How can there not be a COVID-19 thread?

[SuperMatt]

I glanced at the number for COVID deaths (average) for Feb 2. 2,658 for America, 10,466 for the world. America has over 25% of COVID deaths, and less than 5% of the world’s population (~330 million out of ~7.5 billion). What a disaster.

While a bunch of far-right nuts scream that vaccine mandates are equivalent to the Holocaust, Austria‘s parliament is finalizing a law to mandate vaccines for everybody. Germany may follow suit.

Austria’s sweeping Covid vaccine mandate is becoming law. (Published 2022)

The measure requires almost everyone 18 or over to be vaccinated against the coronavirus, a wider-ranging mandate than any other European country has yet imposed.

www.nytimes.com

Why are some countries handling the pandemic far better than others? One study indicates the answer might be: how much people trust their own government.

https://wapo.st/34CHqJu

(paywall removed)

Before 2020, Vietnam looked particularly vulnerable to a pandemic. The Southeast Asian country, a single-party state with nearly 100 million people, scored low on international assessments of universal health coverage and had relatively few hospital beds for its population, as well as a closed-off political system.

Instead, Vietnam emerged as an early pandemic success story. Long after the coronavirus began to spread in neighboring China, Vietnam maintained low levels of infections and fatalities even as wealthy countries with more robust health systems, including the United States and much of Europe, struggled.
A new study of pandemic preparedness across 177 countries and territories appears to have found a key element in Vietnam’s success: trust.
Thomas Bollyky, one of the study’s authors, said Vietnam should have failed in the fight against the coronavirus, according to traditional tenets of preparedness.

 

[User.45]

I glanced at the number for COVID deaths (average) for Feb 2. 2,658 for America, 10,466 for the world. America has over 25% of COVID deaths, and less than 5% of the world’s population (~330 million out of ~7.5 billion). What a disaster.

While a bunch of far-right nuts scream that vaccine mandates are equivalent to the Holocaust, Austria‘s parliament is finalizing a law to mandate vaccines for everybody. Germany may follow suit.

Austria’s sweeping Covid vaccine mandate is becoming law. (Published 2022)

The measure requires almost everyone 18 or over to be vaccinated against the coronavirus, a wider-ranging mandate than any other European country has yet imposed.

www.nytimes.com

Why are some countries handling the pandemic far better than others? One study indicates the answer might be: how much people trust their own government.

https://wapo.st/34CHqJu

(paywall removed)

Sadly, this takes us back to the issue of value systems. Austria values the lives of their citizens higher than America does.

 

[Eric]

Taken out by the vaccine in the prime of his life!

 

[Clix Pix]

That's disgusting, some antivax asshole trumpeting nonsense about the elderly Prince Philip (who in fact already did have health problems, not unexpected at his age)....

 

[Herdfan]

Just wondering what some other opinions are on this. I knew Kyrie Irving couldn't play home games at the Barclay's Center because NYC has a vaccine mandate and he is unvaxxed.

At this point, I didn't think much of it because it is a rule and he is willing to accept the consequences of it. But then I learned this today:

Silver: NYC vax rule for Kyrie makes no sense

NBA commissioner Adam Silver said Wednesday on ESPN's Get Up that the New York City vaccination mandate preventing Nets guard Kyrie Irving from playing in home games "doesn't quite make sense to me."

www.espn.com

So, he can play in MSG, also in NYC because there he is a visiting player. In fact, unvaxxed visiting players can play in both arena's, but "home" players can't.

Can't wrap my head around how this makes sense.

 

[fischersd]

Just wondering what some other opinions are on this. I knew Kyrie Irving couldn't play home games at the Barclay's Center because NYC has a vaccine mandate and he is unvaxxed.

At this point, I didn't think much of it because it is a rule and he is willing to accept the consequences of it. But then I learned this today:

Silver: NYC vax rule for Kyrie makes no sense

NBA commissioner Adam Silver said Wednesday on ESPN's Get Up that the New York City vaccination mandate preventing Nets guard Kyrie Irving from playing in home games "doesn't quite make sense to me."

www.espn.com

So, he can play in MSG, also in NYC because there he is a visiting player. In fact, unvaxxed visiting players can play in both arena's, but "home" players can't.

Can't wrap my head around how this makes sense.

Simple - the NBA should have had the balls to mandate that all of their players be vaccinated. Not having done so, there's always going to be corner cases when they have any rules allowing unvaccinated players to play.

I'd say "now that we're moving into an endemic" - but the US still doesn't have the vaccination rates that they can start treating Covid like the flu. Maybe if a less severe variant of Omicron evolves, so no-one ends up in hospital or dying?

 

[SuperMatt]

I posted an article not long ago showing that countries with high public trust handled the pandemic the best. I really enjoyed this essay by Colby King discussing a time when people trusted each other and their government more. He asks the question: can we ever get back there?

https://wapo.st/3sOiIxX

(paywall removed)

 

[Deleted member 215]

Well, here we go:

More contagious version of omicron spreads in U.S., fueling worries

The omicron BA.2 variant spreads about 30% more easily and has caused surges in other countries. Its steady increase in the U.S. raises questions about the wisdom of rolling back COVID restrictions.

www.npr.org

The headlines will be nothing but “surging” and “soaring” soon and I suspect mask mandates will be back by the beginning of next month.

 

[SuperMatt]

I just saw that the daily average case count in America dropped below 100,000.

89K as of Feb 21.

I hope it keeps going down!

 

[User.45]

Well, here we go:

More contagious version of omicron spreads in U.S., fueling worries

The omicron BA.2 variant spreads about 30% more easily and has caused surges in other countries. Its steady increase in the U.S. raises questions about the wisdom of rolling back COVID restrictions.

www.npr.org

The headlines will be nothing but “surging” and “soaring” soon and I suspect mask mandates will be back by the beginning of next month.

on a lighter note

 

[Herdfan]

I'm sure some of you won't be happy about this, but I probably won't be either (I doubt they will remove the mandate for planes):

CDC to significantly ease pandemic mask guidelines Friday

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Biden administration will significantly loosen federal mask-wearing guidelines to protect against COVID-19 transmission on Friday, according to two people familiar with the ma…

www.wowktv.com

 

[MEJHarrison]

I'm sure some of you won't be happy about this, but I probably won't be either (I doubt they will remove the mandate for planes):

CDC to significantly ease pandemic mask guidelines Friday

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Biden administration will significantly loosen federal mask-wearing guidelines to protect against COVID-19 transmission on Friday, according to two people familiar with the ma…

www.wowktv.com

They can do whatever they like. I can still wear my mask, do social distancing, avoid unnecessary trips out, and so on all I like. And I will until I feel comfortable doing otherwise. It's not going to hurt me to wait 4-6 weeks to see how those new directives play out. Hopefully it goes smoothly and there are no major problems or flare-ups.

 

[Deleted member 215]

Hmm...have to wonder how much of the relaxations have to do with the fact that this is a Midterm year

 

[Herdfan]

Hmm...have to wonder how much of the relaxations have to do with the fact that this is a Midterm year

That would be the "political science" as opposed to the science "science".

In all seriousness, at this point I am not sure it will have much effect. Most Red states did away with mandates months ago and in the Blue states, people supported them. So for national elections (House/Senate) I don't think it will matter.

 

[Eric]

I'm sure some of you won't be happy about this, but I probably won't be either (I doubt they will remove the mandate for planes):

CDC to significantly ease pandemic mask guidelines Friday

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Biden administration will significantly loosen federal mask-wearing guidelines to protect against COVID-19 transmission on Friday, according to two people familiar with the ma…

www.wowktv.com

I support the easing of restrictions as long as the case rates stay low, for me it's a nice break from all the paranoia that I've been facing over the last 2 years. I'll still mask up in tight public settings but won't be so concerned about everyone else.

 

[SuperMatt]

I support the easing of restrictions as long as the case rates stay low, for me it's a nice break from all the paranoia that I've been facing over the last 2 years. I'll still mask up in tight public settings but won't be so concerned about everyone else.

I’m happy to see the cases dropping precipitously and hearing that mask restrictions will be eased. Vaccination rates are much higher than they were at the beginning of the Delta surge, and the Omicron variant is less deadly than Delta. I worry about some new variant or another surge. But, if that starts, we can all easily “mask up” again. We might not be at full “herd immunity” yet but I think we are pretty darn close.

 

[SuperMatt]

Yet another study pours cold water on the “Chinese lab leak” theory of COVID-19’s origin:

New Research Points to Wuhan Market as Pandemic Origin (Published 2022)

Two new studies say the virus was present in animals at the Huanan seafood market in 2019.

www.nytimes.com

(paywall removed)

 

[User.45]

Yet another study pours cold water on the “Chinese lab leak” theory of COVID-19’s origin:

New Research Points to Wuhan Market as Pandemic Origin (Published 2022)

Two new studies say the virus was present in animals at the Huanan seafood market in 2019.

www.nytimes.com

(paywall removed)

Again, this is what ruins Republicans credibility. They are willing to treat unsubstantiated hypotheses as facts and build attacks purely on these, but insist on higher levels of evidence for theories that one by now can consider facts.

So much time and so little corroborative evidence for the lab leak.

 

[SuperMatt]

Again, this is what ruins Republicans credibility. They are willing to treat unsubstantiated hypotheses as facts and build attacks purely on these, but insist on higher levels of evidence for theories that one by now can consider facts.

So much time and so little corroborative evidence for the lab leak.

Yes. I doubt this latest study will stop right-wing media from insisting the opposite, or Rand Paul from spewing nonsense at another hearing.

 

[User.45]

Yes. I doubt this latest study will stop right-wing media from insisting the opposite, or Rand Paul from spewing nonsense at another hearing.

Rand Paul will never concede and admit he was wrong and unjust with Fauci.