@jeanne-mayell your article and your take from it were both correct so don’t discount your diligence! This is one of those good times to scold the media for providing only part of a message in the headline - and that is the place that most of us end up focusing when it’s something big like this!
So on the flu vaccine there are a lot of factors in play and they aren’t always very effective because it’s a guessing game made a year in advance on the strain and mutations and even when they’re right it doesn’t stop it in it’s tracks. It’s a very different vaccine type. (I can’t link on my phone but the cdc website goes into so much readable detail :-))
I didn’t usually get it because, for me, the worst that happened was I got sick and got a usually much needed break from work lol. Plus my insurance allegedly didn’t cover it and I didn’t want to pay $30 for something that might not work.
my, how a global pandemic has changed my outlook. Apparently for my insurance company too. I got one this year and never got a bill from them :-). I’ll keep getting them.
on vaccines overall - I don’t have a link to post but I’m not making a scientific statement here - my brother feels that the mRNA vaccines represent one of those moments in our history like the discovery of antibiotics - they may prove to be the antibiotics of our time (just - you know - not for bacteria) for our generation now that they’re beyond R and D where they’ve languished foe years and into practice. It’d be great if he is right!
These are the things he prattles on about when we’re talking together. And then I finally say “yes yes, that’s all fascinating and whatever. Let’s talk about FDR or something interesting like that now.”
Ok, DOWN UNDER is so much better at attempting to contain Covid -outbreaks. If only our states desired to do this. I know it is imperative though since not many have been vaccinated there.
@lovendures We do have our fair share of anti maskers, covid is a hoax, marches against lockdowns etc believers but overall most just want it gone the same as the rest of the world and will do their best to help it be achieved.
WOW! That is a big difference between Moderna and Pfizer. It seems HUGE.
Well, no wonder Pfizer wants to have a booster. They better have it work on Lambda too. Pfizer was the company for most of the mass stadium vaccination locations out in AZ.
Yikes.
Here too - mostly Pfizer and in rural areas J&J.
Wow! The bulletin is so informative. And you get one of those every day?!
Yep, that's very different than what we are getting here, that's for sure.
Thank you for sharing that, and I'm wishing you continued health and patience!
Our 3 state Universities, ASU NAU and UA announced today that they are now requiring face masks in all classrooms in defiance of recent state law. This is a bold and important move yet it is very unsettling as well. There is going to be conflict and anyone who has seen how things went last night at a Tenn. school board meeting understand how insanely angry some vocal anti-maskers can get.
We have no idea what this will mean yet again for her music performance classes.
I continue to worry about what my teacher-daughter will face in her district in Texas which is currently following Abbott's no mask orders. My understanding is that many parents are fearful of their children's health and they are posting on the district Facebook page they will be pulling their child from the district. The district will not have a covid tracking board to track cases in schools like last year and they are not social distancing in any way in addition to not requiring masks.
It is a train wreck.
I don't understand how any of this is protecting our children, especially the most vulnerable.
My daughter was only one of a handful of teachers wearing a mask at the most recent district-wide welcome back teacher meeting. I will say one positive was that another younger teacher saw her in a mask and said: I didn't know what to do. I wanted to wear a mask but so many others weren't wearing one I thought maybe I wouldn't...until I saw you wearing one and then I decided to put mine on. The entire teacher specials team ( Art, Music and PE ) will be masking up at her school regardless of what others are doing.
I may be reaching for positives here but I am proud of her for protecting herself in the face of a sea of unmasked co-workers. Proud that she also made a positive impact on a conflicted co-worker.
It should be noted the superintended was NOT masked at the meeting. How can you encourage students to wear masks if you don't encourage staff to wear masks????
@kateinpdx Hi, yes all the states do the same thing doesn't matter if they are Liberal or Labor.
NSW is a Liberal state, Victoria is a Labor state. I guess you could say the Libs are similar to Republicans while Labor is similar to Democrats in that the Libs are more right leaning while Labor is more left leaning. That is a generalisation, our political systems are different to yours in many ways and we expect a lot from our governments, we want them to help and protect us and to be fair.
Thank you for your kind comments, I think patience is wearing a bit thin for many with this outbreak.
Kind Regards
This may be first world problem but this morning Starbucks closed their cafes and now only do drive-throughs. This is due to covid surging here.
Man I just wanted enjoy a nice cup of coffee and relax in their cafe. How can I live? ?
@laura-f I live up the road from you in South Orange County. It's the same here. About 20% of the people are wearing masks. There are no words.
Regarding masks:
I think that the importance of types of masks bears repeating, if you will indulge me...
Michael Osterholm, PhD (not MD as I wrote in previous post) is one of the country's leading epidemiologists and has consulted with the Biden administration. According to him (and Fauci):
1. The only masks to trust are N95s or KN95s.
2. They come in XS, S, M and L. Fit is important; leaky masks are unreliable.
3. A cloth masks gives only 5 minutes extra protection (probably varies) but a N95 can give you 25 hours or more of protection.
4. N95s can be purchased online. In his podcast, he mentioned the industrial supply house Grainger as a source. They offer a variety of sizes and styles. I haven't used the molded ones yet but I ordered some to try. Thus far, I have found the accordion style to be the most comfortable. N95s are available now but if the Delta wave continues, they might become hard to get again--just my personal speculation.
5. K95s for children are available. Having said that, I tried to purchase some online and found it odd. I am now receiving ads for masks that are accompanied by anti-vax propaganda!!! If you have a VPN, use it to shop. ? I will try again so that I can offer them to my granddaughter's kindergarten teacher for the whole class.
Your daughter should wear a N95 but I bet it would be hard to be heard by the class given the muffling of sound. I wonder if she could use a small microphone and amplifier? They offer them to teachers who have students with central auditory processing disorders, so they are not unheard of in the classroom. Desperate times call for desperate measures.
This is a lovely group, please protect yourselves. I will now dismount my soapbox...until next time.
@laura-f I worked on a Pfizer funded study in the 1980's for Harvard Medical School. They were corrupt. When I realized it was corrupt, both my professor and the sponsor, Pfizer, I had just finished my part of the study then asked that my name not be on it. Peers were surprised that I didn't want to be named as part of a prestigious group. I also stepped away from the Harvard Medical establishment too and decided to go to Kripalu and learn to meditate. Unfortunately my husband has the Pfizer vaccine. I have Moderna.
It is possible, however, that the data will shift as more results come in.
I had the Pfizer vaccine, but I'm not going to worry about it. I'll continue to utilize safe practices, e.g. I never stopped wearing masks inside stores even when our county's restrictions were lifted, no indoor dining, maintain social distancing, etc. I do intend to receive a booster vaccine when one becomes available. Hopefully it will also address the Delta and Lambda variants.
My husband and I have our annual trip to the Outer Banks coming up in October. We cancelled last year because of the pandemic but are hoping we can make it there this year. We rent a beachfront cottage. We'll drive down there, wear our N95s at rest stops and bring our own food.
I am attaching some information on selecting KN95 and N95 masks. Hope some of you find this helpful.
https://www.nbcnews.com/shopping/wellness/best-kn95-face-masks-n1259013
https://shop.projectn95.org/find-the-right-mask
Some of what has been reported has not been peer reviewed. Today the New England Journal of Medicine released a peer reviewed article.
KN95 Masks: The WellBefore brand was recommended to me. These were on sale, in stock, and entering ProtectMe10 at checkout nets another 10% off.
I realize the dilemma I have is so minor compared to others here but I would like advice from anyone especially Texans. We reserved a condo on South Padre Island which requires prepaid non-refundable payments before we check in. One is due in Sept. and one in Nov. Do any of you have advice and/or predictions on whether or not Jan.in Texas is a good idea?
@debbie-m This is just my instant thought - Not. Honestly I wouldn't go anywhere near Texas for at least another 8-12 months.
@tgraf66 Thanks. I appreciate your frank answer and I am seriously considering taking your advice.