Someone tell me if I’m overreacting but this is really making me angry. It’s a freaking global pandemic. They can’t think a little less about their pocketbooks right now? The goal should be get as many vaccines out as possible....right?!
Yep exactly. Right now we’re already seeing so much inequity based on lack of vaccines and ability to do outreach. It seems as though in most states that are tracking data significantly more white people are getting vaccinated, and I’m going to assume more affluent and wealthy people are getting vaccinated as well.
My county has had a really strong emphasis on equity. For testing they were able to put it into place pretty well - situating mobile testing sites to target those with limited means and/or limited access to transportation and reaching out directly to communities of color.
For vaccines its been much harder. Yes, the county is trying to target at risk communities, those living in multigenerational settings and communities of color. But the county itself only gets a small fraction of the actual vaccines with many going to the big health groups like Kaiser and Sutter and private organizations. And further, no matter how much they reach out, if you are older and belong to certain health programs and can drive out of county to Palo Alto or Burlingame you can get vaccinated, but there is nothing available locally.
My city has an organization that is really been heroic in their covid work for the Black community. Free mobile testing, and now they have set up a vaccine clinic. I called to volunteer and they asked me if I had signed up for the vaccine yet (I'm eligible, but PA is a mess). I said no, and that I'm White and it felt weird to register through this particular organization whose mission is clearly public health in the Black community, which is more vulnerable and impacted than I am. She said the clinic was for everyone in the city, and that because so many Black folks were still apprehensive about the vaccine, they were encouraging everyone to get it through them if they could since it helps everyone. I registered, but it still feels very wrong to me.
"Hello babies. Welcome to Earth. It's hot in the summer and cold in the winter. It's round and wet and crowded. On the outside, babies, you've got a hundred years here. There's only one rule that I know of, babies-"God damn it, you've got to be kind.”
Post by aprilsails on Jan 22, 2021 22:17:40 GMT -5
Well I got my first ever Covid test today. Not pleasant, but quick and easy to book in advance. I am 100% certain I don’t have Covid due to rates in my city and my absolute lack of exposure, but I am a strep carrier who occasionally gives myself strep throat and I have been feeling streppish this week. I have been working 50 hour weeks and not sleeping enough so this is unsurprising. I also got a strep test but they didn’t have rapids (wtf) so I have to wait a couple of days for those results and hopefully antibiotics to nip this in the bud.
My county has had a really strong emphasis on equity. For testing they were able to put it into place pretty well - situating mobile testing sites to target those with limited means and/or limited access to transportation and reaching out directly to communities of color.
For vaccines its been much harder. Yes, the county is trying to target at risk communities, those living in multigenerational settings and communities of color. But the county itself only gets a small fraction of the actual vaccines with many going to the big health groups like Kaiser and Sutter and private organizations. And further, no matter how much they reach out, if you are older and belong to certain health programs and can drive out of county to Palo Alto or Burlingame you can get vaccinated, but there is nothing available locally.
My city has an organization that is really been heroic in their covid work for the Black community. Free mobile testing, and now they have set up a vaccine clinic. I called to volunteer and they asked me if I had signed up for the vaccine yet (I'm eligible, but PA is a mess). I said no, and that I'm White and it felt weird to register through this particular organization whose mission is clearly public health in the Black community, which is more vulnerable and impacted than I am. She said the clinic was for everyone in the city, and that because so many Black folks were still apprehensive about the vaccine, they were encouraging everyone to get it through them if they could since it helps everyone. I registered, but it still feels very wrong to me.
I signed up through them and felt weird about it at first, then told myself that anyone getting a vaccine is a good thing right now.
Can I ask how you’re volunteering? I assumed that since I’m not medically trained I wouldn’t be able to help, it never occurred to me that there could be clerical jobs I could volunteer for. I hate feeling so useless during all this.
meganew I know our city is in the process of getting a vaccine clinic here and on the sign ups for volunteers it says nonclinical volunteers will help direct traffic, show people where to go, check people in on the computers, things like that. They don’t want to “waste” people who are licensed to give the actual shot on those other tasks (not that the other tasks are a waste, but having enough people who can actually administer the vaccine is an issue in some clinics).
My city has an organization that is really been heroic in their covid work for the Black community. Free mobile testing, and now they have set up a vaccine clinic. I called to volunteer and they asked me if I had signed up for the vaccine yet (I'm eligible, but PA is a mess). I said no, and that I'm White and it felt weird to register through this particular organization whose mission is clearly public health in the Black community, which is more vulnerable and impacted than I am. She said the clinic was for everyone in the city, and that because so many Black folks were still apprehensive about the vaccine, they were encouraging everyone to get it through them if they could since it helps everyone. I registered, but it still feels very wrong to me.
I signed up through them and felt weird about it at first, then told myself that anyone getting a vaccine is a good thing right now.
Can I ask how you’re volunteering? I assumed that since I’m not medically trained I wouldn’t be able to help, it never occurred to me that there could be clerical jobs I could volunteer for. I hate feeling so useless during all this.
I’m waiting to hear back. I don’t have medical training but I was hoping to be able to sign people in, keep an eye on them after, etc. I’ll let you know if I hear anything! In the meantime, I keep throwing money their way. I’m in awe of the work they are doing.
"Hello babies. Welcome to Earth. It's hot in the summer and cold in the winter. It's round and wet and crowded. On the outside, babies, you've got a hundred years here. There's only one rule that I know of, babies-"God damn it, you've got to be kind.”
My city has an organization that is really been heroic in their covid work for the Black community. Free mobile testing, and now they have set up a vaccine clinic. I called to volunteer and they asked me if I had signed up for the vaccine yet (I'm eligible, but PA is a mess). I said no, and that I'm White and it felt weird to register through this particular organization whose mission is clearly public health in the Black community, which is more vulnerable and impacted than I am. She said the clinic was for everyone in the city, and that because so many Black folks were still apprehensive about the vaccine, they were encouraging everyone to get it through them if they could since it helps everyone. I registered, but it still feels very wrong to me.
I signed up through them and felt weird about it at first, then told myself that anyone getting a vaccine is a good thing right now.
Can I ask how you’re volunteering? I assumed that since I’m not medically trained I wouldn’t be able to help, it never occurred to me that there could be clerical jobs I could volunteer for. I hate feeling so useless during all this.
Obviously I’m medical but I signed up to volunteer through them (haven’t heard anything back) and in my other city. All volunteer places need non-medical trained people for things like signage, signing people in, inventory, etc. At least from what I’ve seen. They have a general volunteer form you can fill out on their website.
The medical trained people are for giving the injections and monitoring afterwards, but throughout the process there are lots of needs!
My state goes into phase 1B tomorrow, Illinois. If people know how to sign up please let me know. I am an essential worker.
Thus far the information is confusing but maybe they mean to clarify on Monday.
I am already in the health department surveys lists but I’ve received very little information that way. There is more information in press releases and the news then from the emails from the health department.
Pfizer is going to ship fewer vaccine vials to the US since some vials have an extra dose and charge more per vial.
ETA to clarify: They want to ship fewer vials total and have that count as their full commitment to the US (and other countries). So it isn't even like the country gets the same number of vials as anticipated and just pays more. They want to be able to sell the "excess" elsewhere or as a new commitment.
“Specifically what we’re saying is that two masks may actually equal the protection you would get from N-95 masks, which is considered the best mask there is short of a complete respirator-type unit,” Hnida said.
He says wearing a surgical mask with a cloth mask over it does give an extra layer of protection. “The reason for that is you do wind up getting more filtration of viral particles, it becomes more of an obstacle course for the viral particle to make its way from the air into your nose and throat and then into your lungs.”
Post by notsopicky on Jan 24, 2021 22:02:26 GMT -5
Re: double masking, I'm going to do a KN95 mask under a triple layer cloth mask from now on. I am feeling very uneasy about the news I'm hearing out of Denmark re: the variant.
“Specifically what we’re saying is that two masks may actually equal the protection you would get from N-95 masks, which is considered the best mask there is short of a complete respirator-type unit,” Hnida said.
He says wearing a surgical mask with a cloth mask over it does give an extra layer of protection. “The reason for that is you do wind up getting more filtration of viral particles, it becomes more of an obstacle course for the viral particle to make its way from the air into your nose and throat and then into your lungs.”
I’ve been seeing some push toward 3-layer masks. But it just been kind of mentioned in passing, not like “hey, add a new layer. We were saying 2, now 3.” I’m doing 3 layers, or a 2 layer cloth with added filter now.
I went to Costco today, and I have been fine with it for months. Today I started getting panicky again. *sigh*
Post by penguingrrl on Jan 25, 2021 7:51:09 GMT -5
This is all interesting. As numbers have been climbing again and the new strain is out I had begun wearing a KN95 under my cloth masks just in case. I’m glad to know that isn’t overkill at all.
Last night I managed to get vaccine appointments for today for my brother and me. I’m so glad and relieved. We both have qualifying health concerns. But more importantly, my husband is immunocompromised and can’t get a vaccine until summer at earliest (he has rituximab infusions so has to wait for a high enough b-cell count for a vaccine to be effective). Just knowing that this could reduce the likelihood of me bringing this home to H makes me feel so much better, especially since I’m the only one leaving the house to go into work, so I’m the most likely carrier.
The fabric masks my mom makes have two layers of fabric plus two layers of interfacing. The interfacing helps them be a bit stiff so they stay away from your mouth (masks lose effectiveness when they're wet). And she puts a wire in the nose so it's easy to seal. I wear a wrap-style headband with buttons, and attach the ear loops to the buttons. Otherwise, it hurts my ears too much to have the loops tight enough to get a good seal. I'm glad my mom is bored and can sew.
Sometime in November the public health people in Canada started to recommend making 3-layer masks with a filter or polypropylene layer in the middle. I managed to source some of the polypropylene fabric just before Christmas so all masks made going forward will be three layer type.
My Mom says this new variant has many many more spikes on the same little ball and grips like Velcro, so it takes much less exposure to be infected. Locally we are pretty well shut down but still seeing fairly high numbers. I think it’s going to be this way until the summer now. Ugh.
The fabric masks my mom makes have two layers of fabric plus two layers of interfacing. The interfacing helps them be a bit stiff so they stay away from your mouth (masks lose effectiveness when they're wet). And she puts a wire in the nose so it's easy to seal. I wear a wrap-style headband with buttons, and attach the ear loops to the buttons. Otherwise, it hurts my ears too much to have the loops tight enough to get a good seal. I'm glad my mom is bored and can sew.
Mine are two layers of fabric alone. But they fit similarly to your mom's. I just made a crapton of them, so we can swap them out frequently. (DH has some expertise in decontamination and other such things from his time in the military, and was initially saying we should change them out every two hours. Now he usually just uses 2 or 3 in a normal workday.)
The WHO has been recommending 3 layers for a while. My relatives in Canada have been doubling my masks up once their health departments started putting out recommendations for 3 layers...
I double-masked for the first time this weekend when I went to the grocery store and ugh, this is going to take some finessing/getting used to.
I wore an N95 and used one of my normal two-layer fabric masks (ties, not elastic) over top. The bottom mask kept nudging the edge of the fabric mask up into my eyes, and the N95 kept sliding down even though it has a wire that I'd shaped to my nose. I typically don't have those problems when I'm wearing each type of mask by itself, but together, it felt like they were sliding all over and I had to keep pulling each mask back into place, which felt less safe than usual, not more.
I have some of the PM2.5 filters, I might just start using those instead if I can't get two masks to play nicely together.
I double-masked for the first time this weekend when I went to the grocery store and ugh, this is going to take some finessing/getting used to.
I wore an N95 and used one of my normal two-layer fabric masks (ties, not elastic) over top. The bottom mask kept nudging the edge of the fabric mask up into my eyes, and the N95 kept sliding down even though it has a wire that I'd shaped to my nose. I typically don't have those problems when I'm wearing each type of mask by itself, but together, it felt like they were sliding all over and I had to keep pulling each mask back into place, which felt less safe than usual, not more.
I have some of the PM2.5 filters, I might just start using those instead if I can't get two masks to play nicely together.
I think you’re still better off wearing a correctly fitted N95 protection wise. Have you tried wearing a surgical mask over it? I do that but more so to extend the life of the N95 since we have to rewear them at work.
I think I posted this Atlantic article before, but it’s just ridiculous that US health officials haven’t put out any guidelines on types of masks or that there aren’t any sort of manufacturing guidelines for individuals/companies making masks, so some of the cloth masks or fraudulent KN95s filter like 1%, and truly work more to keep your droplets in rather than give you any sort of protection. Other countries have provided guidelines or even issued high quality masks to their citizens. So the things we know that make cloth masks more effective are proper fit with no air leakage, multiple layers, tight woven cotton, filters — www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2021/01/why-arent-we-wearing-better-masks/617656/
From the article: “We need the CDC and the FDA to step up and provide simple, clear, actionable, and specific information that would allow the public to know which masks are reliable and where they can get them, as well as how to upgrade and better wear their existing options. Initial studies suggest that widely available surgical masks, combined with a mask brace, could increase the effectiveness of the surgical masks. Cloth masks can be upgraded with a nose wire (for fit) and a filter insert—and more than 100,000 types of these masks are available on Etsy. A good supply of KN95 masks is available from China, with many supermarkets and pharmacies now selling them for a couple of dollars each. But none of these solutions can work widely as long as the public has little guidance on which masks are reliable and certified.”
I also found some FDA verified KN95s being sold online, last time I checked they were on sale so like a dollar each so I bought a couple packs for my parents. This site even has N95s on sale although of course they’re more expensive: bonafidemasks.com/face-masks/kn95-respirator-face-masks/
Edited to add: you can also buy a mask brace (or make one out of three rubber bands!) to modify a surgical mask for higher filtration. At least in the preliminary data they’ve collected that I’ve read, they approach the efficacy of an N95
My state goes into phase 1B tomorrow, Illinois. If people know how to sign up please let me know. I am an essential worker.
Thus far the information is confusing but maybe they mean to clarify on Monday.
I am already in the health department surveys lists but I’ve received very little information that way. There is more information in press releases and the news then from the emails from the health department.
My state goes into phase 1B tomorrow, Illinois. If people know how to sign up please let me know. I am an essential worker.
Thus far the information is confusing but maybe they mean to clarify on Monday.
I am already in the health department surveys lists but I’ve received very little information that way. There is more information in press releases and the news then from the emails from the health department.