Anonymous
Post 07/15/2022 14:32     Subject: BA.5 Variant, the worst version of Omicron, is vaccine evasiive and surging across the country
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:Why are people masking outside again? Are they covid+, or paranoid?


My guess is more the latter but probably a mix of both.



I was Covid positive. I saw your dirty looks and hoped you would have confronted me because I would have removed my mask to tell you I was positive.


Not giving anyone dirty looks but have certainly been on the receiving end of them from masked individuals (while they cross the street to move away from me, lol).



Again I have been doing this because I have been testing positive for three weeks and must walk my dogs. I honestly do not want to expose people. This has been a horrible illness for me.
Anonymous
Post 07/15/2022 14:14     Subject: BA.5 Variant, the worst version of Omicron, is vaccine evasiive and surging across the country
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Anonymous wrote:I just don’t care anymore. I did all the things they told me to do and still got Covid and it was a bunch of nothing. Sorry but nothing will get me to panic again.

I was one of those who stayed shut inside for 2020 and I now regret it because it was a bunch of fear and nothing more.

Not saying it’s not a bad disease, but I’m treating it like the flu and moving on with living. I took 3 shots, masked all 2020-2021, and I’m sick of being gaslit.


You were not gaslit. Unfortunately following the rules wasn’t enough. That’s why so many have fatigue over caring about precautions. Being good isn’t always enough to protect you. To be honest that’s true if pretty much anything. I hear you though. Realize not caring won’t matter to the virus if you cone across it anyway. Hopefully you’ll not get any version though.


I think you totally missed the point. The PP isn’t angry he got it, he is angry is went to great lengths for a year+ thinking he would be gravely sick, and it was a cold.


That’s pretty simplistic and a bit of retroactive rose colored glasses. It was not a simple cold two years ago.


Even so, it is now. We have vaccines to lessen severity and effective treatment. But STILL people are wanting everyone to cling to the guidelines, quarantines, restrictions, and mitigation efforts of 2020


Clearly you are not keeping up with current variants.


I don’t understand what data you are looking at that is telling you the current variants are causing severe disease in people with vaccine or naturally acquired immunity.


Because for me it’s not about severe illness it’s about catching it. We have it now. We did not report it so I can tell you numbers are not accurate. It is miserable. I don’t want this again. Guess it’s time to start digging out a basement to hide in.


I’ve had it too. Being sick isn’t fun, but I would rather be sick occasionally than go back to 2020 restrictions.


We never had real restrictions and I’d rather have precautions than go through this again. You can get it multiple times. Come school start it’s going to be a hot mess.


My kid really did kindergarten on an iPad, so don’t tell me there were no restrictions. Also we were warned school was going to be a disaster when they started 2 days a week in spring 2021 and then again for full time in fall of 2021 and then AGAIN after winter break in 2022 and yet again after spring break in 2022. You know what? It was fine. We will be fine.


This! And then there were things that were not strictly restricted but made incredibly difficult (to impossible) due to restrictions. Like childcare. The idea that we haven’t sacrificed for this thing because society never *technically* locked down is ridiculous.

Look, I accept that this isn’t just a cold. But it’s not smallpox or the Black Death either. It’s a novel virus that poses an elevated threat and has killed millions of people. But we also have to be realistic about what can be done. At this point, eradicating it through lock downs is off the table. Look at New Zealand. That’s an island nation that really seemed to have beaten this thing through travel restriction and lock down. Cases have skyrocketed there. You can’t lock down indefinitely, and it’s a very contagious virus. It will come for you eventually.

I think we have to accept that this is something we live with now. I just don’t see what the alternative is. People who complain constantly about how everyone just wants to “move on” aren’t explaining what the effective, realistic alternative is. You are not going to get lockdowns, 100% masking, or any other severe restrictions again. Not if it’s on an indefinite basis. And there’s no evidence that doing that for a couple weeks or a couple months will help, unless everyone on the planet participated, which they won’t.

This is life now. We have to find a way to live it.


I agree with much of what you say, but not all of it. "Moving on" should not be pretending that COVID does not exist. We don't need 100% masking or restrictions to live with COVID in a responsible way, which means testing when exposed or sick, staying home when positive or exhibiting symptoms, masking after exposures, when symptomatic, or when returning to activities after a positive test (up to 10 days). It also makes sense to be extra cautious with activities or tests after higher risk activities, like travel or crowded indoor activities (and maybe outdoor as well). We can't get rid of it, but can we treat COVID like the flu, when it is so much more transmissible? In truth, we are probably too lax about the flu as well, but I guarantee if there were hyperlocal outbreaks of the flu, like we have seen within some families, schools, etc., measures would be taken to control the spread.


PP here, and I should have also said that living with COVID should include some caution, we have to end impossible quarantine policies like those for younger children at daycares. While that might involve accepting more risk of transmission, these policies are extremely burdensome and probably lead to fewer people testing when appropriate for fear of lost wages and other harm caused by quarantine policies.


NP and I agree. Here is my wish list for dealing with covid at this point, in order of importance, which I recognize isn't gonna happen because it's too "socialist":

1) Paid. Sick. Leave. I get 13 days a year that carry over if i don't use them. This should be a legal minimum. This would help with so many problems on its own, although i agree that the restrictive childcare quarantined are too much even for this.

2) Huge infrastructure bill for upgrading ventilation and air filtration in tons of places, especially schools, hospitals, and other crowded places that provide public services.

3) Masking for adults and older kids indoors during periods of high transmission or hospital capacity concerns (I'd prefer the first but would compromise). The difference from now would be automatic "on" and "off" switches based on community levels, not the delayed reactions we have now when it's a new debate whether to start/end every time.

4) Or even asking everyone to mask when experiencing any symptoms or for 5 days post exposure would do a ton! Good masks and tests provided free to all, of course.

5) Serious research into long covid and monitoring and treating post viral effects in general. Funding for treatment clinics. Let's figure out what we're dealing with long term.


Just remember that childcare workers get covid too. So when they test positive and get sick and use all that paid. sick. leave., who's going to watch the kids if the kids aren't quarantining?


I don't get why you think this would be worse than what's currently happening. Teachers are already getting covid and they don't usually get that much paid sick leave. They should, and if a class shuts down as a result, it's for an actual reason and not just precautionary. Also, a 10 day quarantine for exposure is really out of step with incubation time for current variants, if you think it's necessary in day cares (but not any other high risk setting) you could reduce it by half and do half the damage with probably very little added risk.


It’s actually right in line with the new variants that are much more contagious and concerning.


Ok, if you think a 10 day quarantine is "in line with the new variants," where ELSE would you like to see it introduced besides day cares? Remember, quarantine is for exposure, I.e. people who are not sick and isolating. Surely since covid can spread anywhere, not just among toddlers, we should have mandatory quarantined in more places? Surely you don't mean parents of small children should be the only ones to carry forward ANY continued public health responsibilities.
.

PS I'm the PP who posted the numbered list. I've been dealing with 2 week daycare closures and exposure quarantines for two years; on the other hand, my first grader's school doesn't even notify about cases in the classroom anymore because one mask requirements ended, they dropped all contact tracing and only notify if there's a "cohort outbreak." This is obviously absurd, that four year olds need to stay home for 2 weeks if exposed, but six year olds can attend school maskless unless obviously sick. No adult anywhere quarantines, because they have to show up to work, because we are so stingy with sick leave. If we are going to care about quarantines for the sake of public health, this is an incredibly half assed and useless way to do it.
Anonymous
Post 07/15/2022 14:08     Subject: BA.5 Variant, the worst version of Omicron, is vaccine evasiive and surging across the country
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
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Anonymous wrote:I just don’t care anymore. I did all the things they told me to do and still got Covid and it was a bunch of nothing. Sorry but nothing will get me to panic again.

I was one of those who stayed shut inside for 2020 and I now regret it because it was a bunch of fear and nothing more.

Not saying it’s not a bad disease, but I’m treating it like the flu and moving on with living. I took 3 shots, masked all 2020-2021, and I’m sick of being gaslit.


You were not gaslit. Unfortunately following the rules wasn’t enough. That’s why so many have fatigue over caring about precautions. Being good isn’t always enough to protect you. To be honest that’s true if pretty much anything. I hear you though. Realize not caring won’t matter to the virus if you cone across it anyway. Hopefully you’ll not get any version though.


I think you totally missed the point. The PP isn’t angry he got it, he is angry is went to great lengths for a year+ thinking he would be gravely sick, and it was a cold.


That’s pretty simplistic and a bit of retroactive rose colored glasses. It was not a simple cold two years ago.


Even so, it is now. We have vaccines to lessen severity and effective treatment. But STILL people are wanting everyone to cling to the guidelines, quarantines, restrictions, and mitigation efforts of 2020


Clearly you are not keeping up with current variants.


I don’t understand what data you are looking at that is telling you the current variants are causing severe disease in people with vaccine or naturally acquired immunity.


Because for me it’s not about severe illness it’s about catching it. We have it now. We did not report it so I can tell you numbers are not accurate. It is miserable. I don’t want this again. Guess it’s time to start digging out a basement to hide in.


I’ve had it too. Being sick isn’t fun, but I would rather be sick occasionally than go back to 2020 restrictions.


We never had real restrictions and I’d rather have precautions than go through this again. You can get it multiple times. Come school start it’s going to be a hot mess.


My kid really did kindergarten on an iPad, so don’t tell me there were no restrictions. Also we were warned school was going to be a disaster when they started 2 days a week in spring 2021 and then again for full time in fall of 2021 and then AGAIN after winter break in 2022 and yet again after spring break in 2022. You know what? It was fine. We will be fine.


This! And then there were things that were not strictly restricted but made incredibly difficult (to impossible) due to restrictions. Like childcare. The idea that we haven’t sacrificed for this thing because society never *technically* locked down is ridiculous.

Look, I accept that this isn’t just a cold. But it’s not smallpox or the Black Death either. It’s a novel virus that poses an elevated threat and has killed millions of people. But we also have to be realistic about what can be done. At this point, eradicating it through lock downs is off the table. Look at New Zealand. That’s an island nation that really seemed to have beaten this thing through travel restriction and lock down. Cases have skyrocketed there. You can’t lock down indefinitely, and it’s a very contagious virus. It will come for you eventually.

I think we have to accept that this is something we live with now. I just don’t see what the alternative is. People who complain constantly about how everyone just wants to “move on” aren’t explaining what the effective, realistic alternative is. You are not going to get lockdowns, 100% masking, or any other severe restrictions again. Not if it’s on an indefinite basis. And there’s no evidence that doing that for a couple weeks or a couple months will help, unless everyone on the planet participated, which they won’t.

This is life now. We have to find a way to live it.


I agree with much of what you say, but not all of it. "Moving on" should not be pretending that COVID does not exist. We don't need 100% masking or restrictions to live with COVID in a responsible way, which means testing when exposed or sick, staying home when positive or exhibiting symptoms, masking after exposures, when symptomatic, or when returning to activities after a positive test (up to 10 days). It also makes sense to be extra cautious with activities or tests after higher risk activities, like travel or crowded indoor activities (and maybe outdoor as well). We can't get rid of it, but can we treat COVID like the flu, when it is so much more transmissible? In truth, we are probably too lax about the flu as well, but I guarantee if there were hyperlocal outbreaks of the flu, like we have seen within some families, schools, etc., measures would be taken to control the spread.


PP here, and I should have also said that living with COVID should include some caution, we have to end impossible quarantine policies like those for younger children at daycares. While that might involve accepting more risk of transmission, these policies are extremely burdensome and probably lead to fewer people testing when appropriate for fear of lost wages and other harm caused by quarantine policies.


NP and I agree. Here is my wish list for dealing with covid at this point, in order of importance, which I recognize isn't gonna happen because it's too "socialist":

1) Paid. Sick. Leave. I get 13 days a year that carry over if i don't use them. This should be a legal minimum. This would help with so many problems on its own, although i agree that the restrictive childcare quarantined are too much even for this.

2) Huge infrastructure bill for upgrading ventilation and air filtration in tons of places, especially schools, hospitals, and other crowded places that provide public services.

3) Masking for adults and older kids indoors during periods of high transmission or hospital capacity concerns (I'd prefer the first but would compromise). The difference from now would be automatic "on" and "off" switches based on community levels, not the delayed reactions we have now when it's a new debate whether to start/end every time.

4) Or even asking everyone to mask when experiencing any symptoms or for 5 days post exposure would do a ton! Good masks and tests provided free to all, of course.

5) Serious research into long covid and monitoring and treating post viral effects in general. Funding for treatment clinics. Let's figure out what we're dealing with long term.


Just remember that childcare workers get covid too. So when they test positive and get sick and use all that paid. sick. leave., who's going to watch the kids if the kids aren't quarantining?


I don't get why you think this would be worse than what's currently happening. Teachers are already getting covid and they don't usually get that much paid sick leave. They should, and if a class shuts down as a result, it's for an actual reason and not just precautionary. Also, a 10 day quarantine for exposure is really out of step with incubation time for current variants, if you think it's necessary in day cares (but not any other high risk setting) you could reduce it by half and do half the damage with probably very little added risk.


It’s actually right in line with the new variants that are much more contagious and concerning.


Ok, if you think a 10 day quarantine is "in line with the new variants," where ELSE would you like to see it introduced besides day cares? Remember, quarantine is for exposure, I.e. people who are not sick and isolating. Surely since covid can spread anywhere, not just among toddlers, we should have mandatory quarantined in more places? Surely you don't mean parents of small children should be the only ones to carry forward ANY continued public health responsibilities.
Anonymous
Post 07/15/2022 11:57     Subject: BA.5 Variant, the worst version of Omicron, is vaccine evasiive and surging across the country
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:For those recently ill with the horrific sore throat- how long did that last?

Almost 4 days of a bad sore throat. Once that went away so did all my other symptoms. I thought it was going to be worse because I normally get a sore throat for 1 day with most colds but it ended up being really mild overall.



Because we should all know by now that Covid is different for different people, duh. I didn’t think it was mild or anything like a cold. The muscle aches and night sweats were far worse than the sore throat, which was bad, for me.


I never said that my 4 days of sore throat and mild symptoms were going to be everyone else's experience.
Anonymous
Post 07/15/2022 11:57     Subject: BA.5 Variant, the worst version of Omicron, is vaccine evasiive and surging across the country
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:Why are people masking outside again? Are they covid+, or paranoid?


My guess is more the latter but probably a mix of both.



I was Covid positive. I saw your dirty looks and hoped you would have confronted me because I would have removed my mask to tell you I was positive.


Not giving anyone dirty looks but have certainly been on the receiving end of them from masked individuals (while they cross the street to move away from me, lol).
Anonymous
Post 07/15/2022 11:48     Subject: BA.5 Variant, the worst version of Omicron, is vaccine evasiive and surging across the country
Anonymous wrote:
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Anonymous wrote:I just don’t care anymore. I did all the things they told me to do and still got Covid and it was a bunch of nothing. Sorry but nothing will get me to panic again.

I was one of those who stayed shut inside for 2020 and I now regret it because it was a bunch of fear and nothing more.

Not saying it’s not a bad disease, but I’m treating it like the flu and moving on with living. I took 3 shots, masked all 2020-2021, and I’m sick of being gaslit.


You were not gaslit. Unfortunately following the rules wasn’t enough. That’s why so many have fatigue over caring about precautions. Being good isn’t always enough to protect you. To be honest that’s true if pretty much anything. I hear you though. Realize not caring won’t matter to the virus if you cone across it anyway. Hopefully you’ll not get any version though.


I think you totally missed the point. The PP isn’t angry he got it, he is angry is went to great lengths for a year+ thinking he would be gravely sick, and it was a cold.


That’s pretty simplistic and a bit of retroactive rose colored glasses. It was not a simple cold two years ago.


Even so, it is now. We have vaccines to lessen severity and effective treatment. But STILL people are wanting everyone to cling to the guidelines, quarantines, restrictions, and mitigation efforts of 2020


Clearly you are not keeping up with current variants.


I don’t understand what data you are looking at that is telling you the current variants are causing severe disease in people with vaccine or naturally acquired immunity.


Because for me it’s not about severe illness it’s about catching it. We have it now. We did not report it so I can tell you numbers are not accurate. It is miserable. I don’t want this again. Guess it’s time to start digging out a basement to hide in.


I’ve had it too. Being sick isn’t fun, but I would rather be sick occasionally than go back to 2020 restrictions.


We never had real restrictions and I’d rather have precautions than go through this again. You can get it multiple times. Come school start it’s going to be a hot mess.


My kid really did kindergarten on an iPad, so don’t tell me there were no restrictions. Also we were warned school was going to be a disaster when they started 2 days a week in spring 2021 and then again for full time in fall of 2021 and then AGAIN after winter break in 2022 and yet again after spring break in 2022. You know what? It was fine. We will be fine.


This! And then there were things that were not strictly restricted but made incredibly difficult (to impossible) due to restrictions. Like childcare. The idea that we haven’t sacrificed for this thing because society never *technically* locked down is ridiculous.

Look, I accept that this isn’t just a cold. But it’s not smallpox or the Black Death either. It’s a novel virus that poses an elevated threat and has killed millions of people. But we also have to be realistic about what can be done. At this point, eradicating it through lock downs is off the table. Look at New Zealand. That’s an island nation that really seemed to have beaten this thing through travel restriction and lock down. Cases have skyrocketed there. You can’t lock down indefinitely, and it’s a very contagious virus. It will come for you eventually.

I think we have to accept that this is something we live with now. I just don’t see what the alternative is. People who complain constantly about how everyone just wants to “move on” aren’t explaining what the effective, realistic alternative is. You are not going to get lockdowns, 100% masking, or any other severe restrictions again. Not if it’s on an indefinite basis. And there’s no evidence that doing that for a couple weeks or a couple months will help, unless everyone on the planet participated, which they won’t.

This is life now. We have to find a way to live it.


I agree with much of what you say, but not all of it. "Moving on" should not be pretending that COVID does not exist. We don't need 100% masking or restrictions to live with COVID in a responsible way, which means testing when exposed or sick, staying home when positive or exhibiting symptoms, masking after exposures, when symptomatic, or when returning to activities after a positive test (up to 10 days). It also makes sense to be extra cautious with activities or tests after higher risk activities, like travel or crowded indoor activities (and maybe outdoor as well). We can't get rid of it, but can we treat COVID like the flu, when it is so much more transmissible? In truth, we are probably too lax about the flu as well, but I guarantee if there were hyperlocal outbreaks of the flu, like we have seen within some families, schools, etc., measures would be taken to control the spread.


PP here, and I should have also said that living with COVID should include some caution, we have to end impossible quarantine policies like those for younger children at daycares. While that might involve accepting more risk of transmission, these policies are extremely burdensome and probably lead to fewer people testing when appropriate for fear of lost wages and other harm caused by quarantine policies.


NP and I agree. Here is my wish list for dealing with covid at this point, in order of importance, which I recognize isn't gonna happen because it's too "socialist":

1) Paid. Sick. Leave. I get 13 days a year that carry over if i don't use them. This should be a legal minimum. This would help with so many problems on its own, although i agree that the restrictive childcare quarantined are too much even for this.

2) Huge infrastructure bill for upgrading ventilation and air filtration in tons of places, especially schools, hospitals, and other crowded places that provide public services.

3) Masking for adults and older kids indoors during periods of high transmission or hospital capacity concerns (I'd prefer the first but would compromise). The difference from now would be automatic "on" and "off" switches based on community levels, not the delayed reactions we have now when it's a new debate whether to start/end every time.

4) Or even asking everyone to mask when experiencing any symptoms or for 5 days post exposure would do a ton! Good masks and tests provided free to all, of course.

5) Serious research into long covid and monitoring and treating post viral effects in general. Funding for treatment clinics. Let's figure out what we're dealing with long term.


Just remember that childcare workers get covid too. So when they test positive and get sick and use all that paid. sick. leave., who's going to watch the kids if the kids aren't quarantining?


I don't get why you think this would be worse than what's currently happening. Teachers are already getting covid and they don't usually get that much paid sick leave. They should, and if a class shuts down as a result, it's for an actual reason and not just precautionary. Also, a 10 day quarantine for exposure is really out of step with incubation time for current variants, if you think it's necessary in day cares (but not any other high risk setting) you could reduce it by half and do half the damage with probably very little added risk.


Or…just stop shutting classrooms down. If you are sick, don’t come to school. Come back when you feel better. Like any other illness. Current Covid doesn’t have the complications of 2020 Covid. We’ve moved past that and it should now be treated as any other virus


I’m a teacher and yes to this. Now that anyone can get vaccinated, the mitigations need to stop.


Vaccines are not fully stopping transmission so you want a good chunk of your students and families sick because you are too lazy for basic precautions.


Np. It's not lazy to be out of paid leave (or never had any to begin with) and need somewhere to send your kids while you work. We can't keep quarantining kids for exposure when not experiencing symptoms.


Are there still schools (k-12) doing this? I’m an ES teacher and we stopped requiring this last winter or spring.


All of unvaxxed kids in DC had to quarantine for exposure through the end of the 2021-2022 school year. The unvaxxed kids in DC are disproportionately Black. Ergo, the policy disproportionately kept Black kids out of school for more days in the 2021-2022 school year.

It's worse for the daycares.


Let me amend: For a few ECE classes, there was Test-to-stay. But above that age group, I haven't heard of TTS being implemented in DC. It could have happened at a charter.
Anonymous
Post 07/15/2022 11:47     Subject: BA.5 Variant, the worst version of Omicron, is vaccine evasiive and surging across the country
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
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Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:I just don’t care anymore. I did all the things they told me to do and still got Covid and it was a bunch of nothing. Sorry but nothing will get me to panic again.

I was one of those who stayed shut inside for 2020 and I now regret it because it was a bunch of fear and nothing more.

Not saying it’s not a bad disease, but I’m treating it like the flu and moving on with living. I took 3 shots, masked all 2020-2021, and I’m sick of being gaslit.


You were not gaslit. Unfortunately following the rules wasn’t enough. That’s why so many have fatigue over caring about precautions. Being good isn’t always enough to protect you. To be honest that’s true if pretty much anything. I hear you though. Realize not caring won’t matter to the virus if you cone across it anyway. Hopefully you’ll not get any version though.


I think you totally missed the point. The PP isn’t angry he got it, he is angry is went to great lengths for a year+ thinking he would be gravely sick, and it was a cold.


That’s pretty simplistic and a bit of retroactive rose colored glasses. It was not a simple cold two years ago.


Even so, it is now. We have vaccines to lessen severity and effective treatment. But STILL people are wanting everyone to cling to the guidelines, quarantines, restrictions, and mitigation efforts of 2020


Clearly you are not keeping up with current variants.


I don’t understand what data you are looking at that is telling you the current variants are causing severe disease in people with vaccine or naturally acquired immunity.


Because for me it’s not about severe illness it’s about catching it. We have it now. We did not report it so I can tell you numbers are not accurate. It is miserable. I don’t want this again. Guess it’s time to start digging out a basement to hide in.


I’ve had it too. Being sick isn’t fun, but I would rather be sick occasionally than go back to 2020 restrictions.


We never had real restrictions and I’d rather have precautions than go through this again. You can get it multiple times. Come school start it’s going to be a hot mess.


My kid really did kindergarten on an iPad, so don’t tell me there were no restrictions. Also we were warned school was going to be a disaster when they started 2 days a week in spring 2021 and then again for full time in fall of 2021 and then AGAIN after winter break in 2022 and yet again after spring break in 2022. You know what? It was fine. We will be fine.


This! And then there were things that were not strictly restricted but made incredibly difficult (to impossible) due to restrictions. Like childcare. The idea that we haven’t sacrificed for this thing because society never *technically* locked down is ridiculous.

Look, I accept that this isn’t just a cold. But it’s not smallpox or the Black Death either. It’s a novel virus that poses an elevated threat and has killed millions of people. But we also have to be realistic about what can be done. At this point, eradicating it through lock downs is off the table. Look at New Zealand. That’s an island nation that really seemed to have beaten this thing through travel restriction and lock down. Cases have skyrocketed there. You can’t lock down indefinitely, and it’s a very contagious virus. It will come for you eventually.

I think we have to accept that this is something we live with now. I just don’t see what the alternative is. People who complain constantly about how everyone just wants to “move on” aren’t explaining what the effective, realistic alternative is. You are not going to get lockdowns, 100% masking, or any other severe restrictions again. Not if it’s on an indefinite basis. And there’s no evidence that doing that for a couple weeks or a couple months will help, unless everyone on the planet participated, which they won’t.

This is life now. We have to find a way to live it.


I agree with much of what you say, but not all of it. "Moving on" should not be pretending that COVID does not exist. We don't need 100% masking or restrictions to live with COVID in a responsible way, which means testing when exposed or sick, staying home when positive or exhibiting symptoms, masking after exposures, when symptomatic, or when returning to activities after a positive test (up to 10 days). It also makes sense to be extra cautious with activities or tests after higher risk activities, like travel or crowded indoor activities (and maybe outdoor as well). We can't get rid of it, but can we treat COVID like the flu, when it is so much more transmissible? In truth, we are probably too lax about the flu as well, but I guarantee if there were hyperlocal outbreaks of the flu, like we have seen within some families, schools, etc., measures would be taken to control the spread.


PP here, and I should have also said that living with COVID should include some caution, we have to end impossible quarantine policies like those for younger children at daycares. While that might involve accepting more risk of transmission, these policies are extremely burdensome and probably lead to fewer people testing when appropriate for fear of lost wages and other harm caused by quarantine policies.


NP and I agree. Here is my wish list for dealing with covid at this point, in order of importance, which I recognize isn't gonna happen because it's too "socialist":

1) Paid. Sick. Leave. I get 13 days a year that carry over if i don't use them. This should be a legal minimum. This would help with so many problems on its own, although i agree that the restrictive childcare quarantined are too much even for this.

2) Huge infrastructure bill for upgrading ventilation and air filtration in tons of places, especially schools, hospitals, and other crowded places that provide public services.

3) Masking for adults and older kids indoors during periods of high transmission or hospital capacity concerns (I'd prefer the first but would compromise). The difference from now would be automatic "on" and "off" switches based on community levels, not the delayed reactions we have now when it's a new debate whether to start/end every time.

4) Or even asking everyone to mask when experiencing any symptoms or for 5 days post exposure would do a ton! Good masks and tests provided free to all, of course.

5) Serious research into long covid and monitoring and treating post viral effects in general. Funding for treatment clinics. Let's figure out what we're dealing with long term.


Just remember that childcare workers get covid too. So when they test positive and get sick and use all that paid. sick. leave., who's going to watch the kids if the kids aren't quarantining?


I don't get why you think this would be worse than what's currently happening. Teachers are already getting covid and they don't usually get that much paid sick leave. They should, and if a class shuts down as a result, it's for an actual reason and not just precautionary. Also, a 10 day quarantine for exposure is really out of step with incubation time for current variants, if you think it's necessary in day cares (but not any other high risk setting) you could reduce it by half and do half the damage with probably very little added risk.


Or…just stop shutting classrooms down. If you are sick, don’t come to school. Come back when you feel better. Like any other illness. Current Covid doesn’t have the complications of 2020 Covid. We’ve moved past that and it should now be treated as any other virus


I’m a teacher and yes to this. Now that anyone can get vaccinated, the mitigations need to stop.


Vaccines are not fully stopping transmission so you want a good chunk of your students and families sick because you are too lazy for basic precautions.


Np. It's not lazy to be out of paid leave (or never had any to begin with) and need somewhere to send your kids while you work. We can't keep quarantining kids for exposure when not experiencing symptoms.


Are there still schools (k-12) doing this? I’m an ES teacher and we stopped requiring this last winter or spring.


All of unvaxxed kids in DC had to quarantine for exposure through the end of the 2021-2022 school year. The unvaxxed kids in DC are disproportionately Black. Ergo, the policy disproportionately kept Black kids out of school for more days in the 2021-2022 school year.

It's worse for the daycares.
Anonymous
Post 07/15/2022 11:44     Subject: BA.5 Variant, the worst version of Omicron, is vaccine evasiive and surging across the country
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:I just don’t care anymore. I did all the things they told me to do and still got Covid and it was a bunch of nothing. Sorry but nothing will get me to panic again.

I was one of those who stayed shut inside for 2020 and I now regret it because it was a bunch of fear and nothing more.

Not saying it’s not a bad disease, but I’m treating it like the flu and moving on with living. I took 3 shots, masked all 2020-2021, and I’m sick of being gaslit.


You were not gaslit. Unfortunately following the rules wasn’t enough. That’s why so many have fatigue over caring about precautions. Being good isn’t always enough to protect you. To be honest that’s true if pretty much anything. I hear you though. Realize not caring won’t matter to the virus if you cone across it anyway. Hopefully you’ll not get any version though.


I think you totally missed the point. The PP isn’t angry he got it, he is angry is went to great lengths for a year+ thinking he would be gravely sick, and it was a cold.


That’s pretty simplistic and a bit of retroactive rose colored glasses. It was not a simple cold two years ago.


Even so, it is now. We have vaccines to lessen severity and effective treatment. But STILL people are wanting everyone to cling to the guidelines, quarantines, restrictions, and mitigation efforts of 2020


Clearly you are not keeping up with current variants.


I don’t understand what data you are looking at that is telling you the current variants are causing severe disease in people with vaccine or naturally acquired immunity.


Because for me it’s not about severe illness it’s about catching it. We have it now. We did not report it so I can tell you numbers are not accurate. It is miserable. I don’t want this again. Guess it’s time to start digging out a basement to hide in.


I’ve had it too. Being sick isn’t fun, but I would rather be sick occasionally than go back to 2020 restrictions.


We never had real restrictions and I’d rather have precautions than go through this again. You can get it multiple times. Come school start it’s going to be a hot mess.


My kid really did kindergarten on an iPad, so don’t tell me there were no restrictions. Also we were warned school was going to be a disaster when they started 2 days a week in spring 2021 and then again for full time in fall of 2021 and then AGAIN after winter break in 2022 and yet again after spring break in 2022. You know what? It was fine. We will be fine.


This! And then there were things that were not strictly restricted but made incredibly difficult (to impossible) due to restrictions. Like childcare. The idea that we haven’t sacrificed for this thing because society never *technically* locked down is ridiculous.

Look, I accept that this isn’t just a cold. But it’s not smallpox or the Black Death either. It’s a novel virus that poses an elevated threat and has killed millions of people. But we also have to be realistic about what can be done. At this point, eradicating it through lock downs is off the table. Look at New Zealand. That’s an island nation that really seemed to have beaten this thing through travel restriction and lock down. Cases have skyrocketed there. You can’t lock down indefinitely, and it’s a very contagious virus. It will come for you eventually.

I think we have to accept that this is something we live with now. I just don’t see what the alternative is. People who complain constantly about how everyone just wants to “move on” aren’t explaining what the effective, realistic alternative is. You are not going to get lockdowns, 100% masking, or any other severe restrictions again. Not if it’s on an indefinite basis. And there’s no evidence that doing that for a couple weeks or a couple months will help, unless everyone on the planet participated, which they won’t.

This is life now. We have to find a way to live it.


I agree with much of what you say, but not all of it. "Moving on" should not be pretending that COVID does not exist. We don't need 100% masking or restrictions to live with COVID in a responsible way, which means testing when exposed or sick, staying home when positive or exhibiting symptoms, masking after exposures, when symptomatic, or when returning to activities after a positive test (up to 10 days). It also makes sense to be extra cautious with activities or tests after higher risk activities, like travel or crowded indoor activities (and maybe outdoor as well). We can't get rid of it, but can we treat COVID like the flu, when it is so much more transmissible? In truth, we are probably too lax about the flu as well, but I guarantee if there were hyperlocal outbreaks of the flu, like we have seen within some families, schools, etc., measures would be taken to control the spread.


PP here, and I should have also said that living with COVID should include some caution, we have to end impossible quarantine policies like those for younger children at daycares. While that might involve accepting more risk of transmission, these policies are extremely burdensome and probably lead to fewer people testing when appropriate for fear of lost wages and other harm caused by quarantine policies.


NP and I agree. Here is my wish list for dealing with covid at this point, in order of importance, which I recognize isn't gonna happen because it's too "socialist":

1) Paid. Sick. Leave. I get 13 days a year that carry over if i don't use them. This should be a legal minimum. This would help with so many problems on its own, although i agree that the restrictive childcare quarantined are too much even for this.

2) Huge infrastructure bill for upgrading ventilation and air filtration in tons of places, especially schools, hospitals, and other crowded places that provide public services.

3) Masking for adults and older kids indoors during periods of high transmission or hospital capacity concerns (I'd prefer the first but would compromise). The difference from now would be automatic "on" and "off" switches based on community levels, not the delayed reactions we have now when it's a new debate whether to start/end every time.

4) Or even asking everyone to mask when experiencing any symptoms or for 5 days post exposure would do a ton! Good masks and tests provided free to all, of course.

5) Serious research into long covid and monitoring and treating post viral effects in general. Funding for treatment clinics. Let's figure out what we're dealing with long term.


Just remember that childcare workers get covid too. So when they test positive and get sick and use all that paid. sick. leave., who's going to watch the kids if the kids aren't quarantining?


I don't get why you think this would be worse than what's currently happening. Teachers are already getting covid and they don't usually get that much paid sick leave. They should, and if a class shuts down as a result, it's for an actual reason and not just precautionary. Also, a 10 day quarantine for exposure is really out of step with incubation time for current variants, if you think it's necessary in day cares (but not any other high risk setting) you could reduce it by half and do half the damage with probably very little added risk.


Or…just stop shutting classrooms down. If you are sick, don’t come to school. Come back when you feel better. Like any other illness. Current Covid doesn’t have the complications of 2020 Covid. We’ve moved past that and it should now be treated as any other virus


I’m a teacher and yes to this. Now that anyone can get vaccinated, the mitigations need to stop.


Vaccines are not fully stopping transmission so you want a good chunk of your students and families sick because you are too lazy for basic precautions.


Np. It's not lazy to be out of paid leave (or never had any to begin with) and need somewhere to send your kids while you work. We can't keep quarantining kids for exposure when not experiencing symptoms.


Are there still schools (k-12) doing this? I’m an ES teacher and we stopped requiring this last winter or spring.
Anonymous
Post 07/15/2022 11:20     Subject: BA.5 Variant, the worst version of Omicron, is vaccine evasiive and surging across the country
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:I just don’t care anymore. I did all the things they told me to do and still got Covid and it was a bunch of nothing. Sorry but nothing will get me to panic again.

I was one of those who stayed shut inside for 2020 and I now regret it because it was a bunch of fear and nothing more.

Not saying it’s not a bad disease, but I’m treating it like the flu and moving on with living. I took 3 shots, masked all 2020-2021, and I’m sick of being gaslit.


You were not gaslit. Unfortunately following the rules wasn’t enough. That’s why so many have fatigue over caring about precautions. Being good isn’t always enough to protect you. To be honest that’s true if pretty much anything. I hear you though. Realize not caring won’t matter to the virus if you cone across it anyway. Hopefully you’ll not get any version though.


I think you totally missed the point. The PP isn’t angry he got it, he is angry is went to great lengths for a year+ thinking he would be gravely sick, and it was a cold.


That’s pretty simplistic and a bit of retroactive rose colored glasses. It was not a simple cold two years ago.


Even so, it is now. We have vaccines to lessen severity and effective treatment. But STILL people are wanting everyone to cling to the guidelines, quarantines, restrictions, and mitigation efforts of 2020


Clearly you are not keeping up with current variants.


I don’t understand what data you are looking at that is telling you the current variants are causing severe disease in people with vaccine or naturally acquired immunity.


Because for me it’s not about severe illness it’s about catching it. We have it now. We did not report it so I can tell you numbers are not accurate. It is miserable. I don’t want this again. Guess it’s time to start digging out a basement to hide in.


I’ve had it too. Being sick isn’t fun, but I would rather be sick occasionally than go back to 2020 restrictions.


We never had real restrictions and I’d rather have precautions than go through this again. You can get it multiple times. Come school start it’s going to be a hot mess.


My kid really did kindergarten on an iPad, so don’t tell me there were no restrictions. Also we were warned school was going to be a disaster when they started 2 days a week in spring 2021 and then again for full time in fall of 2021 and then AGAIN after winter break in 2022 and yet again after spring break in 2022. You know what? It was fine. We will be fine.


This! And then there were things that were not strictly restricted but made incredibly difficult (to impossible) due to restrictions. Like childcare. The idea that we haven’t sacrificed for this thing because society never *technically* locked down is ridiculous.

Look, I accept that this isn’t just a cold. But it’s not smallpox or the Black Death either. It’s a novel virus that poses an elevated threat and has killed millions of people. But we also have to be realistic about what can be done. At this point, eradicating it through lock downs is off the table. Look at New Zealand. That’s an island nation that really seemed to have beaten this thing through travel restriction and lock down. Cases have skyrocketed there. You can’t lock down indefinitely, and it’s a very contagious virus. It will come for you eventually.

I think we have to accept that this is something we live with now. I just don’t see what the alternative is. People who complain constantly about how everyone just wants to “move on” aren’t explaining what the effective, realistic alternative is. You are not going to get lockdowns, 100% masking, or any other severe restrictions again. Not if it’s on an indefinite basis. And there’s no evidence that doing that for a couple weeks or a couple months will help, unless everyone on the planet participated, which they won’t.

This is life now. We have to find a way to live it.


I agree with much of what you say, but not all of it. "Moving on" should not be pretending that COVID does not exist. We don't need 100% masking or restrictions to live with COVID in a responsible way, which means testing when exposed or sick, staying home when positive or exhibiting symptoms, masking after exposures, when symptomatic, or when returning to activities after a positive test (up to 10 days). It also makes sense to be extra cautious with activities or tests after higher risk activities, like travel or crowded indoor activities (and maybe outdoor as well). We can't get rid of it, but can we treat COVID like the flu, when it is so much more transmissible? In truth, we are probably too lax about the flu as well, but I guarantee if there were hyperlocal outbreaks of the flu, like we have seen within some families, schools, etc., measures would be taken to control the spread.


PP here, and I should have also said that living with COVID should include some caution, we have to end impossible quarantine policies like those for younger children at daycares. While that might involve accepting more risk of transmission, these policies are extremely burdensome and probably lead to fewer people testing when appropriate for fear of lost wages and other harm caused by quarantine policies.


NP and I agree. Here is my wish list for dealing with covid at this point, in order of importance, which I recognize isn't gonna happen because it's too "socialist":

1) Paid. Sick. Leave. I get 13 days a year that carry over if i don't use them. This should be a legal minimum. This would help with so many problems on its own, although i agree that the restrictive childcare quarantined are too much even for this.

2) Huge infrastructure bill for upgrading ventilation and air filtration in tons of places, especially schools, hospitals, and other crowded places that provide public services.

3) Masking for adults and older kids indoors during periods of high transmission or hospital capacity concerns (I'd prefer the first but would compromise). The difference from now would be automatic "on" and "off" switches based on community levels, not the delayed reactions we have now when it's a new debate whether to start/end every time.

4) Or even asking everyone to mask when experiencing any symptoms or for 5 days post exposure would do a ton! Good masks and tests provided free to all, of course.

5) Serious research into long covid and monitoring and treating post viral effects in general. Funding for treatment clinics. Let's figure out what we're dealing with long term.


Just remember that childcare workers get covid too. So when they test positive and get sick and use all that paid. sick. leave., who's going to watch the kids if the kids aren't quarantining?


I don't get why you think this would be worse than what's currently happening. Teachers are already getting covid and they don't usually get that much paid sick leave. They should, and if a class shuts down as a result, it's for an actual reason and not just precautionary. Also, a 10 day quarantine for exposure is really out of step with incubation time for current variants, if you think it's necessary in day cares (but not any other high risk setting) you could reduce it by half and do half the damage with probably very little added risk.


Or…just stop shutting classrooms down. If you are sick, don’t come to school. Come back when you feel better. Like any other illness. Current Covid doesn’t have the complications of 2020 Covid. We’ve moved past that and it should now be treated as any other virus


I’m a teacher and yes to this. Now that anyone can get vaccinated, the mitigations need to stop.


Vaccines are not fully stopping transmission so you want a good chunk of your students and families sick because you are too lazy for basic precautions.


Np. It's not lazy to be out of paid leave (or never had any to begin with) and need somewhere to send your kids while you work. We can't keep quarantining kids for exposure when not experiencing symptoms. [/quote]

Are there still schools (k-12) doing this? I’m an ES teacher and we stopped requiring this last winter or spring.
Anonymous
Post 07/15/2022 11:14     Subject: Re:BA.5 Variant, the worst version of Omicron, is vaccine evasiive and surging across the country
Anonymous wrote:The thread title is misleading.

The vaccine still protects against Omicron variants. They are more contagious so you may still get it, but being vaccinated, and especially boosted, protects you against serious illness.

If Covid starts killing/hospitalizing healthy vaccinated people under the age of 70, please let us know as that would really big.

If Long Covid differs significantly from the longer term issues people have from other, common respiratory viruses like the flu or RSV, that would be big.

Neither of these things are true, so maybe stop flipping out about people choosing not to wear masks anymore, or doing normal things like grocery shopping, going to work, and socializing with friends.

We should all try to avoid catching Covid (I have still never had it) but for most of us, we aren't going to work harder at it than we currently work at avoiding the flu or head colds because there is no reason to. Get vaccinated, stay home and/or mask if you are sick, take care of yourself and your family. Beyond that, you can of course take greater precautions but you cannot expect others to do so, especially not when they limit people's ability to enjoy their lives on a daily basis.


COVID already does kill healthy, vaccinated people under 70. Long COVID is already a bigger public health problem than the post-viral syndromes we already know about because it is more common than they have ever been—because COVID is so common.

To summarize, this situation already passes both of the thresholds you claim you would care about, but you don’t care because reasons.
Anonymous
Post 07/15/2022 11:11     Subject: BA.5 Variant, the worst version of Omicron, is vaccine evasiive and surging across the country
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:I just don’t care anymore. I did all the things they told me to do and still got Covid and it was a bunch of nothing. Sorry but nothing will get me to panic again.

I was one of those who stayed shut inside for 2020 and I now regret it because it was a bunch of fear and nothing more.

Not saying it’s not a bad disease, but I’m treating it like the flu and moving on with living. I took 3 shots, masked all 2020-2021, and I’m sick of being gaslit.


You were not gaslit. Unfortunately following the rules wasn’t enough. That’s why so many have fatigue over caring about precautions. Being good isn’t always enough to protect you. To be honest that’s true if pretty much anything. I hear you though. Realize not caring won’t matter to the virus if you cone across it anyway. Hopefully you’ll not get any version though.


I think you totally missed the point. The PP isn’t angry he got it, he is angry is went to great lengths for a year+ thinking he would be gravely sick, and it was a cold.


That’s pretty simplistic and a bit of retroactive rose colored glasses. It was not a simple cold two years ago.


Even so, it is now. We have vaccines to lessen severity and effective treatment. But STILL people are wanting everyone to cling to the guidelines, quarantines, restrictions, and mitigation efforts of 2020


Clearly you are not keeping up with current variants.


I don’t understand what data you are looking at that is telling you the current variants are causing severe disease in people with vaccine or naturally acquired immunity.


Because for me it’s not about severe illness it’s about catching it. We have it now. We did not report it so I can tell you numbers are not accurate. It is miserable. I don’t want this again. Guess it’s time to start digging out a basement to hide in.


I’ve had it too. Being sick isn’t fun, but I would rather be sick occasionally than go back to 2020 restrictions.


We never had real restrictions and I’d rather have precautions than go through this again. You can get it multiple times. Come school start it’s going to be a hot mess.


My kid really did kindergarten on an iPad, so don’t tell me there were no restrictions. Also we were warned school was going to be a disaster when they started 2 days a week in spring 2021 and then again for full time in fall of 2021 and then AGAIN after winter break in 2022 and yet again after spring break in 2022. You know what? It was fine. We will be fine.


This! And then there were things that were not strictly restricted but made incredibly difficult (to impossible) due to restrictions. Like childcare. The idea that we haven’t sacrificed for this thing because society never *technically* locked down is ridiculous.

Look, I accept that this isn’t just a cold. But it’s not smallpox or the Black Death either. It’s a novel virus that poses an elevated threat and has killed millions of people. But we also have to be realistic about what can be done. At this point, eradicating it through lock downs is off the table. Look at New Zealand. That’s an island nation that really seemed to have beaten this thing through travel restriction and lock down. Cases have skyrocketed there. You can’t lock down indefinitely, and it’s a very contagious virus. It will come for you eventually.

I think we have to accept that this is something we live with now. I just don’t see what the alternative is. People who complain constantly about how everyone just wants to “move on” aren’t explaining what the effective, realistic alternative is. You are not going to get lockdowns, 100% masking, or any other severe restrictions again. Not if it’s on an indefinite basis. And there’s no evidence that doing that for a couple weeks or a couple months will help, unless everyone on the planet participated, which they won’t.

This is life now. We have to find a way to live it.


I agree with much of what you say, but not all of it. "Moving on" should not be pretending that COVID does not exist. We don't need 100% masking or restrictions to live with COVID in a responsible way, which means testing when exposed or sick, staying home when positive or exhibiting symptoms, masking after exposures, when symptomatic, or when returning to activities after a positive test (up to 10 days). It also makes sense to be extra cautious with activities or tests after higher risk activities, like travel or crowded indoor activities (and maybe outdoor as well). We can't get rid of it, but can we treat COVID like the flu, when it is so much more transmissible? In truth, we are probably too lax about the flu as well, but I guarantee if there were hyperlocal outbreaks of the flu, like we have seen within some families, schools, etc., measures would be taken to control the spread.


PP here, and I should have also said that living with COVID should include some caution, we have to end impossible quarantine policies like those for younger children at daycares. While that might involve accepting more risk of transmission, these policies are extremely burdensome and probably lead to fewer people testing when appropriate for fear of lost wages and other harm caused by quarantine policies.


NP and I agree. Here is my wish list for dealing with covid at this point, in order of importance, which I recognize isn't gonna happen because it's too "socialist":

1) Paid. Sick. Leave. I get 13 days a year that carry over if i don't use them. This should be a legal minimum. This would help with so many problems on its own, although i agree that the restrictive childcare quarantined are too much even for this.

2) Huge infrastructure bill for upgrading ventilation and air filtration in tons of places, especially schools, hospitals, and other crowded places that provide public services.

3) Masking for adults and older kids indoors during periods of high transmission or hospital capacity concerns (I'd prefer the first but would compromise). The difference from now would be automatic "on" and "off" switches based on community levels, not the delayed reactions we have now when it's a new debate whether to start/end every time.

4) Or even asking everyone to mask when experiencing any symptoms or for 5 days post exposure would do a ton! Good masks and tests provided free to all, of course.

5) Serious research into long covid and monitoring and treating post viral effects in general. Funding for treatment clinics. Let's figure out what we're dealing with long term.


Just remember that childcare workers get covid too. So when they test positive and get sick and use all that paid. sick. leave., who's going to watch the kids if the kids aren't quarantining?


I don't get why you think this would be worse than what's currently happening. Teachers are already getting covid and they don't usually get that much paid sick leave. They should, and if a class shuts down as a result, it's for an actual reason and not just precautionary. Also, a 10 day quarantine for exposure is really out of step with incubation time for current variants, if you think it's necessary in day cares (but not any other high risk setting) you could reduce it by half and do half the damage with probably very little added risk.


Or…just stop shutting classrooms down. If you are sick, don’t come to school. Come back when you feel better. Like any other illness. Current Covid doesn’t have the complications of 2020 Covid. We’ve moved past that and it should now be treated as any other virus


I’m a teacher and yes to this. Now that anyone can get vaccinated, the mitigations need to stop.


Vaccines are not fully stopping transmission so you want a good chunk of your students and families sick because you are too lazy for basic precautions.


Np. It's not lazy to be out of paid leave (or never had any to begin with) and need somewhere to send your kids while you work. We can't keep quarantining kids for exposure when not experiencing symptoms.
Anonymous
Post 07/15/2022 11:07     Subject: Re:BA.5 Variant, the worst version of Omicron, is vaccine evasiive and surging across the country
The thread title is misleading.

The vaccine still protects against Omicron variants. They are more contagious so you may still get it, but being vaccinated, and especially boosted, protects you against serious illness.

If Covid starts killing/hospitalizing healthy vaccinated people under the age of 70, please let us know as that would really big.

If Long Covid differs significantly from the longer term issues people have from other, common respiratory viruses like the flu or RSV, that would be big.

Neither of these things are true, so maybe stop flipping out about people choosing not to wear masks anymore, or doing normal things like grocery shopping, going to work, and socializing with friends.

We should all try to avoid catching Covid (I have still never had it) but for most of us, we aren't going to work harder at it than we currently work at avoiding the flu or head colds because there is no reason to. Get vaccinated, stay home and/or mask if you are sick, take care of yourself and your family. Beyond that, you can of course take greater precautions but you cannot expect others to do so, especially not when they limit people's ability to enjoy their lives on a daily basis.
Anonymous
Post 07/15/2022 11:07     Subject: BA.5 Variant, the worst version of Omicron, is vaccine evasiive and surging across the country
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:I just don’t care anymore. I did all the things they told me to do and still got Covid and it was a bunch of nothing. Sorry but nothing will get me to panic again.

I was one of those who stayed shut inside for 2020 and I now regret it because it was a bunch of fear and nothing more.

Not saying it’s not a bad disease, but I’m treating it like the flu and moving on with living. I took 3 shots, masked all 2020-2021, and I’m sick of being gaslit.


You were not gaslit. Unfortunately following the rules wasn’t enough. That’s why so many have fatigue over caring about precautions. Being good isn’t always enough to protect you. To be honest that’s true if pretty much anything. I hear you though. Realize not caring won’t matter to the virus if you cone across it anyway. Hopefully you’ll not get any version though.


I think you totally missed the point. The PP isn’t angry he got it, he is angry is went to great lengths for a year+ thinking he would be gravely sick, and it was a cold.


That’s pretty simplistic and a bit of retroactive rose colored glasses. It was not a simple cold two years ago.


Even so, it is now. We have vaccines to lessen severity and effective treatment. But STILL people are wanting everyone to cling to the guidelines, quarantines, restrictions, and mitigation efforts of 2020


Clearly you are not keeping up with current variants.


I don’t understand what data you are looking at that is telling you the current variants are causing severe disease in people with vaccine or naturally acquired immunity.


Because for me it’s not about severe illness it’s about catching it. We have it now. We did not report it so I can tell you numbers are not accurate. It is miserable. I don’t want this again. Guess it’s time to start digging out a basement to hide in.


I’ve had it too. Being sick isn’t fun, but I would rather be sick occasionally than go back to 2020 restrictions.


We never had real restrictions and I’d rather have precautions than go through this again. You can get it multiple times. Come school start it’s going to be a hot mess.


My kid really did kindergarten on an iPad, so don’t tell me there were no restrictions. Also we were warned school was going to be a disaster when they started 2 days a week in spring 2021 and then again for full time in fall of 2021 and then AGAIN after winter break in 2022 and yet again after spring break in 2022. You know what? It was fine. We will be fine.


This! And then there were things that were not strictly restricted but made incredibly difficult (to impossible) due to restrictions. Like childcare. The idea that we haven’t sacrificed for this thing because society never *technically* locked down is ridiculous.

Look, I accept that this isn’t just a cold. But it’s not smallpox or the Black Death either. It’s a novel virus that poses an elevated threat and has killed millions of people. But we also have to be realistic about what can be done. At this point, eradicating it through lock downs is off the table. Look at New Zealand. That’s an island nation that really seemed to have beaten this thing through travel restriction and lock down. Cases have skyrocketed there. You can’t lock down indefinitely, and it’s a very contagious virus. It will come for you eventually.

I think we have to accept that this is something we live with now. I just don’t see what the alternative is. People who complain constantly about how everyone just wants to “move on” aren’t explaining what the effective, realistic alternative is. You are not going to get lockdowns, 100% masking, or any other severe restrictions again. Not if it’s on an indefinite basis. And there’s no evidence that doing that for a couple weeks or a couple months will help, unless everyone on the planet participated, which they won’t.

This is life now. We have to find a way to live it.


I agree with much of what you say, but not all of it. "Moving on" should not be pretending that COVID does not exist. We don't need 100% masking or restrictions to live with COVID in a responsible way, which means testing when exposed or sick, staying home when positive or exhibiting symptoms, masking after exposures, when symptomatic, or when returning to activities after a positive test (up to 10 days). It also makes sense to be extra cautious with activities or tests after higher risk activities, like travel or crowded indoor activities (and maybe outdoor as well). We can't get rid of it, but can we treat COVID like the flu, when it is so much more transmissible? In truth, we are probably too lax about the flu as well, but I guarantee if there were hyperlocal outbreaks of the flu, like we have seen within some families, schools, etc., measures would be taken to control the spread.


PP here, and I should have also said that living with COVID should include some caution, we have to end impossible quarantine policies like those for younger children at daycares. While that might involve accepting more risk of transmission, these policies are extremely burdensome and probably lead to fewer people testing when appropriate for fear of lost wages and other harm caused by quarantine policies.


NP and I agree. Here is my wish list for dealing with covid at this point, in order of importance, which I recognize isn't gonna happen because it's too "socialist":

1) Paid. Sick. Leave. I get 13 days a year that carry over if i don't use them. This should be a legal minimum. This would help with so many problems on its own, although i agree that the restrictive childcare quarantined are too much even for this.

2) Huge infrastructure bill for upgrading ventilation and air filtration in tons of places, especially schools, hospitals, and other crowded places that provide public services.

3) Masking for adults and older kids indoors during periods of high transmission or hospital capacity concerns (I'd prefer the first but would compromise). The difference from now would be automatic "on" and "off" switches based on community levels, not the delayed reactions we have now when it's a new debate whether to start/end every time.

4) Or even asking everyone to mask when experiencing any symptoms or for 5 days post exposure would do a ton! Good masks and tests provided free to all, of course.

5) Serious research into long covid and monitoring and treating post viral effects in general. Funding for treatment clinics. Let's figure out what we're dealing with long term.


Just remember that childcare workers get covid too. So when they test positive and get sick and use all that paid. sick. leave., who's going to watch the kids if the kids aren't quarantining?


Do we have data on the spread of Covid among kids below kindergarten?
Anonymous
Post 07/15/2022 11:05     Subject: BA.5 Variant, the worst version of Omicron, is vaccine evasiive and surging across the country
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:For those recently ill with the horrific sore throat- how long did that last?

Almost 4 days of a bad sore throat. Once that went away so did all my other symptoms. I thought it was going to be worse because I normally get a sore throat for 1 day with most colds but it ended up being really mild overall.



Because we should all know by now that Covid is different for different people, duh. I didn’t think it was mild or anything like a cold. The muscle aches and night sweats were far worse than the sore throat, which was bad, for me.
Anonymous
Post 07/15/2022 11:04     Subject: BA.5 Variant, the worst version of Omicron, is vaccine evasiive and surging across the country
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:Anyone who feels like they were lied to, gaslit, mislead, etc don't understand what we were dealing with. You're such victims.

A brand new virus came along and you expected everyone to know how it would behave? Sorry, but that's ignorance or willful stupidity. Either way it makes you look silly.


The argument that nobody knew what to do is disingenuous. Other countries behaved differently and produced data. Other countries continue to behave differently and produce data. There was data from Scandinavia in the summer of 2020 on the impact of keeping schools open. There is data on vaccines, masking, ventilation, etc coming from other countries continuously. Americans have had guidance on various interventions from the beginning.


What went wrong then? What part of the guidance was lying to us and misleading us? Explain how you think the government gaslit us.