Covfefe-19 The 12th Part: The Only Thing Worse Than This New Board Is TrumpVirus2020

[Swansong]

Nope. No going back now. Our chance was in mid-2020. There is nothing we can do at this point. Not a thing. You can get vaccinated or not. Hospitalizations are relatively low and among the vaccinated relative to the unvaccinated. The government should do what they would with influenza at this point. Monitor, provide resources, but the people have had their chance to get vaccinated.

I agree. The cake is baked, cooled, sliced and plated. What we needed was to build immunity through vaccinations, but a million dead instead (and many many tens of millions infected) helped get us there in the true GQP way instead.


Hospitalization rate is very low, death rate even lower now due to acquired immunity. We aren't going back.

[Deutsche Gopher Fan]

Oh the village idiot came to post that Biden needs to do more? **** right off. As the others noted. You vote for republicans who handled this as terrible as possible.

[Handyman]

Nope. No going back now. Our chance was in mid-2020. There is nothing we can do at this point. Not a thing. You can get vaccinated or not. Hospitalizations are relatively low and among the vaccinated relative to the unvaccinated. The government should do what they would with influenza at this point. Monitor, provide resources, but the people have had their chance to get vaccinated.

Bingo.

[rufus]

Weren't we the ones saying we needed Lockdowns and social distancing so this thing wouldn't keep mutating and being spread?

But nope, ol' Drew weren't having none of that. His kids needed to be in school, maskless, cause otherwise it was too big a burden for him to deal with.

[Scarlet]

Cases are hovering around 1700 here in MA but the positivity rate is about 7.5%, which is odd.

[dxmnkd316]

I think it's time to throw out positivity as a metric. When PCRs were catching the bulk of the cases and could be tracked, it was very useful. Now that rapids constitute (my SWAG of) like 75%+ testing, where negatives aren't reported and positives are only sometimes reported, I don't think we can trust positivity. I'm also skeptical of daily cases as well.

Metrics I'm keeping track of:
Wastewater
Hospitalizations
Deaths
Any hospital-reported data. Especially if they're reporting asymptomatic numbers or what I like to think of blanket testing (where they test everyone who comes in the door regardless of reason). <--- Hardest to find, could be the most useful.

[Drew S.]

Weren't we the ones saying we needed Lockdowns and social distancing so this thing wouldn't keep mutating and being spread?

But nope, ol' Drew weren't having none of that. His kids needed to be in school, maskless, cause otherwise it was too big a burden for him to deal with.

You’ve got me mixed up with someone else. I’m very pro mask and pro lockdown.

[rufus]

Sure, Jan.

[Swansong]

Cases are hovering around 1700 here in MA but the positivity rate is about 7.5%, which is odd.

It means we have a substantial undercount. Due in large part to...

I think it's time to throw out positivity as a metric. When PCRs were catching the bulk of the cases and could be tracked, it was very useful. Now that rapids constitute (my SWAG of) like 75%+ testing, where negatives aren't reported and positives are only sometimes reported, I don't think we can trust positivity. I'm also skeptical of daily cases as well.

Metrics I'm keeping track of:
Wastewater
Hospitalizations
Deaths
Any hospital-reported data. Especially if they're reporting asymptomatic numbers or what I like to think of blanket testing (where they test everyone who comes in the door regardless of reason). <--- Hardest to find, could be the most useful.

This.

I have no idea what percentage of the total tests are taken at home, but I'd wager it's the overwhelming majority.

If you're looking for:

• Infection spread: wastewater data (covidpoops is a great Twitter follow)
• Severity: look at your state dashboard and check out hospitalizations and death, and average age of death (the higher the age of death, generally, the lower the severity).

Not all states publish the "with covid/also has covid" data, but it's another helpful tool.

[dxmnkd316]

The more o think about it, the more I think at home tests make up way more than 75%. I'd honestly think it's closer to 90%.

[MichVandal]

I think it's time to throw out positivity as a metric. When PCRs were catching the bulk of the cases and could be tracked, it was very useful. Now that rapids constitute (my SWAG of) like 75%+ testing, where negatives aren't reported and positives are only sometimes reported, I don't think we can trust positivity. I'm also skeptical of daily cases as well.

Metrics I'm keeping track of:
Wastewater
Hospitalizations
Deaths
Any hospital-reported data. Especially if they're reporting asymptomatic numbers or what I like to think of blanket testing (where they test everyone who comes in the door regardless of reason). <--- Hardest to find, could be the most useful.

And when one briefly looked at the death data, COVID isn’t all that much for vaccinated people, less so with each poke. Whereas the *choice* to not get vaccinated, COVID is one of the leading causes of death.

Choosing a path is personal, now. And companies are doing just fine allowing only vaccinated customers, than you very much.

[wolverineTrumpet]

My family's ability to avoid Covid came to an end. My brother texted me last week that he had Covid and was certain he got it while on our family trip in Hawaii.....leaving the rest of the family possibly exposed. Now he, his wife, and one of their kids have it. Thursday I had what I thought was a head cold, but after getting bro's text I took an at home rapid test and found I had Covid. Husband has also been feeling sick this week, so we assume he has it, and our little one had a slight fever and has a little cough, so she probably has it too. Being 3, we did not have time to get her vaccinated yet, so we're keeping a close eye on her.

I took an at home rapid test and reported to my employer...but yeah, I'd say most of the testing now is at home. Way easier and more comfortable than early on when I got tested and they stuck a swab so far up it felt like they were touching my brain.

[Scarlet]

Was just coming here to post something similar. I feel like I do when I know a cold is coming on. My throat is getting a little sore, etc. I took 2 Tylenol around 6am. Took a home test at 8am that was negative. To me that means it's too early. Took a Zicam and will continue to hydrate and take Tylenol later today. Will take another home test tomorrow. I don't feel feverish or anything. Ugh. I have my oral surgery scheduled for next Thursday. I hope I don't have to cancel.

wT - hope your experience is relatively mild.

[ericredaxe]

Yup - It burned through our house just before the end of the school year - wife was fairly sick (although nowhere close to needing a hospital - the usual, fatigue, chills, congestion) - my older son had almost zero symptoms. Somehow my youngest and I escaped unscathed (or at least never had symptoms and didn't test positive when we at home tested) - although he and I both had it last year pre-vaccines so perhaps that extra immunity helped us.

It is pretty clear at this point that eventually everyone will get it and for the most part those who are vaccinated the inconvenience and disruption of life will be worse than the actual sickness.

Hope all feel better.

As to testing - the counting and reporting almost seems moot at this point. I don't know anyone who goes for PCR tests when at home tests are so readily available.

[Swansong]

Yup - It burned through our house just before the end of the school year - wife was fairly sick (although nowhere close to needing a hospital - the usual, fatigue, chills, congestion) - my older son had almost zero symptoms. Somehow my youngest and I escaped unscathed (or at least never had symptoms and didn't test positive when we at home tested) - although he and I both had it last year pre-vaccines so perhaps that extra immunity helped us.

It is pretty clear at this point that eventually everyone will get it and for the most part those who are vaccinated the inconvenience and disruption of life will be worse than the actual sickness.

Hope all feel better.

As to testing - the counting and reporting almost seems moot at this point. I don't know anyone who goes for PCR tests when at home tests are so readily available.

Some insurance plans* require a positive PCR for various therapeutics, but other than that my hospital system isn't doing too many of them anymore.


*to note - also some hospital systems require positive PCR before they will provide this treatment as well.