COVID-19 Megathread 6: Return of the Omicron

[It’s so Joever]

You think that was a hard lockdown?

It was hard on me, since it gave me a pulmonary embolism.

And you think catching Covid will improve your nonexistent cardiovascular health?

[It’s so Joever]

So...this is anecdotal, but some of the people working in the ICU in my area have told my mother (she is friends with them) that the cases themselves are very different from March. Symptoms look different, hospitalizations look different, and disease progression is much different. In other words, it’s less severe than is was in March on an average individual case level. This leads me to believe on of six things/a combination of these things are happening (ordered in likeliest to lest likely in my unprofessional opinion)

1. Younger people are getting infected and get it milder as far as we know.
This one is pretty much proven, the real question is whether this is the only factor causing this change.
2. We have more testing.
Again, this is proven/an established fact. Maybe we are testing better for milder cases.
3. We have better treatments.
Back in March, many hospitals didn’t even prone patients. That alone, plus the numerous advances in procedures and medication options may be behind some of the  lowering severity/death rates.
4. Darwin’s Theory
This is saying basically the vulnerable people in our community have either gotten sick and died, or have adapted their behavior, and now the less vulnerable are the only ones getting sick. It ties in with one. That being said, I’ve seen plenty of elderly people going around like everything is okay, so this is lower.
5. Mutation
This would be the ideal one for us imo, and it’s basically the idea that the virus mutates and is now more effective at spreading because it is milder. Still, I hesitate to say this given how well Covid already was spreading. It’s possible, but we don’t have evidence for this one.
6. The virus developed sentience and decided to be less of an a**hole.
Hey it’s 2020, anything is possible.


 Obligatory note so that a certain user doesn’t take this out of context:
None of this is to downplay the virus, the same ICU workers still are seeing long term organ damage in even the milder/asymptomatic cases and hospitals are still seeing shortages across the country. This is no flu, no matter what the virus-truthers want to say on Atlas. Covid-19 is still a threat and we should not treat it as a regular seasonal illness (because it’s not)

[It’s so Joever]

The anti-vaccers comprise more than a third of our total population, and most of them are Republicans:

Poll: 35% of Americans, most Republicans would reject COVID-19 vaccine

More than one-third of U.S. adults and a majority of Republicans would not receive a free, government-approved COVID-19 vaccine if one was presently available, a Gallup survey showed Friday.

According to the poll, 35% of U.S. adults said they would not get the vaccine, compared to 65% who said they would. The share was the exact same 65/35 split among both men and women.

The age group that expressed the most skepticism about a vaccine were those between 50 and 64 years old (59%) -- and the group that was most accepting of a vaccine were between 18 and 29 (76%).

By race, the survey found that two-thirds of White Americans (67%) and 59% of non-Whites would take the vaccine, despite the virus more heavily affecting the Black and Latino communities.

Excellent, more for me!

[It’s so Joever]

The anti-vaccers comprise more than a third of our total population, and most of them are Republicans:

Poll: 35% of Americans, most Republicans would reject COVID-19 vaccine

More than one-third of U.S. adults and a majority of Republicans would not receive a free, government-approved COVID-19 vaccine if one was presently available, a Gallup survey showed Friday.

According to the poll, 35% of U.S. adults said they would not get the vaccine, compared to 65% who said they would. The share was the exact same 65/35 split among both men and women.

The age group that expressed the most skepticism about a vaccine were those between 50 and 64 years old (59%) -- and the group that was most accepting of a vaccine were between 18 and 29 (76%).

By race, the survey found that two-thirds of White Americans (67%) and 59% of non-Whites would take the vaccine, despite the virus more heavily affecting the Black and Latino communities.

At least younger adults are far more pro vax, I really had been scared we were regressing on this issue. Most of the anti vaxxers I know of are under 40.

Nah, Gen Z is now rebelling against anti-vaxxers. Progress will be made on this front as we get older.

[It’s so Joever]

https://twitter.com/ChrisJoseWSB/status/1292564766100279296

I see opening schools as normal has gone well.

Paging Bandit and DelTachi...

Bandit is too populist to have common sense and Del Tachi.....well he probably would be okay with High School students like me dying anyways.

Also, I challenge anyone who wants to reopen schools to pay for my, or my brother’s medical bills if we get Covid-19, this includes long term physical effects on organs. After all, since it’s totally not at all dangerous for us, you probably won’t have to pay anything, right?

[It’s so Joever]

One of the items in today's Political Insider blog at the Atlanta Journal-Constitution:

After photos of mask-less students at a Paulding County high school went viral, state Rep. Beth Moore had an idea.

The Democrat from Peachtree Corners set up an anonymous inbox -- reportmyschool@gmail.com -- for whistleblower tips, photos and videos about unsafe conditions at Georgia schools.

She says she’s been both overwhelmed and “shellshocked” by the response -- hundreds of messages in the last two days. The worst, she says, came from a teacher she verified as working in a north Georgia school district.

“I am planning for 27 students in my tiny classroom,” the unnamed teacher wrote her. “They are not making masks mandatory. My principal is joking to people that this is ‘god’s cleansing plan.’”

Clearly it's not realistic to require masks in schools. Adults can barely wear one for 5 minutes when they go to the grocery.

I think we can do better than this sort of dystopia.

But I think the photos from the school actually did a positive service. It shows we can have schools that are almost normal even in one of the more hard-hit states. If you can have school in Georgia, why not Vermont or Maine?

I can’t tell if you are illiterate, or just have lost a bunch of blood flow to the brain.
There were nine f**king Covid cases one the first week at the “normal school”. Do you not see the problem?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?

Stop playing roulette with our lives as students because you have some grandeur delusions of returning to normal during a goddamn pandemic! It’s not so fun when you are on the receiving end of terrible beliefs and delusions held by fossils from Kentucky. I’m sure this will get reported, but someone needs to honestly stand up to your bulls**t.

[It’s so Joever]

One of the items in today's Political Insider blog at the Atlanta Journal-Constitution:

After photos of mask-less students at a Paulding County high school went viral, state Rep. Beth Moore had an idea.

The Democrat from Peachtree Corners set up an anonymous inbox -- reportmyschool@gmail.com -- for whistleblower tips, photos and videos about unsafe conditions at Georgia schools.

She says she’s been both overwhelmed and “shellshocked” by the response -- hundreds of messages in the last two days. The worst, she says, came from a teacher she verified as working in a north Georgia school district.

“I am planning for 27 students in my tiny classroom,” the unnamed teacher wrote her. “They are not making masks mandatory. My principal is joking to people that this is ‘god’s cleansing plan.’”

Clearly it's not realistic to require masks in schools. Adults can barely wear one for 5 minutes when they go to the grocery.

I think we can do better than this sort of dystopia.

But I think the photos from the school actually did a positive service. It shows we can have schools that are almost normal even in one of the more hard-hit states. If you can have school in Georgia, why not Vermont or Maine?

Yet the same schools send anyone home for violating a dress code lol.

I got in trouble for forgetting to wear my school ID one day.

[It’s so Joever]

Ugh

https://twitter.com/CNNPolitics/status/1293197001065201664

I can see he’s going after the crucial swing state of Alabama.

[It’s so Joever]

Stanford study shows teens who vape are 5x-7x more likely to develop COVID-19 symptoms, even controlling for confounding factors

I don’t understand why people think it’s safe to vape anyways.
It’s honestly probably more dangerous than conventional cigarettes and the pulmonologist researchers I’ve talked to agree.
It’s such a shame America‘s drug culture is becoming so permissive.

[It’s so Joever]

Stanford study shows teens who vape are 5x-7x more likely to develop COVID-19 symptoms, even controlling for confounding factors

I don’t understand why people think it’s safe to vape anyways.
It’s honestly probably more dangerous than conventional cigarettes and the pulmonologist researchers I’ve talked to agree.
It’s such a shame America‘s drug culture is becoming so permissive.

I agree, especially with the reports of mysterious lung illnesses in some vapers.

It seems logical that any kind of smoking/vaping could increase the risk factor for COVID-19.  Have there been any studies about its effects in tobacco or marijuana smokers?

The evidence has been very limited and has ranged from “smokers are protected” to “if you touched a cig once you will die”. I wouldn’t be surprised, considering how both do affect the pulmonary/cardiovascular systems, although the evidence is conflicting.

Funny enough, some conspiracy theorists now are saying that Covid started in the US in 2019 and was actually the “mysterious lung disease” found in vapers.
Of course, these theories have about as much credibility at the ones about the Wuhan lab. (None)

[It’s so Joever]

https://twitter.com/kerpen/status/1293990087911514112

It is funny on how the pro-lock down people refuse to acknowledge the stats like this.

And I have not had one pro-lockdown person yet have a coherent answer when they are confronted with the societal issues of mass evictions, mass suicides, permanent unemployment, etc just to save a few old people.

Have we been on lockdown in the past 30 days?
Anyways, my new plan would only be a two week shutdown for much of the country and would include a moratorium on evictions (with landlord support) and would give a check to all Americans to provide for basic needs.

[It’s so Joever]

I would keep an eye on the Midwest and the Rocky Mountains. It seems they have yet to have had a major epicenter (Technically Michigan may fit, but not that much) Unless you can get the virus at least somewhat under control, anywhere in the country is susceptible, especially areas that have not had a big outbreak yet.

[It’s so Joever]

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?

Challenging virology quiz of the day!
Which type of viral transmission is most effective in speed/ability to spread from human to human?
A. Bodily Fluids
B. Animals
C. Respiratory Airdroplets
D. Chemtrails

Approximately how many confirmed cases of Ebola were there in the first year of the outbreak (Dec 2013-Dec 2014)?
A. 0
B. 2
C. 7,000,000
D. 19,000

Approximately how many confirmed Covid cases are there as of 8 months of the outbreak?
A. 22,700,000
B. 70,000
C. Covid ain’t real, I’ve nevah seen it in mah #populist commune in rural Kuntucky!
D. 1,000

Which mortality rate usually allows for a greater human-human transmission of a virus?
A. Higher
B. Lower
C. Negative
D. This quiz is too hard, I quit

Answers will be given tonight, be sure to use a Number 2 Pencil and fully erase any stray marks

[It’s so Joever]

MyPillow CEO-turned-scientist Mike Lindell is selling a miracle death cure:
https://twitter.com/DrGJackBrown/status/1295491801126600704?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoog...
For the best night's sleep in the whole wide world.

I am guessing many people would willingly buy poison pills if he found the right market.

[It’s so Joever]

An aggressive push by Iowa’s pro-Trump governor to reopen schools amid a worsening coronavirus outbreak has descended into chaos, with some districts and teachers rebelling and experts calling the scientific benchmarks used by the state arbitrary and unsafe.

https://www.ajc.com/news/nation-world/iowa-governors-push-to-reopen-schools-descends-into-chaos/5FV6YLL57NHRJA4HD4AK2XHUYM/

This on top of the storms too? You can do something about this on November 3, Iowa!

Unfortunately, Iowa is safe R at this point.

[It’s so Joever]

And I love how the AP paints supporters of in-person schools as right-wing Trump supporters. We're not. I've been voting for more liberal candidates my whole adult life precisely because they're more pro-education.

The AP is guilty of defamation.

So let’s see, you have made ignorant statements in virology, biology, and now basic law.
I see you have all your bases covered.

[It’s so Joever]

Good grief! I just don't get it.

Of course I think schools should offer online instruction, but I don't understand the fetish for moving everything online when some families want in-person classes. Online schooling is only good as a short-term solution, but it's been going on since March.

Sooner or later - like very soon - we've got to get our schools back open just like normal. When I first voted when I was 18, one of my priorities was education. There's no way an all-online system would have been tolerated back then, even if it had been invented.

I know there's some people who still have some fear, but this is something we as a community and nation are going to overcome.

What some idiots want without regard of how many people will die when the hospitals get overwhelmed should not dictate medical policy.

I'll say it here again, since some people just don't get it:

If we reopen everything because of some idiots whining, we are going to see a massive spike in cases, more hospitals getting overwhelmed, more people will die who might've otherwise been able to receive treatment because of this, and people who need medical attention for relatively minor to potentially life-threatening things that aren't covid, are thus more likely to die as well--not to mention permanent heart and lung damage for survivors

Anybody who continues to think this isn't the case or that the risk is worth it should be the first in line to volunteer to contract the virus, and sign a waiver stating they will not receive treatment.  If you are not willing to do this, then quit whining about online schooling or mask rules.

Hey, I wish I had equitable online schooling at all.
People complaining about it are ***holes.

[It’s so Joever]

https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.politico.com/amp/news/2020/08/20/sen-bill-cassidy-tests-positive-for-coronavirus-399465

[It’s so Joever]

I just read that Oxford is starting a phase 3 trial of their vaccine for 1500 subjects in Arizona over the next few weeks.  

I'm sure this sounded like a great plan a month or two ago when they were deciding on trial locations.  Unfortunately, Arizona now has a new case rate well below the national average.  I guess Brazil is still promising!

They should do a state that hasn’t had a big wave yet, but has a virus-downplaying Governor. I would suggest Iowa and Nebraska. They have large enough cities for an outbreak, unlike some other states which fit this criteria.

[It’s so Joever]

Alright, today was my first day in-person in a high school of 3.7~k students (but only 3/8ths were here today due to the hybrid model) I can share some observations:

Classes
The classrooms were pretty well spaced out. The furniture was moved around and students were mostly distanced.

Hallways
This is probably the second worst part. The hallways and even the outdoor pathways were pretty crowded (not Paulding HS levels, but still crowded enough for a virus to easily spread)

Masks
This one is pretty positive. All but one student had a mask covering nose and mouth (one idiot decided to not cover either), I guess the suspension of about 150 entitled senior girl-brats was enough to make people fall in line.
The break down of type was about:
55% Cloth
35% Surgical
9% KN95
1% N95

Hand washing
Encouraged, but not enforced. Teachers at least had large provisions of hand sanitizer (that smelled exactly like Tequila) although a lot of students brought their own.

Lunch breaks
The stupidest idea on the school’s part. Anyone is allowed to go anywhere during the breaks and no mask wearing/social distancing is enforced. I get that they want to keep an “open campus” but this is the Achilles’ Heel of the plan.

Education
Eh, I honestly do better with online learning because I am a very visual learner and am pretty independent with my studying. I can see the appeal for other types of students.

I didn’t take many good photos and I’m pretty sure I’m not allowed to post them. I think overall it was okay, but there will be an outbreak by October 1st.

[It’s so Joever]

Update: I should add, teachers have honestly been mixed: Some have been very proactive and have had everyone sanitize before entering, others are doing the minimum. The only bad one was my English teacher who said and I quote,”Yeah, if you want to take your masks off to ventilate that’s okay. Just a few seconds, you can slide it off your nose a bit.”
Luckily most students weren’t that f**king stupid.

[It’s so Joever]

https://twitter.com/yascha_mounk/status/1297226437905260545?s=21

They shouldn’t have used the word “Draconian” alone. Expulsion at least is necessary, probably more.

[It’s so Joever]

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?

Hey, I’m sorry to hear that.
This is honestly a tough time for someone like you, and your mental health does matter. Are you seeing a therapist? I would suggest you look into it. As for socializing, since it does seem you actually need to socialize (as opposed to the excuses a lot of people gave in March) I encourage you to do such. That being said, I would try to stay in a “pod” of friends, a lot of high schoolers I know did this over the summer. That way, you can enjoy extremely close social interaction with a few people, while reducing the impact for the community.
FWIW, I support exceptions to online schooling in cases of poverty, home situation, and health (your case is clearly in the third category) but the majority of students who can should be online. Thing is, I am in the opposite situation. My district does not offer half of my courses online, so I have been essentially coerced into in-person. I am for equitable (to the greatest extent possible) online schooling with exceptions. Your feelings are valid, and even as an ardent “tough on virus” poster, I do recognize your needs exist and may not be fulfilled currently.

Otherwise, just respect basic rules regarding social distancing and masks. If that is the cause of your symptoms, my sympathy ends there, unfortunately.
You can only get so much during a pandemic, and while your needs matter, they don’t matter more than those of others.

As for your “light at the end of the tunnel” do take solace in the fact that we are rapidly developing a Covid-19 vaccine that will either reduce severity, the ability to get infected, or both. Never before has the World so viciously poured resources into a vaccine and it shows. This is a historic moment, and we will have a vaccine by the end of 2021 (I suspect sooner) It won’t mean everything goes back to before, but a lot of restrictions will ease.

I do actually suffer from anxiety and body dysmorphia/eating disorder, so I know just how devastating these can be to a person. I would encourage you to find creative ways to help yourself without hurting others. I’m not going to recommend anything with that because I don’t know you as a person to make a good judgement, although a professional may help.

[It’s so Joever]

Please explain your novel epidemiological theory as to how reducing social contact increases cases and deaths from Covid-19.

Why were there so many more cases when lockdowns were worse (at least in the U.S.)?

I can see basic statistics wasn’t taught in Hicktown, KY.

[It’s so Joever]

So we have some good/bad news.
A man in Hong Kong was infected with Covid again after testing positive with symptoms previously.
There was a 4.5 month discrepancy. However, the second time he did not develop any symptoms, which makes me suspect that much like other diseases, his memory cells were able to figure out how to fight the infection even without the presence of antibodies at the beginning.