Discombobulated

[digitS']

This represents an enormous population for on-going and future scientific review of effectiveness, safety, etc.

Bloomberg - Are you a robot?

 

[digitS']

11 November 2021, Monmouth University released the results of their November poll of 811 adults in the US. The numbers continue to inch up for those vaccinated:

About half of the adults said that they had received a booster or intend to LINK .

 

[flowerbug]

...
About half of the adults said that they had received a booster or intend to LINK .

i hope i can get one sometime in Jan or early Feb, but i don't know if they'll be generally available or not by then.

 

[digitS']

And, then there is this

https://www.washingtonpost.com/health/2021/11/17/overdose-deaths-pandemic-fentanyl/

Comparisons to other countries are disturbing! What is wrong with Americans that so many are this way? Maybe we get out of this hole we have dug for ourselves.

Steve

 

[flowerbug]

sadly MI continues the trend of before and continues to get worse and the experts don't have any idea when this is going to peak. i saw the news mention that we are the worst or near the worst in the country:

10/27	2,175	582	316	1,277	116,000	22,060	1.88%	1,822	50
10/29	2,203	580	297	1,326	124,000	22,182	1.78%	1,816	44
11/1	2,249	578	189	1,482	133,300	22,224	1.69%	1,558	56
11/3	2,274	577	287	1,410	122,600	22,384	1.85%	1,952	39
11/5	2,389	574	301	1,514	132,600	22,474	1.80%	2,060	41
11/8	2,707	602	335	1,770	117,800	22,521	2.30%	2,077	59
11/10	2,728	635	347	1,746	124,100	22,684	2.20%	2,107	59
11/12	2,825	651	350	1,824	140,000	22,767	2.02%	2,173	63
11/15	3,199	698	381	2,120	161,000	22,862	1.99%	2,141	48
11/17	3,362	698	381	2,283	153,000	23,104	2.20%	2,437	60

i'm not sure if the state is going to put any more mandates back itno force or not or if we're going to go for broke on busting the hospitals capacity to help others out. i do know that flu season has returned this year too (while last year it was mostly absent) - so even more of a mess potential there too.

i would really like to be a complete hermit for the next six months if i could...

 

[digitS']

but it's a dry cold! while that may be a bit of a joke for those who live in the arid SW who have to deal with the 120F days and they keep repeating this line (in a bit different form) it is also true about the cold. the more dry it is down to the dewpoint it sure doesn't feel as chilling, but once well below freezing it can be a real danger to have to keep breathing in that dry cold air. i do keep my thick face coverings handy just because my throat and lungs will not like cold air, but also because they help moisturise what you breath in by the moisture you've breathed out previously and that is a big help and a notable difference.

it is always quite a lot of fun to come in from shovelling or being outside when it is windy and having your face coverings completely caked with ice and snow, but that means they've been doing their job and you don't have to thaw out snotsicles.

OMG! Do you mean that you use a face covering? AND, during vigorous work!?

I hope that it was okay to move your response from the greenhouse forum, @flowerbug .

When I was masked and in to have my annual flu shot, I told the masked nurse that I was so tired of people complaining about masks.

DW had a healthcare appointment early this morning. I had the double flannel mask on because it was 28° and foggy as the dickens. Humidity! She was saying how it was sooo cold. When we arrived in the parking lot I said that I would surprise her by switching to the paper mask that I had brought because the office was the same company that my MD belongs to and they made me take the cloth mask off and use a paper one. Sure enuf, they had her take off her cloth mask and gave her a different one.

I like my wool scarf when I'm shoveling snow but I wore the flannel mask last year, too. Yes, it's usually a dry cold and that's more comfortable. A winter or two ago, I learned how to make a scarf into kind of a necktie. But, I tossed out that idea since I couldn't pull it up over my face. If I'm outdoors during really cold weather it's not to make a fashion statement. I have a favorite appropriate hat on but ... I've worn a hat every time outdoors since I was a kid and Mom made me wear it .

Steve

 

[digitS']

And, here is a reason to do somethings for the benefit of others.

I came across this while reading about the European Union's efforts to control outbreaks of communicable disease by vaccination. Rubella --- their fact sheet LINK. Notice that it's a "childhood" disease and "typically a mild disease with few complications, and infections go unrecognised or are asymptomatic."

The US CDC says "Up to half of people infected with rubella don’t have any symptoms ..." So, What's the problem?! "If you get infected during pregnancy, rubella can cause serious problems for your baby." Why don't we hear that much here about this viral disease? Maybe this is reason, "Rubella has been nearly eliminated in the United States because of the routine vaccination of children." CDC LINK

Not so much a problem for the children having the vaccinations (or adults) but expectant mothers sharing this disease with unborn babies. During the "first 12 weeks of pregnancy, your baby has an 8 to 9 in 10 chance (85 percent) of getting infected." Hmmm. Apparently, this near elimination of rubella is not the case in eastern Europe and the EU is making some extra efforts there.

Steve

 

[flowerbug]

OMG! Do you mean that you use a face covering? AND, during vigorous work!?

I hope that it was okay to move your response from the greenhouse forum, @flowerbug .

yes, it's ok with me.

i have to take a picture sometime of the knitted rings i use instead of scarfs. they're thick and they work and the best part of all is that they don't have tails that get in the way or are extra stuff to carry that don't actually do anything useful.

when i had Mom knit them up i asked her to make one big enough so that it fit over the other one and i had her measure them to fit exactly as tall as i needed them to be.

they work perfectly for their intended purpose.

the next version i may have her try to do would be to make them about the same but to make them like two full hats that will fit over each other but to include holes for ski goggles (which i have yet to remember to buy since i've wanted some for the past 15 years - obviously they are very important for me to have ) to poke through and then i could go out and shovel and have proper cover for my eyes instead of having to peer through a tiny crack between my hat and my scarf rings (note that for humor value i really call them my foreskins around here ).

 

[digitS']

And now there's COVID O.

So new, we don't have information on the severity of the infection. We also don't know about the effectiveness of current vaccines. Not surprising that the first illnesses outside of South Africa were in travelers. Also, not surprising that the travelers were vaccinated. Isn't that all but required with traveling?

The US traveler in this morning's news didn't go to Africa. No, only as far as New York.

"The person developed mild symptoms on Nov. 22 and sought COVID-19 testing on Nov. 24." Encouraging that they are saying "The person’s symptoms have resolved." LINK

Steve

 

[flowerbug]

And now there's COVID O.

So new, we don't have information on the severity of the infection. We also don't know about the effectiveness of current vaccines. Not surprising that the first illnesses outside of South Africa were in travelers. Also, not surprising that the travelers were vaccinated. Isn't that all but required with traveling?

The US traveler in this morning's news didn't go to Africa. No, only as far as New York.

"The person developed mild symptoms on Nov. 22 and sought COVID-19 testing on Nov. 24." Encouraging that they are saying "The person’s symptoms have resolved." LINK

Steve

as usual there's more panic and BS. we don't really know how bad it might be yet. give it some time. in the meantime those who are travelling overseas should expect that they may be quarantined at any point of their journey. IMO i'd ban travel without full quarantines and by that i mean actual effective quarantines and not the ones that people can sneak out of or screw around. what we have in place now is not really effective and that means this whole pandemic can be repeated again and again until enough people learn.