Covid Thread - Week of 3/8

[lilypad1126]

Mar 9, 2021 9:39:53 GMT -5 formerlyak said:

With regard to proving vaccination status, does every state/county not track it electronically? I know mine was loaded into some state system and I got a link after each dose so I can access the info. And I know my parents and DH who went to different sites, were tracked electronically as well.

ETA: a quick Google search tells me this varies from state to state.

I got my vax at a CVS. There's no where in the CVS website (and I have a CVS account) that shows I got it. Since it wasn't through a state run vax clinic, I can't imagine the state is keeping track of it in any way. And, I got the Johnson & Johnson shot, so I only had to have 1 appointment. 

I'm a little jealous that you have a state system to go into and verify that you got it. I have NO IDEA what I would really need that for, but my type-A personality still wishes for it, LOL.

[wildrice]

Mar 8, 2021 21:56:47 GMT -5 noodleoo said:

wildrice , I’m sorry. Rereading your post, I did vent my frustration out on you. Multiple people in this post were saying “I think flying is safe” and it really hit a nerve. Rereading your post, I see that you were speculating long term which is totally different. My apologies. I’m in the same boat as you. My parents are a flight away and it’s been over a year since I’ve seen them too. It’s hard, this week marks a year since my family has been locked down and it’s definitely getting to me. But I should have tempered my emotions before I posted.

I’m having a hard time with being so close, but so far away. I’m in the general population group, which could be anywhere from summer to fall for my turn to come up. The projections are looking good for things to start going back to normal by summer/fall, but I’m terrified that something is going to mess it up before we get there. 40% of this board has been vaccinated and I’m happy for every shot out there, but it really sucks to be last in line. At least those of you who are vaccinated can start having dinner parties, going to a restaurants, and socializing safely again. I wish people could be happy enough with that, but you know everyone is planning their spring/summer travel anyway. I’m crossing my fingers that the variants aren’t going to ruin everything. But it is so hard when everyone says “we’re all in this together” until they get their shot.

Don't worry about it. This is a lot of stress and bullshit and we are all tired of everything.

I am hopeful the recent news that we will have vaccines for every adult in the US by May will mean you and everyone else will be vaccinated in more like 2-3 months, not 6 or more. I guess we will see what plays out, but it seems like it has really picked up lately and I hope that continues.

[neverfstop]

CLEAR is teaming up to enhance their airport access with vaccine records.

thepointsguy.com/guide/digital-health-passports/

ETA:

Clear’s Health Pass feature is already being used to verify negative tests required at some sports arenas and to approve tourists for quarantine-free travel to Hawaii.



Delta and United flyers traveling nonstop from Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) to Honolulu (HNL) can securely link their test results and verify their identity, making it easy for Hawaii to identify travelers approved to avoid the state’s otherwise-mandatory 10-day quarantine.

[lexus]

Mar 9, 2021 9:46:42 GMT -5 TR said:

Mar 9, 2021 9:05:06 GMT -5 lexus said:

Do you know the history of BMI and why it was started? My weight and height are different than the white men that were used to establish it. That doesn’t indicate anything about my health. We have had this conversation on here before about Covid and BMI. Fat phobia and bias exists in the medical world and often fat people’s concerns are dismissed as weight related or not taken seriously, regardless of ACTUAL indicators of health like blood work, etc.

It doesn't matter whether or not BMI is a good indicator of health in general (which I think we can all agree it's not). It correlates with outcomes for COVID and that does matter. It really sucks that it's used in other scenarios to deny treatment and that is a problem, but I think that's a separate conversation.

But none of the other BS associated with healthcare and BMI goes away. Fat people don’t suddenly feel supported by their dr or comfortable going in to see a dr for ANY reason because of Covid. Plus, that article doesn’t take into consideration what pre existing conditions the people have, just their BMI.

[TR]

Mar 9, 2021 10:15:16 GMT -5 @rubytue said:

Mar 9, 2021 9:46:42 GMT -5 TR said:

It doesn't matter whether or not BMI is a good indicator of health in general (which I think we can all agree it's not). It correlates with outcomes for COVID and that does matter. It really sucks that it's used in other scenarios to deny treatment and that is a problem, but I think that's a separate conversation.

But, is BMI just serving as a surrogate for something else? People act like it’s a surrogate for general health, but it may be a red herring for something else we don’t know yet. Like maybe, gut microbiome. 

Quite possibly. But at this point, I think having them up for vaccines earlier is good no matter what the underlying cause is, you know? We may not know for awhile because this is all so new. So get them vaccinated because of these outcomes.

Mar 9, 2021 10:15:26 GMT -5 lexus said:

Mar 9, 2021 9:46:42 GMT -5 TR said:

It doesn't matter whether or not BMI is a good indicator of health in general (which I think we can all agree it's not). It correlates with outcomes for COVID and that does matter. It really sucks that it's used in other scenarios to deny treatment and that is a problem, but I think that's a separate conversation.

But none of the other BS associated with healthcare and BMI goes away. Fat people don’t suddenly feel supported by their dr or comfortable going in to see a dr for ANY reason because of Covid. Plus, that article doesn’t take into consideration what pre existing conditions the people have, just their BMI.

No, but I was thinking of it in terms of who we prioritize with vaccines based on outcomes. And I never said that other BS goes away, I'm saying they're two separate conversations. And I think the other conversation about BMI and discrimination/not listening/etc is one that needs to be had, 100%. But it doesn't make it untrue that it could be having an effect on COVID outcomes. Like I said to RubyTue, this is still fairly new as far as tracking outcomes and figuring out really what the risk factors are and I think we'll see it meted out more specifically as time goes on.

[sugarplum]

Mar 9, 2021 9:08:57 GMT -5 breezy8407 said:

Mar 9, 2021 8:59:21 GMT -5 mofongo said:

Right, just seems so easy to recreate! I’ll be curious to see what happens.

I've been thinking about this all along. H's card is sitting on our kitchen counter. I said something about keeping it safe, and he said its just a piece of cardstock with a sticker on it. I don't know how that would be the "passport" to travel. Way to easy to replicate. 

My husband got his first dose yesterday and didn't even get a card. Of course he didn't think to ask at the time.

[StrawberryBlondie]

Minnesota is now opening up vaccines to our next 2 phases (there's a press conference this morning that is announcing this).

I'm technically eligible in the second of those 2 phases - I wasn't expecting it to be my "turn" until May-ish. So that's a nice surprise.

I think I'm going to wait a bit before rushing to get one. Like a month maybe. Then I can request to be unblinded at my next vaccine trial appt in 3 weeks and then decide what to do after I get that info.

[sillygoosegirl]

Mar 9, 2021 9:50:26 GMT -5 lilypad1126 said:

Mar 9, 2021 9:39:53 GMT -5 formerlyak said:

With regard to proving vaccination status, does every state/county not track it electronically? I know mine was loaded into some state system and I got a link after each dose so I can access the info. And I know my parents and DH who went to different sites, were tracked electronically as well.

ETA: a quick Google search tells me this varies from state to state.

I got my vax at a CVS. There's no where in the CVS website (and I have a CVS account) that shows I got it. Since it wasn't through a state run vax clinic, I can't imagine the state is keeping track of it in any way. And, I got the Johnson & Johnson shot, so I only had to have 1 appointment. 

I'm a little jealous that you have a state system to go into and verify that you got it. I have NO IDEA what I would really need that for, but my type-A personality still wishes for it, LOL.

It would be highly irregular for your state to not be tracking all of everyone's vaccinations electronically. They may or may not have a way for you to log in and see it (in my state it looks like you need to fill out a paper records request form), but I think they all have a system.

www.cdc.gov/vaccines/programs/iis/contacts-locate-records.html

[lexus]

Mar 9, 2021 10:22:17 GMT -5 TR said:

Mar 9, 2021 10:15:16 GMT -5 @rubytue said:

But, is BMI just serving as a surrogate for something else? People act like it’s a surrogate for general health, but it may be a red herring for something else we don’t know yet. Like maybe, gut microbiome. 

Quite possibly. But at this point, I think having them up for vaccines earlier is good no matter what the underlying cause is, you know? We may not know for awhile because this is all so new. So get them vaccinated because of these outcomes.

Mar 9, 2021 10:15:26 GMT -5 lexus said:

But none of the other BS associated with healthcare and BMI goes away. Fat people don’t suddenly feel supported by their dr or comfortable going in to see a dr for ANY reason because of Covid. Plus, that article doesn’t take into consideration what pre existing conditions the people have, just their BMI.

No, but I was thinking of it in terms of who we prioritize with vaccines based on outcomes. And I never said that other BS goes away, I'm saying they're two separate conversations. And I think the other conversation about BMI and discrimination/not listening/etc is one that needs to be had, 100%. But it doesn't make it untrue that it could be having an effect on COVID outcomes. Like I said to RubyTue, this is still fairly new as far as tracking outcomes and figuring out really what the risk factors are and I think we'll see it meted out more specifically as time goes on.

Fat people should 100% get their vaccines if their state deems them eligible that way, might as well get something out of this!

It does play into it though because it adds to the fat phobia. There’s also tons of backlash about “people who don’t take care of themselves” are getting the shot before skinny people. We have seen posters here debate if they are really “worthy” and having guilt around it <—- that’s fat phobia and diet culture telling them that fat people aren’t as good as or worthy of good things because of their body size when, for the most part, body size is determined by many things outside of our control.

[Deleted]

I, personally, think it's a little early to start changing the guidelines. People in general are notorious for not understanding the nuances.

[Velar Fricative]

Mar 9, 2021 10:21:23 GMT -5 melmaria said:

Mar 9, 2021 9:19:12 GMT -5 Velar Fricative said:

And yes, I know tensions are high but I do think there are lower-risk ways to do lots of different kinds of activities. Flying is one of them IF YOU NEED TO DO IT. Back in November when my sister was hit with a bad case of covid, I was mentally preparing myself to get on a plane to see her if things took a turn for the worse. Thankfully they did not, but people are going to have necessary reasons to fly and they can keep themselves relatively safe. We just have to count on people being like "but I neeeeeeeeeeeed this Florida vacation because I hate being at home", but unfortunately if people were still vacationing over the last year then I don't see that element magically getting better.

But what is “need to do it”? Who defines “necessary”?

I realize I am in the minority here, as this board skews extremely cautious, but based on all the data and studies we have about masked flying,, I really, truly don’t have a problem with fully vaccinated people, who never take their mask off for a second, flying to see fully vaccinated family members for the first time in over a year if they basically aren’t doing anything else on the trip (i.e., it’s not “Florida spring break!!1”) come this late spring/summer. I don’t view it as nearly as high risk of an activity as, say, resuming indoor dining at 100% capacity.

People are going to do both of those things though. That’s the reality. So I’d rather the CDC give realistic guidelines for how to be as safe as possible when they do it. However, as we’ve discussed earlier, the CDC pretty much always defaults to the most overly conservative/simple guidance. Because it’s too complicated to say “travel if X but not Y or Z.”

And I’m not someone who’s vaccinated yet, or even close, so this isn’t me trying to justify my own behavior.

(Opinion is limited to domestic travel for the time being).

I have my own judgments but my judgments aren't going to be CDC guidelines lol. I'm not as conservative about it as you might think. 

[TR]

Mar 9, 2021 10:27:52 GMT -5 lexus said:

Mar 9, 2021 10:22:17 GMT -5 TR said:

Quite possibly. But at this point, I think having them up for vaccines earlier is good no matter what the underlying cause is, you know? We may not know for awhile because this is all so new. So get them vaccinated because of these outcomes.

No, but I was thinking of it in terms of who we prioritize with vaccines based on outcomes. And I never said that other BS goes away, I'm saying they're two separate conversations. And I think the other conversation about BMI and discrimination/not listening/etc is one that needs to be had, 100%. But it doesn't make it untrue that it could be having an effect on COVID outcomes. Like I said to RubyTue, this is still fairly new as far as tracking outcomes and figuring out really what the risk factors are and I think we'll see it meted out more specifically as time goes on.

Fat people should 100% get their vaccines if their state deems them eligible that way, might as well get something out of this!

It does play into it though because it adds to the fat phobia. There’s also tons of backlash about “people who don’t take care of themselves” are getting the shot before skinny people. We have seen posters here debate if they are really “worthy” and having guilt around it <—- that’s fat phobia and diet culture telling them that fat people aren’t as good as or worthy of good things because of their body size when, for the most part, body size is determined by many things outside of our control.

And all of that is absolute bullshit, I don't disagree there at all. But what is the solution? If the science hasn't yet figured out whether BMI is a causation or simply correlation, should they just ignore it until they do? I honestly don't know what the solution is. 

[sonrisa]

Mar 9, 2021 8:29:12 GMT -5 kittenponypony said:

Mar 9, 2021 0:11:31 GMT -5 sonrisa said:

Fuck.

This is not where I thought things were going. I feared long term symptoms from asymptomatic cases, but I really hoped it wouldn't end up being true for so many people. 

Many ‘Long Covid’ Patients Had No Symptoms From Their Initial Infection

'An analysis of electronic medical records in California found that 32 percent started with asymptomatic infections but reported troubling aftereffects weeks and months later."
...

"Many people who experience long-term symptoms from the coronavirus did not feel sick at all when they were initially infected, according to a new study that adds compelling information to the increasingly important issue of the lasting health impact of Covid-19.

The study, one of the first to focus exclusively on people who never needed to be hospitalized when they were infected, analyzed electronic medical records of 1,407 people in California who tested positive for the coronavirus. More than 60 days after their infection, 27 percent, or 382 people, were struggling with post-Covid symptoms like shortness of breath, chest pain, cough or abdominal pain.

Nearly a third of the patients with such long-term problems had not had any symptoms from their initial coronavirus infection through the 10 days after they tested positive, the researchers found."
...

"Among their findings: Long-term problems affect every age group, including children. “Of the 34 children in the study, 11 were long-haulers,” said one of the authors, Melissa Pinto, an associate professor of nursing at the University of California Irvine."
...

"About a third of both the people who had been hospitalized and the people who had only mild initial illnesses reported having at least one lasting symptom six months later, the researchers found."

www.nytimes.com/2021/03/08/health/long-covid-asymptomatic.html?action=click&module=Top%20Stories&pgtype=Homepage

I haven’t read the article yet, just something I’ve been thinking about in general, but how do we definitively know all of these long term effects are tied to Covid? Case in point, my sleep has been jacked up since Covid, now I wake up anywhere from 1-4 times a night and sometimes can’t fall back asleep, but I’m not sure I can definitively tie it to my history of Covid. Similarly, one of my coworkers with a history of Covid recently went to the doctor to report anxiety and brain fog, but is it possible that some of the quarantine circumstances/general personal mental health fluctuations might be contributing to the anxiety which then of course can effect memory versus his Covid history?

Not saying at all that there aren’t long term effects from Covid, and I think stuff like lack of smell and taste or breathing problems are more straightforwardly tied, but I was thinking about this while answering the Johns Hopkins long term Covid effects study questions the other day, yes there were some points this winter when I barely had energy to do anything and was sleeping 11-12 hours a day, but I don’t know if that’s just my own fluctuating mental health/depressive winter baseline versus Covid specific fatigue. Maybe if my symptoms were more severe it would be more clear cut?

I feel like during and in the weeks immediately post Covid I had my first ever hypomanic episode (I have a history of depression but not bipolar) but I was also dealing with a *ton* of life stressors at that point — moving and living alone for the first time, long term relationship breakup, mass outbreak at my work, patient death, isolation, financial stress from two unpaid weeks off work, etc. So I’m not sure if Covid was the direct causality. If anyone has seen any articles regarding Covid infection and mental health please send them my way, what Ive seen so far about neuropsych effects has more been about stuff like dementia

I'm sorry to hear about your hypomanic episode.

This study specifically didn't include "brain fog" because it doesn't have a clear medical code. It isn't based upon surveys. It looked at medical records so the problems had to reach a point people went to their doctor. ("Unlike some recent surveys, like one by a patient-led research team, the new study did not capture one of the most commonly reported “long Covid” issues: cognitive problems like brain fog, memory problems and difficult concentrating.")

There have been other studies about the mental health consequences beyond dementia. 

www.npr.org/sections/coronavirus-live-updates/2020/11/11/933964994/after-covid-diagnosis-nearly-1-in-5-are-diagnosed-with-mental-disorder

This lancet article found a possible bidirectional effect.
www.thelancet.com/journals/lanpsy/article/PIIS2215-0366(20)30462-4/fulltext

[noodleoo]

Mar 9, 2021 10:21:23 GMT -5 melmaria said:

Mar 9, 2021 9:19:12 GMT -5 Velar Fricative said:

And yes, I know tensions are high but I do think there are lower-risk ways to do lots of different kinds of activities. Flying is one of them IF YOU NEED TO DO IT. Back in November when my sister was hit with a bad case of covid, I was mentally preparing myself to get on a plane to see her if things took a turn for the worse. Thankfully they did not, but people are going to have necessary reasons to fly and they can keep themselves relatively safe. We just have to count on people being like "but I neeeeeeeeeeeed this Florida vacation because I hate being at home", but unfortunately if people were still vacationing over the last year then I don't see that element magically getting better.

But what is “need to do it”? Who defines “necessary”?

I realize I am in the minority here, as this board skews extremely cautious, but based on all the data and studies we have about masked flying,, I really, truly don’t have a problem with fully vaccinated people, who never take their mask off for a second, flying to see fully vaccinated family members for the first time in over a year if they basically aren’t doing anything else on the trip (i.e., it’s not “Florida spring break!!1”) come this late spring/summer. I don’t view it as nearly as high risk of an activity as, say, resuming indoor dining at 100% capacity.

People are going to do both of those things though. That’s the reality. So I’d rather the CDC give realistic guidelines for how to be as safe as possible when they do it. However, as we’ve discussed earlier, the CDC pretty much always defaults to the most overly conservative/simple guidance. Because it’s too complicated to say “travel if X but not Y or Z.”

And I’m not someone who’s vaccinated yet, or even close, so this isn’t me trying to justify my own behavior.

(Opinion is limited to domestic travel for the time being).

@@@
I understand that vaccinated people flying may not be a big issue.  But most of the people on these boards are parents, and kids under 16 aren't even eligible for the vaccine yet, and likely won't be for a while.  Sure, Dr. Fauci and the NYT are saying that 90% of the population will be vaccinated by fall *IF* everything goes right, *IF* the vaccine trials in kids are completed, *IF* the vaccines are approved for kids, etc, etc.  There are a still a lot of *IF*s.  And people here are talking about flying this summer and fall, most likely taking their unvaccinated and possibly infected and asymptomatic children with them.  I agree with you that vaccinated people flying is probably safe for those who are vaccinated.  But those vaccinated adults aren't going to fly to visit grandparents without their unvaccinated children.  And the US isn't tracking infections on planes, but Canada is and the data hasn't been good.  Everyone is arguing about what they *might* be able to do in the summer and fall, but the CDC put out recommendations for *now*.  As of today, only 9.5% of the US population is fully vaccinated.  That is amazing, and it is increasing every day, but there is still a long way to go before even a majority of Americans are vaccinated.  People keep saying we will have enough doses for the full population by the end of May.  That is doses on a shelf, not fully vaccinated Americans. Even Biden said that it is going to take longer to actually distribute those doses.  I'm sure the CDC recommendations will be updated as things improve.  

[erbear]

Mar 9, 2021 7:28:02 GMT -5 minzy said:

In case this is a possibility for anyone else... I am now signed up to give blood, 13 days out from my (single dose) vaccine. I figure since I got so lucky in getting the vaccine randomly, the least I can do is try to pay it forward, and hopefully convey the antibodies to others.

I didn't think of this. I am a regular blood donor (I have an appointment this week) and am fully vaccinated. It would be awesome if my antibodies transferred. I know nothing about this...sorry if that sounds dumb, but I hope it's true!

[tacom]

melmaria the CDC does have harm reduction strategies for travel, including a recommendation to get vaccinated first and to test before/after and follow the mandatory quarantine. I don't know the group is super conservative if we've now had pages of "this isn't enough!" when the epidemiologists and public health people I follow seem pleased by the new guidelines. And I know I keep harping on this, but I don't see many people acknowledging the fact that these guidelines are interim guidelines, released March 8, when many high risk people can't even sign up for the vaccine yet. It's not summer yet. The summer guidelines will have to wait until we approach summer.

The lifting of quarantine requirements for exposed fully vaccinated people was a move to try to keep people at work and prevent the degree of disruption to our businesses (especially essential sectors). It makes sense to me that things will change incrementally, based on the cost and benefit to the public at large, and that approving unnecessary travel, or indoor dining (if outdoor is available) aren't the first priorities for the CDC.

www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/travelers/travel-during-covid19.html

[StrawberryBlondie]

Mar 9, 2021 11:03:56 GMT -5 melmaria said:

Mar 9, 2021 10:25:59 GMT -5 StrawberryBlondie said:

Minnesota is now opening up vaccines to our next 2 phases (there's a press conference this morning that is announcing this).

I'm technically eligible in the second of those 2 phases - I wasn't expecting it to be my "turn" until May-ish. So that's a nice surprise.

I think I'm going to wait a bit before rushing to get one. Like a month maybe. Then I can request to be unblinded at my next vaccine trial appt in 3 weeks and then decide what to do after I get that info.

I’m really excited about this. We are weeks ahead of schedule. Although I’m sure they were being overly cautious from the start to temper expectations.

Me too. I feel like at the beginning our vaccine rollout was pretty rocky, but I've been pretty impressed lately.

[laurack]

Mar 9, 2021 10:08:19 GMT -5 @rubytue said:

Mar 9, 2021 9:05:06 GMT -5 lexus said:

Do you know the history of BMI and why it was started? My weight and height are different than the white men that were used to establish it. That doesn’t indicate anything about my health. We have had this conversation on here before about Covid and BMI. Fat phobia and bias exists in the medical world and often fat people’s concerns are dismissed as weight related or not taken seriously, regardless of ACTUAL indicators of health like blood work, etc.

What she said!

I found this really fascinating. Because so many states are including high BMI as a risk factor for vaccination, but yet, those in the lower-highs (like 30-ish) are really not that bad. And yet, that is a very high rate for low BMI, but no one wants to talk about that, because we hold skinny people up as the picture of health *eye rolls*

Yeah it’s interesting that they wouldn’t put BMI under 18.5 as a risk factor along with the high BMI. Is it because there aren’t that many people with a BMI that low I wonder? Seems from this article that a BMI of 18 poses more risk than one of 30.

[lexus]

Mar 9, 2021 11:07:42 GMT -5 laurack said:

Mar 9, 2021 10:08:19 GMT -5 @rubytue said:

What she said!

I found this really fascinating. Because so many states are including high BMI as a risk factor for vaccination, but yet, those in the lower-highs (like 30-ish) are really not that bad. And yet, that is a very high rate for low BMI, but no one wants to talk about that, because we hold skinny people up as the picture of health *eye rolls*

Yeah it’s interesting that they wouldn’t put BMI under 18.5 as a risk factor along with the high BMI. Is it because there aren’t that many people with a BMI that low I wonder? Seems from this article that a BMI of 18 poses more risk than one of 30.

Nah it’s because it’s easy to spot people with a high BMI for the most part and it’s socially acceptable to fat shame people as long as we disguise it as concern for their health. This just proves that it isn’t actually concern for their health.

[noodleoo]

Mar 9, 2021 10:59:28 GMT -5 melmaria said:

Mar 9, 2021 10:53:13 GMT -5 noodleoo said:

@@@ I agree with you that vaccinated people flying is probably safe for those who are vaccinated.  But those vaccinated adults aren't going to fly to visit grandparents without their unvaccinated children.   

@@

Clearly, the answer is for the vaccinated grandparents to fly to the non-vaccinated grandkids! Lol.

Most vaccinated people I know who happen to have kids and who have flown to see family since being fully vaccinated have specifically NOT taken their kids along yet, for the reasons you mention. I think by late summer, we’ll be in a different spot. But of course no one has a crystal ball. I certainly won’t be booking any travel more than a month out.

Yes you are right.  I forget that other people have parents who don't require their kids to travel to them like mine do, LOL.  

[waverly]

Mar 8, 2021 16:51:11 GMT -5 wildrice said:

Mar 8, 2021 16:12:30 GMT -5 waverly said:

My issue with flying is bringing back variants that don't respond well to the current vaccines. We have to wait a while on having the information we need on that.

This is where I am struggling, because I don't disagree but - when will we be at a point where this isn't a concern? I hate to be one of the "COVID is not going to go away so we need to live with it!" people but... COVID is not going away. It may always be a threat in some shape or form. For months we've been looking to the vaccine on the horizon to get to a point where we can see our loved ones. Then we were waiting for guidance from the CDC on whether vaccinated people are safe to spend time with other vaccinated people. Now that we are vaccinated and we know it's safe to be with other vaccinated people, we have to wait indefinitely before flying to see loved ones?

I think if people live near their family they should not fly to go on vacation. I think if you can drive to see your family, you should not fly. But for those of us who will never see our families unless we get on a plane - we are just supposed to sacrifice for another 6 months, year, two years, five years, however long it takes for the virus to stop mutating? I just don't know if I can do it. 

I don't think it will be that long.  I think we will have some better answers in 6 months.  If someone HAS to fly (not you but in general) and are trying to avoid bringing back variants, they can be careful about the locations that they choose.  There is a lot of gray area between never flying and how to fly safely that I think we will start to see being addressed in CDC guidelines as more and more people get vaccinated.  I definitely don't think it will be 2- 5 years.   I am just waiting on a bit more information on flying.  

[formerlyak]

Mar 9, 2021 9:50:26 GMT -5 lilypad1126 said:

Mar 9, 2021 9:39:53 GMT -5 formerlyak said:

With regard to proving vaccination status, does every state/county not track it electronically? I know mine was loaded into some state system and I got a link after each dose so I can access the info. And I know my parents and DH who went to different sites, were tracked electronically as well.

ETA: a quick Google search tells me this varies from state to state.

I got my vax at a CVS. There's no where in the CVS website (and I have a CVS account) that shows I got it. Since it wasn't through a state run vax clinic, I can't imagine the state is keeping track of it in any way. And, I got the Johnson & Johnson shot, so I only had to have 1 appointment. 

I'm a little jealous that you have a state system to go into and verify that you got it. I have NO IDEA what I would really need that for, but my type-A personality still wishes for it, LOL.

My clinic didn't put the lot number, and my type-A personality liked that I could go into the system and see the lot number. I don't know why I felt that was important, but everyone else I know had a lot number on their card and I didn't. It's weird the things we want to know.

[Bad Dingo]

I feel like perception is really being skewed by who people know (or by what message boards they frequent). The percentage of fully vaccinated and partially vaccinated people on this board is HUGELY higher than the United States as a whole.

For many of us we are still in the midst of a global pandemic.

[jamaicam]

Mar 9, 2021 12:25:18 GMT -5 Bad Dingo said:

I feel like perception is really being skewed by who people know (or by what message boards they frequent). The percentage of fully vaccinated and partially vaccinated people on this board is HUGELY higher than the United States as a whole.

For many of us we are still in the midst of a global pandemic.

Most of the world is has a long way to go to get out of this pandemic. 

The first vaccines arrived here yesterday. We are aiming to vaccinate 65% of the popultion by March 2022. Our death rates, hospitalisations and new case numbers are currently the highest they have ever been. We had a 39% positivity rate yesterday. 

We have a long way to go as does most of the world. 

[Velar Fricative]

New York just opened up to 60+ (from 65+) and additional eligible professions, including "public-facing government and/or non-profit staff who help people in need." (paraphrasing) My job is clarifying with the city and state to determine if that includes our staff. I mean, if there were ever a way to describe our staff, that would be it, so fingers crossed this allows my teams to get vaccinated starting next week. They're all public-facing and working on-site so this would be amazing. 

[TBM]

Florida is opening up to 60+ starting Monday, so I guess trying to find appointments for H and I will be my new hobby.

We have been so annoyed with our stupid governor, for so many things, but this time for the ridiculously slow release of vaccines to teachers, front line workers, etc.. Counties (not sure how many) decided to ignore the state and have been scheduling clinics for them, without age or comorbitity requirements. It's good to know that there are people in charge of these things that have some sense.

[kittenponypony]

Mar 9, 2021 12:05:07 GMT -5 @rubytue said:

So, I went and read the original CDC publication on the BMI thing. www.cdc.gov/mmwr/volumes/70/wr/mm7010e4.htm

I just want to bitch about their methods and reporting. So, the reported relative risk ratios for higher BMI and the the percentage risk increase for the lower BMI. Example 1.6 RR for BMI 30-34, and 20% for underweight. Which makes it so confusing to anyone who doesn’t speak relative risk ratios.

From the NYT article “ The study also found that patients who were underweight, with a B.M.I. below 18.5, were 20 percent more likely to be hospitalized than those who had a healthy weight. The reasons are not entirely clear, but may stem from the fact that some of these patients were malnourished or frail or had other diseases.”

So increased hospitalizations, but did the original article talk about the death rate or other markers (ventilation, etc)? I wonder if lower BMI correlated with being elderly (and obviously has worse outcomes)

[aprilsails]

My Mom tested negative but has no taste or smell and feels generally sleepy. She will go back for another test in a couple of days. Don’t know if she will test positive since she had the vaccine. For the time being she’s off work and her and Stepdad are in quarantine until they have a positive test or are told they can stop. Which might be the better past of 20 more days for my stepdad. He’s freaking out about not working which is a bit laughable considering they raked in money this past year. He also as clients he can ask to come in later and most are dedicated to him and will do so.

[pugz]

lexus let's be friends. I can't read the BMI posts because it's too triggering for me so just liking all your posts in solidarity. The research and headlines about BMI and COVID have been a hot mess. Christy Harrison (RD that wrote Anti-Diet) has broken down a lot of it on her IG account. It is steeped in the typical fatphobia that the medical system perpetuates.

I will qualify in phase 4 because of my BMI. I just had my annual physical and bloodwork and everything is in normal range despite some weight gain over the last year. It's taken a lot of therapy to disconnect weight from health in my mind and it's still a struggle. I am ready to post post-pandemic so I can go back to therapy and my RD and work through more of my shit!

[Velar Fricative]

aprilsails, I’ve known a few people who officially tested positive even after one vaccine dose. It does sound like she has covid despite the negative test, that really sucks.