So I guess everybody is getting Covid

Herdfan said:
I have to say that putting on a mask while walking into a restaurant and to the table to only then take it off for the meal makes little sense. But that's mandates for you.
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Yes, that's true. But it's not the mandates, per se, it's the guidelines that they put in place. The 6-foot rule has always been unsupported by evidence as well, given how airborne pathogens spread. Same with the Plexiglas partitions.

The most frustrating aspect of all this is that the epidemic could be ended or severely curtailed with extensive, worldwide vaccination, coupled with judicious masking and other NPIs. As I've said before, there are preventive measures like intranasal vaccines under development that could also make a major difference.
 
My daughter got Covid a few weeks ago. Fortunately she was vaxed and boosted so it was extremely mild. My first cousin currently has it. She’s the only one in her house who doesn’t leave the house - doesn’t it figure? She works online and doesn’t socialize at all. I figure one of her kids or her husband brought it home to her.
 
Roller said:
To address the point in the thread title: Statistics from the CDC and elsewhere confirm that case numbers are high, and they represent a massive undercount, which is aligned with everyone's anecdotal experience that they know of many more people who are SARS-CoV-2 positive than ever before. This is caused by several factors, including increased transmissibility of the BA.4, BA.5, and the emerging BA.2.75 sub-variants of Omicron, plus evasion of immunity conferred by vaccination or prior infection.

The "everyone is going to get it so no big deal" isn't supported by the evidence. While it's true that hospitalizations and deaths are considerably lower than in previous surges, that doesn't mean no harm is being done. For one thing, the probability of persistent COVID-19 symptoms, so-called long COVID, is unclear, but it is likely that the number of affected patients in the U.S. will be in the millions or more. As well, it is clear that there are long-term effects on organ systems even in people who became asymptomatic after their acute infection. It's also important to recognize that repeated infections appear to have cumulative deleterious affects. Here's an article from Eric Topol about reinfections:

erictopol.substack.com

A reinfection red flag

Why a new report is so troubling
erictopol.substack.com erictopol.substack.com

Which brings me to masks. @Herdfan's post about them implies that mandates don't work. However, mandates are not the same as actual masking, and the low efficacy of most cloth masks compared to respirators blunts any positive effect. I switched to N99s last year and plan to continue wearing them. Will I got COVID-19 at some point? Perhaps, but I want to minimize the likelihood of repetition.

Here's a good article about how Japan has fared without mask mandates:

www.dtnext.in

Japan’s secret to taming COVID: Peer pressure

As a policy, the country has never mandated masks or vaccinations. But it has significantly evaded the worst of the fallouts of COVID-19, thanks to a fear of public shaming and the ‘self restraint...
www.dtnext.in www.dtnext.in
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I haven't done a ton of research, but the Omicron variant seems to have far fewer long haul effects on people.

www.healthline.com

Worried About Long COVID? You May Be at Less Risk if You Had Omicron

New research has found that the Omicron variant of COVID-19 carries significantly less risk of causing long COVID than the Delta variant of COVID-19 did.
www.healthline.com www.healthline.com
 
Herdfan said:
There is one question for which I can't seem to find a good answer.

Scenario 1:
Two people, both wearing cloth masks in an indoor setting. Person A is only wearing one because of a mandate (or just call them me ;)) and person B is wearing one because they want to be protected.

Scenario 2:
Same two people in the same indoor setting. Person A is not wearing a mask (no mandates) and Person B is wearing a properly fitting N95.

In which Scenario is B better protected?
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Scenario 1, I'd say, since both people are wearing masks, even if they aren't top of the line, well fitted, or medical grade, and are thus less likely to expectorate all up in each other's covered grills, and/or their clothes.

The N95 mask would better protect you from inhaling someone else's sneezed out mouth waters in an enclosed space, but if they happened to sneeze on your back, and in a moment of inattention later on at your house, you scratch your shoulder, then stick that same finger up your nose, you could contract covid from that.
 
Alli said:
My daughter got Covid a few weeks ago. Fortunately she was vaxed and boosted so it was extremely mild. My first cousin currently has it. She’s the only one in her house who doesn’t leave the house - doesn’t it figure? She works online and doesn’t socialize at all. I figure one of her kids or her husband brought it home to her.
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I don't know if it's just luck of the devil or what, but I have yet to contract the virus (knocks furiously on wood). It's not like I'm particularly safe about things either. I haven't worn a mask in 5 months now.

The great thing is that the government sent me all these covid tests, so I have plenty of ways to test out if I've had it or not. Hell, I'll sometimes break one out, and give it a go when I get a headache or something just to see.
 
mollyc said:
I haven't done a ton of research, but the Omicron variant seems to have far fewer long haul effects on people.

www.healthline.com

Worried About Long COVID? You May Be at Less Risk if You Had Omicron

New research has found that the Omicron variant of COVID-19 carries significantly less risk of causing long COVID than the Delta variant of COVID-19 did.
www.healthline.com www.healthline.com
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It's wrong to consider Omicron as a monolith. BA.1, BA.2, BA.4, BA.5, and BA.2.75 exhibit different mutations that affect their transmissibility and potentially their virulence. As well, the WHO defines long COVID as symptoms three months after the onset of infection, and some sub-variants were identified more recently. As of today, we're at more than 400 deaths per day in the U.S. and over 40,000 hospitalizations. People like to think the healthcare system is back to its pre-pandemic state, but it's not. Hospitals and other medical facilities are in an extremely fragile condition, as are healthcare workers.
 
Back in March, in a burst of optimism I made plans with friends to attend a concert and another event that is coming up the weekend a week from now.... Today I made the reluctant decision to cancel out of the whole thing, and definitely concern about COVID-19 and the latest variant was a key factor. I'm fully vaccinated, two boosters as well, but at my age (77) even though I am in reasonably good health, there's that susceptibility, and in addition, due to airway issues as a part of Treacher Collins Syndrome I suppose I am still maybe more vulnerable than someone 30 years younger. I wear a disposable surgical mask to the grocery store, the bank and the library around my home area.

With the reports of the latest variant spreading rather quickly, as time was getting closer for the concert, I thought about the whole situation and realized that even masked, I would not feel comfortable sitting practically elbow-to-elbow with strangers in the building in the community where the concert will be held. I checked and no proof of vaccination needs to be provided, no masks are required to be worn. Ehhhhh...... This darned virus has not gone away..... I decided not to take chances with my own health.

There were other elements which also came into the decision to pass on what would undoubtedly be a fun weekend with friends, so in the long run I think it was the best choice for me.
 
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Clix Pix said:
Back in March, in a burst of optimism I made plans with friends to attend a concert and another event that is coming up the weekend a week from now.... Today I made the reluctant decision to cancel out of the whole thing, and definitely concern about COVID-19 and the latest variant was a key factor. I'm fully vaccinated, two boosters as well, but at my age (77) even though I am in reasonably good health, there's that susceptibility, and in addition, due to airway issues as a part of Treacher Collins Syndrome I suppose I am still maybe more vulnerable than someone 30 years younger. I wear a disposable surgical mask to the grocery store, the bank and the library around my home area.

With the reports of the latest variant spreading rather quickly, as time was getting closer for the concert, I thought about the whole situation and realized that even masked, I would not feel comfortable sitting practically elbow-to-elbow with strangers in the building in the community where the concert will be held. I checked and no proof of vaccination needs to be provided, no masks are required to be worn. Ehhhhh...... This darned virus has not gone away..... I decided not to take chances with my own health.

There were other elements which also came into the decision to pass on what would undoubtedly be a fun weekend with friends, so in the long run I think it was the best choice for me.
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I think under the circumstances this is a very wise decision on your part.
 
Thanks, Eric! So far I have managed to avoid COVID-19 (as far as I know) and I really would like to keep things that way.
 
Clix Pix said:
With the reports of the latest variant spreading rather quickly, as time was getting closer for the concert, I thought about the whole situation and realized that even masked, I would not feel comfortable sitting practically elbow-to-elbow with strangers in the building in the community where the concert will be held. I checked and no proof of vaccination needs to be provided, no masks are required to be worn. Ehhhhh...... This darned virus has not gone away..... I decided not to take chances with my own health.
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I made that decision some time ago with my season tickets to the opera. They weren’t allowed to even request masking (thanks, Alabama), so I just didn’t go. In April, when things were relatively good, Covid-wise, we went to see Bob Dylan in concert. We kept our masks on throughout the show. I saw one other person wearing a mask.

We’re back to masking anytime we go indoors, unless it’s a restaurant. Neither of us have succumbed. Yet.
 
Over the past month, both of my brothers (and my German sister-in-law) came down with Covid.

All were as vaccinated as possible, and had taken every possible precaution, adhered to all of the regulations, including masks, distancing, etc.

However, Decent Brother had attended his first concert - his first social indulgence in two years - (outdoor, and he wore a mask except when sipping a beer) - a week or so earlier, and believes that this is where he caught Covid.

I, myself, have eaten in a restaurant on three occasions, (twice, with friends, during the past month, and once, earlier, while attending the family gathering after my aunt's funeral in April) - and I write as someone who loves fine dining, and loves dining out with friends in a good restaurant or decent pub - since the outbreak of the pandemic nearly two and a half years ago.
 
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I’ll be taking the family to Disneyland in a couple weeks, and that should be the end of my “no covid streak.” Unfortunately, being shut in for most of the pandemic has had implications to my kid‘s mental health, and getting her out of the house for a few days is an absolute necessity. I’ll wear masks whenever I can, but given the number of people around who likely won’t, I don’t like my chances.
 
Alli said:
I made that decision some time ago with my season tickets to the opera. They weren’t allowed to even request masking (thanks, Alabama), so I just didn’t go. In April, when things were relatively good, Covid-wise, we went to see Bob Dylan in concert. We kept our masks on throughout the show. I saw one other person wearing a mask.

We’re back to masking anytime we go indoors, unless it’s a restaurant. Neither of us have succumbed. Yet.
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The safest way to eat restaurant food is to have it delivered or pick it up. If that’s not doable, eating outside is more risky, but probably acceptable if the people you’re with are vaccinated & asymptomatic, especially if they have a negative antigen test beforehand.

Inside, your risk is higher than in most indoor settings because none of the patrons will be masked. BA.5 is so transmissible that it doesn’t take much exposure to be infected. All this is worse in Alabama because of the abysmal vaccination and boosting rate.
 
My friends and I all caught it on our trip to Chicago over Memorial Day weekend.

It wasn’t too bad. I mainly had a sore throat, coughing and sneezing.
 
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