CHASING COVID-19 VACCINE

[OscarGuy]

Here in Missouri, it was rather easy to get an appointment. Walmart had plenty of them. Then again, our state's vax rate is 53.22%. My county is at 47.61%. There are many counties in the state that are under 34%. Of course, it's obvious where the vaccination rate is highest as the bigger the city, the more vaccinated it is...

[Sonic Youth]

(It's been impossible to get an appointment)

I find this shocking that its so difficult to get vaccinated in the United States. I would have thought that would have been the case in my country. But about three months after the start of the pandemic it has been so easy to get vaccinated. And it's free.

Well, it's been easy for SOME people. Those are the ones who managed to get appointments at the earliest opportunity and make it impossible for the rest of us.

Is the percentage of vaccinated people where you live high, Reza? It's nearly 75% in my state. I'd like to think it's difficult to get vaccinated in my area because demand is high, although to be honest, her age group is only 25% fullly vaxxed. BTW, we did manage to snag an appointment for her 6 days later. She's fully vaccinated now.

[Reza]

(It's been impossible to get an appointment)

I find this shocking that its so difficult to get vaccinated in the United States. I would have thought that would have been the case in my country. But about three months after the start of the pandemic it has been so easy to get vaccinated. And it's free.

[Greg]

Here is something Covid made me think about. It used to be that people would have more children, but, if parents, on average, had four children who went on to have children of their own and had all their children by the time they were forty, the population would double every forty years. This would mean the population would increase more that thirty-fold every two centuries. Even if the human species only began on year 1 AD, world population, at this growth rate, would be more than one quadrillion, one million billion, rather than the actual current population of seven-and-a-half billion.

The only way world population could be what we have is if, back when people had more children, most of these children did not have children of their own; and, even when people were having ten or more children, most often only zero, one, or two of these children would have their own children. This would be because most people born would die before they reached childbearing age. The lack of vaccinations, pasteurization, refrigeration, water and sewage treatment, etc., meant mass deaths from infectious disease, especially for young children. I read where, for more distant times, average life expectancy was calculated only for those who lived beyond childhood, or else the life expectancy numbers for those times would end up something like two or three.

It must have been very difficult times for couples conceiving ten children and watching eight or so of them die during their childhoods.

[OscarGuy]

With COVID, there's no such thing as an overreaction. I might suggest consult your pediatrician on what they would recommend. If anything can keep your kid out of school without raising too much suspicion, it's a doctor's note.

[Sonic Youth]

No further cases were found, so the tracing and rapid testing program (hopefully) worked, and the situation is (hopefully) stable.

Before school this morning, I had a three-way convo between me, my wife and a super-nervous neighbor. I was for letting her go to school today and see if anything further developed. I wasn't at all confident that was the right answer - as you can see, I spent the rest of the day second-guessing myself - but that was my feeling at the time. My wife was adamant about keeping her home. I lost the vote, 1-1, American Democracy style. So, she's going back to school tomorrow. This may have been an over-reaction, but looking at what's going on in this insane country, nothing is an overreaction anymore.

[Sonic Youth]

Is your daughter vaccinated? Is everyone at the same home vaccinated? If yes, I would move on with my normal life and be alert if any symptoms start to show up.

My wife and I are vaccinated, but she is not. My daughter is 8 years old, and this is an elementary school. Although 5-11 year olds are allowed to get vaccinated as of last Wednesday, I think it's safe to say that the great majority are not (It's been impossible to get an appointment), and those who are are certainy not fully vaccinated and it has definitely not been 2 weeks when the first vaccine is in full effect anyway.

"Wait for symptoms to show up." This is what the school says. Don't remove your child unless she starts exhibiting symptons. And I really don't get this approach. Doesn't this then mean you're too late to prevent anything? By then, the virus has already taken hold and is spreading through the kids. Hopefully the tracing method being used is adequate enough that this is a non-issue, because this feels like a real life 'trolley problem'.

[mlrg]

Our school districts' website maintains a dashboard which keeps track of which schools are reporting Covid cases and how many. Since September, the dashboard has mostly shown a long row of '0's, with an ocassional 1 or 2, but no more than that. There are still about 1250-1500 cases per day being reported in my state, but the schools in town seem to be mostly unaffected.

Until now. Last Friday, the principal sent an email announcing there were 6 cases of Covid detected in my daughters school. Everyone who was deemed in close contact with those 6 were notified. They said they'd give the school a deep clean, and please monitor your children for symptoms, etc. It was a little disconcerting to see the school your daughter goes to on the dashboard marked as '6' in a sea of '0's. Last night - two days later - we received another message saying they now ID'd 24 individuals... IOW, my daughter's school now has a cluster. They do not say how many of those infected are students or staff, which would have been useful info. This does not seem to happening in any other school.

So, my next question is not exactly a hypothetical. What would YOU do? Wait to see if the case number multiplies? Take action now for safety's sake? Or would that be too hasty? (The school seems to think so. Any absense from anyone not infected or considered a 'close constact' is an unexcused absence.)

Is your daughter vaccinated? Is everyone at the same home vaccinated? If yes, I would move on with my normal life and be alert if any symptoms start to show up.

[Big Magilla]

So, my next question is not exactly a hypothetical. What would YOU do? Wait to see if the case number multiplies? Take action now for safety's sake? Or would that be too hasty? (The school seems to think so. Any absence from anyone not infected or considered a 'close contact' is an unexcused absence.)

It's a cause for concern but if your daughter isn't showing any systems, it shouldn't be a cause for alarm.

You might ask her, if you haven't already, how close she has come to any absent students or teachers.

[Sonic Youth]

Our school districts' website maintains a dashboard which keeps track of which schools are reporting Covid cases and how many. Since September, the dashboard has mostly shown a long row of '0's, with an ocassional 1 or 2, but no more than that. There are still about 1250-1500 cases per day being reported in my state, but the schools in town seem to be mostly unaffected.

Until now. Last Friday, the principal sent an email announcing there were 6 cases of Covid detected in my daughters school. Everyone who was deemed in close contact with those 6 were notified. They said they'd give the school a deep clean, and please monitor your children for symptoms, etc. It was a little disconcerting to see the school your daughter goes to on the dashboard marked as '6' in a sea of '0's. Last night - two days later - we received another message saying they now ID'd 24 individuals... IOW, my daughter's school now has a cluster. They do not say how many of those infected are students or staff, which would have been useful info. This does not seem to happening in any other school.

So, my next question is not exactly a hypothetical. What would YOU do? Wait to see if the case number multiplies? Take action now for safety's sake? Or would that be too hasty? (The school seems to think so. Any absense from anyone not infected or considered a 'close constact' is an unexcused absence.)

[Reza]

Thank you guys. The anti-biotics and the steroids seem to be kicking in. No more low grade fever. Return to the doctor on the 11th.

My second dose of Pfizer is due tomorrow - I had taken the booster in early October. But probably can't go for it as I'm covid positive. My covid antibody count is almost 7,000.

[Greg]

Best wishes, Reza.

[Mister Tee]

Best wishes, Reza. Let the doctors take care of you.

I got my booster yesterday. Had a crap sleep overnight, mostly (like Magilla) because I tend to switch from one side to another many times overnight, and the sore left arm spoiled the rotation. Kind of knackered today -- part from that issue, but probably part from the vaccine itself. Nowhere near as much as I was from the second shot, so I'm confident it'll all be a memory tomorrow. I expect to feel invulnerable, at that point.

[Big Magilla]

Reza, take care if yourself. You'll get through it.

[Reza]

I tested positive on October 15. On October 29 got re-tested and was still positive. Then started getting low grade fever and like a fool started self medicating. When I finally went to the doctor yesterday tests reveal that I have pneumonia. Now on proper medications including steroids which have me worried.