Just had a family member test positive who has been fully vaccinated for 3 months with the Pfizer vaccine. As some studies have shown her symptoms have thankfully been less compared to if she didn't receive the vaccine at all. The worst part is the handicap family member she takes care of is now also positive with only receiving one vaccine and she's passed it onto a family member in her 80's who due to health conditions has only received one vaccine as well. This family member asked me to still come over and help out with some things while they are all positive...no way.

This all started because a few family members of mine refused to get the vaccine, think that the pandemic has been overblown, and have believed a number of conspiracy theories...

The seeming disparity between countries in new cases is interesting to me (e.g. US seems to be much lower now while others rising) as well as the death rate being much lower than it was. If I am being honest, I don’t have the fear of it I once did due to this.

Not saying I am not looking at transmission of it as something to be mindful of… but it does feel like things are significantly different than they were a few months ago?

https://www.cnn.com/2021/07/20/success/job-market-labor-incentives/index.html

"In May, Amazon announced plans to hire 75,000 people in fulfillment and transportation jobs with sign-on bonuses of up to $1,000 in many locations. Restaurants are also offering hiring bonuses. For instance, Junior's Restaurants in New York City is offering a $250 sign-on bonus to counter customer service/counter employees who remain employed at the restaurant for at least 30 days. And a job posting for a driving instructor in New York City is advertising a $1,500 signing bonus."

"For working parents, finding childcare can be a major roadblock to employment, especially as they return to the office after the pandemic. And some employers are addressing that problem to appeal to potential workers.

"Companies have been offering childcare benefits of many different types, not only to align with hybrid schedules, but also to attract workers regardless of their office schedules," said Andrew Hunter, co-founder of job search company, Adzuna."

"US franchisees of McDonalds, for example, recently announced plans to add emergency childcare to its benefits as part of a pilot program they hope will attract more workers, the Wall Street Journal reported."

The job market is getting hot. Competition for workers is stiff. Restaurants and food service always suck hind tit in this type of environment. Child care, I think, is big issue.

IMO, there is much ore at play than an extra stipend from the Feds.

Missouri:

“Cox Medical Center South, has been inundated just as quickly. “We only get beds available when someone dies, which happens several times a day,” Terrence Coulter, the critical-care medical director at CoxHealth, told me.”

https://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2021/07/delta-missouri-pandemic-surge/619456/

And yet:

https://thehill.com/policy/healthcare/563837-unvaccinated-say-vaccines-more-dangerous-than-covid-19-poll?amp

If a business can't be profitable without underpaid workers, then maybe it's not much of a business in 2021. Chipotle just had an awesome earnings report. They raised pay and benefits for their workers (with modest menu price increases) and had enough employees last quarter to accomplish this:

Revenue increased 38.7% to $1.9 billion
Comparable restaurant sales increased 31.2%
Digital sales grew 10.5% and accounted for 48.5% of sales
Operating margin was 13.0%, an increase from -0.4%
Restaurant level operating margin was 24.5%1, the highest since Q3, 2015, and an increase of 1,230 basis points
Opened 56 new restaurants including one relocation, and closed five

Pandemic is changing some things for the better. If some restaurants or other businesses can't keep up with the new way of doing things, maybe it's ok if they become a thing of the past.

we need to get a handle on this tipping thing.Having been a waiter when younger I remember working hard to give service worthy of a tip.So I consider myself a good tipper but these days tips are not so much earned as just expected.Employers need to pay a fair wage so customers are not paying the wages through tips.It all comes back to the customer paying anyway.

In office most of week...terrible social distancing. We’re in trouble and I think we all know it. Is there a mutation around the corner that chips away at our vaccinations even more?

I had a million people trying to talk to me in my office today..no mask. That’s just me. How do they react in public?? We’re fckd.

Lambda is looking worrisome. It’s similar to gamma, (Brazil), but likely worse. Not the best quality data coming out of Latin America, but what is there, ain’t good.

https://www.nationalgeographic.com/science/article/the-unusual-lambda-variant-is-rapidly-spreading-in-south-america-heres-what-we-know?cmpid=int_org=ngp::int_mc=website::int_src=ngp::int_cmp=amp::int_add=amp_readtherest

Running rampant in Peru and increasing in Chile for example. Possibly out competing delta in Chile. (So maybe higher R0) Chile has high vaccination rate BUT it is of the not very effective to begin with variety. (So maybe more evasive, or just simply due to vacccine). Not aware of a study of mRNA vaccines vs lambda (beyond pre print studies).

So…that’s something to keep an eye on.

Delta plus ain’t no picnic either. Who knows what delta plus plus (if/when it comes along) will bring.

I think it'll be me and you masked there.

I don't eat or drink out all that much, but these days when I do I tip at least 20%, often more if the service has been good, just because I know how much people in the service industry suffered through the pandemic and most bars and restaurants still have a fraction of pre-pandemic business.

I have also been tipping extra since the covid came to town.Most places have people who care and earn the extra.theres those that earn it and those who dont.My family owned a restaurant for years so I see both the need for tips as well just not a given as some think.

It's ironic that the big businesses that can afford to take the hit and survive are the ones that the government is targeting with promises of more taxes. So once all the mom and pop businesses become a "thing of the past " and all we are left with are the Amazons, Chipotle and McDonald's of the world the government will kick the crap out of them to pay for all their handouts. Not a bright future for the small business person.

I'm one of maybe 3 people wearing a mask in our office at the moment. If it makes you feel better, wear a mask just to be sure. Being fully vaccinated and wearing the mask will make it almost impossible to get infected. No one is going to say anything if they are cool.

Lambda? I wish people would just let us nerds alone because no-one's gonna really be free until nerd persecution ends

87526-twentieth_century_fox (resized).jpg

I'm still planning to set up my vendor booth, but 100% of the time I'll be masked. I might bring a face shield too. I'm also thinking how to set up my 10' x 10' space to optimize distancing, but it really isn't much space to work with.

I'm watching the mayo clinic map somebody posted a little while back. With one week to go I like the present situation that shows the entire Northeast and all states adjoining PA are "in the yellow". If this changes for the worse my attendance plan will change too.

-Rob
-visit https://www.kahr.us to get my daughterboard that helps fix WPC pinball resets or my Pinball 2000 H+V Video Sync Combiner kit

Just found out this morning. My wife's step fathers grandson died last night from Covid. Only 40 years old and his father has Covid now. None of them got shots. Fucking ridiculous. Get the shot people.

Well, back to delta, UK cases are continuing to fall - 39,906 today, 44,104 yesterday, 46,558 day before that.

Fingers crossed...

"Covid: China rejects WHO plan for second phase of virus origin probe"

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-china-57926368

I am saddened and unimpressed with this response, which supports suspicions about the lab escape theory and CCP attempts to cover this up. What has China got to hide? How on earth can the Chinese deputy health minister state that the auditing request from WHO (the basis of their work) shows an 'arrogance towards science'? It is at the heart of science. Moreover, his remarks show an arrogance towards the rest of the world and human life generally, I would say. China may have had a great year generally, but most other countries have suffered enormously, with officially 4.1 million deaths so far (and probably many more) Shame on the ruling CCP for this. Not glorious behaviour to exhibit in their centenary year.

"The WHO wants to audit laboratories in the area the virus was first identified.

But Zeng Yixin, deputy health minister, said this showed "disrespect for common sense and arrogance toward science"."

My wife's cousin's husband had the J&J vaccine a couple months ago. He thought he had a cold, but ended up testing positive for COVID-19 today. That's my first close experience with a vaccinated person catching it.

Hope you make it! Was looking to pick up a couple boards from you.

There is a ton of this going one. They say the J&J vaccine is worthless.

shots don't seem to be working. I know people who have had the J&J and Pfizer vaccines and still got it. I have a crazy insane liberal friend who went and got both vaccines because he said they are free and why not and his ass tested positive the other day. What a crap show.

Not good at all at preventing infection due to delta, but main goal is preventing severe covid. From what I have seen, still has value there.

Silver lining and all that.

No it is not worthless. It appears to prevent severe illness in most cases:

https://www.nbcboston.com/news/local/pfizer-moderna-jj-vaccines-efficacy-as-delta-variant-concerns-rise/2419162/

I think people may be confusing the results of the vaccines.It does not give you immunity from catching covid it gives you a better chance at not getting sick enough to need to be hospitalized or Dying.You can still catch and carry covid you just dont die

I just went for a Covid test a few hours ago. I've been having cold or allergy like symptoms and it's mandatory to get tested or not come into work if you have any symptoms. Plus I'm going to a mandatory vaxxed party this weekend with 25 friends where they've asked anyone with any signs to get tested.

It's funny, this is actually my first Covid test and it's months after I've been fully vaccinated. But the Delta variant has already hit a bunch of local vaccinated people, so we can't be too careful at this point. The process was a breeze, I made an appointment online for 20 minutes from then and drove over. We have a drive by testing center in an old auto emissions testing place, so they had 4 lanes of testing and a very short line. It's the newer self swab, the whole process took less than 5 minutes.

You can still catch it. You just won't die from it if your vaccinated. That's the big difference.

Well, I’d have to agree with Zeng. Common sense dictates that the Chinese have already destroyed or confiscated all relevant info from these labs. By purging their wet markets and wild animal vendors facilities- they have also destroyed any links to it originating from the wild. I’ll give China the benefit of the doubt here, it probably was a natural specimen mishandled in their lab..
The WHO had their chance when this started. Any scientist that didn’t say this originated from the wild was demonized and belittled. That wasn’t science. It didn’t matter, China wasn’t allowing a foreign investigation. They already knew.

Variants are infecting some vaccinated people, but the crappier show is definitively for the unvaccinated as a whole.

This is looking promising:

Covid infections time shifted and plotted over covid deaths. Go vaccines!

7814FFCF-E986-46A5-BE37-D376BF409083.jpeg

That is freaking impressive!!

That’s not how any of this works. Being a “liberal” or “conservative” has nothing to do with it. That kind of thinking is whats getting people in trouble lately.

The vaccines aren’t a 100%. The more you’re out around others that increases your chance of getting it. Im not saying your friend wasn’t careful but was he? Maybe he wasn’t wearing a mask or around others not wearing a mask? Maybe he’s with someone not vaccinated? You still have to be somewhat careful.

Your friend may not be as crazy as you think and lucky he was vaccinated first. He probably won’t have severe symptoms or need to be hospitalized. That’s where the vaccines are working.

I'm not sure I've heard of a confirmed case of someone who got the vaccine dying of COVID - or even being hospitalized due to COVID. That would mean they do, in fact, work.

This is older data from the CDC - https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/volumes/70/wr/mm7021e3.htm

But there are some small number of confirmed cases of fully vaccinated people dying. A notable quote from that link is "The median age of patients who died was 82 years".

It should be noted that these vaccines are spectacularly effective and unless you have medical reason not to get one, you should ASAP.

There’s a thread devoted to this.

"One of the last things they do before they're intubated is beg me for the vaccine. I hold their hand and tell them that I'm sorry, but it's too late," Cobia wrote in a Facebook post Sunday."

"A few days later when I call time of death, I hug their family members and I tell them the best way to honor their loved one is to go get vaccinated and encourage everyone they know to do the same," Cobia wrote."

https://www.cnn.com/2021/07/22/health/hospitalized-patients-covid-19-vaccine/index.html

This is nonsense. No one ever said they were 100% effective at preventing any infection and this new varient has shown to be more virulent. What it will do in the vast majority of cases is prevent severe illness or the need for hospitalization.

Meanwhile, 90% + of those overcrowding our hospital systems are those who chose not to get vaccinated . This shouldn't be happening and has to be demoralizing to our already exhausted medical providers.

Unfortunately it does happen, although significantly less so.

Just because you are young, fit and healthy does not mean that you are going to become seriously ill WHEN you come in to contact with the virus.
Currently in our ICU we have an 18yr old girl on mechanical ventilation. She tested positive just before her 18th birthday, but still decided to go ahead and have her party.
Who knows how many of the guests she passed it on to, or they in turn passed it on to more vulnerable friends and relatives.

It is a clear indication as to why I am not suited to be a clinician, as I would flatly refuse to treat her for such arrogance and stupidity.

While we deal with all of these people who do not want to get the vaccine (and we sure do not want to trample on their rights) people in other countries are wanting it bad.

https://www.cnn.com/2021/07/22/economy/vaccine-inequity-covid-who-economy-intl/index.html

"As rich countries with high vaccination rates like the US and the UK are beginning to open up, Delta and other coronavirus variants are forcing some countries to reinstate public health measures. Africa is currently facing its worst phase of the pandemic, and in South Africa hospitals have been overwhelmed with patients."

Go to this now familiar website, sort by "new deaths" and look at the "new cases" and "new deaths" and look at the charts for the top ten countries.

https://www.worldometers.info/coronavirus/

.

Maybe Canada is the place to be.

https://www.cnn.com/travel/article/canada-covid-visitors-trudeau/?hpt=ob_blogfooterold

" In order to avoid going into quarantine, travelers must provide proof of full vaccination at least 14 days prior to travel and a negative Covid-19 PCR test taken within 72 hours of entering Canada.

"Unvaccinated travelers will be required to self-isolate at home until the results of their Covid-19 test comes back negative.
Canada's Covid-19 case count has been dropping steadily and vaccinations have been ramping up, with nearly 70% of Canadians having received at least one dose.

Here are some stats from July 22nd:

US continues its upward trend with 56,069 new cases versus 52k, 42k in the preceding days.
Indonesia had 49,509 cases, up from 33k the day before. Almost the same number of cases as the US with 267 million people
Japan, our Olympic host, up to 5,366 cases, continuing the upward trend for the fourth day running.

Its interesting how many people think the vaccines make you immune from dying from COVID. Extrapolate that to the general population and this explains a lot of the carelessness going on around the world. COVID kills no matter how many vaccines you have had. It just helps your chances but does not make you immune to dying.

https://www.wsj.com/articles/some-vaccinated-people-are-dying-of-covid-19-heres-why-scientists-arent-surprised-11625227200

Some of the comments from people. (Sigh). Do they think that seat belts save all lives or prevent all injuries? Vaccines are like seat belts - they greatly reduce the likelihood of serious injury but they do not make you invincible. Yes, I know some people still don’t want to wear seat belts because someone told then they should. Risk mitigation not risk elimination. Nothing can eliminate all risk.

A bit of gallows humor.

8D265670-AA08-42B6-B52F-38C08B8029D2.jpeg

FALSE, unless "They" refer to people spreading misinformation.

FALSE

So, my wife's step father just learned that on top of the first family Covid death a few days ago his 79 year old sister is dying also. Turns out that she was to scared to get the shot. Doesn't like needles. She was in the hospital and they told her there was nothing else they could do. She decided to go and die at home. Go get the shot people.

Nice Olympic commercials showing everyone unmasked and socialising with a tear jerk sound track.