The COVID Vaccination Thread

[Shattered Trousers]

I can't see any reason to think poorly of you for what you wrote.

I don't have any answers on how to better deal with this situation we've globally found ourselves in, but I genuinely believe that people being better informed is a step in the right direction.
That means keeping accurate records of infection rates. That means not scaling back on testing to produce lower infection numbers. That means being clear about what RAT and PCR tests can and can't do and not pushing the RAT tests when they struggle so much with the omicron variant.

I can't decide which was a more frustrating phase to be in, the phase when we were (allegedly) trying everything we could to try to contain the case we have and prevent spread of infection while simultaneously letting people travel in from known sites of rampant infection and then wondering where all this virus could possibly be coming from, or the current "let 'er rip" phase where the number of new infections is skyrocketing and supply chains are breaking all over because 40% of the workforce are in isolation for testing positive or being a close contact of a confirmed positive case.

Right now, here in Australia, they who must be obeyed are looking at changing the definition of a "close contact" and making new policies for people in isolation to be allowed to return to work because too many people are potentially sick and that's starting to get inconvenient.

I'm afraid to suggest that if the barista at the PM's favourite cafe tests positive, or if the staff at the supermarket where he buys his toilet paper are found to be infectious we should just classify them as "to important to isolate" and send them to work so the PM can go about his daily life without the inconvenience of having to face how his country is being overtaken by sickness.

~L~

 

[Dekafox]

After hearing mentions from several people and looking into it, if you've been using cloth masks its time to go full N95/KN95/KF94, or better. Those three are mostly the same, except KN95 and KF94 use earloops instead of a headstrap(so potentially a less secure seal) and come from China or South Korea, respectively. The key is to get a solid seal, so if you have a long enough beard, you need to either shave it off or use an elastic exercise band to wrap it up against your chin - supposedly that lets you get a full seal too.

Random thought - how are BMVs even doing new Drivers License pictures? I mean they're making you take off glasses, so a mask ain't gonna cut it, but that's a high traffic building usually...

 

[Nevermore]

More QAnonymists and Anti-Vaxxers are dying from something that doesn't exist (according to them):

Anti-Vax Podcaster Who Got COVID at a Conspiracy Conference Has Died

Doug Kuzma, 61, used his show to push an array of conspiracy theories ranging from QAnon to COVID denial and election fraud lies.

www.vice.com

Prominent QAnon conspiracy theorist dies from Covid

Weldon’s supporters have harassed hospital staff after her death, with one even calling for their deaths

www.independent.co.uk

 

[The Mighty Mollusk]

 

[Steevy Maximus]

So, due to the exploding number of COVID cases, some of the regional dialysis clinics will be unable to continue operating after Tuesday due to lack of supplies (namely, sterile tubing). The Dallas distribution center is reportedly empty, with some providers even planning roadtrips to the DC in Birmingha, Alabama to load up on supplies because it will be quicker than trying to go through the bureaucracy of getting stuff shipped to them.

It’s basically guaranteed there will a bunch of deaths relating to the lack of dialysis access for many patients.

 

[wonko the sane?]

There will be deaths related to lack of supplies and space across ALL injuries, everything from abscesses to... something that begins with Z. That's kind of one of the things they tried to keep the pandemic under control for: to minimize all deaths across all injuries.

 

[Kup]

After hearing mentions from several people and looking into it, if you've been using cloth masks its time to go full N95/KN95/KF94, or better.

I will follow mask mandates where required out of respect for authority. Son is double vax (about 3 weeks ago), wife boosted. Daughter and I both had it at Thanksgiving, so my booster and her initial vax is delayed until March.

All to say I’m done. We’ve worn masks when no one else was. We social distanced/avoided when everyone else opened up. We’ve homeschooled for two years. We got the vaccine, minus our daughter (who will once she’s allowed).

Fact is, based on my current understanding, even with masks Omicron doesn’t care. It requires the N-series you’ve mentioned, yet shouldn’t those be reserved for healthcare workers? If our cloth masks are effectively ineffective now, what’s the point? We’re at full-on let her rip as someone else said.

I’m just done with this whole thing. The lack of leadership, inconsistent messaging, backtracking, and economic-driven decisions and …I have no faith in any of our governments to handle this. At this point…what’s the point of caring anymore?

 

[Rust]

Current miracle cure by the anti-vax community is apparently *checks notes* Viagra, based on the latest episode of the Tucker Carlson Idiot Hour.

Pfizer's got brilliant marketing, I'll give them that much. Also have fun with your anti-vax acquantances by pointing out Pfizer made a COVID Vaccine, and obivously has laced all Viagra with it.

 

[Teufel]

It'd be helpful if folks ruling on the constitutionality of vaccine mandates didn't just make jive up.

Link

Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor falsely claimed that 100,000 children are in “serious condition” from Covid during oral arguments on the Biden administration’s employer vaccine mandate on Friday.

“We have hospitals that are almost at full capacity with people severely ill on ventilators. We have over 100,000 children, which we’ve never had before, in serious condition, and many on ventilators,” Sotomayor claimed.

The current number of confirmed pediatric hospitalizations with Covid in the U.S. is 3,342, according to data from the Department of Health and Human Services released on Friday. The average number of children admitted to the hospital per day with Covid was 776 as of Tuesday, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

CDC director Dr. Rochelle Walensky said in a statement on Friday that “pediatric hospitalizations are at their highest rate compared to any prior point in the pandemic.” However, Walensky also told reporters that CDC data on pediatric Covid hospitalizations included some patients who were admitted to the hospital for a separate issue.

 

[Ironbite4]

And she's on our side.

 

[Rust]

Reality left Washington D.C. over half a decade ago. Doesn't surprise me that these people all live in a bubble of their own reality.

 

[Dekafox]

Fact is, based on my current understanding, even with masks Omicron doesn’t care. It requires the N-series you’ve mentioned, yet shouldn’t those be reserved for healthcare workers? If our cloth masks are effectively ineffective now, what’s the point? We’re at full-on let her rip as someone else said.

Reserving N* masks for healthcare workers was definitely a concern at the start back in 2020, but manufacturing has ramped up majorly since then. There's many more manufacturers these days than there were back then, and and far as I'm aware there is no shortage on the medical side; the guidance just has yet to be updated to reflect this(like how long it took to publish that its aerosol instead of just large droplets). It's a bit harder to find them in the "civillian market", but that's just because everyone's buying them. I literally walked into Home Depot on Friday and still found several boxes of 3M's N95s on the shelf in the painting section. There's online stores that carry them too, that I've seen recommended:

Face Masks | PPE | Face Coverings | Bona Fide Masks

Shop authentic N95 and KN95 masks from Bona Fide Masks®, a trusted US-based company with exclusive distribution partnerships with top brands like Powecom and Harley Commodity. We are committed to supply chain integrity, offering high-quality, ISO 9001 certified protective face masks that ship...

bonafidemasks.com

Categories - Respiratory Protection - Industrial Safety Products

www.industrialsafetyproducts.com

LG Airwasher

Welcome to Kollecte, your trusted source for pet products, dental care, snacks, electronics, lifestyle gadgets & personal protection equipment.

kollecteusa.com

And Lowes/Home Depot/Menards should have some of them in the painting section.
Note: I would avoid Amazon as there's been reports of many counterfeit masks being sold through them.

Or simply look at the long list models tested in this spreadsheet:

Master Mask Testing Data Set

docs.google.com

The guy who runs that also has a lot of video reviews if that's your thing. The LG Airwashers are apparently one of his recommendations, but I was seeing good recommendations on the 3M Auras too.

It's all about defense in depth, and vaccine/booster is the last line of defense, not the first. There's plenty we can't control, but this is one that we do have some control over. There's more info being shared around here as well: https://www.reddit.com/r/Masks4All/

 

[Pocket]

So basically, those fashionable masks that an entire cottage industry sprung up around making back in 2020 are and always have been useless, and somehow we're only just now learning this.

Meanwhile, I'm assuming the overseas equivalents of the CDC figured it out a long time ago and it's just more proof that we're a nation of morons.

 

[The Mighty Mollusk]

The fashion masks are better than nothing, but that's not really enough.

And frankly, that's the absolute least of the rampant stupidity in this country.

 

[Rust]

Also can I just say, as a guy who was diagnosed with Sleep Apnea just as COVID was rolling out, I GET being sick of masks. Sick of restrictions. Only when I'm home and not asleep can I ever stop wearing a mask.

I'm still wearing the mask.

 

[TM2-Megatron]

Similar things have happened with some of the numbers in Ontario. Recently, the province's Chief medical officer admitted as many as half of reported COVID hospitalizations (one of the main justifications for our current lockdown and school closures) numbers are incidental... meaning the patient is actually checked in for some other reason (broken leg, etc, could be anything), and only tested positive for COVID after being admitted. Meaning they didn't even know they had it prior. It's certainly adding fuel to the fire for people who distrust the government.

While I've wanted to believe the government throughout all this, their incompetence throughout it all has caused me to doubt a lot of what they've said. I also can't support lockdowns anymore, as I believe the economic consequences are now becoming too great for even the government's ability to hold debt.

 

[G.B.Blackrock]

Fact is, based on my current understanding, even with masks Omicron doesn’t care. It requires the N-series you’ve mentioned, yet shouldn’t those be reserved for healthcare workers?

That was true near the pandemic's beginnings due to shortages. There's no meaningful shortage of N-series masks now (not like then, at any rate). No reason to hold back/reserve for healthcare workers at this stage.

 

[Nevermore]

So basically, those fashionable masks that an entire cottage industry sprung up around making back in 2020 are and always have been useless, and somehow we're only just now learning this.

Meanwhile, I'm assuming the overseas equivalents of the CDC figured it out a long time ago and it's just more proof that we're a nation of morons.

I'm actually quite shocked to find out you people are actually still using cotton masks at all.

Here in Germany, those were officially declared useless about a year ago! Everyone here (except for the anti-maskers) is using either medical masks or FFP2 (our equivalent to your N95) now.

 

[wonko the sane?]

Well... jive.

I've been using a dual layer cotton mask religiously. Health canada never (to my knowledge.) declared them useless, and it allowed me to skip creating the waste of the disposable ones.

Guess I need to hit up a walmart or something.

Haven't gotten sick yet, though.

 

[TM2-Megatron]

There seems to be no shortage of N95 type masks at this point. For people who seriously want to protect themselves from getting Omicron for as long as possible (although personally, I believe we're all going to end up getting this eventually), that would be the way to go.

Even the reusable silicon half-face respirators from companies like 3M have started becoming available for sale again. When COVID got going, supplies were highly limited and most industrial & safety supply companies restricted sales either to existing customers or only verified health-care customers. Rather than having to throw out a mask every day, you can buy one of those for $30-45, another $15 or so for the filter cartridge (N100 or P100 work, and are even better than N95) which are good for quite a while before needing to be swapped for new filters. I picked up a fancy 3M HF-802SD from a local industrial safety products supplier my workplace regularly deals with. As far as half-face respirators go, that's their top of the line right now.