COVID-19 Megathread 6: Return of the Omicron

[Holy Unifying Centrist]

During the Ebola pandemic, Andrew Cuomo and Chris Christie enacted quarantines that applied only to people who had been exposed to Ebola patients. This meant very few people were even quarantined. Yet a lot of people back then said this was much too strict. Dr. Fauci even said this was much too strict and urged only monitoring, not a quarantine. When Florida implemented monitoring, some people even said that was too strict.

So why do we now have these much stricter measures that have lasted 5 whole months, and nobody dares to publicly oppose them?

People are just being cautious after the big spike in southern states. I think it is a slight overreaction, because most hospitals were not overwhelmed, but there is some cause for concern.

I'm personally pretty optimistic with my coronavirus predictions, but in my personal life, I'm playing it very safe because I'm privileged enough to do so.

[Holy Unifying Centrist]

At a certain point, I care more about my mental and physical health than I care about stopping the spread of a virus that we can’t seem to contain. I’ve developed severe anxiety, depression, body dysmorphia and other issues. I haven’t had a good nights of sleep in weeks. I’ve lost a lot of weight and now look frail. I’m constantly stressed out and get angry over little things. I’m scared of talking to people. I’ve been very good at isolating myself and socially distancing, but I’m starting to reach a breaking point. My plan at UGA is to mostly isolate myself until October, but I honestly will probably only be able to do it until mid September.


I need to know that there is a light at the end of the tunnel. I don’t want to sacrifice my health and youth for much longer. This virus isn’t bad enough for me to want to do that. There actually is a lot of negative harmful effects of socially distancing for so long. How much more do you guys want me to sacrifice?

[Holy Unifying Centrist]

I need to know that there is a light at the end of the tunnel. I don’t want to sacrifice my health and youth for much longer. This virus isn’t bad enough for me to want to do that. There actually is a lot of negative harmful effects of socially distancing for so long. How much more do you guys want me to sacrifice?

Wear a mask is all I want.

Is that really all you want?

I'm obviously wearing a mask, but businesses are doing far more than just imposing mask restrictions. Many are limiting capacity, limiting where you can go, asking that you maintain a far distance, completely changing their service, etc. Some restaurants are completely different. And they have to do that for liability issues, because the democratic party does not want to pass liability protections for businesses.

Also, a lot of people are calling for schools to be closed down, when I strongly benefit from in-person instruction. I'm really trying but I barely learn from online classes. I need the in-person social interaction. Maybe online learning works for you guys, but I don't have the privilege of being able to learn effectively online. But, again, the democratic party is generally asking for schools to be shut down and be online only.

I just want the democratic party to not push for things that make my quality of life significantly worse. I'm willing to risk getting coronavirus. Let me live my f!cking life. I've sacrificed enough. And I want people here to stop mocking people who want to do things that make their mental health better. I'm not partying right now, but some people really need to in order to blow off some steam.

[Holy Unifying Centrist]

I need to know that there is a light at the end of the tunnel. I don’t want to sacrifice my health and youth for much longer. This virus isn’t bad enough for me to want to do that. There actually is a lot of negative harmful effects of socially distancing for so long. How much more do you guys want me to sacrifice?

Wear a mask is all I want.

Is that really all you want?

I'm obviously wearing a mask, but businesses are doing far more than just imposing mask restrictions. Many are limiting capacity, limiting where you can go, asking that you maintain a far distance, completely changing their service, etc. Some restaurants are completely different. And they have to do that for liability issues, because the democratic party does not want to pass liability protections for businesses.

Also, a lot of people are calling for schools to be closed down, when I strongly benefit from in-person instruction. I'm really trying but I barely learn from online classes. I need the in-person social interaction. Maybe online learning works for you guys, but I don't have the privilege of being able to learn effectively online. But, again, the democratic party is generally asking for schools to be shut down and be online only.

I just want the democratic party to not push for things that make my quality of life significantly worse. I'm willing to risk getting coronavirus. Let me live my f!cking life. I've sacrificed enough. And I want people here to stop mocking people who want to do things that make their mental health better. I'm not partying right now, but some people really need to in order to blow off some steam.

I don’t mean to sound like a prick, but the world doesn’t revolve around you. The entire world is being effected right now. Partying isn’t a necessity, there are other ways to blow off steam. Nobody is mocking you, we’re just being real. Time to get creative to find ways to better yourself. I don’t know what else to tell you, this is the current situation, and nobody knows how much longer it will be this way. Everyone has to deal with it.

I'm not advocating for partying, anyways, nor am I going out and partying. I'm just saying there's a reason why some people are doing it. You're smart enough to know not to strawman, so don't strawman me. I know you're capable of being better than that, so please do be better.

I am advocating for schools to remain open, especially if they are taking precautions. And I am asking for people to be sensitive towards me, because I have been sensitive to everyone else. I deserve care & respect too, and you best treat me with care & respect if you want me to cooperate like I've been doing for the past few months. I am a person with feelings and I deserve to be treated with respect and to be taken seriously. My problems and issues matter too. My mental health matters too. Don't be a horse ass. If you want me to follow guidelines that adversely destroy my mental health, then you better accommodate me in other ways. This is a perfectly logical reaction.

And for your information, yes, you do sound like a prick. Whether you intended it or not, you nitpicked a small amount of my post, strawmanned it, and then ignored every other part of my post. I'll forgive you if you are more sensitive in the future.

[Holy Unifying Centrist]

“ I'm not partying right now, but some people really need to in order to blow off some steam.”

No, nobody needs to party, there are other ways to blow off steam.

I didn’t strawman anything. I responded to your own words and how I interpreted them. “If you want me to follow guidelines that adversely destroy my mental health, then you better accommodate me in other ways“ just rubs me the wrong way, and yes, your well being absolutely does matter. You should probably talk to someone on campus if one is readily available. You’re not alone, trust me.

I suffer from some anxiety and depression issues myself, and I’ve found it easy for me to adapt. Like I said, you need to find creative ways to have fun while still looking out for your physical health.

You're not even attempting to listen to me.

https://www.bloomberg.com/opinion/articles/2020-08-22/coronavirus-millennials-are-suffering-an-epidemic-of-depression
Andreas Kluth - August 22, 2020, 1:00 AM EDT

"As Covid-19 spreads, so do mental-health problems, especially among Gen Z and Millennials. A lot of this has to do with uncertainty."

Summary:

• In the US, the national rate of anxiety tripled in the second quarter of 2020 compared to the same period in 2019 (from 8.1% to 25.5%), and depression almost quadrupled (from 6.5% to 24.3%).
• The number of 18-39 year olds suffering from moderate to severe depression in the U.K. has nearly tripled to 31%.
• "Older adults had already built their lives before the pandemic — with routines, structures, careers and relationships to fall back on. The young had not, and were just embarking on that adventure when Covid-19 struck."
• "Replacing in-person, tactile and pheromonal interactions with screens and apps just doesn’t cut it. Biologically, we’re still like other primates, who need to groom and be groomed to lower cortisol levels and feel well."
• "Unprecedented uncertainty" that cuts off all ability to plan is more difficult on the young, many of whom have dropped out of higher education, who don't know whether their programs are still worth the tuition that they continue to pay, or who can't fund their education at all because they don't know when their families will have an income again.
• Shortages of mental health professionals and the inability to schedule in-person visits exacerbate all of these problems.

Thank you so much for sharing this article. It explains a lot of the issues I've been having. I have the unfortunate combination of being an extrovert who suffers from social anxiety, so it has been really hard to adjust this especially as I'm just starting to go into adult life. I was just starting to feel comfortable with where I was in life and this pandemic and government regulations took a lot of it away from me. There are a lot of things in life that I wish I were better at and that I'm trying to get better at, but it's hard. And yeah, "just go to mental health professionals" isn't exactly a fool proof solution.

And yeah, thank you for advocating for me. It really means a lot to me. For some reason, the loudest voices just don't seem to want to even listen to my issues (let alone understand them), and it makes me feel depressed and isolated.

[Holy Unifying Centrist]

Daily COVID cases are down by almost half in the US from the peak of July despite some schools reopening

[Holy Unifying Centrist]

https://twitter.com/saikatc/status/1324038440900386816
Thanks, Nancy!

Democrats didn't want a deal before the election and now Republicans don't want a deal.

I feel the need to point out that 1) Republicans were demanding a liability shield for employers 2) Even as Pelosi and White House reps negotiated almost up to the election, Mitch was being pretty clear that nothing of substance would through the Senate

Good. That should be a part of any COVID relief package. I'm glad Republicans are demanding that.

[Holy Unifying Centrist]

I vote for Democrats because I support left wing policy.

But why why why why why is the left so pro lockdown?

Why are Democratic Governors and local officials willing to let millions have no income and potentially become homeless just to stop some old people from dying?

No stimulus = no lockdown. And to be frank our national debt is already high enough. The best decision of many bad decisions is to just keep the economy open and no new stimulus.

We might be getting to the point where lockdowns are necessary in some states. The latest stats look really bad.

[Holy Unifying Centrist]

I vote for Democrats because I support left wing policy.

But why why why why why is the left so pro lockdown?

Why are Democratic Governors and local officials willing to let millions have no income and potentially become homeless just to stop some old people from dying?

No stimulus = no lockdown. And to be frank our national debt is already high enough. The best decision of many bad decisions is to just keep the economy open and no new stimulus.

We might be getting to the point where lockdowns are necessary in some states. The latest stats look really bad.

I want to make it clear: I do not care how many people die from Covid-19 at this point.  With no federal stimulus money it is not worth leaving millions and millions homeless and incomeless just to keep some old people from dying. Let them die. I hate to say that but it is true. Do not destroy everyone's livelihoods permanently.

Of course, this discussion could be outdated in a few months. Vaccinations of even only the most vulnerable populations will be a major factor in allowing the economy to move again.

It'd only be for a few weeks so the hospitals don't get completely overloaded during the Winter. This wouldn't be permanent. Things will get much better in the Spring, but we could be headed for a very, very dark winter if we don't act fast.


And this is coming from someone who has largely advocated for re-opening the country for much of the year. I think Georgia has generally done a fantastic job with handling COVID. But the huge case surge during Winter is very, very concerning

[Holy Unifying Centrist]

I vote for Democrats because I support left wing policy.

But why why why why why is the left so pro lockdown?

Why are Democratic Governors and local officials willing to let millions have no income and potentially become homeless just to stop some old people from dying?

No stimulus = no lockdown. And to be frank our national debt is already high enough. The best decision of many bad decisions is to just keep the economy open and no new stimulus.

We might be getting to the point where lockdowns are necessary in some states. The latest stats look really bad.

I want to make it clear: I do not care how many people die from Covid-19 at this point.  With no federal stimulus money it is not worth leaving millions and millions homeless and incomeless just to keep some old people from dying. Let them die. I hate to say that but it is true. Do not destroy everyone's livelihoods permanently.

Of course, this discussion could be outdated in a few months. Vaccinations of even only the most vulnerable populations will be a major factor in allowing the economy to move again.

It'd only be for a few weeks so the hospitals don't get completely overloaded during the Winter. This wouldn't be permanent. Things will get much better in the Spring, but we could be headed for a very, very dark winter if we don't act fast.


And this is coming from someone who has largely advocated for re-opening the country for much of the year. The huge case surge during Winter is very, very concerning

again the pro lockdown nazis always side step my concerns about leaving millions of people without ZERO income even for a short period.

Pro lockdown nazi? I've been advocating for re-opening the country since May. But sometimes the facts change; we have a massive COVID surge during the most deadly time of the year in terms of illness. I just think certain areas in places like South Dakota might have to do a temporary lockdown just so there isn't mass death.

Obviously it should be paired with stimulus checks

[Holy Unifying Centrist]

We should be 80% back to normal by April and a 100% back to normal by July

[Holy Unifying Centrist]

Sorry for the double post:

The right is screaming about Biden being "beholden" to the teachers union. The left is pissed Biden is sending teachers back into "dangerous" environments.

I do not envy the tight rope Biden has to walk on this issue. Hopefully all schools are opened by September.

Biden should re-open the schools. It's too costly not to. The teacher unions are corrupt and not acting in good faith. Fauci and other CDC directors said schools were safe to reopen months ago.

[Holy Unifying Centrist]

Sorry for the double post:

The right is screaming about Biden being "beholden" to the teachers union. The left is pissed Biden is sending teachers back into "dangerous" environments.

I do not envy the tight rope Biden has to walk on this issue. Hopefully all schools are opened by September.

It's been almost a year. Numbers are way down. The vaccines are doing marvelously. Kids need to be back in school. I could've accepted the safety argument in September but not now, it's time to go back.

I understand that argument, but I still feel that it's too early. We're making incredible progress, and I'm wary of doing anything that might jeopardize that. I say keep things remote for the rest of this school year, and then reopen fully at the beginning of next year, when the vats majority of US adults will have been vaccinated, and cases will probably be extremely low.

You do realize a ton of school districts are already open, right? There wasn't a huge spike in cases where schools were reopened. I would be beyond pissed if I were a parent and I was paying my taxes for horsecrap virtual schooling. Get my children in school. The social costs to virtual schooling is very high. We're hurting kids just to stop a little bit of spread? I think instead, we should be investing in our future.

[Holy Unifying Centrist]

I think if everything goes well, schools should be mostly opened in the coming months. I'm just getting frustrated with the bad faith arguments, mostly from the right.

It seems like people have a hard time understanding that neither Biden nor The CDC control if a school is opened or closed. All they can do is provide guidance. I doubt most school districts will even use that guidance when determining how they open.

It's my fault for continuing to follow these people but it's gotten ridiculous.

There's no bad faith argument from the right. We just want our kids back in school FFS. We've destroyed so many kids development for a virus that (STATISTICALLY, ON AVERAGE) doesn't have much impact on children....

[Holy Unifying Centrist]

https://twitter.com/nycjim/status/1361344667405680646

The only good Republican is a Republican powerless to abuse anyone else.

Good on Mike DeWine for showing some balls.

[Holy Unifying Centrist]

Open up the schools!!!!!!

[Holy Unifying Centrist]

Not just that but also just saying nothing will return to normal after the vaccine. 

The problem is we don't know when after the vaccine is. Everyone is saying things like 2022 will look at lot more like 2019 than 2020.

Should we drop our masks immediately after one dose?

Yes.

[Holy Unifying Centrist]

CDC: Vaccinated people can meet up indoors without masks

https://thehill.com/policy/healthcare/542101-cdc-vaccinated-people-can-safely-gather-indoors-without-masks?fbclid=IwAR0EQTQhLHe8oFcN2DhmVG3SmVDHVAg5CzzMobHeMq5UACr3Hp8f0iCPBGc

Very irresponsible of the CDC.

What is irresponsible about saying that vaccinated people can safely gather indoors? Do you want people to be depressed and have no social life? Should everyone just stick themselves in a protective box and never come out?

[Holy Unifying Centrist]

https://twitter.com/ashishkjha/status/1373610236221734912

We aren’t “running even” if you look at the graph of deaths.  The purpose of vaccinating the elderly and vulnerable first was to prioritize reducing deaths over just reducing cases.  If we just wanted to reduce cases we’d have adopted a much different policy, probably involving vaccinating college kids first or something like that.

We’ve reduced deaths by almost 50% in the last 2 weeks!

also, people have almost surely increased their social activity in the past month too

[Holy Unifying Centrist]

COVID cases down to record lows not seen since September in Texas, three weeks after Gov Abbott allowed the mask mandates to expire.  There has been zero coverage of this from mainstream media outlets outside Fox News.  I wonder why. 🤔

Answer: Because the mainstream media is totally, completely corrupt and in the tank for the democratic party. Also: they get more $$$ from fearmongering

[Holy Unifying Centrist]

COVID cases down to record lows not seen since September in Texas, three weeks after Gov Abbott allowed the mask mandates to expire.  There has been zero coverage of this from mainstream media outlets outside Fox News.  I wonder why. 🤔

Answer: Because the mainstream media is totally, completely corrupt and in the tank for the democratic party. Also: they get more $$$ from fearmongering

Hard edge there.

Am I wrong? How are CNN/MSNBC/ABC/WAPO not in the tank for the democratic party? They're only slightly less partisan than Fox News. You make more $$$ by appealing to a specific audience, and that specific audience are democratic-aligned partisan.

And their COVID fearmongering is absolutely insane

[Holy Unifying Centrist]

COVID cases down to record lows not seen since September in Texas, three weeks after Gov Abbott allowed the mask mandates to expire.  There has been zero coverage of this from mainstream media outlets outside Fox News.  I wonder why. 🤔

Answer: Because the mainstream media is totally, completely corrupt and in the tank for the democratic party. Also: they get more $$$ from fearmongering

Hard edge there.

Am I wrong? How are CNN/MSNBC/ABC/WAPO not in the tank for the democratic party? They're only slightly less partisan than Fox News. You make more $$$ by appealing to a specific audience, and that specific audience are democratic-aligned partisan.

I do love when the right says this, well, the truth, the actual truth, generally does tilt to the left. Guess that means everything is biased and bad!

But the truth is that COVID cases went down in TX over the past month. Why are CNN/ABC/WAPO/etc. not reporting about this? Why aren't they saying the truth? They kept telling us that COVID cases would skyrocket. But they didn't. Why are they not giving us the accurate information?

I keep seeing constant segments on these news shows telling me that cases are probably going to skyrocket, that there's an impending disaster... and then cases have remained flat or even gone down...

They also carried water for Andrew Cuomo for months and months despite his super sh!tty record.

[Holy Unifying Centrist]

But the truth is that COVID cases went down in TX over the past month. Why are CNN/ABC/WAPO/etc. not reporting about this? Why aren't they saying the truth? They kept telling us that COVID cases would skyrocket. But they didn't. Why are they not giving us the accurate information?

I keep seeing constant segments on these news shows telling me that cases are probably going to skyrocket, that there's an impending disaster... and then cases have remained flat or even gone down...

They also carried water for Andrew Cuomo for months and months despite his super sh!tty record.

The real answer is that news media usually if not always centers on negative events over positive ones. If you want to be extra cynical you can argue that it is because negative news stories generate more engagement/viewership and therefore more profit.

But it's not really "the liberal media"; all media do that.

There is a reason why "No news is good news" is a real thing

Sure, Jan.

https://twitter.com/PhilWMagness/status/1376608036161265664

Yeah, we're definitely being gaslighted when people say the media isn't biased. And people wonder why we're gravitating towards politicians like DeSantis, who actually fight the media.

I'm lol'ing at the emphasis of "especially among young people"... who really cares? This virus is deadly to old people, not younger people.


Like, c'mon, we have a year worth of COVID data by now.

[Holy Unifying Centrist]

I don't know if it's been mentioned here, but pandemics have a "social end." This is when people act as if the pandemic is over even if there's still people getting sick and dying. I think this is just something people do by instinct, when it gets to the point where worrying too much about getting sick poses as much of a threat to them personally as the virus itself. I think people are naturally evolved to just stop worrying too much, once worrying gets too stressful, which is itself unhealthy.

I'm not saying anyone should worry. I'm just saying people should use common sense.

Vaccines are winning. Let's say America adminsters 3 million a day. Even if all of them need 2 doses, and if vaccines are 95% effective, that works out to enough for 1.425 million people. Let's say we find 65,000 new cases a day. If we find only half the cases that really exist, that comes out to 130,000 actual cases. That means people are getting vaccinated 11 times as fast as they can be infected.

It's been 13 months since the first major wave of infections in the U.S., and it's already been almost 4 months since the vaccine was rolled out. With so many vaccines administered, how many people remain for the virus to infect before immunity wears off (which might take years)?

I agree. Right now, our vaccine rollout has been a massive success. That doesn't mean we need to declare early victory. We still have a lot of work left. Let's leave the mask mandates in place for now. As vaccine rates increase and cases go down, I would say that we should ease up on businesses. The mask mandates should probably be the last thing to go in terms of health orders.

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.

I've already received my first dose, but I will still wear my mask in public so long it's necessary for public health. I don't mind anyway as it's seemed to eliminate the cold and flu. I don't think it's necessary year-round, but it'd be nice if we had seasonal masking (maybe something like from October to March).

F**k no. I'll only wear masks if I need to go out while I'm actually sick.

[Holy Unifying Centrist]

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.

That is already far, far too late. Schools should be open NOW