@mep1811 Not sure what your point is, but I'll ask you to compare March 2020 when people tried to isolate and avoid disease (in retrospect, a small localized blip mostly in NYC) and November/December 2020 (massive country wide outbreak) when they didn't. The current surge is huge, real and very deadly. It has room to be another order of magnitude worse. This is not a conspiracy, it's a public health emergency. And, it was proper to worry about the capacity of health systems, because you know what; it's far worse than you can ever believe. The 300 bed hospital I work in is at least 1/3 occupied by COVID patients, and the ICU is at capacity with COVID patients, most of whom will die. We are starting to house COVID patients in makeshift space, tents, conference rooms, etc. Staff is working overtime, I personally just finished 15 days in a row, you get the picture. And if you've been lucky enough to not get this yet, or get it and recover, than count your blessings.
And
@mep1811 - masks are helpful. They decrease the number of droplets shed by an infected patient. Why the hard right has made mask wearing a whipping boy for "freedom", I don't know. But stop spreading false and misleading statements. Wearing a mask may or may not help you, but it benefits everyone as a whole. If you don't want to wear a mask, you have the freedom to stay home.
But I think the politicization of of this as a blue vs red badge of stupidity has been a huge disservice to the country. IT is our current president's legacy. (And that's coming from someone who voted Republican every election from 1981 until 2016) Depending on how long this surge lasts, everyone reading this will likely be exposed since it's now a numbers and probability thing. Think of things this way-let's say about 1/60 people has the disease (its higher some parts of the US) and go to a family gathering of 12 people. You have a 20% risk of being exposed to someone with the disease. From a public health standpoint, that's HUGE.
I think
@GLTHFJ60 knows my parent(s) live in Charlotte. I am sad to report my mother died there of COVID-19 last week. It's been a major blow to all of us, especially my dad who is 87. So yes, she was elderly, but she was healthy until COVID. I personally have seen normal healthy 30-40 year olds present to the hospital and die within a few days. So you can't count on recovering if you do get the disease, though fortunately most do. One of my coworkers said it best-It feels like we have been abandoned by the public. I also know several coworkers who got the disease and recovered-all report the same thing-it's the worst flu like illness they've ever had and their stamina was affected for months after. One guy got sick last April and still has decreased taste and smell.
Jonny-Thanks for posting that. States have some leeway to modify the basic plan a bit. While it's slower than we would like, it is happening. I know here in Sacramento, Phase 1B and 2 are slated to roll-out in Mid January. I'm hoping were at Phase 4 by March.
I got vaccinated (1A) first dose of the Pfizer product on 12/18. Second dose next week. There were no side effects I detected, other than 24 hours of a minimally sore arm. So please, when your turn comes, get vaccinated. Please. As fast as possible. It is the only real chance there is to avoid turning a massive tragedy into a massive catastrophe. Please remember that your current highest risk is from other family members. Most transmission now is at indoor gatherings. So if your family invites you over for a football game, a birthday party, a gathering, a New Year's eve celebration, just don't go. Please.
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