The Spreading (And Potentially Deadly) Coronavirus Epidemic....

[Doctornick | 419]

5 minutes ago, Bearcat-Doug said:

Hope you are doing okay now. I noticed you hadn't posted in a while.

Thanks man, doing much better than I was the past few months.  Hopefully this damn virus is history sooner rather than later.

[Bearcat-Doug | 5,105]

2 minutes ago, Doctornick said:

Thanks man, doing much better than I was the past few months.  Hopefully this damn virus is history sooner rather than later.

The numbers seem to be getting lower. It was pretty high here in Southwest Ohio for a while. Hopefully it keeps dropping as the weather starts to warm up.

Edited February 26, 2021 by Bearcat-Doug

[ZeldaFreak | 3,600]

36 minutes ago, Doctornick said:

Thankfully my uncle has since changed his mind about all of it, I just wish it didn't come at the cost it did.  Mentally I was pretty rough for awhile, getting home from a 12 hour shift and drinking myself to sleep 5 nights a week.  I finally had to use our hospital psych services and thankfully that helped enough.  I'm back to just social fun drinking at least, but I still have strong urges to hit people with their charts when I start hearing a conspiracy theory.  I am also glad we are making some progress, but I think the minor restrictions still in place will remain for the entire year of 2021 (masks in stores, limited capacity in major venues).  

Thanks for sharing though, and I'm glad you and your family are all okay!  My brother didn't have taste or smell for 3 months and it finally came back, so hopefully that's the case for you too.

Even though that is definitely far too high of a cost, I am glad your uncle at least saw the error of his ways. Some of those people just plant their feet where they are and choose that hill to die on for whatever reason, so I am glad he at least realized and recognized that he made a mistake, as there are plenty of people out there that are far too stubborn to even do that, no matter the circumstances.

I'm sad to hear that you sank to that level, but I'm equally as glad to hear that you seem to have clawed your way back out of that dark place for the most part. It takes an extremely strong person to climb their way out of a situation like that that quickly, plenty of people would've sunk to that level and not been able to get out for years and years.

And that's definitely encouraging to hear with your brother. Honestly, if I'm stuck with this diminished level of taste and smell for the rest of my life, then so be it, at least I didn't completely lose it, and at least I didn't go deaf or blind or anything like that. If I had to choose two senses to partially lose, those would probably be the ones.

[fcgamer | 4,723]

4 hours ago, Doctornick said:

Just wanted to check in and make sure you are all still at it.  Shockingly I got extremely disillusioned with the internet after dealing with this pandemic day in and day out, then losing my grandfather because someone in my family didn't think Covid was a threat.  I hope everyone is staying safe still, I missed some of you.  

Really sorry to hear this.

[fcgamer | 4,723]

My immediate family all received their second jabs this past Monday. I'm so thankful for that, and it sets my mind at rest.

We still haven't gotten vaccines here in Taiwan, though at this point it's honestly not even necessary. Whenever vaccines do arrive though, an unmarried foreign guy like myself is definitely at the very bottom of the priority list.

Regarding health and safety issues, I couldn't care less, as covid 19 really isn't a huge threat here at the moment, and even if I did catch it, I suspect I'd make it through just fine; what does concern me though is if airlines/countries start making vaccination a requirement to enter, as then people that aren't able to get vaccinated for some reason are, well, shit out of luck.

[RegularGuyGamer | 2,012]

17 hours ago, fcgamer said:

My immediate family all received their second jabs this past Monday. I'm so thankful for that, and it sets my mind at rest.

We still haven't gotten vaccines here in Taiwan, though at this point it's honestly not even necessary. Whenever vaccines do arrive though, an unmarried foreign guy like myself is definitely at the very bottom of the priority list.

Regarding health and safety issues, I couldn't care less, as covid 19 really isn't a huge threat here at the moment, and even if I did catch it, I suspect I'd make it through just fine; what does concern me though is if airlines/countries start making vaccination a requirement to enter, as then people that aren't able to get vaccinated for some reason are, well, shit out of luck.

They got them in PA? There was a rite aid near me that had the vaccine and had people call for appointments and they received 500k calls in 3 hours.. lol so I'm not optimistic about getting my vaccine until we get a substantial increase in supply.

[darkchylde28 | 1,546]

2 minutes ago, RegularGuyGamer said:

They got them in PA? There was a rite aid near me that had the vaccine and had people call for appointments and they received 500k calls in 3 hours.. lol so I'm not optimistic about getting my vaccine until we get a substantial increase in supply.

Thing is, unless you're part of a group that is already approved to get the vaccine (currently nursing home staff and residents as well as folks 65+, I believe), it doesn't matter how many times or how often you call.  My wife got word from her aunt that a local pharmacy had gotten it in and when she called she discovered exactly that--pharmacies are only allowed to give it out to folks already approved to get it.  They did tell her that they'd contact her back in 3-4 weeks to schedule something, so it sounds like the floodgates are about ready to open, especially with all of the public talk about the various manufacturers seriously stepping up supply (which honestly should have already been happening given the seriousness of everything, but what do I know).

[fcgamer | 4,723]

3 hours ago, RegularGuyGamer said:

They got them in PA? There was a rite aid near me that had the vaccine and had people call for appointments and they received 500k calls in 3 hours.. lol so I'm not optimistic about getting my vaccine until we get a substantial increase in supply.

Yeah in PA. My parents are both older than 65, my brother went with them, he also was able to get on the list maybe because of his asthma and medical issues?

[darkchylde28 | 1,546]

5 hours ago, fcgamer said:

Yeah in PA. My parents are both older than 65, my brother went with them, he also was able to get on the list maybe because of his asthma and medical issues?

More likely because they didn't have enough people showing up to get them and at that point they'll give the first does to anybody who wants it, otherwise it'll go to waste.  Once they defrost the doses there's a limited time until they go bad, and right now it's far too precious to waste for the folks who want to be treated.

[fcgamer | 4,723]

40 minutes ago, darkchylde28 said:

More likely because they didn't have enough people showing up to get them and at that point they'll give the first does to anybody who wants it, otherwise it'll go to waste.  Once they defrost the doses there's a limited time until they go bad, and right now it's far too precious to waste for the folks who want to be treated.

Well they had booked a spot ahead of time, though I wasn't with so I'm not sure how he got in.

[captmorgandrinker | 1,649]

5 hours ago, fcgamer said:

Well they had booked a spot ahead of time, though I wasn't with so I'm not sure how he got in.

If he has underlying medical issues, those get to go with the first few waves along with the elderly.

[darkchylde28 | 1,546]

8 hours ago, captmorgandrinker said:

If he has underlying medical issues, those get to go with the first few waves along with the elderly.

That shouldn't be the case, as my wife has heart failure, which is arguably less serious/deadly than asthma (she always requires medication to stay alive, whereas all asthma sufferers I've known normally only require medication/treatment in the case of a flare up and not 24/7).  Could be that some places just aren't being the sticklers that the official government offices are, or something like if you don't technically qualify they might go ahead and schedule you if they've got doses in a case leftover.

[Tulpa | 3,493]

Yeah, I think it's a case of "Well, we got these doses that are going to expire in an hour, and, hey, you! You're just standing around, want a vaccine?"

Not sure how they do a second dose.

At least the one-shot Johnson & Johnson vaccine has been approved, so we have three available.

[Tulpa | 3,493]

https://www.cnbc.com/2021/03/01/florida-gov-desantis-accused-of-favoritism-in-distributing-covid-vaccine.html

Florida’s agriculture commissioner on Monday called for a congressional investigation into Gov. Ron DeSantis over “alleged political favoritism” in his state’s distribution of Covid-19 vaccine doses.

[TrekMD | 1,401]

1 hour ago, Tulpa said:

https://www.cnbc.com/2021/03/01/florida-gov-desantis-accused-of-favoritism-in-distributing-covid-vaccine.html

Florida’s agriculture commissioner on Monday called for a congressional investigation into Gov. Ron DeSantis over “alleged political favoritism” in his state’s distribution of Covid-19 vaccine doses.

Color me NOT surprised. 

[darkchylde28 | 1,546]

So the wife got a call earlier from that regional pharmacy that put her on the list to get a dose as soon as they were available, or if any extras came up.  Some extras came up, so they called her, then proceeded to verify her details before booking her appointment.  Turns out, because we're just over the line into the next state, she somehow suddenly doesn't qualify, even though pharmacies the country over have been lauded for grabbing anybody they could off the street to inoculate just so doses weren't wasted.  What a crock.

Edited March 2, 2021 by darkchylde28

[MrWunderful | 2,927]

Wife, Inlaws, and my parents all got their vaccines. Im on the list but low on priority. 

[Tanooki | 4,933]

2 hours ago, TrekMD said:

Color me NOT surprised. 

Neither am I, a democractic based politician going after one from the other side.  Shocking.  Allegations are one thing, hard evidence is another.  Whether true or not, still sleazy whoever pulled it.

[Tulpa | 3,493]

I have my appointment next Sunday. March 1st opened up availability to a few other groups, and I qualify (barely, but it counts.)

I'm getting the Pfizer vaccine.

The vaccination center is actually in a parking lot that I can literally see from my window, but they only allow cars to drive in. So I'm literally driving about a block to get a vaccination.

[MrWunderful | 2,927]

12 minutes ago, Tulpa said:

I have my appointment next Sunday. March 1st opened up availability to a few other groups, and I qualify (barely, but it counts.)

I'm getting the Pfizer vaccine.

The vaccination center is actually in a parking lot that I can literally see from my window, but they only allow cars to drive in. So I'm literally driving about a block to get a vaccination.

Wife got pfizer, but parents and inlaws got moderna. No one had a single side affect. 

[Tulpa | 3,493]

Yeah, a friend of mine got Moderna, and she said the first shot was actually a little worse (sore arm.) Another friend had Moderna and got knocked on his ass for two days.

I'm planning to take off Monday just in case. I have sick leave up the wazoo and need to burn some anyway.

[Link | 2,709]

On 2/25/2021 at 1:11 AM, darkchylde28 said:

...that is one HELL of a thumb, lol!  The headline is funny enough, but I'm in absolute stitches about the journalists believing that 62 CM (just over 2 feet) is the size of a thumb. 

Obviously you read the URL and not the article. Decimal points do funny things in webpage addresses. It’s 6.2 cm.

[Link | 2,709]

Well, I got my Pfizers on 1/31 and 2/22. Fire dept brought extras to my office. The first one was scheduled the day before. Second one was unscheduled, they ran out of people before supply so I didn’t have to wait at all.

I’m very happy. But still wearing masks, distancing, not going out for fun because it’s still possible that I could carry it. And still fucking furious that people are going out for fun. I had to walk through restaurant row the other day and people were dining out (inside) everywhere like normal.

[Tanooki | 4,933]

So how are we feeling about the J&J one that's coming out now.  Seems Merck is helping them scale up operations massively to get a heap of them out fast, enough Biden has the brass to say everyone in the US (adult) willing to get immunized can by May 31 instead of the old soft July/august window.

[Link | 2,709]

1 hour ago, Tanooki said:

So how are we feeling about the J&J one that's coming out now. 

I like that it’s single dose and can be stored / transported in less extreme temperatures. Easier to transport and cuts distribution ops in half. No downside. 

edit - there’s a reason this took longer to develop than the initial solutions. Advances are just that.

1 hour ago, Tanooki said:

enough Biden has the brass to say everyone in the US (adult) willing to get immunized can by May 31 instead of the old soft July/august window.

Is this bad in your opinion? Are you skeptical that more is being delivered than promised? as opposed to unfulfilled miracles predicted a year ago

Edited March 3, 2021 by Link