On Topic Discussion 2019 Coronavirus (COVID-19/SARS-CoV-2)

[Kulindahr]

^My Doc and I were having a chat about this this morning. Even in Ontariostan, where we are close to 68% double vaxxed, he tells me that there are 'less informed' patients in his roster that just are immovable...and we agreed that given our history of vax adoption...this was inexplicable...except that it has been politicized and exploited by those who mean us harm.

We also understand that the rural population may be be slow in the uptake because they think they are not in contact with the 'spreaders.

God. Help. Us.

Our county got its first spike in cases when the parks opened up last year and people from the cities swarmed over... and too many rural people here were refusing to wear masks.

Then the governor lifted all the restrictions during the summer and we got another spike as more people from the cities came swarming... and many rural people are still refusing to wear masks -- but they're kind of stuck, because both grocery stores, the builders' supply store, and the biggest hardware store are refusing entry to people without masks (I haven't checked the farmers' co-op, but I think the new order covers them, too).

The really stupid thing is how many people who've gotten COVID here aren't blaming their own lack of masks, they're blaming the people from out of county who have come here. Yes, those people are probably "spreaders" (statistically, it's a certainty), but those of us who have just kept wearing our masks aren't getting sick!

Idiots.

 

[Kulindahr]

^ The hospitalizations of the last wave in Spain were of people between 30 and 60 with no, or just one, dose: where do you get the idea that one dose protects your health against the Delta? I didn't know about that.

The clinic here is saying one shot gives you maybe 30% protection against Delta, so DON'T GAMBLE! They've got a poster showing a slot machine with three skulls in the windows to go with the warning, and an explanation that it doesn't take all three, just one.

 

[belamyi]

^ The logic is quite sound for people living in a little bubble world.

 

[ChristianGianni]

Nurses are quitting because of COVID-19 burnout, causing a mass shortage: "I yell at God, I yell at myself, I yell at COVID and cry"

https://calmatters.org/health/coronavirus/2021/08/california-nurses-shortage/

.. I've sat at my laptop and written out a resignation letter twice in the past eight months only to delete them, like all doctors and nurses, I'm tired, angry and dissillusioned, not with hospital practices, but with my fellow man. Many doctors and nurses have left and sadly some have died from covid. The staff shortages are nation wide, probably world wide, and I don't blame one of them for leaving, it's damn hard doing what we do and now with the shortages double shifts at work are part of the norm, they have been for the past four months. Many people think they don't need to protect themselves from covid but at the same time think nothing of walking into a grocery store packing a gun for protection. When did so many in our country lose their way and become so fucked up.

 

[KaraBulut]

.. I've sat at my laptop and written out a resignation letter twice in the past eight months only to delete them, like all doctors and nurses, I'm tired, angry and dissillusioned, not with hospital practices, but with my fellow man. Many doctors and nurses have left and sadly some have died from covid. The staff shortages are nation wide, probably world wide, and I don't blame one of them for leaving, it's damn hard doing what we do and now with the shortages double shifts at work are part of the norm, they have been for the past four months. Many people think they don't need to protect themselves from covid but at the same time think nothing of walking into a grocery store packing a gun for protection. When did so many in our country lose their way and become so fucked up.

It's a common theme that we're hearing a lot.

The news is full of stories about nutjobs screaming about masks at school board meetings. Meanwhile, there are nurses and respiratory therapists who have been suffering through things that can only be compared to a war. Prior to COVID-19, most nurses- especially those in critical care areas- didn't "bag and tag" patients very often; now they're seeing patients dying daily and with Delta, it's younger patients that are dying. Prior to COVID-19, an unstable patient would have a 1:1 nurse-patient staffing ratio; now we're hearing about 2:1 and even 3:1 staffing. The shortage is just not because nurses are getting out of hospital nursing, it's also because these patients are so sick that the staffing patterns are beyond anything we've seen in the past.

Last year, the staff in pediatrics didn't get hit with COVID-19 patients; now I hear pediatric colleagues comparing notes on the age of the patients they're seeing. So far, the youngest that I've heard of is a 5 day old infant.

In June, hospitals were throwing "Staff Appreciation Parties" and everyone thought the public would get vaccinated and the worst was over. Now, we're not hearing optimism and the feeling is that there will not be an end to this, only brief "downs" before the next peak (which usually follows a holiday).

The public has no idea what is going on in emergency rooms, urgent care centers and critical care units. No idea.

In the past, when staffing was short, you would hear staff say, "We have a lot of sick patients, I can work an extra shift to help out". Now you hear, "I can't let my coworkers down". It's the same thing that you hear soldiers say about why they take another tour of duty- it's no longer about the mission but it becomes instead about letting fellow soldiers down.

 

[belamyi]

.. I've sat at my laptop and written out a resignation letter twice in the past eight months only to delete them, like all doctors and nurses, I'm tired, angry and dissillusioned, not with hospital practices, but with my fellow man. Many doctors and nurses have left and sadly some have died from covid. The staff shortages are nation wide, probably world wide, and I don't blame one of them for leaving, it's damn hard doing what we do and now with the shortages double shifts at work are part of the norm, they have been for the past four months. Many people think they don't need to protect themselves from covid but at the same time think nothing of walking into a grocery store packing a gun for protection. When did so many in our country lose their way and become so fucked up.

I think people never actually realized or, better, never wanted to believe what their fellow citizens (worldwide citizens, the medical system is global, even accounting for the U$A ex$eption).

The world of "normal people" is composed to spoilt brats of all ages, colors, beliefs and social class, and the medical staff people, even more so than the military or even the teaching martyrs, are the first ones to be there to suffer the consequences of being hyperqualified to take up the responsibility to wipe the ass of a society underqualified for the decent, modern, enlightened, polite ideal for which they are supposed to stand.

 

[rareboy]

Some science from 'Science' about the airborne transmission of COVID 19. Good read.

https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.abd9149

 

[ruggerladirish]

88% of over 18s fully vaccinated. 94% partially. Overwhelmingly Pfizer. 12-17 yr olds currently being vaccinated, as schools are back this week.

Yet a very high transmission rate by European standards. Few explanations being offered, other than our economic reliance on inward reliance. Our highest transmission/positivity rates are in the counties bordering with the UK and areas reliant on US tourists for economic survival.

We are told to expect this fourth wave to 'peter out next month or October. Positive cases are high (like last February) but hospital cases and deaths are only a fraction of that time. Thank goodness for vaccines.

 

[belamyi]

Covid cases in BCN during the past month: it should be obvious what parts of the city can best afford holidays out of the city and, in general, which are the wealthier areas... and which ones, being located in the poorer parts, are low-density, isolated-village-like areas.



- - - Updated - - -

-clickable-

 

[rareboy]

https://www.publichealthontario.ca/...data-surveillance/covid-19-data-tool?tab=maps


Generally Ontario is doing reasonably okay except for Windsor Essex....likely because of a lot of back and forth across the border and Hamilton....which I don't understand a t all.

 

[KaraBulut]

Generally Ontario is doing reasonably okay except for Windsor Essex....likely because of a lot of back and forth across the border and Hamilton....which I don't understand a t all.

Same Windsor known for the "Windsor Ballet"?

 

[rareboy]

 

[KaraBulut]

88% of over 18s fully vaccinated. 94% partially. Overwhelmingly Pfizer. 12-17 yr olds currently being vaccinated, as schools are back this week.

Yet a very high transmission rate by European standards. Few explanations being offered, other than our economic reliance on inward reliance. Our highest transmission/positivity rates are in the counties bordering with the UK and areas reliant on US tourists for economic survival.

We are told to expect this fourth wave to 'peter out next month or October. Positive cases are high (like last February) but hospital cases and deaths are only a fraction of that time. Thank goodness for vaccines.

Ireland is another country that has been ahead of the curve on COVID-19, especially compared to the UK. While cases have bumped up in the past 6 weeks, there has not been a proportionate increase in deaths. That's likely to be due to the high vaccination rate, especially among the high-risk populations.

Here's the numbers:

Weekly New Case/Death Numbers for Ireland:

• 10-Jul: 3,586 new cases / 6 deaths
• 17-Jul: 5,439 new cases / 12 deaths
• 24-Jul: 8,539 new cases / 8 deaths
• 31-Jul: 9,106 new cases / 9 deaths
• 07-Aug: 9,652 new cases / 9 deaths
• 14-Aug: 14,119 new cases / 15 deaths
• 21-Aug: 10,682 new cases / 15 deaths
• 28-Aug: 12,638 new cases / 18 deaths

To put that in perspective, Florida had 151,760 new cases last week with 1,727 deaths. Even if we were to allow for Florida's population - Florida has about 4x the population of Ireland- 4 x 18 = 72 compared to 1,727.

 

[metta]

Painless, Silent Organ Damage Seen in Covid ‘Long Hauler’ Study

Kidney damage is painless and silent, and it’s the latest ailment to be identified afflicting a large swath of Covid-19 survivors.

The data show 7.8 extra people needing dialysis or a kidney transplant per 10,000 of these mild-to-moderate Covid patients.

...



“What’s really problematic about kidney disease is that it’s really silent, that it doesn’t really manifest in pain or any other symptoms,” said Al-Aly, who also works as a nephrologist.

Al-Aly and colleagues found non-hospitalized Covid patients have a 23% increased risk of suffering acute kidney injury within six months -- a condition that impedes the removal of waste and toxins from the blood.





https://www.bloomberg.com/news/arti...n-large-long-hauler-study?cmpid=BBD090121_BIZ

 

[justaguy]

Ireland is another country that has been ahead of the curve on COVID-19, especially compared to the UK. While cases have bumped up in the past 6 weeks, there has not been a proportionate increase in deaths. That's likely to be due to the high vaccination rate, especially among the high-risk populations.

Here's the numbers:

Weekly New Case/Death Numbers for Ireland:

• 10-Jul: 3,586 new cases / 6 deaths
• 17-Jul: 5,439 new cases / 12 deaths
• 24-Jul: 8,539 new cases / 8 deaths
• 31-Jul: 9,106 new cases / 9 deaths
• 07-Aug: 9,652 new cases / 9 deaths
• 14-Aug: 14,119 new cases / 15 deaths
• 21-Aug: 10,682 new cases / 15 deaths
• 28-Aug: 12,638 new cases / 18 deaths

To put that in perspective, Florida had 151,760 new cases last week with 1,727 deaths. Even if we were to allow for Florida's population - Florida has about 4x the population of Ireland- 4 x 18 = 72 compared to 1,727.

There are a lot of similarities between Ireland and New Zealand. Similar population sizes and both using pfizer. Is there any statistics that tell us how many of those recent deaths are in fully vaccinated people? Plus ages?
It seems vaccines (pfizer at least) are not very good at stopping infections but excellent at stopping deaths.

 

[KaraBulut]

There are a lot of similarities between Ireland and New Zealand. Similar population sizes and both using pfizer. Is there any statistics that tell us how many of those recent deaths are in fully vaccinated people? Plus ages?
It seems vaccines (pfizer at least) are not very good at stopping infections but excellent at stopping deaths.

I'll look around and see if someone has compiled more granular data for Ireland. Ireland's Health Ministry was hit by a cyberattack earlier this year and it's been harder to get information from them.

 

[justaguy]

In regards Ireland, I found this piece from a news item dated August 12th.

"Just 4.5pc of the 155 adults who died with Covid-19 since April were fully vaccinated, deputy chief medical officer Dr Ronan Glynn has revealed.

Dr Glynn today reminded the public that “vaccines work” adding that of the 169 adults admitted to ICU with coronavirus since April, just 3.5pc were fully vaccinated.

This is despite Ireland’s vaccination rate of 78pc of the adult population and 60pc of the entire population. The figures show that the vast majority of people getting into serious difficulty with the disease are coming from the minority in the population who are still not vaccinated or fully vaccinated."

 

[KaraBulut]

In regards Ireland, I found this piece from a news item dated August 12th.

"Just 4.5pc of the 155 adults who died with Covid-19 since April were fully vaccinated, deputy chief medical officer Dr Ronan Glynn has revealed.

Dr Glynn today reminded the public that “vaccines work” adding that of the 169 adults admitted to ICU with coronavirus since April, just 3.5pc were fully vaccinated.

This is despite Ireland’s vaccination rate of 78pc of the adult population and 60pc of the entire population. The figures show that the vast majority of people getting into serious difficulty with the disease are coming from the minority in the population who are still not vaccinated or fully vaccinated."

I found something similar. There were some article published in July noting that about 80% of the deaths they studied were unvaccinated. There were patients in the expired group who were vaccinated but had either received a single dose or had only recently received a second dose and who had not yet developed full immunity. They found similar patterns in ICU admissions- the overwhelming majority had not been vaccinated.

The US started immunizations in January, Ireland's vaccination campaign geared up in late March and by July, they were at about 50% of the population vaccinated.

 

[ruggerladirish]

There are a lot of similarities between Ireland and New Zealand. Similar population sizes and both using pfizer. Is there any statistics that tell us how many of those recent deaths are in fully vaccinated people? Plus ages?
It seems vaccines (pfizer at least) are not very good at stopping infections but excellent at stopping deaths.

I think was later partially answered. I do know that there were questions in Parliament seeking a breakdown of hospitalizations and deaths, by vaccine product. However, Public Health officials were reluctant to release this as it could lead to 'vaccine shopping', ie people refusing their vaccine offered in the hope of being offered a more efficacious product.

The official urging have always been that 'the safest vaccine is the first one you are offered, but that of course was in the early days of roll-out when deliveries of the vaccines were in very low numbers.

Of the several million first and second doses delivered (where a second dose is required)

72% Pfizer
16.5% Astra
3.4% J&J
8.4% Moderna.

 

[eddielee]

My Friend of 45 years finally died of covid today.