*** OFFICIAL *** COVID-19 CoronaVirus Thread. Fresh epidemic fears as child pneumonia cases surge in Europe after China outbreak. NOW in USA (7 Viewers)

[Terminalxylem]

Reading between the lines:

Mild cases: boosted, double vaxxed, low risk

Non-mild cases: unvaccinated, waning/poor immunity 

If the next variant is of the Omicron lineage, it will repeat this wave - a ton of cases, mostly mild. Less severe infections but higher risk in the breakthrough cases as vaccine immunity wanes.

If the next variant is of the Delta lineage, you can probably disregard what happened in Omicron and protection will depend on immunization and precious non-Omicron infections.

If these studies hold up, the first reaction likely would be to give an Omicron specific booster but I think that would be a mistake. The current vaccines seem to give good protection against severe Omicron infections. We don’t know if the same will be true with an Omicron booster. Give the high risk populations a booster now and the general public in the fall. Maybe by then have a hybrid vaccine that will protect against both major lineages.

Too many variables. While an omicron specific booster can’t hurt, by the time it’s available, we should be past this surge.

Given all the uncertainty, working on a polyvalent vaccine while simultaneously ramping up production of therapeutics seems like the best answer. With respect to the latter, they should probably work on combination antivirals, a la HIV, Hep C, too.

 

[ericttspikes]

Reading between the lines:

Mild cases: boosted, double vaxxed, low risk

Non-mild cases: unvaccinated, waning/poor immunity 

If the next variant is of the Omicron lineage, it will repeat this wave - a ton of cases, mostly mild. Less severe infections but higher risk in the breakthrough cases as vaccine immunity wanes.

If the next variant is of the Delta lineage, you can probably disregard what happened in Omicron and protection will depend on immunization and precious non-Omicron infections.

If these studies hold up, the first reaction likely would be to give an Omicron specific booster but I think that would be a mistake. The current vaccines seem to give good protection against severe Omicron infections. We don’t know if the same will be true with an Omicron booster. Give the high risk populations a booster now and the general public in the fall. Maybe by then have a hybrid vaccine that will protect against both major lineages.

I thought I had read the Pfizer/BioNtech Omicron vaccine in testing also accounts for the previous strains as well. 

 

[Dinsy Ejotuz]

Tucker Carlson's not gonna mail them a check. Joe Rogan's not going to walk his daughter down the aisle. Aaron Rodgers isn't gonna come over and play catch with his kid.

 

[nysfl2]

My first close family member tested positive on Friday - brother in law, who is fully vaccinated and boosted, but overweight and has a lifetime of kidney issues. 

He's not feeling great right now, but nowhere near hospitalization.

 

[culdeus]

Tucker Carlson's not gonna mail them a check. Joe Rogan's not going to walk his daughter down the aisle. Aaron Rodgers isn't gonna come over and play catch with his kid.

I mean take a swim thru the Herman Cain Award winners of the day every so often.  So so so many leave behind kids, and a Facebook wall of just pure hate.   Some of them I'm sure are good people, but just got sucked in to the propaganda and paid the iron price.  For what?  

 

[Nathan R. Jessep]

Mask use associated with fewer school and daycare closures, study finds

excerpts:

A new study appearing in JAMA Network Open studied that exact question. Researchers found that school and childcare programs that used masks had markedly fewer closures related to Covid-19 than those that did not, even after controlling for other variables. The study covered the initial outbreak of the pandemic in the United States and after, through June 2021. Programs that maintained masking for the entire study period reported 14% lower rates of closure than ones that did not. Researchers also looked at whether masking only the kids (46% of whom were ages 3-5), only the adults, or both made a difference. Masking both kids and adults was associated with fewer closures, while masking only the kids or only the adults appeared insufficient.

This makes sense given what we know about mask use in schools. For most of the pandemic, admittedly low-quality masks have been used by the public, especially in kids, for whom high-grade masks are not generally available. The less effective the mask, the more people must wear them to maximize the group’s benefit. That means that those who can mask should do so, especially in schools, so that the children who absolutely can’t wear masks—due to legitimate medical or psychological problems—are protected by the others.

That the new study found masking to be associated with fewer school closures was not the only good news. (Indeed, if we are going to mask our kids, at least let it be effective!) This study also provides justification to cease-and-desist on a bunch of other inconveniences that were assessed and found to have had no correlation with fewer school closures, including daily symptom checklists (wow, are these annoying), staggered arrival and departure times (inconvenient), outdoor drop-off and pick-up (meh). None of these practices had any effect on school closures due to Covid outbreaks. That’s great because it means we can and should drop them. If they don’t help, what’s the point? Also, a catalog of unnecessary tasks like these may seem like tiny asks (and small potatoes), but they add up to genuine and earned resentment among the public. Maybe if we don’t insist on a lengthy checklist of daily ineffective rituals, people will do the things that do help. Hygiene theater is annoying. But more importantly, it undermines our credibility when we come with requests that do make a difference. It’s fine for us to change with the evidence. I’d be worried if we didn’t.

...

Are masks harmful to kids, especially ones under the age of 5? This was always a valid, if an overblown, concern. Biologically, there is no known harm (the most infamous study claiming that was retracted in disgrace, but not before nearly 1 million people read it, making it one of the most read articles in the history of JAMA Pediatrics, despite being online for just 17 days).

But what about child development? The fact is, there are no serious studies suggesting that intermittent masking—which is what masking at school amounts to—confers any serious or lasting effect on child development. Knowing that this fear is what they’d be up against, the authors of the study I’ve been discussing here wisely devoted a paragraph to the topic late in their paper. Because it was so well written, I am reproducing it below, rather than summarizing it (I’ve added hyperlinks to other studies they cited to their prose):

"Concerns have been raised regarding the potential for social and developmental delays when younger children wear a face mask for prolonged periods because of lack of recognition of emotional cues. Notably, these are point-in-time studies, and how quickly children adapt and recognize other emotional cues, such as body language, is not known. Evidence suggests that school-age children can identify most emotions in masked faces. Two-year-old children recognize spoken words better through an opaque mask compared with a clear face shield, suggesting verbal communication to infants is not harmed by face masks. We are unaware of published research on the long-term effects, if any, on intermittent masking. For medical care, most children 4 to 10 years of age did not prefer unmasked health care professionals to masked health care professionals and did not fear health care professionals with masks."

–Murray and colleagues, JAMA Network Open, January 27, 2022.

 

[Dinsy Ejotuz]

Thread from the Financial Times with a ton of great data and interesting views.

tl;dr - about half of all US COVID hospitalizations post-vaccine were preventable.

 

[2Squirrels1Nut]

I received a call from a dear old friend of mine today who notified me she has Covid. Older than me, almost 80 and in a home because of previously getting the flu, which lead to other failures, three years ago.  Like millions of Americans never got the annual shot. 

I'm proud to say one of the few people that I was able to gently nudge to get vaxxed. Her children have refused though and one of them had it and visited her.  She told me that she is going to forgo any additional treatment however and if it's time to go, it's time to go.  The decision isn't misinformation calculated, she has been so miserable for so long and has told me too many times that she just wished God would call her home.

This stupid virus.  :(

 

[Battersbox]

Mask use associated with fewer school and daycare closures, study finds

excerpts:

A new study appearing in JAMA Network Open studied that exact question. Researchers found that school and childcare programs that used masks had markedly fewer closures related to Covid-19 than those that did not, even after controlling for other variables. The study covered the initial outbreak of the pandemic in the United States and after, through June 2021. Programs that maintained masking for the entire study period reported 14% lower rates of closure than ones that did not. Researchers also looked at whether masking only the kids (46% of whom were ages 3-5), only the adults, or both made a difference. Masking both kids and adults was associated with fewer closures, while masking only the kids or only the adults appeared insufficient.

This makes sense given what we know about mask use in schools. For most of the pandemic, admittedly low-quality masks have been used by the public, especially in kids, for whom high-grade masks are not generally available. The less effective the mask, the more people must wear them to maximize the group’s benefit. That means that those who can mask should do so, especially in schools, so that the children who absolutely can’t wear masks—due to legitimate medical or psychological problems—are protected by the others.

That the new study found masking to be associated with fewer school closures was not the only good news. (Indeed, if we are going to mask our kids, at least let it be effective!) This study also provides justification to cease-and-desist on a bunch of other inconveniences that were assessed and found to have had no correlation with fewer school closures, including daily symptom checklists (wow, are these annoying), staggered arrival and departure times (inconvenient), outdoor drop-off and pick-up (meh). None of these practices had any effect on school closures due to Covid outbreaks. That’s great because it means we can and should drop them. If they don’t help, what’s the point? Also, a catalog of unnecessary tasks like these may seem like tiny asks (and small potatoes), but they add up to genuine and earned resentment among the public. Maybe if we don’t insist on a lengthy checklist of daily ineffective rituals, people will do the things that do help. Hygiene theater is annoying. But more importantly, it undermines our credibility when we come with requests that do make a difference. It’s fine for us to change with the evidence. I’d be worried if we didn’t.

...

Are masks harmful to kids, especially ones under the age of 5? This was always a valid, if an overblown, concern. Biologically, there is no known harm (the most infamous study claiming that was retracted in disgrace, but not before nearly 1 million people read it, making it one of the most read articles in the history of JAMA Pediatrics, despite being online for just 17 days).

But what about child development? The fact is, there are no serious studies suggesting that intermittent masking—which is what masking at school amounts to—confers any serious or lasting effect on child development. Knowing that this fear is what they’d be up against, the authors of the study I’ve been discussing here wisely devoted a paragraph to the topic late in their paper. Because it was so well written, I am reproducing it below, rather than summarizing it (I’ve added hyperlinks to other studies they cited to their prose):

Unsurprising write-up from Faust, if you're familiar w/him. He's consistently fallen on the side of more extreme mitigations versus considering mitigation vs overall harms.

I'm sorry, I can't take seriously anyone who still believes it's prudent to blanket-mask kids. I just can't. 

 

[Dezbelief]

I received a call from a dear old friend of mine today who notified me she has Covid. Older than me, almost 80 and in a home because of previously getting the flu, which lead to other failures, three years ago.  Like millions of Americans never got the annual shot. 

I'm proud to say one of the few people that I was able to gently nudge to get vaxxed. Her children have refused though and one of them had it and visited her.  She told me that she is going to forgo any additional treatment however and if it's time to go, it's time to go.  The decision isn't misinformation calculated, she has been so miserable for so long and has told me too many times that she just wished God would call her home.

This stupid virus.  :(

Best wishes to you and her. End of life is never easy to manage, you are a good friend and she might still have a couple of decades left.

 

[Alex P Keaton]

Thread from the Financial Times with a ton of great data and interesting views.

tl;dr - about half of all US COVID hospitalizations post-vaccine were preventable.

If only most people in this country were statistically literate.

 

[stlrams]

Mask use associated with fewer school and daycare closures, study finds

excerpts:

A new study appearing in JAMA Network Open studied that exact question. Researchers found that school and childcare programs that used masks had markedly fewer closures related to Covid-19 than those that did not, even after controlling for other variables. The study covered the initial outbreak of the pandemic in the United States and after, through June 2021. Programs that maintained masking for the entire study period reported 14% lower rates of closure than ones that did not. Researchers also looked at whether masking only the kids (46% of whom were ages 3-5), only the adults, or both made a difference. Masking both kids and adults was associated with fewer closures, while masking only the kids or only the adults appeared insufficient.

This makes sense given what we know about mask use in schools. For most of the pandemic, admittedly low-quality masks have been used by the public, especially in kids, for whom high-grade masks are not generally available. The less effective the mask, the more people must wear them to maximize the group’s benefit. That means that those who can mask should do so, especially in schools, so that the children who absolutely can’t wear masks—due to legitimate medical or psychological problems—are protected by the others.

That the new study found masking to be associated with fewer school closures was not the only good news. (Indeed, if we are going to mask our kids, at least let it be effective!) This study also provides justification to cease-and-desist on a bunch of other inconveniences that were assessed and found to have had no correlation with fewer school closures, including daily symptom checklists (wow, are these annoying), staggered arrival and departure times (inconvenient), outdoor drop-off and pick-up (meh). None of these practices had any effect on school closures due to Covid outbreaks. That’s great because it means we can and should drop them. If they don’t help, what’s the point? Also, a catalog of unnecessary tasks like these may seem like tiny asks (and small potatoes), but they add up to genuine and earned resentment among the public. Maybe if we don’t insist on a lengthy checklist of daily ineffective rituals, people will do the things that do help. Hygiene theater is annoying. But more importantly, it undermines our credibility when we come with requests that do make a difference. It’s fine for us to change with the evidence. I’d be worried if we didn’t.

...

Are masks harmful to kids, especially ones under the age of 5? This was always a valid, if an overblown, concern. Biologically, there is no known harm (the most infamous study claiming that was retracted in disgrace, but not before nearly 1 million people read it, making it one of the most read articles in the history of JAMA Pediatrics, despite being online for just 17 days).

But what about child development? The fact is, there are no serious studies suggesting that intermittent masking—which is what masking at school amounts to—confers any serious or lasting effect on child development. Knowing that this fear is what they’d be up against, the authors of the study I’ve been discussing here wisely devoted a paragraph to the topic late in their paper. Because it was so well written, I am reproducing it below, rather than summarizing it (I’ve added hyperlinks to other studies they cited to their prose):

I own a daycare and we have had several examples of covid spread with teachers and students masked resulting in shutdowns.  

 

[Jackstraw]

I own a daycare and we have had several examples of covid spread with teachers and students masked resulting in shutdowns.  

Well I guess that settles it. 

 

[belljr]

Fewer <> none

 

[Terminalxylem]

Unsurprising write-up from Faust, if you're familiar w/him. He's consistently fallen on the side of more extreme mitigations versus considering mitigation vs overall harms.

I'm sorry, I can't take seriously anyone who still believes it's prudent to blanket-mask kids. I just can't. 

He did consider harm, it’s just the evidence supporting problems with kids masking is virtually nonexistent. And Faust didn’t conduct the research, or influence its findings. Rather than not taking it seriously, perhaps you should be more open to data that conflicts with your worldview?

As far as overall harm, I’m guessing missing school and facilitating spread of the virus causes greater damage to the kids and society than whatever masking might do. But I’m open to being proven incorrect. On what do you base your stance?

 

[Terminalxylem]

I own a daycare and we have had several examples of covid spread with teachers and students masked resulting in shutdowns.  

I don’t think the article said masking was perfect.

 

[Battersbox]

He did consider harm, it’s just the evidence supporting problems with kids masking is virtually nonexistent. And Faust didn’t conduct the research, or influence its findings. Rather than not taking it seriously, perhaps you should be more open to data that conflicts with your worldview?

As far as overall harm, I’m guessing missing school and facilitating spread of the virus causes greater damage to the kids and society than whatever masking might do. But I’m open to being proven incorrect. On what do you base your stance?

I do consider data that conflicts with my worldview. This falls short. A 14% reduction in school closures falls far short for the macro damage being done to kids' mental well being.  I didn't say Faust conducted the research, I'm simply not surprised he finds it compelling (I do not). The fact that the data was gathered via surveys is also not compelling.

And comparing the harms of forcing masks versus no school is a false equivalence. The vast majority of school age children both here and abroad go to school w/out masks--it can be done. 

The lack of data supporting problems with kids masking is also sort of a silly argument. The harms are insidious and hard to measure to begin with. Further, harms can and will be years in the making, so saying we have no proof they exist right now is absurd considering we've been doing it less than 2 years. It's like if cigarettes were invented 2 years ago and stating we have no proof there are harms from smoking. 

Even if you do find the 14% difference between the 2 cohorts compelling, it ignores other unintended consequences of forced masking. The first which comes to mind is that continuing to force masks upon people signals the efficacy of vaccines is lacking, which is damaging for macro vaccine uptake.

It's possible 10-20 years from now I might think the reverse and that masking kids while most of the rest of society has done away with them was worth it, but I don't think so. Regardless, the proof of benefit should be on those proposing the massive societal change we're forcing upon those who lack agency, not upon those who are advocating for letting kids live normally. A 14% lower school closure rate (not hospitalization rate or even death rate) falls well short of the mark. 

So, I do consider data with conflicts with my worldview, nowhere have I indicated otherwise. A bit snarky to imply I do not. 

 

[IvanKaramazov]

He did consider harm, it’s just the evidence supporting problems with kids masking is virtually nonexistent.

That's because there is no IRB anywhere on the planet that would ever approve a controlled experiment involving masking young children for two years.  There are former Nazi scientists living in Argentina who think that sort of thing crosses an ethical line.

If ever there was a place to apply the precautionary principle, it is when we're talking about unstudied stuff that probably affects childhood development in ways that we don't understand.  

 

[Terminalxylem]

That's because there is no IRB anywhere on the planet that would ever approve a controlled experiment involving masking young children for two years.  There are former Nazi scientists living in Argentina who think that sort of thing crosses an ethical line.

If ever there was a place to apply the precautionary principle, it is when we're talking about unstudied stuff that probably affects childhood development in ways that we don't understand.  

As always, I appreciate your communication style. But in this case, the snark is particularly misplaced, as no one (including Mengele’s progeny) is suggesting kids wear masks continuously for 2+ years. While I know Asian people commit suicide more frequently, and like Hello Kitty more than South Dakotans, are their intermittent mask-wearing kids considered damaged goods? Probably affects childhood development is a big stretch IMO, especially when you consider what the practical reality of US kids’ mask time.

 

[MTskibum]

I have 2 two young kids, almost 5 and 7 now. I have no concern that mask wearing will effect them in any way long term. It is like a hat, scarf, or sunglasses.

On the flip side I see how they wear masks and at that age those things have to be useless.

 

[gianmarco]

I have 2 two young kids, almost 5 and 7 now. I have no concern that mask wearing will effect them in any way long term. It is like a hat, scarf, or sunglasses.

On the flip side I see how they wear masks and at that age those things have to be useless.

Except data keeps showing decreased spread in schools that mask. So they aren't useless. It's not a binary thing that they either work or they don't. They aren't perfect, but they do help lessen spread even if worn poorly. 

 

[GroveDiesel]

Can you folks talking about the harms of kids wearing masks be more specific? What harms are you talking about? It’s hard to engage in discussion without some specifics.

 

[MTskibum]

Except data keeps showing decreased spread in schools that mask. So they aren't useless. It's not a binary thing that they either work or they don't. They aren't perfect, but they do help lessen spread even if worn poorly. 

Maybe, but correlation is not causation. The schools that mandate masks are located in parts of the country where other more stringent measures are taken.

I believe I have seen the study you are referring too and i do not think you can draw any conclusion that masks on kids in school work, because those studies are unable to separate out the surrounding community from the school.

My kids wear masks in school, but in my opinion it is just for show. I live in a subdivision that is ~50% asian and i do not want my kids to be the ones that stick out. They want to be like their friends, so they wear masks in school.

 

[fatguyinalittlecoat]

I've mentioned this before but I'm currently a student teacher in a high school where most children do not speak English at home. It's my anecdotal experience that masks are a significant hindrance to communication and language acquisition.  Not being able to see facial expressions and lips moving makes it more challenging to acquire language.  And class participation is extremely difficult because the masks make it even harder to understand the kids, who are not polished public speakers to begin with. 

I don't necessarily think that the students are all scarred for life.  But I view drawbacks of masks in schools very differently than the drawbacks of masks at the grocery store or other public spaces.

 

[Terminalxylem]

I have 2 two young kids, almost 5 and 7 now. I have no concern that mask wearing will effect them in any way long term. It is like a hat, scarf, or sunglasses.

On the flip side I see how they wear masks and at that age those things have to be useless.

I can see how they might be a problem for really little kids and those with mental health issues, like autistic spectrum disorders. But most children don’t fall in those two categories, and I’ve yet to see or hear parents in my (admittedly narrow) social circle complain about them. That’s not definitive proof they’re safe, but there are enough examples of cultures who intermittently wear face coverings that I feel the concerns are overblown.

 

[Dinsy Ejotuz]

Arieh Kovler@ariehkovler

Reuters really screwed up just now, wrongly reporting that a Phase III clinical trial showed Ivermectin was effective against Omicron, and then correcting the story after damage was already done.

I'm curious whether the folks who saw this story saw the correction or not?

The thing is, we already knew that Ivermectin shows antiviral properties against Sars-CoV-2 in a test tube. We've known that for months. That's why people initially thought it might be a treatment for Covid, until trials showed it didn't help. https://sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0166354220302011…

Lots of stuff has a antiviral effect in a test tube but doesn't help fight viral disease in humans, so while it was disappointing that Ivermectin doesn't help with Covid, it wasn't very surprising.

The Kowa press release says, basically, "you know how Ivermectin has an antiviral effect on Covid in a test tube? That still works for Omicron". Which, again, isn't surprising. The reverse would have been a much bigger surprise.

 

[jobarules]

Can you folks talking about the harms of kids wearing masks be more specific? What harms are you talking about? It’s hard to engage in discussion without some specifics.

Its also hard to engage in discussion when two people are wearing a mask. 

 

[Battersbox]

Can you folks talking about the harms of kids wearing masks be more specific? What harms are you talking about? It’s hard to engage in discussion without some specifics.

I posted the below in some other thread a while ago. These are my thoughts and opinions on the matter:

 

I believe not seeing faces has real long term effects on people. Less human interaction is detrimental both for the individual's psyche and collectively as a group. I think people are less likely to recognize the humanity in others when they can't see their faces. We're often too quick to dismiss other people as simply being 'other' even without masks. Faces, expressions, smiles connect us. I think people are often disarmed by a smile, even (especially?) when they come from strangers. We communicate better by seeing each others lips move to form words and simply because it's easier to hear someone who is unmasked. I think for many people those small connections help them feel less alone. Again, I know these are small things individually, but they add up for society and for the loneliest individuals over the course of nearly two years. That's why I say the costs are insidious but no less real. 

For kids, all of the above of course. Add to that the problems masks cause in the classroom...I don't need to outline those, just ask the nearest teacher. 

Hard to quantify these things, but I believe they are very real and very costly in the long run.

***In addition, I'd repeat that mask mandates continue to underpin those who question the efficacy of vaccines. That's a real fallout that in my view is a clear negative. Also, the slippery slope effect here is real. There have been times where I live where it's clear that spread is low and there was virtually zero reason to mask, yet the mandates remained. We're already seeing a subset of people calling for masking to continue indefinitely, because there is always some respiratory virus circulating of one form or another. I also personally think the anecdotes we hear about certain kids preferring masks now is also a huge negative. It's way to retreat into themselves as opposed to facing the world. It's simply not healthy for kids (pre-teens and teens) to prefer a certain level of disconnect from their peers. I hear numerous tidbits from parents and teachers that kids are now far more likely to not care about there appearance as a whole...unshowered, wearing jammies to school, messy hair, etc. I'm no Nazi when it comes to dress or anything like that, but I think not caring about one's appearance and hygiene is a direct result of feeling the mask makes them less visible and more alone. Further, not caring about one's hygiene is a clear path toward disregarding one's health and fitness, etc. 

I know these are all fairly minor in the abstract and anecdotally, but I'm convinced they add up over time.

 

[IvanKaramazov]

Can you folks talking about the harms of kids wearing masks be more specific? What harms are you talking about? It’s hard to engage in discussion without some specifics.

I'm thinking general developmental issues involving speech, communication in general, and socialization in general.  

To be fair, I have no special training in anything related to early childhood development or anything like that.  My opinion is mainly based on the fact that it's challenging for adults to communicate with masks on, and it seems logical that any problems we face would be significantly worse with young kids who are still working through verbal and nonverbal communication.  

I was fine with masking last year because we really didn't have any better options.  Now that we have vaccines, it doesn't matter much to me whether community spread is a little higher or a little lower.  I'm fine with somewhat higher case counts if it gets schools back to something like normal.  (This is the choice that my community made this year, and it's been completely fine.  Just like everyplace else that does mask-optional school.)

 

[Leeroy Jenkins]

I have 2 two young kids, almost 5 and 7 now. I have no concern that mask wearing will effect them in any way long term. It is like a hat, scarf, or sunglasses.

On the flip side I see how they wear masks and at that age those things have to be useless.

My kids are the same age.  Have been masked and close contacts a few times this year.  So far, no covid.  So far.

 

[Doug B]

Two developments on the vaccine front:

Novavax, after delays, files for U.S. authorization of COVID-19 vaccine (Reuters, 1/31/2022)

Novavax Inc said on Monday it has filed for emergency use authorization of its COVID-19 vaccine for U.S. adults, a long-awaited step for the company following months of struggles with development and manufacturing problems.

The filing is based on data provided to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration last month and results of two late-stage trials in the United States, Mexico and the UK that showed the protein-based vaccine had an overall efficacy of about 90%, the company said.

Pfizer vaccine for children under 5 may be available in U.S. by end-Feb - report (Reuters, 1/31/2022)

Pfizer Inc and Germany's BioNTech SE are expected to submit an emergency use authorization request as early as Tuesday to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for vaccines for children aged six months to 5 years, the Washington Post reported on Monday.

Coronavirus vaccines for children younger than 5 could be available as soon as end-February under a plan that would lead to the potential authorization of a two-shot regimen in the coming weeks, the Post reported, citing people briefed on the situation.

 

[beer 30]

I mean take a swim thru the Herman Cain Award winners of the day every so often.  So so so many leave behind kids, and a Facebook wall of just pure hate.   Some of them I'm sure are good people, but just got sucked in to the propaganda and paid the iron price.  For what?  

I performed this exercise a few months ago. It's sad on a number of levels 1.) for the people that were lost and 2.) the vitriol pointed toward those people in the comments. Man is a mother####er and a mean mother####er at that.

 

[stlrams]

Well I guess that settles it. 

Well if you can’t believe in reality you can continue to live the world of studies.  

 

[culdeus]

I performed this exercise a few months ago. It's sad on a number of levels 1.) for the people that were lost and 2.) the vitriol pointed toward those people in the comments. Man is a mother####er and a mean mother####er at that.

It's just r/fatpeoplehate in another form.  

 

[stlrams]

I don’t think the article said masking was perfect.

Nope but roughly 75% of time someone with covid enters school we have it spread so far from perfect. 

 

[Dragons]

Nope but roughly 75% of time someone with covid enters school we have it spread so far from perfect. 

On the other hand, my wife is the director of a preschool and has had 0* cases of Covid spread within classrooms. 

*latest case was end of last week, so has not been fully resolved.

 

[Jackstraw]

Well if you can’t believe in reality you can continue to live the world of studies.  

I once saw a sitting United States Senator bring a snowball onto the Senate floor as proof there was no climate change. 

 

[FBG26]

Further, sewage samples would indicate that the number of cases in MN has peaked. Link

MN Update:

Looking back at that link of using sewage samples as a proxy for case counts, they were pretty accurate. From the article, the amount of COVID detected in waste water peaked around January 10, which lines up pretty well with the official numbers on this chart. 

ICU cases of COVID continue to decline. 192 people in ICU with covid today, down from 374 in mid-December and 239 two weeks ago. Hospitalizations (Non-ICU) for covid contine down as well. Now, the peak was insanely high so we're still not at good, but hopefully its providing some relief on the medical system. 

A month ago it seemed like everybody I knew was sick with something. Now, it is much less so.  Cautiously optimistic.

 

[Nathan R. Jessep]

Two developments on the vaccine front:

Novavax, after delays, files for U.S. authorization of COVID-19 vaccine (Reuters, 1/31/2022)

Pfizer vaccine for children under 5 may be available in U.S. by end-Feb - report (Reuters, 1/31/2022)

And Moderna (aka "Spikevax") fully approved. 

 

[brettdj]

So got the call that my son is a close contact to a classmate that tested positive last Friday.  He does not need picked up from school today. Will ride the bus home. He must stay home from school tomorrow.  If he has no symptoms, then back to school on Thursday. 

What silly procedures.

 

[belljr]

So got the call that my son is a close contact to a classmate that tested positive last Friday.  He does not need picked up from school today. Will ride the bus home. He must stay home from school tomorrow.  If he has no symptoms, then back to school on Thursday. 

What silly procedures.

South Africa announced - close contacts do not need to isolate, positives with no symptoms no isolation/quarantine

I think by March we'll follow suit

 

[IvanKaramazov]

South Africa announced - close contacts do not need to isolate, positives with no symptoms no isolation/quarantine

I think by March we'll follow suit

I agree.  Once this omicron surge is over, I'd be surprised if schools and other institutions (but especially schools) didn't drop quite a few of their quarantine procedures.  Once you get past the immediate short-run staffing shortages, which I think we're past, these things don't seem to satisfy any reasonable cost-benefit analysis.

 

[dawgtrails]

So got the call that my son is a close contact to a classmate that tested positive last Friday.  He does not need picked up from school today. Will ride the bus home. He must stay home from school tomorrow.  If he has no symptoms, then back to school on Thursday. 

What silly procedures.

South Africa announced - close contacts do not need to isolate, positives with no symptoms no isolation/quarantine

I think by March we'll follow suit

My kids school - super hippy montessori, super covid cautious, has changed to this. They used to quarantine entire classrooms because of one case (to be fair they couldn't determine close contact because there are no desks and kids roam around and interact with everyone)

If kids are vaccinated, no need for any quarantining unless showing symptoms. Seems like a good move

 

[Sleestak]

I once saw a sitting United States Senator bring a snowball onto the Senate floor as proof there was no climate change. 

Which party?  :]

 

[belljr]

I once saw a sitting United States Senator bring a snowball onto the Senate floor as proof there was no climate change. 

I saw a Congressman ask if Guam would tip over if there was too many people on one end

 

[Doug B]

And Moderna (aka "Spikevax") fully approved. 

Man, that slipped right in with no notice, didn't it? Boilerplate link to the news (CNN).

EDIT: Moderna's news spokesperson.

(Wanna feel old, Buffy fans? James Marsters turns 60 this year   )

 

[ZADO]

I wonder how many people will become vaccine junkies over time? 

 

[BigJim®]

I wonder how many people will become vaccine junkies over time? 

I wonder if new anti-vax rationales/theories will ever end. "Vaccine junkies"... we have to be close to shark jumping at that one, right?

 

[-fish-]

I wonder if new anti-vax rationales/theories will ever end. "Vaccine junkies"... we have to be close to shark jumping at that one, right?

What's worse was that it was intended to be funny.   

 

[FairWarning]

Isn’t there a new variant coming out now?  The bad thing is a vax will Be a tough sell on this.