lurkyloo
Junior Associate
“Time means nothing now,” said Toad. “It is just the thing that happens between snacks.”
Joined: Jan 8, 2011 11:26:56 GMT -5
Posts: 6,025
|
Post by lurkyloo on Jan 10, 2022 18:51:07 GMT -5
What are lateral flow tests! Preferred British term for rapid antigen home tests. You stick the swab in, add the carrier fluid, keep it flat so capillary action can do its job carrying the sample over the test lines by (drum roll please) lateral flow. They have been available in the States for the better part of a year, although the UK has certainly put more emphasis on them.
|
|
TheOtherMe
Distinguished Associate
Joined: Dec 24, 2010 14:40:52 GMT -5
Posts: 28,029
Mini-Profile Name Color: e619e6
|
Post by TheOtherMe on Jan 10, 2022 19:26:07 GMT -5
In the US we no longer have an accurate number of positive cases because of lack of testing, home testing and those who refuse to be tested. Saw on Twitter that a Target in Sioux City, IA (big RED area of the state) has bare shelfs in the cold medicine aisle. It's just a cold, right?
|
|
jerseygirl
Junior Associate
Joined: May 13, 2018 7:43:08 GMT -5
Posts: 5,236
|
Post by jerseygirl on Jan 10, 2022 19:29:25 GMT -5
What are lateral flow tests! Preferred British term for rapid antigen home tests. You stick the swab in, add the carrier fluid, keep it flat so capillary action can do its job carrying the sample over the test lines by (drum roll please) lateral flow. They have been available in the States for the better part of a year, although the UK has certainly put more emphasis on them. Thanks for the explanation
|
|
swamp
Community Leader
THEY’RE EATING THE DOGS!!!!!!!
Joined: Dec 19, 2010 16:03:22 GMT -5
Posts: 45,614
|
Post by swamp on Jan 10, 2022 19:59:11 GMT -5
I just read that Oneida County, NY (Utica) is no longer going to contact trace. They can’t keep up.
|
|
wvugurl26
Distinguished Associate
Joined: Dec 19, 2010 15:25:30 GMT -5
Posts: 21,873
|
Post by wvugurl26 on Jan 10, 2022 20:10:14 GMT -5
My county said at the beginning of January that they couldn't keep up with contact tracing and were only concentrating on the newest ones.
|
|
tractor
Senior Member
Joined: Jan 4, 2011 15:19:30 GMT -5
Posts: 3,488
|
Post by tractor on Jan 10, 2022 20:26:12 GMT -5
I serve on the board of a small private elementary school with 90 students, our secretary applied on-line to obtain some covid tests for the students to take home, if needed.
Today we received our allotment of 1,400!! tests, what are we supposed to do with so many? We joked about selling them as a fundraiser, but I guess that's against the rules 🙄 I guess we can outfit anyone in the community who needs one, we just have to get the word out, what government official decided we needed so many?
|
|
teen persuasion
Senior Member
Joined: Dec 20, 2010 21:58:49 GMT -5
Posts: 4,160
|
Post by teen persuasion on Jan 10, 2022 20:42:31 GMT -5
I just read that Oneida County, NY (Utica) is no longer going to contact trace. They can’t keep up. I was just coming here to note that my county has given up, too (Niagara). I was checking the ArcGIS map to see what our local numbers are like. It was bad enough when they dropped the daily number updates down to once weekly months ago. But it hadn't been updated since 12/29. Looked for a county health department press release, and that's where they buried the info that they are no longer contact tracing. YOU are supposed to contact everyone you've exposed. Need a release form to go back to work (previously sent by DOH after you completed your quarantine)? Eh, the forms are on the dept website - print your own! And the currently infected map (numbers broken down by community - city/town/village)? No longer going to update that, either, because they aren't collecting local numbers anymore. They are going to get their numbers from the state's Covid dashboard (which only goes down to the county level). And thus numbers will be delayed. Honestly, I thought the state's dashboard was compiling numbers FROM the counties, so it's all a bit circular. They also admitted that numbers are pretty much fictional, because so many people can't get tested officially, or even find a home test kit (you can report a self test positive, but sounds like it's not counted officially). In other news, the satellite ER near my parents (ambulatory only, not attached to a hospital) has been "temporarily" closed for months, ever since its affiliated hospital's nurses went on strike last fall due to short staffing. The strike was eventually resolved with promises to hire more and increase pay, but hiring more is easier said than done. They just announced the satellite ER will not be reopening any time soon - staffing. They must have pulled all of that facility's staff over to the hospital in the city. So, yay, one healthcare facility closed down during a surge in the pandemic.
|
|
minnesotapaintlady
Junior Associate
Joined: Dec 9, 2020 21:48:27 GMT -5
Posts: 8,351
Member is Online
|
Post by minnesotapaintlady on Jan 11, 2022 8:36:20 GMT -5
I didn't know anyone was contact tracing anymore. I don't think our county did all of 2021. It was all up to the individuals to notify any close contacts.
|
|
TheOtherMe
Distinguished Associate
Joined: Dec 24, 2010 14:40:52 GMT -5
Posts: 28,029
Mini-Profile Name Color: e619e6
|
Post by TheOtherMe on Jan 11, 2022 9:29:25 GMT -5
Contact tracing here was a joke from the beginning. My sister's county has a much smaller population than mine but they told her to contact everyone she had been in contact with. So if she had decided not to do it, nobody cared.
Schools aren't contact tracing because then they don't want to know if they have positive cases.
Someone wondered here why our high school sports are not having the same problems as college sports. Well, the kids want to play, so the parents don't have them tested. There was a baseball team last summer where the parents had their son tested. He was positive. He ended up quitting the team because of all of the harassment he received.
|
|
Tiny
Senior Associate
Joined: Dec 29, 2010 21:22:34 GMT -5
Posts: 13,483
|
Post by Tiny on Jan 11, 2022 14:12:15 GMT -5
I serve on the board of a small private elementary school with 90 students, our secretary applied on-line to obtain some covid tests for the students to take home, if needed. Today we received our allotment of 1,400!! tests, what are we supposed to do with so many? We joked about selling them as a fundraiser, but I guess that's against the rules 🙄 I guess we can outfit anyone in the community who needs one, we just have to get the word out, what government official decided we needed so many? You may need those 1400 test... 90 kids -- assume 4 people in their family - that's 360 tests for one "go around" for the kids over a short period of time. Usually need to take a couple of tests... so say 700 get used total. That doesn't include the people who work at the school and their families. Covid19 testing isn't "one and done". IF you all aren't gonna bother with the tests... then yeah.. maybe getting them to someplace they are needed would be the best route to go. I'm assuming that some people really need to know if they are positive or not... and I don't mean that in a bad way.... (if I get covd19 - odds are few other people will have been effected... I have a small circle and we don't meet face to face that often (maybe once a week) and even then we're not breathing each other's air all that much as we are typically outside. so even with a very catchy omicron - I'm guessing we are at the "low end" of chances of spreading it. I may have had it around new year's but never got tested - because I had nothing on my social calendar from dec 30th until Jan 17th - I let the people I was with before DEc 30th know I had some "sinus" issues - but other than that I didn't do anything (other than remain at home with my 2 cats - continuing to Zoom and call people just like the previous months of the pandemic. The sinus stuff cleared up quickly. so Yay!!! VAccine and Booster!!! ?) I have friends/relatives who have doctor's appts where they need to test before they go, I have friends/relatives who care for their elderly parents at home. I have friends/relatives with kids who are too little for the vaccine. I'm guessing for them - knowing if they have Covid19 is helpful so they can make educated decisions about what they will do in everyday life.
|
|
NomoreDramaQ1015
Community Leader
Joined: Dec 20, 2010 14:26:32 GMT -5
Posts: 48,025
|
Post by NomoreDramaQ1015 on Jan 11, 2022 18:47:15 GMT -5
I got the Moderna booster today. My employer has declares covid over. Just the fact they removed covid pay and expect you to use your whopping 5 days sick leave per year is going to have people coming in and you don't have to report or test if exposed.
We have ALOT of unvaccinated people. Fortunately not in my department we're the only one all vaccinated and mostly bolstered.
But those people come back to our area. I don't predict anything good coming from this
I got DHs appointment on Saturday.
|
|
Opti
Community Leader
Joined: Dec 18, 2010 10:45:38 GMT -5
Posts: 42,231
Location: New Jersey
Mini-Profile Name Color: c28523
Mini-Profile Text Color: 990033
Member is Online
|
Post by Opti on Jan 12, 2022 9:37:39 GMT -5
www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/covid-19-live-updates-omicron-will-infect-just-about-everybody-fauci-says/ar-AASH3CI?ocid=msedgntpThe omicron coronavirus variant will infect “just about everybody” regardless of vaccination status, top U.S. infectious-disease expert Anthony S. Fauci said Tuesday. But those who have been vaccinated will “very likely, with some exceptions, do reasonably well,” and avoid hospitalization and death, said Fauci, speaking at a virtual “fireside chat” with the Center for Strategic and International Studies. Fauci also said in a Senate hearing the same day that the unvaccinated are 20 times likelier to die, 17 times likelier to be hospitalized and 10 times likelier to be infected than the vaccinated. A World Health Organization official on Tuesday predicted that the omicron variant will have infected more than half of the population in the European region in the next six to eight weeks, if current trends hold. Here’s how fast the omicron variant is spreading around the world.
|
|
Tiny
Senior Associate
Joined: Dec 29, 2010 21:22:34 GMT -5
Posts: 13,483
|
Post by Tiny on Jan 12, 2022 9:50:50 GMT -5
FWIW: the handful of "social" things I do appear to be proceeding as if there will be no more pandemic precautions for their Fall/Winter stuff (3rd/4th quarter 2022). The wording/images/general feeling of the announcements for fall/winter don't have a whiff of anything pandemic related to them.
I'm guessing the move from pandemic to "pandemic is done" will feel rather like a light switch flipping. Yesterday social distancing, masks, testing. Today: what pandemic?j
i'm guessing if Omicron doesn't spin off a variant that's spready and more deadly in the next month or so - the pandemic will indeed be ending.
|
|
raeoflyte
Senior Associate
Joined: Feb 3, 2011 15:43:53 GMT -5
Posts: 14,973
|
Vaccinated
Jan 12, 2022 23:05:42 GMT -5
via mobile
Post by raeoflyte on Jan 12, 2022 23:05:42 GMT -5
I think we're going back to jiu-jitsu, this month or beginning of February. It feels insane with case counts, but we're vaccinated and boosted, and we need to gain our strength back. Plus the emotional well being. We've stayed away for 2 years. I can't see waiting any longer. Am I nuts?
|
|
tractor
Senior Member
Joined: Jan 4, 2011 15:19:30 GMT -5
Posts: 3,488
|
Post by tractor on Jan 13, 2022 8:25:05 GMT -5
I think we're going back to jiu-jitsu, this month or beginning of February. It feels insane with case counts, but we're vaccinated and boosted, and we need to gain our strength back. Plus the emotional well being. We've stayed away for 2 years. I can't see waiting any longer. Am I nuts? Nope, you need to do what's best for your physical & mental health. Exercise is one of those things that will help boost your immune system. Go for it!
|
|
wvugurl26
Distinguished Associate
Joined: Dec 19, 2010 15:25:30 GMT -5
Posts: 21,873
|
Post by wvugurl26 on Jan 13, 2022 8:33:25 GMT -5
I think at this point you protect yourself the best you can and add in things that benefit you. 2 years in and the mental toll is just too much. I don't want omicron and the local hospital is full again but this is no way to live.
|
|
NomoreDramaQ1015
Community Leader
Joined: Dec 20, 2010 14:26:32 GMT -5
Posts: 48,025
|
Post by NomoreDramaQ1015 on Jan 13, 2022 9:03:41 GMT -5
I think we're going back to jiu-jitsu, this month or beginning of February. It feels insane with case counts, but we're vaccinated and boosted, and we need to gain our strength back. Plus the emotional well being. We've stayed away for 2 years. I can't see waiting any longer. Am I nuts? I don't think so. We're still doing dance despite Omicron. The kids were turning feral they needed an outlet. Honestly at this point if you are all vaccinated and mostly boosted I think it's fine to start living your life as much as you are comfortable with. I am concerned about the hospital overcrowding and burned out staff but that is beyond my control. Keeping my kids out of dance is not going to fix that issue. We've been and continue to be as responsible as we can be. I can't go another year or more waiting for the unvaccinated to weed themselves out of the gene pool. We've proven at this point you can't fix/save stupid.
|
|
Deleted
Joined: Sept 28, 2024 18:48:45 GMT -5
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on Jan 13, 2022 9:21:09 GMT -5
I think we're going back to jiu-jitsu, this month or beginning of February. It feels insane with case counts, but we're vaccinated and boosted, and we need to gain our strength back. Plus the emotional well being. We've stayed away for 2 years. I can't see waiting any longer. Am I nuts? I don't think so. We're still doing dance despite Omicron. The kids were turning feral they needed an outlet. Honestly at this point if you are all vaccinated and mostly boosted I think it's fine to start living your life as much as you are comfortable with. I am concerned about the hospital overcrowding and burned out staff but that is beyond my control. Keeping my kids out of dance is not going to fix that issue. We've been and continue to be as responsible as we can be. I can't go another year or more waiting for the unvaccinated to weed themselves out of the gene pool. We've proven at this point you can't fix/save stupid. Unfortunately, vaccinated are being weeded out too.
|
|
pulmonarymd
Junior Associate
Joined: Feb 12, 2020 17:40:54 GMT -5
Posts: 7,799
Member is Online
|
Post by pulmonarymd on Jan 13, 2022 9:24:17 GMT -5
Not really. You are unvaccinated. The odds of survival are quite good if you are vaccinated.
|
|
Deleted
Joined: Sept 28, 2024 18:48:45 GMT -5
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on Jan 13, 2022 9:39:48 GMT -5
The rural area I live in is losing both vaccinated and unvaccinated people. We have an "old" population, but it's still sad.
|
|
Deleted
Joined: Sept 28, 2024 18:48:45 GMT -5
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on Jan 13, 2022 9:40:26 GMT -5
Not really. You are unvaccinated. The odds of survival are quite good if you are vaccinated. P.S. I am vaccinated.
|
|
pulmonarymd
Junior Associate
Joined: Feb 12, 2020 17:40:54 GMT -5
Posts: 7,799
Member is Online
|
Post by pulmonarymd on Jan 13, 2022 9:42:37 GMT -5
Not really. You are unvaccinated. The odds of survival are quite good if you are vaccinated. P.S. I am vaccinated. Sorry, should say "If you are unvaccinated" My mistake. The virus is still killing the unvaccinated disproportionately
|
|
Knee Deep in Water Chloe
Senior Associate
Joined: Dec 27, 2010 21:04:44 GMT -5
Posts: 14,213
Mini-Profile Name Color: 1980e6
|
Post by Knee Deep in Water Chloe on Jan 13, 2022 9:46:01 GMT -5
I serve on the board of a small private elementary school with 90 students, our secretary applied on-line to obtain some covid tests for the students to take home, if needed. Today we received our allotment of 1,400!! tests, what are we supposed to do with so many? We joked about selling them as a fundraiser, but I guess that's against the rules 🙄 I guess we can outfit anyone in the community who needs one, we just have to get the word out, what government official decided we needed so many? That’s 15 to 16 tests per kid. There’s 4 to 5 months of school left for this school year. If you’re doing the actual test-to-stay procedures, then you’ll need them all. —An exhausted government official
|
|
minnesotapaintlady
Junior Associate
Joined: Dec 9, 2020 21:48:27 GMT -5
Posts: 8,351
Member is Online
|
Post by minnesotapaintlady on Jan 13, 2022 10:08:05 GMT -5
I serve on the board of a small private elementary school with 90 students, our secretary applied on-line to obtain some covid tests for the students to take home, if needed. Today we received our allotment of 1,400!! tests, what are we supposed to do with so many? We joked about selling them as a fundraiser, but I guess that's against the rules 🙄 I guess we can outfit anyone in the community who needs one, we just have to get the word out, what government official decided we needed so many? That’s 15 to 16 tests per kid. There’s 4 to 5 months of school left for this school year. If you’re doing the actual test-to-stay procedures, then you’ll need them all. —An exhausted government official Thankfully our school only does test-to-stay if you're not vaccinated. Vaccinated automatically get to stay unless they are symptomatic. I think the test shortage in some areas would be alleviated a lot if all the vaccinated would quit testing so much.
|
|
jerseygirl
Junior Associate
Joined: May 13, 2018 7:43:08 GMT -5
Posts: 5,236
|
Vaccinated
Jan 13, 2022 10:32:04 GMT -5
via mobile
Post by jerseygirl on Jan 13, 2022 10:32:04 GMT -5
Lack of emphasis on Covid therapeutics impacting both vaccinated and unvaccinated. Yes vaccines are marvelous at decreasing hospitalization and death but therapeutics should also be part of ‘living with Covid’ . Why wasn’t the same strategy of operation warp speed used. Preorder large amounts of therapeutics from the pharma companies working on them. There are now at least 2 from Merck and Pfizer but only relatively small orders placed and only after approval - they’re in short supply now. So Operation Snail Speed www.wsj.com/articles/bidens-operation-snail-speed-covid-therapies-pfizer-mercy-ridgeback-vir-11642024875
|
|
NomoreDramaQ1015
Community Leader
Joined: Dec 20, 2010 14:26:32 GMT -5
Posts: 48,025
|
Post by NomoreDramaQ1015 on Jan 13, 2022 10:40:52 GMT -5
I don't think so. We're still doing dance despite Omicron. The kids were turning feral they needed an outlet. Honestly at this point if you are all vaccinated and mostly boosted I think it's fine to start living your life as much as you are comfortable with. I am concerned about the hospital overcrowding and burned out staff but that is beyond my control. Keeping my kids out of dance is not going to fix that issue. We've been and continue to be as responsible as we can be. I can't go another year or more waiting for the unvaccinated to weed themselves out of the gene pool. We've proven at this point you can't fix/save stupid. Unfortunately, vaccinated are being weeded out too. True but for myself and my family I am going with the odds at this point. We are all on the younger side, no comorbidities, all vaccinated and soon both adults to be boostered. Everyone around us is boostered. I follow all the rules when visiting my grandmother. We don't allow the kids to visit the in laws if they are sick. I follow whatever rules are required of me everywhere I go. I have more than done my part at this point to attempt to keep people safe. I am not going to not live my life anymore because Jim Bob won't wear a mask or get vaccinated. The risk is far higher to him than to me. If he gets to make his own choices I get to make mine. I am just fine with taking my kids to dance or going to see a movie I am ready to start moving on.
|
|
Lizard Queen
Senior Associate
103/2024
Joined: Jan 17, 2011 22:19:13 GMT -5
Posts: 14,659
|
Post by Lizard Queen on Jan 13, 2022 10:49:24 GMT -5
Yeah, the only courtesy I'm extending to Jim Bob is to wear a mask, even though I don't have to and he gives me dirty looks for doing so. Plus, we are a lot more mindful of keeping the kids home when they're mildly/could be just allergies because they skipped too many days of allergy pills.
|
|
NomoreDramaQ1015
Community Leader
Joined: Dec 20, 2010 14:26:32 GMT -5
Posts: 48,025
|
Post by NomoreDramaQ1015 on Jan 13, 2022 10:57:02 GMT -5
Yeah, the only courtesy I'm extending to Jim Bob is to wear a mask, even though I don't have to and he gives me dirty looks for doing so. Plus, we are a lot more mindful of keeping the kids home when they're mildly/could be just allergies because they skipped too many days of allergy pills. We're on a delicate tight rope with that because Iowa schools went back to regular attendance requirements. We already got a warning letter for Gwen on how many days she's missed. So we decided since they are both now vaccinated unless there is a fever or known exposure they go to school BUT we do still keep them away from the in laws or anyone else we know would have issues if exposed.
|
|
NomoreDramaQ1015
Community Leader
Joined: Dec 20, 2010 14:26:32 GMT -5
Posts: 48,025
|
Post by NomoreDramaQ1015 on Jan 13, 2022 13:17:13 GMT -5
And yet Ricketts is still proudly blocking mask and vaccine mandates. Because I am morbidly curious what happens after stage one? www.ketv.com/article/nebraska-medicine-crisis-standards-care-plan/38757463 "Our leadership made the difficult decision to activate this plan today because our community’s demand for health care currently exceeds our available resources," Kayla Thomas, senior media relations for Nebraska Medicine stated in a press release.
So what does that mean for patients?
Right now, Nebraska Medicine said it is currently in 'stage one' of the plan.
That means surgeries may be postponed, patient transfers may be denied, clinical trials may be paused, appointments may be rescheduled or fewer may be available, and you may find medical students or other staff being used as support personnel.
|
|
Deleted
Joined: Sept 28, 2024 18:48:45 GMT -5
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on Jan 13, 2022 13:22:41 GMT -5
Lack of emphasis on Covid therapeutics impacting both vaccinated and unvaccinated. Yes vaccines are marvelous at decreasing hospitalization and death but therapeutics should also be part of ‘living with Covid’ . Why wasn’t the same strategy of operation warp speed used. Preorder large amounts of therapeutics from the pharma companies working on them. There are now at least 2 from Merck and Pfizer but only relatively small orders placed and only after approval - they’re in short supply now. Umm... as a country we're in debt up to our eyeballs already? No quarrel with the costs of Operation Warp Speed- it had to be done and we'd be hurting a lot more without vaccines. No quarrel with deploying the first round of stimulus payments ASAP without months of quibbling about who should get them. Well, except they were sent to dead people and after AARP whined a lot, SS recipients were included even though COVID had no impact on their incomes. Subsequent rounds of stimulus payments were again scattered without regard to circumstances even though we had more time to focus them, say, on the unemployed. A single mother with 3 kids who had to quit her job to home-school them got the same stimulus payment as DS, who was making $60K/year in a LCOL area, had transitioned easily to WFH and had DDIL home-schooling their 3. When more whining arose from people who found that their unemployment payments were taxable (they always HAVE been), they got a break on that, too. "There is no government money- only taxpayer money."- Margaret Thatcher
|
|