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Post by Ian Wolf-Park on Jul 2, 2021 15:07:29 GMT -5
Ontario is now in the 2nd stage of the reopening stage, although the Delta variant is still a concern. And again, like the previous wave, my city is a Delta variant hotspot, so the government decided to accelerate the 2nd dose. Instead of waiting for September, I'm now getting my 2nd shot in a couple of weeks.
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Post by Geo 🇺🇦 🌻 on Jul 2, 2021 15:12:08 GMT -5
So a Delta variant update here is that some counties in places in southern Missouri have seen a huge surge in cases and their hospital system is overwhelmed. Thus, they’ve been sending patients to Kansas City and St. Louis area hospitals. The vaccination rate varies by county in my area with my county leading the metro at around 60 percent fully vaccinated.
Still, our city can’t afford a surge as well if we are taking patients from outside of our community in order to help out rural hospital systems.
If I’m gathering with people where I do not know their vaccination status, I’ve been still wearing a mask. If it’s a group I know for sure has everyone vaccinated, I’ve stopped wearing mine.
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Post by Carolyn on Jul 11, 2021 8:46:45 GMT -5
So... The US is getting overrun with Delta. My mother wants to go to a choir festival today and is insistent on it. And last night they got an email that a bass singer who was at the practice got a breakthrough Covid-19 case despite being fully vaccinated and I'm like KJDLSFJDLSFJSDFL because they DON'T require masks and my mom really wants to go. She did not go to any of the practices, thank goodness, but... I'm really upset right now. Like, ready to cry upset.
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Post by Geo 🇺🇦 🌻 on Jul 11, 2021 9:00:41 GMT -5
What I’ve heard is most breakthrough infections aren’t severe, but rarely, they could be if you have underlying conditions. I realize that this may not be reassuring to everyone. 99 percent of hospitalized COVID-19 patients are unvaccinated and those that are vaccinated usually recover.
At this point, for vaccinated people, it’s about how much risk you are willing to tolerate. Especially after being under pandemic measures for so long, it’s a hard sell to keep them for those who are vaccinated. I’ll admit my mask wearing has become much more lax lately. I will wear it if I am required to or I’m known to be in an area where vaccination rates are low.
I’m heading to Minnesota next weekend to visit a college campus where my brother will go see the campus. The vaccination rate is in like the 70 to 80 percent in the immediate area. But since I don’t know the people around me, I will still keep a mask on in crowded places.
The major concern is still the under-vaccinated hotspots like the neighboring state… Missouri.
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Post by Kat on Jul 12, 2021 6:52:39 GMT -5
It's been two weeks since my grandpa, my mom and I got our second doses of Sinovac so we've reached full protection. Of course, we're not dropping the masks any time soon or going out whenever we want. My boyfriend is still quite cautious since on his end, their city government ran out of vaccine doses so his second is delayed and he doesn't want to see me until his protection is also complete. I know that's 100% reasonable especially with the Delta variant out and about but nnnnnnn the last time I saw him face to face was in December.
I asked the city hall if they have any arrangements for home services for my grandmother who can't leave the house (and who is already starting to ask about the vaccine) and my sister who's extremely afraid. They don't, not yet. And no word yet on when my dad's company is getting their vaccines.
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Post by Lizica on Jul 12, 2021 17:40:36 GMT -5
Reading articles about studies into how immunosuppressive meds could potentially affect someone's covid vaccine reaction and protection, and how scientists are still uncertain about so much, and. *sighs loudly and heavily and slump-slides down my chair until I'm huddled under my desk* Some protection is definitely better than none, depending on how much turns out to be true, and I know even receiving a vaccine at all is a privilege, and I'm so grateful for all the strides science has made in trying to figure this out, but also...we're so not in the clear yet, and seeing some people going out flaunting their bare faces and being careless and/or obnoxiously inconsiderate because "things are finally back to normal" just makes me so angry, and sad, and scared, and tired. ...Also gonna give my own post some mood whiplash here. I put this together a couple months ago after I got my vaccine, but I never shared it because it felt sort of...wrong? disrespectful? tone deaf? --to post something so lighthearted and silly in such a serious thread. But I still kinda like it, and maybe we still need some lighthearted silly stuff sometimes during this mess. "PI-PIKACHU!!! \ o /" ...Butyeah, that's the little badge pin I got with my first dose! xD (It's the only pin I've been putting on my easy-to-throw-in-the-laundry purse.) Please consider this your "YEAH!! GO YOU!!" if you got your vaccine, or a "HANG IN THERE!! YOU CAN DO IT!!" if you haven't yet. <3 Keep staying safe and being awesome, you all. *hugs*
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Post by Allison on Jul 13, 2021 20:49:31 GMT -5
So a Delta variant update here is that some counties in places in southern Missouri have seen a huge surge in cases and their hospital system is overwhelmed. Thus, they’ve been sending patients to Kansas City and St. Louis area hospitals. The vaccination rate varies by county in my area with my county leading the metro at around 60 percent fully vaccinated. Still, our city can’t afford a surge as well if we are taking patients from outside of our community in order to help out rural hospital systems. If I’m gathering with people where I do not know their vaccination status, I’ve been still wearing a mask. If it’s a group I know for sure has everyone vaccinated, I’ve stopped wearing mine. Heh. Yeah. Things are getting.... interesting in Missouri, that's for sure. I live in the St. Louis Metro area, and work in St. Louis County and St. Louis proper. I've not been wearing a mask if it says it's optional for those who are vaccinated, for the most part, but am starting to be more cautious again. I've also been wearing it in stores taht says it's "recommended" for everyone. It's this weird balance of wanting to trust the science of the vaccine and the CDC guidance and not wanting to wear a mask anymore, while still being a bit... weirded out by COVID in general. Bleh. While I'm glad things have opened up again, I long for things to really feel "normal" again, and they don't. COVID sucks!
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Post by Gelquie on Jul 17, 2021 18:19:13 GMT -5
Aaand cases are rising again. In large part due to the more transmissable variant.
An NPR report has called it a "pandemic of the unvaccinated," and for the most part that seems true. Vaccinated people have gotten infected, but at the reduced rate that's expected. The vaccines still work against the variant. Still, that's a non-zero chance. And meanwhile...
I don't really see anyone wearing a mask anymore. Even for crowded or close-quarters places. And my own family has gotten more complacent. And I kinda get it; after a year of hardcore pandemic lockdown, people want to let loose a little. But... The vaccination rates and the amount of people I see without a mask are not adding up. The signs at some places requiring masks for unvaccinated or undervaccinated folks aren't doing anything, because no place is really checking anything, and people will lie.
I've still been wearing my masks, and I'm one of the few who do. In part it's just in case I happen to be that outlier who gets that breakthrough case, in which case I won't feel well and there's a good chance I'd infect family or other people. I know there's other people who may be unvaccinated or not as protected due to reasons that aren't due to conspiracy theories or the like. People who have medical conditions, are older, are too young, or etc. They're still at risk through basically no fault of their own, and that makes me uneasy in wake of the "lol whatevs" I see from the general public about the pandemic anymore. For now, I'm just seeing the data and waiting for the other shoe to drop on guidelines.
Anyway, there's a festival going on here, and I decided to check out the vendors (basically the only part I was interested in), and... yeahno. The crowds were so much, and through all of them I saw one person wearing a mask. And yeah, it was hot; I was sweating a bit under my mask. But it was still too close-quarters for my liking. And I have my doubts that all of these people are vaccinated and infection-free. (Plus, I don't like crowds anyway. xD ) Even though I was wearing a mask, I ended up booking it pretty quickly, and pretty much only bought one thing that was easy to get, because I still wanted to support local businesses. Didn't bother doing my original plan of trying food truck food, because that's where the crowds were biggest and there were lines for all of them.
(But at least the store trip I made after was pretty chill, relatively. The parking lot was full because Event, but the store itself was not.)
For the most part I don't mind wearing a mask. And between that and the vaccination, I don't feel nearly as hesitant going out in public to do things, and it's helped a lot mentally and practically. So far it's worked pretty well for me. I still time it with my showers-with-hairwashes because... I dunno, I know it's probably excessive, but I'm a germaphobe and don't like feeling dirty. xD If I manage to land a job that ends up being in-person, I'm sure I'd have to modify some things, but I'm not there yet.
The only drawback to the masks is the whole glasses thing. I've been using an anti-fog spray, which doesn't work as well in the winter, but it's generally fine during the summer if I apply it right. But I also got some new masks with a better nose wire, which has helped a lot. I definitely need an insert for them, though; it says it's triple-layer but it looks like thin material for each. It hasn't gotten me in trouble yet, but I'd like that extra security. I'm thinking about sewing something together from old clothes that are just too far gone for anything but around-the-house stuff. That way I'll free up storage space and can just throw those inserts in the laundry. Unfortunately I have few sewing skills and no sewing machine, but maybe I can find instructions somewhere. (I wonder how well small handheld sewing machines work? I've thought about buying one since I'm not sure how serious I am about sewing yet, but I don't wanna bother if they're near useless.)
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Post by Ian Wolf-Park on Jul 17, 2021 20:42:15 GMT -5
Just yesterday, more restrictions in my area were lifted, which is a good thing as were close to being back to normal pre-pandemic, or at least, before those restrictions hit us hard with the 2nd and third waves.
I also got my second dose earlier today. It ended up being Moderna, so yeah, I'm one of those who ended up with mixed vaccines.
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Post by Thorn on Jul 18, 2021 17:46:19 GMT -5
Robot Phone Voice: "You are at position 2 in this queue" ARGHHHH plz hurry up, I just want to know if I have to go get a swab shoved up my nose. ;-;
EDIT: yes yup am getting a swab today. Am anxioussad. Dx It looks so scary, everyone I've talked to either says it's uncomfortable or ticklish, which is fine but I am a worrier and I worry it will be BADPAIN ARGH. I can usually make myself feel better by giving myself something to look forward to in the evening, but nothing is helping much. Maybe I will order some new dice or something haha.
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Post by Geo 🇺🇦 🌻 on Jul 27, 2021 14:55:10 GMT -5
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Post by Celestial on Jul 27, 2021 15:06:29 GMT -5
Good luck, US. And stay safe, everyone.
If it's any consolation, it looks like Delta burns itself out rather quickly. Here in the UK, cases are falling rapidly against all predictions. In Scotland, they have been falling steadily for the past three or so weeks. But we also have a very high vaccination rate (89.5% of all adults in Scotland, only a percentage or so lower in England). So, that may end up being a factor. Heck, it probably will.
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Post by Geo 🇺🇦 🌻 on Jul 27, 2021 15:20:15 GMT -5
Good luck, US. And stay safe, everyone. If it's any consolation, it looks like Delta burns itself out rather quickly. Here in the UK, cases are falling rapidly against all predictions. In Scotland, they have been falling steadily for the past three or so week. But we also have a very high vaccination rate (89.5% of all adults in Scotland, only a percentage or so lower in England). So, that may end up being a factor. Heck, it probably will. That’s good to hear for your area. The main problem here is most areas here are lucky to even be above 50 percent vaccination rate. My county is the highest in Kansas with 50.6 percent fully vaccinated. Most of the areas here are in the 40s so the likelihood of breakthrough infection is more substantial; there’s just a lot of virus out there. Vaccinations are picking up slightly, but it remains to be seen if it continues to move up. Current models predict our surge of delta will peak in October. www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2021/07/22/1019475669/delta-variant-will-drive-a-steep-rise-in-covid-deaths-model-shows
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Post by Gelquie on Jul 27, 2021 17:10:54 GMT -5
My opinion re: the CDC update... it's really about time, albeit really late to the game.
I could understand not reversing it back when the numbers were actually low. I still didn't feel great about it as I knew it would increase the risk at some point, but at least it statistically made sense. But recently, in response to the variant, the numbers had been increasing back to mid-pandemic levels, to the point that seeing people treat everything as "back to normal" made absolutely 0 sense. (It and conversations on mandates being Too Inconvenient and thus Bad also bordered on insulting, considering the stakes and how it affects vulnerable people. =\ ) I really didn't understand why restrictions weren't being put back up, considering the change.
So I'm happy to see the mandate back, although I bet I'll see all sorts of pushback, especially in my state. I don't know how many people and places will actually take it seriously. But I'd already been trying to cut back on trips to places because of the numbers. I'm vaccinated, so I'm in better shape and might be okay, but I might get unlucky and not be okay, or possibly transmit to other family members who are more vulnerable than me.
But I never stopped wearing my mask, so I guess not much has really changed for me. Good thing I like my masks, and I got some that has better nose wires, so that helps glasses-wise. (Maybe I'll get serious about getting some contact lenses, though, before it gets colder. Since it seems like it'll still be a while before it can truly be said this is all said and done.)
It is sad, though, that this still has to drag out. I have thought about visiting places, visiting people, but I don't think that's practical now, especially people who are more vulnerable. It makes me wonder how long this'll go on.
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Post by Lizica on Aug 1, 2021 18:14:36 GMT -5
I hope people will heed the new mask recommendations properly. When you live in a place with low vaccination rates, it's kinda hard not to be scared and suspicious of anybody who walks around maskless, because you can't tell if they've been vaccinated or are just being staunchly irresponsible. ='D
A family member is coming to visit us later this month, and while on the one hand it'll be awesome to see her because I haven't seen her in person since early 2020--I am mostly just so anxious about it, on account of *waves broadly* and I do NOT trust airports and airplanes yet, even if they actually do make people wear masks during the entire flight. And if the quarantine period really is around ten days for the variant, that is...a long time to have a visitor in your house that you want to see but also need to be distanced from and wear masks around and be concerned about where they're breathing. I want to be more excited, but also just...aaaugh. oTL She says she'll be double-masked the whole flight and will be careful, and I'm so so grateful for her, but again, I don't trust all the strangers she could potentially come in contact with, and that doesn't help anxiety much.
...Really starting to think that even after all this eventually finally abates, it's going to take me a LONG time to trust other people again when going out. >_> Blargh.
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