D&D Coronavirus thread

The US recorded 15.4k COVID deaths in January 2023, which averages to approximately 3,800 deaths per week or 500 deaths per day.

Covid vaccine stats:
- 81% of US population has at least one dose
- 69% completed the primary series (94% for >= 65)
- 16% boosted with the new Bivalent dose (41% for >= 65)

Vaccine effectiveness against covid infection (Omicron):
- 45% 2-4M after last dose
- 69% <1M after last booster (3rd dose)
- 63% 2-4M after last booster (3rd dose)

Vaccine effectiveness against covid hospitalization (Omicron):
- 65% after 2 doses
- 86% after 3 doses
- 76% after 4 doses (age 65+)

Vaccine effectiveness against covid death (Omicron):
- 90% after 4 doses (nursing home residents)


CDC COVID Data Tracker: Home

CDC COVID Data Tracker: Vaccinations in the US

CDC COVID Data Tracker: Vaccine Effectiveness

 

When counting these deaths, do they distinguish between "died of" and "died with"?

 

Like other deaths (flu as an example), it's both.

A physician or doctor lists any conditions that contributed to a person's death and identifies the underlying cause of death on a death certificate. For Covid-19, comorbidities such as hypertension, obesity, diabetes, and others increase a person's risk of death. It's rare for someone to die with only an underlying cause of death and without other conditions mentioned.

See Comorbidities and other conditions:
COVID-19 Provisional Counts - Weekly Updates by Select Demographic and Geographic Characteristics (cdc.gov)

 

Some long Covid exists, without a doubt, Covid is a respiratory/neurological disorder that came from a Chinese bioweapons lab.

But my hypothesis is that a lot of "long Covid" is just lazy people finding another excuse to be lazy. Like, public administration employees, public school teachers, labor union folks, and so on.

 

There it is.

I often wondered about this weird "old man yells at cloud" war on vaccines and masks. It was always such a dumb and inconsequential platform.

I think we finally have a bit of truth leak through on the reasoning behind all the stupid babbling.

"Lazy people" lulz

 

https://www.statnews.com/2021/03/22...re-critically-speaking-cautiously-long-covid/

(...)

First, consider that at least some people who identify themselves as having long Covid appear never to have been infected with the SARS-CoV-2 virus. In Yong’s influential article, he cites a survey of Covid long-haulers in which some two-thirds of them had negative coronavirus antibody tests — blood tests that reveal prior SARS-CoV-2 infection. Meanwhile, a survey organized by a group of self-identified long Covid patients that recruited participants from online support groups reported in late December 2020 that around two-thirds of those surveyed who had undergone blood testing reported negative results.

(...)

 

They didn’t tell him because likely they were still testing and many doctors are very cautious in making definitive statements. Also because Hamlin had said he wants to pay football again and this is very likely caused from playing football.

It’s a real stretch to say it if anything to do with the vaccine. Commotio Cordis is a known condition that could cause this. If it was the vaccine why would it happen right at the moment that he took a shot in the chest instead of at any other point? It happened right under the conditions that would lead to Commotio Cordis.

This is again another example of what I would call anti critical thinking. It’s ignoring the most likely explanation and going instead for an unlikely explanation and then using innuendo to justify.

 

I know someone with long COVID and she was anything but lazy. Prior to her infection in 2020 she had been a long distance runner and surfer. She has trouble waking up stairs now.

 

I'm sure there are people who cheat the system, but the argument that people are just being lazy is extremely weak in the US.

1. For the most part, companies can fire you at will, so the incentive to cheat by taking time off doesn't make much sense if it risks losing your job.
   
   
2. Low-paying jobs, such as meat packing or warehouse work, typically have very little tolerance for time off and do not provide sick pay. The incentive here is more towards working even while sick. In fact, one of the issues during COVID-19 was that these lower-paid workers worked through their symptoms, causing more spread.
   
   
3. There is no "free" or universal healthcare in the US, so I doubt anyone would spend the time and money to repeatedly visit doctors and specialists to maintain a "long COVID" status.
   
   
4. "Long COVID" is a new disease, and it is almost as likely or more likely that it's being underdiagnosed. With how the US healthcare system is set up (mostly siloed healthcare providers), there is a good chance that a single doctor could miss it completely or misdiagnose it.
   

I strongly recommend reading the Scientific America article. It goes through the complexity of this new disease and how a multi-disciplinary team effort is needed to help patients suffering from it.

 

Antibodies only lasts few months in your body. The 2/3 survey number doesn't mean much if it didn't contain a time component.

 

You make good points, and I appreciate you as a poster.

I guess I am annoyed because someone who surely has never overworked herself and has already given notice now got a doctor's sick note for the rest of her time at my company for "burnout"...some people just game the system.

 

Not like hardworking CEOs who somehow manage to carve out the time to post to basketball message boards more than 50 times a day-

 

I'm good at delegation.

And a fast typer.

And a good multi-tasker.

I can school you while doing other stuff at the same time, like dining with Mexican industrialists.

 

Unfortunately, there are people who make things worse for everyone else by being dishonest, and this affects those who are honest. I'm not saying we shouldn't deal with them, but we have to expect some loss due to the occasional cheater. For example, in retail, there's always an expected loss due to theft (larger companies can afford and absorb this better than smaller companies). In government-provided social services, cheaters impact the support available for those who truly need it. It's disheartening to see people in need impacted by those who are well off and cheating the system.

 

This is why we should be careful of generalizations.

 

These politicians are completely out of touch. They lack any self-awareness and any compassion for the children.