The coronavirus

nicknyr15

HughFreakingDillon said:

mcgruff10 said:

PJPOWER said:

tbergs said:

PJPOWER said:

mcgruff10 said:

rgambs said:

The first time around a flat payment to everyone without discretion made perfect sense, just like the laxity of the PPP loans going out without testing need made sense...relief was needed immediately, without the delay of red tape.
That was a LONG, LONG time ago, and Congress has done almost nothing since then!!   In the intervening time, Congress should have been able to build a targeted stimulus that replaced lost income in service industry businesses that have suffered and help replace lost wealth in the population without giving to those who didn't lose anything.  They also could have passed a tax bill that targets income increases during the pandemic to cover part of the debt incurred by the bill.  The billionaires of this country could send every citizen 3000$ and still be richer than they were when the pandemic started, and the "stimulus" includes yet more tax breaks directed at them.
This country is so fucked.

Well said gambs.  Now go order some takeout. 

It’s a slap in the face, I’d actually be okay with this one getting vetoed.

What's even dumber is that Trump is doubling down on a blanket $2,000 payment and Pelosi is immediately hopping on board and telling republicans to do it. Yet Thom Tillis got his piracy law in the bill and Trump gets 1.4 billion for border walls and security. Would I like to get all that free money, sure, but I definitely don't need it and neither do millions of Americans. So stupid they couldn't do a better job of infusing businesses and those who have lost income/jobs the last 10 months, but that would have meant working together and gathering data.

This is totally a “what can the government do for you” example that I hope everyone learns from.  Take care of yourselves, the government will not take care of you.

And to think that every member of congress makes 174k a year and has not missed a paycheck since March.  I m sure they feel the pain of average citizens across the country.  

I mentioned this to my wife last night when I read trump's comment criticizing the amount. I couldn't believe I agreed with him. No idea why he wants people to think he gives a fuck at this point, but he's right. It's unreal that congress is patting itself on the back for $600 one time payment. 

these fuckers are so out of touch with reality. On what planet do we encourage people to get into politics for the wealth?

Spot on. 

mcgruff10

HughFreakingDillon said:

mcgruff10 said:

PJPOWER said:

tbergs said:

PJPOWER said:

mcgruff10 said:

rgambs said:

The first time around a flat payment to everyone without discretion made perfect sense, just like the laxity of the PPP loans going out without testing need made sense...relief was needed immediately, without the delay of red tape.
That was a LONG, LONG time ago, and Congress has done almost nothing since then!!   In the intervening time, Congress should have been able to build a targeted stimulus that replaced lost income in service industry businesses that have suffered and help replace lost wealth in the population without giving to those who didn't lose anything.  They also could have passed a tax bill that targets income increases during the pandemic to cover part of the debt incurred by the bill.  The billionaires of this country could send every citizen 3000$ and still be richer than they were when the pandemic started, and the "stimulus" includes yet more tax breaks directed at them.
This country is so fucked.

Well said gambs.  Now go order some takeout. 

It’s a slap in the face, I’d actually be okay with this one getting vetoed.

What's even dumber is that Trump is doubling down on a blanket $2,000 payment and Pelosi is immediately hopping on board and telling republicans to do it. Yet Thom Tillis got his piracy law in the bill and Trump gets 1.4 billion for border walls and security. Would I like to get all that free money, sure, but I definitely don't need it and neither do millions of Americans. So stupid they couldn't do a better job of infusing businesses and those who have lost income/jobs the last 10 months, but that would have meant working together and gathering data.

This is totally a “what can the government do for you” example that I hope everyone learns from.  Take care of yourselves, the government will not take care of you.

And to think that every member of congress makes 174k a year and has not missed a paycheck since March.  I m sure they feel the pain of average citizens across the country.  

I mentioned this to my wife last night when I read trump's comment criticizing the amount. I couldn't believe I agreed with him. No idea why he wants people to think he gives a fuck at this point, but he's right. It's unreal that congress is patting itself on the back for $600 one time payment. 

these fuckers are so out of touch with reality. On what planet do we encourage people to get into politics for the wealth?

Well said.  

HughFreakingDillon

oftenreading said:

HughFreakingDillon said:

I'm hoping for moderna. one shot. it apparently not only prevents symptoms, but also transmission. (at least I think that's what I read; don't want to spread misinformation if that's not the case)

Source?

The first statement is incorrect - Moderna requires two doses. 

The second, to the best of my understanding, is unknown - we don’t have enough data for either vaccine to know if transmission is affected or not. This was not a primary endpoint in the studies. 

well, LOL, there you go. I could have sworn the moderna was one dose. Oh well. Back to reading and forgetting. 

Spiritual_Chaos

Isn't the relief check way to communist for the "healthcare being affordable by being tax funded is not the american way" crowd ?

HughFreakingDillon

Spiritual_Chaos said:

Isn't the relief check way to communist for the "healthcare being affordable by being tax funded is not the american way" crowd ?

i'm sure even the "government handouts = communism" crowd will gladly take some cash so they don't lose their homes. 

JeBurkhardt

I don't remember too many people turning down or returning the checks they got in the Spring. It's only "Socialism" if somebody else benefits from it. If I benefit from it, is much needed help during difficult times.

F Me In The Brain

Wonder how many said they ripped up the check and cashed anyway.

oftenreading

mcgruff10 said:

oftenreading said:

Moderna vaccine approved by Health Canada today and we should have 168,000 doses by the end of December, which is coming up pretty close.

@oftenreading do you prefer one vaccine over another?

There is insufficient data at this point to make a distinction based on safety or efficacy, in my opinion. I am happy that the Moderna vaccine has less stringent storage and shipping requirements, since that allows us to get vaccine out to remote and northern communities, who are otherwise out of luck, and directly into LTC facilities to vaccinate the residents, who are too frail to safely make the trip to an immunization centre. 

Waiting eagerly for more data to roll in, and for more vaccines to be considered for approval. 

vaggar99

From a former high school classmate of mine.  Ultra fit (avid wake surfer).  ~43 yrs old, female.

"For the last 14 days, I have been battling a moderate case of covid pneumonia. I am grateful that I seem to have passed the worst part and am able to share my story. I can first handedly say that this disease is scary, dark, and can leave one to feel utter despair and fear.

On Monday, December 7th, I made the mistake of letting my guard down in a meeting with someone I trusted. We both have thyroid disease. She didn’t wear a mask and I thought for this meeting in her office, I felt safe. She had no symptoms. However, within 3 days, I started feeling sick and she informed me that she tested positive for covid. I immediately got tested and the next day, my positive confirmation came in.

I lost my appetite and lost my smell and taste for a few days. Even though it has come back, it isn’t at 100%; some things just don’t smell right or the way I remember. This was one of my saddest moments; for those of you who know how much I love food and all the senses that go with it. What was interesting though was while I couldn’t smell or taste, I could still tell the difference between salty, sour, and sweet.

On day 7, I went to the ER for evaluation since I felt worse and was unable to clear my airways and breathe. That is when the bilateral pneumonia diagnosis came in. My blood had elevations for a marker that could cause clots as well; thankfully after a CT scan, that was ruled out. I lost it that day. I felt so scared and alone. These are medical words I’ve never heard before. Through the medicine and treatment that day, I felt much better and energetic and drove home. However, the doctor warned me the next few days would be critical.

Days 8-10 were the worst. My oxygen saturation levels were the lowest. I felt like I was sinking in an ocean and could not breathe to stay afloat. I went back to the ER on day 10 only to be told - as bad as I felt, it wasn’t bad enough to admit me or to send me home with oxygen. I couldn’t take one step or take groceries inside from my porch without struggling for air. It was the first time in my life that I thought about who I might give my dogs to while I was going through this, because I could not care for them.

For the past 4 days, my fever finally disappeared and I’m working on staying calm, managing/controlling my breathing and watching my oxygen levels. My appetite and capacity for food is not normal. I eat or drink a little and feel full in my chest, like the food can’t make its way down as fast or as much as it used to. I’m coughing productively, staying hydrated, and getting rest. I can't talk much without coughing, so I"m working on taking deep breaths.

Before I got covid, I always found that social distancing and measures were always top of my mind before anyone would bring them up, and many people used to comment on my extreme precaution and how I’m not in a high risk category for covid. I don’t know what a “mild” case is, but that isn’t what I had. I don’t want to ever go through this again nor would I wish any of you to go through it. I have a long road of recovery ahead and it makes me sad that I probably won’t get to go on my ski trip I had planned and how many lake days I'm missing. The day before I got tested/started feeling sick, I had a massage and even went to church that evening. I wore a mask the whole time except for when I was eating at church. I’m grateful that no one else got sick.

Through it all, I felt the prayers by so many who have lifted me and my petition up to God and am so grateful for everyone’s support and those that have been so good with advice from doctors and nurses, and those heroes in my life that have been able to help me physically where I needed it. I’m here to say, stay vigilant and don’t get it. This disease will try to take captive your thoughts and emotions - don’t let it. I would love to be there for others that find themselves in this place and offer the support, advice, and blessings that were given to me. I am so grateful for the love and care of those that have been with me the last 14 days and have felt God’s goodness, mercy, and healing.

It is a very weird and hard week to celebrate Christmas without being near my family and during this time of isolation. In this very special week celebrating the birth of Christ, my savior - I wish you all a very peaceful, joyful and safe Christmas celebration."

HughFreakingDillon

this virus scares me half to death. as a person who has suffered from extreme bouts of anxiety here and there, and knowing how short of breath i can become, I can't even begin to imagine the fear I'd feel from actually not being able to draw a complete breath for days. I'd be afraid to go to sleep. 

hedonist

vaggar99 said:

From a former high school classmate of mine.  Ultra fit (avid wake surfer).  ~43 yrs old, female.

"For the last 14 days, I have been battling a moderate case of covid pneumonia. I am grateful that I seem to have passed the worst part and am able to share my story. I can first handedly say that this disease is scary, dark, and can leave one to feel utter despair and fear.

On Monday, December 7th, I made the mistake of letting my guard down in a meeting with someone I trusted. We both have thyroid disease. She didn’t wear a mask and I thought for this meeting in her office, I felt safe. She had no symptoms. However, within 3 days, I started feeling sick and she informed me that she tested positive for covid. I immediately got tested and the next day, my positive confirmation came in.

I lost my appetite and lost my smell and taste for a few days. Even though it has come back, it isn’t at 100%; some things just don’t smell right or the way I remember. This was one of my saddest moments; for those of you who know how much I love food and all the senses that go with it. What was interesting though was while I couldn’t smell or taste, I could still tell the difference between salty, sour, and sweet.

On day 7, I went to the ER for evaluation since I felt worse and was unable to clear my airways and breathe. That is when the bilateral pneumonia diagnosis came in. My blood had elevations for a marker that could cause clots as well; thankfully after a CT scan, that was ruled out. I lost it that day. I felt so scared and alone. These are medical words I’ve never heard before. Through the medicine and treatment that day, I felt much better and energetic and drove home. However, the doctor warned me the next few days would be critical.

Days 8-10 were the worst. My oxygen saturation levels were the lowest. I felt like I was sinking in an ocean and could not breathe to stay afloat. I went back to the ER on day 10 only to be told - as bad as I felt, it wasn’t bad enough to admit me or to send me home with oxygen. I couldn’t take one step or take groceries inside from my porch without struggling for air. It was the first time in my life that I thought about who I might give my dogs to while I was going through this, because I could not care for them.

For the past 4 days, my fever finally disappeared and I’m working on staying calm, managing/controlling my breathing and watching my oxygen levels. My appetite and capacity for food is not normal. I eat or drink a little and feel full in my chest, like the food can’t make its way down as fast or as much as it used to. I’m coughing productively, staying hydrated, and getting rest. I can't talk much without coughing, so I"m working on taking deep breaths.

Before I got covid, I always found that social distancing and measures were always top of my mind before anyone would bring them up, and many people used to comment on my extreme precaution and how I’m not in a high risk category for covid. I don’t know what a “mild” case is, but that isn’t what I had. I don’t want to ever go through this again nor would I wish any of you to go through it. I have a long road of recovery ahead and it makes me sad that I probably won’t get to go on my ski trip I had planned and how many lake days I'm missing. The day before I got tested/started feeling sick, I had a massage and even went to church that evening. I wore a mask the whole time except for when I was eating at church. I’m grateful that no one else got sick.

Through it all, I felt the prayers by so many who have lifted me and my petition up to God and am so grateful for everyone’s support and those that have been so good with advice from doctors and nurses, and those heroes in my life that have been able to help me physically where I needed it. I’m here to say, stay vigilant and don’t get it. This disease will try to take captive your thoughts and emotions - don’t let it. I would love to be there for others that find themselves in this place and offer the support, advice, and blessings that were given to me. I am so grateful for the love and care of those that have been with me the last 14 days and have felt God’s goodness, mercy, and healing.

It is a very weird and hard week to celebrate Christmas without being near my family and during this time of isolation. In this very special week celebrating the birth of Christ, my savior - I wish you all a very peaceful, joyful and safe Christmas celebration."

Frightening, and a relatable account of this fucking virus. Thank you for posting her experience. 

FiveBelow

HughFreakingDillon said:

mcgruff10 said:

PJPOWER said:

tbergs said:

PJPOWER said:

mcgruff10 said:

rgambs said:

The first time around a flat payment to everyone without discretion made perfect sense, just like the laxity of the PPP loans going out without testing need made sense...relief was needed immediately, without the delay of red tape.
That was a LONG, LONG time ago, and Congress has done almost nothing since then!!   In the intervening time, Congress should have been able to build a targeted stimulus that replaced lost income in service industry businesses that have suffered and help replace lost wealth in the population without giving to those who didn't lose anything.  They also could have passed a tax bill that targets income increases during the pandemic to cover part of the debt incurred by the bill.  The billionaires of this country could send every citizen 3000$ and still be richer than they were when the pandemic started, and the "stimulus" includes yet more tax breaks directed at them.
This country is so fucked.

Well said gambs.  Now go order some takeout. 

It’s a slap in the face, I’d actually be okay with this one getting vetoed.

What's even dumber is that Trump is doubling down on a blanket $2,000 payment and Pelosi is immediately hopping on board and telling republicans to do it. Yet Thom Tillis got his piracy law in the bill and Trump gets 1.4 billion for border walls and security. Would I like to get all that free money, sure, but I definitely don't need it and neither do millions of Americans. So stupid they couldn't do a better job of infusing businesses and those who have lost income/jobs the last 10 months, but that would have meant working together and gathering data.

This is totally a “what can the government do for you” example that I hope everyone learns from.  Take care of yourselves, the government will not take care of you.

And to think that every member of congress makes 174k a year and has not missed a paycheck since March.  I m sure they feel the pain of average citizens across the country.  

I mentioned this to my wife last night when I read trump's comment criticizing the amount. I couldn't believe I agreed with him. No idea why he wants people to think he gives a fuck at this point, but he's right. It's unreal that congress is patting itself on the back for $600 one time payment. 

these fuckers are so out of touch with reality. On what planet do we encourage people to get into politics for the wealth?

Careful, mentioning anything other than the red half being morally corrupt is generally not well received around here.

F Me In The Brain

People who voted for Donald Trump are morally corrupt.

Also, that account was wild.  Thanks for sharing @vaggar99

FiveBelow

I would argue that voting for any politician is morally corrupt. If we did our part as a society their "need" would be much less prominent.

HughFreakingDillon

JW269453 said:

HughFreakingDillon said:

mcgruff10 said:

PJPOWER said:

tbergs said:

PJPOWER said:

mcgruff10 said:

rgambs said:

The first time around a flat payment to everyone without discretion made perfect sense, just like the laxity of the PPP loans going out without testing need made sense...relief was needed immediately, without the delay of red tape.
That was a LONG, LONG time ago, and Congress has done almost nothing since then!!   In the intervening time, Congress should have been able to build a targeted stimulus that replaced lost income in service industry businesses that have suffered and help replace lost wealth in the population without giving to those who didn't lose anything.  They also could have passed a tax bill that targets income increases during the pandemic to cover part of the debt incurred by the bill.  The billionaires of this country could send every citizen 3000$ and still be richer than they were when the pandemic started, and the "stimulus" includes yet more tax breaks directed at them.
This country is so fucked.

Well said gambs.  Now go order some takeout. 

It’s a slap in the face, I’d actually be okay with this one getting vetoed.

What's even dumber is that Trump is doubling down on a blanket $2,000 payment and Pelosi is immediately hopping on board and telling republicans to do it. Yet Thom Tillis got his piracy law in the bill and Trump gets 1.4 billion for border walls and security. Would I like to get all that free money, sure, but I definitely don't need it and neither do millions of Americans. So stupid they couldn't do a better job of infusing businesses and those who have lost income/jobs the last 10 months, but that would have meant working together and gathering data.

This is totally a “what can the government do for you” example that I hope everyone learns from.  Take care of yourselves, the government will not take care of you.

And to think that every member of congress makes 174k a year and has not missed a paycheck since March.  I m sure they feel the pain of average citizens across the country.  

I mentioned this to my wife last night when I read trump's comment criticizing the amount. I couldn't believe I agreed with him. No idea why he wants people to think he gives a fuck at this point, but he's right. It's unreal that congress is patting itself on the back for $600 one time payment. 

these fuckers are so out of touch with reality. On what planet do we encourage people to get into politics for the wealth?

Careful, mentioning anything other than the red half being morally corrupt is generally not well received around here.

thanks for the tip. i'm good. 

mcgruff10

You know it is a pretty shitty bill when these two agree:

“Members of Congress have not read this bill. It’s over 5,000 pages, arrived at 2 p.m. today, and we are told to expect a vote on it in two hours,” Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., wrote on Twitter on Monday. “This isn’t governance. It’s hostage-taking.”

Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, agreed — the two do not agree on much.

“It’s ABSURD to have a $2.5 trillion spending bill negotiated in secret and then — hours later — demand an up-or-down vote on a bill nobody has had time to read,” he wrote on Twitter on Monday.

https://www.yahoo.com/news/fine-print-5-593-page-130020410.html

The Fine Print in a 5,593-Page Spending Bill: Tax Breaks and Horse Racing

tempo_n_groove

oftenreading said:

Moderna vaccine approved by Health Canada today and we should have 168,000 doses by the end of December, which is coming up pretty close.

Exciting.  This is the one I have been following closely as I like it more than the Pfizer one.  Not as bad a refrigeration hold and lasts longer out of it.

PJPOWER

JW269453 said:

I would argue that voting for any politician is morally corrupt. If we did our part as a society their "need" would be much less prominent.

Agreed, 100%

dignin

oftenreading said:

Moderna vaccine approved by Health Canada today and we should have 168,000 doses by the end of December, which is coming up pretty close.

Fantastic news.

oftenreading

I have read today that the mRNA vaccines are expected to be more easily tweaked for mutations in the virus than conventional vaccines, giving a more nimble response. The companies may even begin working on modifications for upcoming releases.