COVID-19 Megathread 6: Return of the Omicron

[roxas11]

https://twitter.com/NateSilver538/status/1421229518749044739

My favorite four words to describe the media prove to be fitting once again.

As far as I'm cornered nytimes are not better the Tucker Carlson or the crazy people on Facebook

They are purposely spreading misinformation about the vaccines simply because they know it will get them more attention and clicks

nytimes knows full well that Vaccinated people do not transmit this virus at the same rate as the unvaccinated. They should be ashamed of themselves for potentially putting some of thier readers lives at risk by scaring them away from getting vaccinated and making them think that vaccines are not as effective when it comes to protecting them

[emailking]

They are purposely spreading misinformation about the vaccines simply because they know it will get them more attention and clicks

nytimes knows full well that Vaccinated people do not transmit this virus at the same rate as the unvaccinated. They should be ashamed of themselves for potentially putting some of the readers lives at risk by scaring them away from waiting to get vaccinated and making them think that vaccines are not as effective when it comes to protecting them

Again, the slide presentation does say that, and all they tweeted was that it says this. I quoted it above.

"Delta variant vaccine breakthrough cases may be as transmissible as unvaccinated cases"

That's from the CDC slide presentation.  The NYT tweet is:

"Breaking News: The Delta variant is as contagious as chickenpox and may be spread by vaccinated people as easily as the unvaccinated, an internal C.D.C. report said."

It's a restatement and attributes it to the report. What is the issue?

[Malarkey Decider]

https://twitter.com/NateSilver538/status/1421229518749044739
My favorite four words to describe the media prove to be fitting once again.

Their behavior during COVID plays a big part in why I hate them so much. 

I think that this headline is as dangerous and evil as you do, but I really would suggest trying not to make generalizations about a field as large as the media. The vast majority of journalists and media members do want to provide accurate information and are not purposefully misrepresenting the true state of things.

[Lief 🗽]

I'm very pleased to see the White House finally call out the despicable anti-vax lies pushed by the Enemy of the People media. Good for this Ben Wakanda fellow.

[Calthrina950]

https://twitter.com/NateSilver538/status/1421229518749044739

My favorite four words to describe the media prove to be fitting once again.

Their behavior during COVID plays a big part in why I hate them so much. 

My family, as I've noted before, have had their opinions heavily influenced by the media throughout the pandemic, and especially so now. My stepmother, as I've noted before, remains terrified of contracting the virus despite being fully vaccinated, and told me that she trusts whatever the CDC says, because they are scientists and they "know what they are talking about." I've mentioned before how they want for me to wear a mask around them. When I was in the kitchen with her without one on, earlier today, she went into her room and came back with her mask on. She said that she was protecting herself. I asked her point-blank if she thinks masks are more effective than vaccines. She couldn't give me a direct answer.

[Hammy]

https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/volumes/70/wr/mm7031e2.htm

https://www.masslive.com/capecod/2021/07/how-provincetown-achieved-a-114-vaccination-rate.html

I Found the study and the numbers. 469 cases, of which 346 were vaccinated. The town has a 114% vaccination rate (the second article explains this better than I ever can) so this is in one of the most vaccinated places in the country.

346 breakthrough cases in a town of around 3000, spread by several large public gatherings (aka superspreader events--these weren't just people going out and about to the store or whatever) brought in by over 100 unmasked unvaccinated people.

I felt this warranted posting as the media is treating the vaccines as if they aren't working and obsessing over the "74% were vaccinated!" number without providing proper context.

There were probably less unvaccinated people in total in the town than there were cases based on what I'm looking at.

[soundchaser]

Yes, and it’s important to note that as we return to normal life, small clusters of cases among heavily vaccinated populations are going to happen. It’s just math. (Also worth noting: this was after Provincetown’s biggest tourist week of the whole year.)

[compucomp]

They are purposely spreading misinformation about the vaccines simply because they know it will get them more attention and clicks

nytimes knows full well that Vaccinated people do not transmit this virus at the same rate as the unvaccinated. They should be ashamed of themselves for potentially putting some of the readers lives at risk by scaring them away from waiting to get vaccinated and making them think that vaccines are not as effective when it comes to protecting them

Again, the slide presentation does say that, and all they tweeted was that it says this. I quoted it above.

"Delta variant vaccine breakthrough cases may be as transmissible as unvaccinated cases"

That's from the CDC slide presentation.  The NYT tweet is:

"Breaking News: The Delta variant is as contagious as chickenpox and may be spread by vaccinated people as easily as the unvaccinated, an internal C.D.C. report said."

It's a restatement and attributes it to the report. What is the issue?

Exactly. People here just can't stand the fact that the pandemic is not over and the vaccines are not the impenetrable shield they envisioned, so they border on Trumpism in denying any unfavorable news as fake news. News flash, you may be done with the virus but it is not done with you, and it's clearly upgraded its game.

There was a post I saw on Twitter that put it excellently, seat belts were not removed from cars when airbags were invented, and now cars are mandated to have both. Masks and vaccines should work in the same way. Mask mandates should be reinstated immediately.

As far as "alarmism" and "fearmongering", the pandemic would have gone much differently and better for everyone if the authorities listened to the alarm instead of taking the attitude that "We have everything under control", "There are 15 cases, soon to go to 0", "The risk is low to the average American", etc. Now that the evidence is staring you in the face that Delta is the real deal and has made serious dents in the vaccine defense, you're seriously still going to downplay it?

[emailking]

I'm good with any constructive analysis with what the CDC found/said. But we had 2 posters call or imply the NYT/media the enemy of the people (which taken straight from Trump's mouth) because they tweeted a fact. That's absurd and pathetic.

As for whether the virus is actually equally contagious in vaccinated vectors, that does seem hard to swallow. But the CDC isn't even saying that. They said it's possible. And I think we have to take their word for it that it may be. Nobody in this thread is an epidemiologist as far as I know. Obviously they're going to collect more data and hopefully it turns out it was just bad luck for this town or something.

[compucomp]

Besides, looking at this from a purely political perspective, if you're a Democrat why would you be opposed to this media coverage of Delta? They're not blaming the Biden administration in any way and are basically portraying the surge as an act of God due to a much more powerful variant. They're keeping the "state of pandemic" going, but that's great for Democrats! Joe Biden's approval rating on handling COVID-19 is consistently 5-10 points higher than his overall approval rating, so if people are still thinking about the pandemic in 2022, they'd be more likely to vote Democratic.

What you don't want is for people to have forgotten about the pandemic by 2022, give Biden no credit for it when voting, and vote according to the usual issues along their usual partisan allegiances, which would put the Democrats in serious jeopardy of losing the House. Shouldn't you be wanting the pandemic to continue for as long as possible so people are constantly reminded of how badly Trump bungled it and Biden continually looks like the "adult in the room"?

[soundchaser]

With respect, no, because I would actually like to do things with other people in my life.

[compucomp]

With respect, no, because I would actually like to do things with other people in my life.

Fine then, if you believe the media is exaggerating the danger and that it's safe, then go out and do what you want! Nobody is stopping you; no social distancing restrictions will return, and mask mandates always have exceptions for bars and restaurants. The media can move public opinion, but you're free to disregard it at your pleasure. Why hate the media for being "alarmist" or "fearmongering" when you're immune to it?

[roxas11]

I don't understand why anybody in their right mind would be defending any news organizing that is going around pushing hyped up claims about the vaccines not being able to protect people in the middle of worsening pandemic

The irony is that had tucker Carlson or somebody else posted that same headline about the vaccine on social media, the New York times would have been the first news origination to attack them lol

[emailking]

I don't understand why anybody in their right mind would be defending any news organizing that is going around pushing hyped up claims about the vaccines not being able to protect people in the middle of worsening pandemic

Well, a statistician accused them of being innumerate for paraphrasing a statement in the CDC slides (with attribution). An administration official tweeted at them in all caps that they didn't say the opposite of what those slides said. And then posters accused them of being evil and the enemy of the people. I'll defend them against that hyperbolic **** yeah.

[libertpaulian]

Nothing spells Red Wave 2022 like another series of lockdowns.

[roxas11]

Nothing spells Red Wave 2022 like another series of lockdowns.

Well, I guess that means the Dems don't have much to fear since the Biden white house said this today

https://twitter.com/Quicktake/status/1421274951793975301
As said before Biden knows full well the GOP governors will never go along with another lockdown and that is why is it pointless to even attempt it.

[Skunk]

Some of the posts here about the media are hyperbolic and kind of cringy but I absolutely see where they're coming from. https://twitter.com/CNBC/status/1421209879629422594
You see headlines like this? A majority of readers are only going to see "125,000 people test positive" and wrongfully assume that vaccines aren't working. Emphasizing the 125,000 people testing positive and not the fact that they represent less than .08% of vaccinated Americans is just going to promote vaccine hesitancy when vaccines are proven to be the most effective way of combatting COVID.

[roxas11]

Some of the posts here about the media are hyperbolic and kind of cringy but I absolutely see where they're coming from. https://twitter.com/CNBC/status/1421209879629422594
You see headlines like this? A majority of readers are only going to see "125,000 people test positive" and wrongfully assume that vaccines aren't working. Emphasizing the 125,000 people testing positive and not the fact that they represent less than .08% of vaccinated Americans is just going to promote vaccine hesitancy when vaccines are proven to be the most effective way of combatting COVID.

Skunk you hit nail right on the head

most people will not read beyond the headline and that is why it's such a big problem when these news organisations either don't get it right or the headline ends up not reflecting what the actual story is really about

[compucomp]

I don't understand why anybody in their right mind would be defending any news organizing that is going around pushing hyped up claims about the vaccines not being able to protect people in the middle of worsening pandemic

The irony is that had tucker Carlson or somebody else posted that same headline about the vaccine on social media, the New York times would have been the first news origination to attack them lol

There's absolutely nothing wrong about reporting on the rapidly building body of science that shows the Delta variant is a game-changer, both in terms of infectiousness and vaccine escape ability. Given the current evidence it's entirely reasonable for one to conclude that the vaccine is no longer protective enough to be safe and that additional measures like masking or avoiding risky activity is needed. It only seems "hyped up" because prior to this week or so the media was still pushing the equally hyped up (and false) claim that the vaccine allows one to do whatever they want safely with no protection.

I couldn't care less about whether a bunch of Trumpists, who believe that the vaccine is full of 5G transmitters that allow Bill Gates to steal their DNA and brainwash them, get the vaccine or not. My priority is to protect myself. I need to know, as a vaccinated person, what kind of protection I'm getting from the vaccine in the current COVID environment, to decide whether to alter my behavior, and the environment is changing rapidly by the week, possibly by the day. It's essential for the media to continue to report fully on these developments, whether they're favorable or not, so we can make informed decisions on how to protect ourselves.

Edit: Yeah, that headline proclaiming 125K breakthrough infections needs to have context attached to it.

[emailking]

I agree that 125,000 headline could benefit from some additional context.

[pbrower2a]

Getting a mild infection that one's immune system can shake off is not the same as getting a barrage of viruses without immunity. The Delta variant is far more prolific, and because anyone who gets it and has his body hijacked can spread far more viruses. The viruses can hit anything from bare flesh to hair to clothing to jewelry and eyeglasses, to just about everything.

Just get inoculated if you aren't inoculated yet. If Walt Disney Company can mandate that all employees be inoculated, then so can anyone. Your guess is as good as mine. If you are working at Wal-Mart, Rite-Aid, CVS, Walgreen's, Kroger, or Meijer, all of which have pharmacies capable of delivering the vaccine, then you are almost certainly under some pressure to get vaccinated.   

Big Business does not look fondly upon absenteeism for any reason, but COVID-19 is about as disruptive as anything.   

[DaleCooper]

As far as I'm cornered nytimes are not better the Tucker Carlson or the crazy people on Facebook

They are purposely spreading misinformation about the vaccines simply because they know it will get them more attention and clicks

nytimes knows full well that Vaccinated people do not transmit this virus at the same rate as the unvaccinated. They should be ashamed of themselves for potentially putting some of thier readers lives at risk by scaring them away from getting vaccinated and making them think that vaccines are not as effective when it comes to protecting them

The New York Times has been a menace to the vaccination effort for a long time now. Even before the vaccines were widely available, they were publishing daily headlines about how the vaccine "might" cause infertility or damage the bodies of pregnant women. Now they're essentially telling the world that the vaccine does nothing to stop the spread of COVID due to the Delta variant. I've defended this paper for way too long and I'm done with it now. It's propaganda through and through and the credible journalists still with the company need to walk out.

[Hammy]

CNN actually has good article out talking about how misguided and misleading most coverage of breakthrough cases has been.

https://www.cnn.com/2021/07/30/media/variant-media-coverage-white-house/index.html

Also talks about why the CDC guidance was updated:

"The reason why the guidance is changing is that Covid-19 is spreading really quickly, Delta is a big problem, and the reason for the spread is because of the unvaccinated." Wen said the primary reason the CDC needed to change its mask guidance is because the honor system wasn't working. In other words, people who were not vaccinated were acting as if they were and not wearing masks or following other basic safety protocols...]"The reason why the guidance is changing is that Covid-19 is spreading really quickly, Delta is a big problem, and the reason for the spread is because of the unvaccinated." Wen said the primary reason the CDC needed to change its mask guidance is because the honor system wasn't working. In other words, people who were not vaccinated were acting as if they were and not wearing masks or following other basic safety protocols...

[Inmate Trump]

CNN actually has good article out talking about how misguided and misleading most coverage of breakthrough cases has been.

https://www.cnn.com/2021/07/30/media/variant-media-coverage-white-house/index.html

Also talks about why the CDC guidance was updated:

the reason for the spread is because of the unvaccinated[/b]." Wen said the primary reason the CDC needed to change its mask guidance is because the honor system wasn't working. In other words, people who were not vaccinated were acting as if they were and not wearing masks or following other basic safety protocols...]"The reason why the guidance is changing is that Covid-19 is spreading really quickly, Delta is a big problem, and the reason for the spread is because of the unvaccinated." Wen said the primary reason the CDC needed to change its mask guidance is because the honor system wasn't working. In other words, people who were not vaccinated were acting as if they were and not wearing masks or following other basic safety protocols...

What I want to know is what numb nuts thought the honor system would work in a population full of Trump voters?

Obviously the only way to allow people to not wear masks is to implement measures requiring proof of vaccination.  If they don't have that, they have to wear a mask (or they can't take part in whatever activity they're trying to).  And that needs to be enforced.

And now because of this extreme error on the CDC's part, even if they go back to "requiring" masks, so many more people will simply refuse to wear them.  And many businesses won't enforce them (they didn't before).  So the CDC's misguidance has dug a deeper hole that'll be harder to climb out of.

[Person Man]

Some of the posts here about the media are hyperbolic and kind of cringy but I absolutely see where they're coming from. https://twitter.com/CNBC/status/1421209879629422594
You see headlines like this? A majority of readers are only going to see "125,000 people test positive" and wrongfully assume that vaccines aren't working. Emphasizing the 125,000 people testing positive and not the fact that they represent less than .08% of vaccinated Americans is just going to promote vaccine hesitancy when vaccines are proven to be the most effective way of combatting COVID.

Skunk you hit nail right on the head

most people will not read beyond the headline and that is why it's such a big problem when these news organisations either don't get it right or the headline ends up not reflecting what the actual story is really about

The press lies. News at 11.