Coronavirus IV

Covid hospitalizations in Illinois are up 39% since December 1. The unvaccinated crowd are winning.

Total positive cases started to go up on Nov 4.  Given the history of what we have seen when we have spikes, I would say we are 4 or 5 weeks into the 8-week increase we have seen in the past, and we will see another in Feb/March, that won't be as high as this one.   The same thing happened last year we are just a few weeks later than last year's spike.  It goes up for 8 weeks then it comes down for 8 weeks.  Although our cases right now are higher than the last spike we are doing a lot more testing.  

To put it in perspective, last year we had 10,000 cases a day with about 95,000 tests a day while right now we have about 7,000 cases with 150,000 tests a day.  We were also averaging 148 deaths a day and since the drop and since vaccination, it has been right about 40.

If you look at the positivity rates in all the regions over the past week they are starting to come down.  Statewide positivity is at 5.7% and hasn't changed much over the past few weeks.  Some people focus on number of total cases but we are testing about 150,000+ a day.

Hospitalization are a tad higher than the last spike we are are also dealing with an Influenza A spreading in some areas as well. My friend who is a nurse said that so far it is looking like the flu vaccine isn't working as well as expected, which happens from time to time.  

A random thought....people are talking about the Omicron variant and the Stealth Omicron variant.  With the COVID being a type of Coronavirus and the early data showing that Omicron is not as leathal, is is possible that these tests are just picking up the common cold? I don't know enough about viruses but the number of people that I know that have testing positive with mild or no symptoms (vaxed and unvaxed) makes me wonder if the tests are picking up COVID or COVID-19.  Both are different from my understanding.

I have read that the Covid testing isn’t what I’d call highly accurate. I do think it’s possible that you could get a false positive from a cold virus though I can’t say that with certainty. The Pfizer and Moderna boosters both offer good protection against both Delta & Omicron variants. I have gotten my booster. It sapped my energy somewhat for about 36 hours. I didn’t have the body chills that I had with my 2nd Covid shot. My recommendation is to get it.

OSUBucks wrote:I have read that the Covid testing isn’t what I’d call highly accurate. I do think it’s possible that you could get a false positive from a cold virus though I can’t say that with certainty. The Pfizer and Moderna boosters both offer good protection against both Delta & Omicron variants. I have gotten my booster. It sapped my energy somewhat for about 36 hours. I didn’t have the body chills that I had with my 2nd Covid shot. My recommendation is to get it.

You already signed up for your 4th booster in May? How about the 5th on October?

At a nearby school, I guess a parent was upset about their child being forced to quarantine due to contract tracing while the sibling of the kid is still going to school. Sent their child to school every day with an At Home negative test and two negative tests from the doctor.

At some point we have to rethink the whole contact tracing and quarantining. Oh but what about grandma and the immunocompromised, well they have a vaccine for that. At first we didn't know enough about the disease...well now we do. Vaccines should have changed our thinking but they haven't, why?

It’s too early to predict when 4th or 5th shots will be needed if at all. If recommend by the experts I’ll likely get them. It’s no big deal. I don’t feel like my freedoms are being threatened if future boosters are recommended. I think it’s possible that future variants will be increasingly less lethal and boosters a year from now may not even be necessary.

With all of these professional athletes testing positive and being fully vaxed, I wonder how many are actually exhibiting symptoms.  

At what point do we change our thought process on forcing vaccinated people who test positive to quarantine? Media was quick to smear Rodgers for not being vaxed but why not cover the severity of the symptoms for these individuals? They will probably cite privacy but they won't allow privacy for being unvaxed. Also, is symptomatic spread among the vaxed something we are still worried about?

dusty7 wrote:With all of these professional athletes testing positive and being fully vaxed, I wonder how many are actually exhibiting symptoms.  

At what point do we change our thought process on forcing vaccinated people who test positive to quarantine? Media was quick to smear Rodgers for not being vaxed but why not cover the severity of the symptoms for these individuals? They will probably cite privacy but they won't allow privacy for being unvaxed.  Also,  is symptomatic spread among the vaxed something we are still worried about?

The quick smearing of Rodgers by the media was far more for lying about being vaxxed than for choosing not to get vaxxed.

ramblinman wrote:

dusty7 wrote:With all of these professional athletes testing positive and being fully vaxed, I wonder how many are actually exhibiting symptoms.  

At what point do we change our thought process on forcing vaccinated people who test positive to quarantine? Media was quick to smear Rodgers for not being vaxed but why not cover the severity of the symptoms for these individuals? They will probably cite privacy but they won't allow privacy for being unvaxed.  Also,  is symptomatic spread among the vaxed something we are still worried about?

The quick smearing of Rodgers by the media was far more for lying about being vaxxed than for choosing not to get vaxxed.

Where is bashing of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers who were the first NFL team to claim they are 100% vaxed but then have two players who had fake vaccination cards? I am sure there are many in NFL and NBA who have fake vax cards. I think it is interesting that everyone claimed that these professional teams being vaxed would prevent this from happening and it obviously didn't work. The 37 players in the NFL who tested positive in the past few days would equate to 7.1 milliion Americans testing positive, yeah the required vaccination has done wonders for the NFL. Go ahead and claim, you saved their lives, but we all know these individuals are at the least amount of risk of dying from COVID.

Yet those 3 were suspended for "violation of covid protocols" and Rodgers was fined $12000.

And Rodgers could of just said he wasn't and could of played all season by just following procedures for those who are unvaccinated. Kirk Cousins is unvaccinated.I believe DeAndre Hopkins is...they have played all season.

If he wasn"t such a douche and just owned up to it there would of been no problem.

4a(6afornet)north wrote:Yet those 3 were suspended for "violation of covid protocols" and Rodgers was fined $12000.

And Rodgers could of just said he wasn't and could of played all season by just following procedures for those who are unvaccinated. Kirk Cousins is unvaccinated.I believe DeAndre Hopkins is...they have played all season.

If he wasn"t such a douche and just owned up to it there would of been no problem.

True, he is a douche. But he never said he was vaxed, he said "immunized"

"NFL clubs are responsible for verifying player and team personnel vaccination status"

So if he didn't show a card,what did he show them?

And who is he trying to appease by not coming out with the truth?

This is an interesting read

https://www.politico.com/interactives/2021/covid-by-the-numbers-how-each-state-fared-on-our-pandemic-scorecard/

No surprise to me that states with a higher amount of poverty and low-income fared the worst regardless of the policies they enacted. As usual, the pandemic hurt those who have the least.

4a(6afornet)north wrote:"NFL clubs are responsible for verifying player and team personnel vaccination status"

So if he didn't show a card,what did he show them?

And who is he trying to appease by not coming out with the truth?

A positive test maybe? Science says if you are positive you are immune for 3 months, maybe that is what he meant. Either way, the entire process the NFL has come up with is obviously not working. Healthy, vaccinated individuals should not be forced to quarantine for any reason.

dusty7 wrote:

4a(6afornet)north wrote:Yet those 3 were suspended for "violation of covid protocols" and Rodgers was fined $12000.

And Rodgers could of just said he wasn't and could of played all season by just following procedures for those who are unvaccinated. Kirk Cousins is unvaccinated.I believe DeAndre Hopkins is...they have played all season.

If he wasn"t such a douche and just owned up to it there would of been no problem.

True, he is a douche.  But he never said he was vaxed, he said "immunized"  

In the context of the COVID vaccine, Rodgers was asked if he was vaccinated. His response was, "Yeah, I'm immunized." The first word out of his mouth ("yeah") was a positive response to the question. Spin it any way you want, he lied about being vaccinated for COVID.

ramblinman wrote:

dusty7 wrote:

4a(6afornet)north wrote:Yet those 3 were suspended for "violation of covid protocols" and Rodgers was fined $12000.

And Rodgers could of just said he wasn't and could of played all season by just following procedures for those who are unvaccinated. Kirk Cousins is unvaccinated.I believe DeAndre Hopkins is...they have played all season.

If he wasn"t such a douche and just owned up to it there would of been no problem.

True, he is a douche.  But he never said he was vaxed, he said "immunized"  

In the context of the COVID vaccine, Rodgers was asked if he was vaccinated.   His response was, "Yeah, I'm immunized."  The first word out of his mouth ("yeah")  was a positive response to the question.  Spin it any way you want, he lied about being vaccinated for COVID.  

I never said he didn't lie.  But what the TB players did is considered a crime in some States and will soon be considered a crime in Florida. Both Rodgers and the TB players are in the wrong and to me, both actions are bad and should be treated in the same way. Did Rodgers put people's lives in Jeopardy (no pun intented) any more than the TB players? That is the only thing that really matters in all of this isn't it? To save lives?

18 redskins out for the eagles game sunday.

One of the ICU units in Springfield filled up today. The majority of them are unvaccinated Covid patients. The Omicron variant still doesn’t appear to be as deadly as previous variants. The bad news is that it’s more contagious and will be the dominant variant in a few weeks. Unless you have a medical issue preventing you from getting vaccinated you need to do so. It’s highly unlikely that Omicron will hospitalize a vaccinated person. It looks to be a rough holiday season. There’s going to be thousands of unvaccinated people that will die in the next month and most of those deaths could be prevented. Especially if you’re 60 years old or older by all means get the vaccine.

positive news from south africa.
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2021-12-17/s-africa-says-hospitalizations-in-omicron-wave-much-lower

tps wrote:positive news from south africa.
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2021-12-17/s-africa-says-hospitalizations-in-omicron-wave-much-lower

I believe that we have a much higher vaccination rate as well so that will benefit us as well.

Some news stories from the day....

Shaky science behind masking of kids - https://www.theatlantic.com/science/archive/2021/12/mask-guidelines-cdc-walensky/621035/

Biden Admins to push Test to Stay - https://www.nbcnews.com/health/health-news/biden-administration-push-test-stay-policy-keep-kids-school-rcna3190

Funny how schools have been doing this all year and now he says it is necessary.

With the NFL, NBA, And NHL all at high levels of vaccination yet having outbreaks, which is Delta not Omicron, proves that just the vaccine was not the way out of this.  The government constantly saying the vaccine was the only way out of the pandemic was a bad move and just created more divisiveness.   Blaming the unvaxed for the continuing pandemic was completely wrong on the part of the media and some of those in government.  If they would have simply said that the vaccine was something to prevent serious illness, which is what it does, it would not have become a political issue.  Maybe it was the false sense of security that the vaxed have that have caused this to continue. It is clear as day now that spread is very common among the vaccinated.  

https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/the-risk-of-vaccinated-covid-transmission-is-not-low/

People have been badgered to wear masks and if the masks work, why are the not preventing the seasonal spread we have seen the past year?  We have a high level of masking in Illinois and it had not been as effective and expected.  Florida has a very low level of masking yet they are seeing less spread than anywhere else in the US.  

The vaccine is one tool we have but it is not the end game.  The panic about Omicron will continue even though all indicators show that it is mild especially so in those who are vaccinated. Which makes me think they we are now freaking out over the common cold, because from what the data shows from South Africa that is what it is.  But remember, people still die from complications from the common cold.

Low-dose Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine fails in trial on 2 to 5 year olds

https://www.foxnews.com/health/low-dose-pfizer-biontech-shot-failed-in-trial-using-2-to-5-year-olds

Oh my god.....the NFL is using some common sense...
https://sports.yahoo.com/nfl-covid-19-protocols-194538465.html

A pathetic statement by our VP.   Most scientists predicted variants and the White House had no clue?   Nice try on the back tracking and saying she was talking about the specific variant.  

https://www.cnn.com/2021/12/18/politics/kamala-harris-biden-administraton-delta-omicron-variant/index.html

But people and science are starting to come to their senses...
https://time.com/6129225/omicron-covid-19-case-counts/

If they weren't required to test regularly, would they have even tested? Athletes and politicians alike test all the time but why are we even testing asymptomatic and vaccinated individuals?

https://www.cnn.com/2021/12/19/politics/elizabeth-warren-covid-positive/index.html

Anyone get HBO max?

They have a new series named “station 11”.

Global pandemic, episode 1 is based in Chicago when the virus hits.

I think they all drink HCQ and eat Ivermectin. It all turns out just fine.

Can we stop calling the Pfizer and Moderna jabs a vaccine?  Aren't vaccines supposed to prevent sickness and Therapeutics prevent severe illness and death?   Looking at the number of breakthroughs, looks like the vaccines aren't preventing disease.  Go ahead and keep blaming Conservatives for a variant from South Africa that had shown to be less deadly based on numbers in South Africa and Europe.  Don't forget most cases in the US are still Delta.  

We can't forget it's not a seasonal disease despite the obvious waves occuring the same time they did last year.  

If this is so serious, why is Biden waiting until Tuesday to make an announcement?   An emergency requires an immediate response.
Teleprompter must be in the shop or they have to make sure he knows what he's talking about.

There are breakthrough cases for sure but the vaccine keeps you from dying and in most instances keeps you out of the hospital. There are people dying every day and most of them by far are unvaccinated people. That tells me that you’re better off vaccinated than unvaccinated, in fact an unvaccinated person is 47 times more likely to die from Covid than a vaccinated one.
Having said that if you’re a healthy person the chances of Omicron variant killing you are pretty slim so you could argue that people are being too paranoid. One more thing, in two weeks 70% of Covid cases in the US will be Omicron.

OSUBucks wrote:There are breakthrough cases for sure but the vaccine keeps you from dying and in most instances keeps you out of the hospital. There are people dying every day and most of them by far are unvaccinated people. That tells me that you’re better off vaccinated than unvaccinated, in fact an unvaccinated person is 47 times more likely to die from Covid than a vaccinated one.
Having said that if you’re a healthy person the chances of Omicron variant killing you are pretty slim so you could argue that people are being too paranoid. One more thing, in two weeks 70% of Covid cases in the US will be Omicron.

So do we continue calling it a vaccine?   We cannot compare these vaccines to Small Pox, Chicken Pox, Measles, Mumps, and Rubella.  These vaccines are not effective at preventing infection but are effective at preventing severe sickness. The so called vaccines are not the fix they just improve the odds.  

Even those who are boosted are getting sick.

https://www.cnbc.com/2021/12/20/i-have-covid-jim-cramer-says-he-says-hes-been-triple-vaccinated-and-has-a-mild-case.html

Yeah 70% may be Omicron which seems to be nothing more than a common cold for most so where is the pandemic?   Deaths have not increased significantly and hospitalizations have leveled off in the last week.  

I believe we have to move to the point where we stop counting positive cases because at this point they are almost meaningless.  We are all going or have already gotten COVID and will likely get it again and again.  The focus should be on treating those who are really sick not publicizing those who have the sniffles or are asymptomatic.  We can't continue to treat this like we did in 2020.  We will never stop the spread no matter how hard we try.

We have moved to an era of personal responsibility. Want to wear a mask, wear a mask.  Want to get vaxed, get vaxed.  If you don't do those things then you are more at risk than those who have done those things.  But if you have done those things, the science says you are safe. Do you not trust the science?   I reiterate, we will all get it if we haven't already and will likely go get it again.  Time to move on.

Just wait until personal daily tests become the norm.  I am sure JBs Abbott Labs is already a leading candidate in that one.