Covid General discussions

[Alan Klein]

This thread is to discuss all issues relating to Covid.

[Alan Klein]

This week, Quebec Premier François Legault announced a plan to introduce a tax on people who refuse to get vaccinated against COVID-19. It would be a considerable step beyond what any jurisdiction in Canada has done to this point and it's unclear how it would work. But there are other places around the world that have tried similar things.

I don't think that would be constitutional in America.  It really is a fine, not a tax. The government isn't allowed to fine people for not buying things or doing things they don;t want to do or have no jurisdiction over.  Does this meet with Canadian constitutional law?  Maybe that's why they're calling it a tax to get around the law.

[LesPalenik]

I don't think that would be constitutional in America.  It really is a fine, not a tax. The government isn't allowed to fine people for not buying things or doing things they don;t want to do or have no jurisdiction over.  Does this meet with Canadian constitutional law?  Maybe that's why they're calling it a tax to get around the law.

Canadians are now more worried about all the snow we've been getting since last night. The snow drifts are already half a meter deep and more snow is expected. My street and sidewalk which are usually cleared within an hour or so, haven't been cleared yet. The snow storm should mitigate the spread of the virus, because many stores and offices have been closed due to the hazardous driving conditions. OTOH, more people will die due to cardiac arrests as they attempt to shovel their driveways. Especially, if they recently contracted common cold or covid.

[Alan Klein]

I thought Canadians vacation in Florida during the winter where the governor there tells us it's safe.

[Alan Klein]

Who says wedding photographers can't make a living?

How a wedding photographer and a failed donut shop owner got $124M in federal cash for COVID testing
https://news.google.com/articles/CAIiEKcN60M2iku3iMi7LgYXUrEqGQgEKhAIACoHCAowjsP7CjCSpPQCMM_b5QU?uo=CAUiANIBAA&hl=en-US&gl=US&ceid=US%3Aen

[Peter McLennan]

I thought Canadians vacation in Florida during the winter where the governor there tells us it's safe.

Some do.  There are multiple options available.  Cuba being quite attractive for many reasons.

[Alan Klein]

Frankly I'd go to Timbuktu to get away I'm so stir crazy from being cooped up for two years. 

[LesPalenik]

One Toronto couple I know, used to overwinter in Yucatan for years, this year they rented a flat on Vancouver Island.

[Alan Klein]

Things are looking a lot better in New Jersey.  Cases are down but things are bad for businesses especially restaurants. I grabbed a bite in a little diner nearby and there were around four patrons.  I understand in NYC the government-imposed rules so you can't get into a restaurant unless you show a photo ID and your vaccination records card.  It seems it's harder to eat than vote.

25 N.J. restaurants we can’t afford to lose to COVID
https://www.nj.com/coronavirus/2022/01/25-nj-restaurants-we-cant-afford-to-lose-to-covid.html

Coronavirus (COVID-19) statistics
https://www.bing.com/search?q=cases+nj+covid&form=ANNTH1&refig=7543804b244e4c9d91b3c397b844444e

[marvpelkey]

Since about Aug/Sept of last year, we here in BC (and Alberta, at least Jasper and Banff areas) have been showing our provincial vaccination card (digital - we now have a federal one) and ID to get into restaurants. Takes two seconds when entering. A mask is worn until seated, although not sure about that component as the style/quality is up to the user.

Marv

[LesPalenik]

I thought Canadians vacation in Florida during the winter where the governor there tells us it's safe.

The governor may feel safe, but the reality speaks otherwise.

My friend's wife in Florida picked up yesterday covid virus from her grandson when she was babysitting him.
She had 3 shots, the grandson is 6 year old. So even if fully vaccinated, if you don't practice distancing, you can contract the virus.
And young kids can infect their parents and grandparents. BTW, the parents already had the covid 2-3 weeks ago, I don't know if they got now again.

[Alan Klein]

Sorry about your friends.  Hope they're doing better.

AOC went to Florida without any children, stayed healthy, and had a good time.   Maybe that's the trick.

[LesPalenik]

USA Today reports that omicron is not that mild. They project 50,000 to 300,000 more US deaths by March.

For anyone getting complacent about the coronavirus because the now-dominant omicron variant typically causes less-severe disease than previous strains, here's a sobering thought: 50,000 to 300,000 more Americans may die of COVID-19 before the current surge ebbs in mid-March. Those are the projections of modelers, according to an Associated Press story, and they provide a grim reminder that omicron's remarkable infectiousness more than makes up for its seemingly softer punch.

The seven-day rolling average for daily new COVID-19 deaths in the U.S. has been trending upward since mid-November, reaching nearly 1,700 on Monday – still well below the peak of 3,300 in January 2021. The biggest concern in the coming weeks is reflected by simple math: Even if new infections have peaked in some parts of the U.S., they're averaging around 800,000 a day nationwide, more than three times as many as in that brutal wave a year ago. That will inevitably lead to hospitals stretched beyond their limits and thousands of deaths. There are currently about 150,000 patients in hospitals with COVID.

https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/health/2022/01/18/omicron-final-wave-fauci-nursing-homes-covid-updates/6556051001/

[Alan Klein]

It's already peaked in NJ where I live and in the US generally.    Cases have been going down. 

[Alan Klein]

Here's the chart.
https://www.google.com/search?q=covid+cases&oq=covid+cases&aqs=chrome..69i57j0i402l2j0i131i433i512l3j0i512l2j0i271.11773j0j7&client=ms-android-verizon&sourceid=chrome-mobile&ie=UTF-8

[LesPalenik]

Contracting covid in order to obtain immunity and being done with it is not such a great idea.

A Czech folk singer who was opposed to having a coronavirus vaccine has died after deliberately contracting the virus, according to her son. Hana Horká, of the folk band Asonance, died Sunday at the age of 57 after intentionally exposing herself to the virus at home while her son and husband were sick, according to CNN affiliate CNN Prima News. Horká wanted to infect herself so she could be "done with Covid," her son, Jan Rek, told Prima News on Monday.

The idea of intentionally trying to catch the Omicron Covid-19 variant is increasingly popular, but doctors have warned against doing so. "People are talking about Omicron like it's a bad cold. It is not a bad cold," said Dr. Robert Murphy, executive director of the Havey Institute for Global Health at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine in Chicago, Illinois. "It's a life-threatening disease."

https://www.cnn.com/2022/01/20/europe/czech-singer-death-deliberate-covid-infection-intl/index.html

[Alan Klein]

Contracting covid in order to obtain immunity and being done with it is not such a great idea.

https://www.cnn.com/2022/01/20/europe/czech-singer-death-deliberate-covid-infection-intl/index.html

The article did not indicate which variant of Covid he got and died from.  Was it Omicron, Delta or something else. It didn't say.

In any case, with Delta and other variants still around, one would be crazy to deliberately try to get Covid.  Which variant would you get? If Omicron was the only one around, I could see how many young, healthy people might not worry about it or take precautions.

[Robert Roaldi]

The article did not indicate which variant of Covid he got and died from.  Was it Omicron, Delta or something else. It didn't say.

In any case, with Delta and other variants still around, one would be crazy to deliberately try to get Covid.  Which variant would you get? If Omicron was the only one around, I could see how many young, healthy people might not worry about it or take precautions.

That judgement is premature. Although Omicron might be milder than previous variants, that doesn't mean it's mild.

Based on rough numbers, Covid has been about 10 times more deadly than "normal" flu. If Omicron is even half as deadly as previous Covid variants, it would still be 5 times more deadly than "normal" flu. The final numbers aren't in yet, there's no need to make rash assumptions. You don't know until you know.

US daily deaths (7 day average as per Worldometer) are still well above 1500 per day, so it's NOT over yet, not even close. I don't understand why you seem to have this need to minimize the risk. Is there an agenda here besides saving lives and suffering?

[LesPalenik]

Why you should get a booster even though you could still get Omicron:

Though COVID-19 vaccines and boosters provide strong protection against severe disease, hospitalizations, and deaths, the quickly-spreading Omicron variant remains a significant challenge. With a daily average of more than 750,000 cases in the U.S., some doubt the vaccines' effectiveness and wonder, 'Why get the booster if I can still get infected?"

But Dr. Eric Topol, founder and director of the Scripps Research Translational Institute, said people's doubts are misplaced. "The Omicron variant provides "a 90% reduction of hospitalizations," Topol said, adding that after three months that number can drop to 80%.

That is still comparable to two doses versus the original strain, Topol said. Third doses of Pfizer (PFE)/BioNTech's (BNTX) and Moderna (MRNA)'s shots — both mRNA vaccines — have shown strong results against Omicron. And Johnson & Johnson's (JNJ) has shown its two doses are able to hold durable protection over a long period of time.

But because the U.S. has a low booster rate, the Omicron variant is affecting more people, though overall the strain is milder compared to previous variants. It's why hospitalizations continue to strain the country's health care systems, setting new records daily, with more than 159,000 individuals in hospitals now, according to the CDC.

https://finance.yahoo.com/news/why-you-should-get-a-booster-even-though-you-can-still-get-infected-scientist-165549093.html

[Alan Klein]

That judgement is premature. Although Omicron might be milder than previous variants, that doesn't mean it's mild.

Based on rough numbers, Covid has been about 10 times more deadly than "normal" flu. If Omicron is even half as deadly as previous Covid variants, it would still be 5 times more deadly than "normal" flu. The final numbers aren't in yet, there's no need to make rash assumptions. You don't know until you know.

US daily deaths (7 day average as per Worldometer) are still well above 1500 per day, so it's NOT over yet, not even close. I don't understand why you seem to have this need to minimize the risk. Is there an agenda here besides saving lives and suffering?

I'm not minimiing the risk.  I protect myself.  But the article should have indicated which variant he died from.  They made it seem like it was Omicron but they were not definitive.  It seems therefore like just another scare article.