Report: Omicron is much more contagious - Discussion on severity (1 Viewer)

[Max Power]

How?  It's no secret that the boomer generation is currently retiring in larger numbers than they can be replaced, just due to population levels.  Management can't do anything to stop that.  Older workers, especially in health care, are experiencing burnout and accelerating their planned retirements.  Also not a secret and not something management can particularly prevent.  It's also no secret that many unvaxxed patients and their families are just plain treating health care workers poorly, leading to additional burnout.  Again, not something management can prevent.

Should they be paying more?  Maybe the government should be funding ER and ICU care more?

What, specifically, should management be doing to manage staff and resources better that doesn't involve government funding?

I don't have a good answer to ensure the hospitals are operating at full capacity.  I'm just surprised that after 2 years we're still fighting a resource battle. 

I think the hospital staffs could use some additional resiliency training to fight the burnout.  I know burnout is real, but its been two years... This is hopefully near the end, but there is no guarantee of that. 

I don't think it's fair to say unvaxxed patients treat the healthcare staff any worse than vaccinated.  That rings as a generalized hypothetical. I don't like blaming the unvaxed and while they contribute to the problem, so do countless other things.  The unvaxed are just a scapegoat for the current problem and it's somewhat alarming to see.

Hospital staff management can do a lot better too.  I have several family members in healthcare and plenty of their conversations over the holiday weekend were about how poor hospital management is and how people have left because of that. 

I think hospitals should work out better pay and benefits, but I don't know if that solves the problem.  What doesn't solve the problem is firing qualified workers due to their healthcare choices.  We called this when it was happening.  Now hospitals have to live with their short sighted decisions. Duke Hospital just reported yesteday that 650 healthcare workers (all fully vaccinated) were out of work yesterday due to Covid-19.  

Does Biden even have a plan or is it just to shame the unvaccinated?  

 

[KarmaPolice]

Bullcrap

Find a single post that says the vaccines were created to ONLY keep people out of the hospital.

We all knew there would be breakthrough infections, but the original design of the vaccine was to prevent infection (knowing that breakthrough infections would happen) not ONLY to prevent hospitalizations.

If what you say is true, why did the CDC and Biden all say we dont need these masks anymore in the spring? 

Part of my point of understanding science and vaccines is saying that if you do that, you don't need to care so much about what politicians say about the vaccines and masks.   

Maybe it's just my head in the sand approach to SM, but I was never under the impression that a vaccination independently would "prevent" me from getting infected.    Slow the spread of the virus, greatly reduce my chance of infection and bad symptoms, greatly reduce my chance of ending up in the hospital - sure.        Once people start using "prevent' in the absolute terms I see it being used, and then turning around and using that as the goal and saying the vax is junk because it didn't stop the virus - I start tuning out.  

 

[RCon]

I think the hospital staffs could use some additional resiliency training to fight the burnout.  I know burnout is real, but its been two years... This is hopefully near the end, but there is no guarantee of that. 

Training costs money and time.

I don't think it's fair to say unvaxxed patients treat the healthcare staff any worse than vaccinated.  That rings as a generalized hypothetical. I don't like blaming the unvaxed and while they contribute to the problem, so do countless other things.  The unvaxed are just a scapegoat for the current problem and it's somewhat alarming to see.

Hospital staff management can do a lot better too.  I have several family members in healthcare and plenty of their conversations over the holiday weekend were about how poor hospital management is and how people have left because of that. 

I freely admit that the first paragraph is anecdotal on my part, but we've heard story after story of doctors and nurses quitting because their unvaxxed patients (and families of) treated them poorly.  The second is anecdotal on yours, though.  I suspect that, like any industry, some management is great and some not so great.

I think hospitals should work out better pay and benefits, but I don't know if that solves the problem.  What doesn't solve the problem is firing qualified workers due to their healthcare choices.  We called this when it was happening.  Now hospitals have to live with their short sighted decisions. Duke Hospital just reported yesteday that 650 healthcare workers (all fully vaccinated) were out of work yesterday due to Covid-19.

Obviously, we disagree on the vaccine requirement.  I think it's irresponsible for health care workers not to vaccinate.  Obviously, it would be wildly irresponsible for hospitals to allow workers that are currently positive to come in and work.

 

[RCon]

Does Biden even have a plan or is it just to shame the unvaccinated?  

I think the administration has done a poor job on getting testing ramped up properly.  I would say the federal government has done a poor job in appropriately providing funding necessary to combat COVID, but I can't blame "the Biden administration" for that, as funding starts in Congress.

As far as shaming the unvaxxed, they should be shamed.  They should be shamed loudly and repeatedly, and by far more people than just the Biden administration.  It's shameful that Fox News and other right-leaning media aren't blaring "get vaccinated and boosted" all day every day.

 

[Snotbubbles]

Just curious, I've seen long lines for people to get tested for COVID.  Are people getting tested because they need a negative test to go back to work or are they just getting testing to see if they have COVID?  I guess I just don't understand the need for getting testing.  If you are symptomatic, treat your illness as if it's COVID (even if it may be the flu).  If you go to a hospital, even if you have COVID, they'll send you home unless you have life-threatening symptoms that require additional treatment.  The lines for testing remind me of the toilet paper shortages.

 

[RCon]

Just curious, I've seen long lines for people to get tested for COVID.  Are people getting tested because they need a negative test to go back to work or are they just getting testing to see if they have COVID?  I guess I just don't understand the need for getting testing.  If you are symptomatic, treat your illness as if it's COVID (even if it may be the flu).  If you go to a hospital, even if you have COVID, they'll send you home unless you have life-threatening symptoms that require additional treatment.  The lines for testing remind me of the toilet paper shortages.

In many cases, I would suspect it's due to known exposure and wanting a negative test to move forward with some aspect of normal life (e.g. work, school, travel, etc.).  For example, I was exposed recently, via a 35-minute car ride with someone who subsequently tested positive.  I have no symptoms at all.  I tried to get a test so I could resume my normal parenting schedule with the ex.  Wasn't able to get a test, so I'm just forgoing my days with the kids this week, out of an abundance of caution.

 

[BassNBrew]

Just curious, I've seen long lines for people to get tested for COVID.  Are people getting tested because they need a negative test to go back to work or are they just getting testing to see if they have COVID?  I guess I just don't understand the need for getting testing.  If you are symptomatic, treat your illness as if it's COVID (even if it may be the flu).  If you go to a hospital, even if you have COVID, they'll send you home unless you have life-threatening symptoms that require additional treatment.  The lines for testing remind me of the toilet paper shortages.

Covid is highly contagious.  Many people would like to know what level they need to isolate before putting others around them at risk.  Testing also let's gives you the options of notifying others you've previously been in contact with so they can make educated decisions on who they interact with.

 

[Max Power]

Training costs money and time.

I freely admit that the first paragraph is anecdotal on my part, but we've heard story after story of doctors and nurses quitting because their unvaxxed patients (and families of) treated them poorly.  The second is anecdotal on yours, though.  I suspect that, like any industry, some management is great and some not so great.

Obviously, we disagree on the vaccine requirement.  I think it's irresponsible for health care workers not to vaccinate.  Obviously, it would be wildly irresponsible for hospitals to allow workers that are currently positive to come in and work.

We've had some serious luls in hospital operation tempos.  I think they could find time to get some training.  They found time to coordinate tik tok dances. 

I'll agree it's all/mostly anecdotal. 

I think it's irresponsible for the government and hospitals to not consider natural immunity in their vaccine requirements.  Hospital workers understand this and made some decisions accordingly.  Natural immunity appears to be holding up just as well as the vaccinated immunity.  Now with Omicron, the risk-analysis of the working class moves even further away from requiring mandates.  

Hospitals right now are both bringing in the NG (vaccines not required yet) and allowing covid positive staff back in the building.  On top of that the CDC is cool with 5 days of quarantine if "symptoms are improving".  These are all things that should be absurd, but here we are justifying it. 

 

[Max Power]

I think the administration has done a poor job on getting testing ramped up properly.  I would say the federal government has done a poor job in appropriately providing funding necessary to combat COVID, but I can't blame "the Biden administration" for that, as funding starts in Congress.

As far as shaming the unvaxxed, they should be shamed.  They should be shamed loudly and repeatedly, and by far more people than just the Biden administration.  It's shameful that Fox News and other right-leaning media aren't blaring "get vaccinated and boosted" all day every day.

Hard disagree.  When we run out of the unvaxed, who do we blame next?  The overweight?  The co-morbidity groups?  people getting hurting doing recreational activities? smokers?The elderly? 

Medical ethics should look past what brought a person into the hospital. 

Shocking to see the propaganda some are picking up and running with. 

 

[Max Power]

Just curious, I've seen long lines for people to get tested for COVID.  Are people getting tested because they need a negative test to go back to work or are they just getting testing to see if they have COVID?  I guess I just don't understand the need for getting testing.  If you are symptomatic, treat your illness as if it's COVID (even if it may be the flu).  If you go to a hospital, even if you have COVID, they'll send you home unless you have life-threatening symptoms that require additional treatment.  The lines for testing remind me of the toilet paper shortages.

Travel, school and work seem to be the biggest drivers right now.  My kids school requires a negative test after any symptoms to return.  That might turn into someone taking their kid in daily for a week until they can get a negative test.  We created this beast. 

 

[BassNBrew]

. Cant believe people are actually still doing either of those. 

Yeah...some of us don't want to unknowing pass it along to 85 yo mom and speed up her exit from the planet.  Others may need inheritance sooner...ymmv.

 

[Stealthycat]

Were any of your vaxxed family members hospitalized or needed monoclonal antibodies?

they were 99.99% not going to be anyway because they were younger, healthy people 

if we did a study on how running cars on 94 octane fuel resulted in fewer breakdowns .... and took 1000 cars and ran them for months and then afterwards said hey, look ..... almost no major breakdowns !! that's great right ?

except 800 of those cars were in great mechanical shape and wasn't going to breakdown anway .... that takes all the luster out of the results doesn't it ?

 

[Max Power]

Yeah...some of us don't want to unknowing pass it along to 85 yo mom and speed up her exit from the planet.  Others may need inheritance sooner...ymmv.

I think it comes to risk reduction and management at that point. If those two people are both vaccinated and boosted and wear the top of the line masks, what does someone need the test for? 

 

[KarmaPolice]

Just curious, I've seen long lines for people to get tested for COVID.  Are people getting tested because they need a negative test to go back to work or are they just getting testing to see if they have COVID?  I guess I just don't understand the need for getting testing.  If you are symptomatic, treat your illness as if it's COVID (even if it may be the flu).  If you go to a hospital, even if you have COVID, they'll send you home unless you have life-threatening symptoms that require additional treatment.  The lines for testing remind me of the toilet paper shortages.

A variety of reasons.    If we have symptoms, we need a negative test to return to work.  Don't some jobs require the unvaccinated to be tested 1x/week?   

I know people who got tested before heading to family functions over the holidays.    My SIL who has a 4 month old asked the rest of the family to test before our gathering scheduled for next week.    

 

[Snotbubbles]

Chicago teachers union voting to go back to remote learning.  Why? 

Per the CDC, total COVID deaths in people age 0-17 (since 2019): 655

This is not a deadly virus for children.  This is a virus that attacks people over the age of 50.  The last flu season in 2019 there were 486 deaths in the 0-17 age group (ONE FLU SEASON!).  There were more suicides in this age group than COVID deaths in 2020 and 2021.  The mental health and development of our children is being jeopardized so a bunch of adults can feel safe. 

C'mon man.    

 

[Stealthycat]

Maryland hospitals are bursting at the seams.  The ERs are clogged and there's no place for many inpatients to go which leaves many folks waiting for beds in the ERs.

79.68% of Maryland’s population* is at least partially vaccinated, 70.65% is considered fully vaccinated

How is it possible that Maryland has a problem ? 

In the highest vaccination rate areas so too is the highest cases/deaths of covid

https://www.baltimoresun.com/coronavirus/bs-md-coronavirus-cases-statewide-maryland-20200726-rk7n7qam4fd33ka7zvrxv3xybe-htmlstory.html

 

[Snotbubbles]

A variety of reasons.    If we have symptoms, we need a negative test to return to work.  Don't some jobs require the unvaccinated to be tested 1x/week?   

I know people who got tested before heading to family functions over the holidays.    My SIL who has a 4 month old asked the rest of the family to test before our gathering scheduled for next week.    

So poor work regulations, improper funding from our government and scared people who don't understand the science are causing a testing hysteria.  So glad getting vaccinated has allowed me to return to my normal life.  Well at least I can make fun of the unvaxxed and blame them.  

 

[BassNBrew]

I think it comes to risk reduction and management at that point. If those two people are both vaccinated and boosted and wear the top of the line masks, what does someone need the test for? 

I agree it's about risk management. When it comes to momma, I'm not relying on a vax and masks I can't find before I sit in a car with her.

 

[Max Power]

Chicago teachers union voting to go back to remote learning.  Why? 

Per the CDC, total COVID deaths in people age 0-17 (since 2019): 655

This is not a deadly virus for children.  This is a virus that attacks people over the age of 50.  The last flu season in 2019 there were 486 deaths in the 0-17 age group (ONE FLU SEASON!).  There were more suicides in this age group than COVID deaths in 2020 and 2021.  The mental health and development of our children is being jeopardized so a bunch of adults can feel safe. 

C'mon man.    

There is no hope for Chicago.  Kids are more likely to be shot than die of covid there, but priorities... 

 

[jobarules]

Chicago teachers union voting to go back to remote learning.  Why? 

Per the CDC, total COVID deaths in people age 0-17 (since 2019): 655

This is not a deadly virus for children.  This is a virus that attacks people over the age of 50.  The last flu season in 2019 there were 486 deaths in the 0-17 age group (ONE FLU SEASON!).  There were more suicides in this age group than COVID deaths in 2020 and 2021.  The mental health and development of our children is being jeopardized so a bunch of adults can feel safe. 

C'mon man.    

I am guessing a ton of teachers are out sick

 

[SoBeDad]

I don't have a good answer to ensure the hospitals are operating at full capacity.  I'm just surprised that after 2 years we're still fighting a resource battle. 

I think the hospital staffs could use some additional resiliency training to fight the burnout.  I know burnout is real, but its been two years... This is hopefully near the end, but there is no guarantee of that. 

I don't think it's fair to say unvaxxed patients treat the healthcare staff any worse than vaccinated.  That rings as a generalized hypothetical. I don't like blaming the unvaxed and while they contribute to the problem, so do countless other things.  The unvaxed are just a scapegoat for the current problem and it's somewhat alarming to see.

Hospital staff management can do a lot better too.  I have several family members in healthcare and plenty of their conversations over the holiday weekend were about how poor hospital management is and how people have left because of that. 

I think hospitals should work out better pay and benefits, but I don't know if that solves the problem.  What doesn't solve the problem is firing qualified workers due to their healthcare choices.  We called this when it was happening.  Now hospitals have to live with their short sighted decisions. Duke Hospital just reported yesteday that 650 healthcare workers (all fully vaccinated) were out of work yesterday due to Covid-19.  

Does Biden even have a plan or is it just to shame the unvaccinated?  

Mandates increased the vaxxed rate greatly among staff at hospitals in South Florida and elsewhere. How many of them got sick due to the vaccine? Flu vaxxing is also mandatory, with limited exceptions. 

Yes, shame the unvaxxed because they're over 80% of those with Covid in most hospitals, over 90% of those in ICUs, and nearly 100% of those on ventilators.

 

[tonydead]

Yeah...some of us don't want to unknowing pass it along to 85 yo mom and speed up her exit from the planet.  Others may need inheritance sooner...ymmv.

You shouldnt be relying on other peoples negative tests to protect her.  She deserves better than that.  IMO. 

 

[jobarules]

Mandates increased the vaxxed rate greatly among staff at hospitals in South Florida and elsewhere. How many of them got sick due to the vaccine? Flu vaxxing is also mandatory, with limited exceptions. 

Yes, shame the unvaxxed because they're over 80% of those with Covid in most hospitals, over 90% of those in ICUs, and nearly 100% of those on ventilators.

Is flu shot mandatory or get fired? I always thought it was flu shot or mask up.

 

[Wildcat]

Our school started back up (in-person) today following the Christmas break.  Mask are optional (strongly encouraged), which I prefer (both our kids are vaxxed).  I can see the effect of wearing a mask has had on our youngest.  He is 7 and has never known school without a mask.  He actually wanted to wear his mask today - he was nervous and anxious about not wearing it - not because of the virus - he's just always worn it at school and that's what is normal/comfortable.  We aren't going to force him either way.  I'm sure it is something he will get over, but I'm curious if there will be any long-term effects of this on him.  

 

[IvanKaramazov]

Our school started back up (in-person) today following the Christmas break.  Mask are optional (strongly encouraged), which I prefer (both our kids are vaxxed).  I can see the effect of wearing a mask has had on our youngest.  He is 7 and has never known school without a mask.  He actually wanted to wear his mask today - he was nervous and anxious about not wearing it - not because of the virus - he's just always worn it at school and that's what is normal/comfortable.  We aren't going to force him either way.  I'm sure it is something he will get over, but I'm curious if there will be any long-term effects of this on him.  

This seems normal to me.  I'm a grown adult, and I thought it felt weird to go to the grocery store without a mask the first couple of times.  I'm sure he'll readjust.

 

[SoBeDad]

they were 99.99% not going to be anyway because they were younger, healthy people 

if we did a study on how running cars on 94 octane fuel resulted in fewer breakdowns .... and took 1000 cars and ran them for months and then afterwards said hey, look ..... almost no major breakdowns !! that's great right ?

except 800 of those cars were in great mechanical shape and wasn't going to breakdown anway .... that takes all the luster out of the results doesn't it ?

If lower octane fuel caused a major logjam in car repairs for everyone, and the cost of low and high octane fuel were the same, do you think people would switch to high octane fuel? High octane vaccines are free and they're reducing health care costs dramatically. 

 

[BassNBrew]

You shouldnt be relying on other peoples negative tests to protect her.  She deserves better than that.  IMO. 

Risk managemeent.  My personal decision that if I'm around someone who was positive or I'm positive, I'm going to refrain from riding in a car with momma.  It's a tool in the tool box.  Someone asked why would you test, so I answered.  It may not be a useful tool for you and that''s cool too.

 

[Godsbrother]

I've been tested 4 times in the past 6 months due to exposure to people that had Covid.   All 4 times the process for testing has gotten better although the last time I was tested (12/30), I got the results in 72 hours instead of within 24 hours like the first three times.

I know that it is not the case for everywhere but the testing facility that I have been going to has it down pretty good, despite a huge surge in people getting tested.

 

[KarmaPolice]

So poor work regulations, improper funding from our government and scared people who don't understand the science are causing a testing hysteria.  So glad getting vaccinated has allowed me to return to my normal life.  Well at least I can make fun of the unvaxxed and blame them.  

Gotcha, you weren't really asking a question.  

 

[SoBeDad]

Is flu shot mandatory or get fired? I always thought it was flu shot or mask up.

Where I work, the flu vaccine is "mandatory". Which means only 2 exceptions. Documented history of vaccine-associated life-threatening reaction like Guillain-Barre; or religious exception that requires a meeting with the head of HR. This is for all employees, even financial and other behind the scenes. A few years ago, I think enforcement may have been lax. Not anymore.

 

[tonydead]

Risk managemeent.  My personal decision that if I'm around someone who was positive or I'm positive, I'm going to refrain from riding in a car with momma.  It's a tool in the tool box.  Someone asked why would you test, so I answered.  It may not be a useful tool for you and that''s cool too.

Right, I get that.  I just find it hard to believe all these people are testing everyday to find out if Omicron is currently passing through their system or not.

 

[Desert_Power]

 This should have been done 9+ months ago.

And 22 months ago.

 

[Stealthycat]

If lower octane fuel caused a major logjam in car repairs for everyone, and the cost of low and high octane fuel were the same, do you think people would switch to high octane fuel? High octane vaccines are free and they're reducing health care costs dramatically. 

but its not - those cars were not going in for repairs anyway

the fuel wasn't the reason - the cars simply were in good shape 

 

[Snotbubbles]

I am guessing a ton of teachers are out sick

Well with the new CDC rules they should only be out for 5 days.  We'll see if they are back to in-person learning next week.

 

[tonydead]

As soon as Biden get's that website up and running where you can request free at home test kits I'll be ordering as much as I can.   I'll keep them handy for when they run out and will sell them to all you guys that think testing everyday is going to help.  Maybe in time for next Christmas?

 

[Snotbubbles]

Gotcha, you weren't really asking a question.  

I was.  I haven't stood in line for testing, my wife works at a hospital so I know their regulations on treating covid, but I wanted to see why a person would stand in line to get a covid test when they are not symptomatic.  Heck even if they were symptomatic, why stand in a line?  I you have severe symptoms, go to the hospital and get treated, otherwise, treat your symptoms like you have covid.  Instead, hysteria is causing people to act irrationally.  

 

[Snotbubbles]

As soon as Biden get's that website up and running where you can request free at home test kits I'll be ordering as much as I can.   I'll keep them handy for when they run out and will sell them to all you guys that think testing everyday it going to help.  Maybe in time for next Christmas?

Profit.  LOL.

 

[jobarules]

I was.  I haven't stood in line for testing, my wife works at a hospital so I know their regulations on treating covid, but I wanted to see why a person would stand in line to get a covid test when they are not symptomatic.  Heck even if they were symptomatic, why stand in a line?  I you have severe symptoms, go to the hospital and get treated, otherwise, treat your symptoms like you have covid.  Instead, hysteria is causing people to act irrationally.  

My brother and his wife both were close contacts and wanted to get out of work so they waited on line to get tested. Both asymptomatic positive and a nice week off for them.

 

[Insein]

Been feeling under the weather since last Friday. Low grade fever. Slight body aches. Gastro issues. Took a Covid home tests just to check and come up negative. Figure it's just the flu. Still lingering though. 

I'm still working. Still going about my normal life. Just feel funky. Not debilitating but annoying. 

 

[Stealthycat]

but I wanted to see why a person would stand in line to get a covid test when they are not symptomatic.

you answered it

hysteria is causing people to act irrationally.  

 

[Grace Under Pressure]

I don't have a good answer to ensure the hospitals are operating at full capacity.  I'm just surprised that after 2 years we're still fighting a resource battle. 

I think the hospital staffs could use some additional resiliency training to fight the burnout.  I know burnout is real, but its been two years... This is hopefully near the end, but there is no guarantee of that. 

I don't think it's fair to say unvaxxed patients treat the healthcare staff any worse than vaccinated.  That rings as a generalized hypothetical. I don't like blaming the unvaxed and while they contribute to the problem, so do countless other things.  The unvaxed are just a scapegoat for the current problem and it's somewhat alarming to see.

Hospital staff management can do a lot better too.  I have several family members in healthcare and plenty of their conversations over the holiday weekend were about how poor hospital management is and how people have left because of that. 

I think hospitals should work out better pay and benefits, but I don't know if that solves the problem.  What doesn't solve the problem is firing qualified workers due to their healthcare choices.  We called this when it was happening.  Now hospitals have to live with their short sighted decisions. Duke Hospital just reported yesteday that 650 healthcare workers (all fully vaccinated) were out of work yesterday due to Covid-19.  

Does Biden even have a plan or is it just to shame the unvaccinated?  

Re: Hospitals. Many of us have realized for a while that hospital capacity, i.e. staffed beds, is the critical metric to measure how the pandemic is going and what response is needed at the time. As a result I've been monitoring hospital capacity in my region and county on a pretty frequent basis. NY State does a decent job providing data, they make available a spreadsheet that has total staffed beds available and used, total ICU beds available and used, intubated patients, as well as new admissions and discharges.

In my region and county, do you want to take a guess at how many staffed beds were added in the past 2 years? Zero. No capacity added. None. During a pandemic.

I'm sorry, but these hospital administrations need to be taken to task. The model of having actuaries/accountants projecting the number of beds needed and then staffing exactly to that projection with a razor thin cushion built-in in order to maximize profit needs to be revisited during a freaking pandemic. The entire for-profit, private health insurance tied to employment system needs to be revisited, but in the short term we shouldn't be accepting of this model for hospitals.

"The hospitals are being overrun!" Really? 2 years in to this, nothing done to address hospital capacity, and that's what we should accept? The healthcare workers staffing these hospitals deserve better.

 

[The Commish]

I wanted to see why a person would stand in line to get a covid test when they are not symptomatic.

Various threads have answered this questions extensively, but I'll give you my personal reason.  Over Christmas we had a kidney transplant patient coming to our house as well as a person in kidney failure coming to stay at our house.  Four of us are fully vaccinated and one not eligible.  Two of us with the boosters.  The other two not old enough.  My wife and I thought it important to try and do whatever was necessary to keep those two patients safe so we got tested three times during the week prior to their showing up and after the third test, only my wife or myself left the house if necessary.  Fortunately, we didn't have to stand in line as we could just go to our Walgreens and get tested plus we had a few "at home" tests also.  However, had that not been an option, we most certainly would have gone and stood in line for those reasons listed above.

 

[djmich]

Yale

Some of these college policies on covid seem insane...

 

[tonydead]

Various threads have answered this questions extensively, but I'll give you my personal reason.  Over Christmas we had a kidney transplant patient coming to our house as well as a person in kidney failure coming to stay at our house.  Four of us are fully vaccinated and one not eligible.  Two of us with the boosters.  The other two not old enough.  My wife and I thought it important to try and do whatever was necessary to keep those two patients safe so we got tested three times during the week prior to their showing up and after the third test, only my wife or myself left the house if necessary.  Fortunately, we didn't have to stand in line as we could just go to our Walgreens and get tested plus we had a few "at home" tests also.  However, had that not been an option, we most certainly would have gone and stood in line for those reasons listed above.

Right, other than all the extra tests you used up, I can't imagine that after the holidays everyone in the line of cars a mile long outside the free testing site I drove by yesterday had that valid of a reason.  I think it's more likely sheeple that have been scared into fear that probably could have been handled better by this Admin. 

 

[tonydead]

Profit.  LOL.

Covid tests are going to be like the PlayStation.  A year later and you still can't find one for retail.  Supply chain issues and all that.  Biden will probably order them from CHINA.  

 

[Sammy3469]

Re: Hospitals. Many of us have realized for a while that hospital capacity, i.e. staffed beds, is the critical metric to measure how the pandemic is going and what response is needed at the time. As a result I've been monitoring hospital capacity in my region and county on a pretty frequent basis. NY State does a decent job providing data, they make available a spreadsheet that has total staffed beds available and used, total ICU beds available and used, intubated patients, as well as new admissions and discharges.

In my region and county, do you want to take a guess at how many staffed beds were added in the past 2 years? Zero. No capacity added. None. During a pandemic.

I'm sorry, but these hospital administrations need to be taken to task. The model of having actuaries/accountants projecting the number of beds needed and then staffing exactly to that projection with a razor thin cushion built-in in order to maximize profit needs to be revisited during a freaking pandemic. The entire for-profit, private health insurance tied to employment system needs to be revisited, but in the short term we shouldn't be accepting of this model for hospitals.

"The hospitals are being overrun!" Really? 2 years in to this, nothing done to address hospital capacity, and that's what we should accept? The healthcare workers staffing these hospitals deserve better.

While I agree in theory, who is going to pay for that extra capacity to just sit there when not in use?  That's the rub in all this with free market healthcare.  It's also why I don't really care (and maybe this is someone with COVID talking after being vaxxed and boosted) about the problem at this point besides for hospitals not having capacity for normal procedures.  The capacity issue was solved with the vaccine/boosters.  If people aren't willing to take them, well that's on them at this point.  

 

[IvanKaramazov]

Yale

Some of these college policies on covid seem insane...

It's worth noting that the schools doing stuff like this are the Ivies and other uber-elite institutions like Stanford.  Those are schools where students will stick with them through hell or high water because that credential is really important.  

You'll notice that the overwhelming majority of schools -- all of which shut down on or around spring break 2020 -- are open for in-person business.  A bunch of our students would transfer tomorrow if we announced a return to remote instruction, and the ones who stayed would be complaining (rightly) about us pulling a bait-and-switch.  The idea that we could tell our students not to eat outdoors or whatever is just a total non-starter.  That's unenforceable and would just get completely ignored and laughed at.  

 

[BassNBrew]

Right, other than all the extra tests you used up, I can't imagine that after the holidays everyone in the line of cars a mile long outside the free testing site I drove by yesterday had that valid of a reason.  I think it's more likely sheeple that have been scared into fear that probably could have been handled better by this Admin. 

Actually finding out if you have Covid or the flu can be important.  With the flu you can take Tamiflu and reduce your suffering.  Of course one is significantly more contagious than the other.  I don't understand calling people sheeple or hysterical for wanting to test done to diagnosis a medical condition.  

 

[Snotbubbles]

Re: Hospitals. Many of us have realized for a while that hospital capacity, i.e. staffed beds, is the critical metric to measure how the pandemic is going and what response is needed at the time. As a result I've been monitoring hospital capacity in my region and county on a pretty frequent basis. NY State does a decent job providing data, they make available a spreadsheet that has total staffed beds available and used, total ICU beds available and used, intubated patients, as well as new admissions and discharges.

In my region and county, do you want to take a guess at how many staffed beds were added in the past 2 years? Zero. No capacity added. None. During a pandemic.

I'm sorry, but these hospital administrations need to be taken to task. The model of having actuaries/accountants projecting the number of beds needed and then staffing exactly to that projection with a razor thin cushion built-in in order to maximize profit needs to be revisited during a freaking pandemic. The entire for-profit, private health insurance tied to employment system needs to be revisited, but in the short term we shouldn't be accepting of this model for hospitals.

"The hospitals are being overrun!" Really? 2 years in to this, nothing done to address hospital capacity, and that's what we should accept? The healthcare workers staffing these hospitals deserve better.

Good luck trying to staff a hospital.  There isn't a glut of nurses out of work looking for a new employer.  Nurses make more money doing contract work.  So you're better off taking a 2-3 month contract assignment working at hospital X than you are working 6 months as an employee at hospital X.  I've heard of nurses making $25,000 for a 4 week assignment.  If you do travel work they even pay for your housing.  The typical hospital response to this is to offer $25,000 sign-on bonuses to new hires and $0 retention bonuses (or increases in pay) to current employees.  So the current employees quit and go do contract work making more money.  Hospital X is now left trying to train both new hires and contract nurses which leads to poorer patient care which is not good during a pandemic.  

 

[Doug B]

I just find it hard to believe all these people are testing everyday to find out if Omicron is currently passing through their system or not.

Where did the bolded come from?