"I have a lot of confidence in the vaccines, if you're boosted, in protecting against severe outcomes," Marr says, "and I have a lot of confidence in an N95 and similar types of respirators. And I think that with those two things, you can still go about a lot of your normal activities.
…
Marr says that with omicron surging, she'd have kids wear respirators if possible when they're indoors in public spaces.
Ummm, what? This is having confidence in vaccines? Based on what data is trying to stuff vaccinated children into N95 masks anything but a sick and twisted idea? It’s abusing children to sate irrational adult anxiety.
I don’t know. As a parent I don’t feel like it’s abuse. How are N95s any worse than cloth masks? I personally find the kn95s more tolerable apart from maybe situations where you're breathing heavily.
My kids have been wearing masks to school for about a year now, so it wouldn’t be much different at all. It’s not a requirement yet that kids get vaxxed though it will be next school year. Once that happens I think it makes sense to ditch them if cases in the area are relatively low.
Elementary age kids I think it makes less sense. Especially on the younger end of that range. They’re not as of susceptible and I do think the mask probably gets in the way of learning properly at that age.
To me the masks just aren’t a big deal. Kids sometimes keep that stuff to themselves but I don’t even see a hint of annoyance over it from them. Its just life at the moment.
Again, we’re not exactly zealous about it. I wasn’t wearing one out until about a week ago.
It can't maintain this pace even without a vaccine, people will develop immunity. I think one of the scariest things about this is that I don't hear much about the health care system preparing for the next thing, which could of course be way worse than Covid even. Not surprising I guess since it's profit driven.
Why would health care systems prepare for the next big thing? This has been a boom for their business. Hospitals are packed, ICUs, respirator use, they are raking in the money right now.
I know, cases aren’t deaths and hospitalizations. But how is this remotely over? When is the last time hundreds of thousands of people in the country got simultaneously infected with something that isn’t a cold?
I know, cases aren’t deaths and hospitalizations. But how is this remotely over? When is the last time hundreds of thousands of people in the country got simultaneously infected with something that isn’t a cold?
For a large fraction with the help on vaccination, it is a cold, and we would never have previously engaged in this sort of mass surveillance to ever know such detailed dynamics. There are many endemic viruses already permanently circulating in the human population undergoing this kind of continual dance of immunity and evolution. I don’t know that it’s heathy to spend too much time thinking about such things less we become like Howard Hughes.
I know, cases aren’t deaths and hospitalizations. But how is this remotely over? When is the last time hundreds of thousands of people in the country got simultaneously infected with something that isn’t a cold?
I know, cases aren’t deaths and hospitalizations. But how is this remotely over? When is the last time hundreds of thousands of people in the country got simultaneously infected with something that isn’t a cold?
For a large fraction with the help on vaccination, it is a cold, and we would never have previously engaged in this sort of mass surveillance to ever know such detailed dynamics. There are many endemic viruses already permanently circulating in the human population undergoing this kind of continual dance of immunity and evolution. I don’t know that it’s heathy to spend too much time thinking about such things less we become like Howard Hughes.
Well again I’m not running around with my hair on fire in real life. I’m in this thread talking about it because it’s a place I can do so. But if I’m assessing it as a logical person, the current high hospitalizations seem to clearly be driven or at least assisted by Covid. Indiana is also only about 50% vaxxed so that’s part of the situation here, along with our icu beds at their most used since this whole thing started. Nurses are complaining of overwork, the childrens hospital here in Indy is saying it’s got 4x the number of kids in with Covid compared to the previous peak and they’re having the national guard come in to assist. Schools are reporting staffing problems due to sick staff. It doesn’t feel like any sort of mass delusion/overreaction to me.
I know, cases aren’t deaths and hospitalizations. But how is this remotely over? When is the last time hundreds of thousands of people in the country got simultaneously infected with something that isn’t a cold?
There will always be peaks and valleys in cases/hosps/deaths. Ignoring that this is a the cumulation of two peaks (seasonal and omicron) cresting at the same time to pretend we're in terrible shape is almost disingenuous.
Sure, hospitals are stretched thin. And, if they don't expand capacity, they will continue to be stretched thin well into the future. Doesn't mean everyone faces much of an increased risk, there are large swaths of the population, namely the young and/or vaxxed, that face minimal risk. Yet, here we are, acting like its Armageddon again.