Shanghai Disneyland will close in effort to contain coronavirus

So far, the two anecdotes we have to work with is that a preliminary report from South Africa shows that Omicron reduces the efficacy of the vaccines, and as mentioned above, Pfizer today says two doses alone may not prevent infection, but likely severe disease, and a third dose at least short-term should do both well.

Actually there is a third important (most important?) anecdote we have to work with…

All cases for which there is available information on severity were either asymptomatic or mild.

I don’t know what the “sufficient concern” for a “mild to asymptomatic” variant should be. That’s up to the individual.

You can't draw any conclusions from that data. There's no significant representation of any of the at-risk cohorts in any of the counties in that report. What if it tears through a nursing home? What will happen? We don't know.

It could in fact end up being a mild variant that changes the pandemic for the better, and I hope that's the case. There's not a single human being that wouldn't want that. But as of now, there's not enough data to be making policy decisions about it.

You're rating a movie for which you haven't even seen all the previews.

If there's not enough data to make policy decisions, then why a travel ban?

I assume it's to buy a little time, but experts frequently point out that pathogens are uninterested in borders. The real motivation is likely to do "something" given the already insane death toll.

But you're missing the point, and this has been the problem with the entire pandemic: Proclaiming "no big deal" before you actually know isn't an action that you can take back and correct for. It's like checking into the hospital because you can't breathe and then begging for the vaccine.

Exactly correct. Pathogens don't care about borders, nor have they been stopped or slowed by masks. The particles are so small that they pass through.

I'm not missing the point at all. I only commented that a travel ban isn't going to work. It hasn't since the beginning.

This website along with big tech has proven one thing...it's an echo chamber incapable of dealing with any outside thought or proof that what has been sold to you isn't doing what you think it is. I've seen YouTube contributors getting warnings or strikes against them by simply citing CDC data. Twitter has also now decided that the American Heart Association's opinion is not acceptable any longer. Be as obese as you think you should be because body positivity far exceeds the health risks involved. Talk about medical misinformation. That is one thing for sure is that has held true throughout the pandemic.

Also a lot of other factors that aren't being considered nor does anyone seem to care about is the increase in the suicide rate (huge increase in children, amounting to a 51% increase), domestic violence on the rise, regular health screenings kicked to the curb, and an increase in drug abuse. We've decided those aren't really THAT important any longer. Such a strange shift in culture from just 2 years ago.

I'm all for vaccinations and even yearly boosters, but this is decidedly different. Israel is already considering a 4th shot. They've already suggested and implemented a 3rd well ahead of the U.S.

You have Dr. Fauci suggesting he's the science and you never question the science. I find that troubling since the idea behind science is to question everything.

It goes without saying that there are a lot of Gen X folks on here who are just ready to blindly follow the government when at one time we were considered the least trusting generation when it concerns doing just that. My how attitudes have changed and that's not a compliment.

extremecoasterdad said:

...nor have they been stopped or slowed by masks. The particles are so small that they pass through.

Dude, ****ing NO. How about I throw a golf ball at your face, and I give you the option to put a chain link fence between us or not. By your logic, you'd be fine either way. After all, the ball is smaller than the spaces between the wires of the fence, so it could pass through.

If that hypothetical is too violent for you, then how about we spray a paper towel with a water hose set to mist. If I spray directly on it, the paper towel will get soaked. If I spray through a window screen, the paper towel will get wet, but not as much.

Your comment is stupid on its face.

Jeff said:

You're rating a coaster for which you haven't even seen all the povs.

Fixed.

That would be unprecedented for this place, no? Like totally unheard of. Never, ever happened. Ever.

Right. Usually we hate things even before we watch any POVs.

If it’s short, has trims, or is low capacity, why bother to ride it? I can already tell it suck / is worse than RRR. High five?

extremecoasterdad said:

Pathogens have [not] been stopped or slowed by masks. The particles are so small that they pass through.

Demonstrably wrong.

extremecoasterdad said:

Pathogens don't care about borders, nor have they been stopped or slowed by masks. The particles are so small that they pass through.

It's okay to trust "Dude", but not science.

You're rating a movie for which you haven't even seen all the previews.

There’s no rating. Just quoting the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control. They say… “All cases for which there is available information on severity were either asymptomatic or mild.”

What if it tears through a nursing home? What will happen? We don't know.

I assume that should these Omicron hypothetical(s) happen. The European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control and other worldwide agencies tasked with informing the public will do their jobs and inform us.

You’re sharing previews for a movie that doesn’t exist. If that movie ever gets produced…I’ll adjust my concern accordingly.

I applaud Pfizer and any agencies with the power to do so for being prepared while simultaneously acknowledging current talk of further action is premature.

Bakeman31092 said:

extremecoasterdad said:

...nor have they been stopped or slowed by masks. The particles are so small that they pass through.

Dude, ****ing NO. How about I throw a golf ball at your face, and I give you the option to put a chain link fence between us or not. By your logic, you'd be fine either way. After all, the ball is smaller than the spaces between the wires of the fence, so it could pass through.

If that hypothetical is too violent for you, then how about we spray a paper towel with a water hose set to mist. If I spray directly on it, the paper towel will get soaked. If I spray through a window screen, the paper towel will get wet, but not as much.

Your comment is stupid on its face.

No, see, we’re discussing topics, not people.

Aamilj said:

You’re sharing previews for a movie that doesn’t exist.

Quite the opposite, I'm saying we can't draw any meaningful conclusions. I even said that one possible outcome is that omicron is NBD and could change the pandemic for the better. And again, I hope that's the case. Absent that knowledge, a little short-term caution is valid. As I said, it doesn't do a lot of good to ask for the vaccine once you're in the ICU. As I said before, knowing it won't sink in this time...

You can't draw any conclusions from that data. There's no significant representation of any of the at-risk cohorts in any of the counties in that report.

The initial observations out of Africa are encouraging. They're also too incomplete to be actionable.

Jeff said:

As I said before, knowing it won't sink in this time...

Propaganda is a strong drug. And I don’t even think it’s about ‘sinking in’ as it is about the thrill he gets from arguing. I myself at least try not to argue against established fact.

And this in a thread where someone actually said, with zero citations or background to make said statement, that masks don’t work.

These people are deserving of ridicule.

Maybe, but it's not a particularly efficient use of energy.

I happen to know you can smell a fart through a mask. So…..