Fear and Loathing, a Rat Flu Odyssey

[Buster Highmen]

[funkendrenchman]

School district has been totally in person all year since September....staff/employees all vaccinated back in Jan/Feb. We assumed community was getting vaccinated as well....cuz it’s available and easy to schedule/get....and not much community/student COVID spread all year long.

Well.....now we are seeing huge spread/and sickness amongst kids in our HS/MS.....both schools going into virtual/quarantine today....all after school activities shut down....for the next 14 days.

Go all year in person.........and now at the very end of the year there is enough spread in the kids to shut the schools down?

How the heck does that even happen?....again, as said many times...see the light at the end of tunnel....but the damn tunnel keeps gets longer....

Parents getting back to normal activities now that they’re vaccinated and in the process, exposing their kids? Eating out, flying, social gatherings....

[BC.]

Is the spread in the community similar or worst than the spread in known infections in the schools? Has testing frequency increased? What about testing positivity?

If this is meant for me.....sorry I’m useless with actual stats.

Just relating what I see personally in our area/district. A shame to make it all year.....and having to shut things down now.....and the kids are the ones getting sick/testing positive now...whereas before it was the adults.

Hopefully the parents will get these 16+ older kids vaccinated now that they see the spread is real and here in our community.

We have lots of vaccine available...go get stuck...

[KQ]

He's walking around outside sans mask.

[bodywhomper]

If this is meant for me.....sorry I’m useless with actual stats.

Just relating what I see personally in our area/district. A shame to make it all year.....and having to shut things down now.....and the kids are the ones getting sick/testing positive now...whereas before it was the adults.

Hopefully the parents will get these 16+ older kids vaccinated now that they see the spread is real and here in our community.

We have lots of vaccine available...go get stuck...

Yep. That was meant for you.

It’s too bad about the kids getting sick.

The studies that I’ve seen showed that community infections were higher than infection rates in schools that were open with mitigation measures in place. Those studies were pre-variants. And they did not include surveillance testing, lending wonder as to what the real infection rates were in the schools and associated communities. If your community is doing good contract tracing now, they may be catching a higher percentage of the asymptomatic cases than they had been in the previous half year.

[bennymac]

Cases in the 7 days (per 100k people)
Province of Alberta (Canada's Texas): 370
India: 250

Now you can say well India maybe isn't testing as much - but still - do you even want to be in the same ballpark as India right now?

[The Tortoise]

This is a good account of how Ontario and Alberta got to where we are.

https://www.cbc.ca/news/health/varia...nces-1.6007362

[paulster2626]

This is a good account of how Ontario and Alberta got to where we are.

https://www.cbc.ca/news/health/varia...nces-1.6007362

Here's the Paulster take, this was actually in the works for a year or so. A perfect blend of a wood pile of incompetence later doused with the gasoline of The Variants™, perhaps?

For those abroad:

Ontario elected a total doofus as their Premier (Doug Ford, brother of crack smoking Toronto mayor Rob) in what was more a rejection of the incumbent than an endorsement of this clown with no platform and only talking points (guy says in an interview he has "unwavering support" for 45th president and then starts ranting about Crooked Hillary to give you an idea of where his head is at).

Before the election the previous government had implemented a new law stipulating 2 paid sick days for every worker in Ontario, and 8 more unpaid. Before the votes were even fully counted Doug Ford got rid of this. I think it was actually the very first thing they did. Follow this up to cuts to education, teacher strikes, cuts to healthcare budgets, and we're already in a rough spot. Approval rating is in the shitter.

Then, pandemic. Wonderful! Doug gets serious! Well, not before he tells everyone in 2020 to "Go ahead and enjoy your March break" in the same fucking speech he's telling us that schools will be closed for 2 additional weeks following this break to help flatten the curve. Next week you remember things escalated quickly. Doug now tells us he's listening to his scientists and experts (thank god) and will do whatever they say. Okay. We hunker down, do our thing, it's scary out there, and Doug stays serious and lets the experts take the reins. Approval rating increases. FIL (Trump supporter) tells me "I think he's doing a great job!" I warn him that "a pandemic isn't going to suddenly make this man competent."

Anyway fast forward to now. His team of experts (Ontario Science Table) release their reports and recommendations not only to the government, but transparently as well to us lowly citizens. We can all read these, they're actually really good (here's the latest one). He's not fucking listening. Chose to die on the hill of paid sick days that the Science Table keeps recommending, blaming the federal government for this problem (this is provincial jurisdiction). Had his party vote against paid sick days 21 (I think) times, as legislation introduced by other parties.

Science Table recommends basically 4 things:
1) Encourage people to engage in outdoor activities together. Backyard get togethers, BBQs, outdoor recreation, it's all deemed very low risk and should be promoted by the government, because....
2) Hammer home the dangers of indoor gatherings. Like, don't do this, this is a major cause of spread. Stay outside, don't go inside. Stay home if you can't do this.
3) Paid sick days - workers (especially lower income and warehouse) need to be able to stay home when they get symptoms and get tested. Can't have to choose between food/rent and stopping COVID spread because that only can end one way.
4) Focus vaccination efforts on essential businesses that cannot be shut down - like your warehouses, meat processing, etc. These are typically lower-income employment as well.

What Ford does (already have stay-at-home order in place, mind you):
1) Closes playgrounds (against advice of Science Table)
2) Announces police will now have authority to stop people at any time and ask them why they're not at home (police forces across the province say "yeah.... we're not gonna do this, this is bad")
3) Implements 2 weeks of paid sick days to allow workers to concentrate on preventing the spread of COVID vs. worrying about how to pay for food (just kidding, he told the paid sick days crowd to go and fuck themselves again, and did nothing)
4) Kinda refocuses the vaccines to hot-spot neighborhoods. This is tough with the supply we have so I'll give him a pass here.

Immediate public backlash. People take their kids to the playgrounds anyway, police aren't stopping anyone (carding was a big controversy here ~10 years ago), many people calling this leadership a total fucking joke. Weekend passes.
Monday - Doug Ford is missing.
Tuesday - Still missing.
Wednesday - Hey there he is! He's isolating at home because he had close contact with a COVID + staff member apparently. Whatever, I'll buy it. But Doug, you're now staying home on paid sick days, bro. What do you have to say about that?

Well Doug says he's sorry and cries on TV. Later he clarifies that he was sorry for moving too quickly, whatever that means. Says he's got a new sick day plan coming. Finally! Says "It will be the best sick day program in North America." Hmmm, sounding just like that guy he has that unwavering support for.....

Today we now have 3 paid sick days for every worker in Ontario. These will not be paid for by the employers, they will be paid for by the government. Whatever, I don't care. Just get it done man - a little late but for fuck's sake listen to your experts! IT'S ALL YOU HAVE TO DO, AND NOBODY WILL HOLD IT AGAINST YOU MAN.

I am so frustrated.

2 weeks ago, this guy annouces new restrictions for the people of ontario.2 days ago this donkey finally

[The Tortoise]

That's a good account.

I've taken to referring to Doug as "Fat Fuck Ford" or "Dolt Ford" depending on the audience.

As an example of his incompetence, the moron has temporarily banned over night camping. Everywhere in Ontario.

[paulster2626]

That's a good account.

I've taken to referring to Doug as "Fat Fuck Ford" or "Dolt Ford" depending on the audience.

As an example of his incompetence, the moron has temporarily banned over night camping. Everywhere in Ontario.

And golf. I don't even really golf, I don't care about golf. But WHY GOLF???

Note that banning these activities was the opposite of the recommendations put forth by the Science Table. Head of this org. almost resigned! It's pathetic.

[riser4]

I miss Rob Ford. RIP.

[The AD]

Variants and also that's how exponential spread works. If there's a variant where each kid spreads it to 2 others--2.4.8.16--you get the idea. And the average kid and young adult have a lot more contacts to catch it from/spread it to, so I would assume it would spread faster in a school than just about any place else. (The older you are the less contacts you have until they put your ass in the nursing home--then look out.)

Yeah, I don't think a lot of people grasp just how much luck (well, randomization is probably more like it) factors into this. Places that seemed to be doing well can explode quite quickly.

[skaredshtles]

Yeah, I don't think a lot of people grasp just how much luck (well, randomization is probably more like it) factors into this. Places that seemed to be doing well can explode quite quickly.

"I don't believe in math."

-Trumpublicans

[Ted Striker]

I've been ranting about the math challenged lately IRL.

"If I've made it this far, I'm not going to catch it now"

Well, a year ago our seven day rolling average was 10 new cases per day. This week it's been 37.

[The AD]

I know. It's not like the virus cares that you're "done with it."

[Ted Striker]

Yeah, if I had a dollar for every time I've heard that exact phrase I could pay digitaldeath's fines.

[SkiCougar]

imo, Florida is all talk.


just came back from fort lauderdale and supposedly florida is all tough about no masks and being free, that's all BS.

in fort lauderdale, only place masks were not required was on the beach. two hotels i was in, airport, car rental, restaurants, grocery store,walking down the street; all masks

not impressed. in texas, when i go out drinking at my watering hole, no masks at the grocery no masks, only in the airport.

now, i fully understand that just confirms for the board that texas is the most stupid; but my point is if youre going to talk tough; better not be an act; in florida its an act.

[Tri-Ungulate]

now, i fully understand that just confirms for the board that texas is the most stupid; but my point is if youre going to talk tough; better not be an act; in florida its an act.

Well there is Florida Man. But SCougs is our quintessential Texas Man.

[stealurface831]

I miss Rob Ford. RIP.

in our hearts always and forever

[XXX-er]

Well there is Florida Man. But SCougs is our quintessential Texas Man.

anything like Encino man ?
?

[old goat]

Assuming....it’s just so weird. There was really no spread in our students up until this past month....and now it’s like exploding.

I've been ranting about the math challenged lately IRL.

"If I've made it this far, I'm not going to catch it now"

.

I think most of us probably have a little of that magical thinking--at least subconsciously. We were all a lot more careful when cases were sparse and the odds of being exposed were a lot less. Anyone still clorox wiping their groceries. (I realize that the chance of getting the covid from surfaces is now thought to be minimal.) A lot like people taking more chances in avy country the more experienced and lucky they get.

[bennymac]

Three of my least favorite statements:

“This is how it’s always been done...”

“This has never happened to me before...”

“There must be something we can do...”

[bennymac]

Texas Hospital Says Man, 30, Died After Attending a ‘Covid Party’

A 30-year-old man who believed the coronavirus was a hoax and attended a “Covid party” died after being infected with the virus, according to the chief medical officer at a Texas hospital.

The official, Dr. Jane Appleby of Methodist Hospital in San Antonio, said the man died after deliberately attending a gathering with an infected person to test whether the coronavirus was real.

In her statements to news organizations, Dr. Appleby said the man had told his nurse that he attended a Covid party. Just before he died, she said the patient told his nurse: “I think I made a mistake. I thought this was a hoax, but it’s not.”

Health experts and public officials have cast doubt over whether “Covid parties” are a real phenomenon, and past reports of such parties have fallen apart or remained unconfirmed upon closer examination.

[altasnob]

just came back from fort lauderdale and supposedly florida is all tough about no masks and being free, that's all BS.

My anti-vaccine, pandemic is overblown, friend here in Tacoma took his entire non-vaccinated family on vacation to Tampa area specifically because he thought it would be no masks and basically normal everywhere. He reported back that it was basically the same as Washington in mask compliance and rules, although with the warmer weather they have a lot more options for outdoor dining and drinking. He did say enforcement there seemed more lax.

He made it back without catching the COVID but a few weeks later he caught COVID (likely in school as he is an in person elementary school teacher) and gave it to his entire family. His quarantine ends this weekend so I haven't had a chance to chat with him about it, but I am guessing he will say he was glad he got COVID naturally rather than get the vaccine and feels justified in his decision to refuse to vaccine (he was one of the first eligible for the vaccine due to his job).

[skaredshtles]

My anti-vaccine, pandemic is overblown, friend here in Tacoma took his entire non-vaccinated family on vacation to Tampa area specifically because he thought it would be no masks and basically normal everywhere. He reported back that it was basically the same as Washington in mask compliance and rules, although with the warmer weather they have a lot more options for outdoor dining and drinking. He did say enforcement there seemed more lax.

He made it back without catching the COVID but a few weeks later he caught COVID (likely in school as he is an in person elementary school teacher) and gave it to his entire family. His quarantine ends this weekend so I haven't had a chance to chat with him about it, but I am guessing he will say he was glad he got COVID naturally rather than get the vaccine and feels justified in his decision to refuse to vaccine (he was one of the first eligible for the vaccine due to his job).

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