Pandemics and Epidemiology (COVID-19, monkeypox, etc.)

@ Woody Alien3rd

Speaking from experience with my parents, personifying this virus actually makes it more tolerable to deal with because it gives one a sense of control, that taking action against it will have some sort of positive impact, that even the smallest precaution can count for something at the end.

To see it as a random force of nature however implies accepting that one can do everything he/she is supposed to do and his/her safety would still be up to chance, that's something not many can accept, especially when most of these restrictions have deprived us of our usual venues to release stress, which then turns into the question of "if I'm going to die whether or not I do X, then what's even the point of making my life miserable?"

Edited by raziel365 on Mar 2nd 2021 at 8:57:08 AM

If were lucky the restrictions will be put back in once the infection rates go back up but I'm concerned that he'll refuse to go back on his word because he will do anything to appease his voter base and corporate lobbyists.

Right now I'm just getting a feeling of numb acceptance.

My guess is that he's counting on vaccinations suppressing transmission enough to keep the caseload from spiking too much.

There's probably going to be some truth to that, especially since the approval of the J & J vaccine will accelerate the rollout dramatically. But there might not be enough truth to it to prevent at least some grief.

To be serious, I'm half considering intentionally getting infected just to get it over with.

I really hope you're joking about that. Especially since if you get infected that would make you another vector to spread COVID-19 to other people.

I'm staying optimistic with the vaccine. If people take the vaccine and continue to social distance for a while, the virus could be reduced dramatically. There are a lot of things to be cynical about but the virus is not one of them.

Dude. Seriously. That's... barely any less murderously careless for human life than Abbott is being. Even as an expression of frustration it's totally horrific.

I mean: I'm a 30 year old in good health apart from being overweight. If I catch covid I'm probably fine. But that's not going to stop me from taking every precaution possible because there's no way to be sure I wouldn't spread it to much more vulnerable people (including my parents, whose lives I do not appreciate being put at risk.)

Edited by nrjxll on Mar 2nd 2021 at 8:23:22 AM

It's really only a thought I entertain when my anger and exhaustion reach a boiling point like it has today but not something I'd actually do.

Although I will admit that there is a spiteful part of me that has been half hoping that my father ends up catching it due to his complete disregard for the pandemic in the hopes it would teach him a lesson but again not something I hope actually happens. Partially because my family all live in the same house and partially because of the story of that one nurse who stated that she had patients who denied having covid even when on their deathbeds, I have a feeling my father would be one of those kinds of people.

You shouldn't wish your father gets it...if only because he doesn't seem like the type to learn anything from it and given what you've said about him he'll likely spread it to other people.

As I've said, I don't actually hope he catches it, just an anger induced thought that occasionally crosses my mind.

Indeed, thankfully I highly doubt he'd make that promise if it wasn't backed up by credible projections. Biden is many things but hasty is not one of them :V

I get how you’re feeling. I’m cracking apart. Just constant, unceasing physical and mental tension that snaps at the least little obstacle. It’s been this way for months. Literally anything that could make me feel better, restore my emotional batteries - having a friend over for dinner, or over to play board games and eat some snacks, or seeing my family, or having a hug, or any type of physical contact at all - is forbidden to me, and has been for most of the last year, and will be for another half-year at the absolute least, and probably far longer than that given the vaccination rate.

What is life, when you strip away everything that makes it worth living?

Edited by Galadriel on Mar 2nd 2021 at 10:31:52 AM

Got my first shot of the COVID-19 vaccination. Have to wait until May 25 to get the next shot.

Mom's getting her second shot tomorrow. Dad's is on Sunday.

I tried to convince my grandma to set up an appointment but she doesn't want to do it. She's not an anti-vaxxer as she get's flu and pneumonia shots each year but she's reluctant to get a covid vaccine right now because of how quickly it went into circulation compared to other vaccines and is worried about side-effects.

That’s at least a few steps up from my sister, who is putting up a fight about the vaccine to own the libs. She’s also convinced it’ll make her daughter sterile. The daughter, a nurse, is going along with it despite having had Covid and having so far spent $3k on tests because she now has chest pains, a weird heartbeat, and occasional problems breathing.

Edited by Bur on Mar 3rd 2021 at 2:58:58 PM

I found some more stats on COVID-19 in Canada. About 70% of COVID deaths have been among people aged 80+, and nearly 90% have been among people aged 70+. About 97% among people aged 60+. Likewise, 70% of hospitalizations have been among people aged 60+.

So I’m pretty much in favour of opening up - most of the way; we don’t need big sports events and concerts and conventions where the risk of superspeading is especially high - once everyone aged 60+ who will accept a vaccine has been vaccinated. Beyond that, the costs - in mental health, physical health, social health, and economics - the of shutdown and isolation outweigh the costs of the pandemic.

Edited by Galadriel on Mar 3rd 2021 at 7:11:18 AM

Yeah, while the details can be quibbled over, we are going to have to open up before the virus is purged from the face of the earth. Once enough people, especially those in vulnerable populations, are vaccinated to suppress both the transmission and the lethality to tolerable levels we can sort of go back to normal.

And "tolerable levels" is going to be when the restrictions pose a greater risk to people's health then the virus itself.

Texas I think is likely jumping the gun. But probably not so much that a return to winter highs is inevitable. Partly because the J & J vaccine has massively accelerated the timetable for vaccinations, and partly because a lot of businesses, especially those in the big cities, will voluntarily keep restrictions in place.

A new study claims COVID goes into heart cells and replicates within them, destroying them.

Oh come on! What's next, brain melting?

You know, I'm well aware that I am extremely lucky in this regard, so I try to be sympathetic... but as an asocial introvert who hasn't been particularly negatively affected by the pandemic, it is really irritating to see people trying to convince me that my life isn't actually worth living anyway so it's perfectly fine if they jeopardize it or the lives of my family.

Who’s trying to tell you your life doesn’t have value?

I’m comparatively introverted under normal circumstances, but there’s a long distance between that and being able to manage with only having somewhere between 0 and 5 in-person interactions with someone I know per month (in recent months, mostly at the low end of that scale), and spending all my time aside from solitary walks within the same three rooms. This is not something anyone should be expected to be okay with.

If you’re capable of living happily with zero human contact, congratulations, but that’s extraordinarily unusual and not really the sort of thing you should expect of others.

And I am deeply, deeply skeptical that playing a board game with one friend when I never see anyone else and my other activity consists merely of masked trips to the grocery store, in the context of a 2% test positivity rate, would pose any meaningful danger to anyone’s life. “If you ever leave your apartment, you’re KILLING PEOPLE!!!” is simply not a helpful attitude.

Edited by Galadriel on Mar 3rd 2021 at 10:36:52 AM

This is kinda humorous and kinda "someone didn't think this through." The vaccine is technically at limited availability here, but one of the availability criteria is "overweight," which most people qualify for (including me).

I'mma wait for general availability, I think.

I wonder if games like Pandemic (or its Perspective Flip Pandemic) account for anti-vaxers, anti-maskers and deniers. But I know their future editions definitely need to.

Edited by Medinoc on Mar 4th 2021 at 11:06:53 AM