OT: Coronavirus 4 - or is that thread 2.75?

[surfzone365]

I know a lot of folks are struggling to accept this, but in the wealthy countries, the pandemic is over and the endemic has begun. Preventative measures have long since reached the point of diminishing returns, and for the vaccinated, the risk of dying from COVID is now less than the risk of dying from a drive across town (unless you're 80+, mask up around your elders if in doubt).

I'm still fine with places that ask people to mask, and I'm also fine with places that don't ask people to mask. Personally, I mostly wear a mask now, because it's habit and I find it has other benefits. Either way, I'm doing my best to get back to regular life, and to be kind, because everyone has been through a lot of shit over these past two years.

Well said. I just survived a white-knuckle day-before-Thanksgiving trip down I-95 so I feel ready for most anything now

I still wear my mask is certain settings but I have adapted a hybrid approach as well depending on where I’m at. For my anti -mask friends I humor them by telling them they only have to see part of my ugly mug and don’t have to smell my beer breath.

I’m fine with most any scenario now as long as people are cool with each other and respect personal decisions. It’s a balance between being safe and living your life without fear.

On a cool note, when I got to the Durham area I saw a Canes billboard with Aho on it. As a Caniac coming from Caps country this was a friendly sight. Bottoms up to that!

 

[LakeLivin]

I'm an idiot. Actually got my 2nd Moderna shot end of March (I thought it was end of April) and then for some reason thought the 6 months + wouldn't be until December. I think it might be because I got the shingles follow up last December and that was sticking in my mind.

Shingles 2nd dose really knocked me on my ass for a day; 104 deg fever, chills, sweats, almost passed out when I tried to make it to the kitchen. Moderna 2nd dose not quite as bad, another high fever that kept me in bed for a day, but passed with no follow on effects after 24 hours or so. I'll probably head in on Friday afternoon for my booster with plans to spend Saturday in bed if needed.

On a positive note, got my flu shot at the same time as I got my tetanus booster a month ago with no problems at all.

 

[Surrounded By Ahos]

I know a lot of folks are struggling to accept this, but in the wealthy countries, the pandemic is over and the endemic has begun. Preventative measures have long since reached the point of diminishing returns, and for the vaccinated, the risk of dying from COVID is now less than the risk of dying from a drive across town (unless you're 80+, mask up around your elders if in doubt).

I'm still fine with places that ask people to mask, and I'm also fine with places that don't ask people to mask. Personally, I mostly wear a mask now, because it's habit and I find it has other benefits. Either way, I'm doing my best to get back to regular life, and to be kind, because everyone has been through a lot of shit over these past two years.

Yeah, I pretty much always wear a mask when I'm going out as a matter of habit, and it's easier to just wear one than have to worry about whether on not a specific store requires people to wear masks.


I also recently started working at Costco, and I'm much more worried by the maniacs in the parking lot than I am the members inside who aren't masked up. Of course, there may be some overlap there.

 

[Anton Dubinchuk]

I no longer bring a mask unless I know for certain ahead of time that it will be required (airport/flight, Disney World, etc.)

My stance is that at this point, if an individual store or business is passionate enough to require a mask, they can certainly provide me a disposable one. I'm never going to stomp my feet and end up on some viral TikTok or anything, and if they prefer me to leave I will happily leave (it is their right), but at this point I'm not proactively bringing a mask to do errands. I've found in most if not all standard cases, even places that say they require a mask on the door are not enforcing it, and I'm rarely alone in not wearing one.

 

[LakeLivin]

I know a lot of folks are struggling to accept this, but in the wealthy countries, the pandemic is over and the endemic has begun. Preventative measures have long since reached the point of diminishing returns, and for the vaccinated, the risk of dying from COVID is now less than the risk of dying from a drive across town (unless you're 80+, mask up around your elders if in doubt).

I'm still fine with places that ask people to mask, and I'm also fine with places that don't ask people to mask. Personally, I mostly wear a mask now, because it's habit and I find it has other benefits. Either way, I'm doing my best to get back to regular life, and to be kind, because everyone has been through a lot of shit over these past two years.

I guess my main concern would be not just the unvaccinated (at some point they're responsible for their decisions, sad as it may be), but the as yet "unboostered" (given delta) as well as the immunocompromised people in our society. Until covid hit I wasn't aware of the proportion of our population who have some health issue ( heart disease, obesity, diabetes, or just old age, etc.) . I believe it's close to 50% of the adult population, ffs. And I keep hearing that although deaths are way down, certain portions of our health care system are still overly stressed, so until that eases up I'm fine with active preventative measures.

Given that I'm vaccinated I'm pretty tolerant of the anti-maskers as well, but I just don't understand the degree to which some people take it. At our HOA meeting in Sept, as president I asked attendees to wear a mask because 1 neighbor has stage 3 (or 4?) brain cancer, another is a breast cancer patient, and another is 79 years old. Only 7 attendees (small neighborhood), and it was on a screened in porch, but four of the seven showed up without masks, including the woman with metastasized cancer.

 

[Navin R Slavin]

I guess my main concern would be not just the unvaccinated (at some point they're responsible for their decisions, sad as it may be), but the as yet "unboostered" (given delta) as well as the immunocompromised people in our society. Until covid hit I wasn't aware of the proportion of our population who have some health issue ( heart disease, obesity, diabetes, or just old age, etc.) . I believe it's close to 50% of the adult population, ffs. And I keep hearing that although deaths are way down, certain portions of our health care system are still overly stressed, so until that eases up I'm fine with active preventative measures.

Given that I'm vaccinated I'm pretty tolerant of the anti-maskers as well, but I just don't understand the degree to which some people take it. At our HOA meeting in Sept, as president I asked attendees to wear a mask because 1 neighbor has stage 3 (or 4?) brain cancer, another is a breast cancer patient, and another is 79 years old. Only 7 attendees (small neighborhood), and it was on a screened in porch, but four of the seven showed up without masks, including the woman with metastasized cancer.

The bottom line is, you can't make people give a shit. You can only choose to associate with people who do give a shit.

 

[Boom Boom Apathy]

My stance is that at this point, if an individual store or business is passionate enough to require a mask, they can certainly provide me a disposable one.

I treat “no shoes, no shirt, no service” the same way. If a business is passionate enough to require those, they certainly can provide me with them.

 

[Anton Dubinchuk]

I treat “no shoes, no shirt, no service” the same way. If a business is passionate enough to require those, they certainly can provide me with them.

Yes, or (more often) they can ask you to leave. This is consistent with my stance!

(But really, your comparison only works logically if you are personally ready to accept a mask as fundamental to being considered "fully clothed" within our society on an ongoing basis. If not, then as we reach endemic stages, the question of masking is still very much different from basic social requirements of wearing clothing.)

 

[surfzone365]

The bottom line is, you can't make people give a shit. You can only choose to associate with people who do give a shit.

Quote of the season

 

[skipnjump]

How did your booster side effects compare with your 2nd dose side effects?

While not the person you were asking, I wanted to share my experience with the Pfizer booster. I had no issues at all. My arm wasn't very sore at all. My experiences with the previous two shots were fine as well. Though I had more arm pain with the 2nd shot.

 

[Navin R Slavin]

Yes, or (more often) they can ask you to leave. This is consistent with my stance!

(But really, your comparison only works logically if you are personally ready to accept a mask as fundamental to being considered "fully clothed" within our society on an ongoing basis. If not, then as we reach endemic stages, the question of masking is still very much different from basic social requirements of wearing clothing.)

Not if you're Japanese. If you're sick, you wear a mask. It is a bedrock social expectation. It's not inconceivable that we could end up in a similar place in some parts of the country. Which I'd be okay with.

 

[Boom Boom Apathy]

Yes, or (more often) they can ask you to leave.

(But really, your comparison only works logically if you are personally ready to accept a mask as fundamental to being considered "fully clothed" within our society on an ongoing basis. If not, then as we reach endemic stages, the question of masking is still very much different from basic social requirements.)

The comparison works because businesses make requirements on people all the time. You can't come in without shoes. You must wear a collar shirt. You must wear a tie. No ripped jeans. etc.. etc.. Of course people have a right to either comply or go somewhere else and the business has a right to serve you or not.

I personally don't think it's very hard to keep a mask or two with you just in case. I've had a stash of disposable masks in my vehicle for ages now. I usually wear one anyway, but not always if a business doesn't require it. If a business requires one, I have one at the ready as I feel it's incumbent upon me to meet the requirements of a business if I choose to go into that business.

Just think it's an odd stance to say that if the business is passionate about it, they should provide you one.

Not a big deal though.

 

[the halleJOKEL]

Not if you're Japanese. If you're sick, you wear a mask. It is a bedrock social expectation. It's not inconceivable that we could end up in a similar place in some parts of the country. Which I'd be okay with.

can we please? i've really enjoyed not getting random colds every other month from sick coworkers

 

[Boom Boom Apathy]

Not if you're Japanese. If you're sick, you wear a mask. It is a bedrock social expectation. It's not inconceivable that we could end up in a similar place in some parts of the country. Which I'd be okay with.

Yep, I used to go to Tokyo twice a year on business and it was indeed very common, even 10 years ago.

 

[Anton Dubinchuk]

Not if you're Japanese. If you're sick, you wear a mask. It is a bedrock social expectation. It's not inconceivable that we could end up in a similar place in some parts of the country. Which I'd be okay with.

This could very well be the case, and I think I'd be ok with it too. Still very different than blanket mask requirements. (Which, again, were appropriate for a time and still may be in certain situations. My entire point is just that my personal stance now is not to come proactively prepared with a mask unless a very clear expectation has been set that I need one.)

 

[Anton Dubinchuk]

The comparison works because businesses make requirements on people all the time. You can't come in without shoes. You must wear a collar shirt. You must wear a tie. No ripped jeans. etc.. etc.. Of course people have a right to either comply or go somewhere else and the business has a right to serve you or not.

I personally don't think it's very hard to keep a mask or two with you just in case. I've had a stash of disposable masks in my vehicle for ages now. I usually wear one anyway, but not always if a business doesn't require it. If a business requires one, I have one at the ready as I feel it's incumbent upon me to meet the requirements of a business if I choose to go into that business.

Just think it's an odd stance to say that if the business is passionate about it, they should provide you one.

Not a big deal though.

Agreed it's not a big deal, and that's why I'm not stomping my feet about it. I just don't think that a mask has reached the level of shirt or shoes as a minimum level of dress in our society. Do you keep a collared shirt in your glove box in case you happen upon a store that requires one? Probably not. In fact a collared shirt probably is a decent comparison for how I view a mask now. Same with a tie. In all of those cases, those are typically things that have been appropriately communicated in advance (say, dress code for work or church, a fancy restaurant, etc.), which is consistent with what I said about wearing a mask when I know one will be required (e.g. airport). But if I go to a different Home Depot than usual to pick up some hardware, and I get there and find that there's a mandatory mask policy, I'm at the point where I'm treating that like a collared shirt policy, i.e. something that I shouldn't have to have come prepared for to go into a Home Depot.

(In reality, 98% of places around here don't require masks anymore, so I'm not actually being particularly rebellious and that ratio is part of the reason I don't really carry one around. A couple of weeks ago I went to Kohl's because they have an Amazon returns drop-off, and out of the blue they still had a mandatory mask policy. I went on in instead of driving all the way home to get a mask, and found I was not remotely the only one not wearing a mask.)

 

[Navin R Slavin]

Yep, I used to go to Tokyo twice a year on business and it was indeed very common, even 10 years ago.

Dude, it's even in the videogames. I've played a lot of the Yakuza series, and like 1 out of every 4 NPCs I come across is wearing a mask, including the goons I beat down. They may be goons, but they're not monsters!

 

[Navin R Slavin]

This could very well be the case, and I think I'd be ok with it too. Still very different than blanket mask requirements. (Which, again, were appropriate for a time and still may be in certain situations. My entire point is just that my personal stance now is not to come proactively prepared with a mask unless a very clear expectation has been set that I need one.)

This is a rational argument. I disagree with it. Hooray adults!

 

[Boom Boom Apathy]

(In reality, 98% of places around here don't require masks anymore, so I'm not actually being particularly rebellious and that ratio is part of the reason I don't really carry one around. A couple of weeks ago I went to Kohl's because they have an Amazon returns drop-off, and out of the blue they still had a mandatory mask policy. I went on in instead of driving all the way home to get a mask, and found I was not remotely the only one not wearing a mask.)

That's true that it's location dependent. Here in Durham most places still require a mask. Where our farm is, probably 70+% still required it when we were up there, so I "expect" that most places would have that requirement. If 98% of places where you are don't, that's a bit different.

I still disagree with the premise that if a business requires it, they should provide you with it though. It's not like a business requiring a mask right now is some novelty, even if most places where you live don't. For me, it's not very hard to have a stash of disposable ones in your vehicle just in case and I feel the right thing to do is to have one just in case, rather than state that the business should provide one. To each their own though.

By the way, when I was traveling for business a lot, I DID keep a collared shirt and tie in my car at all times, for the times when I might need it.

 

[surfzone365]

There are pathogens in your 11 PM Taco Bell garbage burrito that give ‘rona a run for its money (with a special emphasis on “run”)

 

[LakeLivin]

There are pathogens in your 11 PM Taco Bell garbage burrito that give ‘rona a run for its money (with a special emphasis on “run”)

Surf, while I appreciate the attempt at humor, this is one of the very few times I'd seriously say "too soon" (imo, of course).

 

[Lempo]

Dude, it's even in the videogames. I've played a lot of the Yakuza series, and like 1 out of every 4 NPCs I come across is wearing a mask, including the goons I beat down. They may be goons, but they're not monsters!

That Sub-Zero guy was a stand-out before it was mainstream.

 

[Anton Dubinchuk]

That's true that it's location dependent. Here in Durham most places still require a mask. Where our farm is, probably 70+% still required it when we were up there, so I "expect" that most places would have that requirement. If 98% of places where you are don't, that's a bit different.

I still disagree with the premise that if a business requires it, they should provide you with it though. It's not like a business requiring a mask right now is some novelty, even if most places where you live don't. For me, it's not very hard to have a stash of disposable ones in your vehicle just in case and I feel the right thing to do is to have one just in case, rather than state that the business should provide one. To each their own though.

By the way, when I was traveling for business a lot, I DID keep a collared shirt and tie in my car at all times, for the times when I might need it.

Ha - I didn’t realize that. Yeah, if 50% or more businesses were still requiring them, my stance probably would be seen as a lot more aggressive (or at least willfully ignorant of the amount of places you’ll need a mask). With only a few exceptions (that Kohl’s one being the only one I’ve seen in weeks), at most a business will have a nominal sign that says “masks required if not vaccinated”, but most have nothing at this point.

 

[Anton Dubinchuk]

There are pathogens in your 11 PM Taco Bell garbage burrito that give ‘rona a run for its money (with a special emphasis on “run”)

This was actually more or less part of my decision-making regarding getting the vaccine when it first came out.

Sure, the trials were quicker than usual, etc., but I can’t really justify the whole “not putting anything I don’t understand into my body” thing when I manage to make my way through the full Taco Bell menu a few times a year.

 

[The Stranger]

Here is a study on mask efficacy at preventing aerosol pass-through.