COVID-19 III: No Politics For Thee

[mjzee]

3 hours ago, jazzbo said:

I wish we were about to turn the corner, but I think we have even worse roads ahead of us, more deaths per day than ever, before we can see a slowing. Things will get better operationally as far as vaccine and information and preventive measures now that we have a different administration at the helm, slowly. Slowly. 

My father is not recovering well, even though he never had the pulminary blitzkrieg that takes down so many. I fear we may lose him . . . it's getting hard to remain hopeful as he takes one step forward and two back. My heart goes out to so many struggling with this. . .and both patients and family members unable to be together it's particularly saddening.

I hope your Dad gets better.

[Dub Modal]

3 hours ago, jazzbo said:

I wish we were about to turn the corner, but I think we have even worse roads ahead of us, more deaths per day than ever, before we can see a slowing. Things will get better operationally as far as vaccine and information and preventive measures now that we have a different administration at the helm, slowly. Slowly. 

My father is not recovering well, even though he never had the pulminary blitzkrieg that takes down so many. I fear we may lose him . . . it's getting hard to remain hopeful as he takes one step forward and two back. My heart goes out to so many struggling with this. . .and both patients and family members unable to be together it's particularly saddening.

Very sorry to hear that. I do hope he is able to recover. 

[jazzbo]

Thanks gentlemen. We're hoping. 

[ejp626]

6 minutes ago, jazzbo said:

Thanks gentlemen. We're hoping. 

Best wishes for a speedy recovery!

[jazzbo]

Thanks. I know from the past two months it won't be speedy but I am hoping it's a recovery.

 

[Brad]

Good luck Lon.  Hoping for the best with your father. 

[GA Russell]

Prayers sent Lon and Dub!

[Rooster_Ties]

“Furious” is probably overstating how I feel, but super-frustrated doesn’t quite cover it.

My 93 year old dad really doesn’t ever sneak out to go to stores, but he often DOES seems to piggyback unauthorized errands onto the tail end of his authorized doctor’s office visits (he still drives, by himself). He lives in a group retirement community, with group-dinning.

Today he tried to stop and get a haircut after a regular doctor’s appointment (which is ok, because according to all appearances, his barber is following all the necessary protocols — strict mask wearing by all, only 2 people in a waiting room big enough to hold 10, and the barber wipes down the chair and all surfaces between customers, with disinfectant).

Well, the wait at the barber was too long (or he’d miss getting back to his group retirement home for lunch)...

SO, driving home, he drives by his Masonic lodge — which has a group in fm about 8-12 guys who play cards most Thursday mornings, and have donuts). He said he was only there for about 10-15 minutes.

OK, fine (I’m thinking), not ideal — but what’s done is done.

Then towards the end of my phone call with him, I asked him if all the guys were wearing masks (thinking surely they would be), and my Dad says they DO/DID all have masks, BUT ALL OR NEARLY ALL OF THEM HAVE THEIR MASKS DOWN ON THEIR CHINS/“around their neck” is technically what my dad said.

NOT covering their noses, and NOT even covering their mouths!!!  (AARG!!!!)

But Dad did say they all apparently did wear their masks as they were coming in / as they got there / were getting there. But once they’re there (at his Masonic lodge), the masks come down.

Shortly after that my Dad also said that the card-playing group had been meeting 2-3 times a month since March, and “apparently they’re all “getting by” since none of them have “apparently” gotten sick.” (So “it must be OK”, his implication being.)

 

I tried to call the executive director of the home he’s in, to rat him out, but I just missed her (she was out getting her own first Covid vaccine shot), so I can’t talk to her until tomorrow morning.

But my Dad is now getting his meals in his room for the moment (dinner tonight, and breakfast tomorrow), at least until the exec-director can decide what she wants/needs to do — possibly putting him on quarantine for 10-12 days (meals in his room only).

My dad told me “not to get him in trouble with her” — but I said I had to, and then he threatened to hang up on me. So I told him I was hanging up on him, so I could call and rat him out (and then I did hang up on him, before he could hang up on me).

I call him every single day, and talk to him 20-45 minutes a day, and I’ve been doing my best to keep him out of stores by forcing him to go over his tiny shopping lists, so I can get stuff for him from Amazon, or a local grocery store that delivers.

So just when I thought I’d gotten his temptation to go do errands under control, he goes and pulls a boneheaded move like this.

I doubt he caught anything, but he very easily might have (the positivity rate in his county outside of St. Louis is about 15% — 3x worse than here in DC, but only half as bad as plenty of other places like Iowa, Wisconsin, Michigan, etc — if not now, then recently).

I did call him back 30 min later, and explained he had to get all his meals in his room now, until the exec-director could decide what to do in the morning.

He said he wasn’t happy with me, and I said I sure wasn’t happy with him.

[jcam_44]

This pandemic is a very sobering time. My wife has lost a couple more family members and my job has released emails informing of a half a dozen passings in the last week. 

[clifford_thornton]

Rooster, I think you did the right thing.

Lon, sorry to hear about your dad. Hoping that he turns the right corner.

[Guy Berger]

On 1/20/2021 at 1:51 PM, Dan Gould said:

I'm sorry to hear that your Dad isn't bouncing back. Hopefully that changes.

I am seriously unsure why people think the new President will change things appreciably in any serious time frame. I read today the House expects to pass another Covid bill by end February/beginning March. Still has to go thru the Senate.  Fact of the matter to me is we have a Federal system with States in charge of the process. Some inevitably will do better than others (and why would any be wasting the defrosted Vac because they won't go against the required distribution priority? Take a lesson from Israel, people. And by the way that scenario is NY where Saint Cuomo is in charge). And we should never discount the injurious effects of beauracracy in general.

Without getting too into the politics, and speaking as someone who thinks Cuomo's record under COVID is wildly overrated (and that he is ridiculous for bragging about it)... New York has been one of the better states at vaccinating people. If you want to bash Dem Governors, you should be going after CA/MN/VA - they are currently at the bottom of the list.  Generally speaking though there doesn't seem to be much of a partisan pattern in vaccination success.

I'd also say that while Israel & the UAE by far the runaway vaccination champions... the US is doing far, far better than Europe so far (with the exception of the UK).

[Dan Gould]

4 minutes ago, Guy Berger said:

Without getting too into the politics, and speaking as someone who thinks Cuomo's record under COVID is wildly overrated (and that he is ridiculous for bragging about it)... New York has been one of the better states at vaccinating people. If you want to bash Dem Governors, you should be going after CA/MN/VA - they are currently at the bottom of the list.  Generally speaking though there doesn't seem to be much of a partisan pattern in vaccination success.

I'd also say that while Israel & the UAE by far the runaway vaccination champions... the US is doing far, far better than Europe so far (with the exception of the UK).

I haven't seen recent numbers regarding NY vaccination rates/gross numbers but it would be a big step in the right direction if they have stopped pitching doses because no one who "qualifies" is available. And I understood that Cuomo threatened a $10,000 fine for innoculating someone who isn't currently 'eligible,' and even if we don't think that people who can afford "concierge" doctors should jump any lines, its still better to get doses in arms, IMO.

[jlhoots]

Too many "jumping the line". I'd get vaccinated today, but I'm waiting to be called. On top of it too large a % of health care workers refusing the vaccine.

[Guy Berger]

3 hours ago, jlhoots said:

Too many "jumping the line". I'd get vaccinated today, but I'm waiting to be called. On top of it too large a % of health care workers refusing the vaccine.

I disagree.  I’m in favor of prioritization, but it’s much better to have people jumping the line than not vaccinated at all.

[jlhoots]

20 minutes ago, Guy Berger said:

I disagree.  I’m in favor of prioritization, but it’s much better to have people jumping the line than not vaccinated at all.

I don't get what it is you disagree about. I'm 79, my wife is 78. All kinds of other people being declared essential workers & going first. Meanwhile health care workers refusing to get vaccinated. We'll take their shots & be there today!!! How can we "jump the line". One couple we know waited over 1 1/2 hours on the DOH phone line & were then told - "too bad, there're a lot of people over 75".

[Rooster_Ties]

8 hours ago, clifford_thornton said:

Rooster, I think you did the right thing.

Thanks. My Dad is now on quarantine for 7 days, meaning he’ll get his meals delivered to his room. I talked to him this morning after the exec-dir visited him (both of them masked). I’m sure the experience made him squirm (he LOATHS conflict), and he did not want to talk to me for long today, and when I offered to call him tonight all he said was “if you want to” (implying he didn’t necessarily want me to).

I’m glad I did what I did, and felt I had to do — but the whole thing put a knot in my stomach all night (I didn’t sleep well).

My dad may be in a funk about it the whole week, or just a few days - only time will tell.

[Dmitry]

To all that think this thing is like a flu, this is NOTHING like a flu. Without boring you all to death, I ended up with nasty pneumonia, but the tables have turned now, and I beat this disease. Long-term effects of it...who the hell knows?! I've got my erectile and taste functions in good enough shape to continue enjoying life, so that can't be too bad.

Stay put, and wear a mask, wash your hands after touching stuff that doesn't belong to you. That's all you got to do. 

Edited January 23, 2021 by Dmitry

[Rooster_Ties]

Relieved to hear your positive report, Dmitry - keep it up! (And keep keeping it up too.)

[GA Russell]

Henry Aaron died two weeks after getting the Covid vaccine.

https://noqreport.com/2021/01/22/mlb-legend-hank-aaron-dies-two-weeks-after-getting-covid-19-vaccine/

[sonnymax]

15 minutes ago, GA Russell said:

Henry Aaron died two weeks after getting the Covid vaccine.

And your point is what? This fake "news story" comes from a disreputable source known for its conservative bias in spewing anti-scientific disinformation and biblical conspiracy theories.

[Brad]

2 hours ago, GA Russell said:

Henry Aaron died two weeks after getting the Covid vaccine.

https://noqreport.com/2021/01/22/mlb-legend-hank-aaron-dies-two-weeks-after-getting-covid-19-vaccine/

I’m surprised that you would use this as a source for info. For example, the lead news story refers to “alleged President Joe Biden.” That’s all you need to know. 

[jazzbo]

I agree that use of "alledged" says a lot. However ABC, NBC et al are saying the same, that his last appearance was 2.5 weeks ago after being vaccinated.

[sonnymax]

1 hour ago, jazzbo said:

I agree that use of "alledged" says a lot. However ABC, NBC et al are saying the same, that his last appearance was 2.5 weeks ago after being vaccinated.

I disagree, Lon. Legitimate sources are not suggesting there is any link between his vaccination and his death. The "author" of the cited "article" identifies himself as a "Former Honda engineer turned stay-at-home papa. Teeth model (yes, really). Republican. Car freak. KAG!"

Edited January 23, 2021 by sonnymax

[jazzbo]

Look, I'm not saying that Aaron's death is related to his having a vaccine in early January, but it is widely reported that he DID receive a shot of the vaccine January 5. Do you doubt THAT information? That was the "same thing" I was referring to if that was not clear, not that the death was related to it.

Edited January 23, 2021 by jazzbo

[sonnymax]

5 minutes ago, jazzbo said:

Look, I'm not saying that Aaron's death is related to his having a vaccine in early January, but it is widely reported that he DID receive a shot of the vaccine January 5. Do you doubt THAT information? That was the "same thing" I was referring to if that was not clear, not that the death was related to it.

I didn't think you were drawing a conclusion of causality (you're too smart for that). I just thought it was important to point out that the message of the OP's source differs significantly from that of responsible journalists.