How things are going in your area?

[Cyradis]

2 hours ago, Cranky Dog said:

Highest spike in new cases since last April everywhere (stupid contagious Omicron).

 

Starting this Monday, one new thing is that the government is making rapid testing kits free and available to the general public in drugstores. Kits of 5, limited to one kit per month. I dropped by my pharmacy to reserve my kit.

 

Since one of my aunts and uncles are inviting me to their Christmas supper with other relatives from all across the province, and since most of them are elderly, they're asking us to test ourselves before we arrive, just in case.

 

BC is finally intending to get on the rapid testing train in January. I'd like to use some before D&D games; only a few of us (some are remote now, only 3 in person), but we'd like to have a bit extra assurance that we're clear.

 

Last year I made a 4-course New Year's feast for me and friends.... and then had it delivered to friends, and we had nice dinner together over Discord. Awkward but hey, good food. I think I'm postponing until we're all boosted (probably will be 3rd week of January) and have a "my friends have been repeatedly stabbed" feast for a few of us (like... 6). Hopefully things will be okay to do that much 😞

[aku-chan]

Omicron is spreading like wildfire over here.

So far Plans A and B haven't worked and there's a lot of opposition to Plan C (Apparently one more lock-down will destroy civilisation as we know it), and if it does come into effect it won't until after Christmas (Because viruses take the day off too).

Once again the idea seems to be if we just ignore it, it'll go away.

[Inarah]

4 hours ago, aku-chan said:

Omicron is spreading like wildfire over here.

So far Plans A and B haven't worked and there's a lot of opposition to Plan C (Apparently one more lock-down will destroy civilisation as we know it), and if it does come into effect it won't until after Christmas (Because viruses take the day off too).

Once again the idea seems to be if we just ignore it, it'll go away.

 

Pretty much the same going on here. Mask order rescinded a couple weeks ago 'cause, you know, it's over and no reason to keep wearing them.  Just ignore the doctors saying hospital admissions are doubling every 5-7 days.... Traveling for christmas should be no big deal.  And meanwhile the state is threatening to withhold funds from school districts that enforce those pesky heath and safety standards, it's getting really ugly. 

 

On a personal front, I'm getting new glasses today so I can read the tiny print in the new game rulebooks, and see dice pips, and do cross-stitch, and paint again. 

 

[Jasper_the_2nd]

Numbers are still rising here.  But Nova Scotia (next door) has been having huge numbers (well huge for the Maritimes) due to Omicron.

 

In other news I had my booster on Saturday.  Strongest reaction I've had.  My arm hurt like my first shot, but when I woke up Sunday morning my whole upper back, shoulders and neck all felt inflamed as well.  It faded after a couple of hours though.

 

[Cranky Dog]

Sadly and unsurprisingly, we're back to shutting down gyms, bars, movie theatres, concert venues, spas and the like. Restaurants will be at 50% capacity, and only open from 5-10pm.

 

Schools will be shutting down early, and restarting a bit later in January.

[Dr.Bedlam]

We're not QUITE as bad as we were this time last year... schools were still at full inclusion last week, but the dratted board voted to make masks optional TWO WEEKS BEFORE CHRISTMAS at the request of certain parent groups, so, yeah, it's been dicey. Businesses are requiring masks again. Vaccinations and boosters are encouraged, and the loud people continue to be loud in opposition to it all.

Bleh.

[Cranky Dog]

Splendid. My mother's retirement home may go into restricted access *if* there is any outbreak within the building (single visitor, mask at all time, etc.).

 

And starting on the 24th, I was about to go and spend ten days at her place.

 

There's going to be a ton of last minute decisions and/or cancellations this year.

[Glitterwolf]

The Netherlands is in lockdown since yesterday  only essential businesses are open. 

[Sylverthorne]

Businesses in my chunk of WA never stopped requiring masks, as best I can tell, so .. you'd think we'd be doing okay, but... *sigh* Gotta wear the mask correctly for that to be true. 😕

You'd think after two years of this the concept would be easy.

I fully expect to spend most of 2022 locked down again.

 

 

[ced1106]

Gonna have my third shot tomorrow! 😛 

 

Stanford opened more clinics in mid-November, after "under 65" and children were allowed shots, as well as after the first omicron news. So I had to wait a month for my official Stanford jab, even though it's also available at grocery stores. 😛 While omicron is the news, the more virulent delta is still 99% of infected cases. I have the Pfizer vaccine shot, and it's "only" 84% effective after six months, and I had my last shot mid-May. (Moderna is 93% effective.) Omicron still seems TBA and more transmissible than delta, but less dangerous. Doesn't matter, since you can have both variants at the same time.

[Cyradis]

And in the meantime I ended up thwarting a thief casing the 3rd floor labs, in part because he wasn't masked (indoor mask mandate has been in for months). He was being super sketchy, "left his mask in his car". Supposedly he needed to see the supervisor to turn in an assignment - my adviser don't have any students with assignments to turn in. At risk of offending a potential student looking for help during finals week I told the guy to "leave the lab, and get the h*** out of the building immediately". Now my lab group is gently teasing me about being the guard dog.

 

BC is flattening the curve on the y-axis. I got myself a big pack of N95 masks. No patience left for people who don't give a hoot about safety of others. Notta-one.

[ced1106]

On 12/20/2021 at 7:47 AM, Jasper_the_2nd said:

In other news I had my booster on Saturday.  Strongest reaction I've had.  My arm hurt like my first shot, but when I woke up Sunday morning my whole upper back, shoulders and neck all felt inflamed as well.  It faded after a couple of hours though.

 

The 3rd jab had the shot area sore for the entire day and I've never had a reaction to a vaccine, so, after reading your symptoms, I brushed up, and, yep, that's the immunological response reacting. Later shots are expected to have more side effects, since your body already has built up antibodies et. al. to the virus, and the booster injects more of the neutralized stuff into your body. I suppose it's better than finding out if you had the real thing. Interestingly, younger folks have a better immunological response to viruses -- meaning that their side effects are usually worse than us older folks! Not welcoming news, and if you do still get a CoVid infection, or another booster shot, you may have side-effects again. : https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/health/conditions-and-diseases/coronavirus/covid-vaccine-side-effects

 

A See's Candy worker claimed she was infected with CoVid through work and infected her husband, resulting in his death. Lawsuit going forward. Meanwhile, while companies can make vaccination a condition of employment, some fields, such as healthcare, have shortages of workers. : https://www.cnbc.com/2021/12/22/employer-must-face-workers-lawsuit-over-husbands-covid-death-california-court.html

 

Omicron has flipped from being less than 1% of cases to 73% in roughly three weeks. Omicron is twice as infectious as delta. While showing signs that it's less lethal than delta, again, you can contract both strains. : https://www.cnbc.com/2021/12/20/omicron-now-the-dominant-us-covid-strain-at-73percent-of-cases.html 

 

With omicron new, hospital are seeing the "first wave" of infections like they did originally with CoVid, namely among younger people whose immune systems are more resistant to infection, and who are less likely to practice social safety measures against infection, thus infecting themselves. It's the "second wave" of elderly, unvaccinated, and other more vulnerable populations, such as family members infected by the "first wave", who are of concern. With omicron being a new strain, while it's milder than delta, it's unknown of its effect on the "second wave" population. : https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/ottawa/omicron-hospitalization-rates-stable-ottawa-1.6294091

 

[Evilhalfling]

I'm having fear fatigue.

Wife  and I got 3 vaccines and the spawn have had two each. 

this should mostly protect us from variants - less chance of getting sick, hospitalized or dead, but not 0. 

when do useful and necessary precautions become paranoia? 

we wear masks in public.   No problem.   I accept this as Status Quo.   I am now expecting this continuing for lets say ---- 3 years.  with boosters 6-12 months. 

 

But I don't want to worry about going to church, (no choir or food)  or going out to a restaurant, or stores. 

or  worrying about the one republican kid at a birthday party. 

I want to go back to the monthly supper club,  (10 vaxed people~) and do that unmasked in peoples homes.

I don't want to worry if my brand new in-person gaming group (7 vaxed people) should be wearing masks or meeting at all. 

 

the US isnt going to do lockdowns - there is medicine now, and we are apparently willing to accept some deaths for the sake of normalcy and economy. 

 

Its the decisions and uncertainty - but I guess I don't get what I want.  The Plague is still churning,   

Live your summers outdoors and freely - it looks like November-December surges may be a continuing thing. 

Edited December 24, 2021 by Evilhalfling

[paintybeard]

Had my third jab 2 days ago, no side effects.

Wearing masks and having to do deep cleans each Lifeboat exercise, irritating but sensible.

Always wearing masks in public enclosed spaces, astonished that about 20% fail to do so.

Yes, I think this will go on for at least another 12 months. Sadly saying farewell to any conventions in 2022.

[ced1106]

7 hours ago, Evilhalfling said:

when do useful and necessary precautions become paranoia? 

 

Paranoia, among other things, is a human invention. Viruses don't care. For us humans, "Low probability-High impact" studies might be worth reading. Speaking of high-impact, tax season is just over a week away, so get ready for those precautions against that other threat. One week left for 2021 Series I bonds.

Edited December 24, 2021 by ced1106