The End of Covid and Return to Normal Life
 

What's up? I heard that in the US you don't even need to wear masks anymore if you have been vaccinated, so jealous here. I hope things go back to normal over the next few months. So far I have been only teaching on zoom which is horrible and all the best restaurants are closed. In my case, I am not very worried about catching the virus again since I tested positive almost a year ago and immunity appears to be long-lasting.

So, how is life normalizing for the users here?

Just starting to change: my wife and I got our second doses last week, a lot of the people I know and would spend time with are either vaccinated or between their first and second, and the state has eased restrictions.

It's kind of surreal to think that we're effectively good to just live our lives now, although that's sort of misleading if a lot of people (and more businesses) still can't or won't. But it does feel like the tide has turned and it won't surprise me if things feel shockingly normal in just a month or two.

Re: The End of Covid and Return to Normal Life
 

All I know is if things return to "normal" then the system is more broke than we realized.

But it will be nice to see an end to my nose acne.

Re: The End of Covid and Return to Normal Life
 

I wish I could type-muffled like my mask makes me sound when talking. I don't think anyone has heard me clearly while I'm out in public for a year now. mfffftttttt.......

I was reading a post on social media from a guy who was happy just to hug his stepdad for the first time in over a year.

Re: The End of Covid and Return to Normal Life
 

The first dose of the vaccine tomorrow. A friend got his on Monday and his arm's hurting now. Hopefully no side effects for me!

Re: The End of Covid and Return to Normal Life
 

From what I can tell a sore arm near the injection is basically inevitable, but if that's all you get that'd be pretty great.

I got my first dose yesterday, no serious side effects. We are still in lockdown until at least June 2 here in Ontario Canada. Movie theatres are still closed ☹️

Here in Lithuania cinemas are already opened, though masks are still required. I plan to go to see "A Quiet Place- Part 2" and "Cruella" on Sunday 30th of May.

Yeah, but his entire arm hurts a lot and he can't even lift it. Another friend's dad experienced vertigo, but the friend had no side effects at all, not even slight pain.

By the way, what vaccines were you guys vaccinated with? Pfizer here.

I ended up passing out for 14 hrs after I got the shot

Both Moderna here, which I've heard (anecdotally) generally has the worst side effects.

My response was mild: felt crappy/fatigured/feverish late that night and most of the next day, but never awful. Arm sore but could still use it. Wife had basically no response at all.

Passed up a perfectly plausible pun post with antidotally. So very disappointing.

https://media1.tenor.com/images/e0df...efd2/tenor.gif


I feel like my current avatar makes this even more obnoxious than how I mean it. Not sure that's a good thing.

Got my first Moderna last Monday. On Thursday my neck and shoulder hurt so bad I thought I'd have to go home from work, but I made it through the day and week.

Massachusetts is slowly easing restrictions but it's still far from normal here.

What difference do you think should stay?

The only thing I can think of that makes some sense is an early shopping hour on some days for the elderly.

Re: The End of Covid and Return to Normal Life
 

I think the idea of throwing on a mask if you know you've got the flu or something is probably a perfectly sensible thing to do in normal times, too. It's already common in other parts of the world.

Re: The End of Covid and Return to Normal Life
 

Mask mandates ended a few weeks back here in Alabama. Not that too many were following it here in the SE area. I was relieved to see lines at the hospital when the vaccines first became available. That has slowed to a trickle now, though, and I believe it's become limited to the JJ shot as there hasn't been much demand lately. Or for what is in demand, people aren't going in for their second shot and/or cancelling appointments. At this point I might see 1 in 8 wearing a mask.

*edit*
I was nearly tackled entering Best Buy the other day as I was still trying to get my mask sorted in hand. They're pretty strict still on entering with masks on. Medical offices, of course, still require. Not much else that I can see. Restaurants are back to full capacity, assuming there are customers enough for it and that there's staff enough to support the load.

Personally, I'd be ok if people used masks more often even after this is settled. For sure in more populated areas. Rural is arguable, but still. Have you ever been to a southern Walmart?! *shivers*

I hear what you're saying but I think anyone with the flu shouldn't even go out around people. I was thinking more along the lines of any continued guidelines.

I had my second Moderna vaccine shot today. No side effects from the first shot other than a sore spot on my arm for a few days.

Re: The End of Covid and Return to Normal Life
 

I haven't seen much change since the new mask recommendations. Everywhere I've been, the old rules are still being enforced. In school we still have to wear them, but nearly everyone is back in person, which is great. Today they actually had a vaccination clinic in the middle school parking lot.

I got Pfizer a few weeks ago and I had a sore arm from the first dose and a small fever from the second. I'm fine now though, and in one more week I'll be fully immune!

No idea what company my vaccine was but there were NO effects at all. No fever, no tiredness, no sore arm, nothing.

They probably gave me the vodka and toilet water jab that they set aside for the gaijin.

Does anyone feel safe going to a buffet restaurant?

We have friends in PA who want Hubby and I to meet them at a buffet restaurant some time next month after we're all fully vaccinated. Hubby and I haven't gone to a restaurant in over a year. We haven't even gotten take-out or fast food since before the March 2020 lockdown.

I'm not sure that I'd feel safe going to any restaurant yet, let alone one where people have to lean over the buffet and serve themselves. No matter how many rules the restaurant has about wearing masks and gloves, there are always people who think that the rules don't apply to them.

Gotcha. Meant to reply yesterday but MoFo was down!

Anecdotally, the second dose brings stronger side effects, but even harsh side effects for two or three days are better than potential lung misfunction or even death.

My mom was vaccinated with Astra Zeneca and had absolutely zero side effects, so there's hope I won't have any either. :) I was vaccinated 3 hours ago and observed no side effects so far. Let's see how I fare tomorrow. :)

By the way, there's quite a group of Covid deniers here in Poland but it's hard to tell how populous. They're big on the Internet but I also know some people like this in real life, so they're by no means a small group. Basically, anti-vaxxers but most of them only anti-Covid-vaxxers. They're quite varied, too. Some of them simply downplay the threats associated with Coronavirus and say it's just like the flu while others are full-on conspiracy theorists believing Coronavirus is a hoax made by the government to control us etc. My favorite theory is the classic 'Bill Gates wants to chip us all' one. :) I'm pretty sure those people are pretty vocal in all countries, though. :)

True for us in America, but I can’t feel optimistic when conditions are so appalling in so many other countries. India is a DISASTER. Brazil, Argentina, Pakistan, Bangladesh, et al.

All we need here is a few new dangerous variants to bring us all back to our senses.

Re: The End of Covid and Return to Normal Life
 

I rceeived my first jab 3 weeks or so ago. Was Astra jab, exact same time as my wife. Was fine for 8hours then woke up at midnight with uncontrollable shivers and shakes, sore head and was a struggle just walking. Lasted about 24 hours. My wife experienced absolutely zero symptoms!

Re: The End of Covid and Return to Normal Life
 

Things are still the same around here. Keep sending me stimulus checks, and I'll stay home forever!

Here in Brazil our vaccination effort is ramping up. But it is true it will take longer for things to get back to normal here. So far, my parents and grandparents are all vaccinated but most younger people are not.

You live in America? I though you were British from the flag. ;)

I am British. British people do live in America, you know. :p

Re: The End of Covid and Return to Normal Life
 

I hope masks are made mandatory on public transport especially buses, always seems to be someone who doesn't cover their mouth and nose when coughing or sneezing, do us all a favour and block their mouth and nose for them.

Pleaseeeeeeeeeeeee!

Heck, yes. :eek:

At Sunday mass yesterday our priest said it was fine for anyone who wants to wear a mask to continue doing so. Seemed like everyone there wore a mask except the priest. Who has been wearing a mask for many months now. Confusing message.

Re: The End of Covid and Return to Normal Life
 

Got my first vacc booked for Wednesday. Looking forward to receiving direct commands from Bill Gates.

I don't even get this concept of "normal", i honestly think that some of the changes this pandemic has brought to people are permanent. Whatever this does to "society" or "the system" is not something I can say with confidence. I don't blame anyone or one particular thing for all the ****ed up misery people are feeling and expressing at the moment, i just want to stop feeling so lonely and isolated.

Go sign up for some volunteer work. At a hospital or a food pantry. Especially at a food pantry. The number has exploded since last year.

Volunteer work takes one’s mind off one’s own troubles. You get to see people worse off than yourself & you achieve a sense of accomplishment that you have done something positive & helped others.

It’s also a great way to make new friends with like-minded people.

I believe this is the best advice. Doing for others is the best gift to oneself.

Got the second Pfizer shot yesterday. Then went to bed shivering, bundled up in winter clothes & blankets in a 75 degree Florida home. Feeling kaput now.
:beatty:

The lady at the supermarket register told me this morning that she will continue to wear the mask as long as she works there even though she's fully vaccinated. Whatever people want to do I say, as long as it goes both ways.

Re: The End of Covid and Return to Normal Life
 

At our local drugstore they took down the plexiglass they had erected at the registers!

Re: The End of Covid and Return to Normal Life
 

Local Shell station has new signs saying masks are required. Even though the franchise owner told me this month that he’s not wearing a mask now. And today the cashier was maskless. So confusing. I wore mine.

Re: The End of Covid and Return to Normal Life
 

Yeah, we're still wearing ours out and about. People don't know we're vaccinated and it's not a big inconvenience. I wear the lightest mask I have (as opposed to the N95, which is safer but a lot less comfortable, particularly with a beard). I'm seeing a handful of people not wearing them now, though.

I just read that 70% of the adults in my state (Pennsylvania) had at least one dose and almost 53% were fully vaccinated. Pretty wild to think, selection/location issues aside, that any random adult I see is more likely than not to be vaccinated.

Re: The End of Covid and Return to Normal Life
 

Note to self: If/when International travel gets back to normal stay away from Pennsylvania as it appears to be populated by random adults :eek:

India's covid situation has been massively exacerbated by our egomaniac PM Narendra Modi . In order to boost his international standing he gifted 66 million vaccines to other countries and left his own country short of vaccines . Some say he thought his gesture of giving away vaccines would win him the nobel prize . Instead he now presides on a self created catastrophe whose intensity was increased by him holding huge election rallies without social distancing or masks and encouraging a big hindu religious congregation to be held without social distancing or masks this year by preponing it in order to increase hindu nationalism before elections even though it's actual date was supposed to be next year .


Result---Modi is now single handedly responsible for an estimated 1.6 million deaths due to coronavirus with more to come doubtlessly . Vaccines are in short supply even though they are desperately needed and all that he is doing is shedding crocodile tears on TV remembering the dead .

We are a bit behind here in Brazil. In my city just surpassed 50% of adults vaccinated with at least one dose yesterday. My dose is scheduled for next week (Astra-Zeneca).

I think over the next couple of months the situation should normalize as the US situation has normalized over the last few months.

Reading the NY Times every day, one would think that Brazil is a total disaster.

That's because NY Times is leftwing and Brazil's government is rightwing, so they attack any rightwing government that they can (they just cannot attack the UK's government, which is similarly rightwing, because they had the world's best containment and vaccination campaign against Covid in the past 5 months).

Brazil's situation is similar to other Latin American countries and much better than in countries like Russia, Mexico, Hungary, and Peru. In my state, 40% of adults got their first shoot, in other Latin American countries the vaccination rate of adults it's 15-30%. It is true our vaccination effort is behind the efforts in Europe and the US but that is because we lack domestic production of vaccines so we have to import all the vaccines and the regions that produce vaccines focus their resources on their own populations first (US, Europe, India, and China).

A dispassionate look: Comparing mortality rates in major Brazilian cities like Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo with New York and London show very similar numbers.

Comparing Brazilian vaccination rates with other large countries that don't produce vaccines locally we have:

https://ourworldindata.org/grapher/s...OR~COL~THA~PHL

That's the vaccination counter of my state in Brazil, they are pretty organized:

https://vacina.saude.rs.gov.br/

If only Wuhan could leak a virus that only attacks narcissistic despots.

Okay, good to know.

I rather think the world doesn’t need another virus at this stage.

I think perhaps it's more that Brazil was in genuinely awful shape just a couple of months ago, but that things have evened out in most places (relative to their affluence and region and all that, at least). For example, from late March:

That was the Beta variant wave. It was truly awful, the ex-husband of my grandfather's girlfriend died of covid back in April (I didn't know him, my dad informed me).

But the US, EU and the UK also had their bad waves in the winter. In terms of how bad it was, it was similar in scale to those waves. Now the situation in Argentina and Colombia is much worse.

How foolish I was to make such a serious wish.

This you, Janson? :p

https://i.imgur.com/2JfLDNA.jpeg

Gee, I hope the despots are OK after all. :(

I think it was your delivery. Too much deadpan.

Re: The End of Covid and Return to Normal Life
 

Realized 3/4 of my way through a manicure this morning that everyone was wearing a mask except me. Felt awkward for a minute, but nobody said anything.

Re: The End of Covid and Return to Normal Life
 

As of today in my state in Brazil, more than 50% of adults have had at least one dose of the vaccine.

Had my own shoot 10 days ago, I though I would get astra-zeneca but I got pfizer, lucky me since it has fewer side effects. ;)

Re: The End of Covid and Return to Normal Life
 

Congrats on the shot, great news.

Getting back to normal will feel weird. Almost don’t want to be around ppl again lol. On the plus side I’ve had a lot of time to watch movies and read over the past year and a half, so have probably learned a lot over that time period.

To me it feels like there never was a pandemic. Of course I was out and about like normal the entire time anyway.

Oddly, it was the same for me, for opposite reasons. My life had been carpet-bombed by so many unrelated horrible dramas that I barely noticed the pandemic outside (there was an outside ?).

I survived the pandemic without a single symptom. But reading all the horror stories in the paper every day was & is traumatic. (My middle bro told me to cancel my subscription.) And these horror stories continue to this day & will continue for a very long time.

Similar here - when I first heard people start talking about the trials of life during the pandemic, I felt like everyone was now experiencing what it was like to live the life I've been living for the past 20 years.

I've been taking care of multiple sick relatives and helping out elderly people nearby who have problems that have requested my aid.

Because of that, I haven't been able to have a regular job and must freelance work (such as gardening, landscaping, home health aid, minor household repairs, etc.) only when I'm available as an unemployed (& unemployable) person due to the necessity of a totally flexible schedule so I can be on-call for non-stop emergencies.

With no steady job or regular income, I have no money and no time to spend it even if I did (so it doesn't matter for me whether movie theaters or restaurants were open or closed). I have no friends or social circle due to my circumstances.

My social outings consist of doing grocery shopping and going to the pharmacy for my family and elderly neighbors, taking people to doctors & hospitals, or going to a home store to buy materials to repair something for family or others that has broken.

(My next door neighbor was just diagnosed with terminal lung cancer, so they became another on my list where I've taken over their yard care, snow removal, pet care, and anything else that comes up. At this same time by brother became critically injured and is now crippled. After multiple strokes my aunt is no longer able to take care of herself and my mother is failing quickly.)

My life already was what others' lives became with the pandemic.
The only big difference for me is I started to have to wear a mask everywhere!

Yea it was certainly upsetting seeing everything on the news. I don't personally know anyone that got sick, even though a bunch of co-workers got it. My wife and I don't go out socially since we got dogs anyway, and my work went on as usual. I had to wear a mask and that was it for me.

On a more positive note - thought I'd share this again for anyone who hasn't seen it. (A little late for the holiday, but it's very much part of this topic, and a wink to sci-fi movie lovers)...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kqu57JYp9zg

Yes, I’m very distanced from anyone who got COVID. I know the people, but I don’t know them if you know what I mean. 4,000,000 people have died worldwide from it to date.