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I’m wearing a mask indoors again. Fully vaxxed, but terrified of Delta.
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I’m here only on Mondays, Wednesdays & Fridays. That’s why I’m here now.



I’m wearing a mask indoors again. Fully vaxxed, but terrified of Delta.
I never stopped masking when indoors like in grocery stores or other public spaces. I am debating going back to more rigorous masking/distancing even around family.

My friend is an EMT in New Orleans and she said they are getting slammed. They are looking at wait times for 2 HOURS to get to calls. Over half of their calls are people with COVID who are dangerously short of breath. She picked up a 1 year old the other day.

I feel so bad for her and the other EMTs. A lot of people have quit from stress, which then puts even more pressure on those still working.

And while it's not COVID related, the other day she (kind of disturbing violence)
WARNING: spoilers below
responded to a call where a woman had stabbed her baby to death and was wheeling the baby's body around in a stroller
. It feels like some of these hot-spot cities just can't catch a break!

For me, personally, I am now getting nervous as we seem to be moving in the wrong direction. I am supposed to be back in the classroom in about 3 weeks. They got rid of our desk shields. And as of last week they weren't requiring masking for adults or students in the building. I have some unvaccinated co-workers and I know that those who are vaccinated haven't been taking many precautions. It all makes me kind of anxious.



That elusive hide-and-seek cow is at it again
@Takoma11
all I can say is dang. not quoting for obvious reasons.
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@Takoma11
all I can say is dang. not quoting for obvious reasons.
Yeah.

I've sent a few care packages to medical-field friends and offer them a lot of emotional support and well-wishes, but the basic fact is that I can't do anything to help (aside from doing what I can to help stop the spread) and that's frustrating.

Several "front line" people I know just are not in a good headspace, and knowing more surges are coming, woof.



I never stopped masking when indoors like in grocery stores or other public spaces. I am debating going back to more rigorous masking/distancing even around family.

My friend is an EMT in New Orleans and she said they are getting slammed. They are looking at wait times for 2 HOURS to get to calls. Over half of their calls are people with COVID who are dangerously short of breath. She picked up a 1 year old the other day.
The NY Times interviewed several chief residents of hospitals the other day. All of them said that everyone admitted for COVID was unvaccinated. Some of the nurses said it was heartbreaking when these people asked for the vaccine now, but of course it’s too late.

Definitely masking again at church, DNKN for daily coffee, etc., etc. Now I’m masking again, will people think I am unvaccinated? Whatever.

We are being told now that this is not going away & that we will have to learn to live with COVID. Makes sense to me.



On July 16 I was confident enough to eat inside of a restaurant for the first time since March 2020. Less than two weeks later I'm back to wearing a mask in 100 degree temperatures. It was fun while it lasted.

(most everyone I know is vaccinated but my mom is super-high-risk so I've been hypervigilant since day one. I refuse to catch this freakin' thing!)
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The NY Times interviewed several chief residents of hospitals the other day. All of them said that everyone admitted for COVID was unvaccinated. Some of the nurses said it was heartbreaking when these people asked for the vaccine now, but of course it’s too late.

Definitely masking again at church, DNKN for daily coffee, etc., etc. Now I’m masking again, will people think I am unvaccinated? Whatever.

We are being told now that this is not going away & that we will have to learn to live with COVID. Makes sense to me.
I was one of only a handful of citizens masking at the courthouse every day. And they were only asking if people were vaccinated, not asking for any proof. (I can't help thinking of that joke someone told, "They've lifted mask mandates for those who are vaccinated, which is great news for people who are vaccinated . . . and for people who are liars.").

Everyone who died in my state in June was unvaccinated. But as the Delta variant spreads, I worry that those numbers will shift to include people who are vaccinated.

My friend's mother (Trump-supporter and anti-vaxxer) was visiting her and on the last two days of her visit came down with a "bad cold" and it caused a row because her mother refused to go get a COVID test.

It just feels like we're starting into another not-good cycle and I worry that people will have mask-fatigue and the vaccine numbers just aren't going to get where they need to be to really make a difference.



I haven't been following the news much lately besides listening to the radio for a short time in the morning.

From what I understand the delta variant is extremely contagious, but also not very deadly. Is this true?

I've heard of some employers mandating that their employees get vaccinated or be terminated and this blows my mind. Is there any liability if one of these employees gets vaccinated just to keep their job and something happens to them caused by the vaccine? I wonder because two healthy 21 year olds from a local company recently developed heart problems from it.



..We are being told now that this is not going away & that we will have to learn to live with COVID. Makes sense to me.
I said the same over a year ago here at MoFo. Covid is not just going to go away as some dreamed it would. I predicted that like the Cold virus, Covid would keep just keep mutating and thus defeating our attempts at eradicating it. It's been on this planet for untold 10,000s of years, probably way longer...and it ain't going away.



It's been on this planet for untold 10,000s of years, probably way longer...and it ain't going away.
That's not how viruses work. SARS-CoV-2 is new, probably first emerging some 10-15 years ago. If you look at the variety of SARS viruses from bats collected since the original 2002 epidemic, you can see that most of them are harmless/intransmissible to humans. Even those virologists who have rejected the 'lab leak' theory are astounded by the speed of this particular virus' evolution.


The oldest coronavirus on record is about 10,000 years old. But 99% of coronaviruses are harmless to humans. No, we're dealing with a newly emergent virus here. And even if we weren't, something like small pox is 3000 years old, and despite its longevity, we've managed to virtually eradicate it.



On July 16 I was confident enough to eat inside of a restaurant for the first time since March 2020. Less than two weeks later I'm back to wearing a mask in 100 degree temperatures. It was fun while it lasted.
Over the 4th, I also went to a restaurant for the first time since the lockdown. I certainly would have opted against that if I knew then what I've learned over the past month.


I do believe that the CDC has been playing politics with its mask mandates to some degree. I felt that lifting the mask mandate in late May was irresponsible, being based on a trust system that the unvaccinated would keep wearing masks. It should be abundantly clear that those least willing to get vaxxed are those least willing to wear masks. But I think that, reading the mask fatigue in the nation, the CDC thought that it might provide an incentive to get vaccinated - 'Get Vaxxed, Lose the Mask'. Likewise, as it started to become clear that the delta variant was virulent even among the vaccinated, that the CDC chose to use its spread as more of an entreaty to get vaxxed, and largely neglected messaging to the vaccinated to be careful because it is twice as likely for a vaccinated person to get a breakthrough infection than it was previously. Thankfully, these cases of breakthrough infections have shown to be mild, for the most part, I think that it's still preferable to avoid infection entirely, and a 12% chance of breakthrough would definitely have more of an impact on my public behavior than a 3-4% chance, especially now as we understand that vaccinated people can still spread the disease.


I noticed that it was a bit odd when stories about delta and vaccines started shifting in language, from "vaccines are effective against Delta infection" to "vaccines are effective against hospitalizations and death". The latter is good to know. But I think we can safely say now that a lot of Americans' 4th holiday behavior was probably way overconfidant.



I noticed that it was a bit odd when stories about delta and vaccines started shifting in language, from "vaccines are effective against Delta infection" to "vaccines are effective against hospitalizations and death". The latter is good to know. But I think we can safely say now that a lot of Americans' 4th holiday behavior was probably way overconfidant.
Right, the change in attitude since the 4th has given me whiplash. I can't overstate my mom's at-risk status (pulmonary condition), and yet she hosted a small indoor gathering on the 4th after a year and a half of doing literally nothing. We even had a few unvaxxed folks there, and we all felt pretty good about it. A month later we seem to have all escaped unscathed, but how cruel would it have been if that had turned into a spreader event.

It's been a blow to my morale, I'm afraid. For my mom's sake I've been even more vigilant than necessary at times, and I'd finally gotten to the point where I felt like I saw some light at the end of the tunnel, only to have it taken away mere weeks later. And the realization that the solution to this thing depends on my fellow man not being ignorant a--holes about literally everything doesn't leave me much hope.

meanwhile---I've currently got 5 unvaccinated relatives on vacation at Disneyworld*. Two of them are obese and one suffers from asthma. They've been unmasked in every photo they've posted on FB. Have fun, I guess....?

*from the Orlando Sentinel:
Orange County saw 1,371 new infections on Tuesday, the most reported in a single day, as hospitalizations creep closer to the record highs of last July. The COVID-19 tests positivity rate over a two-week period is nearly 16%.



Right, the change in attitude since the 4th has given me whiplash. I can't overstate my mom's at-risk status (pulmonary condition), and yet she hosted a small indoor gathering on the 4th after a year and a half of doing literally nothing. We even had a few unvaxxed folks there, and we all felt pretty good about it. A month later we seem to have all escaped unscathed, but how cruel would it have been if that had turned into a spreader event.
I think a lot of people feel this way. I attended a pretty modest family thing, maybe 15 people including children and my at-risk grandparents. Since everyone except the children have been vaccinated, we felt confident about the relative safety of it. But the numbers have changed, and that's an easier determination to make when breakthroughs are at about a 1 in 30 odds than it is when it drops down under 1 in 10. My main concern when the CDC dropped their mask mandate, well before we acheived our expected vaxx rate, was that if and when it would be necessary to go back to wearing masks, that would be a difficult genie to put back in the bottle. Like the lockdowns, a premature lift can be more damaging in eroding the public's trust, and surely mask-deniers have taken advantage to either claim how this proves that masks never worked in the first place to how vaccines are a sham anyways. Basically, the CDC needs to stop being concerned about the optics because someone will always be able to distort them for their ideal narratives. But I do understand why they may have been hesitant to stress the increased possibility of delta infection if that message also increased the potential for vaccine doubt. It's a tough call, and clearly people are not making it easier.


It's been a blow to my morale, I'm afraid. For my mom's sake I've been even more vigilant than necessary at times, and I'd finally gotten to the point where I felt like I saw some light at the end of the tunnel, only to have it taken away mere weeks later. And the realization that the solution to this thing depends on my fellow man not being ignorant a--holes about literally everything doesn't leave me much hope.
Well, I don't think it's so despairing quite yet. We are in a better place than we were last year, or even six months ago. There was even a bit of a vaccine bump since the 4th as this delta outbreak has had some effect on inspiring some of the holdouts to get vaccinated. But of course....


meanwhile---I've currently got 5 unvaccinated relatives on vacation at Disneyworld*. Two of them are obese and one suffers from asthma. They've been unmasked in every photo they've posted on FB. Have fun, I guess....?


It's a very profitable market for jackasses right now.



Haw haw. Just in the nick of time! From Disney World Resorts: "Beginning July 30, face coverings are required for all Guests (ages 2 and up) while indoors and in Disney buses, monorail and Disney Skyliner, regardless of vaccination status. This includes upon entering and throughout all attractions."


Feel free to repost on FB, Cap'n.



Haw haw. Just in the nick of time! From Disney World Resorts: "Beginning July 30, face coverings are required for all Guests (ages 2 and up) while indoors and in Disney buses, monorail and Disney Skyliner, regardless of vaccination status. This includes upon entering and throughout all attractions."


Feel free to repost on FB, Cap'n.
Not soon enough, actually. In between my last post and this one, the two vaccinated members of the Disney excursion have been tested, due to coughing and sneezing. Results pending. (Both are in their 60s)



Well, I don't think it's so despairing quite yet. We are in a better place than we were last year, or even six months ago. There was even a bit of a vaccine bump since the 4th as this delta outbreak has had some effect on inspiring some of the holdouts to get vaccinated.
Yeah, I've heard that the average number of weekly vaccinations in my state has doubled since Wave 4 started, so that's something.



Everyone who died in my state in June was unvaccinated. But as the Delta variant spreads, I worry that those numbers will shift to include people who are vaccinated.
We’re being told that vaccinated people will not die or be hospitalized even if they are infected by the Delta variant. Don’t know about anyone else, but I will be pissed if someone infects me with the variant.

From what I understand the delta variant is extremely contagious, but also not very deadly. Is this true?
Extremely contagious to UNVACCINATED people. For vaccinated people, if you were infected by Delta they’re calling it a “breakthrough infection”. Unsure of the symptoms, but we’re told we wouldn’t die or be hospitalized. They better not be lying to us.

I said the same over a year ago here at MoFo. Covid is not just going to go away as some dreamed it would. I predicted that like the Cold virus, Covid would keep just keep mutating and thus defeating our attempts at eradicating it. It's been on this planet for untold 10,000s of years, probably way longer...and it ain't going away.
I agree. Kudos to you for foresight.

…something like small pox is 3000 years old, and despite its longevity, we've managed to virtually eradicate it.
Surely that’s because we all got a smallpox shot when we were children? Nobody asked us if we wanted it, we just got it along with a polio shot.



"How tall is King Kong ?"
Vaccinated people (as in : some) will be contaminated. By any variant. I think it's like 4% for the normal variants so far (against which the vaccine protects at 96%), 10% for the delta (against which the vaccine protect at 90%).

No vaccine protects anyone at 100%. Requiring this imaginary efficiency is missing the point.



No vaccine protects anyone at 100%. Requiring this imaginary efficiency is missing the point.
Not sure if anyone here was pushing for “this imaginary efficiency”.

“Missing the point” of what?



Extremely contagious to UNVACCINATED people. For vaccinated people, if you were infected by Delta they’re calling it a “breakthrough infection”.
It's still very contagious to vaccinated people, which is why the CDC reimplemented the mask mandate on Tuesday. (Also, today, there's a report on a CDC internal memo that has a lot more up-to-date info.) It was unknown until this week at what capacity vaccinated people can spread the infection, but it's far more contagious than earlier strains, and the breakthrough infections are 2-3 times higher. The breakthrough cases have shown to be mild, but the alarming part is that there's little reduction in the viral load that a vaccinated person can spread.

Surely that’s because we all got a smallpox shot when we were children? Nobody asked us if we wanted it, we just got it along with a polio shot.
Right. And thankfully there wasn't much of a anti-vaxx movement at that time. But the point I was making to CR is that both small pox and polio being on the planet for thousands of years didn't prevent them from "going away".

Vaccinated people (as in : some) will be contaminated. By any variant. I think it's like 4% for the normal variants so far (against which the vaccine protects at 96%), 10% for the delta (against which the vaccine protect at 90%).
The numbers in one of the links above had the chances of breakthrough in mRNA vaccine against the original SARS-CoV-2 at 3-4%, against the Alpha variant at 6.3% and against Delta at 12%. What I'm concerned with is the exponential direction of those numbers. There's been two more variants already identified since Delta.