks can go ahead and lock themselves in bubbles for the rest of their lives and the rest of us can laugh at them as they argue with George Costanza about the correct spelling of "the Moops." But they have to f--k off and leave the rest of us who are not severely psychologically crippled alone to live our lives!

This post is just wrong on several counts:

1. At this point, nobody is safe from COVID. It's abundantly clear by now that with Delta, breakthrough cases are not rare events at all, and may even be stretching to call them uncommon. There's still protection against severe disease but new data show that is waning; this is why there is now a push for booster shots.

2. Masks are no "placebo", they have repeatedly proven effective at stopping respiratory disease transmission.

3. Masks are a zero cost mitigation measure, a surgical mask costs 5-10c apiece. They don't harm the economy at all, a mask doesn't prevent one from doing anything once the usual exceptions for bars and restaurants are carved out.

If that doesn't convince you, how about this: mask mandates are supported by a majority of the public (source: https://www.monmouth.edu/polling-institute/documents/monmouthpoll_us_080221.pdf/), including 85% of Democrats. Do you really want to associate yourself with the Trumpist pro-COVID forces, who stormed the Capitol, believe the vaccine is a conspiracy for Bill Gates to mind control the world, and take horse dewormer for COVID? No? Then get in line with your party.

Your CCP tendencies are showing here.

[Horus]

A striking data point is that the US and the UK have the same daily case rate, around 500 per million, but the US daily death toll of 4.21 per million is over 2 and a half times the UK rate (1.56 per million). None of this is because of the US healthcare system being worse than the UK one, oddly in January they had similar case rates but the UK per capita death toll was double the US one. The UK vaccine takeup is better than the US one-they have 72% first dosed and 64% fully vaccinated, while the US has 62% first dosed and 53% fully vaccinated. Still, the US death toll shouldn't be so high, the vast majority of the vulnerable populations have been vaccinated (82% of over 65s are fully vaccinated). So what do you think is making the US do badly?

EDIT: Never mind, the UK is testing so much more than the US, they did 11.32 daily tests per million to 3.32 per million for the US. So Delta has spread so much more in the US. That is slightly surprising since the UK has looser restrictions and is more densely populated, but maybe voluntary social distancing and mask-wearing is much higher there.

Also America is twice as obese. Most deaths are among the obese.

[Horus]

You seem to be under the mistaken impression that I care more about what "the party" or even "the public" feels than about what the facts and the evidence show. Sadly for you, that is not now, has not ever been, and never will be the case.

As I thought I made pretty clear, BOTH the raving right-wing lunatics who think horse dewormer is a magic cure AND the smug lefties who seem to think that masks are a magic cure are simply dead wrong. And I won't pretend otherwise no matter how convenient or not it is to any particular narrative.

Why do you constantly feel the need to strawman the left in your COVID posts?  It's very telling.

Nobody thinks masks are a "magic cure."  That is something you made up so you could dunk on us.
 But they are scientifically proven to reduce the risk of transmission.  And it's 100% common sense that they would function in this way since they reduce particles expelled forward from the mouth.

You are in no way, shape or form part of the left lol.

[Horus]

At this point I unironically believe that mask mandates are oppressive. Simply because they target even those who are fully vaccinated and have done everything right, whereas most of those who refuse to get vaccinated are also not going to wear masks anyway. That's a textbook form of collective punishment as far as I'm concerned. Literally the entire thing is now a performative stunt among people who already are effectively immune from the virus (or its worst effects at least) trying to show off to each other how woke and enlightened they are because they cover their faces with a placebo cloth. While the only people who might possibly benefit from it shun and scoff at it. It's incredibly bizarre to me, and alienates me even farther from "my side" (the left) than I already was. And I can't imagine I'm alone in that.

My philosophy about this whole thing now is simple:

1. Let those who insist on dying die. Don't try to interfere with the will of Darwin!

2. Let those of us who long ago made the decision to take the f--king shot and get on with our lives actually do so, rather than continue to try in vain to "protect" those who clearly and adamantly do not want to be "protected."

3. Don't worry about the children, as even an unvaccinated child is still exponentially less likely to die from COVID than a vaccinated middle aged adult, who himself has a smaller risk of dying from COVID than from a bee sting.

The entire thing at this point strikes me now less as a public health concern and more as some bizarre religious ritual crossed with a dick measuring contest. Just STOP. Just STOP already. Leave me alone, leave the kids alone, leave EVERYONE alone. If they are stupid enough to expose themselves to the virus unvaccinated, LET THEM! That is THEIR choice and THEIR problem! Ours is NOT an authoritarian country like China, or at least it's not supposed to be.

Fact of the matter is COVID-19 can now safely be considered a nuisance virus like the flu that CAN be deadly to those who refuse to take the vaccine against it, but ultimately is basically a complete non-threat to those who do and isn't even likely at all to kill most of those who don't. We'll probably be stuck with it forever, like the flu, but we don't HAVE to be stuck with ridiculous Draconian measures to "stop" it forever unless we choose to. These tactics will never actually successfully purge the thing from the Earth but they can and will anger many reasonable people who might otherwise sympathize with the side of the political aisle that is pushing them.

I mean seriously, some of the takes I'm seeing from Twitter and elsewhere seem to be logically implying that any risk whatsoever in life, no matter how minute, is absolutely unacceptable and anyone who believes otherwise is a literal murderer. By this "logic," driving a car is murder, as it is now far, far, far, far, infinite number of FARs more likely to kill a vaccinated adult or child than COVID.

I say the loons who unironically believe we all still need masks can go ahead and lock themselves in bubbles for the rest of their lives and the rest of us can laugh at them as they argue with George Costanza about the correct spelling of "the Moops." But they have to f--k off and leave the rest of us who are not severely psychologically crippled alone to live our lives!

This post is just wrong on several counts:

1. At this point, nobody is safe from COVID. It's abundantly clear by now that with Delta, breakthrough cases are not rare events at all, and may even be stretching to call them uncommon. There's still protection against severe disease but new data show that is waning; this is why there is now a push for booster shots.

2. Masks are no "placebo", they have repeatedly proven effective at stopping respiratory disease transmission.

3. Masks are a zero cost mitigation measure, a surgical mask costs 5-10c apiece. They don't harm the economy at all, a mask doesn't prevent one from doing anything once the usual exceptions for bars and restaurants are carved out.

If that doesn't convince you, how about this: mask mandates are supported by a majority of the public (source: https://www.monmouth.edu/polling-institute/documents/monmouthpoll_us_080221.pdf/), including 85% of Democrats. Do you really want to associate yourself with the Trumpist pro-COVID forces, who stormed the Capitol, believe the vaccine is a conspiracy for Bill Gates to mind control the world, and take horse dewormer for COVID? No? Then get in line with your party.

You seem to be under the mistaken impression that I care more about what "the party" or even "the public" feels than about what the facts and the evidence show. Sadly for you, that is not now, has not ever been, and never will be the case.

As I thought I made pretty clear, BOTH the raving right-wing lunatics who think horse dewormer is a magic cure AND the smug lefties who seem to think that masks are a magic cure are simply dead wrong. And I won't pretend otherwise no matter how convenient or not it is to any particular narrative.

Since you're on this forum, you should know all about and be a big believer in political polarization. Finally it's time to put it to good use. You're either on the side of the Trumpist pro-COVID forces, or you're on the side that supports mask mandates. Pick one.

Political polarization is not a good thing, in fact it is often what tears nations apart. The fact that you're trying to encourage it just makes your loyalties even clearer.

[Horus]

Since you're on this forum, you should know all about and be a big believer in political polarization. Finally it's time to put it to good use. You're either on the side of the Trumpist pro-COVID forces, or you're on the side that supports mask mandates. Pick one.

The politicization of a global pandemic is bad, actually. The fact that you're actively encouraging it to justify your beliefs is incredibly revealing.

I'm aware of my audience here. Most of this forum hates Trump and Trumpism with every fiber of their being, and many probably spent time and money to defeat Trump last year and were ready to get their guns and fight the Trumpists to the death on Jan. 6. I've spent many posts trying to convince people on this issue with facts and logic, but many are strangely resistant to that, instead taking the Trumpist position by clinging onto a falsehood that the vaccine is an impenetrable shield that makes one safe from COVID-19, and anti-mask feelings that they just don't like wearing masks. So it's time to invoke polarization for the greater good. The overwhelmingly anti-Trump posters here need to know that they are supporting Trump by opposing mask mandates.

Sure, most of us hate Trump, but most of us hate the CCP more.

[Horus]

Since you're on this forum, you should know all about and be a big believer in political polarization. Finally it's time to put it to good use. You're either on the side of the Trumpist pro-COVID forces, or you're on the side that supports mask mandates. Pick one.

The politicization of a global pandemic is bad, actually. The fact that you're actively encouraging it to justify your beliefs is incredibly revealing.

I'm aware of my audience here. Most of this forum hates Trump and Trumpism with every fiber of their being, and many probably spent time and money to defeat Trump last year and were ready to get their guns and fight the Trumpists to the death on Jan. 6. I've spent many posts trying to convince people on this issue with facts and logic, but many are strangely resistant to that, instead taking the Trumpist position by clinging onto a falsehood that the vaccine is an impenetrable shield that makes one safe from COVID-19, and anti-mask feelings that they just don't like wearing masks. So it's time to invoke polarization for the greater good. The overwhelmingly anti-Trump posters here need to know that they are supporting Trump by opposing mask mandates.

Sure, most of us hate Trump, but most of us hate the CCP more.

"I'm against masks to own the CCP" is the new "I'm against masks to own the libs"

Compucomp is literally a CCP sympathizer if not outright member but go off.

[Horus]

Since you're on this forum, you should know all about and be a big believer in political polarization. Finally it's time to put it to good use. You're either on the side of the Trumpist pro-COVID forces, or you're on the side that supports mask mandates. Pick one.

The politicization of a global pandemic is bad, actually. The fact that you're actively encouraging it to justify your beliefs is incredibly revealing.

I'm aware of my audience here. Most of this forum hates Trump and Trumpism with every fiber of their being, and many probably spent time and money to defeat Trump last year and were ready to get their guns and fight the Trumpists to the death on Jan. 6. I've spent many posts trying to convince people on this issue with facts and logic, but many are strangely resistant to that, instead taking the Trumpist position by clinging onto a falsehood that the vaccine is an impenetrable shield that makes one safe from COVID-19, and anti-mask feelings that they just don't like wearing masks. So it's time to invoke polarization for the greater good. The overwhelmingly anti-Trump posters here need to know that they are supporting Trump by opposing mask mandates.

Sure, most of us hate Trump, but most of us hate the CCP more.

"I'm against masks to own the CCP" is the new "I'm against masks to own the libs"

Compucomp is literally a CCP sympathizer if not outright member but go off.

“Kim Jong Un drinks water so I won’t drink water. Checkmate Atlas!”

This isn't even about the mandates. The poster is encouraging polarization. Only someone who hates America and wants it to fall would want us to become more polarized than we already are.

[Horus]

snipped tweet

Resistance libs getting up in arms about this video without realizing that Virginia Tech has a vaccine mandate.

The stadium is open to the public, did they impose the mandate on everyone? Did they check the vaccine card at the door? I highly doubt it.

I didn't say the stadium should have been closed, there are economic costs to that which at this point nobody has the will to pay. But it's clearly a highly risky activity and people who want to avoid catching COVID-19 should stay away. It's entirely reasonable for public health officials to message against it and discourage people from attending. People who attend do so at their own risk, there are plenty of allowed activities that involve taking on personal risk.

This is my school!  As I mentioned earlier, we have a vaccine mandate and a test positivity of 1.3%.
 And it is an -outdoor- event!  This is -not- a high risk activity.

Want to mention that just because it's "an outdoor event" doesn't make it safe and remove all "risk."
These people are shoulder to shoulder and screaming.

There's a vaccine mandate in place. Stop telling fully vaccinated Americans how to have fun.

[Horus]

snipped tweet

Resistance libs getting up in arms about this video without realizing that Virginia Tech has a vaccine mandate.

The stadium is open to the public, did they impose the mandate on everyone? Did they check the vaccine card at the door? I highly doubt it.

I didn't say the stadium should have been closed, there are economic costs to that which at this point nobody has the will to pay. But it's clearly a highly risky activity and people who want to avoid catching COVID-19 should stay away. It's entirely reasonable for public health officials to message against it and discourage people from attending. People who attend do so at their own risk, there are plenty of allowed activities that involve taking on personal risk.

This is my school!  As I mentioned earlier, we have a vaccine mandate and a test positivity of 1.3%.
 And it is an -outdoor- event!  This is -not- a high risk activity.

Want to mention that just because it's "an outdoor event" doesn't make it safe and remove all "risk."
These people are shoulder to shoulder and screaming.

There's a vaccine mandate in place. Stop telling fully vaccinated Americans how to have fun.

Where do you see me saying that people should "stop having fun"?
You constantly add BS to people comments, when there is no such words.

Read what I wrote. Of course you never said that, but you tried to subtly shame them since their activity is "risky." Everything carries risk, if your goal is to eliminate risk entirely you might as well never leave your bed. Would you rather these people have all stayed home, despite being fully vaccinated? What is your endgame? Why are you so bothered by fully vaccinated individuals moving on from the pandemic?

Not everyone wants to sit at home and do puzzles for eternity.

[Horus]

snipped tweet

Resistance libs getting up in arms about this video without realizing that Virginia Tech has a vaccine mandate.

The stadium is open to the public, did they impose the mandate on everyone? Did they check the vaccine card at the door? I highly doubt it.

I didn't say the stadium should have been closed, there are economic costs to that which at this point nobody has the will to pay. But it's clearly a highly risky activity and people who want to avoid catching COVID-19 should stay away. It's entirely reasonable for public health officials to message against it and discourage people from attending. People who attend do so at their own risk, there are plenty of allowed activities that involve taking on personal risk.

This is my school!  As I mentioned earlier, we have a vaccine mandate and a test positivity of 1.3%.
 And it is an -outdoor- event!  This is -not- a high risk activity.

Want to mention that just because it's "an outdoor event" doesn't make it safe and remove all "risk."
These people are shoulder to shoulder and screaming.

There's a vaccine mandate in place. Stop telling fully vaccinated Americans how to have fun.

Where do you see me saying that people should "stop having fun"?
You constantly add BS to people comments, when there is no such words.

Read what I wrote. Of course you never said that, but you tried to subtly shame them since their activity is "risky." Everything carries risk, if your goal is to eliminate risk entirely you might as well never leave your bed. Would you rather these people have all stayed home, despite being fully vaccinated? What is your endgame? Why are you so bothered by fully vaccinated individuals moving on from the pandemic?

Not everyone wants to sit at home and do puzzles for eternity.

Read what I wrote. I'm not trying to "subtly shame" no one.
All I'm doing is just stating a fact.
Stop being such a jack***.

"These people are shoulder to shoulder and screaming."

You absolutely did. Otherwise why make that statement? If you had a problem with a vaccine mandated event you could've just said that instead of being passive aggressive. People stand close together at games, and they scream. That's what happens at sporting events.

Again, what is your endgame? Do you think this event should not have occurred?

[Horus]

The WHO is not "a scientist," it is an organization, but it was spreading this incorrect information back in March 2020, with literally those exact words in its public communications:

I don't know how to explain that WHO tweet. They shouldn't have posted that.

WHO is not a reputable org, too much Chinese influence, the CDC is much better.

[Horus]

They say that Covid won't be Eradicated completely even by 2024/ we will still be in masks and social distancing, this is our future

Nope.

COVID was probably never going to be completely eradicated, but nobody is putting up with this for that long. They barely do now.

I went to Oktoberfest in Cincinnati yesterday, and everyone was packed together with no masks. People even packed onto the streetcar with no masks, even though the streetcar claims to require them.

The fact that you're constantly cheering this on in this thread is a little odd. We get it, you're sick of COVID. Give it a rest.

Cheering what on? I've never seen Bandit post anything anti vax so what's the problem?

[Horus]

They say that Covid won't be Eradicated completely even by 2024/ we will still be in masks and social distancing, this is our future

Nope.

COVID was probably never going to be completely eradicated, but nobody is putting up with this for that long. They barely do now.

I went to Oktoberfest in Cincinnati yesterday, and everyone was packed together with no masks. People even packed onto the streetcar with no masks, even though the streetcar claims to require them.

The fact that you're constantly cheering this on in this thread is a little odd. We get it, you're sick of COVID. Give it a rest.

Cheering what on? I've never seen Bandit post anything anti vax so what's the problem?

I'm not quite sure where you got the idea that I was accusing him of being anti vax...

I never said you were.. But you said he was "cheering this on." What exactly is he cheering on? Because if he's vaccinated and encouraging others to get vaccinated, he certainly isn't cheering for COVID...

[Horus]

Parents who support online schooling should get a visit from CPS. They are setting their children up for social failure.

[Horus]

This thread feels like it's stuck in a redundant time loop:

- Weekly update showing over a thousand daily COVID deaths on average
- Folks upset at Florida for rising cases/deaths & scoffing at restrictions
- Folks upset & scoffing at places not enforcing mandates & restrictions
- Bandit3 & Horus upset & scoffing at places enforcing mandates & restrictions
- Public polling showing mandates & restrictions popular nationwide
- Repeat next week

You could pull up pages from three months ago and the only things that would've changed were the dates.

I'm a huge supporter of vaccine mandates.

[Horus]

Love watching the college football games.  Cornhuskers vs Sooners last Saturday. 100,000 plus people, all in a tight space, but no masks in sight.  No vaccine passports or "social distancing".  Just some Americans havin good old fun.  Freedom over Faucism!!  

Potential super-spreader event.

Being connected to a ventilator isn't my idea of freedom.  

Give it a rest. It was outdoors and the vast majority of the people there were either vaccinated or extremely low risk. If the only social events you're willing to attend are three people (with proof of vaccination and negative test within the last 24 hours) standing 10 feet away from each other at a park, then that's your right, but let the rest of America have their football season.

The event should've had a vaccine mandate, but other than that you're right.

[Horus]

I just don't see how we will ever have another bad surge.

Delta basically infected most people who were unvaccinated.

90% of americans have either natural or vaccine antibodies.

I just don't see the math working out for another surge.

maybe a surge of breakthrough, mild cases.

If this is all true, then will we perhaps see mask mandates finally going away?

My guess is around the springtime, just after the two year anniversary of everything shutting down. They're not gonna remove the mandates in the winter, even if (when) cases continue to drop.

[Horus]

If the pandemic really is on its way out, I've never been prouder to be an Atlantan. Despite being in the heart of the south, surrounded by anti vax hell, things never got too bad in the metro, certainly not on the level of NY or SW Missouri. The CDC being headquartered here probably played a role, plus our minority populations are much more likely to have a college degree than somewhere like Birmingham or St. Louis meaning more likely to be vaxxed.

Also folks tended to mask pragmatically. Not neurotically like in Cali or never like in the sticks.

[Horus]

I'm not getting any boosters. The governments of the world need to concentrate on getting shots to unvaccinated people, especially since unlike the United States people around the globe are desperate for these vaccines.

Neither am I, unless my Dr. says it's absolutely vital.

[Horus]

In general, why is it that black people seem to have lower vaccination rates than Hispanics/Natives? It’s something that sticks out on that map.

Historical distrust of medicine due to Tuskegee experiments etc, the NoI has been on an anti vax kick for a year now, very poor marketing of the vaccine (though that applies to everyone.)

However, when education is controlled for, rates are comparable if not sightly better than white Americans. See PG county in green on the map, if GA reported like a normal state I'd bet DeKalb would be green as well.