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Post by hcpride on May 5, 2021 16:05:13 GMT -5
The Bidens and the Carters are all vaccinated, hence the maskless visit indoors per CDC guidelines. When the Bidens went outside there are often many people around and they don't always know who is vaccinated and who is not, and while we are all safer outside than inside it is not unwise, nor theatrical, to wear a mask to avoid becoming a vaccinated person who gets infected or, though the chances appear to be small, infect someone else. The anger and hysteria over Joe Biden wearing a mask is really something to behold. LOL It's his 'wear a mask out of your patriotic duty' that has the web snickering when viewing the mask-less photo with the very elderly couple at very close quarters indoors. The fact the fully vaccinated President and First Lady quickly masked up once they hit the outdoor fresh air simply makes it even goofier. On the bright side the theatrical props for that performance did not include the double-mask (N95 + cloth mask) the fully vaccinated president sometimes sports out in the fresh air (I know, not science...Patriotic Duty). (At this point the internet is having fun with the wacky mask performances. Today, in fact, the fully vaccinated vice president and her fully vaccinated husband kissed publicly with their masks on. I'm sure there is a complicated explanation for that one too.)
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Post by newfieguy74 on May 5, 2021 16:35:41 GMT -5
Cynicism abounds. Covid has killed 584,000 people in the U.S., 3,200,000 around the world, and is alive and well, looking for new hosts, and eager to replicate and adapt. I'm struggling to understand the anger.
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Post by longsuffering on May 5, 2021 17:05:07 GMT -5
Cynicism abounds. Covid has killed 584,000 people in the U.S., 3,200,000 around the world, and is alive and well, looking for new hosts, and eager to replicate and adapt. I'm struggling to understand the anger. I had a thought today. Perhaps people younger than their sixties never had to go through school with a classmate who was a survivor of polio. Because the polio vaccine saved the rest of us from that misery the word "vaccine" always had a positive image to me as one example of the miracles of modern medicine. Thus I see it as the human race's salvation from this virus but understand others think differently based on their own experiences.
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Post by hcpride on May 5, 2021 19:50:21 GMT -5
Cynicism abounds. Covid has killed 584,000 people in the U.S., 3,200,000 around the world, and is alive and well, looking for new hosts, and eager to replicate and adapt. I'm struggling to understand the anger. I had a thought today. Perhaps people younger than their sixties never had to go through school with a classmate who was a survivor of polio. Because the polio vaccine saved the rest of us from that misery the word "vaccine" always had a positive image to me as one example of the miracles of modern medicine. Thus I see it as the human race's salvation from this virus but understand others think differently based on their own experiences. Certainly the polio vaccine ultimately was a winner. By any chance do you recall the Swine Flu vaccine debacle of 1976? I do. It made quite a splash. In a nutshell, some US ‘experts’ were sure the Swine Flu was coming. 45 Million vaccines given (1/4 of our total population at the time). 25 people were killed by the vaccine. 1 person killed by swine flu. The virus never really came and the vaccine seemed to cause Guillain-Barre syndrome (500 cases). This public health fiasco is often cited to explain enduring vaccine hesitancy here in the US. I am no way an anti-vaxxer (I'm fairly certain I'm one of the very very few Crossporters who can boast of completing the 3-shot Anthrax series) but there have been problems with vaccines, even an earlier Polo vaccine, in the past.
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Post by gks on May 5, 2021 19:55:04 GMT -5
I spoke with a nurse in CT last week who said that some hospitals are seeing a surprising number of "break out" cases, vaccinated people testing positive for Covid. These are not just people testing positive but who are sick enough to be hospitalized, some of them relatively young (she mentioned one 40 year old). It's disconcerting when people get so shrill about vaccinated people still following precautions. No one ever said the vaccine would or is 100%. Nor would it fully prevent you from getting the virus. Are you suggesting masks for eternity? Utterly ridiculous. Why weren't people wearing masks already then? There's been viruses coming and going all the time.
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Post by crusader99 on May 5, 2021 20:24:16 GMT -5
Chronicle of Higher Education is compiling a list of colleges and universities that are mandating that students be vaccinated for the fall semester. Over 200 schools, 10 percent of them located in states that voted for Trump. Does this mean that, of the 200 schools, 90% are located in States that voted for Biden?
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Post by newfieguy74 on May 5, 2021 20:24:20 GMT -5
I spoke with a nurse in CT last week who said that some hospitals are seeing a surprising number of "break out" cases, vaccinated people testing positive for Covid. These are not just people testing positive but who are sick enough to be hospitalized, some of them relatively young (she mentioned one 40 year old). It's disconcerting when people get so shrill about vaccinated people still following precautions. No one ever said the vaccine would or is 100%. Nor would it fully prevent you from getting the virus. Are you suggesting masks for eternity? Utterly ridiculous. Why weren't people wearing masks already then? There's been viruses coming and going all the time. Finally, someone who grasps my point: masks for eternity. Kudos.
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Post by crusader99 on May 5, 2021 20:30:17 GMT -5
It will be interesting to see where the high school Seniors and Juniors are applying and enrolling. I suspect, like most of the population, they are heading South, to those States that do not have restrictions or vaccination mandates.
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Post by hchoops on May 5, 2021 20:36:12 GMT -5
Some wise parents might recommend other areas that take more precautions, and have higher vaccinated numbers. For most students, the parents write the checks.
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Post by longsuffering on May 5, 2021 20:40:13 GMT -5
It will be interesting to see where the high school Seniors and Juniors are applying and enrolling. I suspect, like most of the population, they are heading South, to those States that do not have restrictions or vaccination mandates. Why gravitate to danger? Vaccination mandates will allow free association without masks. One cough at a no mandate school will send students fleeing the area.
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Post by crusader99 on May 5, 2021 21:19:03 GMT -5
Maybe it’s a belief in Hurd immunity... we are vaccinated as are all members of our household. But these mandates will have an impact, hope this has been thought thru.
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Post by beachbound on May 5, 2021 22:02:21 GMT -5
Maybe it’s a belief in Hurd immunity... we are vaccinated as are all members of our household. But these mandates will have an impact, hope this has been thought thru. Just my perspective as a parent of a high school senior, I don’t mind the vaccine requirement, as he is already vaccinated as I am, and my wife and I believe they are effective. My wife is a Gtown grad and I am a HC grad, and our son will not be attending either of our schools. He will be attending another catholic university in a “Trump” state that has a vaccination requirement for the next academic year. This school was much better able to balance the public health concerns with properly educating their students this past academic year than either HC or Gtown. We have a lot more confidence that this university will be able to return to a more normal college experience for our son post vaccinations. My wife is also an independent education consultant for high school students and how schools treated their students this past year was a huge consideration for where her clients ultimately decided to go next fall. I do not think vaccine mandates alone are a big consideration for her clients, as long as there is the carrot of a promise to return to some normalcy, ie in person classes, sports, allowed student gatherings/parties, etc.
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Post by hcpride on May 6, 2021 5:37:46 GMT -5
Maybe it’s a belief in Hurd immunity... we are vaccinated as are all members of our household. But these mandates will have an impact, hope this has been thought thru. Just my perspective as a parent of a high school senior, I don’t mind the vaccine requirement, as he is already vaccinated as I am, and my wife and I believe they are effective. My wife is a Gtown grad and I am a HC grad, and our son will not be attending either of our schools. He will be attending another catholic university in a “Trump” state that has a vaccination requirement for the next academic year. This school was much better able to balance the public health concerns with properly educating their students this past academic year than either HC or Gtown. We have a lot more confidence that this university will be able to return to a more normal college experience for our son post vaccinations. My wife is also an independent education consultant for high school students and how schools treated their students this past year was a huge consideration for where her clients ultimately decided to go next fall. I do not think vaccine mandates alone are a big consideration for her clients, as long as there is the carrot of a promise to return to some normalcy, ie in person classes, sports, allowed student gatherings/parties, etc. As the parents of two daughters currently in college (not HC) I can tell you that parents at both schools spent considerable time and energy pushing back on what they saw as over-the-top and highly damaging responses to Covid. In some cases successfully and some cases not. There was genuine concern on the part of the parents for the mental and psychological well being of the young people with some of the isolation, etc being imposed from above. It got to the point where parents were urging the kids to break some of the crazy rules for their own good. There was a limit on outdoor walking - I think it was one hour - as one example, one parent Facebook group pointed out that prisoners in the state received more than one hour in the yard. The school graciously extended it to two (with dire warnings about ‘the experts’ ‘the science’, ‘erring on the safe side’, and ‘compassion for others’) and then finally tossed the limit on being outdoors. One school campus was closed semester one and semester two was so ridiculously and harmfully restrictive (rules-wise) I almost wish it had been closed both semesters. And that is saying something. (I should note that both schools are unabashedly and proudly uber-liberal secular colleges and certainly it is not surprising the most woke schools went in this highly restrictive, unscientific, and damaging direction. Both daughters have numerous friends and cousins with very different on-campus experiences at their respective colleges.)
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Post by Pakachoag Phreek on May 6, 2021 6:48:23 GMT -5
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Post by WCHC Sports on May 6, 2021 8:09:32 GMT -5
Risk/reward, with admittedly some sensationalism and fear I'd bet.
Sinus infections won't kill you. And if people stopped wiping their snotty hands on doorknobs and washed their hands, prevalence could theoretically decrease. Flu already kills people, but there is a mitigating vaccine that people take advantage of, and plenty of elderly/pre-existing-condition people take precautions during flu season (my dad, for one).
Coronavirus had proven to be more dangerous, faster, and was unknown. Out of an abundance of caution, even if it's largely non-fatal for the vast majority of the population, we took those inconveniences on the chin. I still maintain that keeping this thing in circulation leads to the possibility of it evolving to be something FAR more dangerous, and that's worth knocking out of commission sooner rather than later. We bitched and moaned too quickly, and some people never even bought into getting rid of this thing, so we're likely NEVER going to get a national response or coordinated effort again. Folks like SoV will probably not get the shot because they don't want 5G reception. Their choice, not mine. Water under the bridge now.
Obviously, if the 'experts' predict the incoming flu correctly and match it with a vaccine we are talking about a 50% effectiveness in preventing flu illness. Some years the 'experts' miss pretty badly - most recently 2019. That season by CDC estimate 38,000,000 were ill, 400,000 went in the hospital and 22,000 died of influenza here in the US. CDC reports that without any flu vaccine at all, an additional 6,800 would have died. I guess that is mitigating by definition. Regardless of the annual flu vaccine hits and misses we do not generally see masks and other restrictions here in the US. Perhaps we will going forward. I too am worried chiefly (besides the virus evolving into an eye-melting, terror show) about the precedent that has been set. At what point in the future will the line be drawn when a new public health issue arises? When will it be a "crisis" versus a "pandemic?" Has the public or this generation at least been permanently burned out on virus responses? Any chance businesses and schools will be forced to close again? It's going to be very interesting. I hope that there won't be an opportunity for those things to be tested, but history and science say it's only a matter of time.
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Post by Tom on May 6, 2021 10:46:58 GMT -5
I do not have an issue with the vaccine and have gotten it.
For reasons that are beyond me, not everyone on the planet agrees with me on every issue. It is possible that someone out there will disagree with me on this issue. My guess is that some people will like the vaccine and get it. There will be others that don't have a strong negative or positive opinion and will get the vaccine if it is required to attend Holy Cross. The big question is the remaining group. Will there be people so opposed to the vaccine that they won't get it and drop out? If so, how many?
On a related note, I have no idea when the tuition bill is due for the fall semester. If the bill is paid and someone doesn't want the vaccine, will there be refunds?
As long as we're looking at all the possible effects on HC, I believe they will be giving exemptions for people who are medically unable to get vaccinated. Therefore, I assume Doogie Howser or any other 15 year old prodigy would be allowed to attend without a vaccine. An improbable scenario, but a reminder that major policy changes can have unforeseen consequences.
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Post by longsuffering on May 6, 2021 12:05:39 GMT -5
Refunds will be made in the form of Holy Cross Football and Basketball tickets.
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Post by CHC8485 on May 6, 2021 21:46:31 GMT -5
I do not have an issue with the vaccine and have gotten it. For reasons that are beyond me, not everyone on the planet agrees with me on every issue. It is possible that someone out there will disagree with me on this issue. My guess is that some people will like the vaccine and get it. There will be others that don't have a strong negative or positive opinion and will get the vaccine if it is required to attend Holy Cross. The big question is the remaining group. Will there be people so opposed to the vaccine that they won't get it and drop out? If so, how many? On a related note, I have no idea when the tuition bill is due for the fall semester. If the bill is paid and someone doesn't want the vaccine, will there be refunds? As long as we're looking at all the possible effects on HC, I believe they will be giving exemptions for people who are medically unable to get vaccinated. Therefore, I assume Doogie Howser or any other 15 year old prodigy would be allowed to attend without a vaccine. An improbable scenario, but a reminder that major policy changes can have unforeseen consequences. Fall tuition, room, & board payments are due August 1.
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Post by longsuffering on May 6, 2021 23:07:50 GMT -5
I think it will be helpful once at least one vaccine gets full as opposed to emergency use authorization from the FDA. Those who are skittish due to the EUA can then request the fully approved shot.
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Post by Pakachoag Phreek on May 7, 2021 6:06:31 GMT -5
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Post by Pakachoag Phreek on May 26, 2021 13:07:45 GMT -5
HC is still testing, don't know whether the tests are of students on campus for summer session, or faculty/staff. 339 tested on May 25. The CDC has said individuals who are vaccinated don't need to test.
The testing site was moved from The Jo to Hogan, probably the ballroom.
HC ran a second shot vaccination clinic at the Hart rink on May 22.
For the academic year, 266 student positives (most positives were recorded in the spring semester). 53 faculty/staff positives. By Dec 24, 33 student positives and 25 staff positives were recorded. The positives do not include the 20 or students who became infected at a super-spreader event (party on College St.) before start of the fall semester. There may have been other student positives who were tested by third parties and not included in the total. The college does report on how many cases are deemed to have recovered, an d as of today, all but two are in that category.
Starting June 1st, students with access to campus must have had at least one vaccine shot. On July 1st, students with access to campus must have had their second vaccine shot. Students who were vaccinated with J&J would satisfy the June 1 and July 1 deadlines. (Students may request a waiver on religious or health grounds.)
Faculty and staff are required to enter their vaccination status (whether one is vaccinated or not) on the HC Clear website by June 15.
As I believe it was Crucis who noted, on-campus guided tours begin on June 1.
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Post by bison137 on May 26, 2021 13:32:45 GMT -5
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Post by Tom on May 26, 2021 13:34:10 GMT -5
For what it's worth, when I renewed my football tickets, there was no question about my vaccination status. News reports say that the Knicks are requiring proof of vaccine or negative test to get into sold out Madison Sq. It will be interesting to see if Fitton (or Hart) has any such requirement come the fall
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Post by Pakachoag Phreek on May 26, 2021 15:10:53 GMT -5
For what it's worth, when I renewed my football tickets, there was no question about my vaccination status. News reports say that the Knicks are requiring proof of vaccine or negative test to get into sold out Madison Sq. It will be interesting to see if Fitton (or Hart) has any such requirement come the fall They may not require proof for the Hart, unless there are staff/player(s) who are unvaccinated and potentially at risk for infection, or a vaccinated player or staff person is at risk for significant infection (e.g., immuno-compromised.)
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Post by newfieguy74 on May 26, 2021 15:28:02 GMT -5
There was an article in the NYT that pointed out that 400 colleges and universities have imposed vaccination requirements for the fall. 92% of these are in states that Biden carried, 8% in states Trump carried. Everyone can draw their own conclusions.
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