How can there not be a COVID-19 thread?

[Eric]

My work is requiring either vaccination or a negative test days before meeting with clients now, I'm happy to show my status where ever required.

 

[User.45]

My work is requiring either vaccination or a negative test days before meeting with clients now, I'm happy to show my status where ever required.

For sure. The Germans did it well. They provided free COVID testing on return to work, and once the vaccines got full approval, it became a fee-for-service so people who refused the shot had to still provide safety info but pay for it out of their own pockets.

 

[SuperMatt]

There might be a pill for treating COVID-19 available soon. But it’s far more expensive than just getting the vaccine, and the vaccine is more effective. This pill seems aimed at keeping people with the disease out of hospitals.

The U.S. has agreed to pay roughly $700 per course of the drug for about 1.7 million treatments. Merck says it plans to use a tiered pricing strategy for developing countries. A review by Harvard University and King's College London estimated the drug costs about $18 to make each 40-pill course of treatment.

Citizens of Earth, don’t you just love your pharmaceutical companies?

UK authorizes Merck antiviral pill, 1st shown to treat COVID

Britain has granted a conditional authorization to Merck’s coronavirus antiviral

abcnews.go.com

 

[User.45]

There might be a pill for treating COVID-19 available soon. But it’s far more expensive than just getting the vaccine, and the vaccine is more effective. This pill seems aimed at keeping people with the disease out of hospitals.


Citizens of Earth, don’t you just love your pharmaceutical companies?

UK authorizes Merck antiviral pill, 1st shown to treat COVID

Britain has granted a conditional authorization to Merck’s coronavirus antiviral

abcnews.go.com

They are pricing this to compete with regeneron. Besides my regular big pharma grievances, it's actually a major breakthrough to have a major oral antiviral pill for any indication. Pre COVID it was mainly oseltamivir, that you had to take in the first 48H of symptom development to shorten Flu's duration by a day or two. This is actually the major breakthrough most people hoped for (some expected) in 2020. Got here too late to make that bang, but on the long run, this is the major breakthrough.

 

[hulugu]

...
Just a feeling actually. Like him refusing to use the term "radical Islamic terrorist" or continually referring to ISIS as ISIL when even the liberal media used those terms.

The fact that people think that "radical Islamic terrorist" was a meaningful or particular useful term is entirely a sign of how right-wing propaganda works. Similarly, there was a significant argument among State Department officials and the CIA about whether to call Daesh, ISIS or ISIL.

Why? Because ISIS means the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria, while ISIL was the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant. Now there's also ISIS-K and IS.

Obama settled on ISIL because that seemed most accurate. The fact that you think there's a difference from the White House is its treatment of ISIS based on what Obama called them in public speeches just indicates that you care more about symbolism than reality.

And, that's where we keep coming to. You care about your perceptions and your feelings based often on right-wing agitprop designed to gin you up against Democrats.

You call them Trumper's, I call them Parents. Parents tend to ignore politics when it comes to their kids and what they think is best for them. I would guess many of those Louden County parents creating a ruckus voted for Biden. No proof, but where they live is a good indicator that not all are conservative nutjobs.

I mean when a kid gets raped at school and the BOE covers it up, then the school board gets what they deserve.

Parents don't ignore politics. Go look up the fight over Brown v. Board of Education, or school busing, or the fights over books from the 80s. Parents are constantly bringing nonsense culture wars into schools, and CRT is just a new version of the terror about books with bad words, drug use, or sex. Hell, look at the 90s when parents panicked about school programs that gave out condoms.

Further, the whole Lounden County incident just illustrates that the right is fundamentally disinterested in complex realities, and prefers its own fantasies and grievances.

Meanwhile, the fact that a counselor had an "inappropriate relationship" with a student in the same district won't be grist for the right-wing mill.

 

[User.45]

The fact that people think that "radical Islamic terrorist" was a meaningful or particular useful term is entirely a sign of how right-wing propaganda works. Similarly, there was a significant argument among State Department officials and the CIA about whether to call Daesh, ISIS or ISIL.

Why? Because ISIS means the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria, while ISIL was the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant. Now there's also ISIS-K and IS.

Obama settled on ISIL because that seemed most accurate. The fact that you think there's a difference from the White House is its treatment of ISIS based on what Obama called them in public speeches just indicates that you care more about symbolism than reality.

And, that's where we keep coming to. You care about your perceptions and your feelings based often on right-wing agitprop designed to gin you up against Democrats.

This is the guy who was upset to learn we think he’s a racist. This is why. It’s common sense that this verbiage unfairly labels a huge population of people, and it’s not about being PC. It’s about being fair so you don’t have negative impacts on the day to day interactions of people who look middle eastern or have islamic names.

Parents don't ignore politics. Go look up the fight over Brown v. Board of Education, or school busing, or the fights over books from the 80s. Parents are constantly bringing nonsense culture wars into schools, and CRT is just a new version of the terror about books with bad words, drug use, or sex. Hell, look at the 90s when parents panicked about school programs that gave out condoms.

Further, the whole Lounden County incident just illustrates that the right is fundamentally disinterested in complex realities, and prefers its own fantasies and grievances.

Meanwhile, the fact that a counselor had an "inappropriate relationship" with a student in the same district won't be grist for the right-wing mill.

This reminds me of a small Eastern European country where an ambassador was busted with child abuse material that culminated Into a multiparty push for a sex offender registry that got hijacked by the ruling party (same that assigned above ambassador) and then mutated it into an anti LGBTQ law “for the protection of children”.

 

[Roller]

They are pricing this to compete with regeneron. Besides my regular big pharma grievances, it's actually a major breakthrough to have a major oral antiviral pill for any indication. Pre COVID it was mainly oseltamivir, that you had to take in the first 48H of symptom development to shorten Flu's duration by a day or two. This is actually the major breakthrough most people hoped for (some expected) in 2020. Got here too late to make that bang, but on the long run, this is the major breakthrough.

Pfizer's announcement today that their antiviral, PAXLOVID, reduced hospitalization or death compared to placebo in a phase II/III trial is even more promising. I expect we will have even more options by this time next year. However, the cost for these treatments will all likely be higher than for vaccines, and it's still better not to get infected at all.

What's crazy is that people and governments that were and remain against vaccine mandates because they claim vaccines are too new flock to therapies like monoclonal antibodies.

 

[Herdfan]

This is the guy who was upset to learn we think he’s a racist. This is why. It’s common sense that this verbiage unfairly labels a huge population of people, and it’s not about being PC. It’s about being fair so you don’t have negative impacts on the day to day interactions of people who look middle eastern or have islamic names.

Seriously, how is that any different that labeling anyone who voted for Trump a racist?

And I just found out that a white person who votes for a Black person is also racist. Who knew?

 

[User.45]

Pfizer's announcement today that their antiviral, PAXLOVID, reduced hospitalization or death compared to placebo in a phase II/III trial is even more promising. I expect we will have even more options by this time next year. However, the cost for these treatments will all likely be higher than for vaccines, and it's still better not to get infected at all.

Agree. I have yet to review the data on both, but not too excited about the short term implications. The vaccines are insanely cost-effective. Even cheaper than buying masks for a year.

What's crazy is that people and governments that were and remain against vaccine mandates because they claim vaccines are too new flock to therapies like monoclonal antibodies.

I can't wrap my head around the cognitive dissonance of people who interrogate preprints to learn about obscure vaccine complications but concurrently overlook way more prevalent drug side effects and non-fatal complications of COVID. Insane.

 

[Roller]

I can't wrap my head around the cognitive dissonance of people who interrogate preprints to learn about obscure vaccine complications but concurrently overlook way more prevalent drug side effects and non-fatal complications of COVID. Insane.

I'm not certain that any cognition is involved here. I'd bet very few people who rant about the vaccines' risks gave any serious consideration to the pros and cons of other medications or vaccines they were prescribed in the past. That's just one reason I believe the pandemic has done irreparable harm to the healthcare professions. Not that some degree of skepticism is bad — I think it's good when patients ask questions, seek other opinions, and consider alternatives — but the irrationality we've seen is incredibly demoralizing, especially for practitioners in intensive care, who are tired of seeing people die needlessly.

 

[User.45]

I'm not certain that any cognition is involved here. I'd bet very few people who rant about the vaccines' risks gave any serious consideration to the pros and cons of other medications or vaccines they were prescribed in the past.

The braindead morons fly under my radar, but there's a group, the pseudointellectual engineer type who work hard rationalizing their insanity. That is the type that puzzles me.

It's like the flu shot. Just got mine today, and this was the first one in 5 years that didn't give me low-grade fevers and chills. Some of the newly antivaxx healthcare workers wither never got their flu shots, or forgot to worry about the inconveniences associated with it.

 

[SuperMatt]

The braindead morons fly under my radar, but there's a group, the pseudointellectual engineer type who work hard rationalizing their insanity. That is the type that puzzles me.

It's like the flu shot. Just got mine today, and this was the first one in 5 years that didn't give me low-grade fevers and chills. Some of the newly antivaxx healthcare workers wither never got their flu shots, or forgot to worry about the inconveniences associated with it.

The pseudo-intellectual engineer type are often good at engineering, and therefore assume they know everything, or that everything in life is an engineering problem, including fields they know nothing about: For example: personal relationships….

 

[User.45]

The pseudo-intellectual engineer type are often good at engineering, and therefore assume they know everything, or that everything in life is an engineering problem, including fields they know nothing about: For example: personal relationships….

I don't know if this type is good at their job. I do know that they aren't good at mine... and I'm coming from a family of engineers.

 

[DT]

The pseudo-intellectual engineer type are often good at engineering, and therefore assume they know everything, or that everything in life is an engineering problem, including fields they know nothing about: For example: personal relationships….

I've found people who are creative, that have a good sense of humor, etc., the kind of personalities/psychological makeup you might not think of as the "engineering type", often make MUCH better engineers, they tend to think quick, be super adaptive, come up with solutions that are way outside the box - plus, you might actually want to be in the same room as them ...

 

[User.45]

I've found people who are creative, that have a good sense of humor, etc., the kind of personalities/psychological makeup you might not think of as the "engineering type", often make MUCH better engineers, they tend to think quick, be super adaptive, come up with solutions that are way outside the box - plus, you might actually want to be in the same room as them ...

There's a reason why "social intelligence" is key for success. It's not enough to be smart, you have to be able to convince people to listen to you. It really takes a super exceptional person to bypass their lack of social skills purely with expertise. I know maybe 2-3 such people in total.

 

[Herdfan]

Can't believe this isn't being discussed:

MSN

www.msn.com

Granted only applies to the 5th Circuit legally, but other District Judges/Circuits can use it as a basis for their decisions.

Edit: Not sure why it is treating the link that way. It is a MSN link to a WP story about Biden's Vaccine Mandate being halted by the courts.

 

[Alli]

Can't believe this isn't being discussed:

MSN

www.msn.com

Granted only applies to the 5th Circuit legally, but other District Judges/Circuits can use it as a basis for their decisions.

Edit: Not sure why it is treating the link that way. It is a MSN link to a WP story about Biden's Vaccine Mandate being halted by the courts.

Things like this just leave me with no words. They use this argument

“The Mandate imposes a financial burden upon them by deputizing their participation in OSHA’s regulatory scheme, exposes them to severe financial risk if they refuse or fail to comply, and threatens to decimate their workforces (and business prospects) by forcing unwilling employees to take their shots, take their tests, or hit the road,” they wrote.

which is basically the way Texas went around law to ban abortion. So if they can’t deputize participants here, why can they do it there?

 

[SuperMatt]

Things like this just leave me with no words. They use this argument


which is basically the way Texas went around law to ban abortion. So if they can’t deputize participants here, why can they do it there?

And the way they wrote it, if they really are being honest, they are calling for OSHA to be shut down completely. Why is it the vaccine requirement specifically that they think is onerous? It’s one of the least time-consuming or productivity-affecting things OSHA does. There are many jobs that could be done faster if they could cut corners on safety, but the court doesn’t have a problem with OSHA regulating that kind of thing. The courts are not ruling on the substance, but on the negative political climate surrounding COVID-19, created by Trump when he was in office.

In another thread I pointed out multiple court decisions that are terrible, such as refusing to put a stay on the Texas abortion ban (which has NO expection for RAPE, by the way) while giving Trump infinite stays on LEGAL requests for PUBLIC documents because of a nonsense claim of executive privilege for a past president that is not supported by the current one. It is the office of the President, not the office of the person in the job at any one point in time.

So just toss this garbage ruling on the pile with the others.

 

[Eric]

My sister said she's not having a family Christmas gathering this year because she's not sure if everyone is vaccinated or not and doesn't want to ask, I told her she should just ask and require it, if you don't like it, don't come. I have no compunctions asking anyone I'm going to be in close quarters with whether or not they have been vaccinated, if not I will not do anything with them at all unless something changes and makes it safer.

 

[MEJHarrison]

My sister said she's not having a family Christmas gathering this year because she's not sure if everyone is vaccinated or not and doesn't want to ask, I told her she should just ask and require it, if you don't like it, don't come. I have no compunctions asking anyone I'm going to be in close quarters with whether or not they have been vaccinated, if not I will not do anything with them at all unless something changes and makes it safer.

I wouldn't go to my sister's house this year because she's one of the people in the family I'd be concerned about. I know she's been vaccinated. But last I heard, she didn't want it and only got it to keep her job. Earlier this year, her unvaccinated husband passed it on to my unvaccinated mother and step-father. So there won't be any big family gatherings this year. Not with my family at any rate. In a bizarre twist of fate, somehow my brother is the only other sane person in the family. It's a crazy world.