Covid Vaccination Poll Update

[BillF]

1 hour ago, mjazzg said:

The bigger concern is that as community infection rates increase, and we have a government for whom that appears to be policy now, there is a greater likelihood of the virus mutating into new variants.  Once again, previous experience is being ignored as the Kent variant appeared the last time community infection rates got out if control. Government gambling again...

[Pim]

We almost had everything under control here with only around 500 new cases a day. And the number of people in hospital dropping from more than 2000 to only around 200. Everything went on smoothly with the release of restrictions: opening shops, restaurants and museums. Then, under pressure of all these mindless Covid deniers they decided to open up nightclubs, bars and festivals again. Within a week were back at 10.000 contaminations a day. Hospital cases are still low but this would probably change as well. Our country will probably be code red within a few days and then I have to cancel my vacation to Italy for the second time. This really sucks.

[Guy Berger]

On 7/10/2021 at 0:20 AM, BillF said:

Not yet ...

https://www.theguardian.com/society/2021/jul/09/dread-and-anxiety-among-nhs-staff-as-covid-cases-surge-again

 

Not yet, but in prior cycles we would have seen the surge in hospitalizations and deaths happening by this point.

On 7/10/2021 at 2:04 AM, mjazzg said:

The bigger concern is that as community infection rates increase, and we have a government for whom that appears to be policy now, there is a greater likelihood of the virus mutating into new variants.  Once again, previous experience is being ignored as the Kent variant appeared the last time community infection rates got out if control. Government gambling again...

Not something I would have said pre-vaccine but... we're sort of reaching the point where COVID really is comparable to the flu in places where vaccines are widely available.  I think vaccine passports coupled with a differential restriction regime are a good idea (especially when/where there is a lot of community restriction), but the odds on this gamble are much more favorable than they were in the past.

On 7/10/2021 at 8:04 AM, Pim said:

We almost had everything under control here with only around 500 new cases a day. And the number of people in hospital dropping from more than 2000 to only around 200. Everything went on smoothly with the release of restrictions: opening shops, restaurants and museums. Then, under pressure of all these mindless Covid deniers they decided to open up nightclubs, bars and festivals again. Within a week were back at 10.000 contaminations a day. Hospital cases are still low but this would probably change as well. Our country will probably be code red within a few days and then I have to cancel my vacation to Italy for the second time. This really sucks.

What are vaccination rates in the Netherlands?

[Pim]

47 minutes ago, Guy Berger said:

Not yet, but in prior cycles we would have seen the surge in hospitalizations and deaths happening by this point.

Not something I would have said pre-vaccine but... we're sort of reaching the point where COVID really is comparable to the flu in places where vaccines are widely available.  I think vaccine passports coupled with a differential restriction regime are a good idea (especially when/where there is a lot of community restriction), but the odds on this gamble are much more favorable than they were in the past.

What are vaccination rates in the Netherlands?

65 percent got their first shot. Almost 40% are fully vaccinated.

[kh1958]

Little Freddie King (81 year old New Orleans blues legend, who sounds nothing like Freddie King), gets vaccinated, a blow by blow illustrated account.

https://www.nola.com/entertainment_life/music/article_aaeb5b60-ea5d-11eb-ad84-775aba2e5214.html?utm_medium=social&utm_source=twitternoladotcom&utm_campaign=snd

[Guy Berger]

I'm curious how folks are processing the delta wave that's surging through most of the places where we live.

The "good news" is that for vaccinated this is much less dangerous than previous waves.  (But more terrifying than before for those who are not.)

The bad news is that COVID risk *is* going up for everyone... it is probably safer to be an unvaccinated person in a very low case area than a vaccinated person in a very high case area.  (Of course, it's even worse to be an unvaccinated person in a very high case area... yikes.)

I'm also feeling the challenge of psychological adjustment from "this is an extremely serious illness and I have to take an immense amount of precautions" to "vaccination provides powerful protection against the worst risks so I can do more than before".  This was very easy when cases were super-low around here, but harder now.

[Dan Gould]

1 hour ago, Guy Berger said:

I'm curious how folks are processing the delta wave that's surging through most of the places where we live.

 

My personal feeling is the hope that enough die to substantially overcome vaccine hesitancy among those who do not get it but might somehow come to terms with the reality. But socially/politically, is this realistic?

Second point is that I don't feel like enforced masking is the right choice anymore.  If you want to, fine, have at it. But the aggravation (I wear glasses, its hard enough dealing with steamy Florida going in and out of A/C without masks) just to protect others, when those likely to have the worst outcomes are the ones refusing to vaccinate? 

There are preliminary indications the UK Delta-surge is abating which is an interesting indication of what their total protection - partial, full, "natural" - may be.

[jlhoots]

1 hour ago, Guy Berger said:

I'm curious how folks are processing the delta wave that's surging through most of the places where we live.

The "good news" is that for vaccinated this is much less dangerous than previous waves.  (But more terrifying than before for those who are not.)

The bad news is that COVID risk *is* going up for everyone... it is probably safer to be an unvaccinated person in a very low case area than a vaccinated person in a very high case area.  (Of course, it's even worse to be an unvaccinated person in a very high case area... yikes.)

I'm also feeling the challenge of psychological adjustment from "this is an extremely serious illness and I have to take an immense amount of precautions" to "vaccination provides powerful protection against the worst risks so I can do more than before".  This was very easy when cases were super-low around here, but harder now.

We're fully vaccinated - BUT we've gone back to masks indoors (we're old).

[mjazzg]

15 hours ago, Dan Gould said:

 

There are preliminary indications the UK Delta-surge is abating which is an interesting indication of what their total protection - partial, full, "natural" - may be.

Very early and in no way definitive. They certainly don't reflect our government's reckless 'freedoom day' rhetoric or reality. The effects of the opening up on community infection rates won't be measurable yet. Look again in a couple of weeks.

I want to be hopeful but I don't feel it. I know of enough double vaxed people who have caught it in this new wave. Thankfully so far without deaths but with some serious illness. The country's daily death rate is rising again and hospitals are beginning to feel the pinch once more.

15 hours ago, Dan Gould said:

 

Second point is that I don't feel like enforced masking is the right choice anymore.  If you want to, fine, have at it. But the aggravation (I wear glasses, its hard enough dealing with steamy Florida going in and out of A/C without masks) just to protect others, when those likely to have the worst outcomes are the ones refusing to vaccinate? 

 

I'm continuing to wear a mask and that's as a glasses wearer. The way I see it is that mask wearing only works as a mutual protection so the more people see others without them they won't bother. If everyone continues then a  protection level can be achieved as a critical mass wear masks. 

I'm on a train now doing a journey I have done regularly through the pandemic. Mask wearing, which is still required on public transport, is markedly down from about 90% to 65%. Not good as I see it

Edited July 24, 2021 by mjazzg

[BillF]

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/jul/23/ministers-letting-young-people-catch-covid-to-prepare-for-winter-sage-adviser-claims

This doesn't leave me feeling superconfident.

[sidewinder]

All seems fairly normal round here. People in shops respecting spacing and by and large, still wearing masks. I figure that as long as I avoid raves/discos etc. (not difficult) things will probably be quite manageable. More normality has definitely returned.

Can’t speak though for city dwellers..

[BillF]

Manchester now has the highest level of infections since the pandemic began and the lowest level of anti-infection regulations since last year.

[Guy Berger]

On 7/23/2021 at 3:11 PM, Dan Gould said:

My personal feeling is the hope that enough die to substantially overcome vaccine hesitancy among those who do not get it but might somehow come to terms with the reality. But socially/politically, is this realistic?

Second point is that I don't feel like enforced masking is the right choice anymore.  If you want to, fine, have at it. But the aggravation (I wear glasses, its hard enough dealing with steamy Florida going in and out of A/C without masks) just to protect others, when those likely to have the worst outcomes are the ones refusing to vaccinate? 

There are preliminary indications the UK Delta-surge is abating which is an interesting indication of what their total protection - partial, full, "natural" - may be.

IMHO enforced masking indoors makes sense temporarily in places where COVID risk is elevated.  Whether that's a realistic plan, I don't know - most of the hardest-hit areas are also those with a stronger aversion to masking.  Places where cases and hospitalization remain very low, especially in the presence of high vaccination rates, don't need mask mandates IMHO.

Re your second point, it's hard to tell - immunity (both via vaccination and infection) clearly plays a role, and maybe also voluntary risk minimization.  Each one of the prior waves burned out.  I wouldn't assume that this wave ending means there won't be future ones.  With luck they'll be much less harmful than their predecessors, as the British one has been.

[JSngry]

On 7/23/2021 at 5:11 PM, Dan Gould said:

My personal feeling is the hope that enough die to substantially overcome vaccine hesitancy among those who do not get it but might somehow come to terms with the reality. But socially/politically, is this realistic?

I am not opposed to thinning the herd by natural means, not at all.

However, businesses (my employer included) are so hellbent on getting fully vaccinated people back into their worker farms come hell or high water that...I want a 411 on booster shots ASAP, that's all. Because I know how people do, people lie and don't give a damn about doing so.

[jcam_44]

It seems that this may end up being the literal hill anti-vaccine people die on. 

[jazzbo]

I'm bringing my masks back out and into the washing machine. . . they'll be in use again soon.

[mjazzg]

55 minutes ago, jcam_44 said:

It seems that this may end up being the literal hill anti-vaccine people die on. 

Shame is it may also be the hill that medically vulnerable people, who are vaccinated, also die on due to the selfishness of others 

 

[Rooster_Ties]

Masking is still relatively high in Washington DC proper, using “inside stores” as my observation-based gauge. Even now, inside the grocery store and Target very close to where I live, about 70% of people still mask — even though I’m fairly sure a good 70% of the people in our zip code have been vaccinated.

Mask mandates were lifted, and the signage at these store simply say masks are strongly recommended for unvaccinated people.

And yet, mask-usage is still pretty high.

The situation in the suburbs here could be quite different — I really don’t know. My wife and I live about 3 miles north of the White House, in the most population-dense zip-code within the entire District.

Most stores and museums require all their employees to still wear masks (as does the Museum I work for), so I’m masked up every day I’m at work. And about half our Museum patrons still wear masks.

[jazzbo]

Here in my county of Geauga only half the people are vaccinated, but almost no one wears masks. So there's a lot of lying dogs out there as only those who are fully vaccinated are supposed to be maskless according to the state. (I have in-laws who deny the seriousness of the situation and are anti-vaxers as well as believers in so many ridiculous conspiracy theories that I don't want to be around them--they are unvaccinated and not wearing maks).

[jcam_44]

I really never stopped wearing a mask in public more out of respect for restaurant workers and grocery store workers. The only place I stopped was at work with the 3 other people I work with, only because we are all vaccinated, though I always have a mask on me even then. 

[Rooster_Ties]

15 minutes ago, jcam_44 said:

I really never stopped wearing a mask in public more out of respect for restaurant workers and grocery store workers. The only place I stopped was at work with the 3 other people I work with, only because we are all vaccinated, though I always have a mask on me even then. 

I try to never go anywhere without a mask. And I still mask-up close to 100% when I go in grocery and retail stores, and when I pick up food in restaurants (we’ve only eaten out “inside” a restaurant 3x since March 2020, and that’s just been in the last 2 months).

And anytime I’m indoors and seeing more than half the people masked up, I will too — or if I’m getting on an elevator where I’m with (or likely to be with) someone who’s wearing a mask.

I’ll skip the mask with all my (few) coworkers behind the scenes (who are all vaccinated), but we all mask up when dealing with the public, 100%.

[sgcim]

I just finished six paid rehearsals/shows of "Legally Blonde" in Nassau County of Lawnguyland, and everyone claimed to be vaccinated, so almost nobody wore masks. I was maskless for the first rehearsal, because there was proper ventilation, but the rest of the paid rehearsal/performances were in an auditorium with poor ventilation, so I was the only one who wore a mask.

The audiences only had a few people with masks. It's been five days since the final show, and I'm symptom-free. I don't know about everybody else.

[Rooster_Ties]

I read all these stories about should Pfizer and Moderna vaccine recipients get a 3rd booster shot?? — but absolutely NOTHING about us poor “one and done” Johnson & Johnson recipients.

I’m not losing any sleep over it, because I’m in Washington DC where the spread has been and still is very low — but I would definitely like to know more about (for instance) how the J&J holds up against the Delta variant.

[Niko]

I learned a lot about the US recently when I tracked how pianist Jane Getz birth year had shifted over the years in official records (she looks great for the age she claims and even better for the age she actually has, and she did keep her birthday)... once you're inside the US there seems to be zero accountability - and the societal benefits of that feel dubious at best... I know this is super political for US people [so: sorry]... over here,,, I just gave the same ID at vaccination that I give for paying my taxes etc [even though I am not even a citizen of this country] and my doctor at home knows I am vaccinated  and this "everyone claims they are vaccinated" thing is a mostly a non-issue

[Pim]

Got my second Pfizer today 💪whole family is now vaccinated except my pregnant wife. For the reason she is pregnant but also because she already had Covid.

Edited July 30, 2021 by Pim