COVID-19 Megathread 6: Return of the Omicron

[Horus]

Why would people who oppose masks be vindicated?

Lockdowns and masks clearly don't work, but it appears as if vaccines do.

and this is where you completely lost me.....

I always knew Bandit was a mask Karen but I'm surprised he's admitting that vaccines work seeing as his favorite "left wing" pundits are anti vaxx.

[Horus]

I said rising Covid cases isn't good news for D's and the border crisis, it looks like Biden won't get his amnesty program thru, he won't break Filibuster

Again, where is your evidence of this?


You are speaking as if you have just seen a new poll or data that that shows that rising cases is going to hurt the Dems in a way that it did not even do to the Republicans in 2020. Trump barley lost the election and Republicans gained seats despite that that both deaths and cases were rising way more than they are right now

If anything, these results show that rising cases have very little impact on either party because Covid has become such politically polarizing issue

Also, I said it before and will say it again If Biden and Dems succeed in Making the vaccines widely available to people than I believe that fact alone will help them even if cases do rise

Why are you arguing with OC lol

[Horus]

We've really become accustomed to the death rate. It was several months ago that we found it staggering that we were experiencing a death rate equal to 9/11 every other day. At best this year, it's a 9/11 twice a week. A lot of people seem to think this pandemic is over. It's not even close to over.

This really is a race now between vaccines and the infection rate of the virus. We don't need to give the virus any advantages right now. If you can get a vaccine, get it as soon as possible. Even after and for everyone else, keep wearing your masks. Most places aren't checking vaccine records, so everyone should still be wearing masks in public places. We're probably on track for a 4th wave no matter what. Hopefully, we can keep hospitalizations and deaths to a minimum.

As I've said before, what concerns me is the possibility of a mutation that can bypass the current vaccines. The more people get infected means more people that the virus can attempt to throw the dice and therefore more attempts at a mutation that is even more conducive to infection or serious illness.

Just don't be stupid. Wear your mask, wash your hands, and stay socially distant as much as you can. Those that are vaccinated can probably skip the last step most of the time, but there's no good reason for anyone to skip the first two.

I'm pretty strict about wearing a mask myself, but by the end of May I'll be fully vaccinated. After that I don't plan on wearing a mask unless the business mandates it or I'm feeling sick.

I don't think that is unreasonable.

[Horus]

I don’t understand how people could support a mask mandate but not a vaccine mandate. 

Getting a shot once or twice is obviously both much, much, more effective and much less inconvenient than wearing a mask everywhere for more than a year.

People are weird about needles.

[Horus]

Silver is completely right. If someone has been fully vaccinated and waited the two week period, why the hell should they still have to live like nothing changed? The thought process of many hesitant folks will just be "why get vaccinated at all then?"

[Horus]

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. They are setting their children up for social failure.

[Horus]

Is there actually a sizeable contingent of liberals supporting permanent online schooling? What would even be the reason for that? I thought many wanted it until the Fall or maybe until next year at the latest.

I was reading NYT comments on this issue just today and they were indistinguishable from a conservative mommy blog, minus the anti vaxx stuff. This is a very common view and they're ignoring the science.

[Horus]

Any polling on vaccine passports?

[Horus]

First Poll:

https://twitter.com/benwakana46/status/1382436908689657867?s=20

Called it.

[Horus]

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.

[Horus]

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.

Run for your lives! It's the Online Left^®!!!    

Do you ever make serious posts or do you just complain?

95% of the left isn't like this but there is a small, very vocal group who want permanent online schooling and permanent masks. You may be part of that group and may be triggered by my words, and I'm sorry for that. But most of society, including myself, will stop wearing masks two weeks after our second vaccine unless the business we are in mandates it.

If that bothers you or scares you, you can move to a country that is still locked down.

[Horus]

95% of the left isn't like this but there is a small, very vocal group who want permanent online schooling and permanent masks.

People like that are not leftists. They are weirdos and trolls.

I mean compared to the 40% of Republicans refusing the vaccine they're really not a big deal so long as they don't grow. But they are certainly not right wing and some are part of rose Twitter.

[Horus]

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.

[Horus]

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.

[Horus]

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.

[Horus]

Not convincing at all. You reduce the incentive to get a vaccine if you’re not allowing people to return back to normal after they get vaccinated.

Not having to worry about dying isn't enough incentive? That's why I got it. Yeah you're right it reduces it I guess, but I had no expectation that the mask mandates were going away, at least not for a few months so everyone can get vaccinated. When they do I'll stop wearing it.

For a large number of people, being able to party again is more of an incentive than not dying.

[Horus]

Just found out my work is ending all covid guidelines in mid May.

No masks.

No temperature checks.

No social distancing.

Visitors allowed.


I’m glad I got the vaccine in January and February but this makes me extremely worried.  I work in a small space with about ten other people for 12 hours.  Almost all of my coworkers are morons and most didn’t get the vaccine and say they never will.

Well if no one got vaccinated there might be some positions open soon. Look at this as an opportunity for a promotion.

[Horus]

^
Was already addressed a week ago (And many more times prior):

There’s no need to close this thread altogether (we don’t need a new one really) or rename it (title is creative and technically accurate). Stop requesting such.

It's wrong.

It's not accurate, it's outdated. And this thread title was being changed all the time, or closed and restarted for a new version, now it's stuck on this really outdated news? Really? Someone can come up with another inventive name.

You're not wrong. But at the same time, it's just a name. Who cares?

Your signature is ten lines worth of your forum pet peeves. You are in no place to criticize another person's forum pet peeve.

[Horus]

Seems like the vaccine campaign is slowly switching from "get vaccinated so you don't get sick" to "get vaccinated so life can get back to normal." Probably a good strategy considering that the Dems and Indys on the fence tend to be younger. Also, a third to a half of Republicans just aren't gonna get it no matter what so no point trying to convince them.

[Horus]

Most schools are partially open at least, stop concern trolling.

Our schools and colleges are in ruins, except in a few very rural areas.

It’s very clear you have no clue what you’re upset about at this point.

Colleges are mostly okay but a lot of kids, especially in underfunded urban schools have been all but forgotten these past 13 and a half months.

[Horus]

Hospitals and airplanes are the only two places that should have a permanent mask mandate. Everywhere else needs to get back to normal ASAP.

[Horus]

I won't wear a mask to church of course because its obvious there I'm not a Republican or live music shows once those start again because no Republicans would attend the ones I do. Otherwise I'm still masking up and making it dead clear I didn't vote for Trump.

Trumpers are now starting to wear masks due to conspiracies about vaccinated people shedding the virus onto others and making them infertile.

[Horus]

So basically, COVID is on it's last legs? Or is it premature to assume that?

Sure seems that way. On the 1st of June it will be two weeks since my second dose of Pfizer. Far as I'm concerned the pandemic ends that day.

[Horus]

https://twitter.com/laurenpeikoff/status/1396790236953337856

That's how it should be. Any school system that continues to offer remote learning after August should be severely reprimanded.

[Horus]

That's an entire week of double digit green, let's keep it up!