Some interesting news re: vaccination, mandates, etc. I'm just gonna leave some stuff here. Not intending to rile up the usual suspects, although I am expecting that, but rather take stock on some of the issues of the thread.
Why not start with the CDC? If you believe in science, these are people you should take advice from.
https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/volumes/71/wr/mm7104e3.htmFrom the summary: "During both Delta- and Omicron-predominant periods, receipt of a third vaccine dose was highly effective at preventing COVID-19–associated emergency department and urgent care encounters (94% and 82%, respectively) and preventing COVID-19–associated hospitalizations (94% and 90%, respectively)."
The US death toll has reached 900,000:
https://www.nytimes.com/2022/02/04/us/us-covid-deaths.htmlI remember a time not so long ago that people were saying it's no big deal, the flu kills people too. Hm. This is about one out of every 365 people in the USA (and no, you don't double it because it's been over two years, unless, of course, you think the population of the USA doubles every year. Population growth in the US is below .5% (which is far below replacement rate), and has been declining since Covid (2020 was around .35%)).
And, among developed nations, the US is the worst:
https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2022/02/01/science/covid-deaths-united-states.html?name=styln-coronavirus®ion=TOP_BANNER&block=storyline_menu_recirc&action=click&pgtype=Article&variant=0_Control&is_new=falseJoe Rogan was once described to me as the "Oprah for middle-aged white males," which is just funny. Spotify, of course, has too much invested to do anything about him despite the boycotts by Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young (together again!) among others. Trevor Noah has a good take (although I think he's a little soft on Rogan):
A doctor in Pennsylvania was fired for prescribing ivermectin and hydroxychloroquine. Neither are approved for treating Covid, neither have been shown to help (and I know, there are some people here who think they work).
https://www.nytimes.com/2022/02/04/us/pennsylvania-doctor-ivermectin-fired.html. I have taken hydroxychloroquine several times -- I have had malaria four times and work in malarial areas, so I sometimes take it as a prophylactic -- and I wouldn't recommend it if it wasn't necessary. Bigger doses to cure malaria are almost worse than the malaria, and smaller doses can lead to some trippy dreams. I'm lucky I didn't have worse side effects, but some people do.
But the bigger issue is, of course, medical practitioners prescribing potentially harmful drugs that are not shown to affect the illness they are being prescribed for. I'm just curious where the information that they could help originated. I know where they have been amplified, and I know there are some "fringe" and maybe not-so-fringe medical professionals claiming they will help, but what about medical studies and peer-reviewed articles?
And in the UK, where I was, old Boris is being raked over the coals for telling people not to party, then partying himself, then lying about it to Parliament -- a dismissable offense. Will he survive?
I had to take several tests to travel: to get into the USA, to get into the UK, after two days in the UK, and to get back into the USA. The UK is now lifting restrictions, but I believe unvaccinated travellers will still have to quarantine. But I believe that rapid testing may just become commonplace.
The science on mask wearing is, as expected, developing over time -- a chief complaint of some critics. But it is showing the critics to be wrong, unfortunately, as masks are being proven to be efective at preventing the spread of Covid at both the source and for "wearer protection":
https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/science/science-briefs/masking-science-sars-cov2.html.
Everyone is sick of this 5hit, but Covid is still around. Being aware of how it is transmitted, prevented, and cured and taking the necessary precautions seems to me a good way to reduce its impact.
