When are you willing to hire again?

[+ Reisr30]

I’m looking on in horror from SoCal!

 

Also looking in horror from New Jersey...

[+ azdr0710]

the alarming, to some, speed with which the US wants to reopen, referred to above in several posts, reminded me of one of my favorite quotes......Alexis de Tocqueville in 1835......

 

"It is odd to watch with what feverish ardor Americans pursue prosperity. Ever tormented by the shadowy suspicion that they may not have chosen the shortest route to get it. They cleave to the things of this world as if assured that they will never die, and yet rush to snatch any that comes within their reach as if they expected to stop living before they had relished them. Death steps in, in the end, and stops them before they have grown tired of this futile pursuit of that complete felicity which always escapes them."

Edited May 3, 2020 by azdr0710

[+ sniper]

If I got the antibody test and found I had already had it, that's when I would consider it.

[Beancounter]

Please keep it non-political but if government does decide to go the state bankruptcy route they have talked about, those people on pensions (i.e. retired teachers, government workers, peace officers, firefighters etc.) will be in a world of hurt too. That is a whole lot more people who will not be able to hire so easily.

I believe most states have constitutional laws requiring a balanced budget. In the upcoming months states will be forced to increase revenues, decrease expenditures or a combination of both. Granted states face monumental challenges in the days ahead but if they are constitutionallly required to adopt a balanced budget many will have to adopt draconian measures.

 

Future retirees may see a decrease in their expected benefits but I seriously doubt those already retired will notice any changes. Pension accounting and actuarial accounting is a topic best left to be discussed another time.

[+ dauterman]

If I got the antibody test and found I had already had it, that's when I would consider it.

 

This is a long story and I need to ask everybody's advice. I got sick twice this year with cold and flu symptoms. I am older and it is VERY rare for me to catch a cold. I had the flu shot last October and assume I couldn't get flu.

 

The first time I got sick was in late February. I had a meeting with someone at work that had just come back from overseas travel, and changed planes at the Tokyo airport. This person was sick when I met them with cough and fever. I got a cough and fever a few days later, it lasted a week, I didn't think much about it at the time and did NOT seek out testing. I also got a cough and fever in mid-March, I think from someone I know at a local gym. Same thing, I did NOT get testing since I never got more than a mild cough and maybe one fever chill.

 

The antibody test just came out in the area where I live. I was thinking about getting it. There are pluses and minuses:

 

Plus - If positive I wouldn't be worried about catching it. I could do whatever I want in my personal life.

 

Minus -if positive I would be worried my employer could find out. I have no idea how the employer would react.

 

What should I do?

[Aaron James]

The one positive here is there’s likely to be considerably fewer Republicans come November.

[Guest MikeThomas]

This is a long story and I need to ask everybody's advice. I got sick twice this year with cold and flu symptoms. I am older and it is VERY rare for me to catch a cold. I had the flu shot last October and assume I couldn't get flu.

 

The first time I got sick was in late February. I had a meeting with someone at work that had just come back from overseas travel, and changed planes at the Tokyo airport. This person was sick when I met them with cough and fever. I got a cough and fever a few days later, it lasted a week, I didn't think much about it at the time and did NOT seek out testing. I also got a cough and fever in mid-March, I think from someone I know at a local gym. Same thing, I did NOT get testing since I never got more than a mild cough and maybe one fever chill.

 

The antibody test just came out in the area where I live. I was thinking about getting it. There are pluses and minuses:

 

Plus - If positive I wouldn't be worried about catching it. I could do whatever I want in my personal life.

 

Minus -if positive I would be worried my employer could find out. I have no idea how the employer would react.

 

What should I do?

Knowledge = Power

[+ Italiano]

This is a long story and I need to ask everybody's advice. I got sick twice this year with cold and flu symptoms. I am older and it is VERY rare for me to catch a cold. I had the flu shot last October and assume I couldn't get flu.

 

The first time I got sick was in late February. I had a meeting with someone at work that had just come back from overseas travel, and changed planes at the Tokyo airport. This person was sick when I met them with cough and fever. I got a cough and fever a few days later, it lasted a week, I didn't think much about it at the time and did NOT seek out testing. I also got a cough and fever in mid-March, I think from someone I know at a local gym. Same thing, I did NOT get testing since I never got more than a mild cough and maybe one fever chill.

 

The antibody test just came out in the area where I live. I was thinking about getting it. There are pluses and minuses:

 

Plus - If positive I wouldn't be worried about catching it. I could do whatever I want in my personal life.

 

Minus -if positive I would be worried my employer could find out. I have no idea how the employer would react.

 

What should I do?

 

I am bit surprised by your statement. You should know that even if you get the antibody test and you are positive, there is NO evidence that you will never catch Covid again. So....what do you mean by "I could do whatever I want in my personal life"?....

[former lurker]

This is a long story and I need to ask everybody's advice. I got sick twice this year with cold and flu symptoms. I am older and it is VERY rare for me to catch a cold. I had the flu shot last October and assume I couldn't get flu.

 

The first time I got sick was in late February. I had a meeting with someone at work that had just come back from overseas travel, and changed planes at the Tokyo airport. This person was sick when I met them with cough and fever. I got a cough and fever a few days later, it lasted a week, I didn't think much about it at the time and did NOT seek out testing. I also got a cough and fever in mid-March, I think from someone I know at a local gym. Same thing, I did NOT get testing since I never got more than a mild cough and maybe one fever chill.

 

The antibody test just came out in the area where I live. I was thinking about getting it. There are pluses and minuses:

 

Plus - If positive I wouldn't be worried about catching it. I could do whatever I want in my personal life.

 

Minus -if positive I would be worried my employer could find out. I have no idea how the employer would react.

 

What should I do?

 

First off, getting tested would involve also getting medical advice as to what is and isn't "safe" if you have developed antibodies. That alone is reason enough to get tested. Second, the HIPPA laws require medical personnel to maintain the confidentiality of your medical records, so there's no reason for your employer to discover anything about your medical condition unless you talk about it with them, co-workers, others who are not medical care providers. Third, there is some thinking that you can catch the virus more than once. You may be an example of someone having done so. We don't know whether repeat cases are more, less or equally severe to initial cases. You may be more susceptible to catch it, and that's yet another important reason to get tested if it's available.

[+ sniper]

They've reversed themselves in that. The supposed reinfection cases were faulty testing. And none of those people had symptoms on that second go-round.

[bostonman]

Obviously everyone, experts included, are on a huge learning curve with this virus. But, I do have to imagine that there is some sense of immunity built up - the questions are how much and for how long.

 

Meanwhile, it's so disconcerting that we're now living in a world where we all need to have doubts about being able to be physically close with anyone, sexually or otherwise. It's particularly hard for "theatre people" like myself, who usually think nothing of being (appropriately) affectionate and "huggy" with colleagues, etc. And as we slowly get out of quarantine mode, I think it's going to be hard for most of us to always feel like "we're close friends, but I can't really be close to you - it's not you, it's the virus" - even though we're all experiencing that.

 

What a weird, sad world we're in right now. Even as much as we're trying to make the best of it - it's hard to get away from the fact that this has all changed so damn quickly.

 

And fuck yes - I miss sex. Or moreso, the intimacy and affection and closeness, whether it's a transactional thing or not. I sense that like many of us, I'm eventually going to have to make the choice to find some sort of compromise where I allow myself SOME sort of interaction, whether it's safe from the virus or not. (Because I understand that the virus doesn't compromise, of course, and right now no one is safe.) But I'm not going there yet.

[+ Bryan Dube]

As soon as we there is a more effective treatment/therapy and we have fully available testing both diagnostic/antibody, i'm going to rent out a room and have a 4 man or more orgy lol.

[bostonman]

I heard a news item this morning that testing in South Korea is showing that very possibly one cannot get infected a 2nd time. This based on tests that were showing "false positives" in recovered patients - seems the test was responding to dead virus the same as it would to live virus.

 

So maybe there's hope...

[+ sniper]

You almost certainly can't get it again immediately. The question is how long immunity lasts - one year, several years, lifelong?

[+ Letmeworshipit]

I have a couple of guys I can’t wait to drain who seem to be total matches for my niche. I will wait until restrictions are loosened, though, as I think we’ll both feel more comfortable and relaxed when we meet. I love to chill a bit first, too, so want the scene to be conducive to a fun session for all.

[xyz48B]

You almost certainly can't get it again immediately. The question is how long immunity lasts - one year, several years, lifelong?

To get back to life, in some semblance of “normalcy,” according to the notorious, omnipresent “soon” employed by every “expert” and politican, we don’t need to know if we have 5 years of immunity – unless of course that “soon” they keep using is indeed longer than we all conventionally understand it to be… (Cynicism about how people are reading what they want into this, panic and anger alike…)

 

Some good news: Scientists Create Antibody That Defeats Coronavirus in Lab

[+ keroscenefire]

You almost certainly can't get it again immediately. The question is how long immunity lasts - one year, several years, lifelong?

 

 

Probably not lifelong...based on other coronaviruses, immunity will probably last a year, maybe two. Even some of the top scientists working on the vaccine believe it may need to be a yearly or biennial vaccine to keep the immunity going.

[Trick]

One of my regulars is visiting my city. He was my last hire before all this craziness. We talked but there was no pressure to book an appointment. I’m trying my best to resist the urge to hire him but my libido is going on hyperdrive.

[Gymowner]

not to be negative on the subject but i wouldnt be surprised at all that once this tampers down there may not be such a rush for a vaccine. the corona virus to my understanding is in the same family as the common cold. working on a vaccine on that for what?... 100 years? no vaccine. hiv is a retrovirus that they have been working on a vaccine now more than likely 30 out of the past 40 years of the pandemic. no vaccine. many cancers they believe are from a virus. no cure there as well.

 

now on the bright side... if they do come up with a vaccine then we are truly getting our hands on this problem and there will be many many positive outcomes from this for generations to come.

[bostonman]

now on the bright side... if they do come up with a vaccine then we are truly getting our hands on this problem and there will be many many positive outcomes from this for generations to come.

 

Getting a vaccine will be a very good thing - but I also predict it will be pandemonium. EVERYONE will rush to get it, not only for health reasons, but to have a tangible way to assure celebrating the end of the pandemic.

 

I tend to feel a lot of people don't take annual flu shots seriously - but this will be a shot everyone is going to be fighting over to get.

[Monarchy79]

Nightmare ..Horror Show here in North Florida....50% or more of these here yokels don't think they would ever get sick...They think the TV is talking to someone else..They are Fox News Nuts...I live in an upscale neighborhood and still I see very few people taking precautions...

https://www.facebook.com/video.php?v=234637631183489

Is she some type of “character”, actesss doing a spoof? Or is she real?

?

[xyz48B]

I tend to feel a lot of people don't take annual flu shots seriously - but this will be a shot everyone is going to be fighting over to get.

Let’s hope a secondary effect of all this will be an increased readiness to get the flu shot too.

[thickornotatall]

Is she some type of “character”, actesss doing a spoof? Or is she real?

?

Spoof...I hope..my cousin in Edmonton sent it to me..typical though

[+ keroscenefire]

Like in 2022 then

 

Honestly, maybe never. Some are saying COVID could become a seasonal illness. And some are saying that even with a vaccine, the antibodies from it could only last a year or so. This very well could become like the flu, something you might not get every year but definitely always around.

 

But I am also hopeful that a strong vaccine program and herd immunity could nearly eliminate it or better treatments mean many fewer will be at risk of dying from this. Viruses are unpredictable..sometimes they fade away on their own, sometimes they rage on for centuries.

[down_to_business]

I heard a news item this morning that testing in South Korea is showing that very possibly one cannot get infected a 2nd time. This based on tests that were showing "false positives" in recovered patients - seems the test was responding to dead virus the same as it would to live virus.

 

So maybe there's hope...

You almost certainly can't get it again immediately. The question is how long immunity lasts - one year, several years, lifelong?

 

I posted this elsewhere, but it seems very relevant to this conversation.

 

https://www.msn.com/en-us/health/other/a-mutant-coronavirus-has-emerged-even-more-contagious-than-the-original-study-says/ar-BB13CHNP?ocid=spartandhp

 

Highlights:

 

-A mutant coronavirus has emerged, even more contagious than the original, study says.

-In addition to spreading faster, it may make people vulnerable to a second infection after a first bout with the disease, the report warned.

-Scientists at major organizations working on a vaccine or drugs have told The Times that they are pinning their hopes on initial evidence that the virus is stable and not likely to mutate the way influenza virus does, requiring a new vaccine every year. The Los Alamos report could upend that assumption.

-If the pandemic fails to wane seasonally as the weather warms, the study warns, the virus could undergo further mutations even as research organizations prepare the first medical treatments and vaccines. Without getting on top of the risk now, the effectiveness of vaccines could be limited. Some of the compounds in development are supposed to latch onto the spike or interrupt its action. If they were designed based on the original version of the spike, they might not be effective against the new coronavirus strain, the study’s authors warned.

-Medical experts have speculated in recent weeks that they were seeing at least two strains of the virus in the U.S., one prevalent on the East Coast and another on the West Coast

-Even if the new strain is no more dangerous than the others, it could still complicate efforts to bring the pandemic under control. That would be an issueif the mutation makes the virus so different from earlier strains that people who have immunity to them would not be immune to the new version.

If that is indeed the case, it could make “individuals susceptible to a second infection,” the study authors wrote.