59 thoughts on “C-19 Chat Post – December 23 2021”

  2. I just got back from an appointment at my doctor’s office to have blood taken for my upcoming physical. As I waited, I couldn’t help overhearing one side of a phone conversation with the woman working at the desk. It went something like this:
    – We can schedule a telehealth session.
    – What are your symptoms?
    – Are you at home?
    – Where are you?
    – With all those symptoms?!
    – Can you tell them that you are sick?
    – Where do you work?
    – I wouldn’t want my children exposed to that!

    I’m about ready to give up.

    1. Therein lies a series issue and part of the reason why
      Covid will spread everywhere!

      With that virus out there, WHY do people go to work sick?
      Most people have sick days and hey should be used.

      We will never be out of this with that kind of behavior.

    2. With a deep sigh. This is beyond disturbing

      JPD is right. In addition to people going out sick, parents send their children to school sick

      1. That is unforgivable!!

        This is definitely part of the problem.

        And, I have to say this, many people, including friends of ours, will rationalize when having symptoms like Oh It’s just a cold or it’s my allergies and they go out. Zero regard for the fact that it could very well be Covid!

        These very friends mentioned above are traveling this Holdiday season (YEs even with extremely high rates of new Covid cases). One couple is going on a cruise out of
        Ft, Lauderdale, FL. the other couple heading to the Bahamas.

        Personally I think they are out of the gourds!!

        I would step foot on an airplane right now!!!

          1. But, you would go to Logan to check on their rain/snow/temperature measurement gauges. If so, count me in. We can go over there in full PPE and ask to “see the manager.”

          2. NEVER! Especially during a pandemic, but NEVER anyway. Absolutely ZERO desire to EVER go on a cruise.

            A Boston Harbor cruise is about my limit. 🙂

            I would consider the cruise from Boston to P-town, but that is it. I don’t count either of those as a cruise ship.

            1. Oddly, as I’ve said, Mac grew up sailing the seas around Italy. They came back to the US for home leave on the Stockholm a couple of time. But, when older, he never had the desire to take a cruise.

              1. As did we. But that is not a cruise line per se.
                That is totally different. It is for about 3 hours and not 7 days. 🙂

  4. JPD, justifying illness and exposing others by doing so has been a pet peeve of mine for decades. My kids stayed home when I’ll. Mac and I stayed home. My kids have always kept theirs home.

    I listened to a teacher at the start of this politely rant that she had spent too many hours tending to children who were given pain or cough meds before school just to get them to school. The meds of course wore off by mid day and they became the responsibility of the teachers….not to mention the exposure to the teacher and other students. She hope that I’d there were one positive thing that came from covid was that parents would keep kids home when I’ll.

    That ship sailed within the first few weeks of return to hybrid and some kids were in school.

    1. My mother would sometimes send me to school “sick” as long as I didn’t have a fever or in real pain. Most of time though, she kept me home.

      Generally, the thermometer was the “gold standard” to determine my attendance.

      1. I think a simple cold with symptoms that can go on for days is different. Your mom was wise to have the thermometer help her to decide.

  6. First let me say even though I got the vaccine, got a booster etc I have gotten the test done several times even though I knew it was allergies a cold or the mix of the two. I been sneezing and coughing since I got back from St Thomas. Because of the major change in weather conditions. It is much harder to get tested here than on St Thomas. If anyone on hear needs a test let me know as I have a connection I can probably work.

    1. Thanks for the offer Matt. Fortunately, I get tested every other week at work, no lines – no waiting. It’s a self swab in the privacy of the restroom. Totally painless.

      I was on the bus yesterday and saw an extremely long line waiting to get tested at a designated Covid-19 testing site. Home self tests are so badly needed!

      1. the home self tests a re badly needed indeed but do not cover for airline travel and workplaces depending on state/territory. So even if we expand that which should be done prior to visiting family and friends for the holiday etc, it won’t help with the travel in certain states.

    2. Thank you, Matt. That is a really kind offer.

      Good for you to test. I have had trouble with the weather changes also, but part is due to winter asthma. Never had any allergies or any type of asthma when I was young.

      Thank you !

      1. I use to never have issues with the temperature changes. It would be more my allergies kick my backside and then the cold or what ever else works its way into me and knocks me out.

  7. Thanks Vicki for providing the video of Biden’s “Omicron” speech. It really needed to be shown in prime time or at least around the dinner hour, 6 or 7 p.m. Most folks are still at work or picking up their kids early afternoon.

    That was too important a speech for early afternoon. That time is usually reserved for appointment announcements, for example.

  8. Curious developments:

    Europe’s EMA approved Novavax’s vaccine, which uses a traditional platform and may be helpful in reducing vaccine hesitancy, and is apparently better than mRNA vaccines against the Omicron variant. The US has not only not approved Novavax, it doesn’t appear on the FDA’s radar.

    But, the US did approve the Merck pill. At the same time, France has canceled its massive order of Merck pills. Says there isn’t sufficient evidence of efficacy, and there are safety concerns.

    Go figure. This is why when people say “it’s just the facts,” I always ask, “well, how are you interpreting them?”

  10. Omicron is already spawning sub-lineages. Beware of this development. We saw this with Delta. The AY.4.2 turned out to be more ~10-15% more transmissible and ~10% more severe. We’ll see with the sub-lineages of Omicron. Keep in mind, folks, the virus’s only goal is survival which it can do by finding and infecting more hosts. Some mutations will result in less severe variants or sub-lineages. Others more severe. In almost all cases, mutations result in more transmissibility.

  12. School numbers are in for the past five school says.

    We should be ashamed that we are placing kids and staff into danger without even blinking.

    And as Joshua said….omicron is impacting children above delta which of course has more impact than the variants prior.

    It would do absolutely harm to close schools two additional weeks after Christmas vacation while we see the process of this variant. However, holding schools for those two weeks has the potential to do harm.

    8,576 students and 1,544 staff totaling 10,120 in FIVE DAYS
    2,024 case average in a single day

    https://www.umms.org/childrens/coronavirus/protecting-our-kids/kids-covid

    https://www.aamc.org/news-insights/scary-and-confusing-when-kids-suffer-long-covid-19

    2. This is Revolting! School officials should be ashamed of themselves for allowing in person schooling at this time.

      PATHETIC!!!!!

      1. My daughter has absolutely had it. She is teetering on the edge of Quitting.

        At the very least school systems should extend Christmas vacation by 2 additional weeks and see what things look like then.

        1. My heart aches got what teachers and staff are facing. I know I said here that multiple school administrators have said this year is far more stressful than last. I truly am ashamed that your daughter, all children and all be staff had to be placed in this situation

          It was both predictable and preventable

          1. I’m so sorry. We will be together with home tests taken literally just before and windows open and a lot of prayers

  16. We are all going to get this, have to face facts. This is virus that is highly contagious. Nothing we can do except get vaccinated, mask up indoors etc… staying home bound is no way to live.

    We aren’t stopping life, it’s too short. We are flying to see my 80 year old Dad for Xmas in NC. We play sports, go to events and will continue to live our life as best as possible.

    We would do more damage if close schools this time around.

    1. I sincerely hope you have a wonderful time, visiting with your dad. Life is for the living. My daughter is an anesthesiologist in Brooklyn, NY–she said you have got to live your life. She’s actually done some nice travelling. But she has also been through the wringer–running an ICU in Brooklyn in March, 2020–there’s a job for you! And she would tell you, visit your dad, hug him and take him out for a nice dinner.

      I agree. School’s have got to stay open. I’m an assistant principal so I see it all. And at the end of the day, the kids need to be in school. It’s not easy, but, like everyone else, we are doing the best we can in the situation we have found ourselves in.

      2. Deb, God Bless your daughter. My cousins DIL is an ICU physician in Chile. Work was seven days a week and unimaginable hours per day She finally had a week approved to visit here with her husband. I know how horrific life has been. Also thank you for your dedication. Are you in a public or private school. Your experience is far better than the admins I know and I am very happy for you.

  17. I’ll naturally disagree that keeping school closed for two more weeks will cause any problem for children. We cannot continue to expose children to a virus that may well Impact them for years to come, let alone for their entire life. 2000 a day is horrifying. I sincerely to not believe that row additional weeks can possibly harm anyone while we reevaluate and learn how omicron is impacting our children. This school year alone just under 52,000 children have tested positive in schools in MA. Just over 60,000 total kids and staff have tested positive. Last year for a total the entire school year the numbers were 14,137 and 20,321.

    I’ve given numbers and links for my reasoning. I would welcome any of the same that tell me the numbers we have seen so far create a safe and productive environment. I honestly would like to hear why folks believe two weeks would be more harm than thousands more infections.

  18. I hear what Hadi, Deb, and Dave are saying.

    Seeing family is important. Living is important, too. Some people really can’t do so right now, either due to being immunocompromised, or having other underlying health conditions. But, if you’re doing what you can to prevent further spread and you’re blessed with good health, then traveling and gathering with family or friends is fine.

    I am also very much in favor of in-person schooling. My concern right now, however, is the one expressed by the Danish and Dutch governments (who’ve kept schools open more than any other country, including the US, since the beginning of the pandemic): Omicron is impacting children more than any previous variant. ~10% of hospitalizations in Miami, Guateng, London, New York, Paris, etc … are children between 0 and 17. The Dutch therefore decided to close the schools one week early and reopen one week late. Their hard lockdown was done for a different reason: to buy time and boost the entire adult population while relieving hospitals of their chronic stress. This has worked, as cases, hospitalizations and deaths are decreasing steadily. But a lockdown is of course a draconian measure.

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