COVID-19 Megathread 6: Return of the Omicron

[compucomp]

My estimates of maskage at various places around here:

My local Kroger was maybe 60 to 80% masked at the height of mask mania. Now it's about 20 to 30%. Even some employees are unmasked.

Kroger stores in rich neighborhoods were almost 100% masked.

Convenience stores were often 0% masked even at the height of mask mania.

Outdoor areas are usually 0% masked, except for small groups who gather on the sidewalks in front of high-end specialty shops. Downtown Cincinnati where "serious" business and financial types go is usually more masky.

Festivals and big outdoor public parties are maybe 5% if that.

Restaurants have a low maskage rate.

Parks are 0% now and were maybe 5% at the peak. Playgrounds are and were 0%.

I haven't been to a library or the indoor part of a school or college since this started, so I don't know about those. The outdoor parts of colleges were maybe 20 or 30% at the peak.

I think the only sporting event I've been to since this started was a high school baseball game last March. It was maybe 10% among the fans, possibly 0% among players.

Masks actually were mandatory at some of the places listed here, yet usually there was not full compliance, because this isn't a military dictatorship.

Or a society where people look out for each other. No wonder the results were so poor.

Lol, the masked communities are not looking out for each other either. The cozy suburbanites who cross the street to avoid walking past a homeless guy whenever they visit the city do not get to claim they're looking out for their fellow man just because they wear a mask when they go to Target.

That's not how it works. They're looking out for each other in regards to COVID by following scientist recommended safety procedures. What they do or don't do in regards to non-COVID things is totally irrelevant.

The same scientists who have lied or been misleading to the public throughout this pandemic. Like after the way they acted its no surprise they have lost trust with the public.


Maybe its time for the elites to start trusting people to make their own decisions again rather than demand respect just cause of a credential they have. They have to earn people's respect just like everyone else does and they just havent

It's ridiculous to criticize scientists when the alternative was Trump calling COVID a Democratic hoax, saying that they have it under control and the number of cases would soon go to zero, and that injecting bleach and shining a UV light up the ass is a way to cure COVID, and this is only a small sampling. No wonder people turned to Fauci for better guidance.

[T'Chenka]

It's ridiculous to criticize scientists when the alternative was Trump calling COVID a Democratic hoax, saying that they have it under control and the number of cases would soon go to zero, and that injecting bleach and shining a UV light up the ass is a way to cure COVID, and this is only a small sampling. No wonder people turned to Fauci for better guidance.

They aren't interested in science... they'll just ask every single scientist they encounter what their opinion is, and eventually, if they keep doing that, they'll find a few quacks here and there they can point to so they can "legitimize" their gut feeling about how the facts "are".

EDIT - for clarity, I'm not referring to legitimate science on how the COVID era has affected mental health and children. That stuff is a case of "a lot of this stuff is true but it isn't more relevant than thousands of people dying every day'.

[compucomp]

And oh by the way American governments since May 2021 has followed the strategy of letting people decide what they want to do and what their risk tolerance is. Despite Omicron and Delta no businesses were shut down and one state has social distancing requirements. Herculean efforts were made to keep schools open, including asking cafeteria workers and parents to serve as substitute teachers. Mask mandates and vaccine mandates doesn't mean anyone is prevented from doing anything.

[Horus]

It's ridiculous to criticize scientists when the alternative was Trump calling COVID a Democratic hoax, saying that they have it under control and the number of cases would soon go to zero, and that injecting bleach and shining a UV light up the ass is a way to cure COVID, and this is only a small sampling. No wonder people turned to Fauci for better guidance.

They aren't interested in science... they'll just ask every single scientist they encounter what their opinion is, and eventually, if they keep doing that, they'll find a few quacks here and there they can point to so they can "legitimize" their gut feeling about how the facts "are".

EDIT - for clarity, I'm not referring to legitimate science on how the COVID era has affected mental health and children. That stuff is a case of "a lot of this stuff is true but it isn't more relevant than thousands of people dying every day'.

If those thousands of people are dying because they wilfully refused an extremely effective vaccine, it absolutely is more important.

[OSR stands with Israel]

It is time for them for once to trust the people and stop demanding they deserve special respect just cause of their title. No they should have to earn it like everyone else

Uh, have you ever met the people?  They're shooting horse worm goo up their butts and claiming it cures the covid.

The vast majority of people arent like that

Personal responsibility isn't a realistic pandemic policy if you want to limit the spread of the virus. Enough people will be irresponsible to spread a deadly virus and their choices affect the rest of society.

THIS.

OSR, if you actually think that people tasked with taking care of each other and looking out for one another other will just simply do the right thing with zero consequences whatsoever for neglecting that duty, your outlook on humanity is WAY too optimistic.

If you think trumpanzees are more trustworthy than scientists, unfortunately you might be beyond saving at this point.

Which scientists? Scientists aren't some big blob of drones that always agree with one another.

Over 90% of scientists - particularily epidemiologists - generally agree on the science of COVID. Even if they don't agree 100% on every little aspect, there is a rough consensus on most of the basic ideas. To say otherwise isn't factual.

It’s not about whether  COVID is bad but whether or not these measures we have currently in place are good . There is a massive massive difference

[compucomp]

It's ridiculous to criticize scientists when the alternative was Trump calling COVID a Democratic hoax, saying that they have it under control and the number of cases would soon go to zero, and that injecting bleach and shining a UV light up the ass is a way to cure COVID, and this is only a small sampling. No wonder people turned to Fauci for better guidance.

They aren't interested in science... they'll just ask every single scientist they encounter what their opinion is, and eventually, if they keep doing that, they'll find a few quacks here and there they can point to so they can "legitimize" their gut feeling about how the facts "are".

EDIT - for clarity, I'm not referring to legitimate science on how the COVID era has affected mental health and children. That stuff is a case of "a lot of this stuff is true but it isn't more relevant than thousands of people dying every day'.

If those thousands of people are dying because they wilfully refused an extremely effective vaccine, it absolutely is more important.

Then you have to extend this and say that unvaccinated people are last in triage priority and will be kicked out of hospitals if they run out of capacity. Otherwise the quality of any medical care for everyone is substantially degraded during a big COVID surge. I'm kind of OK with this but it is a bridge too far for many people for good reason.

[Person Man]

It's ridiculous to criticize scientists when the alternative was Trump calling COVID a Democratic hoax, saying that they have it under control and the number of cases would soon go to zero, and that injecting bleach and shining a UV light up the ass is a way to cure COVID, and this is only a small sampling. No wonder people turned to Fauci for better guidance.

They aren't interested in science... they'll just ask every single scientist they encounter what their opinion is, and eventually, if they keep doing that, they'll find a few quacks here and there they can point to so they can "legitimize" their gut feeling about how the facts "are".

EDIT - for clarity, I'm not referring to legitimate science on how the COVID era has affected mental health and children. That stuff is a case of "a lot of this stuff is true but it isn't more relevant than thousands of people dying every day'.

If those thousands of people are dying because they wilfully refused an extremely effective vaccine, it absolutely is more important.

At this point, I don't wear a mask because the risk of me getting sick at all is very low and anyone I expose to COVID is either vaccinated or doesn't care if they get COVID.

[GeneralMacArthur]

It is time for them for once to trust the people and stop demanding they deserve special respect just cause of their title. No they should have to earn it like everyone else

Uh, have you ever met the people?  They're shooting horse worm goo up their butts and claiming it cures the covid.

The vast majority of people arent like that

It's like 30% of the country, almost all of whom are in your party.

[Donerail]

In the future, I expect the RP to have a split between the “Old Guard” and the “Revolutionaries” on diseases because of Covid. I expect the Old Guard will obviously want to continue to fund medical research and prevent epidemics (they will want to keep the aristocracy alive) but I do expect the Revolutionaries to ignore pragmatism and seek a Cultural Revolution in America. If the former manages to retain their hold, medical advancement will likely continue albeit with many of those advances only being available to the rich. If the Revolutionaries take control, I expect them to eventually “provide” a degree of universal healthcare, but it will be terrible because most of the educated medical professionals will be locked up and…well I shudder thinking about what will happen to people like my parents once in prison, I probably will know as I will likely be a political prisoner anyways ig.

There is an "Alternative History" board for creative writing projects. This kind of post should go there and not in U.S. General Discussion, which is for discussing real-world events.

[The world will shine with light in our nightmare]

Week-old article but a new study has confirmed that vitamin D is highly effective in preventing severe COVID. The correlation of vitamin D deficiency with worse COVID has been observed consistently throughout the pandemic before Omicron, but the virus hasn't changed enough to be resistant. And the differences are huge:

In June, researchers published preliminary findings showing that 26 percent of coronavirus patients died if they were vitamin D deficient soon before hospitalization, compared to 3% who had normal levels of vitamin D.

They also determined that hospitalized patients who were vitamin D deficient were 14 times more likely, on average, to end up in severe or critical condition than others.

Eat more eggs and fish and drink milk. It's better for you than fish tank cleaner!

[compucomp]

Week-old article but a new study has confirmed that vitamin D is highly effective in preventing severe COVID. The correlation of vitamin D deficiency with worse COVID has been observed consistently throughout the pandemic before Omicron, but the virus hasn't changed enough to be resistant. And the differences are huge:

In June, researchers published preliminary findings showing that 26 percent of coronavirus patients died if they were vitamin D deficient soon before hospitalization, compared to 3% who had normal levels of vitamin D.

They also determined that hospitalized patients who were vitamin D deficient were 14 times more likely, on average, to end up in severe or critical condition than others.

Eat more eggs and fish and drink milk. It's better for you than fish tank cleaner!

I think Vitamin D helps not by neutralizing SARS-CoV-2 but instead by boosting the function of the human immune system, so there really shouldn't be a notion of the virus "resisting Vitamin D". I've been taking Vitamin D supplements regularly since the pandemic started, another low cost way to protect oneself.

[It’s so Joever]

In the future, I expect the RP to have a split between the “Old Guard” and the “Revolutionaries” on diseases because of Covid. I expect the Old Guard will obviously want to continue to fund medical research and prevent epidemics (they will want to keep the aristocracy alive) but I do expect the Revolutionaries to ignore pragmatism and seek a Cultural Revolution in America. If the former manages to retain their hold, medical advancement will likely continue albeit with many of those advances only being available to the rich. If the Revolutionaries take control, I expect them to eventually “provide” a degree of universal healthcare, but it will be terrible because most of the educated medical professionals will be locked up and…well I shudder thinking about what will happen to people like my parents once in prison, I probably will know as I will likely be a political prisoner anyways ig.

There is an "Alternative History" board for creative writing projects. This kind of post should go there and not in U.S. General Discussion, which is for discussing real-world events.

These are soon to be happening real world events. Alternative history is where people who posted things like “Covid is just the flu” should be writing.

[Donerail]

In the future, I expect the RP to have a split between the “Old Guard” and the “Revolutionaries” on diseases because of Covid. I expect the Old Guard will obviously want to continue to fund medical research and prevent epidemics (they will want to keep the aristocracy alive) but I do expect the Revolutionaries to ignore pragmatism and seek a Cultural Revolution in America. If the former manages to retain their hold, medical advancement will likely continue albeit with many of those advances only being available to the rich. If the Revolutionaries take control, I expect them to eventually “provide” a degree of universal healthcare, but it will be terrible because most of the educated medical professionals will be locked up and…well I shudder thinking about what will happen to people like my parents once in prison, I probably will know as I will likely be a political prisoner anyways ig.

There is an "Alternative History" board for creative writing projects. This kind of post should go there and not in U.S. General Discussion, which is for discussing real-world events.

These are soon to be happening real world events. Alternative history is where people who posted things like “Covid is just the flu” should be writing.

If, in ten years, most doctors are in prison, I will give you $5,000. If most doctors are not in prison, you give me $5,000. Fair?

[It’s so Joever]

In the future, I expect the RP to have a split between the “Old Guard” and the “Revolutionaries” on diseases because of Covid. I expect the Old Guard will obviously want to continue to fund medical research and prevent epidemics (they will want to keep the aristocracy alive) but I do expect the Revolutionaries to ignore pragmatism and seek a Cultural Revolution in America. If the former manages to retain their hold, medical advancement will likely continue albeit with many of those advances only being available to the rich. If the Revolutionaries take control, I expect them to eventually “provide” a degree of universal healthcare, but it will be terrible because most of the educated medical professionals will be locked up and…well I shudder thinking about what will happen to people like my parents once in prison, I probably will know as I will likely be a political prisoner anyways ig.

There is an "Alternative History" board for creative writing projects. This kind of post should go there and not in U.S. General Discussion, which is for discussing real-world events.

These are soon to be happening real world events. Alternative history is where people who posted things like “Covid is just the flu” should be writing.

If, in ten years, most doctors are in prison, I will give you $5,000. If most doctors are not in prison, you give me $5,000. Fair?

Make it fifteen and you have a deal.

[Meclazine for Israel]

It has come to the forum managers attention that some people are not pronouncing 'Omicron' correctly.

They have asked me to make a small presentation on the correct annunciation of 'Omicron'.

Pronouncing Omicron

https://youtu.be/-GjMbMQGOpA

[Crumpets]

Here's some good news using the NYT data. This is the percent of hospitalized COVID patients at the start of each month since August 2020 that are in the ICU. Omicron and improved treatments have brought that number to an all-time low in a way that even the vaccination of most of the country was unable to achieve.

[emailking]

Week-old article but a new study has confirmed that vitamin D is highly effective in preventing severe COVID. The correlation of vitamin D deficiency with worse COVID has been observed consistently throughout the pandemic before Omicron, but the virus hasn't changed enough to be resistant. And the differences are huge:

In June, researchers published preliminary findings showing that 26 percent of coronavirus patients died if they were vitamin D deficient soon before hospitalization, compared to 3% who had normal levels of vitamin D.

They also determined that hospitalized patients who were vitamin D deficient were 14 times more likely, on average, to end up in severe or critical condition than others.

Eat more eggs and fish and drink milk. It's better for you than fish tank cleaner!

I just take a men's one a day.

[It’s so Joever]

Here's some good news using the NYT data. This is the percent of hospitalized COVID patients at the start of each month since August 2020 that are in the ICU. Omicron and improved treatments have brought that number to an all-time low in a way that even the vaccination of most of the country was unable to achieve.

That’s the final straw, it’s time to end all mask mandates with practically no exceptions.

[GeorgiaModerate]

It has come to the forum managers attention that some people are not pronouncing 'Omicron' correctly.

They have asked me to make a small presentation on the correct annunciation of 'Omicron'.

Pronouncing Omicron

https://youtu.be/-GjMbMQGOpA

(Paul Simon imitation) Mama don't take my Omicron away...

[Calthrina950]

I still call it the South Africa variant instead of using these contrived code names.

Where do you think we are headed at this point? I'm been hearing some talk about how there will "more variants", and some seem to be convinced that restrictions will be renewed if we have another surge. Do you think that might happen, and what would the consequences be? I'm hopeful that we may finally be headed out of the pandemic.

[Dr. Arch]

I still call it the South Africa variant instead of using these contrived code names.

Where do you think we are headed at this point? I'm been hearing some talk about how there will "more variants", and some seem to be convinced that restrictions will be renewed if we have another surge. Do you think that might happen, and what would the consequences be? I'm hopeful that we may finally be headed out of the pandemic.

An imminent conflict or war in Ukraine might be enough red meat to distract the media for long enough to have other variants come around and leave without so much as a peep.

[Inmate Trump]

Here's some good news using the NYT data. This is the percent of hospitalized COVID patients at the start of each month since August 2020 that are in the ICU. Omicron and improved treatments have brought that number to an all-time low in a way that even the vaccination of most of the country was unable to achieve.

That’s the final straw, it’s time to end all mask mandates with practically no exceptions.

Agreed, except that private businesses should continue to be allowed to require them (and patrons of those businesses should respect that right and follow it or go elsewhere).

[compucomp]

My assumption is that the most notable spikes over the next year will be more related to seasonality than new variants, and that we're not likely to see another prolonged fuss with national relevance until mid-November or so when it may once again become a problem for the business models of hospitals in the northern parts of the United States.

I see how you cleverly expressed hospitals running out of capacity as a "problem for the business model", as if we were discussing a grocery store that didn't secure its supply chain and constantly runs out of stock or something like that. Maybe one day you'll need emergency healthcare during a COVID surge, you'll sit in the waiting room for hours waiting to be seen, and you'll change your mind. Never mind that changing the "business model" means that the country needs to build many new hospitals, causing medical costs to rise for everyone one way or another.

[jamestroll]

I will say the double masking and requiring masks even outdoors in Peru has done nothing to slow the spread there.

[T'Chenka]

I will say the double masking and requiring masks even outdoors in Peru has done nothing to slow the spread there.

How so?