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Additionally, the forum gets a "bounty" for various offers at Amazon.com. For instance, if you sign up for a 30 day free trial of Amazon Prime, the forum will earn $3. Same if you buy a Prime membership for someone else as a gift! Trying out or purchasing an Audible membership will earn the forum a few bucks. And creating an Amazon Business account will send a $15 commission our way.
If you have an Amazon Echo, you need a free trial of Amazon Music!! We will earn $3 and it's free to you!
Your personal information is completely private, I only get a list of items that were ordered/shipped via the link, no names or locations or anything. This does not cost you anything extra and it helps offset the operating costs of this forum, which include our hosting fees and the yearly registration and licensing fees.
Stay safe and well and thank you for your participation in the Forum and for your support!! --Deborah
Here is the link:
Click here to shop at Amazon.com
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There are two COVID boogey men in the news this morning: (1) India, (2) the risk of a growing number of SARS2 variants in the unvaccinated. Let's break these down.
(1) Have you ever been to India or, for that matter read about it? It is the most unhealthy, fetid shit-hole containing 1.4 billion people living close together in huge cities. It's kind of like Michigan times 1000. A huge population of previously uninfected hosts exposed to a highly transmissible virus. It's sad that thousands of Indians are dying but with billions to be infected and a generous mortality rate of 2%, 200,000 will die. Once the fire starts, this one is hard to extinguish when the material is as inflammable as it is.
(2) This is the one I want to stress today. The risk of COVID variants to reaching herd immunity. First, credit to the Biden administration for hitting the airwaves with public service announcements encouraging everyone to get vaccinated. Epidemiologically, the key to control of a pandemic causing virus that mutates - and SARS2 does - is to sharply reduce the number of hosts that SARS2 has a chance to infect. The math is simple: Each time a virus replicates inside a host, it makes mistakes, creating thousands of genomic changes in its RNA. Some of these just fade away. Some create disease symptoms of varying degree, some turn out to be new viruses that have the capacity to evade the human immune system and these new variants get passed along to others. Having this happen in 100 hosts is way better than having it happen in 10,000.
The degree to which SARS2 variants are forming is, right now, probably the most researched aspect of the pandemic. I've linked to an article below that talks science and facts - something you aren't getting from your local or national news. What you're getting are sound bites that are misleading if not factually falsehoods. Here are the takeaways although I encourage you to read the article at the link:- SARS2 variants form as the natural process of replicating inside a host. This should be expected.
- Not all variants are virulent to the extent that they are more transmissible or more lethal.
- The degree to which variants become unresponsive to the host's immune system prompted by vaccines is low.
- Real world effectiveness of vaccines approved and in use outside of China and China's recipients of their vaccine remains in the 80% range for all defined illness (mild to serious). It is much higher when the only metrics being studied are hospitalizations and death.
- Some studies demonstrate that v. native SARS2, vaccines prevent transmission at about a 90% rate. This drops to as low as 50% (about like influenza) v. the Brazilian variant. Higher than that against the South African and much higher against the UK varaints. In the US, today, the UK variant is dominant ...... are you getting the picture?
I suppose, given the CDC's ultra-caution, I can understand their current recommendation that vaccinated people should still mask and distance. TBH, we don't have the data yet to say with certainty that there isn't asymptomatic spread occurring among the vaccinated who catch a variant to both vaccinated and unvaccinated people. I would think it is rare.
Mission to CFB's National Championship accomplished. But the shine on the NC Trophy is embarrassingly wearing off. It's M B-Ball ..... or hockey or volley ball or name your college sport favorite time ...... until next year.
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Originally posted by Jeff Buchanan View PostThere are two COVID boogey men in the news this morning: (1) India, (2) the risk of a growing number of SARS2 variants in the unvaccinated. Let's break these down.
(1) Have you ever been to India or, for that matter read about it? It is the most unhealthy, fetid shit-hole containing 1.4 billion people living close together in huge cities. It's kind of like Michigan times 1000. A huge population of previously uninfected hosts exposed to a highly transmissible virus. It's sad that thousands of Indians are dying but with billions to be infected and a generous mortality rate of 2%, 200,000 will die. Once the fire starts, this one is hard to extinguish when the material is as inflammable as it is.
(2) This is the one I want to stress today. The risk of COVID variants to reaching herd immunity. First, credit to the Biden administration for hitting the airwaves with public service announcements encouraging everyone to get vaccinated. Epidemiologically, the key to control of a pandemic causing virus that mutates - and SARS2 does - is to sharply reduce the number of hosts that SARS2 has a chance to infect. The math is simple: Each time a virus replicates inside a host, it makes mistakes, creating thousands of genomic changes in its RNA. Some of these just fade away. Some create disease symptoms of varying degree, some turn out to be new viruses that have the capacity to evade the human immune system and these new variants get passed along to others. Having this happen in 100 hosts is way better than having it happen in 10,000.
The degree to which SARS2 variants are forming is, right now, probably the most researched aspect of the pandemic. I've linked to an article below that talks science and facts - something you aren't getting from your local or national news. What you're getting are sound bites that are misleading if not factually falsehoods. Here are the takeaways although I encourage you to read the article at the link:- SARS2 variants form as the natural process of replicating inside a host. This should be expected.
- Not all variants are virulent to the extent that they are more transmissible or more lethal.
- The degree to which variants become unresponsive to the host's immune system prompted by vaccines is low.
- Real world effectiveness of vaccines approved and in use outside of China and China's recipients of their vaccine remains in the 80% range for all defined illness (mild to serious). It is much higher when the only metrics being studied are hospitalizations and death.
- Some studies demonstrate that v. native SARS2, vaccines prevent transmission at about a 90% rate. This drops to as low as 50% (about like influenza) v. the Brazilian variant. Higher than that against the South African and much higher against the UK varaints. In the US, today, the UK variant is dominant ...... are you getting the picture?
I suppose, given the CDC's ultra-caution, I can understand their current recommendation that vaccinated people should still mask and distance. TBH, we don't have the data yet to say with certainty that there isn't asymptomatic spread occurring among the vaccinated who catch a variant to both vaccinated and unvaccinated people. I would think it is rare.
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I don't care if the Detroit Pistons somehow manage to sign the to best 15 basketball players in the world. I will not watch the NBA any more. I'm done with the NBA.
When their "most important" player is allowed to threaten the life of a law enforcement officer who was doing his job, and do so with impunity, then its time for that league to fold. Its no longer about playing a sport. Its about politics and mass conformity. You must believe his way, or you're dead.
Die, NBA."The stockings were hung by the chimney with care, .. I'd worn them for weeks, and they needed the air"
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Originally posted by lineygoblue View PostI don't care if the Detroit Pistons somehow manage to sign the to best 15 basketball players in the world. I will not watch the NBA any more. I'm done with the NBA.
When their "most important" player is allowed to threaten the life of a law enforcement officer who was doing his job, and do so with impunity, then its time for that league to fold. Its no longer about playing a sport. Its about politics and mass conformity. You must believe his way, or you're dead.
Die, NBA.
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A quick reminder -- the Maskless Covid Apocalypse in Texas that Chairman Joe predicted and called "neanderthal thinking" has yet to come to pass. Cases are, in fact, down. https://www.nationalreview.com/corne...tm_term=fourth
I wonder how Prog Hero Governor Gretch is doing?
Ya wanna play politics with Covid then let's play politics.Dan Patrick: What was your reaction to [Urban Meyer being hired]?
Brady Hoke: You know.....not....good.
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Originally posted by iam416 View PostA quick reminder -- the Maskless Covid Apocalypse in Texas that Chairman Joe predicted and called "neanderthal thinking" has yet to come to pass. Cases are, in fact, down. https://www.nationalreview.com/corne...tm_term=fourth
I wonder how Prog Hero Governor Gretch is doing?
Ya wanna play politics with Covid then let's play politics.
Too bad for me I got to watch 2 grand parents die alone in the last year, at least she can physically travel to Florida to be with him while telling Michiganders to stay home.
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Originally posted by iam416 View PostA quick reminder -- the Maskless Covid Apocalypse in Texas that Chairman Joe predicted and called "neanderthal thinking" has yet to come to pass. Cases are, in fact, down. https://www.nationalreview.com/corne...tm_term=fourth
I wonder how Prog Hero Governor Gretch is doing?
Ya wanna play politics with Covid then let's play politics.
In other words, a normal year for her."The stockings were hung by the chimney with care, .. I'd worn them for weeks, and they needed the air"
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Originally posted by lineygoblue View PostI don't care if the Detroit Pistons somehow manage to sign the to best 15 basketball players in the world. I will not watch the NBA any more. I'm done with the NBA.
When their "most important" player is allowed to threaten the life of a law enforcement officer who was doing his job, and do so with impunity, then its time for that league to fold. Its no longer about playing a sport. Its about politics and mass conformity. You must believe his way, or you're dead.
Die, NBA.Shut the fuck up Donny!
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Originally posted by iam416 View PostA quick reminder -- the Maskless Covid Apocalypse in Texas that Chairman Joe predicted and called "neanderthal thinking" has yet to come to pass. Cases are, in fact, down. https://www.nationalreview.com/corne...tm_term=fourth
I wonder how Prog Hero Governor Gretch is doing?
Ya wanna play politics with Covid then let's play politics.Shut the fuck up Donny!
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Don't conflate the choice of wearing a mask with the choice of getting vaccinated or not.
WRT to vaccination. I don't give a fuck about who gets vaccinated and who doesn't when it comes to you. Getting vaccinated is a personal choice. When it comes to ME and MY health, MY preference is to get vaccinated and when I go out and will be inside, to have as many people around me as possible that are also inside that have been vaccinated. That's my risk reduction strategy to avoid having to deal with COVID. YMMV.
That means it's my choice to gather in indoor establishments or venues that require adults to be vaccinated to enter. Likewise it's my choice to not go to indoor establishments and venues that don't. The unvaccinated adults have the same choice. Get barred from venues or establishments that require vaccination to enter or go to those that don't.
By extension, it's my position that private indoor establishments and venues can establish requirements for entry inside - i.e., no shoes, no shirt, no service. That's legal. I'm opposed to Governor Desants' position on this and I'm pretty sure it's going to be challenged if he intends to extend this to airlines operating on international flights from FL airports or cruise ships operating from FL ports. Right now, he hasn't crossed that bridge.
Outdoors things for me are completely different. It is my assessment that the risk of becoming infected with COVID either with or without vaccination is so low as to render mitigation measures unnecessary.
This isn't hard. Choose wisely. If not for your health, for the health of others.Mission to CFB's National Championship accomplished. But the shine on the NC Trophy is embarrassingly wearing off. It's M B-Ball ..... or hockey or volley ball or name your college sport favorite time ...... until next year.
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