2019–20 Coronavirus Pandemic (COVID-19) Thread

[barbara]

I thought this was a great tweet that has answers for many women - we knew the vaccine was safe for pregnant moms, but this make sit even more important for pregnant women to be vaccinated. (You've probably seen this @river)

 

[Kadova]

In Ireland, we need to be fully vaccinated to travel inside the UE with no need for a RT-PCR test. The anti-vaxx are online, not in the streets, so it's fine.

In France, you need a vaccine passport to enter closed places like cinemas, libraries, etc... All the medical people (in a broad meaning) had to be vaccinated before 15th September to be allowed to keep working.

There're demonstrations on weekends but I did not hear of damages?

I believe the anti-vaxx are a minority everywhere and they're very noisy.

As a vaccinated person, I keep my masks inside areas like I was doing before. Because the current vaccines are not protecting against the Delta variant for instance. And in Ireland, we now have the lambda variant and the mu variant.

We're going to know the whole Greek alphabet before this pandemic ends 

 

[Kadova]

On 9/7/2021 at 9:26 AM, Neenah said:

The problem is it doesn't matter how many facts you present them or how many times you refute their conspiracy theories with scientific evidence. To some people a 30 second Tiktock video taken out of context of someone they don't even have a name of is more than enough to prove they are right.

I've been having a long "discussion" (if it can be called that) with a college professor (who has a PhD) about this for months. Every time he would bring a weird unsubstantiated claim about the vaccine to our group of 5000 academics and gets so many likes. When I ask for his sources, I get a "Google it" or "everyone know this is the truth". My own answers that fact check his claims and refute them with scientific and a official sources are almost always ignored and only few days later, I find him or someone else in the group posting the same thing again. 

The whole this is so frustrating. I am talking to people who are supposed to be top of society in education and awareness, yet they act like that. I stopped bothering a month ago to preserve may sanity. 

In France there was a testimony on TV with a man who was in the Acute dept at the hospital for 13 days following an infection with the coronavirus. He was saying he regretted not being vaccinated and the only answer from anti-vaxx idiots was "this is governmental propaganda". In short this man in his hospital bed was called a liar....

[barbara]

54 minutes ago, hananistellata said:

I heard something about oral medicine for COVID on the news. Do we have any details?

Merck (a pharmaceutical company) is asking for emergency use authorization for an anti-viral medication (oral) for Covid - it doesn't replace the vaccine at all. This is for treating people who already have Covid, but taking it reduces the risk of death by 50%.  And a whole lot less expensive and more practical than the monoclonal antibody infusion that is, as far as I know, the only way to treat the disease (once you have it) to prevent serious consequences - though not necessarily the effects of long Covid.

Anyway - it's very promising that there is at least something people will be able to take if they test positive that will be able to be prescribed by their doctors and then they can pick up at the pharmacy.  It's a least a few weeks from EUA, though.

[rockstaryuzu]

5 hours ago, barbara said:

Merck (a pharmaceutical company) is asking for emergency use authorization for an anti-viral medication (oral) for Covid - it doesn't replace the vaccine at all. This is for treating people who already have Covid, but taking it reduces the risk of death by 50%.  And a whole lot less expensive and more practical than the monoclonal antibody infusion that is, as far as I know, the only way to treat the disease (once you have it) to prevent serious consequences - though not necessarily the effects of long Covid.

Anyway - it's very promising that there is at least something people will be able to take if they test positive that will be able to be prescribed by their doctors and then they can pick up at the pharmacy.  It's a least a few weeks from EUA, though.

My understanding is that Merck wasn't actually ready to release their findings about this drug yet, but the independent reviewers of the study were so impressed by it that they urged Merck to do so. 

 

The big advantage with this medicine is that it can be administered orally. The monoclonal antibody treatments, and also remcyclovir, the only anti-viral successful against COVID so far, both require intravenous injection and other complicated procedures to administer, which means the patient has to be hospitalized. An oral medication is so much simpler. 

 

@Neenah it's almost like there's a deep conspiracy to deliberately spread misinformation.  

[rockstaryuzu]

This makes me happy:

 

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/ottawa/covid-19-vaccination-ottawa-1.6215179

[rockstaryuzu]

Another good news item: for the first time since the pandemic started, my hospital has 0 COVID patients in the ICU. 

 

This means, or at least I hope it means, that the vaccine is working and no one is getting sick enough from COVID anymore to need the ICU, at least where I live. 

 

God willing, it will stay this way. 

[rockstaryuzu]

1 minute ago, hananistellata said:

Sadly I can only say the opposite for Greece. Vaccinated people are starting to get hospitalized and COVID cases have been higher than ever. Schools are full of infected children interacting with their classmates with almost no safety precautions. We even got our first case of Omicron too. 

It has been announced that it will become mandatory for people over the age of 60 to get the vaccine or else they will be paying 100 euro fines every month.

Oh my goodness, what a nightmare. I'm so sorry, I hope things improve soon. 

[barbara]

2 hours ago, hananistellata said:

Sadly I can only say the opposite for Greece. Vaccinated people are starting to get hospitalized and COVID cases have been higher than ever. Schools are full of infected children interacting with their classmates with almost no safety precautions. We even got our first case of Omicron too. 

It has been announced that it will become mandatory for people over the age of 60 to get the vaccine or else they will be paying 100 euro fines every month.

It's not gone.  God, I wish it was.  And I remain hopeful that this variant will respond to vaccines (and treatment).  Maybe the new pill form of the vaccine will be approved soon and widely distributed.  And the two big pharmas here are not doing anything proprietary with their vaccine or treatment medications.  They will be available everywhere - I guess it takes time to get manufacturing up for them and distribution.  But if people aren't willing to get vaccinated, this damn thing will keep on mutating.  Let's pray it mutates into a form that is very treatable.  Eventually, it will be endemic and we'll get vaccinated every year, like we do for the flu, but the people who refuse to take this seriously are the danger.

Sorry it's gotten so bad in Greece.  You were doing so well just a short time ago.  Maybe being open to tourists changed that. 

[Anni]

On 12/2/2021 at 9:11 PM, hananistellata said:

Sadly I can only say the opposite for Greece. Vaccinated people are starting to get hospitalized and COVID cases have been higher than ever. Schools are full of infected children interacting with their classmates with almost no safety precautions. We even got our first case of Omicron too. 

It has been announced that it will become mandatory for people over the age of 60 to get the vaccine or else they will be paying 100 euro fines every month.

 

 

 

 

I'm sorry to hear this.

 

Also an update from Germany:

When I wrote my last post here (June) I was really optimistic that we would soon get over the Corona crisis. But unfortunately our country is already in the 4th wave and the number of infected people has increased again in contrast to summer.

 

If anyone is interested, here is an article

https://edition.cnn.com/2021/12/08/europe/germany-covid-europe-intl/index.html

 

I got my booster shot (Pfizer-BioNTech) on 2th December and have tolerated it well.  This was recommended for everyone over 18. But after 9 months should vaccinated people lose their vaccination status. For unvaccinated people there are also stricter rules.

Yesterday it was decided that the vaccination for the clinic and geriatric care staff  it will become mandatory from March 2022.

 

Stays safe and healthy everyone, that it will soon be better everywhere.

 

(Sorry for my English)

 

[river]

We have the highest case levels we've ever had in my state. We're out of hospital beds. To transfer a patient you have to call 10-20 hospitals just to find space. Hospitals are cancelling elective surgeries again. The National Guard has been deployed to help with staffing shortages.

 

And those who haven't taken this seriously from the beginning continue to blow it off as "just a cold."

 

How much longer can we go on like this?

[barbara]

1 hour ago, river said:

We have the highest case levels we've ever had in my state. We're out of hospital beds. To transfer a patient you have to call 10-20 hospitals just to find space. Hospitals are cancelling elective surgeries again. The National Guard has been deployed to help with staffing shortages.

 

And those who haven't taken this seriously from the beginning continue to blow it off as "just a cold."

 

How much longer can we go on like this?

What is the percentage of hospitalizations among the vaccinated?  NH has a high # of vaccinated people - is it just the unvaccinated getting super sick?  My understanding is that three doses will prevent me from getting seriously ill even if I do somehow contract the latest highly transmissible variant.

I, for one, am beyond exhausted by the rank stupidity of the anti-vaxers. I wish there was a way to deny them admission to hospitals so that responsible people could get the medical attention they need. I know that sounds cruel, and I also know it can't happen (Hippocratic oath and all) but I'd like to see the consequences impact the people making the bad decisions....

[river]

11 minutes ago, barbara said:

What is the percentage of hospitalizations among the vaccinated?  NH has a high # of vaccinated people - is it just the unvaccinated getting super sick?  My understanding is that three doses will prevent me from getting seriously ill even if I do somehow contract the latest highly transmissible variant.

I, for one, am beyond exhausted by the rank stupidity of the anti-vaxers. I wish there was a way to deny them admission to hospitals so that responsible people could get the medical attention they need. I know that sounds cruel, and I also know it can't happen (Hippocratic oath and all) but I'd like to see the consequences impact the people making the bad decisions....

 

No - in my area it's mostly the unvaccinated being admitted. Only 55% of the state is vaccinated, and only 61% has even had one dose, so definitely not enough to keep us from being overwhelmed when we have a COVID surge, and this is the worst one we've had.

 

We have a larger than you'd expect population in my region who have maintained from the beginning that COVID is a hoax, won't mask, won't vaccinate, won't get tested when they're mildly ill, won't quarantine, and then show up to the hospital when they can't breathe. And we do our best, but there are only so many health care workers, and fewer now than at the beginning of the pandemic. We're tired, and burnout is a very real hazard after two years of this.

[barbara]

1 hour ago, river said:

 

No - in my area it's mostly the unvaccinated being admitted. Only 55% of the state is vaccinated, and only 61% has even had one dose, so definitely not enough to keep us from being overwhelmed when we have a COVID surge, and this is the worst one we've had.

 

We have a larger than you'd expect population in my region who have maintained from the beginning that COVID is a hoax, won't mask, won't vaccinate, won't get tested when they're mildly ill, won't quarantine, and then show up to the hospital when they can't breathe. And we do our best, but there are only so many health care workers, and fewer now than at the beginning of the pandemic. We're tired, and burnout is a very real hazard after two years of this.

I guess it's Vermont that has the most vaccinated.  I truly do not understand the insanity.  It's bad enough that the world has turned upside down, but the uninformed and non-convincible are really crushing all joy.  I do hope that you aren't called on to go over to ICU too often, and hope, even more, that pregnant women and newborns are safe.

[liv]

Here in Ontario the numbers are starting to go up quickly now too. 2 days ago it was 1400 new cases, yesterday 1800 and today 2400. Omicron is definitely very contagious. Ontario is also pretty good percentage wise with full vaccinations, so it's troubling news to see the increases, esp since fully vaccinated people are also becoming ill. I see that the government is starting to get a little antsy... i think some restrictions are definitely coming.

 

I got my booster a few weeks ago, and that is no guarantee, but at least my chances of severe illness are lower. A number of my coworkers in the home I work at are really hesitant about getting the booster, thinking that from now on we'll just keep having to get shots and it'll never be over. A few are nervous because of the side effects they experienced from the 2nd shot. I told them my experience was much better than the 2nd shot, which kept me in bed with body aches for a whole day. The booster was mild compared to that.

 

Yesterday at the nursing home I work in, the face shields were re introduced. Ugh. Not happy to have them back but fully understand the need. We continue to get a rapid test every other day too. On one hand omicron is highly infectious, but on the other hand it doesn't seem to affect the lungs as badly (at least according to the study out of Hong Kong) ... but given the number of people who will get sick, you're bound to get some seriously ill folks requiring hospitalization and that's the kicker. Being sick is one thing, but then having hospital beds full of anti-vaxers, resulting in surgery cancellations etc., affecting those responsible enough to have gotten their shots... it does make you wish there was a way to triage and say too bad to the anti-vaxers... if it came down to a choice between them and the fully vaccinated. 

 

A coworker told me that his family and extended family is entirely vaccinated, many even with boosters, apart from the wife of one of the grandsons. They have an elderly grandmother who usually hosts Christmas and this year the family decided that everyone would get a rapid test beforehand so that they could make it as safe as they could for her considering her age/health. This grandson's wife won't even consent to that. They aren't asking her to get vaccinated, just take a rapid test, but she is so selfish that she refuses even that concession. How on earth can anyone be that selfish? It's a rapid test, you just swirl the swab around your nostril, you wait a few minutes, and that's it. One thing this pandemic has shown is that sometimes you really don't know the person you thought you knew, and it can actually be quite ugly.