COVID-19

[gillianren]

BAUT holds to the belief that we should be able to discuss the pandemic without politics entering into the discussion.  There are some very simple issues at hand with anti-maskers and why the CDC decision was a bad one, but we can't have the conversation there.

[Glom]

With the surge vaxxing in Bolton, I bet it delays me getting mine. They probably think, now that the oldies are done, it's best to prioritise by hotspot. The South-West ain't a hotspot do back of the queue probably.

[Obviousman]

BAUT holds to the belief that we should be able to discuss the pandemic without politics entering into the discussion.  There are some very simple issues at hand with anti-maskers and why the CDC decision was a bad one, but we can't have the conversation there.

What decision is this?

[Peter B]

BAUT holds to the belief that we should be able to discuss the pandemic without politics entering into the discussion.  There are some very simple issues at hand with anti-maskers and why the CDC decision was a bad one, but we can't have the conversation there.

What decision is this?

I assume it's the new guideline that fully vaccinated people can ditch the mask.

I can see both sides of the argument, but there's also an interesting article here: https://www.abc.net.au/news/2021-05-19/americans-not-ready-to-give-up-covid-masks/100148084 (comment by First Lady Jill Biden made me chuckle, as did the media performance of NY Mayor Bill de Blasio).

[Glom]

With the surge vaxxing in Bolton, I bet it delays me getting mine. They probably think, now that the oldies are done, it's best to prioritise by hotspot. The South-West ain't a hotspot do back of the queue probably.

The lesson is to always make such comments to provoke the universe to embarrass you. Just got my text.

I will admit in my excitement following the link without checking. Fortunately the link was legit.

[gillianren]

I assume it's the new guideline that fully vaccinated people can ditch the mask.

I can see both sides of the argument, but there's also an interesting article here: https://www.abc.net.au/news/2021-05-19/americans-not-ready-to-give-up-covid-masks/100148084 (comment by First Lady Jill Biden made me chuckle, as did the media performance of NY Mayor Bill de Blasio).

That's the one.

Look, anti-maskers are just going to lie.  We haven't gotten a full six weeks since the date everyone became eligible for the shot.  My best friend just got her second shot last night, and my partner's due to get his Friday.  Which means our households weren't even clear to go maskless around one another yet, even leaving aside the fact that I have two children in my household who are too young to get the shot.  (They are both looking forward to it, which tells you how bad the last year and change has been!)  There is no mechanism for proving that you're vaccinated; we're just going to trust everyone, and some people have proved we shouldn't do that.  And it is very much influenced by politics.  Every poll shows that Republicans are less likely to get vaccinated than Democrats, and we should be able to talk about why that's so.

[grmcdorman]

There are three things that I find interesting about the reaction in the US and Canada (where I live):
* The hyper/political polarization of it in the US. Not only does the attitude fall right on the Republican/Democrat divide, if you rank states by percentage vaccinated, it's pretty much identical to sorting from Democrat to Republican support (with strong Republican states being at miserable rates, something like 30% at the low end).
* Canada, on the other hand, doesn't seem to have that political divide. Alberta, the Canadian equivalent of the US conservative strongholds, did have some opposition at the start of the year, but seems to have come around.
* Overall, the percentage of Canadians who won't get it is remarkably low, apparently around 14%.

Demand for vaccinations in Canada continues to outstrip supply, whereas in the US many areas are starting to have trouble maintaining their rate.

As for why Republicans don't trust it, I think it boils down to the message that the Republican pundits have been pushing for many years: a distrust of science. Tucker Carlson, in particular, continues to spew lies (implying, for example, that the vaccinations are killing people) on Fox with little to no pushback from the Republicans; see https://nationalpost.com/opinion/jesse-kline-no-tucker-carlson-vaccines-arent-killing-people-by-the-thousands

[gillianren]

Yup, but we can't have that conversation on BAUT, because the official stance of the leadership there is that there's nothing about the pandemic response that should require talking about politics.

[Peter B]

What amuses me about all this is that work colleagues occasionally quiz me about how I'm feeling after the vaccination, as though I'm their canary in the coalmine to determine whether they'll get vaccinated.

What baffles me is the way some people (not people where I work, I should emphasise) seem to be more scared of a 1 in 100,000 chance of getting likely non-fatal blood clots from the vaccine, than of a 1 in 100 chance of actually dying from COVID-19. I mean, my kids understood what I was getting at when we discussed it at dinner tonight, and the oldest of them is 13.

[JayUtah]

Yup, but we can't have that conversation on BAUT, because the official stance of the leadership there is that there's nothing about the pandemic response that should require talking about politics.

And absurd leadership policy like this is why I no longer read or contribute to BAUT.

[JayUtah]

My sister put this in family group chat.

Well, [JayUtah's brother-iin-law] got his 2nd dose yesterday. We had an eventful night. He passed out about 3 times, hitting his face on the counter; then leg muscle spasms and chills for about 30 minutes; then nausea. No sore arm, though.

So far that's the most severe reaction in our family.  He's a lieutenant in the Utah National Guard, so what conspiracy theory should I be applying?

[gillianren]

Meanwhile Graham is going to work today, the day after his, because he's feeling fine.

[molesworth]

My sister put this in family group chat.

Well, [JayUtah's brother-iin-law] got his 2nd dose yesterday. We had an eventful night. He passed out about 3 times, hitting his face on the counter; then leg muscle spasms and chills for about 30 minutes; then nausea. No sore arm, though.

So far that's the most severe reaction in our family.  He's a lieutenant in the Utah National Guard, so what conspiracy theory should I be applying?

Bill Gates is about to take over the US and is disabling all the National Guard troops as a first step

Seriously though, that's the worst reaction I've heard about, either via chats or in the media.  At worst, it mostly seems to hit like the flu so I think it might be worth him getting a check up in case there's something worse going on.

[Peter B]

What amuses me about all this is that work colleagues occasionally quiz me about how I'm feeling after the vaccination, as though I'm their canary in the coalmine to determine whether they'll get vaccinated.

What baffles me is the way some people (not people where I work, I should emphasise) seem to be more scared of a 1 in 100,000 chance of getting likely non-fatal blood clots from the vaccine, than of a 1 in 100 chance of actually dying from COVID-19. I mean, my kids understood what I was getting at when we discussed it at dinner tonight, and the oldest of them is 13.

*sigh*

I spoke too soon. Someone working at a desk near me said a couple of days ago that they weren't getting vaccinated any time soon "because what the doctors are telling us keeps changing", plus they're worried about blood clots.

On the other hand, the latest surge in cases in Melbourne, plus a 7-day lock down, has apparently led to a surge of people seeking vaccinations there.

I suppose our success in Australia in keeping case numbers right down has allowed people the chance to be complacent about vaccinations...

[Glom]

My arm hurts.

It was quite a slick operation. With all the bunting up, the place looked like some kind of spectacle or maybe even an attraction at Epcot.

Pfabulous.

I just hope this latest surge burns out soon once it encounters more heavily vaxxed areas.