Mega-Thread: Coronavirus Pandemic

[Zantos]

I've been vaccinated for a while now, been wearing my mask in certain places as a courtesy to others who have not been vaccinated yet. I wonder if enough people have been vaccinated to go maskless. As far as then general population goes, aren't a lot of people still on their first shot?

Not enough. Number wise, we dont even have the ability to go for herd immunity since we cant vaccinate the children. At the very least, you need 75% of the population to have immunity in some form for herd immunity.

[shadowmouse]

Just got my first jab here. It has been a couple of hours and I feel fine.

[Witchblade77]

so... according to the newest from CDC.. not only being fully vaccinated = safe to go without mask in or outdoors, but also that even if you get asymptomatic infection you are still safe around others as vaccines reduce your ability to shed it as well. only if you get symptoms (5% possibility is not zero, so yeah, its still possible to be a part of that 5% WITH symptoms) that you should be tested and go into quarantine. but at the same time... while you don't have to wear a mask, maybe wear it anyways - definitely wear it cause other agencies still require, while we update the rest of the guidelines sometime soon "tm"

https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019...-guidance.html

honestly this mixed messaging is very likely responsible for at least some of the vaccine hesitancy. meanwhile i'm incredibly tempted to get my vaccination record card laminated (or at least into one of those fishing license covers) once its complete and just wear it like a comiccon pass (or a college id) whenever we do groceries and the like so that I could stop wearing a mask already :/

[Forogil]

Not enough. Number wise, we dont even have the ability to go for herd immunity since we cant vaccinate the children. At the very least, you need 75% of the population to have immunity in some form for herd immunity.

It's far from certain that children are relevant for this, and the 75% number isn't that clear.

Looking at the numbers Israel clearly seems to have reached some form of herd immunity even if some precautions are still in place.
About 62% are vaccinated in Israel, and about 90% of adults; it's likely that it's the latter number that matters and children are still not that significant for the spread. In the US it seems the comparable numbers are 46% of population and 60% of adults.

Additionally tens of millions have had the disease recently - although the overlap isn't clear; so it might be enough.
Or it might be enough for the moment, but it could be that more vaccinations are needed for the coming winter.

[Puupi]

Just got my first jab here. It has been a couple of hours and I feel fine.

Which shot did you get?

In my family my dad got AZ with no side effects, mom AZ and lots of side effects. I got Pfizer with pretty much nothing. Parents are getting Moderna as their 2nd shot afaik, I'm getting a 2nd Pfizer.

Also, noticed that you were the OP of this thread so I went back to see what the first post was like and when was that:

Although human to human transmission seems rare and this appears less deadly than SARS, let's hope this doesn't get out of hand.

That didn't age well!

[Granyala]

CDC is announcing no masks anywhere, if you had been vaccinated. How about that as an inventive?

I can't wait for them to do that here but I'm afraid we will wear these damn things for the entirety of 2021. >.<

[Puupi]

what's so bad with wearing masks? they only complaint i have about them is the cost...

I also don't understand the whining about masks. Many people wear them every day at work regardless.

[Coolthulhu]

what's so bad with wearing masks? they only complaint i have about them is the cost...

It's a pity Westerners can't appreciate the usefulness of masks. The Japanese have been wearing them for decades, along with employing measures similar to those we only adopted due to the pandemic (such as hand sanitizer dispensers outside of shops and public venues), and the result of such measures (or rather civic responsibility, nobody was forcing them), is that they've always managed to keep the incidence of both flu proper and flu-like illnesses very low, even in contexts like Tokyo, a megalopolis where people are packed like sardines and developed schooling fish-like capabilities in order not to bump into each other or hamper the flow of people.
And I'm not talking about wearing them 24/7 either, but I guess it'll take an unprecedentedly aggressive flu strain to make the unwashed masses understand such a simple concept such as "releasing viral particles near other people is bad for them". I mean a lot of people still struggle with the idea after two years of pandemic, so yeah, I'm not optimistic.

[Felya]

It's a pity Westerners can't appreciate the usefulness of masks. The Japanese have been wearing them for decades, along with employing measures similar to those we only adopted due to the pandemic (such as hand sanitizer dispensers outside of shops and public venues), and the result of such measures (or rather civic responsibility, nobody was forcing them), is that they've always managed to keep the incidence of both flu proper and flu-like illnesses very low, even in contexts like Tokyo, a megalopolis where people are packed like sardines and developed schooling fish-like capabilities in order not to bump into each other or hamper the flow of people.
And I'm not talking about wearing them 24/7 either, but I guess it'll take an unprecedentedly aggressive flu strain to make the unwashed masses understand such a simple concept such as "releasing viral particles near other people is bad for them". I mean a lot of people still struggle with the idea after two years of pandemic, so yeah, I'm not optimistic.

Disease that brings to focus all the spittle of other people we consume... while a portion of the population, be like... nom nom nom nom...

[shadowmouse]

Which shot did you get?

In my family my dad got AZ with no side effects, mom AZ and lots of side effects. I got Pfizer with pretty much nothing. Parents are getting Moderna as their 2nd shot afaik, I'm getting a 2nd Pfizer.

Also, noticed that you were the OP of this thread so I went back to see what the first post was like and when was that:


That didn't age well!

Nope, but then much of the early COVID information was looking for a replay of SARS and missed stuff.

I got the inactivated virus one from Kexing.

[Puupi]

I got the inactivated virus one from Kexing.

Is that different from Sinovac?

[Granyala]

what's so bad with wearing masks? they only complaint i have about them is the cost...

I simply hate it. The heat, the used air, the scratchiness, having sth on my face...
Yes I am aware that some professions mandate them and I am very happy I do not pursue one that does.

After this pandemic, the only instance in which I would wear one, as a courtesy is if I am sick and on my way to the doc.

It's a pity Westerners can't appreciate the usefulness of masks. The Japanese have been wearing them for decades

AFAIK Japanese only wear them when they have symptoms of illnesses or when the smog mandates it.
Both cases are logical but not relevant for me. I get tested 2x a week, negative for months yet I have to wear the damn thing regardless. Idiotic.

[Coolthulhu]

AFAIK Japanese only wear them when they have symptoms of illnesses or when the smog mandates it.
Both cases are logical but not relevant for me. I get tested 2x a week, negative for months yet I have to wear the damn thing regardless. Idiotic.

Thanks for the outstanding example of lack of civic responsibility. Even more so considering that if you get tested twice a week you probably work a job that puts you in contact with a lot of people.

[Witchblade77]

what's so bad with wearing masks? they only complaint i have about them is the cost...

cost is the least of my issues. you can get a set of cloth masks for like 3 bucks. they feel uncomfortable, I've yet to find a mask that fits around my nose without making it hurt and eventually stuffy (I would imagine n95 masks might be better, since my molded rubber mask with chemical filters doesn't have nose issues, but its also not appropriate for covid - i use it to work with, well chemicals - something mind you I only do for short periods of time, not for hours at a time), no matter how hard i try I cannot avoid maskne, etc. masks are uncomfortable and when worn properly they are not meant to be comfortable. some of us just find them more uncomfortable then others. yes i know some people wear them at work all the time.

that is to say, i STILL wear masks whenever I have to go out in public. but it would be amazing not to have to.

[Zan15]

Let's be real. They already weren't wearing masks. Considering like 90% of the customers I see don't wear them and haven't been. The conspiracy theory nutjob who works in our garden center never wore his and never got in trouble for it. At least as far as where I am, nothing will change.

yah i guess milage varies by where you live. being in a high income, high secondary education, highly liberal state its hard to find a place you can even enter without a mask. Even with that most people are wearing them.

Today i noticed a lot more without though.

[Forogil]

Is that different from Sinovac?

Should be the same, as Kexing is a subsidiary of SinoVac
https://www.insideedition.com/china-...e-first-served

But different from the two vaccines from different parts of SinoPharm.

Similarly as the J&J vaccine is made by their subsidiary Janssen.

[shadowmouse]

Is that different from Sinovac?

I think they are the same, but the clinic said Kexing so that's what I've called it. Too many darned names involved, SinoVac is also Beijing Kexing Bioproducts and the vaccine is CoronaVac. Whatever I took, my buddy happily informed me that it was widely said to be the best of the Chinese vaccines.

Edit: Thanks @Forogil, I'd overlooked your post

[Rasulis]

It's far from certain that children are relevant for this, and the 75% number isn't that clear.

Looking at the numbers Israel clearly seems to have reached some form of herd immunity even if some precautions are still in place.
About 62% are vaccinated in Israel, and about 90% of adults; it's likely that it's the latter number that matters and children are still not that significant for the spread. In the US it seems the comparable numbers are 46% of population and 60% of adults.

Additionally tens of millions have had the disease recently - although the overlap isn't clear; so it might be enough.
Or it might be enough for the moment, but it could be that more vaccinations are needed for the coming winter.

In the US some regions will have herd immunity and some won’t.

For all practical purpose, Los Angeles County and San Francisco are already at herd immunity threshold. LA a county of 10 million plus people has average 7 days new covid rate of 284 per day (2.8 new cases per 100,000 people) with total 375 hospitalized covid patients. San Francisco with population of 890,000 has average 23 new covid cases per day (2.6 new cases per 100,000 people) with total 17 hospitalized covid patients. Those are pretty low numbers which are still dropping.

[Granyala]

Thanks for the outstanding example of lack of civic responsibility. Even more so considering that if you get tested twice a week you probably work a job that puts you in contact with a lot of people.

Keep in mind, that I am talking about the future, not the present. I want to get rid of the masks when the majority is vaccinated and the numbers are negligible, like they currently are in Israel.

I am well aware that it is still way too soon to drop restrictions in most countries.

[PickleballAce]

what's so bad with wearing masks? they only complaint i have about them is the cost...

Your average conservative is old and out of shape so you get the unironic "UH CAYANT BREATHE" complaints.