At the shop I work at, which never was closed being an "essential service provider", we are all pretty much fed up, done and over with masks. The boss / owner is a good democrat which I only mention to illustrate that this is not a partisan thing. We have all been vaccinated with Moderna since March. We insist that you drop your mask so that you can see your entire face with the frames on and also to make sure that it fits the nose and not the mask. We have had a few people freak out over that request, but that was early on. Now, maybe a couple of times a week anymore is all. When I mention that we have all been vaccinated, every customer so far has said that they are, too.... So this is a serious question. Would you shop at a place where the staff is fully vaccinated and does not wear masks ? We aren't saying that the customer has to take their's off just being here, but that we want it to be an option.
It may vary by local laws and outbreak conditions. In Orange Co. NC, masks are still required in public places, though the rules have been relaxed for customers in restaurants, coffee shops, and bars which have outdoor seating - not for staff. Orange was one of the only counties in the state which rarely, if ever, had severe outbreaks of new infections. A couple of weeks ago I took my son to get glasses, and the tech who fitted them was wearing a face-shield and mask. When he was talking to my son he eventually pulled the mask down after asking if it was okay. When he was done with the adjustments to the glasses he told my son he could pull down the mask and go to another mirror to see how the glasses looked. My son said "Am I allowed to do that?", so the tech stood and stepped back and pointed towards a mirror at a different part of the room - that some other customers had asked to do so. That particular optical facility and shop is affiliated with UNC Hospitals Department of Ophthalmology, so I imagine they have to be exemplary in terms of following the rules - no more than 2 people at a time in the office, plexiglass shields at the reception desks, etc., but I guess in that case they can allow customers to see what they look like without the mask.
At the shop I work at, which never was closed being an "essential service provider", we are all pretty much fed up, done and over with masks. The boss / owner is a good democrat which I only mention to illustrate that this is not a partisan thing. We have all been vaccinated with Moderna since March.
We insist that you drop your mask so that you can see your entire face with the frames on and also to make sure that it fits the nose and not the mask. We have had a few people freak out over that request, but that was early on. Now, maybe a couple of times a week anymore is all. When I mention that we have all been vaccinated, every customer so far has said that they are, too.
We are of the attitude now that if you are too afraid to go outside and take off your mask if needed, then stay home or stay away. Get your glasses online.
I'm tired of spitting out mask fibers at the end of the day and during days off. My PCP has also made the same observation and wondered what we are doing to our lungs inhaling mask fibers made of god knows what being made in China, like everything else. I put on a fresh surgical mask everyday. Sometimes even change them mid day. Seems that most people just wear the same old cloth mask everyday and buy new ones rather than wash them anyway. How unhygienic is that ? What is the point if that is all that people are doing wearing masks ?
So this is a serious question. Would you shop at a place where the staff is fully vaccinated and does not wear masks ? We aren't saying that the customer has to take their's off just being here, but that we want it to be an option.
Review of the Emerging Evidence Demonstrating the Efficacy of Ivermectin in the Prophylaxis and Treatment of COVID-19 American Journal of Therapeutics (peer-reviewed; Wolters Kluwer; in MEDLINE). Conclusions: “Meta-analyses based on 18 randomized controlled treatment trials of ivermectin in COVID-19 have found large, statistically significant reductions in mortality, time to clinical recovery, and time to viral clearance. Furthermore, results from numerous controlled prophylaxis trials report significantly reduced risks of contracting COVID-19 with the regular use of ivermectin. Finally, the many examples of ivermectin distribution campaigns leading to rapid population-wide decreases in morbidity and mortality indicate that an oral agent effective in all phases of COVID-19 has been identified.”
I know, I know, sciencebasedmedicine.org somehow doesn't believe it.
by Alex Tabarrok May 6, 2021 at 7:22 am in For the last year and a half I have been shouting from the rooftops, âinvest in capacity, build more factories, shore up the supply lines, spend billions to save trillions.â Fortunately, some boffins in the Biden administration have found a better way, âthe US supports the waiver of IP protections on COVID-19 vaccines to help end the pandemic.â
Waive IP protections. So simple. Why didnât I think of that??
Patents are not the problem. All of the vaccine manufacturers are trying to increase supply as quickly as possible. Billions of doses are being producedâmore than ever before in the history of the world. Licenses are widely available. AstraZeneca have licensed their vaccine for production with manufactures around the world, including in India, Brazil, Mexico, Argentina, China and South Africa. J&Jâs vaccine has been licensed for production by multiple firms in the United States as well as with firms in Spain, South Africa and France. Sputnik has been licensed for production by firms in India, China, South Korea, Brazil and pending EMA approval with firms in Germany and France. Sinopharm has been licensed in the UAE, Egypt and Bangladesh. Novavax has licensed its vaccine for production in South Korea, India, and Japan and it is desperate to find other licensees but technology transfer isnât easy and there are limited supplies of raw materials:
Virtually overnight, set up a network of outside manufacturers more ambitious than one outside executive said heâs ever seen, but they struggled at times to transfer their technology there amid pandemic travel restrictions. They were kicked out of one factory by the same government thatâs bankrolled their effort. Competing with larger competitors, theyâve found themselves short on raw materials as diverse as Chilean tree bark and bioreactor bags. They signed a deal with Indiaâs Serum Institute to produce many of their COVAX doses but now face the realistic chance that even when Serum gets to full capacity â and they are behind â Indiaâs government, dealing with the worldâs worst active outbreak, wonât let the shots leave the country.
is this a turning point in how we address pandemics or potential pandemics?
........
Rough calculation: a little shy of 20% of Americans have stated their intention not to get a vaccine against the SARS CoV2 virus. (47% DJ Trump voters X 40% of Republicans who intend not to get the vaccine.)
Will this change? Will this affect attempts to reach Herd Immunity? I do not foresee a massive die-off. Just lots of misery and sick, unproductive people.
It will slow a return to 'normal life' and a full employment economy. I am sure those numerous individuals do not care.
When the next pandemic strikes and 1/5 of the American population refuses vaccines, what then?
According to this story, Seychelles with pop of about 100K has seen cases increase by about 67% in the past week, and now just over 1% of pop has the virus, including about 330 who were fully vaccinated (~60% of pop). About 3x as many in the unvaxed pop are getting sick than the vax pop. Wouldn't that imply about 67% efficacy of the vaccine? No indication of morbidity of either population.
Worldâs Most-Vaccinated Nation Activates Curbs as Cases Rise
is this a turning point in how we address pandemics or potential pandemics?
given mrna is a plug and play formula... could/should we be testing experimental "new" vaccines, to get a large enough sample of data to conclude safety...so the FDA can get out of the way?
Brooks is a favourite read. I sometimes want to beat him up in envy because he writes so well. This has nothing to do with his Canadian ex-pat status. We disagree on a few major policy issues. So?
It is interesting how Brooks avoided turning the op-ed piece into an us versus them partisan essay but the folks posting comments tended to immediately graduate the debate to an us vs. them thing.
Forecast: It will take a very long time for the USA to overcome its polarized political divide. Shame. I fear that those of us in smaller rich western countries will continue to suffer as a result.
Has Israel just found the cure for Covid? Experimental Covid drug cures 30 out of 30 moderate to severe cases in Phase I clinical trial at Israeli hospital. Second new drug also shows promise.
EXO-CD24, an experimental inhaled medication developed at Tel Aviv Sourasky Medical Center, cured all 30 moderate-to-severe cases in a Phase I clinical trial.
immune from this nonsense due to high literacy rates. Right....
Like we know with Qanon, intelligence/literacy is not the issue. I have a relative that is the world expert in a type of fish genetics, and a Fox devotee. If you start by calling these folks (Q, anti-vax, GOP) "stupid" then you start down the wrong road.
The US death rate of hospitalized patients went from 22% at the start of the pandemic to about 6.5% a year later. We've learned a thing or two about how to treat it. The improvement came rapidly because we had such an abundance of cases to try things on, so that knowledge was paid dearly for; because we have things that work it's especially distressing to see people pushing quack cures that don't.
Two Canadians just died apparently from vaccine-related blood clots. One was refused entry into an ICU.
It could very well be that the two persons in question were in awful, bad health but I fear these headlines will encourage the quacks and encourage the all too abundant anti-vaxxers. Oh Canada!
I bet many mistakenly thought Canadians were were immune from this nonsense due to high literacy rates. Right....
Corticosteroids, remdesivir, monoclonal antibodies if you can get them. The standard of care has evolved over the course of the pandemic; we learned what works and what doesn't. Here's a list.
The people I know personally who had Covid-19 did not get anything from their doctor except the news that they tested positive a few days after the fact, and the advice I gave below. This is probably why our death count is still running at 21,000 per month, with no end in sight.
What effective therapies would those be? If you are not famous like Trump, Giuliani or Chris Christie, you're just told to go home and sleep it off, don't let anyone in or out of the house for two weeks, and try not to kill your family and pets. Oh and if you can't breath, don't forget to go to the ER.
Corticosteroids, remdesivir, monoclonal antibodies if you can get them. The standard of care has evolved over the course of the pandemic; we learned what works and what doesn't. Here's a list.
The US death rate of hospitalized patients went from 22% at the start of the pandemic to about 6.5% a year later. We've learned a thing or two about how to treat it. The improvement came rapidly because we had such an abundance of cases to try things on, so that knowledge was paid dearly for; because we have things that work it's especially distressing to see people pushing quack cures that don't.
