My vaccine reluctant S finally got the JnJ yesterday. Took almost 3 months of constant nagging. It came down to “you can return to school , or we will make you stay home and take online classes”. so it came down to economics and getting something that he wanted, that overrode his concerns. We had to do a one shot and done, as I was fearful we would never get the 2nd one for him. I think several things are going to change some peoples minds.
FDA approval
knowing someone who got very sick or died
the new norm of the haves and haves nots. you can go to XYZ, but you have to be vaccinated. (similar to the NYC rules).
BTW my D teaches now in a low economic district. She reached out to parents last week to introduce herself and one parent with many children was concerned about kid being safe in school, yet confessed she had not gotten the vaccine yet. too many kids, no time, etc. So in some cases less reluctance, but i think we do need to continue community outreach and bringing the vaccine to them.
We’ve been in CA for the last couple of days now including SF’s crowded Fisherman’s Wharf and similar yesterday. I wasn’t sure what to expect with Delta out there. There are definitely crowds with no social distancing anywhere at this point. Tourists have come from many different places based upon overheard conversations. There are all ages, genders, ethnicities, several different languages, and as per a few T-shirts, both red and blue “sides” involved. The one common denominator indoors and on all public transportation (bus, Bart, cable cars), absolutely everyone is masked unless eating in a restaurant - actually eating, not waiting for food. Outdoors most are, but not all. The rare times I’ve seen someone not masked forget to put one on and get reminded, they always put one on quickly.
Only once did we see the “other” side. An unmasked teen was riding a scooter yelling out to people about their salvation/afterlife along his route. As he looked at us he yelled, “Take your mask off! They have nano technology!” It was difficult to tell if he was just being a teen getting his jollies or if he has some less than ideal influencers in his life. There had been some unmasked street preachers (outside) further away from him, but we didn’t notice them saying what he said about masks - just their religious views. We weren’t really paying attention though. The kid’s yelling and looking right at us drew our attention to him.
Regardless, coming from a “masks, what are those and why would anyone wear one now” location in PA, I’m very impressed and stunned overall.
The US is so different. SF could be different in other areas too actually. We were just in a main tourist district - though the public transportation we used there and back had local folks on it.
Delta may still spread due to the crowds here, but at least folks are trying. It’s spreading around where I live and few seem to give a hoot. Our only hope is the lack of crowds comparatively.
K12 kids start on Monday here. The governor just mandated masks for kids and teachers in schools and there are lots of angry people. H’s school district is complying, but my sister’s isn’t. H’s school system said 55% of teachers/staff are vaxxed, but 90% of downtown admin staff are vaxxed. But some dismal percentage of 12-18 year olds are vaxxed. I believe it was around 15%. Our numbers are rising steadily. I think they are around November levels. (Our overall vax rate is 35-40%)
In Garland, Texas, the ISD has on their webpage that there are 32 active, lab-confirmed cases in staff and 221 in students. School has been in session for 4 days. No masks, no virtual option. This is probably baseline in the community and is too early to attribute to spread in schools, but if that’s the baseline, get ready.
Like someone said upstream, I too wish the CDC or FAA or whoever has authority over this would mandate vaccinations for anyone boarding an airplane; not just employees. For that and the cancellations, I think I’ll cancel my flight next month and drive.
As for schools, how are teachers supposed to enforce the mask mandate? Send the recalcitrant kid to the office? Do they get suspended until they comply?
H’s school had in person school for those who wanted it (approx 50% of kids) from Nov-end of year. They had a mask mandate. If kids didn’t have one, they were given one. If they wouldn’t wear it, they were sent home. H didn’t have a problem at his school with compliance.
My sister’s school was in person in some form all year. She had better compliance than other teachers because she was serious about it and very matter of fact with her group “this is what we are doing. It’s not a big deal.” Those who tried to be “I know it’s a pain and if you don’t want to wear it, I can’t make you” had more non-compliance.
And there were plenty of outbreaks in both schools. Lots of schools. And lots of unreported outbreaks.
I just want somebody to explain to me why wearing a mask and getting
vaccinated is so horrible? Health care professionals tell you that it will stop the spread, what is there to debate? Go ahead and be defiant, then when you or your loved ones die from Covid, don’t whine and moan and then set up a go fund me page. Sorry, no sympathy here.
The NFL player’s union should be ashamed that players aren’t vaccinated and don’t intend to be. Kirk Cousins lost his spokesperson job with a hospital because he’s being such a jerk about not getting vaccinated. NFL players are too big a group of influencers to be going public with ‘I’m not getting vaccinated and you can’t make me’ statements.
I hope a few of the pro teams start sponsoring vaccination clinics where the pros show up and give away stuff to those getting a vaccine.
Come on, governors, reach out to the pro teams (who probably are using municipal stadiums and have a good tax deal) and get them on board.
My wife taught all last year with mandatory mask wearing at her high school (district policy). Her school had few issues with students unmasking, because on the “3rd Strike”, you were being switched to a digital learner and not allowed to come back until next semester. She had 1 student who was switched last year on that provision (School Policy). Last year, only about 50% of the students were in class (her largest class had 14 in-person students and 15 digital students), but 98% of the students are back this fall with her largest class having 27 in-person students (at least she teaches students who could be vaccinated).
The first 3 days of school have been completed with no early issues from her large suburban school (over 3,000 students normally). I am very thankful that she teaches high school students so at least some percentage of the student population is also vaccinated.
I work in a medical clinic where mask are required. Once the CDC dropped the mask mandate, patients started coming in without mask on, because as they stated, “the CDC said I didn’t have to wear one!”
We did provide mask for those without, until we ran out; new manager didn’t know she had to order them I have no idea if any of these people are vaccinated or not, but we have many immunocompromised patients as well as children under the age of 12; mask need to be worn, and worn correctly at all times in our office. I am tired of calling people out on it day in and day out. If our severe asthmatics and 3 year olds can keep their mask on without complaining, then you can leave yours on for 30 minutes while you get your allergy shot!!
Do you have any data (i.e., science) that shows that masked, filtered air, airplanes increases chances of spreading covid? Have you seen any data that shows the % of airplane passengers that are unvaccinated?
Or, is your goal to reduce an extremely small chance even further?
A lot of caveats and wishy washy language in that article and the study wasn’t peer reviewed yet.
“Other reports have found people became infected with coronavirus on flights, perhaps when they took off masks to use restrooms.”
“Testing did not include substantial movement throughout the plane or in the airport, lounge or jetway, where air change rates and human interactions will vary,” the researchers added.
“Similarly, the mannequin remained facing forward, uncertainty in human behavior with conversations and behavior may change the risk and directionality in the closest seats to an index patient, especially for large droplets.”
The study, which was released without peer review, did not take into account other ways that people could catch the virus on aircraft – including from others coughing or breathing directly on them, from surfaces or from confined spaces such as restrooms.
some excellent data from Canada, out of how many daily flights (thousands?) and passengers (millions?): but need US data for US policy. And, of course, exposures aren’t necessarily transmissions. I would guess that US busses & trains have greater ‘exposures’ (as a %) than US airlines…but that is just a guess and we need real data for policy-making, IMO.
(btw: US already moving to enforce vaccinations for arriving international passengers.)
In the article, his partner said this was so unexpected. Really? I’m just so over all of this and especially those who medically can be vaccinated but choose not to.
Tonight on the news there was a story about Florida. Huge long lines again waiting for —testing! Not for vaccines, but for testing. They showed that there were no lines for vaccines. They asked the people waiting for testing if they were vaccinated and no, they weren’t.
Are people crazy? Why wait in line for testing? If the testing says you do have covid, what then? Wait in another line at the ER?
I have no idea if any of these people are vaccinated or not, but we have many immunocompromised patients as well as children under the age of 12; mask need to be worn, and worn correctly at all times in our office. I am tired of calling people out on it day in and day out. If our severe asthmatics and 3 year olds can keep their mask on without complaining, then you can leave yours on for 30 minutes while you get your allergy shot!!
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