|
Crazy
Jan 16, 2021 10:05:11 GMT -5
Post by thumper on Jan 16, 2021 10:05:11 GMT -5
|
|
pcdad
Friar Fanatic
Posts: 3,708
|
Crazy
Jan 16, 2021 16:04:13 GMT -5
via mobile
Post by pcdad on Jan 16, 2021 16:04:13 GMT -5
Some hospital administrators and staff with no patient contact have gotten the vaccine. Preferential treatment? Inequities abound. Charles Barkley has unique opinions.
|
|
friar82
Administrator
BCC Member
Posts: 8,159
|
Post by friar82 on Jan 16, 2021 19:08:26 GMT -5
I'm all on board with true front line workers getting the vaccine early. As a 60 year old with an underlying condition, I'm good with with the mask wearing and social distancing the little I'm out. That said, I'll grow impatient when I begin to feel sense that others cohorts of the population are skipping ahead in the line due to some "privilege" that they assume or enjoy.
We've all got to get through the next 9 or so months, and it's always best when folks cooperate and not attempt to jump ahead in the line.
|
|
|
Crazy
Jan 17, 2021 13:43:00 GMT -5
Post by johnnypc on Jan 17, 2021 13:43:00 GMT -5
One of the only advantages of being older than dirt is that I have an appointment for the vaccine. I was going to mention some of my older than dirt colleagues but I decided not to because some have discovered the fountain of youth.
|
|
|
Crazy
Jan 17, 2021 16:29:35 GMT -5
Post by thumper on Jan 17, 2021 16:29:35 GMT -5
Where Johnny? NY? You're a young'un.
Doesn't look like it's before Feb. or March for MA guys like myself.
Play the Mega Millions AND the Powerball.
PIZZA, SODA, GRINDERS!!!
|
|
|
Crazy
Jan 17, 2021 18:15:12 GMT -5
Post by johnnypc on Jan 17, 2021 18:15:12 GMT -5
The great State of New York. My daughter stalked every website in the state, It is not easy to get one. One of my friends got an appointment 160 miles away from her home.
|
|
|
Crazy
Jan 18, 2021 10:05:18 GMT -5
Post by dex on Jan 18, 2021 10:05:18 GMT -5
see (3) Below: How effective is One dose?
I will take Moderna please...whoa, we might have masks for years
GoLocal Daily RI Vaccination Update: Many Nursing Home Workers Are Refusing To Be Vaccinated
Monday, January 18, 2021
GoLocalProv News Team
1. RI’s New Coronavirus Problem — Nursing Home Workers Are Refusing To Be Vaccinated
Approximately a third or more of nursing home workers are refusing to be vaccinated.
Rhode Island's nursing homes are being hit time and time again by the coronavirus.
More than 1,200 Rhode Island nursing home residents have died. Twenty-eight of Rhode Island’s nursing homes have had 20 or more deaths.
According to Dr. Michael Fine, the disease is often carried into the nursing home facilities by workers who are low paid and live in lower-income, densely populated areas of the state — cities like Central Falls, Providence and Pawtucket.
Those three cities have consistently led the state with among the highest infection rates.
“What I am hearing is anecdotal from some of my members. On average, I am hearing that about 60% of staff have been getting the vaccine. Of those that did not get the vaccine in round 1, some said they were going to wait till the second round to get their first dose. I expect the average of 60% to go up after the second round,” said Scott Fraser, president and CEO of RIHCA.
"I am not hearing of any delays in the vaccination process. The first round for nursing homes was supposed to be completed by this weekend," said Fraser.
2. States Across the Country Continue to Struggle to Vaccinate
RI is not unique.
The Wall Street Journal is reporting, "The biggest challenges in America’s Covid-19 vaccination effort have turned out to be getting shots into the arms of the right people. As of Friday morning, some 31 million vaccine doses had been distributed nationwide, but only about 12 million had been administered, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention."
"The federal government shipped those doses to states around the country, with states establishing their own criteria for who should get the vaccine first. But it has been up to local health departments, hospitals and other providers to actually manage the tangle of logistics and many have been unable to do so effectively," reported WSJ.
3. How Effective Is Just One Dose of the Vaccines?
As the Biden administration is planning on pushing out all available vaccine to get as many Americans vaccinated with their first dose, many are asking what if the impact of the first shot.
According to the BBC the single-dose efficacy is different in the two FDA-approved vaccines.
Pfizer-BioNTech
According to Pfizer data published in December 2020, the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine is roughly 52% effective after the first dose. Out of 36,523 participants in the phase three trial – the final stage of testing where people either received two full doses, 21 days apart, or a placebo – who had no evidence of existing infection, 82 people in the placebo group and 39 in the vaccine group developed Covid-19 symptoms.
However, this early protection comes with some important caveats. First, the protection doesn't kick in until at least day 12 – until then, there was no difference between the two groups. Secondly, one dose is still significantly less protective than two. The latter is 95% effective at preventing the disease after a week.
Moderna
According to a document the company submitted to the FDA, the Moderna vaccine can provide 80.2% protection after one dose, compared to 95.6% after the second (in people aged 18 to 65 – it's 86.4% in those over 65). As with the Pfizer vaccine, all participants in the phase three trial received two doses of the vaccine or a placebo within a single set time period – in this case, 28 days – so it's not yet known whether the immunity from a single vaccine would continue, or drop off after this stage.
4. RI Has Utilized 44% of Vaccine
According to the CDC and updated on Friday, RI has now:
Received 108,427 doses — an increase of 24,302 over Thursday
Administered 47,548 doses (less than 3,000 administered in past 24-hours)
Of the vaccine doses received, RI has utilized 44% —a drop from 53%*
*NO CHANGE IN NUMBERS SINCE SATURDAY
5. RIDOH Continues to Refuse to Provide Information
The RI Department of Health continues to refuse to provide data as to how many Rhode Islanders need to be vaccinated.
|
|
|
Crazy
Jan 18, 2021 10:36:24 GMT -5
Post by dex on Jan 18, 2021 10:36:24 GMT -5
Even after vaccination, masks are needed
Immune people may still spread the virus
Liz Szabo
Kaiser Health News
As an emergency physician, Dr. Eugenia South was in the first group of people to receive a COVID-19 vaccine. She received her second dose last week – even before President-elect Joe Biden.
Yet South said she’s in no rush to throw away her face mask.
“I honestly don’t think I’ll ever go without a mask at work again,” said South, faculty director of the Urban Health Lab at theUniversity of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia. “I don’t think I’ll ever feel safe doing that.”
And although vaccines are highly effective, South plans to continuewearing her mask outside the hospital as well.
Health experts say there are good reasons to follow her example.
“Masks and social distancing will need to continue into the foreseeable future – untilwe have some level of herd immunity,” said Dr. Preeti Malani, chief health officer at theUniversity of Michigan. “Masks and distancing are here to stay.”
Malani and other health experts explained five reasons Americans should hold on to their masks:
1. No vaccine is 100% effective
Large clinical trials found that two doses of the Moderna and Pfizer-BioNTech vaccines prevented 95% of illnesses caused by the coronavirus. While those results are impressive, 1 in 20 people are left unprotected, said Dr. Tom Frieden, a former director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Malani notes that vaccineswere tested in controlled clinical trials at top medical centers, under optimal conditions.
In the realworld, vaccines are usually slightly less effective. Scientists use specific terms to describe the phenomenon. They refer to the protection offered by vaccines in clinical trials as “efficacy,” while the actual immunity seen in a vaccinated population is “effectiveness.”
The effectiveness of COVID-19 vaccines could be affected by the way they’re handled, Malani said. The genetic material used in mRNA vaccines – made with messenger RNA from the coronavirus – is so fragile that it has to be carefully stored and transported. Any variation from the CDC’s strict guidance could influence how well vaccines work, Malani said.
2. Vaccines don’t provide immediate protection
No vaccine is effective right away, Malani said. It takes about two weeks for the immune system to make the antibodies that block viral infections.
COVID-19 vaccines will take longer than other inoculations, such as the flu shot, because both the Moderna and Pfizer products require two doses. The Pfizer shots are given threeweeks apart; the Moderna shots, four weeks apart.
3. Vaccines may not prevent you from spreading the coronavirus
Vaccines can provide two levels of protection. The measles vaccine prevents viruses from causing infection, so vaccinated people don’t spread the infection or develop symptoms.
Most other vaccines – including flu shots – prevent people from becoming sick but not from becoming infected or passing the virus to others, said Dr. Paul Offit, who advises the National Institutes of Health and Food and Drug Administration on COVID-19 vaccines.
While the vaccines clearly prevent illness, researchers need more time to figure out whether they prevent transmission, too, said Phoenix-based epidemiologist Saskia Popescu, an assistant professor in the biodefense program at George Mason University’s Schar School of Policy and Government.
“We don’t yet know if the vaccine protects against infection or only against illness,” said Frieden, now CEO of Resolve to Save Lives, a global public
health initiative. “In other words, a vaccinated person might still be able to spread the virus, even if they don’t feel sick.”
4. Masks protect people with compromised immune systems
People with cancer are at particular risk from the coronavirus. Studies show they’re more likely than others to become infected and die from the virus, but may not be protected by vaccines, said Dr. Gary Lyman, a professor at Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center.
Cancer patients are vulnerable in multiple ways. People with lung cancer are less able to fight off pneumonia, while those undergoing chemotherapy or radiation treatment have weakened immune systems. Leukemia and lymphoma attack immune cells directly, which makes it harder for patients to fight off the virus.
Doctors don’t know much about how people with cancer will respond to vaccines because they were excluded from randomized trials, Lyman said. Only a handful of study participants were diagnosed with cancer after enrolling. Among those people, vaccines protected only 76%.
Although the vaccines appear safe, “prior studies with other vaccines raise concerns that immunosuppressed patients, including cancer patients, may not mount as great animmuneresponse as healthy patients,” Lyman said. “For now, we should assume that patients with cancer may not experience the 95% efficacy.”
Some people aren’t able to be vaccinated.
While most people with allergies can receive COVID-19 vaccines safely, the CDC advises those who have had severe allergic reactions to vaccine ingredients, including polyethylene glycol, to avoid vaccination. The agency also warns people who have had dangerous allergic reactions to a first vaccine dose to skip the second.
Lyman encourages people to continue wearing masks to protect those with cancer and others who won’t be fully protected.
5. Masks protect against any strain of the coronavirus
Global health leaders are concerned about new genetic variants of the coronavirus, which appear to be at least50% more contagious than the original.
So far, studies suggest vaccines will still work against these new strains.
One thing is clear: Public health measures – such as avoiding crowds, physical distancing andwearing masks – reduce the risk of contracting all strains of the coronavirus, as well as other respiratory diseases, Frieden said. For example, the number of flu cases worldwide has been dramatically lower since countries began asking citizens to stay home and wear masks.
The best hope isn’t to choose between masks, physical distancing and vaccines, Offit said, but to combine them. “The three approaches work best as a team,” he said.
KHN (Kaiser Health News) is a nonprofit news service covering health issues. It is an editorially independent program of KFF (Kaiser Family Foundation) that is not affiliated with Kaiser Permanente.
Experts say the best way to fight the pandemic is to combine vaccines with mask use and social distancing. GETTY IMAGES
|
|
|
Crazy
Jan 18, 2021 18:34:32 GMT -5
Post by johnnypc on Jan 18, 2021 18:34:32 GMT -5
Thanks for the info. Very helpful.
|
|
|
Crazy
Jan 18, 2021 18:52:16 GMT -5
Post by dex on Jan 18, 2021 18:52:16 GMT -5
Thanks for the info. Very helpful. "Johnny" I posted the articles because it opened my eyes to the reality that this thing ain't so easy to dismiss with a vaccination....as thankful as I will be when we I get it. Be safe my classmate brother ps afterall, you promised me a cocktail in Providence
|
|
|
Crazy
Jan 18, 2021 21:22:22 GMT -5
Post by johnnypc on Jan 18, 2021 21:22:22 GMT -5
Hope I can get to Providence for next hoop season . I will gladly buy you a cocktail whenever and wherever we a fortunate enough to see each other.
|
|
friar82
Administrator
BCC Member
Posts: 8,159
|
Crazy
Jan 19, 2021 4:29:01 GMT -5
Post by friar82 on Jan 19, 2021 4:29:01 GMT -5
Johnny -
Between my brother and myself, we'll be sure to get you over to redeem that cocktail from Dex!
Dex's article is a very informative read, for those who think that we'll be back to "normal" in the next several months. Between the preventive protocols that will be introduced by the new administration, to the habits and preferences developed over the past 10 months, society's "norms" will have shifted.
Before last March I would never have thought about wearing a mask. Beyond feeling awkward in appearance, I find it hard to breath (being an asthmatic) through the darn things. Additionally, washing may hands with constancy has become second nature to me. The social distancing is what I still struggle with, as we're all social creatures and its hard not being able to get together for drinks and dinner with friends.
Anticipating the possibility that many will never be going back to was "normal" a new set of opportunities and practices may arise to compensate for the adjustments made:
- Eating: The increased rate at which restaurant's prepare food for pickup (vs. dining in) will remain high. The consequential loss of margin associated with the drink tab, will prompt restaurants to raise their food prices to remain afloat. Unfortunately, wait staff as well as some kitchen staff (i.e.: dishwashers) may need to look elsewhere for employment - perhaps as food deliverers. I would also anticipate that a fair amount of restaurants with space to accommodate igloos will invest in such. Additionally, restaurants will collaborate with public officials to convert sidewalks and roads (some of which may be lesser traveled) to open air seating areas and courtyards.
- Shopping: Jeff Bezos and his X are profiting in a big way, as are FedEx and UPS (can't believe that the USPS will figure out how to generate surpluses during this boom), given the shift from brick and mortar to on-line shopping. Folks who would never have transacted on line made the shift and are realizing just how convenient it is to find the exact item you're looking for from the comfort of your home. This may work for commodity products, but not for clothing which folks like to try on to ensure the best fit. I'd expect that the days of the big box malls is over - at least for now. It will be interesting to see if the small, independent stores can secure (or advance) their footholds by luring folks into their less congested storefronts. This may work for higher end businesses that have a real niche or customized product that's in demand, which may flock closer together to ensure shopper convenience. Speaking of clothing, I anticipate a considerable shift/shakeout among clothiers, as "business casual" has taken hold with professionals now working from home. And the poor dry cleaners are getting hit hard, as there are fewer shirts and suits to be cleaned and pressed.
- Population Density: Between the pandemic and unrest that took place in cities this past summer, many have fled urban centers with no intention of going back. This has created a glut of available rental properties in places like NYC, and sent home prices within commuting range into the stratusphere. Home contractors are making a killing, as individuals invest in making their homes into living and recreational oasis' (might as well enjoy being home if you have to be quarantined). And how about mass transit operations? I'd expect that the drop in ridership coupled with concerns about cleanliness may all but cripple mass transit operations over time - except for the fact that 'social justice' pressures may result in a greater % of tax dollars being shifted over to preserve the service for those who otherwise lack means of transportation - including lower wage earners, who have to commute to their service and labor jobs. As far as professionals go, many businesses have come to realize that remote workers can be as productive (if not more) than those who have traditionally come into an office. This may be the case for professionals, however non professions working in production oriented jobs will need to continue working from their businesses shops.
- Simplicity: I sense that many individuals are taking stock of things and reprioritizing their lives and lifestyles. This may result in higher rates of savings, downsizing, staycations, and less overall consumerism. Much of the clutter in people's homes and lives may be shed, and the absence of commuting (to work each day) will generate the time needed to clean up and clear out past accumulations of stuff in closets, attics and basements (making way for new found work and play - not to mention, distancing space)
- Entertainment: I'm hoping that it won't be the case, but question how many entertainment businesses will manage to stay afloat. This could include sports franchises, which need to balance astronomical player (and coaching) contracts with zero gate revenues. Not sure how the average franchise manages to make ends work. Perhaps the broadcasting rights to sports teams and leagues become the key, with games being shifted to "pay per view" and "seasonal pass" packages that viewers must pay on a more consistent basis. Other forms of entertainment such as theatres, bars and music clubs have to be feeling the strain. Without the backing of philanthropists who want to preserve cultural venues, I could seem many folding. Bars may get a pass, as there will always be people who revert to social drinking as a form of relaxation and escape.
- Recreation: Individual-oriented, outdoor recreation will continue to grow in popularity. Everything from walking, bicycle riding, hiking and golfing that allow people to get out and recreate will be on the rise. Same holds true for spending days spread out on beaches, boats and in parks, where fresh air, sunshine and socialization can coexist.
- Mindfulness: It may be a new term for many of you, but the level of anxiety and depression within society has been on the rise, thanks to isolation, loss of jobs, loved ones and in some instances hope. We are social animals who've been deprived of the gatherings that have typically allowed us to unwind and recharge. Whether its "mindfulness" Apps/Books, seminars (on line of course) or visits to professional therapists, a good number of people will be looking get their minds, bodies, relationships, finances and spirituality back on track.
I could go on and on, but will stop there. My hope is that most all of this useless forecasting that never materializes (I personally like the shift to "simplification" however!)
|
|
|
Crazy
Jan 22, 2021 21:49:48 GMT -5
Post by johnnypc on Jan 22, 2021 21:49:48 GMT -5
I owe Dex and you guys all a cocktail. Due to the tremendous diligence of our daughter we were fortunate to receive the Moderna vaccine Monday evening. I had a weird feeling before receiving my shot almost like the nervous energy you had before playing a big game in your youth. As a matter of fact I was so amped I drove into a ditch leaving the pharmacy parking lot. No injuries and minor car damage. The mishap restored my faith in humanity as 5 people stopped to offer us assistant and see if we were ok. My wife asked if she could get out of the car on her side. I said no unless she wanted to fall six feet.The rear drivers side back wheel was up to my hip. She crawled across the front seat and I helped her down. No autopsy, no harm. My wife posted a picture of the car on Facebook enabling me to receive numerous phone calls. Bobby V called me laughing. I responded with 2 words and hung up. I did call him back because it was pretty funny since no one was hurt. If and when Dex reads this I would like to be a mouse in the corner, especially if he is eating or drinking.
|
|
|
Crazy
Jan 23, 2021 10:18:38 GMT -5
Post by dex on Jan 23, 2021 10:18:38 GMT -5
"Johnny" glad that you and the Mrs are fine and dandy after your mishap. Whether walking or driving, we Golden Friars just have to be extra careful of pitfalls.
Nice to know however that you can still get a "natural high" at your advanced age
Two Things:
1. I suggest you and the Mrs wear helmets for your 2nd dose or hire a Limo
2. I will hold you to that cocktail in Providence
I'm hoping to get my first shot in March. RI is prioritizing 75 and older first which fortunately I don't qualify for that age group.
|
|
|
Crazy
Jan 23, 2021 11:55:52 GMT -5
dex likes this
Post by johnnypc on Jan 23, 2021 11:55:52 GMT -5
NY reduced the age to 65. Thanks for the kind words. I still have a leather helmut with no face mask so I should be good to go. My wife just ordered hers from Dior.
|
|