NON_POLITICAL China Coronavirus THREAD

[K1052]

Most masks are only about protecting those around you, not the wearer, though.

I'll take the proposition that one might reduce the viral dose I'm exposed to if not eliminate it.

 

[Muse]

Most masks are only about protecting those around you, not the wearer, though. That, apparently, is why it's so hard to establish conclusively that they work - it's pretty hard to construct a ramdomized, controlled, trial for something that isn't about protecting the wearer, but everyone around them.

Personally, especially now all legal mask-rules have been lifted here, I would only feel safe if I had some sort of full-head air-filtration that was at the level of cos-playing as Darth Vader.

If I could 'use the force' to strangle any covidiot who got too close, that would be good as well.

My general thoughts on masking for control of transmission of covid-19:

I figure this. Any mask helps protect against covid-19 transmission to some degree. Obviously, some better than others. There are tests I've seen in videos of mask protection efficacy. A person donning an N95 can be tested for how well they have applied the mask to their face. There's a right way, there are wrong ways, and my experience is that YMMV, may vary very considerably from one design to another. I have some N95's that completely suck compared to some others. My favorites are 3M, and I have two kinds of 3M N95's. I have other masks too, the pleated kind you see so often, but I favor the N95's (which I bought before the pandemic for wildfire smoke protection, which has become a big issue around here).

I believe that any mask helps protect against catching the disease AS WELL AS transmitting it to others if you have it. It's wrong to tell people that mask wearing is all about protecting others from catching it from you. Obviously, no one knows for sure they don't have it and that they are incapable of infecting someone else. Conversely, anyone you encounter could be capable of transmitting the disease. Mask wearing helps. The better the mask, the better, the better it is worn the better. Double masking can be better than single masking, but I don't do that.

Oh, and I am double Moderna vaccinated, but figure that doesn't mean I'm safe. A lot safer, but NOT safe. AFAIK, I've not contracted covid-19, but I did have what I considered a remarkably persistent upper respiratory infection in late Nov. 2019 (in Northern California), so who knows?

 

[K1052]

https://twitter.com/x/status/1417824882231058433

 

[ponyo]

Holy shit? You did? Don't take offense, but this surprises me based on how you were talking. I never full shed it, but I am going back to 100% wearing it. Knowing you decided to makes me feel a little less ridiculous about it.

I was one of the first to wear mask when this covid pandemic first started in Feb/March last year. I've been proponent of using mask to protect against the virus since the beginning. I only stopped using the mask when the CDC said fully vaccinated people didn't need mask indoors. But Delta does concern me so I will go back to using mask indoors out of precaution even though the CDC haven't changed their recommendation.

Maybe you're confusing me for someone else?

 

[Muse]

https://twitter.com/x/status/1417824882231058433

The linked article at al.com is sobering.

‘I’m sorry, but it’s too late’: Alabama doctor tells unvaccinated, dying COVID patients

“And now all you really see is their fear and their regret. And even though I may walk into the room thinking, ‘Okay, this is your fault, you did this to yourself,’ when I leave the room, I just see a person that's really suffering, and that is so regretful for the choice that they made.”

www.al.com

A snippet:

“All these kids are about to go back to school. No mask mandates are in place at all, 70% of Alabama is unvaccinated. Of course, no kids are vaccinated for the most part because they can’t be,” Cobia said. “So it feels like impending doom, basically.”

Another snippet:

For people who are hesitant to receive the vaccine, Cobia recommends speaking to their primary care physician about their concerns, just as she did.

“I try to be very non-judgmental when I’m getting a new COVID patient that’s unvaccinated, but I really just started asking them, ‘Why haven’t you gotten the vaccine?’ And I’ll just ask it point blank, in the least judgmental way possible,” she said. “And most of them, they’re very honest, they give me answers. ‘I talked to this person, I saw this thing on Facebook, I got this email, I saw this on the news,’ you know, these are all the reasons that I didn’t get vaccinated.

“And the one question that I always ask them is, did you make an appointment with your primary care doctor and ask them for their opinion on whether or not you should receive the vaccine? And so far, nobody has answered yes to that question.”

 

[Ajay]

I really wish people hadn't have pushed the whole "vaccines take forever" crap at the beginning of all of this. I think there were two sides doing it 1) well meaning people that wanted everyone to take precautions and not think a vaccine was days away and 2) people that wanted to push herd immunity, no restrictions.

The fact is, we have been working on coronavirus vaccines since 2003, it took 17 years to get one to market. Not this 10 month BS that is constantly reported on. When we got the mumps vaccine in 4 years, that was from scratch. Moderna was already on contract with the NIH to develop a coronavirus vaccine rapidly against a hypothetical variant, when the pandemic started.

We also have a much better understanding of literally everything to do with viruses, and genes, plus the instrumentation and computers vastly improve productivity than the last time a new vaccine was developed in the US. When the Polio vaccine and Mumps vaccines were invented we didn't even know what DNA or RNA was, much less able to sequence it on the fly.

Yes, I’m aware of that. Like many others in this thread we were looking into the science wrt this pathogen and sharing information. Maybe one of the most useful threads in ATF history. Many throughput the country, however, didn’t do any research or don't know how to find good sources. Facebook is a terrible resource that far too many rely on.

We need a better system for educating people, and, again, it falls to the federal government since many states are unable or unwilling to get on this.

Lastly, I hope FOX gets their asses sued for malfeasance - or whatever legal charge is relevant.

 

[Zorba]

Yes, the machinery for mRNA vaccines was already developed. They were going to use it for SARS but SARS disappeared early on and a vaccine wasn't necessary. When SARS-CoV-2 came along in late 2019 we had rounded 3rd base already in getting mRNA vaccines to production and testing. Most of what had to be done was figuring out what we wanted to immunize against and they figured the spike protein of SARS-CoV-2 would be it and it didn't take long to determine what went into the lipid nanoparticles for the vaccines. Most of the time involved testing, and that on an unprecedented scale because time was of the essence. But they didn't skimp on testing. Doubters shat on everything but the vaccines are extremely effective and relatively very safe. EUA's were deserved. IMO, people who were doubting just because the vaccines weren't yet fully approved, unless they had particular personal medical concerns, were stupid and uninformed.

There are very promising and potentially great uses the mRNA technology can be used for going forward. I saw a great video on this around maybe 9-12 months ago.

Even the spike target had all been figured out long before COVID-19, based on SARS research.

 

[Muse]

I'll take the proposition that one might reduce the viral dose I'm exposed to if not eliminate it.

That's the obvious thing... You might catch it wearing a mask but your viral dose HAS to be reduced and that means you have less chance of experiencing virulent infection... hospitalization, ICU, intubation, death and presumably also hopefully have less chance of having a long-covid horror show experience.

 

[Zorba]

I was one of the first to wear mask when this covid pandemic first started in Feb/March last year. I've been proponent of using mask to protect against the virus since the beginning. I only stopped using the mask when the CDC said fully vaccinated people didn't need mask indoors. But Delta does concern me so I will go back to using mask indoors out of precaution even though the CDC haven't changed their recommendation.

Maybe you're confusing me for someone else?

I meant when you decided to stop wearing per the CDC you are quite emphatic about it. I didn't mean to imply you were an antimasker.

 

[ponyo]

I meant when you decided to stop wearing per the CDC you are quite emphatic about it. I didn't mean to imply you were an antimasker.

That was before Delta started spreading like wildfire.

 

[Ajay]

I'll take the proposition that one might reduce the viral dose I'm exposed to if not eliminate it.

It would take an N95 mask to essentially eliminate exposure. The problem with other mask types is if you are in an area with high environmental viral load (indoors), you are continually exposed to aerosolized water droplets containing the virus. Over the course of the day it slowly accumulates in the nasal pharynx and lungs. If everyone masks, that environmental load will be lower. If there is good circulation with outside air being intermixed, then the the load will fall to some low baseline. Still, better something than nothing. Wait, lol, you know all this!

I'm going back to the gym in the next week or two; I'll be masking - but I'm a bit nervous with delta ramping up in the nation (even in NE). Still, can't sit on my ass forever and I'm not ponying up for home gym.

 

[thestrangebrew1]

A coworker's wife was exposed last week. She started having symptoms on Sunday. Coworker called his boss and was told not to come in on Monday. HR told his boss he has no authority to tell him not to come in, so he came in yesterday. Was here all morning, and got the call that his wife tested positive and he announced to staff that were present that he had to go home because the wife was positive. As he was leaving his boss asked if he's going to get tested and he replied "nope, and I'm still not getting the vaccine either." From what I understand once his quarantine is up, he's coming back to work, with no test and unvaccinated. SMH.

 

[Scarpozzi]

Even the spike target had all been figured out long before COVID-19, based on SARS research.

Correct. That's how the Chinese engineered it. I really think this whole thing was a ploy by the Chinese to kill off Bruce Wayne...why else would they focus all their disease tech on bat viruses?

 

[KMFJD]

meanwhile in France....let's see how that plays out

'This time you are staying at home, not us', Macron's message to those who are not vaccinated in France - World Today News

France faces a key week to try to avoid a fifth wave of the pandemic, given the rapid increase in infections, while the Government wants to increase the rate of vaccination with the approval of measures very restrictive for non immunized. “I am in favor of the French line right now. I no longer...

www.world-today-news.com

 

[Scarpozzi]

meanwhile in France....let's see how that plays out

'This time you are staying at home, not us', Macron's message to those who are not vaccinated in France - World Today News

France faces a key week to try to avoid a fifth wave of the pandemic, given the rapid increase in infections, while the Government wants to increase the rate of vaccination with the approval of measures very restrictive for non immunized. “I am in favor of the French line right now. I no longer...

www.world-today-news.com

Apparently, they're tracking covid in wastewater over there and seeing spikes of covid infected oui oui in their French drain.

 

[K1052]

A coworker's wife was exposed last week. She started having symptoms on Sunday. Coworker called his boss and was told not to come in on Monday. HR told his boss he has no authority to tell him not to come in, so he came in yesterday. Was here all morning, and got the call that his wife tested positive and he announced to staff that were present that he had to go home because the wife was positive. As he was leaving his boss asked if he's going to get tested and he replied "nope, and I'm still not getting the vaccine either." From what I understand once his quarantine is up, he's coming back to work, with no test and unvaccinated. SMH.

I'm really getting on board with the idea of making the lives of the unvaccinated much more difficult in basically every respect.

 

[[DHT]Osiris]

We need a better system for educating people, and, again, it falls to the federal government since many states are unable or unwilling to get on this.

I'd also like it to be illegal to use outright manipulation to spread misinformation.

 

[Zorba]

I'm really getting on board with the idea of making the lives of the unvaccinated much more difficult in basically every respect.

This is the only way to actually get people to do it. Right now they are all freeloading on those that did vaccinate. Until you put on a cost on that they will continue to freeload.

At a minimum I think it's time insurance companies say: no vax? Extra premium. Same with Medicaid and Medicare.

Or just make it a requirement for all government contactors they did for drug testing.

 

[[DHT]Osiris]

I'm really getting on board with the idea of making the lives of the unvaccinated much more difficult in basically every respect.

Same, I would have just fired the above, at minimum for intentionally and knowingly putting my health in danger.

 

[[DHT]Osiris]

This is the only way to actually get people to do it. Right now they are all freeloading on those that did vaccinate. Until you put on a cost on that they will continue to freeload.

At a minimum I think it's time insurance companies say: no vax? Extra premium. Same with Medicaid and Medicare.

Or just make it a requirement for all government contactors they did for drug testing.

Haha, I love it, replace outgoing drug tests with vaccine tests.

 

[MrSquished]

A coworker's wife was exposed last week. She started having symptoms on Sunday. Coworker called his boss and was told not to come in on Monday. HR told his boss he has no authority to tell him not to come in, so he came in yesterday. Was here all morning, and got the call that his wife tested positive and he announced to staff that were present that he had to go home because the wife was positive. As he was leaving his boss asked if he's going to get tested and he replied "nope, and I'm still not getting the vaccine either." From what I understand once his quarantine is up, he's coming back to work, with no test and unvaccinated. SMH.

What a POS. I hope all your coworkers ostracize this guy and he quits. What selfish trash.

 

[Captante]

I'll take the proposition that one might reduce the viral dose I'm exposed to if not eliminate it.

Exactly .... lower viral load does cut the chances of getting seriously sick from what we know now.

IMO although nowhere near fine enough to filter out a virus by itself, non-N95 masks that block 90% +/- of direct airflow make for MUCH better odds. (they DO block drops of water vapor potentially CARRYING the virus)

And I for one WILL continue to wear a mask ANYTIME and ANYWHERE I feel its appropriate. (got the pimp-hand warmed up for ANYONE that elects to give me crap about it too!)

 

[Muse]

Apparently, they're tracking covid in wastewater over there and seeing spikes of covid infected oui oui in their French drain.

Aha, I see what you did there. And in which direction does your toilet drain? CW or CCW? Does it depend on if you live above or below the equator? Winter or summer?

I like what Macron is doing... get vaccinated or stay the hell out of our hair (and bloodstream).

 

[Muse]

Notice, everybody's looking at the educated one, i.e. Merkel on the left, not the belligerent intransigent obstinate defensive ignorant phony on the right.

 

[Ajay]

I'd also like it to be illegal to use outright manipulation to spread misinformation.

Tough to prove I would think, especially without tripping over the 1st.