COVID-19 Thread [V2.0]

[homer]

Are there major differences between the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines? Assuming Moderna also gets the final okay, will people have a choice between the two?

 

Moderna is only one dose instead of two, and doesn't need to be stored at extremely low temperatures. Effectiveness is about the same as Pfizer at roughly 95%. I don't see how people will have a choice, at least not initially. It's going to be a matter of what's available in your town by the time you're eligible.

 

EDIT: Sorry for the misinformation! Both vaccines are two doses. I was thinking of the single dose J&J vaccine in phase 3 trials.

 

I could see the J&J vaccine being the dominant one eventually given the one dose requirement.

 

Looks like it could be ready to go by February/March if all goes well:

Dec 17 (Reuters) - Johnson & Johnson said on Thursday it has fully enrolled participants for the first late-stage trial of its COVID-19 single-dose vaccine candidate.

 

The study, named Ensemble, has enrolled about 45,000 participants and is being conducted by its unit Janssen, J&J said here in a statement, adding that it expects interim data from the trial by the end of January 2021.

 

J&J also said it plans to submit an emergency use authorization application to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in February if the data from the study is safe and effective.

 

A separate late-stage clinical trial of an investigational COVID-19 vaccine candidate by Janssen to explore a two-dose regimen was ongoing, J&J said.

[LouisEly]

Moderna now approved. Hopefully there is a plan for the next few months to coordinate delivery of the Moderna vaccine to more rural areas and the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine to bigger cities/academic hospitals that have the ultra-freezing capabilities for the storage required in order to help balance supply and demand.

 

Amazing that the first volunteer to get the Moderna vaccine in early trials was on Monday, March 16th - the last day that I physically went into work and the day that Chicago first shut down bars and restaurants.

[Baldkin]

hahaha.

 

A Plan. That's a good one.

 

https://www.npr.org/2020/12/18/948030235/pfizer-says-millions-of-vaccine-doses-are-ready-but-states-say-shipments-were-cu

 

"Pfizer is not having any production issues with our COVID-19 vaccine, and no shipments containing the vaccine are on hold or delayed," CEO Albert Bourla said via Twitter. His company says it has completed every shipment the U.S. government has requested.

 

"We have millions more doses sitting in our warehouse but, as of now, we have not received any shipment instructions for additional doses," Pfizer said in a statement.

[Ron Robinsons Beard]

hahaha.

 

A Plan. That's a good one.

 

https://www.npr.org/2020/12/18/948030235/pfizer-says-millions-of-vaccine-doses-are-ready-but-states-say-shipments-were-cu

 

"Pfizer is not having any production issues with our COVID-19 vaccine, and no shipments containing the vaccine are on hold or delayed," CEO Albert Bourla said via Twitter. His company says it has completed every shipment the U.S. government has requested.

 

"We have millions more doses sitting in our warehouse but, as of now, we have not received any shipment instructions for additional doses," Pfizer said in a statement.

 

At the risk of getting political, I'm 100% convinced that this is ... well ... political. Pfizer did not accept Operation Warp Speed funding, and has been critical of certain politicians taking credit for the vaccine they developed. It wouldn't surprise me to see the Pfizer vaccine slowly phased out in the interest of the Moderna one, as Moderna played political ball much more favorably. Politicians are literally playing politics with people's lives and the economy now.

[Fear The Chorizo]

Politicians are literally playing politics with people's lives and the economy now.

 

They literally all have since late February...in fact that's all politicians do is play politics

[homer]

Guys, let's back off the political discussion. Thank you.

[jerichoholicninja]

Dr. Deborah Birx traveled with family out of state over Thanksgiving weekend — disregarding her own advice to stay home and not gather during the holidays, according to a report.

 

The White House coronavirus response coordinator was joined by three different generations of family at one of her vacation properties on Fenwick Island in Delaware on Nov. 27, just one day after the Thanksgiving holiday, the Associated Press reported.

 

The group — which included her husband Paige Reffe, a daughter, son-in-law and two young grandchildren — were from two separate households.

 

Birx — who has a home in Washington, DC, and another in Potomac, Maryland — defended the trip, saying she needed to take care of winterizing the property before a potential sale.

 

“I did not go to Delaware for the purpose of celebrating Thanksgiving,” Birx said in a statement.

 

She argued that the members of the trip belong to her “immediate household,” though she acknowledged they live in separate homes.

 

https://nypost.com/2020/12/20/birx-went-to-florida-on-thanksgiving-despite-her-travel-warnings/

 

Par for the course.

[dpapo]

Looks like the new Virus strain in the UK may be affecting children just as much as adults. That could be one of the reasons it's spreading so quickly. Schools have remained open in the UK and for the most part are only separated by year groups. There are still looking into it, but...

"Early analysis of how and where it is spreading have also given "hints that it has a higher propensity to infect children", according to Prof Neil Ferguson from the MRC Centre for Global Infectious Disease Analysis, who also sits on Nervtag"...

"If it were true, then this might explain a significant proportion, maybe even the majority, of the transmission increase seen," he added.

 

Also,

 

"The data are continuing to be analysed, but it is thought the variant continued spreading even during the lockdown in November.

 

The R number - the average number of people each infected person passes the virus onto - for this variant during the tight restrictions has been estimated at 1.2, which meant cases were increasing.

 

At the same time the R number was 0.8 for the other forms of the virus during lockdown and they were in decline."

 

One of the things that remained open during this greater restrictions period were schools. From what I have heard on the news here, the first cases of the new variant of the virus were discovered in September, so it is probably already in the USA as well as other countries. Maybe one of the reasons for the greater increase of infections in the US, though other factors are probably playing a bigger role. The UK is supposed to be one of the top countries for discovering varies variants. But, if it hasn't effected the US in great numbers yet, I have to think it eventually will. Not an expert in this, but would seem to make sense. Hope I'm wrong.

 

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-55406939

[nodakfan17]

My wife shared a funny meme yesterday, which basically read:

 

‘Happy 200th day of quarantine to the 3 other people I know who are still taking this seriously.’

[jjgott]

My wife and I both just got over COVID. She got it first and then I most likely got it from her. While both of our cases were relatively mild (I ended up losing all smell and taste), a co-worker of mine got it and he sounds like a 500 pound weight is on his chest when he tries to talk on the phone. I can only imagine what it would have been like for him if he were 20-30 years older.

[JosephC]

 

In the government's defense (I know, I know), they have never once indicated that wearing a mask is a 100% foolproof way to avoid contracting and spreading COVID, and they were not marketed as the "get out of jail free" cards that you seem to be indicating here.

 

But, that said, I would agree that for the most part the government has been consistent with distancing + facemasks + handwashing. But the media on the other hand. I can't tell you how many times, once it got into the summer months, I'd be sitting there watching CNN and there would be a reporter on the street and the camera would pan over to a group of 20-somethings sitting around without masks and the reporter would just go into the lecture about how they weren't wearing masks. It was easy to see the danger in this. Not wearing a mask is uncool...which morphs into wearing a mask is cool...which morphs into young people thinking they have the license to do anything if they have a mask on because it's cool. I think there was a TON of that from a big percentage of the media over the summer months. Maybe I'm wrong, obviously we all have different personal experiences. All I can say is that I'm in Madison and work with a bunch of 20-somethings and in the spring those people weren't running around like 20-somethings normally do, and by the fall that completely flipped to hearing the conversations of person 1 going to the brewery this weekend, person 2 hitting this bar on Friday night and that restaurant the following night, person 3 going to a party on Friday night, etc, etc, etc. Some folks, not knowing these people personally, could think they are correct in just saying that we are dealing with 20 year old's and they are simply too restless to stay home for 6 months in a row. But knowing these people, and knowing they are probably a really good representation of young college grads across the state, I feel pretty safe in flat out stating that the attitude is definitely more along the lines of "if I'm wearing a mask I am cool and following the rules and; therefore, anything that I decide to do is a good idea." And yeah, maybe not so much government but definitely the media has a lot to do with that IMO.

 

 

I wasn't going to comment on the Haskins situation, but cannot resist after reading ESPN's awful coverage on the incident.

 

It's the perfect example of how the media has falsely treated the face-mask like it's the cure-all. I'm assuming by now that everyone has seen the photo. I don't think she is sitting on his lap but he clearly has his arm around her and his nose/mouth looks to be less than 6 inches away from her nose/mouth. And it doesn't look like a position where he just grabbed her on the way by for a photo and then she went on her merry way. It's pretty likely they were like that for at least a couple songs (she isn't likely to walk away knowing all the money he has). And yet the coverage from ESPN was "maskless Haskins photographed" "maskless Haskins photographed" "maskless Haskins photographed."

 

Is there anyone outside of the media that are so stupid that they think a mask really would have made any difference in this situation? Look at the stupidity of this article.

https://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/30582068/washington-football-team-aware-dwayne-haskins-maskless-strip-club-image-qb-apologizes

There isn't one statement in that article that would suggest that Haskins is a total idiot for breaking social distancing rules by partying with strippers. It's all about Haskins "maskless images" (title of article) and " Dwayne Haskins not wearing a mask while attending an event with strippers" once the reader gets into the article.

 

It just boggles the mind that for months the government stated that there was the potential that facemasks could be counter-productive because it would result in people being careless about distancing. And as we saw in Wisconsin, COVID-19 positive cases went up to a high that was nearly 4 times higher than the previous high after the facemask mandate was implemented. And even though we saw cases skyrocket after the mandates, proving the government was likely right the first time, now apparently the new narrative cannot be changed. And the big dumb media keeps promoting the lie as evidenced here...Haskins photographed maskless...instead of the obvious...Haskins photographed with his arm around a stripper with his face within 6 inches of her face.

[jerichoholicninja]

 

In the government's defense (I know, I know), they have never once indicated that wearing a mask is a 100% foolproof way to avoid contracting and spreading COVID, and they were not marketed as the "get out of jail free" cards that you seem to be indicating here.

 

But, that said, I would agree that for the most part the government has been consistent with distancing + facemasks + handwashing. But the media on the other hand. I can't tell you how many times, once it got into the summer months, I'd be sitting there watching CNN and there would be a reporter on the street and the camera would pan over to a group of 20-somethings sitting around without masks and the reporter would just go into the lecture about how they weren't wearing masks. It was easy to see the danger in this. Not wearing a mask is uncool...which morphs into wearing a mask is cool...which morphs into young people thinking they have the license to do anything if they have a mask on because it's cool. I think there was a TON of that from a big percentage of the media over the summer months. Maybe I'm wrong, obviously we all have different personal experiences. All I can say is that I'm in Madison and work with a bunch of 20-somethings and in the spring those people weren't running around like 20-somethings normally do, and by the fall that completely flipped to hearing the conversations of person 1 going to the brewery this weekend, person 2 hitting this bar on Friday night and that restaurant the following night, person 3 going to a party on Friday night, etc, etc, etc. Some folks, not knowing these people personally, could think they are correct in just saying that we are dealing with 20 year old's and they are simply too restless to stay home for 6 months in a row. But knowing these people, and knowing they are probably a really good representation of young college grads across the state, I feel pretty safe in flat out stating that the attitude is definitely more along the lines of "if I'm wearing a mask I am cool and following the rules and; therefore, anything that I decide to do is a good idea." And yeah, maybe not so much government but definitely the media has a lot to do with that IMO.

 

 

I wasn't going to comment on the Haskins situation, but cannot resist after reading ESPN's awful coverage on the incident.

 

It's the perfect example of how the media has falsely treated the face-mask like it's the cure-all. I'm assuming by now that everyone has seen the photo. I don't think she is sitting on his lap but he clearly has his arm around her and his nose/mouth looks to be less than 6 inches away from her nose/mouth. And it doesn't look like a position where he just grabbed her on the way by for a photo and then she went on her merry way. It's pretty likely they were like that for at least a couple songs (she isn't likely to walk away knowing all the money he has). And yet the coverage from ESPN was "maskless Haskins photographed" "maskless Haskins photographed" "maskless Haskins photographed."

 

Is there anyone outside of the media that are so stupid that they think a mask really would have made any difference in this situation? Look at the stupidity of this article.

https://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/30582068/washington-football-team-aware-dwayne-haskins-maskless-strip-club-image-qb-apologizes

There isn't one statement in that article that would suggest that Haskins is a total idiot for breaking social distancing rules by partying with strippers. It's all about Haskins "maskless images" (title of article) and " Dwayne Haskins not wearing a mask while attending an event with strippers" once the reader gets into the article.

 

It just boggles the mind that for months the government stated that there was the potential that facemasks could be counter-productive because it would result in people being careless about distancing. And as we saw in Wisconsin, COVID-19 positive cases went up to a high that was nearly 4 times higher than the previous high after the facemask mandate was implemented. And even though we saw cases skyrocket after the mandates, proving the government was likely right the first time, now apparently the new narrative cannot be changed. And the big dumb media keeps promoting the lie as evidenced here...Haskins photographed maskless...instead of the obvious...Haskins photographed with his arm around a stripper with his face within 6 inches of her face.

 

TLDR version, the media is useless and should be ignored. If more people would come to that realization the better the world would be.

 

But now, look at this article I found on "the media".

 

At the start of the pandemic, stores quickly sold out of disinfectant sprays and wipes. People were advised to wipe down their packages and the cans they bought at the grocery store.

 

But scientists have learned a lot this year about the coronavirus and how it's transmitted, and it turns out all that scrubbing and disinfecting might not be necessary.

 

If a person infected with the coronavirus sneezes, coughs or talks loudly, droplets containing particles of the virus can travel through the air and eventually land on nearby surfaces. But the risk of getting infected from touching a surface contaminated by the virus is low, says Emanuel Goldman, a microbiologist at Rutgers University.

 

"In hospitals, surfaces have been tested near COVID-19 patients, and no infectious virus can be identified," Goldman says.

 

What's found is viral RNA, which is like "the corpse of the virus," he says. That's what's left over after the virus dies.

 

"They don't find infectious virus, and that's because the virus is very fragile in the environment — it decays very quickly," Goldman says.

 

https://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2020/12/28/948936133/still-disinfecting-surfaces-it-might-not-be-worth-it

[homer]

The recommendations change as you learn more about the virus.

 

And as for the media...I won't change anyone's minds on that in this thread but if all you're looking at is headlines and memes and watching cable news you aren't very well informed.

[CheezWizHed]

But now, look at this article I found on "the media".

 

At the start of the pandemic, stores quickly sold out of disinfectant sprays and wipes. People were advised to wipe down their packages and the cans they bought at the grocery store.

 

But scientists have learned a lot this year about the coronavirus and how it's transmitted, and it turns out all that scrubbing and disinfecting might not be necessary.

 

If a person infected with the coronavirus sneezes, coughs or talks loudly, droplets containing particles of the virus can travel through the air and eventually land on nearby surfaces. But the risk of getting infected from touching a surface contaminated by the virus is low, says Emanuel Goldman, a microbiologist at Rutgers University.

 

"In hospitals, surfaces have been tested near COVID-19 patients, and no infectious virus can be identified," Goldman says.

 

What's found is viral RNA, which is like "the corpse of the virus," he says. That's what's left over after the virus dies.

 

"They don't find infectious virus, and that's because the virus is very fragile in the environment — it decays very quickly," Goldman says.

 

https://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2020/12/28/948936133/still-disinfecting-surfaces-it-might-not-be-worth-it

 

Our work has requirements to daily clean our work areas and especially the "high touch" areas. The directions for cleaning is to leave the surface wet with the disinfectant for 10 minutes. (Which is especially amusing when they recommend the keyboard as one of the things to clean). Now, I've been into the office once in the last 6 months (when they put that in place), so it doesn't really bother me.

 

But it does make me chuckle when I see articles you quoted from NPR and the articles work pointed to for the reasons of the cleaning durations, then see people washing their carts before using them. Better off using them and cleaning your hands after.

[FVBrewerFan]

TLDR version, the media is useless and should be ignored. If more people would come to that realization the better the world would be.

 

If you ignore the media, how do you get your news? Just word of mouth? I think the key is to use a lot of different sources, not just ignore it. Unfortunately, you really have to dig deep these days because Google really tries hard to hide a different view of anything Covid related.

[TURBO]

Google hides anything that doesn't fit their agenda, it isn't just covid related topics.

[greeg35]

TLDR version, the media is useless and should be ignored. If more people would come to that realization the better the world would be.

 

If you ignore the media, how do you get your news? Just word of mouth? I think the key is to use a lot of different sources, not just ignore it. Unfortunately, you really have to dig deep these days because Google really tries hard to hide a different view of anything Covid related.

 

Seek legitimate alternative media on both sides. This can be daunting considering the sheer amount of information out there (much of it illegitimate); but I just picked one on each side to start and branched out from there. I use my dog walks and commutes to listen to podcasts. I go with Ben Shapiro on the right (insufferable but rationally lays out right wing ideas), and Briahna Gray Joy (Bernie's former press secretary) on the left. I don't really like or agree much with either of them; but I do get their well expressed and diverse views. I've added more on both sides, especially in summer when I have more time. The shallow coverage of the traditional media has become intolerable for me.

 

Edit: I also save time by skipping episodes/segments that don't interest me or that I already know their views on.

[CheezWizHed]

Seems like the vaccine is getting out faster than expected, which is good news. A friend of mine that works at a funeral home just got his first shot. He is the first person that I've heard of to get it that isn't in health care. Granted, he is older and has health issues, but the company got it for all of their workers.

 

Here's hoping for a positive turn in 2021!

[LouisEly]

Except for the hospital worker in Grafton who deliberately took 57 vials (500+ doses) out of the freezer and left them out to spoil.

[PeaveyFury]

Except for the hospital worker in Grafton who deliberately took 57 vials (500+ doses) out of the freezer and left them out to spoil.

 

Such a strange story.... I haven't heard much on the official 'motivation' for the actions, so that'll be interesting I'm sure.

[homer]

Seems like the vaccine is getting out faster than expected, which is good news. A friend of mine that works at a funeral home just got his first shot. He is the first person that I've heard of to get it that isn't in health care. Granted, he is older and has health issues, but the company got it for all of their workers.

 

Here's hoping for a positive turn in 2021!

 

I believe funeral directors are considered tier II...like people that work in outpatient clinics. so they would be in the group just after hospital employees to get the vaccine

[thebruce44]

First off, I am trilled to say that my wife delivered our new baby boy this morning at 4am.

 

Now the not so fun stuff. My mother-in-law flew out a week and a half ago to lend an extra set of hands since we also have a todler. I'll do my best to leave the politics out of this, but nearly a year of my wife and I being super careful was out the window when she showed up with a horrible cough. She tried to downplay her symptoms and said COVID isn't a big deal, but we eventually insisted that she either get a test or a hotel room. Well, the test was positive, then my wife tested positive a couple days later. I somehow continue to test negative as of 2 days ago and am still feeling relatively good. My wife had a miserable couple of days- coughing and working to breath isn't fun when you are 39 weeks pregnant. We tried to isolate from each other but it was pretty much impossible.

 

Anyway, I was not able to be there for the birth and wont get to see my new son until tomorrow at the earliest. Needless to say, its a pretty tense family situation at this point. I can understand how someone isn't concerned about getting COVID themselves, after all chances are they will be fine, but I can't understand how so many individuals continue to make decisions for others.

[TURBO]

First off, I am trilled to say that my wife delivered our new baby boy this morning at 4am.

 

Now the not so fun stuff. My mother-in-law flew out a week and a half ago to lend an extra set of hands since we also have a todler. I'll do my best to leave the politics out of this, but nearly a year of my wife and I being super careful was out the window when she showed up with a horrible cough. She tried to downplay her symptoms and said COVID isn't a big deal, but we eventually insisted that she either get a test or a hotel room. Well, the test was positive, then my wife tested positive a couple days later. I somehow continue to test negative as of 2 days ago and am still feeling relatively good. My wife had a miserable couple of days- coughing and working to breath isn't fun when you are 39 weeks pregnant. We tried to isolate from each other but it was pretty much impossible.

 

Anyway, I was not able to be there for the birth and wont get to see my new son until tomorrow at the earliest. Needless to say, its a pretty tense family situation at this point. I can understand how someone isn't concerned about getting COVID themselves, after all chances are they will be fine, but I can't understand how so many individuals continue to make decisions for others.

 

I probably shouldn't have this reaction since I don't know you are your MIL personally, but I'm pissed at her for doing that. Just completly inconsiderate. I almost can't believe it.

 

Geez, sorry you had to go through that.

 

EDIT: Oh, and congrats on the new family member!

[jerichoholicninja]

Perhaps just the media overblowing something like always but seems that there is a sizable amount of healthcare workers refusing the vaccine. My wife has been all trust the science, follow the rules, I work in healthcare so I know what's going on, etc. from the beginning but even she told me she's probably not going to get it and most of her co-workers have said the same.

[TURBO]

Perhaps just the media overblowing something like always but seems that there is a sizable amount of healthcare workers refusing the vaccine. My wife has been all trust the science, follow the rules, I work in healthcare so I know what's going on, etc. from the beginning but even she told me she's probably not going to get it and most of her co-workers have said the same.

 

Can you be more clear and tell me why?