Any of you still masking?

[EZEtoGRU]

I'll also be travelling this week.  Masking at airports and on flights.  The rest of the time at my destination, I'll have my mask with me everywhere and wear it when I deem prudent.  Prior to traveling, I'll be voting on Tuesday and will mask-up once in line in the precinct building.  I guess everyone will instantly know I'm voting Democrat🤣!

Edited November 6, 2022 by EZEtoGRU

[Guest]

10 hours ago, FrankR said:

.... Had a booster last November before a trip to PV and dont plan to get another for a while.  Will get the flu shot in the next few weeks like I usually do...

Getting immunized isn't the imperative it was a year or more ago, but it's still nice to be protected. The flu shot is definitely the more important one at this point in time. 

[Guest]

11 hours ago, Pensant said:

I was in Portugal for four weeks beginning on September 14 and rarely saw anyone in a mask, with the exception of a very few Chinese tourists...

Well, it's almost impossible to leave China for tourism these days due to China's "Zero Covid" policy. Some have suggested that China is retaining the crazy "zero Covid" policy simply to control the populace (the other suggestion is that Xi is doing this because he doesn't want the world to know the Chinese vaccine is vastly inferior to western vaccines). But I did notice that those of Asian ancestry were very much over-represented in those who were still masking on our plane flight back home 2 weeks ago. This all supports the theory that continued masking is more of a cultural phenomenon, rather than a phenomenon based on evaluation of the actual science and data. 

[paulsf]

I’ve been in Bangkok for the last several months.   Masks aren’t mandatory now but I’d say 3/4 of the Asian population wear masks.    I only do in my condo building and public transportation.   Most Westerners aren’t wearing them now.  

[rawandorderguy]

50 minutes ago, EZEtoGRU said:

I'll also be travelling this week.  Masking at airports and on flights.  The rest of the time at my destination, I'll have my mask with me everywhere and wear it when I deem prudent.  Prior to traveling, I'll be voting on Tuesday and will mask-up once in line in the precinct building.  I guess everyone will instantly know I'm voting Democrat🤣!

Pathetic when Dems bring politics into a health issue and use masking as a way to troll/provoke others! 

China flu was a hoax! 

[craigville beach]

5 minutes ago, rawandorderguy said:

Pathetic when Dems bring politics into a health issue and use masking as a way to troll/provoke others! 

China flu was a hoax! 

tell that to the familys of over 1 million who died in the United States alone.  People are continuing to die each day in the US to the  equilivent of 1 major plane crash a day in deaths.  I guess that is all a "hoax" also 

 

 

 

Edited November 6, 2022 by craigville beach
addition

[+ leo2510]

I mask when out shopping. This coming week, we've got a manager's meeting about resuming masking at work - about ten new diagnoses of COVID on our staff in the last few days, getting low on available staff, and we gotta keep the healthy ones working.

[Guest]

3 hours ago, leo2510 said:

.... about ten new diagnoses of COVID on our staff in the last few days, getting low on available staff, and we gotta keep the healthy ones working.

Let me guess how many were hospitalized, or even took Paxlovid: zero? How many even had symptoms?

[Cooper]

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[+ Pensant]

12 hours ago, Unicorn said:

But I did notice that those of Asian ancestry were very much over-represented in those who were still masking on our plane flight back home 2 weeks ago. This all supports the theory that continued masking is more of a cultural phenomenon

Very true. I spent 5 weeks studying German in Salzburg in the spring of 2018 when Chinese tourism was at its peak and even then 80% of the Chinese were masked, even in the pristine Alpine air.

[Luv2play]

I'm still carrying a mask with me everywhere and put it on when in crowded places. 

Right now in Montreal and only a minority of people are masking. But as in Ontario, authorities are weighing the options of requiring masks in the upcoming winter if hospitals fill up and threaten the health care system.

[harlow]

I still mask on planes.  Or if i'm on crowded public transportation.  I haven't caught a cold since so I guess thats good

[Guest]

On Thanksgiving, we hosted a party of 8 (including ourselves): my sister, her daughter, each of their beaus, my 91 year-old step-mother, and my best friend from my university days. My niece asked me to give her something for a headache, so I gave her two Aleve. The next day, she called me to say she tested positive for the virus. I asked her why she tested herself, and she said it was because she had the headache (no other symptom) the prior day (asymptomatic at the time of testing last Friday). Well, 8 days later, although we were obviously all exposed, the only one to have symptoms was my sister, who just had a little runny nose and cough for 2 days. How I wish I'd get colds which were that minor in severity. 

 

[cany10011]

On 11/6/2022 at 12:56 PM, pubic_assistance said:

Although the Communist Party doesn't practice actual Socialism anymore, Totalitarianism is still the favored mode of Government. With new wealth, the luckiest of Chinese enjoy new privileges, so things like holding thousands of patrons, prisoner in Disneyland, or imprisoning half a million people in their homes in wealthy Shanghai, reminds the new upper class, that the GOVERNMENT still holds their life in their hands, by having complete and total control of what rights they may or may not enjoy.

The rich Chinese send their kids overseas to avoid the lockdowns in China. Several apartments are rented out in my building to these fuerdai who pay 7K a month for a 1 bedroom. 

Edited December 3, 2022 by cany10011

[+ Lucky]

My neighbors went on a cruise two weeks ago with another couple and they all got Covid. Said it was like a really nasty cold for a week.

[Guest]

4 hours ago, Lucky said:

My neighbors went on a cruise two weeks ago with another couple and they all got Covid. Said it was like a really nasty cold for a week.

Quite surprising. 

It's very difficult to ascertain what percentage of people who test positive for the virus get symptoms, because most people who get tested do so because they have symptoms, other than those who work in certain high-risk jobs. The only place on Earth I know of that forces almost every single person to be tested daily is the Peoples' Republic of China. While one has to take the truthfulness of their data with a grain of salt, the latest "outbreak" in Shanghai revealed that only a minority even had any symptoms:

https://www.scmp.com/business/article/3174488/coronavirus-shanghai-reports-record-3590-symptomatic-cases-chinas-largest

"Shanghai reported 3,590 symptomatic cases on Saturday, out of 23,513 infections.

• China’s financial and commercial centre is still locked down as it grapples with skyrocketing case counts, which number about 326,000 since March 1"

The article goes on to say that only 13 of those cases were severe. 

Yes, of course, as the northern Hemisphere enters winter, the number of people walking around with the virus will increase, as is the case with other respiratory viruses. The problem with hospitalization and death statistics, at least in the US, is that patients are being reported as "Covid-19 cases" even when the reason for admission (or death) clearly has absolutely nothing to do with the virus (heart attacks, strokes, and so on). Everyone gets tested on admission, regardless of the reason for admission, and public health officials will freely admit that only a minority are admitted because of the virus, and only a tiny portion of the deaths are due to the virus. 

As of this time, of those testing for the virus in the US, over 10% are positive at any given time:

https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/covid-data/covidview/index.html

315,090
7-Day Average Tests Reported

10.7%
7-Day Average % Positivity

So many people are walking around with the virus none the wiser. I heard a researcher on the radio say that a soon-to-be published study shows that almost every single adult in the US (19 out of 20) has been infected at least once.

As I recently mentioned, in our Thanksgiving cohort, only one person had real symptoms of the virus, and that was only for 2 days. So it's probably pretty unusual for 4/4 people to be sick for a week, though I'm glad to hear no one was seriously ill. As I may have mentioned in another string, when my partner and I went on a cruise in August, the virus went rampant, but every person I knew (3) who tested positive was an N95 wearer. Of course, everyone else understood that this virus is just something we're going to be passing around forever, so no one else got tested. One would have to be delusional to think the virus will be eradicated (especially since it escapes vaccines). 

Thankfully, fewer than 0.0055% get seriously ill from the virus at this point (if one can trust the Chinese data: 13/23,513). If the roughly 9.5% protection from the masks makes people feel more in control of the uncontrollable, great for them. This virus is here to stay. So wear your masks forever, or pray to Ganesha, or do whatever floats your boat.

[+ Cash4Trash]

I do wear a mask in crowded indoor spaces. I was released from the hospital April 7, 2020, long before there were any vaccines and have long covid symptoms. I've spent 2 years being tested for anything imaginable. Research is starting to show that if people in my situation catch it again the long covid symptoms could worsen.  Thanksgiving was a big travel day with millions of unmasked people in large groups so in about 10 days we should have a better picture of what the end of the year will look like. Covid may just be the flu - but long covid problems are still a big risk. Anyone with underlying issues like diabetes, obesity, etc. should continue to be careful. 

[+ Pensant]

I still occasionally see people driving masked. 

[pubic_assistance]

1 hour ago, arnemgreeves said:

For most people, that's wht it is. only a few die from it. It is the flu, after all. Or a variant of the flu.``

That's not true.

Covid is a SARS-CoV-2 virus which is a variant of a corona virus.

"The flu" is caused by an Influenza virus .

The symptoms are similar because they both infect the upper respiratory system.

Same goes for the Rhinovirus.

All three are distinct virus categories.

SARS, MERS and Covid-19 are "variants"

 

 

[+ WilliamM]

5 hours ago, Unicorn said:

Quite surprising. 

It's very difficult to ascertain what percentage of people who test positive for the virus get symptoms, because most people who get tested do so because they have symptoms, other than those who work in certain high-risk jobs. The only place on Earth I know of that forces almost every single person to be tested daily is the Peoples' Republic of China. While one has to take the truthfulness of their data with a grain of salt, the latest "outbreak" in Shanghai revealed that only a minority even had any symptoms:

https://www.scmp.com/business/article/3174488/coronavirus-shanghai-reports-record-3590-symptomatic-cases-chinas-largest

"Shanghai reported 3,590 symptomatic cases on Saturday, out of 23,513 infections.

• China’s financial and commercial centre is still locked down as it grapples with skyrocketing case counts, which number about 326,000 since March 1"

The article goes on to say that only 13 of those cases were severe. 

Yes, of course, as the northern Hemisphere enters winter, the number of people walking around with the virus will increase, as is the case with other respiratory viruses. The problem with hospitalization and death statistics, at least in the US, is that patients are being reported as "Covid-19 cases" even when the reason for admission (or death) clearly has absolutely nothing to do with the virus (heart attacks, strokes, and so on). Everyone gets tested on admission, regardless of the reason for admission, and public health officials will freely admit that only a minority are admitted because of the virus, and only a tiny portion of the deaths are due to the virus. 

As of this time, of those testing for the virus in the US, over 10% are positive at any given time:

https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/covid-data/covidview/index.html

315,090
7-Day Average Tests Reported

10.7%
7-Day Average % Positivity

So many people are walking around with the virus none the wiser. I heard a researcher on the radio say that a soon-to-be published study shows that almost every single adult in the US (19 out of 20) has been infected at least once.

As I recently mentioned, in our Thanksgiving cohort, only one person had real symptoms of the virus, and that was only for 2 days. So it's probably pretty unusual for 4/4 people to be sick for a week, though I'm glad to hear no one was seriously ill. As I may have mentioned in another string, when my partner and I went on a cruise in August, the virus went rampant, but every person I knew (3) who tested positive was an N95 wearer. Of course, everyone else understood that this virus is just something we're going to be passing around forever, so no one else got tested. One would have to be delusional to think the virus will be eradicated (especially since it escapes vaccines). 

Thankfully, fewer than 0.0055% get seriously ill from the virus at this point (if one can trust the Chinese data: 13/23,513). If the roughly 9.5% protection from the masks makes people feel more in control of the uncontrollable, great for them. This virus is here to stay. So wear your masks forever, or pray to Ganesha, or do whatever floats your boat.

Very, very difficult to believe almost everyone in the United States has had covid19!

[+ robear]

4 hours ago, arnemgreeves said:

Masks are cringe, so no.

I've been happily, um, "cringe" my whole life.  I could not care less what anybody else thinks of my personal protective measures, or anything else for that matter.

 

[Rudynate]

1 hour ago, WilliamM said:

Very, very difficult to believe almost everyone in the United States has had covid19!

I'm as positive as anyone can be that I have never been infected. I had a very bad URI that hung on forever in early 2019.  And I also developed a light case of shingles while I had the URI.  That was the last time I had a cold or anything like it.

[pubic_assistance]

21 minutes ago, Rudynate said:

Very, very difficult to believe almost everyone in the United States has had covid19!

I live in densely-populated NYC and the majority of people I know did NOT catch Covid.

No one in my household got it.

None of my friends and family in Pennsylvania got it.

I can't be the only person who just coincidentally doesn't know many people who got it. I'd say I know about two dozen ( mostly business associates who have reported testing positive ) . I have hundreds of friends and family who didn't. I know that's just a sampling...but I can't believe my samples of people who live all over the country just happened to be all the negative cases 🤔

Edited December 3, 2022 by pubic_assistance

[NJF]

A recent preprint from a group at Harvard Public Health stated that over 94 % US population has previously infected by COVID. The number may be shocking but it is likely true.

[Guest]

3 hours ago, Rudynate said:

I'm as positive as anyone can be that I have never been infected. I had a very bad URI that hung on forever in early 2019.  And I also developed a light case of shingles while I had the URI.  That was the last time I had a cold or anything like it.

 

2 hours ago, pubic_assistance said:

I live in densely-populated NYC and the majority of people I know did NOT catch Covid.

No one in my household got it.

None of my friends and family in Pennsylvania got it.

I can't be the only person who just coincidentally doesn't know many people who got it. I'd say I know about two dozen ( mostly business associates who have reported testing positive ) . I have hundreds of friends and family who didn't. I know that's just a sampling...but I can't believe my samples of people who live all over the country just happened to be all the negative cases 🤔

 

4 hours ago, WilliamM said:

Very, very difficult to believe almost everyone in the United States has had covid19!

 

It's unfortunate that some people have trouble facing the facts, but this question has been researched and answered:

https://www.mercurynews.com/2022/11/26/just-1-in-20-people-in-the-u-s-have-dodged-covid-infection-so-far/

"...An estimated 94% of people in the U.S. have been infected with the COVID-19 virus at least once, according to according to a new paper from researchers at Harvard’s School of Public Health... "Moving forward we are in probably the best shape that we’ve been,” said Dr. Peter Chin-Hong, a professor of medicine at the University of California San Francisco who specializes in infectious diseases and did not participate in the study... "

This is simply factual information, regardless of what anyone opines. If someone doesn't want to believe this, one can only say, in the unforgettable words of Jack Nicholson "You can't handle the truth!". Simply stating that one doesn't want to believe something doesn't change the facts.

There are specialized antibody tests that can check if someone has antibodies due to prior infection (N-protein), versus simply due to the vaccine (S-protein). I've never tested positive, though I'm sure I've had it at least once, given my (and my partner's) frequent social engagements, plays, movies, opera, and travel. 

Of course, most of the people who think they never had it simply had an asymptomatic infection. 

Edited December 3, 2022 by Unicorn