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Shanghai Disneyland will close its gates on Saturday in an effort to stop the spread of a new SARS-like virus that has killed 26 people and sickened at least 881, primarily in China. It’s not known when the theme park may reopen.
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Jeff said:
Nine Inch Nails cancelled their tour. Remember when rock-n-roll was dangerous? It has more sense than DeSantis.
Just like last year, I return from Miami surprised at the reality vs what I expected based on what I was led to believe.
Masks were everywhere. Easily 90%+ of people I saw around the city (UMiami campus excluded*, kids amirite?) were wearing masks - the one Walmart we stopped at even required them to get in.
Could be a recent development as Miami-Dade seems to have peaked in cases per 100k a couple of weeks back and is currently at just above half of what it was at that peak.
Certainly far more mask use than I've seen in Ohio over the summer.
(*I don't want to make campus sound like a free for all. It was probably still 3-in-4, maybe 4-in-5, just not everywhere like the city at large - and they still have a mandatory testing protocol system in place with everyone needing a negative COVID test within 24 hours of moving on to campus regardless of vaccination status and regular testing during the semester)
It depends a lot here in Central Florida where you go. The theme parks are of course tightened up for indoor locations, but it's very inconsistent in retail right now, here in the 'burbs.
Jeff - Editor - CoasterBuzz.com - My Blog
We are back to masks required for staff in our building but optional for the public. 2-3 weeks ago I'd say maybe 10% of the public wore them. Now I'd say it's 10% that aren't.
And I probably went from mid May until mid July without wearing one at all, save for one or two places I went where they were required.
I think it is weird having the employees be masked but not the patrons. Sure seems it should be all or none.
I am not seeing anywhere close to that sort of mask wearing in stores around me.
Jeff said:
Nine Inch Nails cancelled their tour. Remember when rock-n-roll was dangerous? It has more sense than DeSantis.
Setting the bar pretty low there, aren't you?
Hi
Shades said:
I think it is weird having the employees be masked but not the patrons. Sure seems it should be all or none.
That would make some kind of sense, but there is a practical reality at work here. Here in Ohio, our State lawmakers got tired of health department edicts and limited their ability to impose mandates on the general population; that is, the roughly 99.49% of the population that has not been diagnosed with any disease*. It seems people are reading between the lines of the CDC's recommendation, and while certain retailers (Giant Eagle comes to mind) announced that they would be requiring masks again, when the day came to implement that requirement, the actual language used turned into a "strong recommendation". Presumably it's because most retailers didn't decide to play along: if the store "strongly recommends" I can still politely decline**; whereas if the store "requires", I can politely take my business elsewhere...and apparently most businesses would prefer that I not do that. What I am seeing here is that compliance with those requests is, depending on the neighborhood and the business, somewhere between 0%-60%, and I have a sneaking suspicion that in those areas with higher compliance, it's probably mostly the wrong 50% wearing the masks.
With that in mind, today's chart (based on the onset adjusted data from the Ohio Department of Health) looks very promising for the current surge to start reversing. I fear that the start of school is going to blow that reversal, though.
--Dave Althoff, Jr.
* Based on a deliberately inflated estimate of active cases in Ohio as of 8/23/2021. I put your odds of encountering someone who is shedding the virus at about 1:164 today.
** It's no secret; the only thing covering my face is my beard and mustache. Scientifically the mRNA in my arm is more effective than anything I can put over my nose, and SARS-CoV2(∆) isn't the only hazard out there; in my case I'm declining the mask 'for your protection'. Thank you for understanding.
--DCAjr
/X\ _ *** Respect rides. They do not respect you. ***
/XXX\ /X\ /X\_ _ /X\__ _ _ _____
/XXXXX\ /XXX\ /XXXX\_ /X\ /XXXXX\ /X\ /X\ /XXXXX
_/XXXXXXX\__/XXXXX\/XXXXXXXX\_/XXX\_/XXXXXXX\__/XXX\_/XXX\_/\_/XXXXXX
Shades said:
I think it is weird having the employees be masked but not the patrons. Sure seems it should be all or none.
We're a county building open to the public, which means the DeSantis "no mitigation" mandate states we can not require the public to wear masks. But as an employer, we are requiring it for working staff.
I have seen a lot of businesses that have required masks for employees but not for customers. If you do not have staffing issues, you can fire employees who don't wear masks. As noted above, you may lose customers if you require vaccines (you could gain some too but there is a balance there and businesses will tend to know their own customer bases best).
With full FDA approval for Pfizer vaccine, vaccination mandates are starting to kick in/increase.
Just refreshing our memories to some coversation that took place last week...
TheMillenniumRider said:
So, I don’t know. If you have Covid and you aren’t vaccinated you get bumped to the back of the line at the hospital, or they only dedicate x number of beds? That solves the hospital clogging issue. So…. Let it roll and call it a day?
Or is that too simple?
bigboy said:
So if you designate X beds for COVID patients and the rest for everyone else, does it make sense to sit with empty beds if everyone else isn't using them?
Jeff said:
...and then linking to this:
If Covid vaccine refusers are turned away at hospitals and doctor offices, is that ethical?
"Dr. Jason Valentine, a family medicine physician at the Diagnostic and Medical Clinic Infirmary Health in Mobile, Alabama, informed his patients this month that, effective Oct. 1, he would no longer treat those who hadn’t been vaccinated against Covid-19. Around the same time, a leaked memo indicated that the North Texas Mass Critical Care Guideline Task Force was considering whether to take Covid vaccination status into account in deciding who gets ICU beds when more of them are needed than are available.
No laws prevent physicians like Valentine from excluding unvaccinated patients from their practices. In fact, medical professionals have long dismissed patients, and they have established policies and procedures. These set out expectations about how to dismiss patients so they aren’t abandoned and left in precarious situations. For example, the American Academy of Family Physicians procedures and communication templates to facilitate justifiable and safe dismissals. A 2016 survey of 794 primary care practices found that nearly half of them had dismissed patients for not following treatment plans."
(Also, check the results of that poll about halfway down the page)
This will be a long post. I apologize in advance. These are my recent observations as an ER physician in MN with 35 years experience.
The second wave of COVID cases is just starting to rise in MN. Our numbers are increasing dramatically over the last few days. Our hospitals are already at capacity before the second COVID wave arrived. This is likely from people neglecting their health care during the first COVID wave, and thus becoming very sick at home. Also two hospitals went out of business due to the first COVID wave. We have been boarding inpatients in the ED for more than 20 hours waiting for beds to open. This was even before the second COVID wave arrived.
I just got home after working a 12 hour ED shift during which 60-70% of the patients I saw had COVID or at least, COVID like symptoms.
I admitted a patient with respiratory failure from COVID pneumonitis. He has refused the vaccine because “that just kills people.” He has refused standard testing because “the kits are made in China and give you cancer.” He has been receiving “his medical care” from an online source that has been giving him ivermectin. This is the drug that I give my dogs to prevent heartworm. “So sir, you have refused an FDA approved vaccine, but are willing to take a veterinarian med for canine heart worm from an online source you have never met, who has unknown credentials, and there is no regulation of what they are actually giving you.” His COVID test was positive, but fortunately he does not have canine heartworm. I expect he will be intubated, on a vent in the ICU within the next 48 hours. He may die from COVID.
We will be dealing with COVID for several more years to come. Remain vigilant. Continue to wear a mask, wash your hands, and socially distant. This is not going away any time soon. Get the vaccine. Get a booster shot when we figure that out. Don’t let your guard down.
Now get the hell off of my lawn. Goddam kids.
I don't necessarily think anti-vaxxers should be turned away from medical care, but at this point they certainly shouldn't have the cost of their care covered by the government or pooled health insurance.
It would be interesting to see what would happen to vaccination uptake as a result.
Brandon | Facebook
If nothing else triage rules should apply, in that IF there is a lack of bedspace or medical personnel, those who have the best chance of survival are given priority. The guy in sws's post should go to the back of the line.
Hi
I agree with your analogy We are in triage right now...unfortunately due to a civil war. I've got no problem with putting Covid patients at the back of the line if there are other needs. They are the reason we are in this mess.
sws...thank you for all you are doing. I hear the exhaustion in your post. I hear the frustration. You and your peers have been asked to do far too much over the past 18 months.
We've lost 5 law enforcement officers here in the Broward County area in the last week. The average age of a hospitalized COVID patient is now in the mid-30s and I am betting that number will lower in the next several weeks as the impact of student returns to campuses materializes. We have a Governor threatening legal action against school boards who are simply trying to take basic steps to keep their students and faculty safe. This is a disaster entirely of our own making at this point.
"You can dream, create, design, and build the most wonderful place in the world...but it requires people to make the dreams a reality." -Walt Disney
sws, thank you for, I guess putting up with the pile of insanity that you're dealing with. For all of the nonsense we've seen in the last year, I take comfort in knowing that there are professionals doing the best they can for the world.
Jeff - Editor - CoasterBuzz.com - My Blog
I suspect that adding a $200/month surcharge on health insurance rates will have a tremendous impact getting people vaccinated. So while Delta is not mandating vaccines, they are going to make it very expensive to not get vaccinated.
I figure this will be a quickly growing trend.
SWS, I'm just dealing with the insanity arguing with people on my computer, and you are out there on the front lines getting your hands dirty, so to speak. Thank you for your service to humanity, and for your post, which was a change from your usual short and hilarious quips.
-Travis
www.youtube.com/TSVisits
I was walking across the grocery store parking lot the other day, behind a young woman in scrubs. I could see she had that “just got outta work and I’m beat” walk going on there. Turned out she was parked next to me. As we loaded our cars I kindly said “Hey, healthcare worker!” She looked up and I said “Thanks for everything”. Her shoulders relaxed and I swear she choked up a bit when she said “Thanks so much for that”. I said “I don’t know how you all do it” to which she replied “Most days it’s hard”. Then we split.
Healthcare professionals deserve all the kind words and recognition we can give them. Try it next time you see one- When I do I never fail to see the gratitude in their eyes. I have a feeling many found themselves in the midst of something they didn’t exactly sign up for, but their dedicated service keeps them there for us. And that’s a blessing.
https://nypost.com/2021/08/22/study-finds-n95-masks-more-effective-than-surgical-cloth-masks/
So, masks work on average 10% of the time. Would any other health prevention with that effectiveness rate be so pushed on the population? My guess is no.
First off, you're deferring the interpretation of a study to the New York Post, which is a big box of stupid. Second, if you actually read the study (and I'm sure you didn't), it doesn't say anything about masks working "10% of the time" because the study is not designed in any way to measure viral transmission. The Post focused in on the rate of filtration and ignored the rest of the study, which actually concludes quite explicitly that masks are effective in reducing the dispersal of aerosols.
The near-field velocity measurements indicate that the forward momentum of breath exhaled through the nose is reduced significantly and redirected when the subject is equipped with a mask. Furthermore, this attenuation of the forward momentum increases with the filtration efficiency of the mask material when a proper fit is ensured. Thus, the present results endorse the use of high-efficiency, unvalved masks with a proper fit when the recommended social distancing guidelines cannot be maintained between individuals.
So, you know, maybe read the material if you fancy yourself a Google "researcher" before you spread bull****.
Jeff - Editor - CoasterBuzz.com - My Blog
Closed topic.