COVID-19 Megathread 6: Return of the Omicron

[I spent the winter writing songs about getting better]

https://twitter.com/Punknews/status/1299004591368032257?s=19

[I spent the winter writing songs about getting better]

https://twitter.com/PCH_SF/status/1303479356723871744?s=19

[I spent the winter writing songs about getting better]

https://twitter.com/BowieSnodgrass/status/1339717386837090304?s=19

[I spent the winter writing songs about getting better]

Thank you Joe!

https://twitter.com/POTUS/status/1375143694777597958?s=19

[I spent the winter writing songs about getting better]

I'm still going to wear one so I don't look like a Republican.

[I spent the winter writing songs about getting better]

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.

[I spent the winter writing songs about getting better]

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.

You know, at some point you're going to have to give up the pretense that anyone thinking you voted for a candidate is going to make a difference in your daily life. Or that people who voted for the president who *just showed Americans today that it is ok to shed your mask once you're vaccinated* aren't going to follow his example.

In a couple weeks sure. But until then I must make sure that everyone understands that I did not support Trump.

[I spent the winter writing songs about getting better]

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.

You know, at some point you're going to have to give up the pretense that anyone thinking you voted for a candidate is going to make a difference in your daily life. Or that people who voted for the president who *just showed Americans today that it is ok to shed your mask once you're vaccinated* aren't going to follow his example.

In a couple weeks sure. But until then I must make sure that everyone understands that I did not support Trump.

Why do you care what strangers think of your political beliefs?

Because ANYONE thinking I'm a Republican would suck.

[I spent the winter writing songs about getting better]

First they demanded that we close schools for a year until vaccines were available.

Then they demanded that they be first in line for the vaccine.

Now they demand no vaccine mandates!!

Abolish teachers unions and fire, without pensions, all teachers who refuse to get vaccinated.

https://twitter.com/musicsf/status/1423044387601207301?s=21

College professors though have the correct idea: https://kstp.com/coronavirus/hundreds-of-u-of-m-professors-give-work-stoppage-ultimatum-if-no-vaccine-mandate/6196819/?cat=1

[I spent the winter writing songs about getting better]

F[inks]ing YIKES.

https://twitter.com/AP/status/1430546392288841732?s=19

New York really just had an exorcism.

[I spent the winter writing songs about getting better]

All the people here screeching about why masks are no big deal because "it's just a piece of cloth, who cares?" are way missing the point and using a pretty absurd argument. We could say the same thing about hijabs, they're also just a piece of cloth and most women who wear them don't think it's a big deal. But I'm sure no one here approves of countries that require women to wear a hijab, and if anyone proposed that women be required to wear a hijab in a majority Muslim area of any US city (yes zero chance of that occurring but hypotheticals don't need to be realistic) everyone would call it absurd and be opposed.

"But that's completely different! That's a religious thing as opposed to a public health one and masks provide these public health benefits that hijabs clearly don't, etc. etc."

Then the arguments should be based around how these public benefits from masks are important and defending mask mandates on the objective grounds of how they provide these, not just "LOL, it's just a piece of cloth, why do you care?"

[I spent the winter writing songs about getting better]

All the people here screeching about why masks are no big deal because "it's just a piece of cloth, who cares?" are way missing the point and using a pretty absurd argument. We could say the same thing about hijabs, they're also just a piece of cloth and most women who wear them don't think it's a big deal. But I'm sure no one here approves of countries that require women to wear a hijab, and if anyone proposed that women be required to wear a hijab in a majority Muslim area of any US city (yes zero chance of that occurring but hypotheticals don't need to be realistic) everyone would call it absurd and be opposed.

"But that's completely different! That's a religious thing as opposed to a public health one and masks provide these public health benefits that hijabs clearly don't, etc. etc."

Then the arguments should be based around how these public benefits from masks are important and defending mask mandates on the objective grounds of how they provide these, not just "LOL, it's just a piece of cloth, why do you care?"

I can't believe it's two years into the pandemic and people are still arguing about whether masks help prevent the spread or not.  This is why I've started to simply lose interest in politics and current events lately, because it's just the same arguments over and over and over again and they never go anywhere.  Nobody is ever capable of changing their mind on anything or being convinced by anything, and even if they temporarily are, they revert back within a matter of hours.

I'm not disputing that masks help prevent the spread, just saying the arguments in this thread in their favor are really stupid.

Also even the opponents of mask mandates don't really disagree with that and didn't oppose them a year ago, they're mostly just of the mindset that they're vaccinated and thus it's unnecessary.

[I spent the winter writing songs about getting better]

For the record this is what I support instead of mask mandates: https://minnesota.cbslocal.com/2022/01/12/minneapolis-st-paul-to-require-restaurant-goers-to-show-proof-of-vaccination-or-negative-test

This is awesome and should've come before reinstating the mask mandate last week (that is widely ignored anyway.)

[I spent the winter writing songs about getting better]

For the record this is what I support instead of mask mandates: https://minnesota.cbslocal.com/2022/01/12/minneapolis-st-paul-to-require-restaurant-goers-to-show-proof-of-vaccination-or-negative-test

This is awesome and should've come before reinstating the mask mandate last week (that is widely ignored anyway.)

How awesome!  Now you've got to show a vaccine card everywhere you go AND cover your fully vaccinated face.  That's two interventions that will do absolutely nothing for anyones health.  Were you not just bragging to me less than two weeks ago about how your beautiful blue state metro had no restrictions and life was totally normal?

I support vaccine mandates because they don't harm me and anti-vaxxers are f[inks]ing trash who deserve no sympathy. So anti-vaxxers are inconvenienced? Why the f[inks] should I care?

[I spent the winter writing songs about getting better]

For the record this is what I support instead of mask mandates: https://minnesota.cbslocal.com/2022/01/12/minneapolis-st-paul-to-require-restaurant-goers-to-show-proof-of-vaccination-or-negative-test

This is awesome and should've come before reinstating the mask mandate last week (that is widely ignored anyway.)

How awesome!  Now you've got to show a vaccine card everywhere you go AND cover your fully vaccinated face.  That's two interventions that will do absolutely nothing for anyones health.  Were you not just bragging to me less than two weeks ago about how your beautiful blue state metro had no restrictions and life was totally normal?

I support vaccine mandates because they don't harm me and anti-vaxxers are f[inks]ing trash who deserve no sympathy. So anti-vaxxers are inconvenienced? Why the f[inks] should I care?

You do a disservice to Christians everywhere by identifying as one with the way you speak about others.  I know, you don’t care because blah blah brain infected by politics.

Anti-vaxxers are basically modern day Pharisees or temple money changers. I can't see Jesus going easy on them. They also violate Matthew 4:7.

[I spent the winter writing songs about getting better]

I will say that I’m of the mindset that cloth masks *don’t* do much against Omicron, and that expecting every American to wear an N95 in an indoor setting is untenable. There’s a lot of theater involved here.

That said, fine, sure, send every American a better mask than most have. It’s not going to solve the problem in the way mandatory COVID sick leave would, but ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

I don't understand the recent push for N95 and KN95 masks. They are uncomfortable to wear, and I'm not sure if the benefits which they may confer outweigh the disadvantages inherent to them.

I agree they can be uncomfortable to wear, particularly it can be hard to breathe sometimes, but worn properly they address the main complaint about lower grade masks, that they don't protect the wearer. The filter also works in both directions so it will also dramatically cut transmission, assuming the mask doesn't have a valve like many sold in hardware stores. COVID will still spread when people gather in private and take off their masks, but if they are worn in a public space that public space should be safe.

Whatever delusion helps you sleep I guess.

The delusional ones are the people on this forum who are convinced that the pandemic is over and that COVID-19 is not a threat anymore, despite 1m cases a day and new record hospitalizations every day, blocking out the news or convincing themselves it's all fake. Imagine their shock and dismay when they receive N95 masks in the mail from the federal government, doubtless accompanied by a postcard encouraging continued social distancing and masking, a vivid undeniable reminder that in fact the pandemic is still raging and that they should be taking it seriously.

People are upset because they're vaccinated and don't want to be restricted anymore. I have no problem with restricting the unvaccinated, they could be treated like Vichy collaborationists we're in post-WW2 France and I wouldn't give a sh!t, but people who aren't derange morons and did the right thing shouldn't be punished because so many other people are mentally deficient pieces of trash who take things like QAnon, Joe Rogan and Alex Jones seriously and all the other conspiracy garbage these moronic mouthbreathers believe in.

[I spent the winter writing songs about getting better]

And that's their prerogative. Just like they can tell you to wear gloves, a hair net, a long sleeve shirt, or anything else that some might hate wearing all day.

We've argued enough about this already. I've said repeatedly that the Spanish Flu did not bring about permanent mask mandates. Why should there be?

Okay, I've been patient and polite(ish) long enough. Dude... who THE F__K said anything about permanant mandates?

Scarlet

[I spent the winter writing songs about getting better]

Anyway if BA.2 started in Denmark then it's worth noting that Denmark recently lifted all Covid restrictions. So....

[I spent the winter writing songs about getting better]

And that's their prerogative. Just like they can tell you to wear gloves, a hair net, a long sleeve shirt, or anything else that some might hate wearing all day.

We've argued enough about this already. I've said repeatedly that the Spanish Flu did not bring about permanent mask mandates. Why should there be?

If the CDC doesn't drop the general indoor mask recommendation for vaxxed next week, or if most businesses don't follow suit if they do drop it, I might be more sympathetic to this viewpoint. Right now, I just don't see permanent masking becoming a thing.

I wish I could share your optimism. Even after the CDC modifies their recommendations, there will be some segments of society, and some quarters of the century, that will cling to these mandates. And the CDC Director herself implied that "mitigating practices would return" if there is another surge in cases or a new variant of concern arises.

If there is another surge in cases and hospitalizations or another variant, mask mandates would absolutely called for as a low cost, low effort, moderately effective mitigation. Your rhetoric sounds good now with the virus in retreat but not all of us are so short-sighted, especially with BA.2 right around the corner possibly to wreck your world in the near future.

It's clear to me that you are a member of that class of society that actively wants for this pandemic to continue, and who doesn't want to return to pre-pandemic life. You actively want for there to be more cases and deaths, and for the restrictions to be sustained indefinitely. Again, we should not be spending the next seventy years living in pandemic mode.

He's a CCP lackey, his entire existence on this forum is to try to scare and demoralize Americans. Nothing else.

I've certainly come to the viewpoint that he belongs to Camp#1, of the camps identified by ExtremeRepublican. He is very much in favor of restrictions, and is particularly fond of mask mandates. But for some strange reason, he opposes vaccine mandates.

That's untrue. I'm not in favor of restricting or shutting down businesses or putting people out of work because "money printer go brrrr" is not a legitimate economic strategy and I'm not interested in paying more taxes or suffering more inflation to support them. I support vaccine mandates but I'm not going to support them vigorously because I think the arguments against have merit, unlike with mask mandates where I think the arguments against have no merit.

There's no valid argument against the vaccine unless you honestly think Joe Rogan and Alex Jones are valid sources of medical information.

[I spent the winter writing songs about getting better]

Like emailking, I have yet to hear of BA.2 anywhere except this forum and fearmongerers on Twitter.

Anyway:

Vox has a great video up analyzing what caused conservatives to turn against the Covid vaccine. It notes that anti-vax sentiment previously was not very partisan and mostly just limited to fringe cranks on both sides, and that Democrats and Republicans get the flu shot annual at almost exactly the same rate. The theory the creator of the video determined is that Trump tried to downplay Covid for political purposes and state that it wasn't very serious. This was parroted by right-wing hack media outlets like Fox News that have become the only such outlets Republicans trust, and thus the mindset became "if this isn't such a big deal, why are they pushing this vaccine on us?" and thus even though Fox initially tried to promote the vaccine, the anti-vax theories from the cranks who were reading QAnon blogs and Alex Jones-type stuff managed to reach mainstream conservatism and develop critical mass, and eventually Fox heeled (at least publicly, it still has vaccine mandates for its own employees.) Another factor I think missed is the vaccine wasn't available to the general public until well after Trump was out of office and banned on Twitter, meaning he had no way to promote it as his accomplishment (which initially was the message of the Republicans and Fox), thus drowning the main right-wing voice in favor of the vaccine.

It all makes sense but I have a theory that the inverse also occurred with a certain set of liberals (profiled in this NY Times piece) who as noted per polls results in strange numbers like under 45 age Democrats being more concerned and afraid of Covid than Democrats over 65, even if those senior Democrats identify as "liberal" (as opposed to "very liberal" which is more common amongst under 45s)...the reaction to the right-wing propaganda was to actually overplay Covid and today a lot are still buying that reaction even if the new skepticism against Covid restrictions is often from fellow liberal Democrats. This also explains the rather bizarre Arthur Chu camp of the belief of "The Covid vaccine was a mistake, we should've just forced everyone in lockdown and social distancing until it went away...also you should wear a mask for the rest of your life", I actually noted this here, we now have a pretty stark split amongst even the left on this, the group that stands out in that poll is basically the online woke crowd I mentioned in that poll, even while most liberals seem to now just take the position of "take the vaccine and then return your life to normal" which is now the overwhelming position here.

The good news is I don't think these people have any real influence in the real world, as evidenced by all 50 states repealing mask mandates and also basically all cities and everywhere except a few colleges and mass transit (and I doubt even that mandate lasts until November) and virtually no restrictions on mass gatherings aside from the private businesses that still enforce vaccine mandates. And that's very unlikely to change. Even the fearmongering over BA.2 is a bit contradictory, for example if BA.2 now makes about a quarter of all Covid cases in the US (as I've seen some claim), yet Covid cases in the US continue to plummet...then it would stand to reason that BA.2 is in fact not some superbug that can evade all immunity from vaccines or previous infection and will surge cases again.

[I spent the winter writing songs about getting better]

Biden got his 2nd booster today. Great! I hope they extend to under 50 soon so I can get one. I've decided I'll try to do it on a Friday and tough it out. I don't want Omicron or BA.2.

LabourJersey, I was kind of wondering that too lol.

If extended to under 50s I'll be eligible as of April 19. Not in a hurry though as there's not really much risk at this point, there's a much bigger risk from the flu.

[I spent the winter writing songs about getting better]

So in the past couple months there's only been two places besides transit where I wear a mask: church and the plasma donation center.

Masks were only "recommended" at church but almost everyone wore one. Two weeks ago only about half did. Now the sign says they're "optional" and the majority of people did not wear one on Sunday.

I had not donated plasma for about a month waiting to get my protein levels back in an acceptable range. I passed and went in yesterday....and learned there's no more mask mandate. In fact all of their Covid procedures are gone, no temperature check as soon as you walk in, no more of those paper "contact trackers" that no one ever read and served no purpose, the donation beds aren't placed in a socially distanced way reducing capacity... it's exactly like 2019 except there's more hand sanitizing stations around. That's it.

So now I only need to wear a mask on public transportation and I'm sure that's ending soon. The full return to normalcy is here.

[I spent the winter writing songs about getting better]

The article says this was in a report asking for more funding from Congress. Gee, is it in your interest to overestimate when asking for more funding?

Also if it gets that bad they'll approve another booster for everyone. Stop freaking out.

[I spent the winter writing songs about getting better]

Republicans need to put ballot measures in every state that bans the state from being able to implement any restrictions

I would support such a measure as long as "any restrictions" doesn't include vaccine mandates. Those I support because I'm vaccinated so they don't inconvenience or cause harm to me any. Mandated social distancing and mask mandates do.

[I spent the winter writing songs about getting better]

Republicans need to put ballot measures in every state that bans the state from being able to implement any restrictions

I would support such a measure as long as "any restrictions" doesn't include vaccine mandates. Those I support because I'm vaccinated so they don't inconvenience or cause harm to me any. Mandated social distancing and mask mandates do.

Mandated vaccines do harm to those who may not, out of concern for their own personal health, want to take the vaccine; and in turn, restricting those people from daily life (in essence, almost placing them on a form of house arrest) has profound negative psychological effects as well.

Don't want to deal with the problems, get vaccinated. If you value the wisdom of Joe Rogan and Alex Jones over that than that's your problem.