Fear and Loathing, a Rat Flu Odyssey

[wooley12]

Ignore works better for me .

[Flounder]

Just saying it's time for people to evaluate their own risks and act in accordance to how you feel comfortable, and simultaneously evaluating how you interact with people around yourself.

So as I stated, I've done that and I'm staying somewhat isolated and won't be participating fully in the economy like I used to. I'd argue that most of the US has decided as well and many are of the same mindset that they will sit on the sidelines until the situation improves.

How about its time for you to evaluate what needs to be done to make people like myself feel safe participating in the economy? It's fine to run around being antimask, open everything up but if people don't feel safe we will continue to sit this out regardless of the rules. Not all of us brought on our conditions be being fat, lazy slobs. Some of us just hit the wrong numbers in the genetic lottery.

Shit, I was able to feel empathy for you when you detailed your job loss and subsequent struggles for you and your family. How about you try and have some empathy for others?

[Boissal]

Ignore works better for me .

I don't know man, I feel like ignore is for trolls. I don't think he's trolling, he genuinely thinks the MRSA comparison is relevant in this case. That's a frightening level of not getting it.

[concretejungle]

Shit, I was able to feel empathy for you when you detailed your job loss and subsequent struggles for you and your family. How about you try and have some empathy for others?

Apparently not unless he heard about it third hand from his Facebook account.

[CarlMega]

so does anyone think we actually flattened the curve here in the US? Maybe I'm missing the nuance of term but afaik we did mostly avoid massive runs on hospitals but we squandered any time bought by not putting the routine mitigations & systems in place that would sustain low transmissions. Testing, tracing, hospital supplies, PPE, standards and objective plans to deal with opening and outbreaks. Our curve levelled off (after the essential time for flattening to have the desired effect) but didn't accomplish said flattening goals.

I just got back from DMV. COVID protections in place. Not only were they not burdensome, I'd argue it was better experience than pre-COVID. It's these small mitigations - put into widespread use that will make the difference. From an objective reasoning perspective, there is no argument to be made against this.

[teledad]

Coworker in Davis, CA with 17yo that has symptoms that match covid, smoke exposure problems, or a cold takes his kid to his doctor and doctor will not give or recommend Covid test because the teen doesn’t meet the criteria (fever). Coworker goes to a different doctor and doctor refers for covid test. Results not available yet. But what the fuck!!??

There's a testing site at the Davis Senior Center. Need an appointment but no doctor recommendation or other qualifications. Free whether or not you have insurance (if CA resident).

https://www.yolocounty.org/health-hu...virus-testing/

There seem to be similar sites in a number of other CA counties. I haven't been to a doctor in 2 years but was tested in Truckee a few weeks ago (daughter got sick and we tested the whole family, all negative).

[Adolf Allerbush]

So as I stated, I've done that and I'm staying somewhat isolated and won't be participating fully in the economy like I used to. I'd argue that most of the US has decided as well and many are of the same mindset that they will sit on the sidelines until the situation improves.

How about its time for you to evaluate what needs to be done to make people like myself feel safe participating in the economy? It's fine to run around being antimask, open everything up but if people don't feel safe we will continue to sit this out regardless of the rules. Not all of us brought on our conditions be being fat, lazy slobs. Some of us just hit the wrong numbers in the genetic lottery.

Shit, I was able to feel empathy for you when you detailed your job loss and subsequent struggles for you and your family. How about you try and have some empathy for others?

Fucking eh. Nailed it. Will be interested to read Austin's response.

[old goat]

Had a similar Doc visit with my wife and she needed my input on important medical decisions. When checking in, she simply told the front desk that she needed me to also be in the discussion with the Doc regarding options. We received no push back from anyone .

Sent from my SM-T580 using Tapatalk

So I'll play along with Austin's position that as one with a higher risk I should just stay isolated. Not a huge issue, I'm an introvert and very happy being home with my wife. Been doing it fine for 6 months and I can continue. I'm immune compromised and at a higher risk so I'm motivated to stay safe.

Let's a take a look at what that means to the economy returning to normal. We are DINKs in our early 50s making good money. It's piling up in the bank now. A combination of not spending and saving in case one of our jobs is impacted. A usual summer includes a week in Tahoe, a week somewhere else and multiple weekend trips. I love gadgets so trips involve shopping and spending. This summer it's been local camping trips where we cook all our own meals. Really minimal money going into the economy.

Now if you look at how many in the US are immuno compromised or have other chronic conditions and ask them to stay home how do you think that's going to help the recovery? Over 40% of the US is obese and high risk. If we have 40-50 percent of the US not fully participating in the economy how are we going to recover?

Instead of being a selfish pick, there's some easy steps to help prevent the spread of the virus, masks are a prime example. I'm not resuming my normal spending habits until I'm safe. The economy isn't going to recover until people like me feel safe.

And a final word of caution to those that feel they are perfectly healthy. I was that way as well. Until I was 38 I don't think I'd missed more than a couple of days of work due to sickness, just a few to hangovers! Turns out that my amazing immune system that could fend off anything went into hyper drive for some reason and started destroying healthy cells. This disease is unpredictable and who knows how your "healthy" body will react.

/rant off.

great post

[The SnowShow]

Amazing how empathy and compassion have been shown to barely exist in the US anymore.

[XXX-er]

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/publi...tics-1.5733069

lotsa numbers on covid eh

[bodywhomper]

There's a testing site at the Davis Senior Center. Need an appointment but no doctor recommendation or other qualifications. Free whether or not you have insurance (if CA resident).

https://www.yolocounty.org/health-hu...virus-testing/

There seem to be similar sites in a number of other CA counties. I haven't been to a doctor in 2 years but was tested in Truckee a few weeks ago (daughter got sick and we tested the whole family, all negative).

I do not understand why coworker and friend are going to doctors instead of a testing center. I also do not know why the school district is requiring a doctors note stating that a sick child does not have COVID, as the pediatricians are not actually testing or recommending testing....

[wooley12]

Ours is not to reason why. Ours is but to do ......or die.

[old goat]

Ours is not to reason why. Ours is but to do ......and die.

fify

[wooley12]

I'm not that fatalistic. Yet

[bigdude2468]

Curious if anyone knows if other states are doing what WI is. I was reading data on testing and positivity rates here in WI and discovered that the State DHS does include anyone who has more than one negative test irregardless of the time between the tests. I had a negative test in August, if I were to develop symptoms ( I would never go in just for the heck of it) and had another test that was negative it would not be counted. It would show in the number of tests performed daily but not as a negative result. They also do not count two positives from the same person but that is another issue as a second positive is someone that has not recovered. Is this the accepted way to calculate positivity rate in other states?

[hutash]

We did flatten the curve, but didn't follow through as was recommended. So while the curve was flattened it didn't drop as well as one would hope. A great deal of the reason for that is the Austin's of the world who think they know more then the public health experts. He's "we all have to make personal choices" libertarian bullshiy is exactly the problem. Do I like wearing a mask, social distancing, avoiding crowds and restaurants? Hell no, but I am doing all of those things for the greater good of society. Sorry if this inconveniences some, but it is better then the inconvenience of dying.

...and no, Austin is not a troll, just a very sad person who doesn't seem to be able to think for himself.

As for America's lacking empathy, I posit that it is just Trumpian republicans that lack it.

[Mustonen]

Our workplace saga continues. We had somebody who had direct contact but was asymptomatic who got a rapid test (negative) followed up by a normal test, which she found out was positive a couple days later. In the meantime, the clinic had told her she was good to go back to work.

Now we’re all chasing our butts and trying to figure out where to draw the line at exposure/quarantine. Anybody she was in direct contact with for more than a few minutes: quarantine pending a negative test and no symptoms. Where we’re having a hard time drawing the line is whether to quarantine those with direct contact with direct contacts. CDC guidelines don’t really support that, though I’m not sure it makes business sense not to make that leap. Thoughts on that?

In the meantime, we’re at limited capacity with multiple offices closed, which puts a huge load on everybody who is healthy and unexposed. The whole thing is a mindfuck and I don’t like it.

[jono]

Now we’re all chasing our butts and trying to figure out where to draw the line at exposure/quarantine. Anybody she was in direct contact with for more than a few minutes: quarantine pending a negative test and no symptoms. Where we’re having a hard time drawing the line is whether to quarantine those with direct contact with direct contacts. CDC guidelines don’t really support that, though I’m not sure it makes business sense not to make that leap. Thoughts on that?

This is probably the obvious stuff you've already thought about, but...from a simple risk management perspective, obviously anything you can do for free is a no-brainer, so if you can limit the contacts' contacts without a huge impact and/or reduce the number of people they interact with (at least while awaiting results) you're ahead. Some increase in precautions makes sense while their probability is elevated, just depends on your options. CDC guidelines obviously make no accommodation for actual business risk, and might be better if they didn't seem otherwise.

Customer of mine made WFH mandatory in March, split their teams into 3 groups each and told each group to coordinate when they would be allowed into the office. Everyone kept working--in fact, I think they were doing overtime trying to finish projects. Risk was relatively low at the time, but they were able to basically eliminate the chance of their whole workforce going down, which would have been catastrophic.

[The AD]

The CDC confirms what we've been saying here for a long time:
https://www.nytimes.com/2020/09/24/w...ronavirus.html
Covid-19 Live Updates: Young Adults Seed Waves of Infection That Sicken Older People, C.D.C. Report Says

In the South, where cases rose dramatically over the summer, a clear pattern emerged. Within nine days of a rise in cases among those in their 20s and 30s, cases rose among those aged 60 and older.

In states like Alabama, Florida, Georgia, transmission was more sequential. The increase among those aged 20 to 39 was followed by a bump in cases among those in aged 40 to 59 nine days later, and then another rise in cases among those 60 and older 15 days later.

Younger adults likely are playing a significant role in spreading the virus, which can be transmitted before people know they have been infected and before they show symptoms, the researchers said.

[jono]

He's "we all have to make personal choices" libertarian bullshiy is exactly the problem.

Point of order: Austin's shtick is not libertarian. Libertarianism is a philosophy that could (in theory) establish a functional society by respecting and protecting everyone's rights, whereas nihilistic selfishness doesn't care about anyone else's rights. Calling everything selfish "libertarian" is a feel good/virtue signal if you want to identify with a team that has decided to hate libertarians or want to beat the drum for more centralized control or whatever but it's incorrect and gives the appearance of intellectual dishonesty on your part. Which reinforces the "both sides are bad" narrative.

Worse, it gives the nihilists' bullshit cover--which is why they started calling their selfish prick approaches "libertarian" in the first place. Don't help them legitimize that is what I'm saying.

[bodywhomper]

For a second there^^, I felt like I was 20 again, coming down from yesterday’s trip, taking bong loads, ornette (or Shankar) wailing in the background, and going through notes on leibniz, Spinoza, and descarte. :P

Back to proctoring twin 5th graders on a reading test, getting 14yo out of bed in time for “class,” trying to wrap my brain around my late and over budget work assignments, figuring out when to fill my jerry cans in preparation for the 3-day weekend power outage, and plotting to overthrow the selfish nihilist in my area that are trying to open everything up, mask-free.

Speaking of which, there was an anti-mask student protest yesterday at a newly re-opened high school in Roseville, CA. I’m not sure of any re-percussions for the students or their parents.

I recently heard from a friend at U of Illinois who seemed upbeat about how their saliva rapid testing protocol was going. Apparently, there was a bumpy start, but better compliance now by the students.

[old goat]

For a second there^^, I felt like I was 20 again, coming down from yesterday’s trip, taking bong loads, ornette (or Shankar) wailing in the background, and going through notes on leibniz, Spinoza, and descarte. :P

Back to proctoring twin 5th graders on a reading test, getting 14yo out of bed in time for “class,” trying to wrap my brain around my late and over budget work assignments, figuring out when to fill my jerry cans in preparation for the 3-day weekend power outage, and plotting to overthrow the selfish nihilist in my area that are trying to open everything up, mask-free.

Speaking of which, there was an anti-mask student protest yesterday at a newly re-opened high school in Roseville, CA. I’m not sure of any re-percussions for the students or their parents.

I recently heard from a friend at U of Illinois who seemed upbeat about how their saliva rapid testing protocol was going. Apparently, there was a bumpy start, but better compliance now by the students.

Too bad about Roseville. That's Placer County, same as Squalpine. Placer County just escaped Widespread status. A flare up in Roseville could potentially impact Squalpine operations. Also Northstar.

[basinbeater]

The initial mitigation tactics did have a positive effect. The byproduct of the success is the mouth breathing idiots can say, "see, it's not really a big deal," and argue their stupid points like MF. The only way they would get it through their thick skulls would be if we had done nothing and we had a million and counting dead. The only way they come around now, is when someone they care about dies. As long as it is someone else, they don't care.

The economy WILL NOT get back on track until the virus is adequately mitigated. That means people feel safe going back about their regular routines. As long as people like MF and there are countless others, keep dragging their feet demanding to open back up, and not wearing masks, and generally being idiots, this will not happen. Our economic activity is severely curtailed by choice. We don't want to get sick. I don't want my dad to get sick. I don't want your dad to get sick and die because my kid caught it from some mouth breathing idiot anti masker. Get with the fucking program already so I can send my kid back to school.
sent from Utah.

[XXX-er]

I remember someone on TGR saying the border will be open by summer due to the economy

maybe summer of 2021 ?

[skaredshtles]

The initial mitigation tactics did have a positive effect. The byproduct of the success is the mouth breathing idiots can say, "see, it's not really a big deal,"

I remember discussing this exact thing back in fucking March. You do the right thing and the resulting numbers cause the morans say, "See - giant NOTHINGBURGER."

Fucking people.