Vaccines and Therapeutics 2.0 & 3.0 Merge

[Doctor Steuss]

This procedure also applies to old hospital medical staff.

Good point, and I should have clarified. Unless a specific size/brand became unavailable, individuals only needed to be fitted upon being hired (regardless of how long they had been in the field). I can't (and shouldn't have) implied that the policies and schedule were universal; this was just the policy where I worked.

[...]we should stop pretending that our Etsy masks are about anything more than Karen's feelings.

There are some sales personnel where I am now that wear these sparkly masks that have a thin enough mess that you can see their mouths ("so customers can see their smile"). I bristle a little whenever I see them. I guess to some (very, very, very small) extent, something is better than nothing, but... yeesh.


ETA: Just to clarify (reiterate?), basic dual layer cloth masks, and cheap disposable "surgical" masks that can currently be bought in most stores are effective and preventing transmission.

[canpakes]

To use a kind of counter-example of blowing smoke through a cloth mask, that someone can try at home: Sneeze on a window screen.

Clever suggestion. Makes the point easily enough.

[Dr Exiled]

In Israel, 40 to 50% of the new covid cases are vaccinated, according to Haaretz, but the disease seems to be less severe for those vaccinated.

https://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/isr ... -1.9935923

From the article:

Also on Thursday, a senior official with Pfizer Israel said that the company's vaccine is 90 percent effective in preventing symptomatic coronavirus cases, and 95 percent effective in preventing serious cases that require hospitalization. However, the effectivity of the vaccine in preventing infection and transmission is still unclear.

[Doctor CamNC4Me]

Did Dr. Shades ever figure out why it was an absolutely boneheaded thing to ask Jersey Girl why she wouldn’t want to travel to Florida even if she’s vaccinated?

- Doc

[Res Ipsa]

There is a surge in my town. This is confirmed from many sources.
Anecdotal evidence that the surge is largely symptomatic cases involving hospital staff who are immunized and non-white citizens who are not immunized. The vaccinated cases are obviously symptomatic or they would not be cases. Everybody knows that even if we do not know that.

I predict lockdowns and emergency orders in effect within 21 days.

What’s the trend in ICU capacity in your area? I’d be surprised to see a return to pseudo lockdowns absent the t threat of ICU or ER overruns.

[Doctor CamNC4Me]

What’s the trend in ICU capacity in your area? I’d be surprised to see a return to pseudo lockdowns absent the t threat of ICU or ER overruns.

Well, the U of U hospital here in SLC has 425 beds. There are only 19 that are empty right now.

- Doc

[Res Ipsa]

What’s the trend in ICU capacity in your area? I’d be surprised to see a return to pseudo lockdowns absent the t threat of ICU or ER overruns.

Well, the U of U hospital here in SLC has 425 beds. There are only 19 that are empty right now.

- Doc

Do you know what percentage of the full beds are COVID cases? And what the trend has been over the last couple months? It’s hard to figure anything out from snapshot.

[Res Ipsa]

What’s the trend in ICU capacity in your area? I’d be surprised to see a return to pseudo lockdowns absent the t threat of ICU or ER overruns.

ICUs in the surrounding counties are full in trauma centers and in just your normal hospitals. They are looking for AIIR and Negative rooms on the floors. Some sources say all non-vaccinated, some say split between vaccinated and non-vaccinated. The staff are nervous. Two hospitals had big staff outbreaks among vaccinated nurses and maintenance.

Well, that doesn’t sound promising. Your 21 days may be a little long. I know our new case numbers are trending up again, but I think I’ll try to take a peek at the ICU beds in my area.

[Res Ipsa]

Your 21 days may be a little long.

Nah. Don't bust my chops on this, but there are no pending elections that matter much. They will try to postpone it not accelerate it this time. Plus nobody wants that again.

No chop busting here. I have my own political cynicism as well. And I agree that nobody wants to back to stay at home orders.

[Res Ipsa]

So, I checked some numbers. Our new cases per week are about where they were when we first locked down in my state. But the rate of hospitalizations from COVID are between 1/4 and 1/3 of the rate for the same period. And the death rate is way, way down. As long as the hospitalizations don’t spike, I expect to see the current advice to wear masks indoors to continue, but nothing mandatory. I think I’ll go back to that until the new case rate starts to drift back down.