Pandemic updates 2.0

dmchicago

When you've lost Jim Brewer....

dmchicago

Also, why does Tuck-nut always look like he's questioning whether he just farted or sharted?

JohnInCarolina

dmchicago said:

Also, why does Tuck-nut always look like he's questioning whether he just farted or sharted?

I think that is just the default look for anyone who is an heir to the Swanson family fortune.  It says "millions of dollars for TV dinners, really?"  

JohnInCarolina

https://twitter.com/brat2381/status/1438741863364657153?s=20

nolaegghead

JohnInCarolina said:

https://twitter.com/brat2381/status/1438741863364657153?s=20

Then the guy starts a go-fund-me for his dead wife.  Shortly after, someone else chimes in that he passed away from Covid. It's one thing to express your free-dumb by making your own choices, but who knows how much he contributed in his crusade to his many followers that it's a bad idea to get the vaccine and subsequently also died from it.  Darwinism triumphs again, I guess.

dmchicago

Botch

^^^ He started it.
 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vqbk9cDX0l0

nolaegghead

https://www.cnn.com/2021/09/19/politics/tate-reeves-biden-vaccine-mandates-cnntv/index.html

It doesn't make sense to me that trying to get people vaccinated and saving lives (and money and long term health) is somehow a political attack from democrats.  Seems to me that the GOP party seemed to jump on board popular sentiment from the constant pounding they're getting from their media sources. They have doubled down on it enough making it political is some kind of "deflection" on their collective poor decision that's built up inside the far right bubble.  It's f*ckin health care, seems obvious, given the single statistic of unvaccinated people have 8-10 time higher (800-1000%) chance of getting seriously ill and dying or having long term syndrome that can be life-changing.  Not to mention the vaccine is free and zero people have died from it.  Or the money it costs, or lost work, or orphaned kids, or perpetuating mutations and furthering the length of the pandemic.  How is doing the logical thing somehow a political attack?   WTF people.

I read this today and I it reads like an article from The Onion.  My lerd, the world we live in:

https://www.breitbart.com/entertainment/2021/09/10/nolte-howard-stern-proves-democrats-want-unvaccinated-trump-voters-dead/

https://www.usatoday.com/story/opinion/2017/09/07/trump-made-me-see-whats-wrong-with-republicans-breitbart-kurt-bardella-column/622134001/

The denial of reality is breathtaking.  This is nothing new, anthropomorphic climate change has been white washed as bad weather from natural causes.  We should be in a cooling global climate, that's the natural cycle. 

I guess they're right about he natural causes if you consider homo sapiens just another organism on the planet and the changes we make are totally natural.  We're just not smart enough to control ourselves, like other natural organisms.

JohnInCarolina

https://twitter.com/MayorAdler/status/1439253884606820361?s=20

Botch

They said on the news today that most of the health insurance companies will not be paying for COVID hospitalizations anymore (with an average cost of $50K) for unvaccinated folks.  

While I’m glad about this, this is gonna bankrupt a lot of people.  Not quite sure what to think…

fishlessman

Botch said:

They said on the news today that most of the health insurance companies will not be paying for COVID hospitalizations anymore (with an average cost of $50K) for unvaccinated folks.  

While I’m glad about this, this is gonna bankrupt a lot of people.  Not quite sure what to think…

they seem to be looking at every option not to pony up, not just covid. im seeing them cancel operations that were approved after the operation was done and actually going back seeking reimbursements for operations already paid for. simple meds doubling, tripling and more.

StillH2OEgger

Botch said:

They said on the news today that most of the health insurance companies will not be paying for COVID hospitalizations anymore (with an average cost of $50K) for unvaccinated folks.  

While I’m glad about this, this is gonna bankrupt a lot of people.  Not quite sure what to think…

If only there was a way to get around that sticky vaccination wicket...

Having said that, there are some people (small though it may be) who should be excluded from vaccine requirements. I think it's also worth noting that many of the anti-vaccine folks are the same ones who supported GOP efforts to repeal the ACA and/or allow insurance companies to deny coverage for preexisting conditions. I think it's abhorrent in this country that people can lose their homes due to medical bills.

nolaegghead

Botch said:

They said on the news today that most of the health insurance companies will not be paying for COVID hospitalizations anymore (with an average cost of $50K) for unvaccinated folks.  

While I’m glad about this, this is gonna bankrupt a lot of people.  Not quite sure what to think…

@Botch

I think you must have read that wrong.

They initially waived the co-payments for covid care because there was so much money in the pot (so little going out for other treatment).  Now they are stopping that, maybe in some cases for unvaccinated people.  The talk now is to add a surcharge for the unvaccinated's insurance premium of some amount - like $100-200/month.  That will be very effective. 

Insurance is all about risk, and not being vaccinated dramatically increases risk.  It's not preexisting anything (except maybe stupidity). 

That said, I agree with @StillH2OEgger

nolaegghead

There's a lot of chatter in the medical community about refusing treatment of the electively unvaccinated.   Not for emergency care, but independent doctors or clinics doing elective stuff. 

Now that we've seen emergency protocols actually used in hospitals, I'm not sure how that figures, but I would guess being vaccinated or not won't have any impact.  What will is the criteria for survival and QoL.

Gulfcoastguy

Botch said:

They said on the news today that most of the health insurance companies will not be paying for COVID hospitalizations anymore (with an average cost of $50K) for unvaccinated folks.  

While I’m glad about this, this is gonna bankrupt a lot of people.  Not quite sure what to think…

What I had read earlier was that they were going back to their standard deductibles, copays etc. in other words there is  deductible before they pay squat, then they pay 80%, when you reach a yearly max out of pocket they pay 100%. Of course if you are out of network you are screwed. 

If they imposed this on the unvaccinated I would be fine. I would also be fine if they enacted a $200 or so charge per month for each unvaccinated person on each policy. 

lousubcap

Here's the surcharge Delta Airlines has put in place:
https://www.shrm.org/resourcesandtools/hr-topics/benefits/pages/delta-air-lines-charges-unvaccinated-workers-premium-surcharge.aspx  
Makes sense to me.  I can't get past my simple assessment:  Roulette:  Issues with the vaccine due to potential side effects or play with hospitalization and possible death.  Too easy...

dbCooper

Interesting article about the many people and discoveries that brought us the mRNA vaccines...

The tangled history of mRNA vaccines

Hundreds of scientists had worked on mRNA vaccines for decades before the coronavirus pandemic brought a breakthrough.

https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-021-02483-w

fishlessman

lousubcap said:

Here's the surcharge Delta Airlines has put in place:
https://www.shrm.org/resourcesandtools/hr-topics/benefits/pages/delta-air-lines-charges-unvaccinated-workers-premium-surcharge.aspx  
Makes sense to me.  I can't get past my simple assessment:  Roulette:  Issues with the vaccine due to potential side effects or play with hospitalization and possible death.  Too easy...

not sure i like this booster shot idea floating around now.  the dvt in my leg started a few weeks after the first shot, it doubled down on me a few weeks after the second shot. coming up on 5 months now and talking with several doctors none are sure it was or wasnt a side effect from the vaccine. another ultrasound tomorrow, then more blood work and another visit to a hematologist. just now able to wear boots again.  not thrilled with the idea of a booster shot down the road. google says im good to go but not the doctors so far

lousubcap

Trust your sound medical white coats.  Sorry to read that @fishlessman.  Clearly individual situations are not addressed in the broad brush approach.  

fishlessman

lousubcap said:

Trust your sound medical white coats.  Sorry to read that @fishlessman.  Clearly individual situations are not addressed in the broad brush approach.  

thats the thing though, they dont really seem to know. i took the moderna shot and it looks to be holding up better than the others, it might not be a decision that i have to make down the road. we shall wait and see. my doctor is out on maternity leave right now, didnt get the vaccine, sure she has better answers for when she gets back. she still has the decision to make for herself. ill start pestering her in another month or two, doctors must hate patient portals online

Botch

dbCooper said:

Interesting article about the many people and discoveries that brought us the mRNA vaccines...

The tangled history of mRNA vaccines

Hundreds of scientists had worked on mRNA vaccines for decades before the coronavirus pandemic brought a breakthrough.

https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-021-02483-w
 
 
Thanks for posting that.  @Ryantt mentioned the long history during our last zoom call, I never did follow up on it.
Question (and I'm weak in biology/chemistry): is the "protein" that a cell develops once the mRNA gets in, equivalent to the "antibodies" that I hear about in such discussions?  

fishlessman

fishlessman said:

lousubcap said:

Here's the surcharge Delta Airlines has put in place:
https://www.shrm.org/resourcesandtools/hr-topics/benefits/pages/delta-air-lines-charges-unvaccinated-workers-premium-surcharge.aspx  
Makes sense to me.  I can't get past my simple assessment:  Roulette:  Issues with the vaccine due to potential side effects or play with hospitalization and possible death.  Too easy...

not sure i like this booster shot idea floating around now.  the dvt in my leg started a few weeks after the first shot, it doubled down on me a few weeks after the second shot. coming up on 5 months now and talking with several doctors none are sure it was or wasnt a side effect from the vaccine. another ultrasound tomorrow, then more blood work and another visit to a hematologist. just now able to wear boots again.  not thrilled with the idea of a booster shot down the road. google says im good to go but not the doctors so far

well thats a little relief, clots just in the thigh now, no longer the whole leg

JohnInCarolina

https://twitter.com/justinbaragona/status/1440859050548203526?s=20

JohnInCarolina

https://twitter.com/VABVOX/status/1441058682985459715?s=20

nolaegghead

JohnInCarolina said:

https://twitter.com/justinbaragona/status/1440859050548203526?s=20

"i took all the other vaccines...."  (which were mandated). 

Buh bye, Felicia.

lousubcap

Took advantage of access to some inside info and just got the Pfizer booster.  Never met a shot I didn't like.  The euphoria was great but an order of magnitude below watching the first shot of juice go in.
When you can get it...DO!

nolaegghead

lousubcap said:

Took advantage of access to some inside info and just got the Pfizer booster.  Never met a shot I didn't like.  The euphoria was great but an order of magnitude below watching the first shot of juice go in.
When you can get it...DO!

Short of pulling a "Drugstore Cowboy" move and breaking into a pharmacy to get a booster, I'll be first in line when my time comes.

Canugghead

Bravo!
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/windsor/d
ozens-windsor-essex-hospital-staff-1.6185369

Gulfcoastguy

We’ll see. I had Moderna back in April and Moderna seems to be lasting better than Pfizer. I might wait until I see if they are going to have a booster modified for the new variants. Moderna’s booster hasn’t been approved yet and the fed docs want us to stick to the same make as our first one.

JohnInCarolina

http://twitter.com/AaronParnas/status/1441052899430191117?s=20