*** OFFICIAL *** COVID-19 CoronaVirus Thread. Fresh epidemic fears as child pneumonia cases surge in Europe after China outbreak. NOW in USA (19 Viewers)

[Nathan R. Jessep]

If you’re sick? Stay home. When you feel better come back and wear a mask. Or wear one all the time if that’s your thing. I’m just not seeing the necessity for the incessant testing anymore. The waving of the Covid flag to wipe out all your exposures too because of some social contract none of us signed isn’t making sense to me anymore. Not with vaccines and boosters readily available for anyone that wants them. 

I realize I’m in the minority with this line of thinking. I’m not trying to sound indifferent toward the health of others or like I’m not empathetic regarding what healthcare workers are going through. I’m not. 

I just believe, at this point, the protocols are making things worse. Much worse. 

You lost me right here... By and large, people haven't and won't do this. There have already been an example or two on this same page as your post. I'll add another. One of my bosses showed up Tuesday, with CLEAR sinus infection/cold/Covid symptoms.... after having attended a funeral of one of our employee's mom on Sunday, where nobody wore masks, and several of the attendees (one being the bereaved employee's wife) in attendance reported testing positive on Monday. Also boss's wife is a school teacher, so I'd say that increases his odds as well.  Everyone here at the office wears masks (not "good" ones) when not in their own offices, but still.  The "stay home" SHOULD be happening, not just mid-pandemic but always, but sadly, it's not, and it won't. People are either just irresponsible for what may be a host of personal reasons and/or just generally can't be bothered with concern for others. And THAT, in a nutshell, is the problem. 

Update: boss finally went home yesterday afternoon because he started feeling nauseous. Awesome.

 

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YLE's State of Affairs: Pediatrics and Omicron

Bottom line: Children are not spared by this virus. Omicron has certainly put this in overdrive. We cannot discount the numerator. But we also cannot ignore the denominator—overall healthy children fare much better than adults.

There are a lot of people making really difficult decisions right now (parents, teachers, policymakers, etc.). As a parent of 2 under 3, a recent Slate headline (and article) resonated with me: “The Agony of Parents With Kids Under 5”. This landscape is complicated and hard. We need to approach everyone’s decisions with empathy and recognize how (and why) people may put more emphasis on numerators or denominators.

Some difficult decisions are being made but I must admit it's shocking to see some parents not only completely blowing off the risks to their kids, but also actively fighting mitigation efforts like testing, masking, etc.... for a virus with both known and unknown long term neurological and physiological side effects / damage. 

Seems bizarre for some to actively act in a manner to choose paths that increase the odds of infecting their children. It's hard not to think Less of them in that light.

 

[The Z Machine]

I know a lot of other universities have done the same recently.

Thankfully (or sometimes not) my wife works in a school of public health, so they aren't so antagonistic towards these things. 

FWIW, my Fortune 500 corporate employer is still on the "this can change how we work, for the better."  There are no plans to bring people back that can be 100% remote and those that are hybrid are free to find their own system that works for them and their job function.

 

[Nathan R. Jessep]

Some difficult decisions are being made but I must admit it's shocking to see some parents not only completely blowing off the risks to their kids, but also actively fighting mitigation efforts like testing, masking, etc.... for a virus with both known and unknown long term neurological and physiological side effects / damage. 

Seems bizarre for some to actively act in a manner to increase the odds of infecting their children. It's hard not to think Less of them in that light.

100% agree. I don't get it. I probably get a heavier dose living in the generally poorly educated deep south but, IMHO, it's a combination of politics, ignorance (some of it willful), and a bit of groupthink. But I said this as the last summer wave was getting cranked up... we, the people, are collectively failing our children. 

 

[belljr]

And if you don't have an abundance of paid sick time what is your solution?

 

[Nathan R. Jessep]

Arizona, California, Washington, Wisconsin appear to have more hospitalized patients than beds. 24 states poised to join them.

lots of data points to ponder but tl;dr summary from the link:

For those wondering if local hospitals are full, websites publishing state and federal data supposedly in “real time” have great appeal. Trouble is that almost all of these “dashboards” rely on out-of-date information. In Omicron time, data that is a few days old—let alone a week or more—is obsolete and can’t be relied on. If you were to think there are prominent or accurate warnings to this effect on most (if any) of the major hospital capacity dashboards published by federal or local governments, you’d be incorrect.

Now add in the usual crop of pundits looking yet again to minimize the impact of Covid-19. Apparently, the archetypal tech-bro who trades in his familiarity with objective “data” seems to lack the sophistication required to understand simple things like reporting lags. Fine print isn’t their thing. The amateur stops searching for answers when he finds one that delights him, not one that is irrefutably accurate.

We all tolerate different levels of risk. And for many nowadays, whether they realize it or not, learning that local hospitals are overflowing remains about the only thing that will stop them from going about their normal lives. “Pandemic fatigue” has, in some places, been replaced wholesale by “pandemic pretend-it-doesn’t exist.” Hospital workers do not have that luxury.

 

[Nathan R. Jessep]

And if you don't have an abundance of paid sick time what is your solution?

Act responsibly?  Wear a mask and make an effort to stay away from people. IDK, that's all I got. 

 

[IvanKaramazov]

Thankfully (or sometimes not) my wife works in a school of public health, so they aren't so antagonistic towards these things. 

FWIW, my Fortune 500 corporate employer is still on the "this can change how we work, for the better."  There are no plans to bring people back that can be 100% remote and those that are hybrid are free to find their own system that works for them and their job function.

We get hassled literally every single time a faculty member teachers their class online because they're sick.  For my entire career, "how to deal with classes when a faculty member falls ill" has been a completely routine thing that comes up all the time.  Either you cancel class for a few days, or some other instructor fills in for a few days, or (more recently) you switch to remote instruction for a few days.  If it's going to be more than a week you have a problem but that doesn't happen anywhere near as often as the typical 3-5 day bug.  None of this has ever been considered a problem during the 20+ years that I've been in higher ed.

Now I'm sending reports to the provost's office literally every time some TA in freshman comp tests positive and has to quarantine.  I have to report every single use of sick leave to the provost if a class is involved.  It's a daily thing, it is insane, and it's totally counterproductive to having a well-functioning organization.  

 

[ghostguy123]

Some difficult decisions are being made but I must admit it's shocking to see some parents not only completely blowing off the risks to their kids, but also actively fighting mitigation efforts like testing, masking, etc.... for a virus with both known and unknown long term neurological and physiological side effects / damage. 

Seems bizarre for some to actively act in a manner to increase the odds of infecting their children. It's hard not to think Less of them in that light.

I think many if not most people are looking at it like this regarding their young kids.  They figure their kids have already had it or are going to get it pretty much no matter what they do, so why destroy their early childhood development in school and socially to decrease the chances of getting this virus that they are super likely to get anyway.

 

[Grahamburn]

You lost me right here... By and large, people haven't and won't do this. There have already been an example or two on this same page as your post. I'll add another. One of my bosses showed up Tuesday, with CLEAR sinus infection/cold/Covid symptoms.... after having attended a funeral of one of our employee's mom on Sunday, where nobody wore masks, and several of the attendees (one being the bereaved employee's wife) in attendance reported testing positive on Monday. Also boss's wife is a school teacher, so I'd say that increases his odds as well.  Everyone here at the office wears masks (not "good" ones) when not in their own offices, but still.  The "stay home" SHOULD be happening, not just mid-pandemic but always, but sadly, it's not, and it won't. People are either just irresponsible for what may be a host of personal reasons and/or just generally can't be bothered with concern for others. And THAT, in a nutshell, is the problem. 

Update: boss finally went home yesterday afternoon because he started feeling nauseous. Awesome.

I agree with you.  Human beings' behavior in this is pretty much entrenched at this point. 

 

[Grahamburn]

I think many if not most people are looking at it like this regarding their young kids.  They figure their kids have already had it or are going to get it pretty much no matter what they do, so why destroy their early childhood development in school and socially to decrease the chances of getting this virus that they are super likely to get anyway.

Exactly.  If you have young children during this and they've been in school/daycare the entire time they've already had it.  Probably multiple times. 

 

[Grahamburn]

Some difficult decisions are being made but I must admit it's shocking to see some parents not only completely blowing off the risks to their kids, but also actively fighting mitigation efforts like testing, masking, etc.... for a virus with both known and unknown long term neurological and physiological side effects / damage. 

Seems bizarre for some to actively act in a manner to choose paths that increase the odds of infecting their children. It's hard not to think Less of them in that light.

Forgive me if I'm wrong, but you must not have kids. 

 

[Nathan R. Jessep]

relevant to the topic at hand currently... pretty interesting findings

The COVID generation: how is the pandemic affecting kids’ brains?

 

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I think many if not most people are looking at it like this regarding their young kids.  They figure their kids have already had it or are going to get it pretty much no matter what they do, so why destroy their early childhood development in school and socially to decrease the chances of getting this virus that they are super likely to get anyway.

I think the resiliency of children is being significantly underestimated. We've endured some pretty ridiculous hardships over the last 250 years in this country.

Being forced to stay home and learn through a computer with limited interaction with classmates (except for play time outside school)... well... let's just say it feels a TOUCH Hyperbolic to paint it as destroying early childhood development. Seems like ####loads of homeschool kids have gotten by just fine for decades. 

Is it ideal?
No. Is it DESTROYING THEIR CHILDHOOD? Also no. 

If they need interaction (and they do)... set up play time with neighbors and friends. Keep circles small and responsible. Get that engagement and interaction responsibly. 

This part isn't hard. 

 

[Doug B]

“Pandemic fatigue” has, in some places, been replaced wholesale by “pandemic pretend-it-doesn’t exist.”

QFT

 

[skol asylum]

So my 7th grader was exposed on Monday at school. We were notified end of day Tuesday. They came home with low grade fever and sniffles. Kept them home yesterday. Fever has persisted and rose a little, I think 100.6 has been the high. Stuffy and a little sore throat. We were informed yesterday there bad been a second exposure at school. Last night we found out their best friend who had been out sick this week and waiting on a test also tested positive. So we are thinking this is a 3rd exposure in last few days. That would have been Friday. We haven't tested yet because we didn't want to do too early and get a false negative. Was planning on keeping home again today to rest either way. Will test today. Frustrating because we are one of a minority that does send them to school in a mask. I'm speculating she could have gotten at lunch time when the mask comes off to eat, possibly from her friend on Friday. School initially contacted us with first exposure and wanted vax record. Sent which allows them to got to school. Masks recommend but. It required, which she does anyways. I asked about band class. They said go ahead and take off their to participate. Doesn't seem smart. Need to get some more tests as we only have a 2 count box of Binax. Ordered 4 2 count boxes of On Go from Amazon but that won't be here for 2 weeks.

 

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relevant to the topic at hand currently... pretty interesting findings

The COVID generation: how is the pandemic affecting kids’ brains?

Some good takes in there... 

Early data suggest that the use of masks has not negatively affected children’s emotional development. But prenatal stress might contribute to some changes in brain connectivity. The picture is evolving and many studies have not yet been peer reviewed.

Some researchers propose that many of the children falling behind in development will be able to catch up without lasting effects. “I do not expect that we’re going to find that there’s a generation that has been injured by this pandemic,” says Moriah Thomason, a child and adolescent psychologist at the New York University Grossman School of Medicine.

Ironically this article is based largely around a decline in Development in this chart. 

The issue I have is this decline has clearly been in place and fairly steady since 2016. Coincidentally that's around the time this nation has gotten significantly more divided (toeing the PSF line here). The nationwide tension and divisiveness has no doubt increased everyone's stress levels... undoubtedly moreso for young pregnant mothers worrying about what world they're bringing their children into. 

This could correlate with the "Pregnant & Stresssed" portion showing stressed mothers produce comparatively deficient babies. The thing is... like the previous mention, this all appears temporary. 

Indeed, research on historical disasters suggests that, although stress in the womb can be harmful to babies, it doesn’t always have lasting effects. Children born to people who experienced considerable stress as a result of the 2011 floods in Queensland, Australia, showed deficits in problem-solving and social skills at six months of age, compared with children born to people who experienced less stress15. However, by 30 months, these outcomes were no longer correlated with stress

These times are challenging... but it's important to see that this cognitive decline was in place half a decade before the pandemic... and it appears to be fully reversible. 

 

[Doug B]

So my 7th grader was exposed on Monday at school. We were notified end of day Tuesday. They came home with low grade fever and sniffles. Kept them home yesterday. Fever has persisted and rose a little, I think 100.6 has been the high. Stuffy and a little sore throat. We were informed yesterday there bad been a second exposure at school. Last night we found out their best friend who had been out sick this week and waiting on a test also tested positive. So we are thinking this is a 3rd exposure in last few days. That would have been Friday. We haven't tested yet because we didn't want to do too early and get a false negative.

For the house: For home rapid tests, the definition of "a reliable time to test" is when they have symptoms, even light ones.

The home-test false negatives didn't come strictly because of testing too early in time ... they were from testing before symptoms appeared.

 

[jobarules]

All you people who were being extra cautious during the pandemic, when are you gonna get it that the playbook has COMPLETELY changed with Omicron? Ive warned you for weeks now. There is no stopping Omicron. Masks aren't going to stop it. Testing isn't going to stop it. Vaccines aren't going to stop it. Everyone is eventually going to get it. Lord Fauci himself said this.

 

[IvanKaramazov]

I think the resiliency of children is being significantly underestimated. We've endured some pretty ridiculous hardships over the last 250 years in this country.

Being forced to stay home and learn through a computer with limited interaction with classmates (except for play time outside school)... well... let's just say it feels a TOUCH Hyperbolic to paint it as destroying early childhood development. Seems like ####loads of homeschool kids have gotten by just fine for decades. 

Is it ideal?
No. Is it DESTROYING THEIR CHILDHOOD? Also no. 

If they need interaction (and they do)... set up play time with neighbors and friends. Keep circles small and responsible. Get that engagement and interaction responsibly. 

This part isn't hard. 

I get your earlier point about parents being a little dismissive about their kids getting covid, but this is kind of dismissive in the other direction.  Most parents care quite a bit about their kids' access to education and social development.  That's both normal and appropriate.

Honestly, when parents of young kids play the "Won't someone please think of the children?" card I completely tune it out, because parents are irrational when it comes to their own kids.  If somebody tells me that we shouldn't assign that much weight to parental angst, that's fine.  But "I would like my kid to stay healthy" and "I would like my kid to be well-educated" and "I would like my kid to develop socially" are all normal concerns that different people will weight differently but nobody is going to assign zero weight to any of those.

 

[Leeroy Jenkins]

All you people who were being extra cautious during the pandemic, when are you gonna get it that the playbook has COMPLETELY changed with Omicron? Ive warned you for weeks now. There is no stopping Omicron. Masks aren't going to stop it. Testing isn't going to stop it. Vaccines aren't going to stop it. Everyone is eventually going to get it. Lord Fauci himself said this.

That doesn't mean you volunteer to get it.

 

[IvanKaramazov]

All you people who were being extra cautious during the pandemic, when are you gonna get it that the playbook has COMPLETELY changed with Omicron? Ive warned you for weeks now. There is no stopping Omicron. Masks aren't going to stop it. Testing isn't going to stop it. Vaccines aren't going to stop it. Everyone is eventually going to get it. Lord Fauci himself said this.

It can't be reasoned with.  It can't be bargained with.  It doesn't feel pity, or remorse, or fear, and it absolutely will not stop, ever, until you are dead.

 

[Doug B]

All you people who were being extra cautious during the pandemic, when are you gonna get it that the playbook has COMPLETELY changed with Omicron? Ive warned you for weeks now. There is no stopping Omicron. Masks aren't going to stop it. Testing isn't going to stop it. Vaccines aren't going to stop it. Everyone is eventually going to get it. Lord Fauci himself said this.

And?

I fully realize everyone's going to get some form of COVID within the next few years. Wouldn't surprised if it passed 99% saturation by the end of the year.

And even acknowledging that ... we were going to still take care until the "background radiation" level of bad outcomes drops a lot more. Having the knowledge that my son was positive for COVID equipped us to give our family friends (out of 4: obese x 4, diabetes x 3, 40-yo dad with heart trouble) the heads-up to check on their own situation. Had I blown off my son's symptoms, our friends could have delayed their own testing and suffered severe health outcomes.

 

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That doesn't mean you volunteer to get it.

Exactly. 

Somehow.... 2 YEARS into this the extremely simple concept of "flattening the curve for the sake of healthcare workers" is beyond the cognitive grasp of some folks.  So strange.  

I may get it, (haven't yet despite living a very active/full life). I attribute that to both the vaccine and taking simple common sense measures like masking and distancing. Then IF/WHEN I get it, it hopefully WON'T be at a time like now...where I'm potentially contributing to the stress on HCW. 

Not to mention as every month goes by... we get better at treating it, better drugs are coming, the vairants seem to be getting weaker (knock on wood). Why someone would want to throw up their hands and walk into traffic is strange. Live your life, but keep taking small easy measures to reduce risk... keep kicking the can down the road until this is truly "Just a flu". 

 

[culdeus]

That doesn't mean you volunteer to get it.

There can be shades of grey here.  There's a long gap between doorknob licking and full lockdowns.  The problem people don't seem to get is short of a full lockdown probably thru January and beyond, you are getting this thing if you interact with other humans, like at all.  Once you come to grips with that your actions take a different approach.  

 

[Witz]

All you people who were being extra cautious during the pandemic, when are you gonna get it that the playbook has COMPLETELY changed with Omicron? Ive warned you for weeks now. There is no stopping Omicron. Masks aren't going to stop it. Testing isn't going to stop it. Vaccines aren't going to stop it. Everyone is eventually going to get it. Lord Fauci himself said this.

What’s warped view of looking at things. 

You do realize you will die one day right? Not sure why you are bothering to work, eat, exercise, have a family, wear a seatbelt, etc since you’re going to die anyway. 

 

[Doug B]

That doesn't mean you volunteer to get it.

Or take it upon yourself to be agnostic about it and pass it on to others in more compromised health situations (again, not always elderly shut-ins or people that can painlessly isolate).

 

[culdeus]

And?

I fully realize everyone's going to get some form of COVID within the next few years. Wouldn't surprised if it passed 99% saturation by the end of the year.

And even acknowledging that ... we were going to still take care until the "background radiation" level of bad outcomes drops a lot more. Having the knowledge that my son was positive for COVID equipped us to give our family friends (out of 4: obese x 4, diabetes x 3, 40-yo dad with heart trouble) the heads-up to check on their own situation. Had I blown off my son's symptoms, our friends could have delayed their own testing and suffered severe health outcomes.

How would delayed testing caused any issues?  There is no treatment for this that isn't just lying in a bed with O2, you either need that or you don't.  Testing doesn't qualify you for that treatment.

 

[Desert_Power]

the utter disregard for other peoples' health is really disturbing.  

Yep. We're back to losing over 2k people a day from this and people think we aren't spreading it fast enough

 

[jobarules]

It can't be reasoned with.  It can't be bargained with.  It doesn't feel pity, or remorse, or fear, and it absolutely will not stop, ever, until you are dead.

Exactly. Judgment Day is inevitable

 

[Doug B]

The problem people don't seem to get is short of a full lockdown probably thru January and beyond, you are getting this thing if you interact with other humans, like at all.  Once you come to grips with that your actions take a different approach.

To the bolded: Not necessarily. People still need due heads-up and knowledge to take appropriate measures when COVID enters their sphere.

Yours and joba's take makes a lot more sense to me when the U.S. is past or very nearly past the point of "everyone's already had it". Hard to estimate when that will be ... IMHO, anywhere from 3 to 24 more months. Don't know enough yet.

 

[culdeus]

To the bolded: Not necessarily. People still need due heads-up and knowledge to take appropriate measures when COVID enters their sphere.

Yours and joba's take makes a lot more sense to me when the U.S. is past or very nearly past the point of "everyone's already had it". Hard to estimate when that will be ... IMHO, anywhere from 3 to 24 more months. Don't know enough yet.

The place to look for is everyone has either had a vaccine or covid, not that they have had it.  That should happen very soon, and if you aren't in one of those categories then you want to lay super low right now.  Having it is not the endpoint.  

 

[Doug B]

How would delayed testing caused any issues?  There is no treatment for this that isn't just lying in a bed with O2, you either need that or you don't.  Testing doesn't qualify you for that treatment.

You hadn't heard about vulnerable people (comorbidities) getting monoclonal antibody treatments early in the course of their infections? Sotrovimab is the one that works against Omicron ... others ones work against earlier strains (Delta's not gone yet).

People that are on a first-name basis with their cardiologist very much qualify for that treatment via testing. So far as I'm aware, monoclonal antibodies aren't given presumptively just on presentation of vague cold-like symptoms.

 

[(HULK)]

All you people who were being extra cautious during the pandemic, when are you gonna get it that the playbook has COMPLETELY changed with Omicron? Ive warned you for weeks now. There is no stopping Omicron. Masks aren't going to stop it. Testing isn't going to stop it. Vaccines aren't going to stop it. Everyone is eventually going to get it. Lord Fauci himself said this.

If that's your opinion, how do you feel about lockdowns and virtual schooling to blunt the curve?

 

[culdeus]

You hadn't heard about vulnerable people (comorbidities) getting monoclonal antibody treatments early in the course of their infections? Sotrovimab is the one that works against Omicron ... others ones work against earlier strains (Delta's not gone yet).

People that are on a first-name basis with their cardiologist very much qualify for that treatment via testing. So far as I'm aware, monoclonal antibodies aren't given presumptively just on presentation of vague cold-like symptoms.

If they are that vulnerable your issue was being around them in the first place, tbh.  

 

[SpurrierisisGod]

So, if nothing else can really be done to mitigate contracting covid, should the discussion shift to possibly more sick/vacation time?  The US lags way behind most other developed nations in this area which leads to "I have to go to work even though my throat hurts" most likely exposing even more people.  Add more virtual options for school so we don't have to send kids to take an exam while coughing their head off.  

Sure, people will abuse the system but seems like a prudent thing to do where the vast majority will not. 

 

[(HULK)]

So, if nothing else can really be done to mitigate contracting covid, should the discussion shift to possibly more sick/vacation time?  The US lags way behind most other developed nations in this area which leads to "I have to go to work even though my throat hurts" most likely exposing even more people.  Add more virtual options for school so we don't have to send kids to take an exam while coughing their head off.  

Sure, people will abuse the system but seems like a prudent thing to do where the vast majority will not. 

My company is giving all employees 10 sick days to use if you test positive for Covid (also can be used day of and day after a vaccination/booster), per year. No idea if that will stick around in the future, but if they can do it, plenty of other companies can do it too.

ETA: we typically have no sick days. Just a general PTO bucket. I get 23 days a year, which is pretty decent for the US and pretty much crap in the rest of the first world.

 

[jobarules]

If that's your opinion, how do you feel about lockdowns and virtual schooling to blunt the curve?

That's the only thing that would stop Omicron. However, that would be devastating for the economy, the children, and the country. Especially for a variant that is so much less severe than Delta. I'd say it wouldn't be worth it.

 

[skol asylum]

For the house: For home rapid tests, the definition of "a reliable time to test" is when they have symptoms, even light ones.

The home-test false negatives didn't come strictly because of testing too early in time ... they were from testing before symptoms appeared.

I read an article yesterday that said to wait 5 days from possible exposure as a general guideline.

 

[jobarules]

So, if nothing else can really be done to mitigate contracting covid, should the discussion shift to possibly more sick/vacation time?  The US lags way behind most other developed nations in this area which leads to "I have to go to work even though my throat hurts" most likely exposing even more people.  Add more virtual options for school so we don't have to send kids to take an exam while coughing their head off.  

Sure, people will abuse the system but seems like a prudent thing to do where the vast majority will not. 

I know last year, many states were offering extended paid leave for covid. Does that no longer exist? Most FBGs dont know this pain as they WFH in their underwear and can take all the sick days in the world. Its a real problem for the majority of society in the real world though. 

 

[culdeus]

So, if nothing else can really be done to mitigate contracting covid, should the discussion shift to possibly more sick/vacation time?  The US lags way behind most other developed nations in this area which leads to "I have to go to work even though my throat hurts" most likely exposing even more people.  Add more virtual options for school so we don't have to send kids to take an exam while coughing their head off.  

Sure, people will abuse the system but seems like a prudent thing to do where the vast majority will not. 

If I hadn't tested positive there was 0, ZERO, way I would not have gone into work in a 2019 scenario.  It was below seasonal allergies in terms of symptoms and there was no fever.  There are easily millions of people that are right now positive and at work with similar symptoms.  

 

[Doug B]

If they are that vulnerable your issue was being around them in the first place, tbh.  

Be that as it may, it was still incumbent upon us to (a) know whether or not our son was positive, and (b) to give them a heads-up.

 

[FBG26]

One last comment on little kids and daycare. Our family's approach for the first 12-15 months of the pandemic was different than it is now. We were much more cautious the first year. The primary difference is the vaccines. My wife and I have done all of the shots, and we still mask up everywhere we go. Other teachers/parents should be vaccinated as well. With vaccines readily available, IMO, the overall societal negatives of constantly closing down entire daycare or rooms within a daycare (or schools for older kids) when one kid tests positive outweigh the overall societal positives. The vaccines are effective at reducing serious illness/death, and the risks to most vaccinated people are low, such that I think having huge numbers of kids/parents/teachers quarantine for a week or two on the basis that they have been exposed to somebody with covid is a net loss to society. Sadly I've lost a lot of empathy for unvaccinated people and I realize that is a character flaw. I also realize very few people agree with me and that many will consider that selfish. But this is where I'm at. 

 

[culdeus]

Be that as it may, it was still incumbent upon us to (a) know whether or not our son was positive, and (b) to give them a heads-up.

Ok, well it colors a lot knowing you really made a bad call being there in the first place and felt that guilt for doing so.  For someone that takes this seriously it's a bad look on you.

 

[FairWarning]

Sorry if this had been answered, couldn’t find it.  Can people still get the delta variant?   The people who are dying in the last month, did they have the delta variants?  

 

[skol asylum]

All you people who were being extra cautious during the pandemic, when are you gonna get it that the playbook has COMPLETELY changed with Omicron? Ive warned you for weeks now. There is no stopping Omicron. Masks aren't going to stop it. Testing isn't going to stop it. Vaccines aren't going to stop it. Everyone is eventually going to get it. Lord Fauci himself said this.

So we should just jump out in front of traffic and get hit by as many cars as possible? I still think mitigation is the smarter approach. I may get it but hopefully the viral load is smaller than if I go out every night to a packed bar for hours unmasked and throw caution to the wind.

 

[Doug B]

I read an article yesterday that said to wait 5 days from possible exposure as a general guideline.

That's part of the CDC's guidance, but there is another shoe:

According to the CDC, the incubation period for COVID is between two and 14 days, though the newest guidance from the agency suggests a quarantine of five days for those who are not boosted, but eligible or unvaccinated. Those looking to get tested after exposure should do so five days after the exposure or if they begin experiencing symptoms, the CDC recommends.

Those who are boosted and vaccinated, or those who are fully vaccinated and not yet eligible for a booster shot, do not need to quarantine, but should wear masks for 10 days and also get tested five days after the exposure, unless they are experiencing symptoms.

 

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Sorry if this had been answered, couldn’t find it.  Can people still get the delta variant?   The people who are dying in the last month, did they have the delta variants?  

The current theory is that Omicron comprises roughly 95% of cases right now, meaning yes Delta is likely still circulating. 

Sequencing of all cases has not been performed due to constricted resources... so we do not have data on variants for most deaths. That said, considering deaths are climbing still, weeks after Omicron became the dominant variant... it's reasonable to assume many if not most of these deaths are omicron related. 

 

[jobarules]

So we should just jump out in front of traffic and get hit by as many cars as possible? I still think mitigation is the smarter approach. I may get it but hopefully the viral load is smaller than if I go out every night to a packed bar for hours unmasked and throw caution to the wind.

Im saying you will get it regardless what approach you take.

 

[Doug B]

Ok, well it colors a lot knowing you really made a bad call being there in the first place and felt that guilt for doing so.  For someone that takes this seriously it's a bad look on you.

I wasn't there.

We don't know the exact chain of transmission. My son was there from Wednesday afternoon through Saturday morning. His first symptoms were Sunday afternoon, though he tested negative on a rapid test that day. Positive PCR was three days later on Wednesday.

Everyone from both families was vaxxed + boosted if eligible -- the three boys involved were double-vaxxed.