Coronavirus

I would think that, tour companies, cruise, rail, & airlines all have some type of insurance, against liability, if the insurance companies step in & require them to have only vaccinated clients travel that could really be a game changer.
John

Well, I hope the anti-vaxxers don't like to travel.....

Anti-vaxxers, extremely religious groups, and basically any group that feels like the rules don't apply to them. I am sure there are some lawyers out there salivating right now.

IF you're so inclined, I recommend you go to the Adverse Reaction website and figure out how many and what type of adverse reactions have been recorded. Here's the website: [VAERS - Data]('https://vaers.hhs.gov/data.html')

Of course you won't, so I did because it is a reasonable question in many folks' mind. As of Jan 22, the last date the Adverse Reactions database was updated, there were 7,221 adverse recorded for all COVID-19 vaccinations. I collected ALL adverse reactions, no matter the severity, so we're talking the range from Owie to Death, I didn't parse it out. The number of vaccines administered to that date was 19,107,959, so Adverse Reactions were 0.038% of all vaccines administered.

Now if you parse out the number of Adverse Effects recorded as "Death" or "Life Threatening", the number is 549, 280 of which were registered labeled as "Death." The 549 adverse reactions are 0.0029% of the total vaccinations, Death being 0.0015% . Once again, I made no judgement regarding whether or not the adverse event's probable cause was vaccine-related or not; I kept this as a "worst case" evaluation.

The current death rate for COVID in the US is 1.70% of infections, which is 44.7 times greater than having any adverse reaction from the vaccine or 1,133 times greater than death from the vaccine.

Yes, I did say up 12 - 18 months post for a vaccine, so vaccine approval 11 months after viral sequencing in January beat my best case, so thankfully I was wrong. Regardless, with the current rate of vaccination, my prognostications of the earliest of a return to normal being 4Q 2021 is still looking good, but once again, I'd be the first to celebrate if I was wrong.

Just keep in mind that "normalcy" needs herd immunity to put the pandemic fire out. If too many folks opt out of getting vaccinated, this date could certainly drag into 2021.

2022 ?

2022 ?

Jan 22, 2021

was referring to your other paragraph ending "Just keep in mind that "normalcy" needs herd immunity to put the pandemic fire out. If too many folks opt out of getting vaccinated, this date could certainly drag into 2021."
2022 ?

[URL unfurl="true"]https://www.upi.com/Health_News/2021/02/04/Gout-drug-may-help-treat-inflammation-linked-to-severe-COVID-19-study-finds/9671612464924/[/URL]

was referring to your other paragraph ending "Just keep in mind that "normalcy" needs herd immunity to put the pandemic fire out. If too many folks opt out of getting vaccinated, this date could certainly drag into 2021."
2022 ?

Yeah, that is a typo, I'll correct it. Thanks!!

Best response to date to Mask Haters...

[HEADING=2]Maskless presence prompts sheriff to skip future public meetings with Androscoggin commissioners[/HEADING]
[pressherald.com/2021/02/04/maskless-presence-prompts-sheriff-to-skip-future-public-meetings-with-androscoggin-commissioners/]('https://www.pressherald.com/2021/02/04/maskless-presence-prompts-sheriff-to-skip-future-public-meetings-with-androscoggin-commissioners/')

By Steve Sherlock February 5, 2021

AUBURN — The day after the Androscoggin County Commission met to consider a resolution opposing mandatory face coverings in public, Sheriff Eric Samson sent commissioners a letter Thursday saying he and his staff would not attend future meetings due to the risk of contracting COVID-19.

[]('')
Sheriff Eric Samson at his desk in the Androscoggin County Sheriff’s office in Auburn in April 2020. Andree Kehn/Sun Journal file photo

“I wanted to inform you that myself and members of the Sheriff’s Office will not participate in in-person commissioners’ meetings moving forward unless they are closed to the public and offered to the public via Zoom,” he wrote. “I would encourage the use of Zoom for meeting purposes and if you do not wish to have staff present I would also be willing to participate via Zoom.

“Staff and I have worked very hard to limit risks of exposure, and due to room capacity and attendance with last night’s meeting along with future public interests that may follow, I would prefer to limit our risks of exposure,” he wrote. “This is not a political stance or a criticism in any regard, I just need to look out for staff health and safety. You may have noticed that I have not regularly attended as I have in the past for that same reason, unless I had an agenda item or through the budget process.”

Because [most of the spectators at Wednesday night’s meeting]('https://www.sunjournal.com/2021/02/03/cowards-anti-maskers-berate-androscoggin-commissioners-who-vote-to-postpone-action-on-resolution/') in the county building were maskless and bunched closely together in the room, commissioners asked Samson to help enforce the social distancing mandates dictated by the state. He asked some of the spectators to move to a room downstairs where they could watch the proceedings.

Samson said he was certainly aware of the dozens of people not wearing masks, but said Thursday that the commissioners did not ask him to address that topic.

“The governor’s orders call for masks and social distancing,” Samson said. “It was the commissioners’ meeting. I was there just to give a report and I left after that. I did what they asked me to do.”

He added that the situation is no different than if a person in law enforcement goes into a store and sees someone without a mask. That individual can’t act unless asked by the store manager.

The crowd attended Wednesday’s meeting on [a proposal by Commissioner Isaiah Lary of Wales]('https://www.sunjournal.com/2021/02/02/androscoggin-county-commissioners-to-consider-anti-mask-resolution/') opposing the executive orders from Gov. Janet Mills mandating face coverings in public, limiting the size of gatherings and other restrictions enacted during the COVID-19 pandemic.

One after another, 23 members of the public spoke against the face mask requirement and other issues surrounding the pandemic in more than two hours of public discussion.

No one spoke in support of the governor’s mandates.

“The governor would have us believe that not enough people are following the guidelines, and that’s why COVID-19 numbers continue to climb,” William Kenniston of Livermore Falls said. “The government and mockingbird media want Mainers to blame other Mainers for the prolong suffering. Those in power are the ones hurting people of Maine by their action and inaction.”

Lary’s resolution resolved that “all citizens, businesses and visitors of Androscoggin County are free to wear or not wear masks or other similar devices, and to peaceably assemble for religious or secular reasons, according to the dictates of their own conscience and preference.”

After commissioners voted 4-3 to postpone action on the resolution, the crowd left angry and disgusted and promised to return in two weeks when commissioners will take up the topic again.

Commissioner Terri Kelly of Mechanic Falls wanted more time to consider everything she heard and proposed that the commission table the vote for two weeks. Chairwoman Sally Christner of Turner and Commissioners Noel Madore and Roland Poirier, both of Lewiston, agreed with Kelly on the postponement.

Unlike past meetings, County Administrator Larry Post and every commissioner except Lary wore a mask during the meeting. The desks were also arranged so they were socially distanced from one another.

[]('')
Paul Gokukin addresses Androscoggin County commissioners Wednesday night at the county building in Auburn. He covers his face with his shirt, saying it’s as effective as a cloth mask against COVID-19 and that he believes masks are basically useless. Russ Dillingham/Sun Journal[ ]('http://mainetoday.mycapture.com/mycapture/remoteimage.asp?backtext=Return+to+the+story&BackURL=https://w2pcms.com&Caption=Paul+Gokukin+addresses+Androscoggin+County+commissioners+Wednesday+night+at+the+county+building+in+Auburn.+He+covers+his+face+with+his+shirt%2C+saying+it%27s+as+effective+as+a+cloth+mask+against+COVID-19+and+that+he+believes+masks+are+basically+useless.&Notes=https://multifiles.pressherald.com/uploads/sites/10/print/22347953_sj.CITandrocomm020421-3.jpg&PricingSheetID=0&Image=https://multifiles.pressherald.com/uploads/sites/10/2021/02/22347953_sj.CITandrocomm020421-3.jpg&AffPhotographerName=Russ+Dillingham%2FSun+Journal')Interesting Hat!!

The motion to postpone was made after Commissioner John Michael of Auburn offered a competing resolution imploring the state to consider all scientific research and “not merely CDC guidelines that may be political.”

Michael’s resolution did not follow the path of Lary’s proposal that says masks are optional in the county, which the county can’t legally do.

On Thursday, Michael said he understands the frustration with the mandates, but overriding the governor’s orders is beyond the county’s scope.

“That’s not within our authority to do that, but we can always lobby,” Michael said.

Michael said his proposal encourages the consideration of alternative research and information. “An exchange of ideas is good,” he said.

His proposal cites the controversial Great Barrington Declaration that calls on herd immunity with the young and healthy to eventually protect the population while utilizing “focused protection” for the elderly and at-risk individuals. Developed by three doctors, the declaration has been signed by 13,542 medical and public health scientists throughout the world.

Using the declaration as a template, Michael’s resolution says “the old and affirm should be protected as a priority through the use of focused protection.” Also in addition to following simple hygiene measures, all schools and universities should open, extracurricular activities should resume and restaurants, other businesses and cultural activities should also open.

The Barrington plan has been widely criticized by public health groups and the World Health Organization.

“If followed, the recommendations in the Great Barrington Declaration would haphazardly and unnecessarily sacrifice lives,” 14 public health groups, including the Trust for America’s Health and the American Public Health Association, wrote in mid-October.

“The declaration is not a strategy, it is a political statement. It ignores sound public health expertise. It preys on a frustrated populace. Instead of selling false hope that will predictably backfire, we must focus on how to manage this pandemic in a safe, responsible, and equitable way.”

Neither the declaration nor the resolution mentions masks or social distancing.

The Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention and the Maine Department of Human Services say that face masks are highly effective in combating the virus.

“The scientific evidence supporting the effectiveness of wearing masks to limit the spread of COVID-19 is clear and well established in the U.S. and globally,” Jackie Farwell, director of communications for the Maine DHHS said in a statement released Monday. “Based on this evidence, the U.S. CDC has called on Americans to wear masks as a powerful weapon to slow transmission of the virus, protect their communities, and get back to normal faster.”

Masks do zero.

Why are you changing what I wrote and posted and what does that have to do with the obvious. Biggest problem you have is you have no common sense.

37 years of working in biotechnology has provided me with just a bit of "scientific common sense"; I readily confess huge gaps of common sense in other areas. If you had your blood tested for various reasons, especially from 1985 - 2010, you've helped me refine that scientific common sense, and funded my pension, thank you!

I think you have a Nepoleon Complex and just can’t face being wrong.

Who's the one that can't face being wrong? I can provide multiple peer-reviewed articles to prove my points. Can you provide a single one to the contrary? By the way, I always admit when I am wrong. I've yet to see you do that.

What does it matter if a tyrant makes you do something or not. Does that make it right? You see so many holes have been punched through the mask theory in so many ways and besides the ego of a nerd. No merrit.

Never said masks were perfect, they are not. However it has been documented since the time of the Black Death that they do help lessen the transmission of aerosol/airborne infectious agents. Still waiting for you to provide some actual scientific evidence to the contrary. With these new, more infectious COVID variants, the Mask, Hygiene and Distance precautions take a new urgency.

Posting videos "stating the obvious" that masks are not perfect, without recognizing that they do help, just abets folks looking for any excuse not to wear them, enabling them to inadvertently lengthen the run and extent of this pandemic.

Again a leftist one sided version. You have some serious problems. Anyone who assigns political tags to proven science is the one with serious problems. Science has no politics, and folks that try to assign politics to science usually have no science...

Why not moderate the thread name on the OP to “My Ego”?

Why, because your ego has been hurt?

I'd hazard a guess that I spend more time fact checking posts on this thread than you do posting them. I see that you didn't comment to the post regarding Vaccine Adverse Events statistics. I hope that you read it, as it may help you and your family understand what's going on to help make balanced personal decisions and thank you for spurring me to do it. To make this decision one needs as much unbiased info as possible. That's why I did not look at any of the adverse reactions to pass judgement if it was truly vaccine-related or not. Those are the facts, unfiltered through any political, medical, or personal sieve.

Taking any vaccine, like any medical procedure/treatment, has some level of risk, and ones offered under an Emergency Use Authorization have the potential of more risk since they're not as scrupulously vetted as approved vaccines/treatments/tests. As Sy Sims would say, "An educated consumer is my best customer".

Had vaccine appointments for myself & the bride for Feb 21 at Aqueduct, about a 100 mile ride each way. Yesterday was able to score appointments for Feb 7th at a local pharmacy in town.. Me happy!
John

Nice! My second is on the 26th, but a 45 minute drive to Far Rock. Wife got her second last Friday with nothing but some arm soreness. Two of the other 5 in the dental office were in piss poor shape for 24 hours. Neither of us had more than a sore arm after the first shot. I figure I will be a mess on the 27th LOL.

Nice! My second is on the 26th, but a 45 minute drive to Far Rock. Wife got her second last Friday with nothing but some arm soreness. Two of the other 5 in the dental office were in piss poor shape for 24 hours. Neither of us had more than a sore arm after the first shot. I figure I will be a mess on the 27th LOL.

Based on people I’ve spoken to second shot from both Pfizer and Moderna have negatively effected around 60% of the people. Fever, chills, aches, etc...Most of these issues resolved within 24-48 hours.

Had vaccine appointments for myself & the bride for Feb 21 at Aqueduct, about a 100 mile ride each way. Yesterday was able to score appointments for Feb 7th at a local pharmacy in town.. Me happy!
John

CVS?

Ran into an electrical contractor Thursday who was one step from the dreaded ventilator...he is still short of breath and expects a 6 month recovery time

CVS?

Walgreens Riverhead. I think CVS is going to start taking appointments on the 7th, & vaccines on the 11th. Got my dates confused we are in for Tuesday the 9th
John

Not quite sure how I feel about this Draconian Measure. Yes, it's the right thing to do from an epidemiological perspective, but wouldn't it just be easier to ban the entry of folks from the "Red Zone Countries"?

Britain plans quarantine for those returning from virus hot spots
British residents arriving home from coronavirus hot spots will now face mandatory quarantine at designated hotels beginning Feb. 15.

Britain’s Department of Health announced the new policy Thursday and said that it applies to British nationals and residents returning from 33 “[red list]('https://www.gov.uk/guidance/transport-measures-to-protect-the-uk-from-variant-strains-of-covid-19')” countries where cases involving new virus variants are high.

Travelers will be required to quarantine for 10 days inside their hotel rooms and will be accompanied by security guards if go outside to smoke or for fresh air, according to government documents reviewed by the BBC. They will also be expected to pay for the cost of their accommodation.

Hotel owners in areas surrounding nine airports will be asked to provide rooms for more than 1,000 people every day, the BBC reported. Previous guidance suggested that British residents self-quarantine upon arrival.

The new policy stopped short of a blanket ban on travelers returning to the United Kingdom, prompting criticism from some quarters as the nation battles several contagious variants of the virus.

Shadow Home Secretary Nick Thomas-Symonds said that the government’s plans around quarantine are in disarray, the Guardian reported.

“Not only do they fail to go far enough — leaving open the door to potential vaccine-resistant strains — they can’t even implement the half-baked plans that have been announced,” he said.

The list of countries designated as hot spots includes Brazil, Portugal, South Africa and the United Arab Emirates. Britain has recorded nearly 3.9 million total coronavirus cases and more than 110,000 deaths.

I sure hope this is a case of saber rattling to get people motivated to respond, but still deeply concerned, as I've got multiple family members directly caught in this fight, 3 educators and 2 students.

I guess my overall feeling is one of disappointment, in that if it comes to pass, it's a failing grade on the US as nation, being unable to adapt and respond to this very nasty bug. There will be pretty of blame to pass around to everyone; it would be a truly epic fail.

[HEADING=2]Schools nationwide plan for potential of remote learning into the fall[/HEADING]
[pressherald.com/2021/02/08/schools-nationwide-plan-for-potential-of-remote-learning-into-the-fall/]('https://www.pressherald.com/2021/02/08/schools-nationwide-plan-for-potential-of-remote-learning-into-the-fall/')

By CAROLYN THOMPSON February 8, 2021
[IMG alt="Students at Driggers Elementary School attend a class in person as they interact with classmates virtually on Monday in San Antonio. "]https://multifiles.pressherald.com/uploads/sites/10/2021/02/Virus_Outbreak_Distance_Learning_98894.jpg[/IMG]
Parents of schoolchildren learning from home shouldn’t necessarily count on reclaiming the dining room table any time soon.

After seeing two academic years thrown off course by the pandemic, school leaders around the country are planning for the possibility of more distance learning next fall at the start of yet another school year.
“We have no illusions that COVID will be eradicated by the time the start of the school year comes up,” said William “Chip” Sudderth III, a spokesperson for Durham, North Carolina schools, whose students have been out of school buildings since March.

President Biden has made reopening schools a top priority, but administrators say there is much to consider as new strains of the coronavirus appear and teachers wait their turn for vaccinations.
And while many parents are demanding that schools fully reopen, others say they won’t feel safe sending children back to classrooms until vaccines are available to even young students. Dr. Anthony Fauci, the government’s top public health expert, said late last month the Biden administration hopes to begin vaccinating children by late spring or early summer.

By then, districts will be deep into preparations for the next school year.

“As far as 2021-22, at least some part of that school year is likely still going to be pandemic response-related on the assumption that children won’t have access to the vaccine, or at least many won’t,” said Superintendent Brian Woods, of Northside Independent School District, among the largest districts in Texas.

That could mean a more teacher-friendly version of the mix of in-person and remote learning happening now, one that doesn’t require teachers to simultaneously instruct two groups. That could be accomplished either by splitting staffing or rearranging schedules, he said, adding longer term may see an all-remote option for students who have moved on permanently from traditional school.

“There’s going to be some element of the genie not being able to be put back in the bottle,” Woods said. “I think that there now will always be a group of families who want a virtual option. … We know we’re able to, but are we willing to do it?”

Faced with the same reality, California’s West Contra Costa Unified School District is planning a new K-12 Virtual Academy for 2021-22.

“One thing that we have learned during the pandemic is that teaching and learning is now different, and it will not fully be what we used to think was `normal’ ever again,” read the January agenda item before the Board of Education.

The pivot to distance learning last march has proved a lifeline for the education system, but concerns have grown with each passing month about the effects on racial inequities, students’ academic performance, attendance and their overall well being.

In Durham, North Carolina, schools — which has been fully remote since March — announced last month that it would remain that way through the end of the current academic year.

Beyond that, Sudderth said, “the prevalence of the disease will determine what we are able to do.”
The guideline for whether the 32,000-student district could move from remote to hybrid learning in January was a testing positivity rate below 4%. But it’s unclear whether that metric or others that until now have been set by states or districts will hold.

Biden, in an early executive order, directed his education secretary to provide “evidence-based guidance” and advice to schools to safely conduct in-person learning.

“I’m hoping that we don’t have to do hybrid, but I don’t want to be in a position where we haven’t thought it all through,” said Eva Moskowitz, whose 47 Success Academy Charter Schools enroll 20,000 students in New York City.

Success students have been signing in for full days of live remote instruction on school-provided laptops and tablets since the beginning of the school year, an exhausting undertaking that Moskowitz plans to end for the current school year on May 28. The 2021-22 school year will then begin Aug. 2, possibly in a hybrid format.

“I honestly don’t know what the chances are” of continuing remote learning into the next school year, she said.

“Logic would tell me that we shouldn’t have to, but my knowledge of government makes me a little more hesitant,” she said, noting the sometimes conflicting guidance from the city and state and the slow start to the rollout of vaccines.

New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio has vowed that schools in the nation’s largest school district are “going to be back full-strength in September.”

“Everyone wants to be back,” he said.

But the head of the powerful teachers’ union, Michael Mulgrew, says it’s too soon to commit. Schools currently are providing some in-person classes to elementary and pre-K students who want them, but middle and high schools are remote-only after reopening for a time in the fall.

“It’s a goal of mine, but I can’t say they’re going to open,” the United Federation of Teachers president said in an interview. His view of the mayor’s pledge: “This is not about what you want. This is about what you can do safely.”

The union president said it will take more than teacher vaccines to open schools fully and safely.

He noted that scientists aren’t yet clear on whether vaccinated people might still be able to spread the virus, even if they aren’t sickened themselves. And he wonders how comfortable families will feel about having unvaccinated children and young teens begin the new year unvaccinated.

“This is where it gets tough. So how do you say you’re opening in September when we need to get these questions answered?” he asked.

A parent coalition in Evanston, Illinois, has asked Superintendent Eric Witherspoon what assurances he could give that Evanston Township High School will provide in-person learning in the 2021-22 academic year.

“We are witnessing a real crisis in our community,” Laurel O’Sullivan, the parent of an Evanston high school junior, said by phone. “We are a coalition that includes medical and mental health experts who are, in their practices in the community, daily seeing kids experiencing a huge surge in mental and emotional health crises. … It’s a social, emotional and academic crisis that we’re seeing.”

The district did not respond to a request for comment.

Thompson reported from Buffalo, New York. Associated Press writer Jennifer Peltz in New York City contributed to this report.

I sure hope this is a case of saber rattling to get people motivated to respond, but still deeply concerned, as I've got multiple family members directly caught in this fight, 3 educators and 2 students.

I guess my overall feeling is one of disappointment, in that if it comes to pass, it's a failing grade on the US as nation, being unable to adapt and respond to this very nasty bug. There will be pretty of blame to pass around to everyone; it would be a truly epic fail.

[HEADING=2]Schools nationwide plan for potential of remote learning into the fall[/HEADING]
[pressherald.com/2021/02/08/schools-nationwide-plan-for-potential-of-remote-learning-into-the-fall/]('https://www.pressherald.com/2021/02/08/schools-nationwide-plan-for-potential-of-remote-learning-into-the-fall/')

By CAROLYN THOMPSON February 8, 2021
[IMG alt="Students at Driggers Elementary School attend a class in person as they interact with classmates virtually on Monday in San Antonio. "]https://multifiles.pressherald.com/uploads/sites/10/2021/02/Virus_Outbreak_Distance_Learning_98894.jpg[/IMG]
Parents of schoolchildren learning from home shouldn’t necessarily count on reclaiming the dining room table any time soon.

After seeing two academic years thrown off course by the pandemic, school leaders around the country are planning for the possibility of more distance learning next fall at the start of yet another school year.
“We have no illusions that COVID will be eradicated by the time the start of the school year comes up,” said William “Chip” Sudderth III, a spokesperson for Durham, North Carolina schools, whose students have been out of school buildings since March.

President Biden has made reopening schools a top priority, but administrators say there is much to consider as new strains of the coronavirus appear and teachers wait their turn for vaccinations.
And while many parents are demanding that schools fully reopen, others say they won’t feel safe sending children back to classrooms until vaccines are available to even young students. Dr. Anthony Fauci, the government’s top public health expert, said late last month the Biden administration hopes to begin vaccinating children by late spring or early summer.

By then, districts will be deep into preparations for the next school year.

This has been a boon to my agency, we provide mental health services to children. This will be our highest revenue year ever - thanks to Telehealth (no contact) being allowed which greatly reduces no shows and cancellations. Add that to the increased need for services due to Covid lockdown and we're good. Now the problem is NYS only renews the Telehealth authorization month to month, so it could be ended at any time. Need a crystal ball to figure out next year's budget. :(