COVID-19 in your part of the world

[GaijinPunch]

I can't smell "bad" things yet, which is the weirdest. Skunks outside? Garbage? Literal shit? It hasn't registered. I mean, of all things concerned, that might be a blessing and make living in the city a little nicer lol. Though I nonetheless want that back; I feel like I am at an evolutionary disadvantage here. I guess I better find some willing ladies for those orgies Gaijin was talking about if smell ain't going to be an issue, eh?

My alley near Milwaukee and Augusta could use some tending to in that case. Jesus after that blizzard (which I was not here for ) and it's like everyone just said "fuck it".

I on-and-off take the train, but my laziness is keeping me in a car more than I'd like to. I was always so anti-driving in the city during normal traffic times; now a 20 minute commute (previously: 60-75 min) is a serious competitor with an hour train ride. I guess going off the above, smells should not bother me on the train anymore LOL.

I believe I stated this here before but the Blue Line is a fucking SHIT SHOW and I don't even ride it. My GF does daily (twice a day both ways actually) and she's always sending me pics. Best one so far was a guy chopping up lines on the seat across from her. Worse, she doesn't think it was coke. Probably his opioids.

I am not blind to the fact that many people are dying, but since I am locked down I am the least likely person to need a vaccine. I will get my vaccine when asked to get it, as it is a requirement of my job.

Fair enough - apparently in Chicago I can "fake my way" to the vaccine line but I have the unsurprising moral obligation to not do that shit. Let someone that needs more go first. We were busting your balls because by definition once you have symptoms a vaccine is useless -- they are, by definition, only preventative. Not a treatment.

[Sly Cherry Chunks]

I must still be on some healthcare record somewhere because the doctors in the UK just called my Dad to ask if I was available to get the corona vaccine. Its a shame I moved to Canada in 2008. Good on the UK for being so thorough in rolling this out, there's no news of me ever getting a vaccine where I live BUT we aren't as locked-down as the UK or other places.

[orange808]

...because by definition once you have symptoms a vaccine is useless -- they are, by definition, only preventative. Not a treatment.

Some people are reporting an improvement to long term issues after the jab. Could be a placebo thing, but it's also possible that vaccination is helping. I know a doctor that thinks the vax could be a treatment. Although, I can't explain why and I wouldn't dare try. I just took the doctor's word for it.

[Steamflogger Boss]

Don't recommend getting covid, not very fun tbh.

[vol.2]

Sitting in the observation lounge upstairs at Raven Stadium in Baltimore, just got my first shot.

Such a strange and surreal feeling; In the bar of a football stadium that has been turned into a mass vaccination site. A feeling of things-to-come passes over me. A real notion that this may be a glimpse into some yet unknown apocalypse. Step one maybe. Maybe not. Maybe I'm just letting my imagination get the best of me.

[GaijinPunch]

Finally, a good use for a football stadium!

[emphatic]

My oldest daughter and my wife has tested positive (yesterday and today, respectively). I have symptoms myself since yesterday. I actually hope I have it too, staying home for a whole week from work without the chance of the antibody payout seems a waste of time.

[Steamflogger Boss]

My oldest daughter and my wife has tested positive (yesterday and today, respectively). I have symptoms myself since yesterday. I actually hope I have it too, staying home for a whole week from work without the chance of the antibody payout seems a waste of time.

Hopefully you don't have it as bad as I do, and I think I'm still fairly mild. It really does suck.

[emphatic]

Hopefully you don't have it as bad as I do, and I think I'm still fairly mild. It really does suck.

I hope you feel better soon.

[Steamflogger Boss]

I believe I have about 1 week to go. Pounding fluids, taking a vitamin regimen etc

[chempop]

Feel better guys, definitely drink tons and vitamin D if you have em.

Do you have any any how you contracted it? Work, unmask in public, social gatherings?

[Steamflogger Boss]

Had to just be a time I went to get groceries. I was taking a lot of precautions but life be like that sometimes.

My brother actually just dropped off some vitamins today including some vitamin d softgels.

[GaijinPunch]

Had to just be a time I went to get groceries. I was taking a lot of precautions but life be like that sometimes.

This is so un-reassuring. I have been quite careful this whole time as well, but it takes concentration as I can't remember the last time I got the flu.

[Steamflogger Boss]

So one thing is, I'm in a very RED state. At this point many other people are done with mask wearing.

Hopefully wherever you are people are more considerate, gp.

[vol.2]

Dudes. That sucks. Hope you both feel better soon and your families as well.

[GaijinPunch]

Blue all the way -- even including my balls. My county (and most of California for that matter) has pretty great numbers now -- 5.5 new cases per 100k. ICU capcaity used is still 80% which does not seem great but this makes it sound somewhat reassuring. Chicago metro (where I am still frequenting due to reasons) is doing substantially worse in terms of new cases. 63% ICU capacity seems more reassuring for some populations. I will be honest I have no clue how the math works though - not sure what capacity they're supposed to be at idle. I'd think 50%?

[ZacharyB]

I'm fully vaccinated with two doses of Moderna and I still wear two masks, one of which is a doubled-over paper towel sealed all the way around with surgical tape. Main reason for this is that I changed jobs recently, and I now work in close proximity to other people in a grocery store's shopping delivery staging room. I get periodic text messages saying "a new CoViD-19 case (or cases) has been detected at your location."

Funny thing is, when I worked at my previous grocery store, I observed better mask compliance than when I do at this job, which is in a posh area. Rich people can't be assed to follow rules meant for commoners I guess. Either that or I just observe more of the outliers, since the store is smaller. This is in New York on Long Island, by the way.

[Steamflogger Boss]

Blue all the way -- even including my balls. My county (and most of California for that matter) has pretty great numbers now -- 5.5 new cases per 100k. ICU capcaity used is still 80% which does not seem great but this makes it sound somewhat reassuring. Chicago metro (where I am still frequenting due to reasons) is doing substantially worse in terms of new cases. 63% ICU capacity seems more reassuring for some populations. I will be honest I have no clue how the math works though - not sure what capacity they're supposed to be at idle. I'd think 50%?

Fwiw the US hospital system seems pretty over stressed in general. I wonder what normal percentages are for capacity but there sure never is parking available even in normal times here lol.

[vol.2]

RE the vaccine's effects.

I got Pfizer on Saturday morning. I felt fine, but my arm started hurting pretty intensely Sunday evening all of a sudden. Like way more than other vaccines I've gotten (even the big ones I got on trips to the jungle).

The arm feels mostly fine at this point (just a little sore but nbd), but I started to feel really dizzy about two hours ago and I still feel dizzy and kind of nauseous.

This also happen to GF when she got jabbed.

[emphatic]

There was an outbreak in my oldest daughter's class. So it's reasonable to believe that she brought the bug home.

[KayBur]

RE the vaccine's effects.

I got Pfizer on Saturday morning. I felt fine, but my arm started hurting pretty intensely Sunday evening all of a sudden. Like way more than other vaccines I've gotten (even the big ones I got on trips to the jungle).

The arm feels mostly fine at this point (just a little sore but nbd), but I started to feel really dizzy about two hours ago and I still feel dizzy and kind of nauseous.

This also happen to GF when she got jabbed.

This is a normal reaction to the vaccine. If you have not had a visible reaction of the body to other vaccines, then this still does not indicate anything. Each drug acts individually in each organism. The main thing now is not to get sick before the second dose of the vaccine.

[chempop]

My arm was sore from the Pfizer (first dose) for about 2 days, no other major side effects though.

There was an outbreak in my oldest daughter's class. So it's reasonable to believe that she brought the bug home.

Damn. As a teacher, I always wondered how easy it is to spread in classrooms with masks and "distancing" (which is bullshit if you saw our classroom size student ratio). The politicians say schools are low risk so they are finally reopening them 100% here starting next Monday. I feel teachers should have been a part of the 'essential workers' vaccination group before sending them back to work.

[emphatic]

Hey, maybe one of the mutation strands of the virus spread easier between kids, I dunno. My oldest is turning 16 soon, so she's no baby no more.

[guigui]

Hey, maybe one of the mutation strands of the virus spread easier between kids, I dunno. My oldest is turning 16 soon, so she's no baby no more.

The whole Europe has been fearing the "UK variant" for about 3 months now : spreads 60% quicker among the general population than regular, and affects children much more.

France is on the verge of a 3rd total lockdown in the next few days. Many people says that the previous decision of the President not to lockdown when this UK variant started spreading in February was a mistake. But hey, trying to both contain an epidemic, and be re-elected next year is not an easy thing to do.

[GaijinPunch]

I feel teachers should have been a part of the 'essential workers' vaccination group before sending them back to work.

Duh -- wtf?!

[vol.2]

I feel teachers should have been a part of the 'essential workers' vaccination group before sending them back to work.

Duh -- wtf?!

Wait. They weren't? That fucked up.

[Queen Charlene]

I feel teachers should have been a part of the 'essential workers' vaccination group before sending them back to work.

Duh -- wtf?!

Wait. They weren't? That fucked up.

unfortunately America doesn't give one rat's ass about teachers and would gladly throw them out to die. after all, if teachers aren't around to teach kids, it's much easier to spread propaganda to them!

in Washington COVID news, the vaccine rollout is speeding up here immensely. March 31st you won't even have to fill out the Phase Finder to prove your eligibility for vaccines. some places you can literally just walk in and get jabbed and go.

i got my first jab last week. my shoulder was sore and i fell asleep early and for a long while (like 10-12 hours) but i was fine otherwise. i heard the second shot is when shit really starts to get gnarly though. personally i'm hoping to have enough money saved up to order pho like 3-4 times while i recover if it gets bad.

[ZacharyB]

When I got my second shot, I didn't have a worse reaction than my first shot. (Arm aches, fever, chills, all indicative of the immune system corraling resources to build its antibody network.) It lasted for about 12 hours each time.

Back before the pandemic, I was drawing immune cells for an art project, and I learned that B-cells, the ones that put out antibodies, put out a staggering amount of antibodies. Like, on the order of 10,000 per cell, per minute, and there's millions of cells. I can't remember if that's the exact figure, but I remember clearly thinking that a person's blood is just swimming in antibodies after getting infected. And that's for a normal, everyday infection... The CoViD vaccine is advanced biotechnology which is supposed to really make a lot of antibodies.

[Steamflogger Boss]

12 hours twice, that's definitely better than having this for 2 weeks. Don't think we have any here, but lol at the anti-vaxxers.

The vaccination thing on a passport is such a non-issue. It's a public health thing. There are other vaccinations required for travel to some areas.

[ZacharyB]

I also forgot to mention that I had to get my second shot slightly late, two weeks late, due to the demand. There were no open appointment shots at the interval period. I'm not sure if that affected anything.

By the way, we might not have this problem any longer, but a quick search on the internet at the time, back in January, told me that it was better to get the shot slightly late rather than slightly early, in case you have to miss an appointment. It's when you run a few months late that the process has to be restarted.