Has nothing to do with "the science". This is no different than telling a 5 year old who won't listen "look. just do this thing for this short X amount of time ok? it'll be easy". When people act like selfish children they should expect to be treated as such. If people could just do this one simple thing maybe we wouldn't have to shut so much down. Maybe restaurants and bars could be open at a reduced capacity instead of just closed entirely.

Note: This isn't directed at o-din. I'm taking his comment as snarky satire for the most part. I hope that was the intent.

As if most of us have a choice. I'd assume most of aren't exactly at the front of the line.

I'll take it in several months when my number is up.

Bravo for you 'low riskers' supporting the economy and whooping' it up with a good time. FWIW, at this point it isn't about whether you will survive the disease. It's about maintaining hospital capacity and the safety/sanity of frontline healthcare workers. Your story might be a slap in the face to HCWs in MN and WI.

Retired HCWs are being asked to come out of retirement and help because there just aren't enough people to take care of the sick. Some of these retired HCWs have answered the call and died from Covid. There are tons of these stories, but here is one: https://people.com/health/retired-nurse-dies-after-getting-covid-from-student/

While I am on it, here are a few other things we shouldn't do:

Tell the Lifeguards that you are a strong swimmer, so the riptide warning doesn't apply to you.
Tell the Smoke Jumpers you know all about fire safety, so you can ignore the campfire ban.
Tell the Search and Rescue team you can hike alone without a map in the backcountry bc you have a good sense of direction and super survival skills.
Tell FEMA that you like to 'ride out the storm' like your daddy did one time and you know all about hurricanes.

There is more to the 100 day plan than that. It's just a start. You may not have read past the catchy, but dumb headline. Messaging could certainly use some work, but at least it's an actual plan that includes experts in the various fields. He's put quite a team together.

**Not definatively zero cases though actually, zero positive tests. Don't get mixed up.

Gonna guess it was your commentary attached to the quote.

But hey, I literally posted local news articles (that were written less than 24 hrs before pokerJake’s post, which I thought was amusing) with no personal commentary and got negative reactions too so....

We did get some of the data yesterday. Here is a summary...

https://yourlocalepidemiologist.com/phase-iii-data/?fbclid=IwAR0EZ-7-gHQppgShIFXDwPLXwAZgWwww1vO21WhmMZNps7n6SBKR2JnARD4

Who knew? The double pandemic everyone warned us about is actually Affluenza and Covid.

I read this article shortly after reading your post:
https://fortune.com/2020/12/08/restaurant-workers-say-the-pandemic-has-brought-fewer-tips-and-more-sexual-harassment/

It's not 100% effective.

Actually the vaccines are 90-95% effective in reducing severe COVID symptoms. Not 100%. So there is still some risk from exposure.

Secondly, both trials have only reported their primary endpoint which was prevention of symptomatic COVID. Their secondary endpoint is prevention of infection with coronavirus which we have not seen results from yet. It is possible that the vaccine is reducing symptoms but not preventing infection. We certainly hope it will prevent infection but we just don’t know yet.

Thirdly, the public health measures like masking, restricting public events and opening businesses are going to be based on COVID activity in the local population just as it is now. If a person gets the vaccine, even though they would be less likely to get severe symptoms, they will not be allowed to suddenly take off their mask and do as they please. Those regulations will go away once the infection rate in the community falls. If not enough people get the vaccine and COVID continues to spread in the unvaccinated population we will continue to have the same measures in place.

Lastly, of course whether you are vaccinated as an individual makes no difference in whether an event is high risk for everyone involved. You may be protected on that airplane but others may not be. So, whether airlines implement mandatory vaccination to fly is again a public health question, not one of whether you as an individual are at risk.

Thought of the day: It’s usually best to avoid stepping out on a limb unless you are sure that limb is solid.

That's not how this works.

I am not a medical worker, but my employer has determined that my job is essential and I have a letter from them that states that for anyone that requires it. So far, no one has asked for that letter. I wear a mask and gloves to work every day when I go to work and I am hopeful that I can get a vaccine. The sooner the better. I am curious when I can get it and how much it will cost. If what I hear on the news is correct, it sounds like it will be several months before people like me in the general population can get a vaccine. It almost sounds like by the time I can get a vaccine, I might not even need it.

Interactive map on percent hospital beds occupied by covid patients based on numbers released by feds on Monday:

https://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2020/12/09/944379919/new-data-reveal-which-hospitals-are-dangerously-full-is-yours#lookup

Edit: note that this is only general hospital beds. Says nothing about ICUs. Also, areas (like mine) may be triaging and sending home patients that would otherwise normally be admitted. Finally, Pennsylvania appears to have a couple counties with crazy outbreaks like Tioga County.

If you're prone to allergic reactions and plan on getting the vaccine they are not recommending at least the Pfizer one.

https://www.bbc.com/news/health-55244122

With around 16,000 tests a day with zero positive cases , 0 people in hospital and no traces in the sewage , I don't know what more you can do .
You should try being positive , you never know you just might like it .
Lots of other countries would love to be in our position .

It’s exactly how it works, I get the vaccine and don’t waste a minute of my time worrying about what other people decide to do.

Apparently, severe allergic reactions to the vaccine are already happening.

Kinda like saying it will be gone in the springtime as to not create panic? I could have sworn this dude said all his actions and recommendations would be based on science.

We can count down those 100 days and have a national "mask off day" when the time comes. Figure it's going to be late April, perhaps the beginning of May. I'm sure there will be a lot of people holding him to his exact words.

Ludicrous, everyone knows testing creates cases.

I think his point is....maybe you should

I know what his point was, but why? It’s unrealistic to think that you or I will be changing anyone’s mind on vaccines. At this point in the game people’s minds are made up one way or another. So I’ll just worry about what I can control, and that’s me.

Oaken is right. You should care. People in general should care.

Simple hypothetical:

You're the only one at your job that chooses to get vaccinated. The rest of the people at your workplace choose not to. Several of them contract the disease and cause a shutdown of the business. You are now out of work.

That's just one example, which is hyper-focused on "just you," which seems to be your mindset.

We could easily extrapolate out to much more important infrastructure, but quite honestly, if you don't see it from the example I illustrated above, you will never see it.

You do not live in a bubble. You are a member of a society of human beings living on a planet, being affected by planet-wide issues. Act like it.

I don't worry about what other people do all the time. If it's not my business, then it's not my business to worry. I think a lot of people get so worked up about what other people do when it's none of their business. People can do what they want within the scope of the law, being free is what makes this country great.

I understand, but pinball_gizzard had a couple good points why this is a collective and not an individual experience.

If we have a good sized active case load forever, this fire might never go out. So with that in mind a few things

1) Vaccine isn’t 100%. We also don’t exactly know how long it lasts. Still a risk for you.
2) policy is set by what’s happening in the community. Sure, you are safe, but things could still be restricted due to others.
3) of hospitals are still overloaded, your other medical needs may get differed.
4) the economy will still be beholden to the virus

You get the idea. Basically you may be safe from the direct health effects of the virus, but are still going to be subjected to the societal effects

It was also stated by the top infectious disease expert Dr. Fauci a few weeks ago that these initial vaccines would not control the spread or keep people from being contagious, but rather keep people who get it from getting severe symptoms.

Guys I get what you all are saying, and I do care. But I’m a realist, I know that there will be a decent percentage of people who won’t get the vaccine under any circumstances, no matter how much evidence is presented or shaming is done. So it’s a wasted effort for me or anyone else to worry or be concerned about their actions.The situation sucks all around, but I’ll continue to live my short life in the fullest possible way.

Actually, I'm thinking about just continuing to use masks after this whole thing ends. I haven't had a cold all year. Yeah, it will make eating pizza at pinball league more difficult, but that's my problem.

No, because the very people that would take part in a national “mask off” day won’t be wearing them in the first place.

Unsustainable daily rates here in PA: nearly 12,000 (!!!) new cases for Thursday.
(It's uncontrolled at that point).

https://www.pennlive.com/news/2020/12/covid-19-infections-accelerate-again-in-pa-deaths-continue-steep-climb.html

Sources tell me our Governor and state will institute new restrictions within the next 72 hours.
Hospital systems are weakening under the caseloads, meanwhile our "patriotic American" neighbors (and the Amish and Mennonites) who see this as against their Constitutional or religious rights, continue to refuse to heed masking and gathering guidance. Go figure.

People used to freak out when we had 1,200 new cases a day - that now seems so long ago...UGH.

First person receives Pfizer Covid-19 vaccine in UK

vaxcine (resized).jpg

*Heavy sigh*.. I guess you weren't being sarcastic. You're really going to compare telling the public it's no big deal it'll go away no problem to an actual effort to get people to do something that might actually help?

Plus the "just do this for a short time thing" is just a trick to get kids to do something.. It's easier to get them to keep doing the thing once they've already been doing it. Same logic is being applied here. Those 100 days will probably be much longer.. probably at least half a year (till we can get the majority of people vaccinated).

I have yet to see a flu case this season. I suspect it's because of masking and hand washing.

I understand we're getting trolled on the 100 day plan thing, but I am always glad to toss a few kibble if I think it may help. Here is some detail of what the new administration wants to accomplish in the first 100 days: (source: https://www.washingtonpost.com/health/biden-covid-100-days-plan/2020/12/08/16e0a47e-3965-11eb-98c4-25dc9f4987e8_story.html)

- 100 million vaccinations - unclear if this meant 100m people or 50m w/2 shots each
- Include teachers in the initial vaccination plans (after HCWs and long term care residents/workers) to help open schools safely, majority of schools back open and in person the first 100 days
- Include FUNDING to schools to help them open safely - no school has any budget for this
- Masks mandated to the extent federal gov't can mandate - federal buildings, interstate transportation - buses, trains, planes, etc
- Appeal to all to wear masks, although the feds cannot mandate everyone wear them
- Accelerate testing, improve PPE supply chain, and vaccine distribution infrastructure
- Named most of the new team including naming Fauci the Chief Medical Advisor on Covid-19, Fauci's helped develop the 100 day plan

Most new administrations talk about their 'first 100 days' plan and this one is no different. The 100 day emphasis has nothing to do with how long anyone should expect to wear a mask.

Has this been posted, if so, my apologies for duplicating.
If not, I'd appreciate pinball gizzard's take:

https://rairfoundation.com/warning-renowned-virologist-sucharit-bhakdi-warns-against-hastily-created-gene-altering-coronavirus-vaccine-video/

What would you have the Prez. Elect do? He does not have the ball to run with for another 40 days or so. We have been through the last 9 months of "we have it under control". "By summer, it will be gone." "One day we will wake up and it will all go away."

I am cognizant of your argument that, in the end, maybe there is nothing we can do. But is that a reason not to try?

Here is where "we have it under control" has gotten us.

When we are going to be really hosed is when those in the medical community get to the point they say screw it, we are tired, we are dying, we get no respect from the outside world. We are going home to our families and just ride it out with everybody else. And if no one likes it, tough shit.

Today, we are at 299,614 deaths in the U.S. Tomorrow will be 300K plus.

Screen Shot 2020-12-10 at 7.11.00 PM (resized).png

I'll ask again. What should Biden be doing while he waits in the wings for the WH to clear out?

It's only a dolla.... I mean It's only another 100 days. Problem is that it has been 250 days already as I have done my part and wore a mask even where not required. Another 40 days til the hundred day mandate means almost 400 days of fun.
I've done my part and things are getting worse in the Midwest. I say open restaurants back to 50% occupancy since the mask idea now seems like a farce.

Right on Jaybird , all you can do is your bit , if other people don't give a shit or don't care , well that's on them , at least you know you've done your part .

Meanwhile in Australia .
We're normally good at this type of stuff but our vaccine makes you test positive to HIV ( false positive ) .
You win some you lose some .

Masks aren’t working as good as they should bc of non-compliance, poor mask technique, and poorly constructed masks. We need mandates, PSA’s for mask education, and freely available high quality masks. Should have had it for 9 months now.

Thanksgiving travel cases are just starting to hit the hospitals. 3000 people a day are dying right now. No amount of ‘opening up’ policy gets me into a restaurant, movie theater, pinball event, public restroom, etc.

Just from reading the initial intro to it, it’s not worth my time or yours. When they call it the “Chinese coronavirus” in the first paragraph you can pretty much move on.

Also, google RAIR foundation USA and see what you come up with.

Lots of conspiracy theories in there, get your tin foil out!

Instead of commenting on that video or the website that posted it, I will answer the question that I think is behind your curiosity. I’ve had several patients ask me about these mRNA vaccines and whether they are safe. Here’s how they work:

In a conventional vaccine we take either inactivated viral particles or pieces of virus and inject that into the body. Your immune system sees those particles and forms antibodies against them. Then when you get infected with the actual virus, your immune system has already seen it and reacts quickly to kill it. This way you don’t get sick.

Ok before going into what an mRNA vaccine is, we need to understand a little of how a cell works. Your cells have DNA in them which contains all the information that the cell needs to do its job. This is your “genetic code”. When a cell needs to make a protein, mRNAs (messenger RNA) is made off of the DNA strand that encodes that particular protein. Those mRNA strands go out into the cell and the cells protein making machinery accept that message and start making the protein.

Ok, now in an mRNA vaccine we make mRNA that encodes for a specific protein that is on the virus we are trying to vaccinate against. If we were to inject that virus like a conventional vaccine, your immune cells would see that same protein on the virus and make antibodies against it. The mRNA is contained inside a carrier that enables it to get into the muscle cells where it is injected. Those cells take that mRNA and start to make the protein, just as they would any other mRNA. The difference is this time they are making the protein that is on the viral capsule that we want the immune system to react against. The protein is put out into the bloodstream and your immune system reacts to it just as if it were stuck onto the actual virus. Boom, antibodies.

The benefits of mRNA vaccines is they are faster to make than standard vaccines and there is no possibility of getting an infection from the vaccine since there isn’t any actual virus present.

By the way this crap about “gene altering vaccine” is just that, crap. It’s scare mongering trying to feed off the fact that most people don’t understand how cellular machinery works. mRNA is made off of DNA, it doesn’t change or alter the DNA.

Hope that helps.

The past 2 days saw more deaths than 9/11 each day.
Just look how the country came together 19 years ago....
Yet America argues about facemasks.
Shameful.

This is interesting. Looks like the first dose does a surprisingly good job alone.

https://twitter.com/zeynep/status/1337047714341785605

We have all probably seen it in one form or another:

Writing for Foreign Policy, Tyson Barker described Bhakdi as a prominent example from a "crop of debunked but credentialed so-called experts minting conspiracy theories and undermining fact-based information".[29] The German non-profit Correctiv fact-checked one of Bhakdi's YouTube videos, and found a number of problematic claims, including the claim that any COVID-19 vaccine would be "pointless", and that the virus posed no more threat than influenza.[30]

I get the sentiment. But there are still people on the bubble out there. People teetering on the edge of science and conspiracy theory. It's important to let people know where you stand on these issues, because the conspiracy theory idiots have made their claim on some of the undecideds of late with their sexy videos and memes.

The mask idea is not a farce there is a HUGE overwhelming gigantic pile of evidence that they work. Look at the asian countries who have near 100% compliance. They're pretty much back to normalish. Other eastern countries as well. Yes you (and I) have been doing our part but there is a HUGE number of americans that haven't been. THAT is why we aren't seeing the decline we should be or at least a slower rise.

Same here - we will probably witness the lowest number of casualties due to the flu for several decades.

Add to that that there were more people vaccinated against the flu (stronger recommendations to do so this year, if only to avoid being hospitalized among too many covid patients).