Malazan Empire: COVID-19 (aka Coronavirus, aka 2019-nCoV) - Malazan Empire

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COVID-19 (aka Coronavirus, aka 2019-nCoV)

#2461 User is offline   Maark Abbott 

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Posted 24 February 2021 - 08:43 AM

View PostMezla PigDog, on 23 February 2021 - 10:28 PM, said:

Boris has revealed the lockdown exit plan. Just this week and next week left of home school. And then some other stuff happens between now and June that leads to normal life resuming or something, I didn't concentrate beyond schools reopening. I thought I would be elated but I'm kind of numb. It maybe feels like when an adrenalin rush starts to wear off and you want to collapse. I also don't really believe anything this government plans more than 3 or 4 weeks in advance.

So fuck you regardless Boris, I guess. And I'm really annoyed that the government are taking credit for vaccine rollout! And also slightly worried about what comes next because as you apply selective pressure to a virus then new things can happen. Got to remain vigilant for some considerable time yet.


I have no faith whatsoever that things will be returning to normal by June. This government has shown repeatedly that they have no idea what they're doing with this situation. Frankly I'm sick of everything to do with it now. I want to be able to see my family again. I want to be able to see my friends again.
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#2462 User is offline   Aptorian 

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Posted 24 February 2021 - 10:45 AM

Danish government just announced they're lifting certain restrictions, meaning smaller businesses can now reopen, certain school groups can go back to school and certain outdoor cultural activities can resume. Libraries aren't affected so this means that we're going to be shut down for at least another 2 weeks.

That will be 3 months since we closed.
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#2463 User is offline   TheRetiredBridgeburner 

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Posted 24 February 2021 - 11:48 AM

Also pretty numb, to be honest. I wanted to feel positive but it feels like thinking through treacle to get there. There have been so many u-turns and after over a year of this laying it out like that just looks too easy.

Having said that, I'm cautiously booking a couple of things to look forward to (theatre reopening dependent). It'd just be nice to take my Mum to something she'd enjoy again. Supposed to be a friend's wedding in August, it'd be nice to think that will go ahead.
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#2464 User is offline   Cyphon 

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Posted 24 February 2021 - 11:59 AM

I do understand the distrust and numbness on this. I think there are two things that suggest we can be a bit more optimistic compared to previous problems;

1) vaccine rollout and efficacy of that being proven from trials and data

2) that its a 5 week staged approach. So while things might be delayed a couple of weeks at least there is better clarity on what will happen and why.

I do sound like Boris' spokesperson but I think we can put a little weight on the timetable or at least the process.

Latest stats I've seen show drop off in circulation among over 80s but the virus is being driven through circulation now through the 0-16s and 30-40s. So I think schools will be the big thing...
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#2465 User is offline   Maark Abbott 

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Posted 24 February 2021 - 12:47 PM

The main problem with the above is that the government promising these things are untrustworthy, lawless and have failed to deliver on every single point since this entire mess started. So forgive my cynicism but I have zero trust that anything is likely to change any time soon.
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#2466 User is offline   Macros 

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Posted 24 February 2021 - 01:58 PM

It's the fact that he gave an actual date for "normal" to reoccur.
Like how fucking dumb does HE have to be to do that after the shit show his promise of a normal Christmas was?
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#2467 User is offline   Garak 

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Posted 25 February 2021 - 04:23 AM

Got the first shot of the vaccine, Astra Zeneca one. When I went to bed the shivering started and now I got a fever. Some joint aches as well. Not really worried as I've had similar reactions in the past to other vaccines but this is annoying.

And now I heard the government wants to change the math formula to determine how badly infected regions are, with the new one saying things are worse than initially reported. Bunch of muppets the lot of them.
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#2468 User is offline   Maark Abbott 

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Posted 25 February 2021 - 08:39 AM

View PostMacros, on 24 February 2021 - 01:58 PM, said:

It's the fact that he gave an actual date for "normal" to reoccur.
Like how fucking dumb does HE have to be to do that after the shit show his promise of a normal Christmas was?


More worrisome is how dumb his followers are to believe it. Already seeing people jumping for joy that festivals are 100% going on as normal this year and there can be no doubt that this will happen.
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#2469 User is offline   TheRetiredBridgeburner 

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Posted 25 February 2021 - 08:47 AM

Is it blind belief or is it just hope? I guess some people deal with it by being as positive as possible.
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#2470 User is offline   Maark Abbott 

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Posted 25 February 2021 - 08:51 AM

View PostTheRetiredBridgeburner, on 25 February 2021 - 08:47 AM, said:

Is it blind belief or is it just hope? I guess some people deal with it by being as positive as possible.


I feel in a lot of cases it's blind belief, given that the sort I see are the Brexit Club - present them with facts and logical criticisms and get shouted down as a lefty snowflake, that type. It's got a disturbing ring of the Trump cult to it.

Folk who are genuinely hopeful without also being cultists seem to be taking it with a pinch of salt which is the sensible approach.



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#2471 User is offline   Tsundoku 

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Posted 25 February 2021 - 10:33 AM

View PostMaark Abbott, on 25 February 2021 - 08:51 AM, said:

the Brexit Club



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#2472 User is offline   Maark Abbott 

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Posted 25 February 2021 - 12:53 PM

View PostTsundoku, on 25 February 2021 - 10:33 AM, said:

View PostMaark Abbott, on 25 February 2021 - 08:51 AM, said:

the Brexit Club


https://www.youtube....h?v=4gLVqjIvokc


Perfect.
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#2473 User is online   Azath Vitr (D'ivers 

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Posted 27 February 2021 - 07:50 PM

'Coronavirus Reinfection Will Soon Become Our Reality

[...]

Although the coronavirus mutates more slowly than other respiratory viruses, it still evolves dizzyingly fast. No single genetic change can turn a virus invisible to an entire immune system, but successive shifts in the virus's appearance can chip away at its familiarity. Subsequent infections under these circumstances are less about the body forgetting, and more about the virus disguising itself—the difference between a robbery abetted by a faulty security system, and one that succeeds because the burglar was in costume.

"From the body's perspective, that can be a whole different bug," [...]

These evasion tactics seem to play a role in enabling coronaviruses that cause common colds to infiltrate the human population on a regular basis, [...] a preprint study detailing the intricate arms race between human and microbe: Antibodies that could successfully squelch one version of a common-cold coronavirus stick around in people for years, but struggle to extinguish its genetically rejiggered descendants.

"It makes perfect sense[...] "Viruses are going to evolve in a way that [allows] them to continue infecting. Otherwise, they go extinct."

[...] none of the variants yet seems capable of completely eluding a typical immune response to the OG coronavirus or an OG-based vaccine—which is also very good news. It's a hint that, by and large, our immune systems are working as they should. The shots we've developed to protect us from the coronavirus will still dial down our risks of getting seriously sick with COVID-19; vaccine makers will update their recipes to account for the variants. People who are hit naturally with one variant, then another, will probably experience gentler symptoms the second time, if they feel ill at all. (Frequent, symptomatic reinfections with the same variant, by contrast, would forecast a less rosy future.)

The coronavirus [like the devil?] is very likely here to stay, even after the pandemic officially ends. The virus will continue to have opportunities to evolve; in its myriad forms, it will cross paths with many of us again and again. "Reinfections are probably something we're going to have to get used to," [...] But virus and human will grow accustomed to each other, reaching something of a détente; immunity will, over time, build like a seawall.

Actualizing that reality will require vigilance on our behalf, too. If repeat infections tell us anything, it's that the less the virus mutates, the longer we'll be able to protect ourselves against it. Viruses can't replicate and evolve when they're starved of hosts, and we've long known how to best cut the conduits they travel.'

https://www.theatlan...fection/618128/

'Scientists are urging Americans to upgrade their face coverings. But Amazon, Google and Facebook restrict the sale of medical-grade masks. Critics say the rules are outdated.

It was the Facebook ad for a mask doubling as a hair scrunchie that pushed Dan Castle to despair.

His company, CastleGrade, makes a reusable, high-filtration face mask that has been popular among dentists, teachers and those who work in proximity to others — and willing to pay $44.99.

But he has been unable to sell his wares on Facebook since August, when the company abruptly blocked his ads, citing a policy aimed at ensuring medical-grade masks are reserved for health care workers. Since then, he said, sales have plummeted [...] And yet, he sees ads for nonmedical grade masks all of the time.

"These companies have such a monopoly that you really can't be in business without them," [...] "The policy just doesn't make sense."

Mr. Castle's experiences with Facebook echoed those of other small mask producers who have recently began making N95s and other medical grade masks. Largely shut out by hospital networks, they had hoped to sell their high-filtration products online, where Americans do much of their shopping. But the tech giants have not made it easy, even as scientists have urged the public to upgrade their face coverings to those that can block the tiny pathogens that cause infection.

But some public health experts and mask manufacturers say these rules are outdated, especially given the spread of more infectious coronavirus variants and the abundance of domestically made masks that are gathering dust in warehouses across the country. The restrictions, they say, may hinder the country's ability to limit new infections in the months before vaccinations become more widely available.

"Even though cases are coming down right now, we need people to be wearing high-filtration masks to prevent any sort of super spreading resurgences, particularly with these new variants," [...]

But mask-making behemoths like 3M and Honeywell have drastically increased production to meet the needs of medical workers, and China, which abruptly cut off exports in the early months of the pandemic, is once again flooding the United States with cheaper N95s.

"I'd be happy to sell my masks to health care workers, but right now hospitals aren't exactly banging down my door," said[...]the chief executive of Protective Health Gear, [...] that has a half million unsold N95 masks at its factory.

Facebook and Instagram prohibit advertisements for medical-grade masks but allow a large array of protective gear categorized as nonmedical grade, [...] Such products, Mr. Castle said, would seem to violate basic notions of coronavirus infection control.

[...] Facebook, which owns Instagram, said its prohibitions on the sale of medical masks were based on guidance from federal health authorities and the need to rein in the sale counterfeit masks. [...]

Many mask start-ups have been especially frustrated with Amazon. Unlike the blanket bans imposed by Facebook and Google, Amazon allows a wide range of masks to be sold on its site, but the company's algorithms combined with its seemingly contradictory policies can prove vexing for both buyers and sellers.

[...] its seemingly contradictory approach to N95 masks — claiming such wares are reserved for medical personnel but then allowing exceptions for masks they have purchased in bulk — is probably an outgrowth of Amazon's bedrock strategy for maintaining consumer loyalty.

"Even if they make next to no money on that mask, it's really about keeping customers happy so they don't go somewhere else,[...] The problem is, if they allow these practices to scale up, it becomes disruptive to anything else that isn't Amazon."

It is hard to overstate the selling power of the tech giants. [...] Breathe99, [...] whose washable face mask filters out 99.6 percent of microscopic particles, said his company had been ailing since Facebook dropped its ads in December, leading to a 50 percent drop in sales. "Because of our cash flow crunch, we can only make small batches of masks but they sell out immediately," [...]

[...] Facebook, Google and Amazon said they had no immediate plans to revise their policies.'

https://www.nytimes....ale-amazon.html

The Biden administration can help by changing (or at least prompting an immediate review of) that federal guideline about restricting N95 masks to medical workers.

This post has been edited by Azath Vitr (D'ivers: 27 February 2021 - 07:53 PM

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#2474 User is offline   Macros 

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Posted 03 March 2021 - 08:46 AM

https://youtu.be/jieKdI2Wc_Y

But seriously, how is Hancock not in jail?
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#2475 User is offline   Maark Abbott 

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Posted 03 March 2021 - 08:49 AM

View PostMacros, on 03 March 2021 - 08:46 AM, said:

https://youtu.be/jieKdI2Wc_Y

But seriously, how is Hancock not in jail?


Because this country is owned by him and his, the courts are ignored by him and his, and the people of the UK fervently touch themselves to the notion of returning to feudalism and sucking up to a rich master as they toil the fields and die young.
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#2476 User is offline   QuickTidal 

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Posted 03 March 2021 - 02:02 PM

So since the Texas dude is opening up the state 100% now...with no masking or any other protocol....what are we betting the numbers will be? (new cases yesterday were 7,420)

Also, what are there bets that those who still WANT to mask up in some stores will be refused into the store WITH a mask now?

What a shitshow. Abbott should be ashamed...but I'm willing to wager he's like "Texas is strong! blah blah blah"

This post has been edited by QuickTidal: 03 March 2021 - 02:03 PM

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#2477 User is offline   Maark Abbott 

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Posted 04 March 2021 - 08:25 AM

View PostQuickTidal, on 03 March 2021 - 02:02 PM, said:

Abbott should be ashamed...but I'm willing to wager he's like "Texas is strong! blah blah blah"


Texas is strong! blah blah blah




...I hope I'm getting paid for this...



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#2478 User is online   Azath Vitr (D'ivers 

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Posted 06 March 2021 - 01:02 AM



Even if fomite transmission is as rare as supposed, this seems like a good way to get it all over your clothes....
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#2479 User is offline   Garak 

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Posted 07 March 2021 - 10:19 PM

Aaaaaand the city is in lockdown. Again. About a hundred morons protested in front of city hall, burned their masks and yelled no quarantine and no forced vaccination. No is forcing it but hey. Comment sections on news sites are full of people agreeing with them because covid is a hoax, it's nothing but a soros plot to depopulate the country, to crash the economy, an EU ploy to fill the country with foreigners from the east because that's what the evil overlords want. Not helped by our government acting like the usual useless idiots.

These people get to vote and have kids. This is giving me a headache.
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#2480 User is offline   QuickTidal 

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Posted 10 March 2021 - 02:47 PM

So I had a fun interaction this AM.

Our condo bldg has a 3-person capacity during COVID for social distancing. Everyone in my bldg has observed this rule and abided it for over a year now. Since my wife, myself and my two kids makes 4, we are at max. If we are waiting and the elevator has even one person on...we will wait and let that person go because choosing otherwise would bring 4 people into that persons space. And when we are on the elevator and it stops to serve another floor, we say "sorry" and indicate the 4 of us being capacity and 99.9% of the time the people will graciously wait for the next one, just like we do in the reverse.

Well, this morning some douchebag (young, white, South-African accent) goes to muscle on...and my wife says "Uh, we're at capacity"...he points at my two kids and said "Well, they don't count....and I have to get to work"

Sidebar: I promised my wife years ago that I would not yell at people in public or escalate confrontations...because we live in a big dense city and you never know who might stab you.

He shoved his way on, and my wife said "well we're getting off then." and we got off, she called him an asshole and I calmly told him that he was rude AF. Better to get off and avoid the confrontation than escalate...but I WANTED to tear a strip off him.

So yeah, that was fun. Like asshole, if the 1minute you have to wait for the next elevator car is too much for you, or will make you late for work, that's a YOU problem, not a WE problem.


I'm going to rat him out to security tonight for not abiding the rules. People are getting squirelly and shitty as the pandemic wears on. Fuck.
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