Coronavirus / COVID-19

[01101010]

Interesting results looking at the use of surgical masks in reducing COVID transmission in community settings.

https://med.stanford.edu/news/all-news/2021/09/surgical-masks-covid-19.html

But of course this will be hand-waved away for freedumb reasons.

[slog]

Interesting results looking at the use of surgical masks in reducing COVID transmission in community settings.

https://med.stanford.edu/news/all-news/2021/09/surgical-masks-covid-19.html

But of course this will be hand-waved away for freedumb reasons.

"A large, randomized trial led by researchers at Stanford Medicine and Yale University has found that wearing a surgical face mask over the mouth and nose is an effective way to reduce the occurrence of COVID-19 in community settings."

I would say 20% of the people I see wearing a mask don't cover their nose.  They should do a study on the effectiveness based on how people actually wear them.

[Morat20]

Interesting results looking at the use of surgical masks in reducing COVID transmission in community settings.

https://med.stanford.edu/news/all-news/2021/09/surgical-masks-covid-19.html

But of course this will be hand-waved away for freedumb reasons.

"A large, randomized trial led by researchers at Stanford Medicine and Yale University has found that wearing a surgical face mask over the mouth and nose is an effective way to reduce the occurrence of COVID-19 in community settings."

I would say 20% of the people I see wearing a mask don't cover their nose.  They should do a study on the effectiveness based on how people actually wear them.

Those 20% must think their nose in no way connects to their lungs.

[01101010]

Interesting results looking at the use of surgical masks in reducing COVID transmission in community settings.

https://med.stanford.edu/news/all-news/2021/09/surgical-masks-covid-19.html

But of course this will be hand-waved away for freedumb reasons.

"A large, randomized trial led by researchers at Stanford Medicine and Yale University has found that wearing a surgical face mask over the mouth and nose is an effective way to reduce the occurrence of COVID-19 in community settings."

I would say 20% of the people I see wearing a mask don't cover their nose.  They should do a study on the effectiveness based on how people actually wear them.

Those 20% must think their nose in no way connects to their lungs.

I believe they honestly believe their nose only blows down and does not contain droplets.

[Samwise]

I would say 20% of the people I see wearing a mask don't cover their nose.  They should do a study on the effectiveness based on how people actually wear them.

Why?  We already know that the way "people"* wear them doesn't really work.

I used to see that nose-hanging-out thing early in the pandemic but people around here have figured out at this point (thanks to very clear signage and fairly consistent enforcement) that if you're not covering your nose you're not actually wearing a mask, and nobody does the half-assed thing -- it's either all the way on or all the way pulled down.

* I use the term loosely, much like New Hampshire golfers wear their masks

[HaemishM]

The half-assery of no-nosing it is rampant around here.

[Chimpy]

I am just amazed at the people I see wearing the mask with the nose-out method since there is no benefit with breathing because they are all fucking mouth-breathers anyway  

[eldaec]

I don't see much no nonosing, but the stubborn minority of wearing the damn thing around their neck is a thing.

I think it is just people who would ideally like to be no-mask assholes, but are too British to deny themselves plausible deniability if challenged.

[Samwise]

Yeah, that's so if someone says "hey, put your fucking mask on" they can say "oh, I just pulled it down for a second" and maybe not get in as much trouble.

I absolutely recognize the impulse.  I figured out in high school that I could get away with not following the dress code 99% of the time as long as I had the right clothes in grabbing distance.

Having said that I don't see many no-nosers around here, I did see one the other day in the subway downtown (there are always a bunch of assholes from out of town), yakking on his phone.  I glared at him like a fucking psycho until he made eye contact with me, and then I pulled on my own mask emphatically.  He corrected himself.

[slog]

I would say 20% of the people I see wearing a mask don't cover their nose.  They should do a study on the effectiveness based on how people actually wear them.

Why?  We already know that the way "people"* wear them doesn't really work.

I used to see that nose-hanging-out thing early in the pandemic but people around here have figured out at this point (thanks to very clear signage and fairly consistent enforcement) that if you're not covering your nose you're not actually wearing a mask, and nobody does the half-assed thing -- it's either all the way on or all the way pulled down.

* I use the term loosely, much like New Hampshire golfers wear their masks

Why?  It's important to study how things are practiced in real world scenarios.

[Khaldun]

They did. Read the study at the link.

What, you think this was a simulation in the lab? It was a large-scale study of mask-wearing in a real place.

If you want to know "well, how effective is it in a real place where some percentage of people wear the masks over the mouth but not the nose", you can make a good guess from this study. Somewhere between "vastly less effective" and "substantially less effective" sounds like a pretty good back of the envelope guess.

[Trippy]

Slog meant a study on how well masks work when you only cover your mouth. The linked study explicitly did not count as "mask-wearing" those that were wearing masks but did not cover both the mouth and hose.

Edit: the preprint study https://www.poverty-action.org/sites/default/files/publications/Mask_RCT____Symptomatic_Seropositivity_083121.pdf

[Morat20]

The scare mongering about the mu variant has already begun, with the "it may evade some antibodies" (per some small petri dish results) turning into "VACCINES ARE WORTHLESS WE'LL ALL DIE".

Which just goes to show 18 months into a pandemic, and news reporters still can't fucking write sensibly about viruses.

There's really limited room for COVID to avoid vaccine produced antibodies without rendering it incapable of infecting cells (they chose that spike protein for a reason), and while a more virulent strain like Delta can sort of bypass that by throwing heavier viral loads at vaccinated people (overwhelming their ability to no-sell infection instantly with their current antibodies), there's a reason breakthrough cases are generally so mild. The antibodies created by the vaccine are more than sufficient to handle Delta.

The problem is if your antibody load is low (because, for instance, you've goner 6 to 8 months without being exposed to COVID since vaccination). You don't have enough to strangle Delta before it gets replicating and it takes time for your body to pump out more in response to an active infection.

That doesn't even get into mu trying to spread in an ecosystem where Delta is raging, and I sincerely doubt mu is more virulent than Delta.

[slog]

Slog meant a study on how well masks work when you only cover your mouth. The linked study explicitly did not count as "mask-wearing" those that were wearing masks but did not cover both the mouth and hose.

Edit: the preprint study https://www.poverty-action.org/sites/default/files/publications/Mask_RCT____Symptomatic_Seropositivity_083121.pdf

Thank you. I feel it's important for our leaders to have an understanding of how a mask policy will work in the real world and what level of enforcement is required.

[Khaldun]

Eh, I honestly think the gold standard is: this actually works, based on real-world conditions. Enough to be worth doing. If it turns out that in real life, some folks won't do what works, well, we're already there with vaccines, which work to a huge degree and yet we have people dosing themselves with horse dewormer to own the libs. Go on, own me. Own me some more.

[01101010]

I can't wait till the news comes about an asteroid colliding with the Earth. I honestly am hoping the scientific community can keep a lid on it till the last minute because if this is what a virus outbreak does? It'll be precious what the actual end of the world will bring.

[Samwise]

Sure, we could build a laser to zap the asteroid before it hits us and ends all human life -- but at what cost to our freedoms?

[Khaldun]

I mean, what if they have to slow production of all-terrain vehicles or guns for a year or something because of the laser components? Why should we let liberal socialists decide to privilege their government laser? Who knows who they'd fire it at next? Probably a NASCAR race or a church!

[Cyrrex]

Who knows who they'd fire it at next? Probably a NASCAR race or a church!

You forgot unborn fetuses.

[Khaldun]

Who is going to get unborn fetuses little tiny guns that will let them kill a mother who might abort them? Not doctors or medical researchers! Nobody trusts them!

[RhyssaFireheart]

Just got my 5G booster shot this morning, so hopefully my cell reception improves.  I suspect that not having the booster is what's causing the downstairs DVR to no longer talk to the upstairs DVR which is why I can't watch my recorded shows on the good TV.  I'll test tonight to see if things have improved now that my reception has been increased.

[01101010]

Got my booster today and it is definitely hitting today.... worst one I have had so far. Shoulder is more sore than the last two and all my joints ache. As shitty as I feel, I feel confident this booster is whipping my body into fighting mode. Tad surprised I didn't have this reaction to the first 2 doses - was tired and a bit feverish, but nothing in the way of this level of discomfort.  Temp is only 99ish but man it is unreal being able to feel all my joints and can hardly sit still in order to calm the goofy feeling you get when your joints are inflamed.

I talked a little with the nurse giving the shots and she said it has been pretty consistent over the past week or so - even after the gov's decree qualifying all adults in the state. She did say that they do have a steady flow of kids coming thru so that is hopeful, especially in this mostly conservative area.

[Tale]

Got my booster today and it is definitely hitting today.... worst one I have had so far. Shoulder is more sore than the last two and all my joints ache. As shitty as I feel, I feel confident this booster is whipping my body into fighting mode. Tad surprised I didn't have this reaction to the first 2 doses - was tired and a bit feverish, but nothing in the way of this level of discomfort.  Temp is only 99ish but man it is unreal being able to feel all my joints and can hardly sit still in order to calm the goofy feeling you get when your joints are inflamed.

I talked a little with the nurse giving the shots and she said it has been pretty consistent over the past week or so - even after the gov's decree qualifying all adults in the state. She did say that they do have a steady flow of kids coming thru so that is hopeful, especially in this mostly conservative area.

That sounds fucking awful. Hope it passes soon. Is it a third Pfizer, or some other combo?

My arm ached so much for 36 hours after my first Pfizer that I struggled to raise it above my head (and I felt like shit). Second one I barely felt anything in the arm, barely felt any effects that night, but the next day I was a wreck.

Having been vaccinated against everything for travel to post-communist Eastern Europe (I even got the triple-dose rabies vaccine), and then again for travel to rural Kenya (including yellow fever), I've decided that the worse the reaction to the vaccine, the worse the actual disease must be. My nemesis is typhoid vaccine. That put me in bed both times. Pfizer covid vaccine was the second-worst, so covid must be fucking awful.

[01101010]

That was the third Pfizer shot - wanted to keep it in the family. Interestingly, fever passed in the evening and was back down to 98.3 right before I decided to dive into bed early (around 8p). About 10:30 I woke up with the chills and the fever back. Was full on fever chills until about 1am and then drifted off into a sweaty mess. Woke up this morning at my regular 6a and was drenched but no chills or fever so I guess my body had one last reaction push just for good measure. Was really hungry and thirsty when I woke up which is usually the all clear sign.

Fun times.

[Morat20]

That was the third Pfizer shot - wanted to keep it in the family. Interestingly, fever passed in the evening and was back down to 98.3 right before I decided to dive into bed early (around 8p). About 10:30 I woke up with the chills and the fever back. Was full on fever chills until about 1am and then drifted off into a sweaty mess. Woke up this morning at my regular 6a and was drenched but no chills or fever so I guess my body had one last reaction push just for good measure. Was really hungry and thirsty when I woke up which is usually the all clear sign.

Fun times.

I suspect more practice with mRNA vaccines will lead to different dosage and timing schedules, but it does a damn good job as is of convincing your immune system there's a MASSIVE problem and rallying it to the cause.

And my thinking is basically "If I felt shitty with the vaccine, I don't want the disease" as well.

[01101010]

I suspect more practice with mRNA vaccines will lead to different dosage and timing schedules, but it does a damn good job as is of convincing your immune system there's a MASSIVE problem and rallying it to the cause.

And my thinking is basically "If I felt shitty with the vaccine, I don't want the disease" as well.

Strangely, I thought the booster was a half dose in that the injection was half mL. Wife pointed out it is a half dose if you consider the series and not the mLs. Still very odd it hit me so hard when the first 2 doses were pretty tame.

And I was thinking the same thing... if this is what it feels like to get the virus with a vaccine, I can't imagine what it hits you like unvaccinated...and I don't wanna

[MahrinSkel]

I suspect more practice with mRNA vaccines will lead to different dosage and timing schedules, but it does a damn good job as is of convincing your immune system there's a MASSIVE problem and rallying it to the cause.

And my thinking is basically "If I felt shitty with the vaccine, I don't want the disease" as well.

Strangely, I thought the booster was a half dose in that the injection was half mL. Wife pointed out it is a half dose if you consider the series and not the mLs. Still very odd it hit me so hard when the first 2 doses were pretty tame.

And I was thinking the same thing... if this is what it feels like to get the virus with a vaccine, I can't imagine what it hits you like unvaccinated...and I don't wanna

Bucket of suck even when you don't have a cytokine storm to cap it off. Crushing fatigue, to the point where you consider the merits of shitting yourself rather than walk 40 feet to a toilet.

--Dave (I made the walk, but I did have to think about it first)

[HaemishM]

And my thinking is basically "If I felt shitty with the vaccine, I don't want the disease" as well.

Both my 2nd shot and booster of the Pfizer knocked me right on my fucking ass. Pains, fever, fatigue, just generally feeling like I want to die for the entire day after the shot. The next day wake up feeling fine. If the virus itself is anything near as bad as that day after feeling, I do not ever want it. I will take an extra day of feeling like shit every 6 months to a year to not have to fight that garbage off for realz.

[eldaec]

Fwiw I found the disease and the vaccine had quite different ways to make me feel like total shit. But disease did it for far longer than a day.

[rattran]

Moderna booster gave me 48 hours of muscle aches, on/off fever, and a migraine. Wife got 24 hours of soreness in her arm and general fatigue. Still worth it considering no one in this state of asshats wears masks, and most aren't vax'd.

[Tale]

Congratulations, everyone.

Moderna CEO says vaccines likely less effective against Omicron

"There is no world, I think, where (the effectiveness) is the same level . . . we had with Delta," Moderna Chief Executive Stéphane Bancel told the Financial Times in an interview.

"I think it's going to be a material drop. I just don't know how much because we need to wait for the data. But all the scientists I've talked to . . . are like 'this is not going to be good.'"

[Mandella]

Moderna booster being relatively mild for me so far, unlike both initial vaccine shots. I think my left arm is mutating into a crab claw, but the mild headache I got was easily treated with Ibuprofen.

On the other hand, I wouldn't recommend going to a Walgreens for the shot. I was sitting where I could hear the pharmacists, and they were *not* happy with all the folks showing up today for their shots. Apparently prepping the shots takes extra time and effort, and who needs that, right?

I actually scheduled my appointment online and filled out my paperwork of course. And of course none of that comes through and we have to do it again in person. It was good I was getting Moderna since they only do Pfizer on Mondays. Actually, as I was eavesdropping and heard, they normally do Pfizer everyday but hey, it was busy today so they had just decided "We only do Pfizer on Monday" about an hour ago -- apparently it takes extra to prep.

I mean, I don't want to be too hard on them, since one of the guys had just downloaded Alien:Isolation on his new machine and was eager to get home and try out the game. I can relate to that...

[HaemishM]

That's funny, I got my Pfizer booster at a Walgreens and didn't run into any of that. Of course, I am in the Land of Swamp Creatures where we can't even get people to take the first shot...

[Tale]

South African study of just 12 people so far. Bigger data coming next week.

Omicron significantly reduces Covid antibody protection in small study of Pfizer vaccine recipients

[Tale]

Also, today Australia discovered a totally new lineage of Omicron called "Omicron-like", which arrived from South Africa. It has 14 mutations, compared to 30 in the main Omicron variant.

A traveller from South Africa tested positive, and the WHO has verified the new lineage.