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

@ Fourthspartan

I mean, safety protocols often lean on redundancy of equipment and personnel to prevent disasters before they happen, so in the case of the lab I can believe that they had only enough staff to continue the research but not enough to properly clean up or to double check stuff.

Alaska is the first state to make vaccine available to everyone 16-and-older.

However, the clinics are still backed up to all hell, as one might expect.

My parents have been given their appointment date for their second dose, four weeks after their first dose. Apparently, the Pfizer second dose vaccination rate is now out-pacing the AstroZeneca first-dose vaccination rate.

Edited by Wyldchyld on Mar 10th 2021 at 3:47:05 PM

Second dose is done! Now to see if I feel like crap for the next two days.

I could see that. You may be right.

Maybe I didn't phrase it right but the vaccine is FREE through the pharmacy of the chain I work for. Us team members are getting a $100 for GETTING it. It's an incentive to get the shot.

Seems from my last post people thought the chain I work for were charging for it, lol.

Edited by MarkVonLewis on Mar 10th 2021 at 11:24:04 AM

No I didn't think that's how much they're charging for it, I was more flabbergasted that they're basically giving you 80 dollars free for something that I thought cost only 20.

$100 per employee is cheep for the employer compered to the lawsuit/PR shitshow if an employee infects a member of the public.

They're not. Mark Von Lewis got the full $100, and the chain either got the shot itself free from the government or paid $20 for it.

Yeah the chain is offering the shot for free to anyone who registers, even non-workers. The pharmacies of said chain are distributing the vaccines like CVS and such are. They are just giving us workers a little bonus for getting it.

And I haven't got mine yet, what with the requirements and all. But once I do I just need to show my vaccination card to my HR lady at my store and I'll get that hundred bucks.

Edited by MarkVonLewis on Mar 10th 2021 at 12:35:19 PM

I'm beginning to wonder if my college and others are going to require people to get the vaccine to provide more incentive to get it. My school already has a list of vaccines you need if you want to go there, and nursing students are required to get a flu shot.

Just remembered that today is the day that Texas officially drops it's covid restrictions. You think they'll be put back in once the cases start rising again?

I'm getting my first shot next Friday. Such a relief

Who's to say they will start again?

Edited by MrHellboy on Mar 10th 2021 at 3:51:01 AM

How fast is Texas vaccinating? The US seems to be vaccinating very fast, so it’s possible that high vaccination rates will keep case numbers from growing particularly fast.

[self-thump]

Edited by Altris on Mar 10th 2021 at 2:05:38 AM

Checking NPR, Texas is still in the bottom 5 US states in terms of vaccination rates — 15.8% of the population with at least one dose and 8.4% with both doses (nationwide numbers: 18.4% and 9.6%)

Would that be enough to put a dent in the disease?

Many businesses are choosing to keep their covid restrictions, let's just hope enough do it to make a difference.

I ended up getting my first shot today! Orange County (the one in Florida) started accepting people with heightened vulnerability due to medical issues this week. I'm immunocompromised, so I called my doctor yesterday, got the signed form this morning, went to register for an appointment for the vaccine as soon as I had the waiver in hand, and got my shot this afternoon. I was frankly staggered that it worked out so quickly.

Since they’re vaccinating the highest-risk people first, 16% may be enough to prevent a major spike in hospitalizations and deaths, even if cases go up. But it’s very risky - given how fast the US vaccination process is going, I think that waiting even one more month before opening up would put Texas in a much better position.

Edited by Galadriel on Mar 10th 2021 at 5:43:16 AM

My mom won't let me get the vaccine until I get tested for autoimmune disorders (she's worried I could have a reaction, though there's a chance having an autoimmune disorder might just make me more likely to get the vaccine), and because she wants to hold out for the Johnson & Johnson one since she says it took longer to develop.

I get it and all, but seeing everybody around me finally get their vaccine is making me pretty jelly.

Edited by mightymewtron on Mar 10th 2021 at 8:49:34 AM

The Valentine's winter storm and the ensuing power outages really set Texas back.

I'm pretty sure we would still be lower on number of people administered, but we probably wouldn't be as low.

I don't know if they're picking back up, is there any information if it's been stabilizing?

The way the Moderna and Pfizer vaccines work (I don't know offhand if the Johnson & Johnson is the same type or not) it's literally impossible to get sick from. There's no virus in those vaccines, just proteins^note technically there aren't even any proteins, just instructions for building proteins, but that's not super important. Your body recognizes the proteins as threats, which trains your immune system to fight them. Covid-19 also has those proteins, so if you're ever exposed to the real virus, your immune system has a head start on knowing how to deal with it.

tldr, having an autoimmune disorder has zero bearing on how well the vaccines will work (well) and the risk of getting sick from the vaccine (zero). Source: have an autoimmune disorder, just got my first dose of the Pfizer vaccine.

Edited by NativeJovian on Mar 10th 2021 at 10:31:08 AM

I remember hearing that the Johnson & Johnson vaccine is made in a more traditional manner and when people do have side-effects it's actually milder when compared to the side-effects of the other two vaccines.

Well, not quite, you can get sick from it, but those are just symptoms, not the actual disease.