Coronavirus prep
Replies
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https://www.nytimes.com/2022/02/21/health/covid-vaccine-antibodies-t-cells.html
A good read. The lede:How long until you need another covid shot? Not for many months, and perhaps not for years, according to a flurry of new studies. Three doses of a Covid vaccine — or even just two — are enough to protect most people from serious illness and death for a long time, the studies suggest.
“We’re starting to see now diminishing returns on the number of additional doses,” said John Wherry, director of the Institute for immunology at the University of Pennsylvania.
People here are getting 4th shots. I waited until December for my 3rd (to maximize antibodies for when 3 DD came home for extended holiday - and it was a petri dish here!). I'll probably wait until the next variant wave for the 4th.
About masks, I've followed a pretty simple guideline for almost a year.- I wear a mask places that are generally non-discretionary for vulnerable people--pharmacies, grocery stores, public transit, medical settings.
- I don't places that are discretionary-- restaurants, bars, entertainment venues (unless required by the venue). I figure vulnerable people can avoid those spots if they need to.
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Many are dropping the mask in my area(although some never wore the mask anyway-smile) BUT what are y'all going to do?
I am STILL wearing mine for the foreseeable future- just wondering what's happening where you are....
My state just dropped our indoor mask mandate on 2/18. It is still required in healthcare settings and for public transit. I do not intend to continue wearing a mask in most cases. I've long thought the restaurant thing was ridiculous in having to wear one to walk in, but you could take it off as soon as you were seated. I'll be very happy to go to the gym tomorrow and not have to wear one and I can get back to taking a spin class now and then which I didn't bother with when mask mandates were in effect.
Our numbers are way down, particularly hospitalizations. My wife and I and my two boys also had COVID in early January despite being fully vaxed and following all of the rules. Just about everyone we know in our personal circle has had it...most of them in January. At this point I'm ready to just live with this thing and take precautions where I feel it is necessary. We are largely home bodies and don't really engage much in activities that would be considered higher risk and I try to avoid large crowds regardless...did that even pre-COVID.6 -
Does anyone get the impression that even people who have been generally compliant with wearing a mask are now "ready to ditch the masks" on the strength of "I just had COVID and it wasn't so bad" Omicron?
Yea, I did too and it was a non event. Could see the metrics tanking on Fitbit (heart rate variability down, resting heart rate up, breaths per minute going up, one day of oxygen saturation going down in spite of bpm going up) and was feeling like on the way down with a nasty nasty cold/flu that was just starting to take hold for a couple of days and then overnight it reversed to "I just had the flu a day or so ago and I'm now recovering or fully recovered". Which lasted for just about 10 days--and no evidence of anything going on via Fitbit other than on one day when I was really short of sleep and both metrics and mild symptoms appeared.
So, I get it: non event for most of us... well, except for the number of people who still ended up in hospital.
When looking around, there exist a number of people who got both Delta and Omicron. So Omicron is unlikely to confer magical immunity.
Why are we all so sure that there is no future Delta lurking out there just because Omicron was so wide spread? How painful is it really to wear a mask when out amongst people?
I am planning to continue to, though I suspect that given the anti-masking vehemence I may choose to just leave venues as oppose to argue the case.13 -
cwolfman13 wrote: »Many are dropping the mask in my area(although some never wore the mask anyway-smile) BUT what are y'all going to do?
I am STILL wearing mine for the foreseeable future- just wondering what's happening where you are....
My state just dropped our indoor mask mandate on 2/18. It is still required in healthcare settings and for public transit. I do not intend to continue wearing a mask in most cases. I've long thought the restaurant thing was ridiculous in having to wear one to walk in, but you could take it off as soon as you were seated. I'll be very happy to go to the gym tomorrow and not have to wear one and I can get back to taking a spin class now and then which I didn't bother with when mask mandates were in effect.
Our numbers are way down, particularly hospitalizations. My wife and I and my two boys also had COVID in early January despite being fully vaxed and following all of the rules. Just about everyone we know in our personal circle has had it...most of them in January. At this point I'm ready to just live with this thing and take precautions where I feel it is necessary. We are largely home bodies and don't really engage much in activities that would be considered higher risk and I try to avoid large crowds regardless...did that even pre-COVID.
Re: the restaurant thing - as a high risk person who doesn’t eat at restaurants, it’s annoying when the pickup area for takeout is crowded with non-mask wearing customers. I agree that it doesn’t lower YOUR risk to wear one in then eat without it, but it lowers the risk of people like me who never enter the dining area.
Our numbers here are dropping but still pretty high. I also read an article identifying risk factors for long covid, and of four risk factors (one of which was having a high virus count during the initial infection, so, not really a pre-existing risk factor) I have three. So I would really really prefer to never get it.12 -
https://www.nytimes.com/2022/02/21/health/covid-vaccine-antibodies-t-cells.html
A good read. The lede:How long until you need another covid shot? Not for many months, and perhaps not for years, according to a flurry of new studies. Three doses of a Covid vaccine — or even just two — are enough to protect most people from serious illness and death for a long time, the studies suggest.
“We’re starting to see now diminishing returns on the number of additional doses,” said John Wherry, director of the Institute for immunology at the University of Pennsylvania.
People here are getting 4th shots. I waited until December for my 3rd (to maximize antibodies for when 3 DD came home for extended holiday - and it was a petri dish here!). I'll probably wait until the next variant wave for the 4th.
About masks, I've followed a pretty simple guideline for almost a year.- I wear a mask places that are generally non-discretionary for vulnerable people--pharmacies, grocery stores, public transit, medical settings.
- I don't places that are discretionary-- restaurants, bars, entertainment venues (unless required by the venue). I figure vulnerable people can avoid those spots if they need to.
It's refreshing to see someone who's so clearly parsing out when and where their actions can reduce risk for other (possibly more vulnerable) people, vs. acting different when and where people are signaling behaviorally that they're accepting greater risk for themselves. That seems both smart and kind.6 -
Does anyone get the impression that even people who have been generally compliant with wearing a mask are now "ready to ditch the masks" on the strength of "I just had COVID and it wasn't so bad" Omicron?
Yea, I did too and it was a non event. Could see the metrics tanking on Fitbit (heart rate variability down, resting heart rate up, breaths per minute going up, one day of oxygen saturation going down in spite of bpm going up) and was feeling like on the way down with a nasty nasty cold/flu that was just starting to take hold for a couple of days and then overnight it reversed to "I just had the flu a day or so ago and I'm now recovering or fully recovered". Which lasted for just about 10 days--and no evidence of anything going on via Fitbit other than on one day when I was really short of sleep and both metrics and mild symptoms appeared.
So, I get it: non event for most of us... well, except for the number of people who still ended up in hospital.
When looking around, there exist a number of people who got both Delta and Omicron. So Omicron is unlikely to confer magical immunity.
Why are we all so sure that there is no future Delta lurking out there just because Omicron was so wide spread? How painful is it really to wear a mask when out amongst people?
I am planning to continue to, though I suspect that given the anti-masking vehemence I may choose to just leave venues as oppose to argue the case.
With countries like Syria that have a 2% vaccination rate, I’m pretty sure there will be another variant as transmissible as omicron sooner or later. Whether it causes sickness more or less severe is a roll of the dice. The CDC seems to be saying it’s ok to take a break from masks when numbers are low but warns masks will be needed again when infection rates rise. It’s just a dynamic situation.
BTW, glad it was a non-event for you!1 -
As of today, Coachella isn't going to have a mask, vaccine, or covid test requirement. But that will change if the mandate changes.
Freaking stupid, if you ask me.7 -
https://www.nytimes.com/2022/02/21/health/covid-vaccine-antibodies-t-cells.html
A good read. The lede:How long until you need another covid shot? Not for many months, and perhaps not for years, according to a flurry of new studies. Three doses of a Covid vaccine — or even just two — are enough to protect most people from serious illness and death for a long time, the studies suggest.
“We’re starting to see now diminishing returns on the number of additional doses,” said John Wherry, director of the Institute for immunology at the University of Pennsylvania.
People here are getting 4th shots. I waited until December for my 3rd (to maximize antibodies for when 3 DD came home for extended holiday - and it was a petri dish here!). I'll probably wait until the next variant wave for the 4th.
About masks, I've followed a pretty simple guideline for almost a year.- I wear a mask places that are generally non-discretionary for vulnerable people--pharmacies, grocery stores, public transit, medical settings.
- I don't places that are discretionary-- restaurants, bars, entertainment venues (unless required by the venue). I figure vulnerable people can avoid those spots if they need to.
It's refreshing to see someone who's so clearly parsing out when and where their actions can reduce risk for other (possibly more vulnerable) people, vs. acting different when and where people are signaling behaviorally that they're accepting greater risk for themselves. That seems both smart and kind.
I also appreciate seeing those distinctions made.1 -
Does anyone get the impression that even people who have been generally compliant with wearing a mask are now "ready to ditch the masks" on the strength of "I just had COVID and it wasn't so bad" Omicron?
I'm sure for some...but for many it's fatigue with the whole thing. Almost everyone I know personally is fully vaxed and boosted and has worn masks everywhere as mandated by the state...vaccination and mask compliance in my state is very high, at least in most of the urban population...and almost everyone I know personally contracted COVID in January. I think there comes a point where people ask, "what really is the point?" Add to that, so many situations where the mask mandate just didn't make sense at all...like having to wear one to enter a restaurant, but being allowed to take it off as soon as you sit down...but have to put in on to walk to the bathroom...but you can sit there for an hour without one and eat and drink...same for brew pubs, bars, movie theaters, sports and concert venues, etc.
Myself and most of the people I know feel that vaccination has played a large roll in having very minor symptoms or being completely asymptomatic altogether and perhaps masks, while offering some protection, really don't do that much. Add to that, I and my wife wore KN95 masks, but for the most part when out and about we primarily see paper or cloth masks on most people which seem to be of little to no benefit at all. My personal feeling is that COVID in some form is here forever, just like the flu and other airborne viruses and at some point, life must go on.
I will wear my mask where it is required without complaining about it...healthcare settings, public transport, etc. I will also wear my mask into the pharmacy simply given the nature of a pharmacy and I somewhat consider it to be a health care setting on some level. I would also likely wear a mask in a large crowd situation like a concert or something where social distancing is impossible...but I also think at this point, individuals can *kitten* their own risk and comfort level with such things. I personally don't do much of that anyway so I would rarely be put in such a position. About the most crowded situation I'm ever really in is Costco on the weekend, but even then I go right when the doors open and it's not particularly crowded. I also think we're well beyond the notion of, if everyone did X,Y, and Z this thing would end...going into the 3rd year of this thing, obviously that notion is unrealistic.Yea, I did too and it was a non event. Could see the metrics tanking on Fitbit (heart rate variability down, resting heart rate up, breaths per minute going up, one day of oxygen saturation going down in spite of bpm going up) and was feeling like on the way down with a nasty nasty cold/flu that was just starting to take hold for a couple of days and then overnight it reversed to "I just had the flu a day or so ago and I'm now recovering or fully recovered". Which lasted for just about 10 days--and no evidence of anything going on via Fitbit other than on one day when I was really short of sleep and both metrics and mild symptoms appeared.
So, I get it: non event for most of us... well, except for the number of people who still ended up in hospital.
Since vaccinations began, pretty much everyone I know has contracted COVID...most of them this past January which we all assume to be omicron. Nobody I know personally has had a severe case of it. Contrast that with 2020 and early 2021, I didn't know a ton of people who contracted COVID, but every single one of them had a pretty severe case...2 people I know died and 4 were hospitalized for a time with one of those 4 on a ventilator in an induced coma for 10 days (he was mid 30s and in very good shape and an avid runner...he is no longer an avid runner).
It would appear that the number of hospitalizations with omicron are attributable more to the sheer volume of infection. Even then, the COVID hospitalizations in my state were by and large un-vaccinated individuals...my last check was around 93%. To that end, the numbers are a bit fuzzy because there was no breakdown in terms of individuals hospitalized specifically for COVID symptoms vs. those who were hospitalized for other reasons and required to take a test upon hospitalization and tested positive even if they were asymptomatic or not particularly ill...they get rolled up into those numbers. There has been some effort to start distinguishing these numbers, but the bulk of the data we have in my state includes all of those people.When looking around, there exist a number of people who got both Delta and Omicron. So Omicron is unlikely to confer magical immunity.
This is undoubtedly a risk and I do not believe having contracted COVID in some form or another provides full immunity. Evidence does suggest that it, along with vaccination, provides a high level of immunity though. When looking at this, I think it's also important to look at the situations of these people...do they engage regularly in high risk activities...does their occupation put them in high or higher risk situations vs someone like myself who goes to my office everyday and has little interaction with anyone and then usually goes home to my wife and kids. My highest risk engagement is probably the gym, but I also choose to go at lunch when it's not particularly crowded and I can workout and nobody is really within 10 ft of me at the closest.
I personally know three people who've contracted COVID more than once. One is my step-brother who is an ICU nurse and the other two are friends who are first responder paramedics with the fire department. Both very high risk occupations with potential exposure to very high viral loads.Why are we all so sure that there is no future Delta lurking out there just because Omicron was so wide spread? How painful is it really to wear a mask when out amongst people?
I don't think any one is sure of anything...the situation is a dynamic one. In my state, the mask mandate was first lifted back in May and then put back in place in August/September when our numbers started to jump along with hospitalizations and just recently has been rescinded given our plummeting number of cases and hospitalizations. The numbers right now in our state simply don't support further mandates.
Should things change again for the worse, I have no doubt our governor will re-instate a mask mandate, but she also has to walk a delicate line between public safety and government over-reach...whether "over-reach" is perceived or real doesn't really matter...it's politics and this thing has been politicized from the beginning. All I can say is God help this state if she doesn't get re-elected because the alternative is going to look much more like Florida and Texas. She has been very proactive in every way trying to combat COVID, but she also has to look at the numbers and assess whether or not what she is doing is supported by the numbers. Regardless of the politics, she will at least always have the numbers on her side in defending her positions and actions.I am planning to continue to, though I suspect that given the anti-masking vehemence I may choose to just leave venues as oppose to argue the case.
I am most certainly not vehemently anti-masking. I do question it and question the overall benefit to them, particularly as the vast majority of people I see are wearing thin paper masks, gators, or cloth masks. I will wear one as required but otherwise think people can make their own decisions here unless things dramatically change for the worse in my state. Right now, the numbers don't support continuation of a mask mandate or for continued emergency powers by our awesome governor.
We are also bordered by five states, four of which have never had mask mandates, and one of which dropped them a long time ago. Travel between these states is frequent and if everyone isn't doing it, it kind of becomes a moot point.5 -
cwolfman13 wrote: »Does anyone get the impression that even people who have been generally compliant with wearing a mask are now "ready to ditch the masks" on the strength of "I just had COVID and it wasn't so bad" Omicron?
I'm sure for some...but for many it's fatigue with the whole thing. Almost everyone I know personally is fully vaxed and boosted and has worn masks everywhere as mandated by the state...vaccination and mask compliance in my state is very high, at least in most of the urban population...and almost everyone I know personally contracted COVID in January. I think there comes a point where people ask, "what really is the point?" Add to that, so many situations where the mask mandate just didn't make sense at all...like having to wear one to enter a restaurant, but being allowed to take it off as soon as you sit down...but have to put in on to walk to the bathroom...but you can sit there for an hour without one and eat and drink...same for brew pubs, bars, movie theaters, sports and concert venues, etc.
This is consistent with a lot of what I've noticed except I actually don't know that many who had omicron. Some, definitely. And vax compliance in my state and city is only okay, but it varies a lot by location and in my part of the city it has been very high, and so has mask compliance. (And as noted above, the date we are lifting the mask mandate is not yet determined, although there's going to be some sort of update this afternoon that might include that information.)
I generally agree with much of the rest of what you said too.1 -
cwolfman13 wrote: »Does anyone get the impression that even people who have been generally compliant with wearing a mask are now "ready to ditch the masks" on the strength of "I just had COVID and it wasn't so bad" Omicron?
I'm sure for some...but for many it's fatigue with the whole thing. Almost everyone I know personally is fully vaxed and boosted and has worn masks everywhere as mandated by the state...vaccination and mask compliance in my state is very high, at least in most of the urban population...and almost everyone I know personally contracted COVID in January. I think there comes a point where people ask, "what really is the point?" Add to that, so many situations where the mask mandate just didn't make sense at all...like having to wear one to enter a restaurant, but being allowed to take it off as soon as you sit down...but have to put in on to walk to the bathroom...but you can sit there for an hour without one and eat and drink...same for brew pubs, bars, movie theaters, sports and concert venues, etc.
This is consistent with a lot of what I've noticed except I actually don't know that many who had omicron. Some, definitely. And vax compliance in my state and city is only okay, but it varies a lot by location and in my part of the city it has been very high, and so has mask compliance. (And as noted above, the date we are lifting the mask mandate is not yet determined, although there's going to be some sort of update this afternoon that might include that information.)
I generally agree with much of the rest of what you said too.
It's pretty wild. In the early days, most of the people we knew who contracted it were mostly acquaintances or friends of friends, more so than close friends or family. January was nuts...my wife and I and my kids caught it and then it seemed like every few days we were getting messaged by friends and family that they had it. Ironically, none of us were in close contact with each other at all...I haven't seen most of my friends for at least a couple of months due to the holidays and just being a time of year when we don't get together much.
My youngest started spring soccer practice last week and we found out that the entire team, all of the parents, and the coach and his wife had all contracted COVID in January. It was pretty unreal how many of us there were (including our primary circle of friends and family). We do wonder if possibly the last game of the season may have been our super spreader (indoor soccer league)...it was on Jan 3rd and my family started being symptomatic on the 6th and 7th which kind of jives with everyone else on the team. It would also make sense given most were gathering in some form or another for Christmas and New Years.
I will say that having two young boys (9 & 11) in school and who engage in youth sports has made navigating this whole thing pretty interesting. We're constantly around two little carrier monkeys of everything.7 -
I can't wait for the end of the mask mandate. I only wear one now where I am required to, and will stop when the requirement ends. This of course is based on current conditions, if another virulent variant pops up I will reassess. As of now with Omicron basically being a cold for the overwhelming majority I think it's time to get back to normal. The only "vulnerable" person I see is my mother and she has been vaxx'd four times - there was an "outbreak" in her retirement home in January and even that was a non event.
I barely think about Covid now, except when there are restrictions I have to comply with, and my anxiety about it is pretty much zero now. I eat out regularly and went to a casino on the weekend (where we had to wear masks but could pull them down to drink? - lol) I rapid test when I go into the retirement home, and once a week at work.7 -
There are still 2000 Americans dying daily. I get that many people will want to lose the masks when #s go down, but as long as so many people are unvaccinated, and global vaccination is so unequal, I would expect we may continue to have to consider going back into protocols when a new spike develops from a new variant. I really hope we don't just get used to an extra 10K people dying every week.
Last month a coworker died after over a month in the hospital with covid. I don't know if he was vaxxed or not, but he was a nice man with 2 little daughters. I know a few people who I haven't been able to convince to get vaxxed. Yes, it would be their own fault, but that doesn't mean I'm not scared for them every day.
Considering long covid is still largely a mystery, and seems to be most prevalent in middle aged women, I'll continue to mask in possibly crowded places for the time being. The minor annoyance is more than worth reducing my risk of the med bills associated with a manageable (hopefully) chronic illness. The incidence and costs of long covid are just not being reported enough. Also, no one I know got a cold or the flu for 2 years, and it's just recently (as people are ditching masks) that theres been a couple of bugs going around. Weird, right? /s
Then there are parents of children under 5, especially those with risk factors, who are trying to figure out how to protect them when the rest of their community has decided they're tired of dealing with this.
I haven't been taking notes listening to TWIV lately, but the data coming in on the protection of the vaccines is impressive. My read is that the TWIV folks really don't think boosters will have to be a necessity, except allowing for a lousy variant, or for dramatically compromised individuals. Hopefully theyll get the dosage squared away for the little kids soon.
I was reading that the majority of Americans dying right now are unvaxxed folks in their 30s and 40s, often with no risk factors. I wish that news was out there louder, maybe it would convince more people to get vaxxed, even if they're young and healthy. More people vaxxed would mean better protection for the people at high risk, or even just bad luck, and would really provide some relief to hospital staff.12 -
Amen. And more people vaxxed reduces opportunities for mutations and new variants.9
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At this point, the unvaccinated will not change their minds. They have access to that same knowledge and ignore it.
What I want to know is when we need a 4th shot. Has anyone heard if it is a booster every 6 months?0 -
T1DCarnivoreRunner wrote: »At this point, the unvaccinated will not change their minds. They have access to that same knowledge and ignore it.
What I want to know is when we need a 4th shot. Has anyone heard if it is a booster every 6 months?
In Italy what they're saying is 4th dose in September for medical personal, over 80, and those with autoimune diseases. That's unless a strong variant appears.
Our restrictions are slowly lifting as our numbers go down. People still need to wear a mask indoors and the government is arguing about when to abolish the restriction. My take--like @cwolfman13 we had omicron sweep through in January, and we got it in our family--pretty light, and I had no symptoms at all. After that I'm not afraid any longer, the vax worked.
As we move into spring and summer and it gets hot in Italy, masks are highly uncomfortable--miserable. I don't plan on wearing one unless it's required. Those who want to, or need to should, and I'll respect that, however, you can't continue to ask the masses to suffer for a few. There is already pushback, and that means an explosion down the road.
Every country or region has different rules. We are a high level tourist city (Rome), and they are already arriving.3 -
@PAV8888 Yeh, sad but I see it locally. Many people aren't masking up anymore. In fact, my nephew works at a very large company in Texas, brand new building, grand opening, lots of people coming through to check it out. He said there were 3 people wearing a mask(he was 1 of them) and people were making fun of them. WTH??
I ran into someone at the grocery store Sunday a.m., she started discussing the vaccines. She wears a mask because she's not vaxxed and doesn't plan on getting it. She says she's never gotten Covid yet knows of many who've been vaxxed that have gotten sick from it. I hope she never does get it.
At this point, I feel naked without a mask in public places.9 -
T1DCarnivoreRunner wrote: »At this point, the unvaccinated will not change their minds. They have access to that same knowledge and ignore it.
What I want to know is when we need a 4th shot. Has anyone heard if it is a booster every 6 months?
I posted a nyt link (that I thought was a pretty good discussion) above. https://www.nytimes.com/2022/02/21/health/covid-vaccine-antibodies-t-cells.html
tl;dr: B- and T-cell training lasts years even though the post-boost antibody flood recedes in a few months. Also, B-/T-cells are able to recognize and to disable a much, much broader range of variants than antibodies. The 3rd shot makes a big difference for T-/B-cell training. So unless you have a particular immune issue that would hinder B-/T-cell training, you *may* not need a 4th for years. Data still coming in.6 -
@PAV8888 Yeh, sad but I see it locally. Many people aren't masking up anymore. In fact, my nephew works at a very large company in Texas, brand new building, grand opening, lots of people coming through to check it out. He said there were 3 people wearing a mask(he was 1 of them) and people were making fun of them. WTH??
I ran into someone at the grocery store Sunday a.m., she started discussing the vaccines. She wears a mask because she's not vaxxed and doesn't plan on getting it. She says she's never gotten Covid yet knows of many who've been vaxxed that have gotten sick from it. I hope she never does get it.
At this point, I feel naked without a mask in public places.
That's the thing that really ticks me off. It's always been the case - here, anyway - that we'd see a few people now and then wearing masks in public. Just guessing, but it was frequently people from Asian countries where there's a tradition of wearing a mask if one has the sniffles, and probably some who were in cancer treatment or something similar that made them especially immune compromised but they had need to be in public. Now, sure, some - probably most - wearing masks are doing so for some reason that has to do with Covid.
Why does that make bullying socially OK? It's ridiculous. (Yes, visibly/audibly making fun of people is bullying behavior.)7 -
Restaurant food prices have increased dramatically. I’m sure that is due to a combination of reasons including increased transportation costs due to increased fuel prices, increased price of good, and increased wages.1
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T1DCarnivoreRunner wrote: »At this point, the unvaccinated will not change their minds. They have access to that same knowledge and ignore it.
What I want to know is when we need a 4th shot. Has anyone heard if it is a booster every 6 months?
I posted a nyt link (that I thought was a pretty good discussion) above. https://www.nytimes.com/2022/02/21/health/covid-vaccine-antibodies-t-cells.html
tl;dr: B- and T-cell training lasts years even though the post-boost antibody flood recedes in a few months. Also, B-/T-cells are able to recognize and to disable a much, much broader range of variants than antibodies. The 3rd shot makes a big difference for T-/B-cell training. So unless you have a particular immune issue that would hinder B-/T-cell training, you *may* not need a 4th for years. Data still coming in.
I read that article, and unfortunately in my opinion it’s a bad article. All of the discussion of antibodies in the article is theoretical, whereas real world results are indeed starting to trickle in and have found a dramatic reduction in real world effectiveness at preventing hospitalization during the Omicron wave after four months. Real world trumps theory every time.
In fact if you scroll down to the bottom of the article you posted, the article about effectiveness waning is currently the top rated article on the same news site.1 -
Restaurant food prices have increased dramatically. I’m sure that is due to a combination of reasons including increased transportation costs due to increased fuel prices, increased price of good, and increased wages.
My brother is a chef and he told me that while wages have increased, the menu price increases are almost ALL because of the food cost. Food cost is up because of the increased transportation costs and supply issues. Many restaurants are changing and shrinking their menus to accommodate ingredients they can consistently get at a price that has the least impact on their profit margin.
The restaurant business is tough. Even successful restaurants in the best of times have very narrow profit margins. I once complained to my brother about the cost of certain restaurant items...like a glass of wine or a baked potato. "Why do they charge $6.00 for a baked potato that cost them 10 cents?" He responded, "Because they lost money on the $40 steak you ordered and they have to make it up somehow."4 -
@PAV8888 Yeh, sad but I see it locally. Many people aren't masking up anymore. In fact, my nephew works at a very large company in Texas, brand new building, grand opening, lots of people coming through to check it out. He said there were 3 people wearing a mask(he was 1 of them) and people were making fun of them. WTH??
I ran into someone at the grocery store Sunday a.m., she started discussing the vaccines. She wears a mask because she's not vaxxed and doesn't plan on getting it. She says she's never gotten Covid yet knows of many who've been vaxxed that have gotten sick from it. I hope she never does get it.
At this point, I feel naked without a mask in public places.
I happen to work at a brand new decent sized building in Texas also. Large for normal standards, small to mid-sized for a manufacturing plant. Our corporate office has made a mask requirement at all facilities. Where we have issues is when the CEO visits, and when the Regional Director is here (more often), they walk around without masks because they know they can. Corporate EHS says we need masks, but when other managers open break the policy, that makes it tough for us local managers to enforce it. We have a lot of people from corporate, other plants, and vendors here also.
Having said that, I rarely wear a mask where it is not required. When I shop, I just don't. I am figuring my vaccine should do it's job.
Our customer facility (also in Texas) had a lot of absenteeism last month due to Covid. They even had to cut entire shifts of production because they had too few workers.3 -
I buy coffee in canisters and usually wait for sales when I can get it for 4.99 or 5.99. This week the sale price is 8.49.9
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Mom and I went to a funeral earlier this week. At the wake, we were the only ones wearing masks, which surprised me. However, at the church, which was in the same town, masks were required and were handed out at the door before people were permitted to enter.5
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SuzySunshine99 wrote: »Restaurant food prices have increased dramatically. I’m sure that is due to a combination of reasons including increased transportation costs due to increased fuel prices, increased price of good, and increased wages.
My brother is a chef and he told me that while wages have increased, the menu price increases are almost ALL because of the food cost. Food cost is up because of the increased transportation costs and supply issues. Many restaurants are changing and shrinking their menus to accommodate ingredients they can consistently get at a price that has the least impact on their profit margin.
The restaurant business is tough. Even successful restaurants in the best of times have very narrow profit margins. I once complained to my brother about the cost of certain restaurant items...like a glass of wine or a baked potato. "Why do they charge $6.00 for a baked potato that cost them 10 cents?" He responded, "Because they lost money on the $40 steak you ordered and they have to make it up somehow."
My husband is a restaurant manager and he co-signs this although increased wages play a role too. He does not control salaries though. The regional managers do. Here in California the minimum wage was recently increased and even before that, many entry level restaurant positions were hiring at $18 an hour. They are still having a hard time hiring good employees. Interestingly the long term employees wages have not increased. It does not make sense to hire entry level people for that amount but not raise wages of those who have been there and are experienced. It is frustrating.
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I buy coffee in canisters and usually wait for sales when I can get it for 4.99 or 5.99. This week the sale price is 8.49.
We usually get our coffee in bulk at a restaurant supply store. We just got a case for $70, that works out to about $4/pound.
We bought a case six months ago and it was $20 cheaper.
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Regarding the CDC‘s new masking guidance, here is an article with a link for looking up your county’s status: https://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2022/02/25/1082249002/cdc-says-americans-can-now-go-unmasked-in-many-parts-of-the-country2
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So we're a bit behind a lot of the world here in New Zealand, with Omicron surging now. Yesterday we ticked over 100,000 cases since the pandemic began, with more than 80% of those being currently active cases.
The latest modelling I heard suggested we'll be looking at peaking around mid March.
I've been working at home since before Xmas (only the last month has been covid-related though - at my workplace we work from home during school holidays anyway), and really looking forward to seeing my workmates again at some stage!14 -
Just to level set, I've worn a mask when required so I'm not an anti-masker. Had an interesting conversation with a young man 2 years into his clinical fellowship (this is a 2-3 year program after medical residency) in pulmonary critical care. He started his fellowship right before the pandemic broke out in the US so has lived this on the front lines since the beginning.
His take on masks, unless you have an N95 you are just wearing a face decoration.6
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