Self Has Covid



  • My ex-aunt died yesterday from covid, her son, my cousin got it first. She was taking care of his 6 & 8 yr old boys while he was in the hospital. He came home with covid pneumonia and a clot, and oxygen. When he takes the O2 off it goes down into the 70’s. She was transferred to Austin. Wasn’t long. She had moved down there to help him out. Retired from the army after being hit with an IED. That’s been awhile ago. Worry about his lungs!



  • @Crimsonorblue22 sorry to hear



  • @approxinfinity thx, I wasn’t close to her, but she has 3 sons, my cousins and we stay in touch. I’m guessing they’re not vaxxed either. Just wish…



  • @Crimsonorblue22 Grief in so many cases now is exacerbated by a crushing sense of helplessness in seeing so many people refusing a free, lifesaving, 15 minute x 2 shot. Sorry you have to go through it.



  • @approxinfinity I wanted that info, too, but it wasn’t in the article I read. I was just browsing through Google News, and don’t remember the article source.

    This is social media–you can’t expect assertions to be verifiable! 🙄



  • @mayjay lol. Well any info is welcome. The truth is out there.



  • @mayjay That’s what I mean, so low as to where one could almost say - and I don’t think that anyone has? - that while you might catch it after already being vaccined you are not going to be hospitalized and or die.



  • To me the greatest proof that the vaccine saves lives is looking at the USA June 2021 numbers. There were 10,000 deaths last month from COVID. 500 deaths were in vaccinated people. 9,500 deaths were in unvaccinated people.

    This is good news for those vaccinated, since COVID cases are climbing in the unvaccinated population due the the highly contagious delta variant (1,000 times more virus particles are found in the blood of infected delta variant persons versus the original strain). The way this is spreading, it is expected that near 100% of the un-vaccinated will catch COVID.

    The sad news is that MOST of the deaths from COVID in June could have been avoided if people vaccinated!



  • @Marco said in Self Has Covid:

    @mayjay That’s what I mean, so low as to where one could almost say - and I don’t think that anyone has? - that while you might catch it after already being vaccined you are not going to be hospitalized and or die.

    Is this a subtle joke about Biden?



  • @mayjay not at all.



  • Tbh we should have stuck w masks in public even for vaccinated ppl. No need to waffle then if science around variants change. People want simple and consistent



  • @approxinfinity I just want people to get the vaccine.



  • Tobacco related deaths are 480,000 per year in the United States. Of that, 40,000 is from second hand smoke.

    And seeing this firsthand, the medical implications are far deeper than deaths.

    Everyone knows the risk.

    Yet tobacco is legal.

    There are 95,000 alcohol related deaths each year.

    Yet alcohol is legal.

    Poor diets and lack of exercise related deaths are 678,000 per year.

    Yet McDonalds, Burger King, Hardees, etc make billions. And unhealthy food is not banned.

    Liberty includes the idea that we can engage in activity that may be dangerous by making a personal choice.

    99.5% of covid deaths now are unvaccinated people — those choosing not to get the vaccine.

    Folks who fear Covid can mask, stay indoors, stay away from people, stay away from indoor crowds, social distance, stay away from unvaccinated people — do whatever they choose to be “safe” in their own minds. That’s a choice. That is freedom. Whether vaccinated or not. You have a duty to protect yourself to the extent you desire.

    This is not about grandma. The vaccines never promised perfection. This means that from the start, grandma would be making a choice of living life or cowering in fear despite being vaccinated.

    Of course, while the new variant is more contagious it appears, it is not as severe.

    And, of course, the more people get the variant the more natural immunity is strengthened.

    The choice thing and the idea of liberty os hard for some to grasp. So is personal responsibility.

    But also, very importantly, life and business must go on. There are millions of healthy people that have very, very little risk of a bad outcome. We know kids under 18 are at a risk about like the seasonal flu. Those 18-30, again, extremely low risk.

    I was exposed many times (without a mask) with not one symptom or issue. My family had it as well as friends and coworkers.

    I’m a medical doctor and I’ve had the vaccine. But we cannot ignore the concept of individual choice in medical care. I believe very strongly that someone can protect themselves if they choose to.



  • @HemisphereHawk

    I respect what you are saying. However…

    Where this differs from many personal choice situations is that people’s actions impact the risk to others.

    Do you have the right to heavily increase the risk to others by avoiding vaccination, masks and social distancing?

    And as far as mandating these policies… we’ve always mandated laws for the protection of the public (ie seat belt laws, etc etc etc). Actually… many or most laws are in place in order to protect the public in some shape or form.

    Granted… people can stay home and be safer. That does not excuse people from personal responsibility, not only to themselves, but also to the public. An idea that you can permanently lock people down into their homes to be safe because some of the population is practicing their “personal freedoms” has no merit when extended beyond a short period. A person is no longer “free” when permanently seeking protection at home largely because others won’t participate in known activities to secure others.



  • I’ve also read research and watched some medical shows that have shown the effects on “long covid”. Pretty devastating! I have a cousin from the small town I grew up in that still has short term memory problems. Her and her husband were the first 2 to bring it there.🙄. It was before 💉. My neighbor is a radiologist and she says the follow up on lung X-rays are not improving.



  • @HemisphereHawk said in Self Has Covid:

    I believe very strongly that someone can protect themselves if they choose to.

    Bullshit. You must be ignoring the many stories of people who did everything they could and caught it anyway, most of whom died (which is why these stories made the news).

    Also, you refer to anyone doing everything they can to protect themselves as cowering in fear. Your freedom to do what you want stops at the point where what you are doing endangers others. Smoking is a great example. Have you managed to miss how it is being regulated to save other people from exposure?

    You left out gun-related deaths. I assume you think that everyone’s freedom includes playing with guns in public, taking them into any place of business (your covid aerosols are basically bullets), and just letting anyone scared of guns cower in fear.

    Do you tell flu patients to just go out as soon as they are feeling okay, and anyone scared of the flu just has to deal with it? As a doctor, your attitude toward public health is one reason we will be in this mess for way too long.



  • Does anyone have any stats on how effing tired i am of hearing covid stats? Don’t be a dumb ass - get the shot. Modern medicine virtually wiped out smallpox - it can wipe out this too. If we’re not stupid.



  • @mayjay said in Self Has Covid:

    @HemisphereHawk said in Self Has Covid:

    I believe very strongly that someone can protect themselves if they choose to.

    Bullshit. You must be ignoring the many stories of people who did everything they could and caught it anyway, most of whom died (which is why these stories made the news).

    Also, you refer to anyone doing everything they can to protect themselves as cowering in fear. Your freedom to do what you want stops at the point where what you are doing endangers others. Smoking is a great example. Have you managed to miss how it is being regulated to save other people from exposure?

    You left out gun-related deaths. I assume you think that everyone’s freedom includes playing with guns in public, taking them into any place of business (your covid aerosols are basically bullets), and just letting anyone scared of guns cower in fear.

    Do you tell flu patients to just go out as soon as they are feeling okay, and anyone scared of the flu just has to deal with it? As a doctor, your attitude toward public health is one reason we will be in this mess for way too long.

    This type of response is completely uncalled for and the admins should step in. Nobody should be attacked like this for sharing their opinion. The reason why people don’t speak up is because one side of this discussion is not able to have a civil conversation and respect the other side. A non doctor preaching to a doctor about their holier than thou medical opinions, amazing.



  • @nuleafjhawk said in Self Has Covid:

    Does anyone have any stats on how effing tired i am of hearing covid stats? Don’t be a dumb ass - get the shot. Modern medicine virtually wiped out smallpox - it can wipe out this too. If we’re not stupid.

    Covid will never get wiped out the way smallpox has. It will be much more like the flu in that it’s something people will have to adapt to. As we’re seeing now, the Covid vaccine doesn’t prevent a person from contracting Covid, but it does appear like it drastically reduces the severity of the symptoms.

    Going forward, the biggest things will be developing vaccines for specific strains of Covid like we have for the flu and learning how long these vaccines are effective for. Will it be yearly like the flu, will they be good for multiple years? These are the questions that need to be answered, but I just don’t see Covid disappearing.



  • @RockkChalkk agree 100%. I am also tired of the know it alls calling people they don’t even know dumb or stupid because they have a different opinion. Just sad



  • Please, i think this is a valuable conversation to have if we can all try a little harder to be civil. I respect the ask. In order to feel comfortable talking about this we have to all put our best foot forward, myself included.



  • @Texas-Hawk-10 Hmmmm, your well thought out, coherent and sensible post makes a lot more sense - but I’m still tired of listening to Covid talk. Everybody GET A SHOT!

    Lol



  • @nuleafjhawk said in Self Has Covid:

    @Texas-Hawk-10 Hmmmm, your well thought out, coherent and sensible post makes a lot more sense - but I’m still tired of listening to Covid talk. Everybody GET A SHOT!

    Lol

    you may be tired of hearing about it but not changing anything. Your going to continue to here about it a it’s here to stay



  • I don’t believe he called anyone dumb or stupid? He said BS.



  • @Texas-Hawk-10

    I believe as you… this will be around indefinitely. It may eventually run out of steam if more people would vaccinate and practice social distancing.

    What I do feel comfortable saying is that mRNA treatments are here to stay! This has been the direction of medical research for many years now. Most people don’t realize that our current mRNA vaccines are only possible from all the work that lead up to this disease.

    We can expect mRNA to become one of our best tools against much of disease, including cancer. One of my closest friend’s mother was treated with a mRNA formula over a decade ago for her cancer and it was extremely effective.

    It is a friggin’ pity more information isn’t being promoted to the public on mRNA… it’s origins, current track record, and potential in the very short future!

    I’m not worried about needing regular mRNA vaccines. It’s the wave of the future and will be available to help us in many ways. Most likely, I will want mRNA treatments soon, if not to treat an issue, to prevent the need!

    Watching segments of our population blasting our science community is very disturbing. Of course, it is always important to have healthy criticism and questions. Unfortunately, that is not what we are experiencing.



  • I also can’t imagine any Drs around here with that same attitude, being exposed without a mask? Then you expose your patients? Even my vet had drop off service.



  • @Crimsonorblue22 Thank you for actually understanding my point.

    I should explain that my reaction was based on reading in that comment that vaxxed Grandma needs to take responsibility for not getting exposed and should not go out, but not a word about anyone who wants to not get vaxxed having any responsibility to stay home, wear a mask, and not expose anyone.

    This is so contrary to medical safe practices that it always needs to be called out. And yes, the attitude helps endanger everybody by encouraging the spread, and possible (inevitable?) mutations of covid.



  • @Crimsonorblue22 you’re right and my apologies to mayjay. I just wish people would understand that circumstances are different for everyone and wish we could refrain from calling BS on someone’s opinion. Some of the world’s brightest minds have differences of opinion on this terrible virus I’m trying to respect everyone’s opinion and just asking for the same in return. Certainly no hard feelings!!



  • @Oldmanhawk I respect opinions that do not disparage people’s efforts to stay healthy and advocate freedom with no responsibility. But I understand your point and will try to make my points after the anger is only simmering rather than raging!



  • @mayjay I hear you and respect that!!!



  • I started a new job where i have to go into the office today. Felt good, except for the endangering the lives of my unvaccinated children part. Nobody can enter the building without proof of vaccination, but nobody in the building is wearing a mask. Feels like a bad scene if a variant, delta or future, can be transmitted by vaccinated people



  • @approxinfinity I think it’s more like unmasked vaccinated people are getting it from unmasked unvaccinated people, but I’m not a Dr. But I suppose, maybe one of those vaccinated people could’ve been around an unvaccinated person? Highly unlikely? Just eat away from them. That sounds pretty crazy!



  • @Crimsonorblue22

    I’m not an epidemiologist so take this for what it is worth… 2 cents.

    There is an Israeli study supporting infection rates from vaccinated and unvaccinated people and it is much lower from vaccinated people, but it isn’t zero. There exists a risk that vaccinated people can still spread Covid.

    This supports the idea that vaccinated people should still mask up to limit spread… but also vaccinated people still catch the virus, just not having symptoms bad enough to be hospitalized (for the most part).

    And we don’t know the extent of risk for long-term symptoms including with vaccinated people who later catch Covid.



  • @mayjay I respect that as well. I am an advocate for freedom, but not when it possibly puts others at risk of not being able to live. And that can be applied to many things, but let’s just stay on the pandemic topic for now.



  • @Oldmanhawk You’re good, and so is he. We should try - and I’ve been guilty, as well - to keep our discourse civil. He wasn’t attacking you, just said bullshit. @mayjay is blunt lol. I don’t think that he was trying to attack you.



  • I mean, I just do not understand why roughly 43% of America has chosen to not get vaccined? “Well, it wasn’t fully studied, was rushed!” Man, what is ever “fully” studied? And the craziest part? Of that 43%, many - and putting it out there, I am not a so-called liberal - are among those that complained the loudest about our economy being shutdown.



  • @RockkChalkk Copy and paste.



  • @Marco said in Self Has Covid:

    I mean, I just do not understand why roughly 43% of America has chosen to not get vaccined? “Well, it wasn’t fully studied, was rushed!” Man, what is ever “fully” studied? And the craziest part? Of that 43%, many - and putting it out there, I am not a so-called liberal - are among those that complained the loudest about our economy being shutdown.

    There is a different group of people whose fear of the vaccine’s safety is understandable to me despite the fact that it is an emotional reaction.

    We have all heard of the Tuskegee research scandal, but the details and breadth of what I think should have been prosecuted as criminal neglect of medical responsibility should not be forgotten. From the CDC webpage:


    In 1932, the USPHS, working with the Tuskegee Institute, began a study to record the natural history of syphilis. It was originally called the “Tuskegee Study of Untreated Syphilis in the Negro Male” (now referred to as the “USPHS Syphilis Study at Tuskegee”). The study initially involved 600 Black men – 399 with syphilis, 201 who did not have the disease. Participants’ informed consent was not collected. Researchers told the men they were being treated for “bad blood,” a local term used to describe several ailments, including syphilis, anemia, and fatigue. In exchange for taking part in the study, the men received free medical exams, free meals, and burial insurance.

    By 1943, penicillin was the treatment of choice for syphilis and becoming widely available, but the participants in the study were not offered treatment.

    In 1972, an Associated Press story about the study was published. As a result, the Assistant Secretary for Health and Scientific Affairs appointed an Ad Hoc Advisory Panel to review the study. The advisory panel concluded that the study was “ethically unjustified”; that is, the “results [were] disproportionately meager compared with known risks to human subjects involved.” In October 1972, the panel advised stopping the study. A month later, the Assistant Secretary for Health and Scientific Affairs announced the end of the study. In March 1973, the panel also advised the Secretary of the Department of Health, Education, and Welfare (HEW) (now known as the Department of Health and Human Services) to instruct the USPHS to provide all necessary medical care for the survivors of the study.1 The Tuskegee Health Benefit Program (THBP) was established to provide these services. In 1975, participants’ wives, widows and children were added to the program. In 1995, the program was expanded to include health, as well as medical, benefits. The last study participant died in January 2004.

    On May 16, 1997, President Bill Clinton issued a formal Presidential Apology for the study.

    (some paras omitted, incl re $10 million settlement of class action suit)


    That is a horror to anyone who hears about it, but to a population that is descended from survivors of slavery and Jim Crow and lynchings, the violation of trust in medical treatments is deeply seared into their memories. One can only imagine the reactions to that news as it was spread from family to family, from parents to children.

    It is all the more horrifying that this abuse continued for nearly 3 decades after the Nuremberg research protocols mandated informed consent in all human experiments, after the universal revulsion to Nazi medical torture in the guise of research.

    This stuff happened within the memories of millions of Blacks. For them to be doubtful, even scornful, about whether they should trust government public health assurances that the vax is safe is regrettable, but certainly understandable.

    Perhaps when the vaccines receive full approval, the negative connotation of “experimental treatment” can be discarded and we will see this vulnerable population being more accepting.



  • @Marco said in Self Has Covid:

    I mean, I just do not understand why roughly 43% of America has chosen to not get vaccined? “Well, it wasn’t fully studied, was rushed!” Man, what is ever “fully” studied? And the craziest part? Of that 43%, many - and putting it out there, I am not a so-called liberal - are among those that complained the loudest about our economy being shutdown.

    Adding to my previous post, according to figures that I previously didn’t have about two thirds of both our black and hispanic populations have not been vaccined either. Wanted to add that, to be fair. It is not just a white Midwestern and Southern thing.



  • Well, we’re in a giant dystopian experiment where about half of the population think that those who get a vaccination are likely to either die or otherwise come to some unfortunate end, and the other half of the population think that those who don’t get a vaccination are likely to die or get seriously ill --possibly permanently.

    If you could place a bet on one of these two outcomes, where would you place your money?



  • Just want to say that even though I believe in the science behind mRna vaccines that I still don’t wish death on anyone like some of the crazy lunatics you see on twitter.



  • @Marco said in Self Has Covid:

    I mean, I just do not understand why roughly 43% of America has chosen to not get vaccined? “Well, it wasn’t fully studied, was rushed!” Man, what is ever “fully” studied? And the craziest part? Of that 43%, many - and putting it out there, I am not a so-called liberal - are among those that complained the loudest about our economy being shutdown.

    A few reasons off the top of my head:

    1. They’ve already had covid.
    2. They realize they could get the vaccine and still get covid.
    3. They realize they could get the vaccine and still transmit covid.
    4. They realize they could get the vaccine and still be told to mask up.
    5. Therefore, 1-4), they don’t see the point.
    6. They have unanswered questions about the vaccine that aren’t publicly discussed.
    7. They see people who raise questions about the vaccine being censored.
    8. 6-7) They don’t like being told what to think or what to do.
    9. They’re young and/or healthy and statistically not at risk.
    10. They don’t have at-risk folks in their lives they worry about.
    11. The older folks they care about aren’t worried about covid.
    12. They don’t like being shamed into decisions.
    13. They don’t trust big Pharm.
    14. They view the vaccine as a real-time experiment without a proven track record.
    15. They’re anti-vaxxers across the board.

    …and so on. People usually don’t do things for no reason—often many reasons. You may not like their reasons but that doesn’t mean reasons don’t exist.



  • Number 16. They look no further than Fox news for info–not answers, just info–supporting their fear/hesitancy/paranaoia.



  • It’s a bummer. I’ve been researching methods to nudge vaccine hesitant folks (remember, vaccine hesitant != vaccine resistant) into getting it and it’s tough. Lots of psychological obstacles to get through and my natural language (empiricism, reason) doesn’t get the job done. You can send all the studies, data, and articles you want but that won’t do much good. Have to meet people where they’re at.



  • @mayjay said in Self Has Covid:

    Number 16. They look no further than Fox news for info–not answers, just info–supporting their fear/hesitancy/paranaoia.

    Damn Murdoch media…sucks.



  • @FarmerJayhawk said in Self Has Covid:

    Have to meet people where they’re at.

    Scared to go where these people’s heads are at!



  • @Oldmanhawk Opinions are important to have. It makes very little sense to me say the managing of a virus is dependent on peoples opinion. People crack me up when they say ‘see Covid wasn’t that bad, only 600000 people died. You and everyone else reading here would have lost many friends and relatives if we hadn’t taken drastic measures to slow the spread.



  • @wissox we all have different things going on in our lives which help us form our own opinion. I’m not asking anyone to agree, but to accept that is the case. BTW…I have lost friends and family to this virus



  • @Oldmanhawk Sorry for your losses. What I think I’m trying to say is I don’t see how one can have a varying opinion about a very contagious virus. It makes zero sense to me. Seriously. That’s what I’m trying to say. While there’s not clear evidence of this I have zero doubts its true. Americans have died because someone asserted their ‘right’ not to wear a mask. When opinions lead to deaths or debilitating illnesses then I question that this is a matter of opinion.



  • Imagine a Day 0 Water Crisis scenario somewhere in the U.S. right now… Would you see panic and people hoarding/guzzling water or would you see people actually band together and help thy neighbor? We suck as a people right now.

    I’m not sure when the switch happened, but the United States I grew up learning about had people who seemingly cared for one another… Now it just seems like anything that is an inconvenience makes people turn into selfish assholes. And the worst part is that people don’t even have to use sound logic to justify being such a shitty asshole, there is plenty of high profile people carrying that cross for you in the name of “just having an opinion” or “just asking questions.”

    The vaccine is safe. The vaccine is effective AF compared to a flu shot. Yes it is your right not to get one. No you don’t deserve to have zero consequences if you don’t get it. Yes you are the reason this is being prolonged if you don’t get it. No we shouldn’t be careless in the near term for the sake of “business” or “living life” or “the economy” just because you can’t be bothered to take the time to go perform your civic duty.


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