@tbs
Since you ask, I would vote for the booster to be on the safe side. You might well get Omicron, too, but perhaps a milder version.
Speaking of which, Omicron is blazing through my community. Based on the public dashboard, I estimate that one person in five has it in my town alone--a highly vaccinated, masking community. Most have a bad-cold version but some also have a persistent headache, fever, and sore throat. A friend who is a nursing administrator says that in KY, a low mask, low vaccinated area, many admissions to the hospital are people in their 20s, 30s and 40s. Hospitals are struggling to staff there now, I cannot imagine what it will look like in a couple of weeks.
Hopefully, a few prognosticators have it right and that the worst will be over, or at least the peak has passed, by the end of January.
Quebec, Canada went into lock down. https://westernstandardonline.com/2021/12/https-westernstandardonline-com-2021-12-stricter-lockdown-measures-expected-in-quebec-ahead-of-nye/
Hey Everyone! I am sure someone has already suggested this- but a few of the online communities I am part of are saying by mid -January there may be significant disruptions in supply chains and services. They are suggesting to people- if possible you may want to have up to two months of food, toiletries, and meds. I have spent the last week stocking up on dry goods, meats and frozen fruits and vegetables. I am not saying you should hoard- but make an assessment of what you may need and if possible purchase now.
Please be safe ❤️❤️❤️
Here is a tweet from Dr. Hotez- who helped develop new vaccine for global south- with no strings attached ( no patent) :
Media: @PeterHotez to @PaulaReidCNN: In coming weeks, "We should anticipate huge disruptions at all transportation hubs. The schools will be problematic when teachers and staff and bus drivers have to call in with breakthrough cases. The biggest concern is hospital workers." pic.twitter.com/ROcPnlDSsd
— Porter Anderson (@Porter_Anderson) January 1, 2022
@shawn I have seen rumblings of this as well, so thank you for noting it here. I agree -- no need to hoard, but I feel like stocking up to cover the next couple of months will be wise and much more of an actual need this year than when the pandemic first started.
Be well, all!
I am overall optimistic about 2022 but I have a few pieces of unease.
I'm directing a HS show (my last one before "retiring" and jumping headfirst into my new Ed. S. degree) and I just can't muster the love for it that I've mustered for shows before. In fact, all of my unease about 2022 is centered around this production. Between butting heads with my two adult co-directors about attendance (we are doing a large show in the midst of a global pandemic, a show I wouldn't have even considered if I had known what we were coming into - things seemed to be quieting down when we chose and cast the show) and the fact that Omicron is expected to peak by end of January (we run the second week in February) I just don't know how to do all this anymore.
I would love for my cast to stay safe and my adults (myself included) to have more grace and patience to put on the best show we can under the circumstances, but my insides are gnawing all sorts of red alert sirens that this is going to be a rough month for me.
If anyone has some positive energy to spare - some fire to send me to relight my candle for the next six weeks, or a general read on whether or not I'm going to end up having to cancel the show (I am desperately terrified of letting the kids down - especially the seniors!) I'll take any and all of it.
My daughter is getting ready to start rehearsals for her HS Musical- Bye Bye Birdie. She’s a senior and so looking forward to it. I however am I mess. I don’t want to pull her from it- but at the same time we live in Upstate NY and our Omicron/Delta numbers are insane. I am not sure the school will delay rehearsal- as they went on with the HS choir concert after Cornell (10 minutes away- where many of the parents work) closed down after 1500 cases in 7 days. We didn’t let her go to that.
It’s so hard to parent during this…. She had already missed so much of her HS experience, so much has been disrupted. How to balance?
Could you delay for a week or two? Have kids work on lines or run lines in a zoom- until we are through this? I used to be a Theatre professor and I taught HS at one time too. I know how hard it is to rehearse a show without being there.
Good luck ??
My sympathies. Tough times...Also, thank you Shawn for the warning on potential shortages..
I am worried about my granddaughter starting school on Monday. I hope she won't. She had Covid, then a very bad version of a stomach bug going around and now she looks pale and depleted. She is a petite, underweight six-year old and the world seems scary, at the moment.
So, apologies for my persistent lecturing, but for those who are interested, I may have mentioned the Mask Nerd before but he offers wonderful information on mask optimization, especially for children. I think they have been silent carriers throughout the pandemic and poorly masked, to boot. He has a good YouTube videos on masks. Here is an overview on him in the Guardian:
@tbs I think the best course is just to get the booster. You might get Omicron anyway but it the booster will protect you from most of the symptoms. (Or even from ALL of the symptoms.)
My son (age 20) had the booster and got the virus a few weeks later. But his symptoms were no worse than those of a mild common cold and only lasted a day or two. His apartment-mates also got the virus. They were vaccinated but NOT boosted, and their symptoms were a bit worse than my son's, although still nothing to worry about.
I think the best thing is to get the booster, be careful, and if you get the virus anyway, well, just think of the virus as being an extra booster that will keep you even safer from future infections. That's the way my son is thinking about it.
This message about shortages makes sense to me.
I recently started thinking of the beginning of the pandemic when I felt the need to stock up and was warning people in our forum of shortages coming before we had shortages. It makes logical sense that we are going to lose manpower around the world when people have to quarantine again.
I know some national companies have closed their doors again to the public for a few weeks.
Yes, school is going to be a problem for the next few weeks.
@Dannyboy and @Shawn , I assume there will be mandatory masked rehearsals? Honestly, if school is being held in person, and I am not thinking that is a sound idea right now, how much of a difference is there between being seated right next to someone in class and blocking a production during covid? ( I was a theatre kid growing up myself). At least kids can be spaced out in the auditorium seats while waiting for their scene to rehearse. Can the production dates be pushed back at all?
I am concerned about my after school job. Granted my exposure is less as it's about an hour total.
My friend in health care suggested wearing a KN 47 mask so I ordered some. Then I learned that you can wear another paper mask on top of it to keep it germ free. I will be trying this.
I am scared about it all but focusing on what I can control is better than anxiety.