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Post by longsuffering on Jul 24, 2021 12:36:12 GMT -5
But why roll the dice and crap out? The consequences are life altering..... Covid prevention requires adjustments and running new options,....just like the wishbone or veer offense when adversity is directly in front of you. I agree. I will be taking all booster shots, one in the arm and another elsewhere for good luck. I meant I'm still going to try to avoid a mild infection even though studies are showing the combination of a vaccine and antibodies from a previous infection might be the best protection of all.
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Post by Pakachoag Phreek on Jul 24, 2021 17:12:24 GMT -5
The Federal government ordered an additional 200 million doses of Moderna's vaccine in June, and ordered an additional 200 million doses of Pfizers yesterday. These additional doses are to be delivered in the fourth quarter of this year, and first quarter of the next. Some of these are for the under 12s, and the remainder are boosters tailored for the new variants.
I believe a total of one billion doses of both vaccines are now ordered for domestic use. Additionally, the US has bought several hundred million doses of Pfizer's vaccine for distribution to other countries.
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Post by hcpride on Jul 25, 2021 12:54:56 GMT -5
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Post by HC92 on Jul 26, 2021 8:28:42 GMT -5
It is becoming clearer by the day that we will have another year of kids wearing masks in CT public schools and eating lunch by themselves surrounded by a plastic shield and having severe restrictions on recess. Inane.
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Post by alum on Jul 26, 2021 9:21:02 GMT -5
It is becoming clearer by the day that we will have another year of kids wearing masks in CT public schools and eating lunch by themselves surrounded by a plastic shield and having severe restrictions on recess. Inane. And if that happens, it is going to be the fault of parents. Eighty one percent of Conn. adults have received at least one dose. Data reported last Thursday for Connecticut showed that, of 12-15 year olds, only 50.9% were fully vaccinated and 42.7% had one shot. A week earlier the numbers were 42.7% and 40.5%. There is no data for 16 and 17 year olds alone (which would be helpful) but for 16-24 year olds, the most recent data is 61% fully vaccinated and 53.6% partially. A week ago it was 60.1% and 52.9%. Those numbers are not rising fast enough. I am bewildered by the reluctance to get kids vaccinated. The state runs very explicit and I think effective PSAs about the HPV vaccine for teens. Run the same about Covid. Let kids find out on TV that they might become very ill. Tell them to hector their parents about vaccination. I would like a policy requiring kids 12 and over to be vaccinated to go to school. If there is going to be some sort of religious exemption, those kids should have to wear masks. With that, I see no reason why 12 and up kids would need to wear masks to school. If a teacher wants to wear a shield, he or she could go for it. I am not sure what to do about kids under 12. I suspect that they have to wear masks until they get a vaccine. I don't think their teachers should be required to do so. Oh, and the state should offer a remote curriculum for kids under 12. They could have recorded lessons for hundreds of elementary school topics. The teacher tells the parents which lesson they select for each kid. Its not perfect, but it would get the job done if a kid is going to be out for a week or two.
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Post by timholycross on Jul 26, 2021 10:02:27 GMT -5
It is becoming clearer by the day that we will have another year of kids wearing masks in CT public schools and eating lunch by themselves surrounded by a plastic shield and having severe restrictions on recess. Inane. No one's implied outdoor activities will have any restrictions. Yet.
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Post by efg72 on Jul 26, 2021 11:02:46 GMT -5
How the Delta variant upends assumptions about the coronavirus Reuters JULIE STEENHUYSEN July 26, 2021, 12:49 PM By Julie Steenhuysen, Alistair Smout and Ari Rabinovitch (Reuters) - The Delta variant is the fastest, fittest and most formidable version of the coronavirus that causes COVID-19 the world has encountered, and it is upending assumptions about the disease even as nations loosen restrictions and open their economies, according to virologists and epidemiologists. Vaccine protection remains very strong against severe infections and hospitalizations caused by any version of the coronavirus, and those most at risk are still the unvaccinated, according to interviews with 10 leading COVID-19 experts. The major worry about the Delta variant, first identified in India, is not that it makes people sicker, but that it spreads far more easily from person to person, increasing infections and hospitalizations among the unvaccinated. Evidence is also mounting that it is capable of infecting fully vaccinated people at a greater rate than previous versions, and concerns have been raised that they may even spread the virus, these experts said. "The biggest risk to the world at the moment is simply Delta," said microbiologist Sharon Peacock, who runs Britain's efforts to sequence the genomes of coronavirus variants, calling it the "fittest and fastest variant yet." Viruses constantly evolve through mutation, with new variants arising. Sometimes these are more dangerous than the original. Until there is more data on Delta variant transmission, disease experts say that masks, social distancing and other measures set aside in countries with broad vaccination campaigns may again be needed. Public Health England said on Friday that out of a total of 3,692 people hospitalized in Britain with the Delta variant, 58.3% were unvaccinated and 22.8% were fully vaccinated. In Singapore, where Delta is the most common variant, government officials reported on Friday www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/vaccinated-people-singapore-make-up-three-quarters-recent-covid-19-cases-2021-07-23 that three quarters of its coronavirus cases occurred among vaccinated individuals, though none were severely ill. Israeli health officials have said 60% of current hospitalized COVID cases are in vaccinated people. Most of them are age 60 or older and often have underlying health problems. In the United States, which has experienced more COVID-19 cases and deaths than any other country, the Delta variant represents about 83% of new infections. So far, unvaccinated people represent nearly 97% of severe cases. "There is always the illusion that there is a magic bullet that will solve all our problems. The coronavirus is teaching us a lesson," said Nadav Davidovitch, director of Ben Gurion University's school of public health in Israel. 'TEACHING US A LESSON' The Pfizer Inc/BioNTech vaccine, one of the most effective against COVID-19 so far, appeared only 41% effective at halting symptomatic infections in Israel over the past month as the Delta variant spread, according to Israeli government data. Israeli experts said this information requires more analysis before conclusions can be drawn. "Protection for the individual is very strong; protection for infecting others is significantly lower," Davidovitch said. A study in China found that people infected with the Delta variant carry 1,000 times more virus in their noses compared with the ancestral Wuhan strain first identified in that Chinese city in 2019. "You may actually excrete more virus and that's why it's more transmissible. That's still being investigated," Peacock said. Virologist Shane Crotty of the La Jolla Institute for Immunology in San Diego noted that Delta is 50% more infectious than the Alpha variant first detected in the UK. "It's outcompeting all other viruses because it just spreads so much more efficiently," Crotty added. Genomics expert Eric Topol, director of the Scripps Research Translational Institute in La Jolla, California, noted that Delta infections have a shorter incubation period and a far higher amount of viral particles. "That's why the vaccines are going to be challenged. The people who are vaccinated have got to be especially careful. This is a tough one," Topol said. In the United States, the Delta variant has arrived as many Americans - vaccinated and not - have stopped wearing masks indoors. "It's a double whammy," Topol said. "The last thing you want is to loosen restrictions when you're confronting the most formidable version of the virus yet." The development of highly effective vaccines may have led many people to believe that once vaccinated, COVID-19 posed little threat to them. "When the vaccines were first developed, nobody was thinking that they were going to prevent infection," said Carlos del Rio, a professor of medicine and infectious disease epidemiology at Emory University in Atlanta. The aim was always to prevent severe disease and death, del Rio added. The vaccines were so effective, however, that there were signs the vaccines also prevented transmission against prior coronavirus variants. "We got spoiled," del Rio said. Dr. Monica Gandhi, an infectious diseases doctor at the University of California, San Francisco, said, "People are so disappointed right now that they're not 100% protected from mild breakthroughs" - getting infected despite having been vaccinated. But, Gandhi added, the fact that nearly all Americans hospitalized with COVID-19 right now are unvaccinated "is pretty astounding effectiveness." (Reporting by Julie Steenhuysen in Chicago, Alistair Smout in London, Ari Rabinovitch and Maayan Lubell in Jerusalem; Editing by Will Dunham)
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Post by timholycross on Jul 26, 2021 12:04:14 GMT -5
"That's why the vaccines are going to be challenged. The people who are vaccinated have got to be especially careful. This is a tough one," Topol said.
Then later on in the article it talks about "mild breakthroughs" amongst vaccinated people.
Can't have it both ways. Vaccine either does what it's supposed to do or does not. Killing the confidence among the people have that got the shot and, worse, offering reduced incentive to those who haven't (who are really the ones that need convincing; and seem to span all ethic groups and political leanings).
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Post by KY Crusader 75 on Jul 26, 2021 13:24:51 GMT -5
Just for the record-it is not a vaccine, correct? Could one of our MD's weigh in on this?
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Post by ndgradbuthcfan on Jul 26, 2021 13:37:56 GMT -5
"That's why the vaccines are going to be challenged. The people who are vaccinated have got to be especially careful. This is a tough one," Topol said. Then later on in the article it talks about "mild breakthroughs" amongst vaccinated people. Can't have it both ways. Vaccine either does what it's supposed to do or does not. Killing the confidence among the people have that got the shot and, worse, offering reduced incentive to those who haven't (who are really the ones that need convincing; and seem to span all ethic groups and political leanings). You are painting an unnecessarily bleak picture. The chief aim of the vaccine was to "prevent severe disease and death" and, on that score, the vaccines have been remarkably successful. That, in and of itself, should provide enough incentive to the unconvinced.
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Post by efg72 on Jul 26, 2021 13:42:07 GMT -5
This is not an exact science
Vaccines in most cases have a 55-60% effective rate for the vaccinated population. With that in mind, these are antibody vaccines designed to block and slow down the virus-- it is not a killer of the virus!
We are fortunate the available vaccines do block the virus and do so with a high rate of success and from the data analysis I have reviewed it is about 88-99% successful.
While I believe every individual has the option of taking the vaccine, with this data they should for protection against serious illness. BUT it is an individual decision.
This virus isn't going to disappear and likely will find new ways of attacking us in the days, months, and years ahead. Some new variants might be far less of a problem and others might be significantly more deadly.
The mixed messages come from science all the time-- The White House Communications plan is a mess and the messaging is confusing, and yes it truly has hurt uptake of the vaccine, but it is definitely understandable.
It will be interesting to see what percentage of Congressional, Agency, and White House staff have been vaccinated given the VA announcement today that all VA hospital staff must be vaccinated. My guess is the number of unvaccinated will hurt the messaging program not help.
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Post by HC92 on Jul 26, 2021 15:17:41 GMT -5
The government can’t continue to hold the country hostage every time some new variant pops up or the vaccination rate in a given population is less than some made up number. We have made effective vaccines widely available to everyone 12 and up. Little kids aren’t dying from Covid any more than a bunch of other things little kids could possibly die from. Let people decide what they want to do like every other medical decision out there and stop with all the madness. People can make their own decisions about what they want to do with the vaccine. It’s none of my business what others do and none of the state or federal government’s business. I’m vaccinated. My 3 eligible kids are vaccinated. My 10 year old is not vaccinated but will be when she’s eligible. We are not keeping her in a bubble until then.
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Post by ndgradbuthcfan on Jul 26, 2021 15:36:25 GMT -5
What makes you think that the government is holding the country hostage? Certainly not recommending that people continue to wear masks when inside.
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Post by efg72 on Jul 26, 2021 16:21:20 GMT -5
ND
For many the issue is that trust in government and it's leaders is and has been at record low numbers. Whether the Trump or the Biden Administration, transparency and facts are influenced by power and politics. Once that changes perhaps we will be more unified as a country and the public will be aligned and can win the battle over the virus. Meanwhile, the distrust continues on both sides, but wasn't helped by the VP when she suggested she wouldn't take or trust a Trump vaccine
Now the clock ticks and neither political party knows what time it is..
But this is only my opinion
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Post by HC92 on Jul 26, 2021 16:48:45 GMT -5
What makes you think that the government is holding the country hostage? Certainly not recommending that people continue to wear masks when inside. I think that providing young kids with a third straight year of school that is completely f’ed up is holding the country hostage. For no reason whatsoever. And with no articulated standard for when they might be able to go back to normal school.
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Post by Pakachoag Phreek on Jul 26, 2021 16:49:00 GMT -5
My understanding of a complex issue. 1.) Inoculating dose. The amount of virus taken in by an uninfected individual. When someone else infects you, how much of an inoculating dose that's taken in will likely determine whether the COVID infection is benign or potentially severe. Think of inoculating dose as shots at a bar. How many shots do you swallow to make you tipsy, and how many shots until you are falling down drunk. If there is a prolonged and proximate interaction with an infected individual, the more likely that one will take in a high inoculating dose. 2.) Viral loads. This is a measure of the amount of virus present in an infected person's nose, mouth, and airway. The higher the viral load, the more infectious a person is, Unvaccinated people with the Delta variant have very high viral loads compared to those who were infected with the wild (Wuhan) variant, and are highly contagious. It is my understanding that vaccinated people who become infected with the Delta variant have a substantially lower viral load, and are less contagious. 3.) Vaccine effectiveness: The mRNA vaccines are about 95 percent effective in preventing symptomatic COVID And 99+ percent effective in preventing serious illness or death. This effectiveness was measured in clinical trials against the 'wild type' virus (Wuhan) that did not have significant mutations. With respect to the Delta variant, the mRNA vaccines are somewhat less effective in preventing symptomatic COVID, but remain highly effective in preventing serious illness and death. Pfizer is 88% effective against symptomatic disease, and 96% effective against hospitalization. Moderna's vaccine is believed to provide similar effectiveness to Pfizer's for the Delta variant. The J&J vaccine is about 72 percent effective in preventing symptomatic COVID, and 86 percent effective in preventing severe disease in clinical trials against the wild-type virus. A pre-print study published last week by NYU suggests that the J&J vaccine is significantly less effective against the Delta variant than the two mRNA vaccines. www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2021.07.19.452771v14.) Value of the J&J vaccine. Given the effectiveness of the mRNA vaccines, the J&J vaccine was deployed primarily for those settings where the ability to distribute and store the mRNA vaccines (particularly Pfizer's) was limited. The mRNA vaccines also come in large lot sizes, IIRC, Pfizer has 640 shots per lot. How do you utilize that lot size if there are only 200 people living in a small village? 5.) Breakthrough clusters of vaccinated people. abcnews.go.com/US/provincetown-implements-indoor-mask-mandate-covid-19-cluster/story?id=79052632Wild parties = proximate and prolonged dosing by individuals with high viral loads.
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Post by Pakachoag Phreek on Jul 26, 2021 17:11:47 GMT -5
Effectiveness of vaccination in a highly vaccinated state: Massachusetts
On July 25, number of patients hospitalized with COVID: 145, Peak day was in April 2020, with 3,965. On July 25, number of patients with COVID in the ICU and intubated: 14. Peak day was in April 2020 with 831.
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Post by ndgradbuthcfan on Jul 26, 2021 17:32:32 GMT -5
ND For many the issue is that trust in government and it's leaders is and has been at record low numbers. Whether the Trump or the Biden Administration, transparency and facts are influenced by power and politics. Once that changes perhaps we will be more unified as a country and the public will be aligned and can win the battle over the virus. Meanwhile, the distrust continues on both sides, but wasn't helped by the VP when she suggested she wouldn't take or trust a Trump vaccine Now the clock ticks and neither political party knows what time it is.. But this is only my opinion I'll take your word that she said that and it was really dumb. And also a long time ago. Just fact checked, and your allegation is very slanted. She said she wouldn't trust the reliability of Trump's word on any vaccine released right before the election. A bit different.
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Post by Pakachoag Phreek on Jul 26, 2021 17:43:47 GMT -5
ND For many the issue is that trust in government and it's leaders is and has been at record low numbers. Whether the Trump or the Biden Administration, transparency and facts are influenced by power and politics. Once that changes perhaps we will be more unified as a country and the public will be aligned and can win the battle over the virus. Meanwhile, the distrust continues on both sides, but wasn't helped by the VP when she suggested she wouldn't take or trust a Trump vaccine Now the clock ticks and neither political party knows what time it is.. But this is only my opinion I'll take your word that she said that and it was really dumb. And also a long time ago. She didn't say that. There is a TikTok video that selectively edited her response to a question. She said she would trust Fauci, but not Trump. www.politifact.com/factchecks/2021/jul/23/tiktok-posts/biden-harris-doubted-trump-covid-19-vaccines-not-v/
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Post by longsuffering on Jul 26, 2021 17:55:33 GMT -5
It is becoming clearer by the day that we will have another year of kids wearing masks in CT public schools and eating lunch by themselves surrounded by a plastic shield and having severe restrictions on recess. Inane. No one's implied outdoor activities will have any restrictions. Yet.
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Post by hcpride on Jul 26, 2021 18:00:49 GMT -5
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Post by longsuffering on Jul 26, 2021 18:16:00 GMT -5
In other words this thing isn't over.
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Post by efg72 on Jul 26, 2021 18:36:50 GMT -5
Multiple comments I will pm you the videos when I get home tonight
I am saying both sides are really power hungry and the facts....
Trump can take credit for Warp speed but in all honesty the leaders were biopharma- most companies that engaged lost money with no government investment and support
Government deserves credit for leadership and encouraging/supporting industry collaboration
Remember NIH helps discover, industry and academia innovate. They each play an important role in science
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Post by nycrusader2010 on Jul 26, 2021 21:15:53 GMT -5
In other words this thing isn't over. It may never be "over". Just like seasonal flu will never be over (unless it continues to be marginalized due inability to compete with ultra-contagious COVID variants for hosts). The vaccine is the ultimate protection against COVID 19 and its variants, until boosters are developed to keep up with said variants, if needed. Outlets will use breakthrough cases as a cause for alarmism to drive a narrative that we need to bring back mask mandates and lockdowns. These reactions will nothing more than a distraction. The way to beat this virus to the best of our ability is to continue getting everyone vaccinated, including our youth. Forcing vaccinated people to wear masks is nothing but theatre with a side of unnecessary pollution. Enforcing lockdowns is only going to further ruin people's lives -- and there's no proof that they were effective at stopping the spread in the first place. We've already given up 2% of our total expected lifetimes pausing our ability to fully live. Enough is enough. But, again, get vaccinated if you haven't already! Get annual boosters if that ends up being what's needed. It's that simple.
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Post by Crucis#1 on Jul 26, 2021 22:01:09 GMT -5
Will Holy Cross students, who are not vaccinated, be allowed to participate as a member of a Holy Cross athletic team this upcoming school year?
Does anyone have a definitive answer...not speculation.
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