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More Americans are saying they’re ‘vaxxed and done’

theatlantic.com

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Re: More Americans are saying they’re ‘vaxxed and done’

#481

Post by aeturnum »

> I’m prepared to treat this like I’ve treated the flu: by basically not worrying about it and living my life normally.

I wish I could feel this way! I actually have little to fear from the initial covid infection and, if covid were 'just like' the flu, I would go back to my old patterns.

Unfortunately, I know people in higher-risk categories (my parents included) for whom a covid infection would be significantly worse than the flu (though likely not fatal) and the research on 'long covid' is both developing and scary[1]. We aren't sure about the risk factors yet, which means it's hard to estimate how careful to be[2].

Ultimately we will all, individually, need to make decisions about when things seem 'safe enough.' I don't begrudge people making their own decisions, as long as they behave in a way that allows me to continue to make my own decisions.

[1] https://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2021/12/16/1064594... [2] https://www.bbc.com/news/health-57833394

Re: More Americans are saying they’re ‘vaxxed and done’

#482

Post by belorn »

snowwrestler wrote: post #133

I feel like COVID has become like a marshmallow test for adults, where those who can manage their emotions and make rational decisions can set themselves up for greater long-term rewards. It looked for a while there like this could be a thing that gets “done”—that we would get a good vaccine into enough people, then incidence would decline so far it just goes away. That didn’t happen. We’re stuck with it for a forese…

> I know someone who almost quit a great job because they were mad about a vaccine mandate from their employer.

That situation is impossible to assess without knowing the job description. I would also be hesitant to work at a place if the employer demands vaccinations because they are refusing remote work even when the job description does not require it. We have a pandemic and employers need to minimize unnecessary risks like open floor plans and crowded meetings rooms for employees that doesn't need physical proximity in order to do their job. On the other hand if the job description is being in a hospital or elder care facility, it would be irresponsible to let nonvaccinated employees treat clients. Everything between is a sliding scale that in a pandemic should lean towards safe rather than unsafe.

Re: More Americans are saying they’re ‘vaxxed and done’

#483

Post by lupire »

bko wrote: post #318
snowwrestler wrote: post #133

I feel like COVID has become like a marshmallow test for adults, where those who can manage their emotions and make rational decisions can set themselves up for greater long-term rewards. It looked for a while there like this could be a thing that gets “done”—that we would get a good vaccine into enough people, then incidence would decline so far it just goes away. That didn’t happen. We’re stuck with it for a forese…

> It looked for a while there like this could be a thing that gets “done”—that we would get a good vaccine into enough people, then incidence would decline so far it just goes away... That didn’t happen. We’re stuck with it for a foreseeable future. Well, one can cry for the world that was, or one can get up and live in the world that is. Whats the magic number? There are places like New York that have 95% over 18 wi…

> There are places like New York that have 95% over 18

Per your link, not NYCity, and not NYState. Maybe some regions of NY have that number?

Also, people under 18 exist. Vaccinating adults-only is never going to create herd immunity.

Re: More Americans are saying they’re ‘vaxxed and done’

#484

Post by zarzavat »

q1w2 wrote: post #383
titzer wrote: post #113

I've gone through cycles with this. Mostly I am done arguing. I hate arguing about this. It's just more of the culture war shit that so many different media sources love pushing to keep people amped up. I double vaxxed and boosted. Stopped wearing a mask for the most part, but with Omicron I started wearing a mask again because I just don't want this stupid virus. I'm healthy and would probably not have a symptomatic…

I'm just happy to have a good excuse to wear a mask on an airplane. I always used to get sick after flights.

The airport is more risky than the airplane. In an airplane you are sat next to a fixed number of people and you have top down insertion of clean air, exactly like in an operating theatre.

Meanwhile in the airport you are in a large building with many other people, you might come into contact with 100s of new people from a wide variety of places.

Re: More Americans are saying they’re ‘vaxxed and done’

#485

Post by nostrademons »

nradov wrote: post #353
nostrademons wrote: post #248

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The challenge is the lack of data on long-term effects of COVID. Preliminary studies have linked it to cognitive declines [1], diabetes [2], and chronic fatigue [3]. And while death from COVID in a preschooler is about a 1-in-100,000 occurrence, long COVID and other chronic outcomes seem to be much more common. I've heard figures of about 5% or 1 in 20. Few parents would willingly sign their preschooler (or themselve…

The diabetes study you cited appears to be junk science. I'm not claiming that COVID-19 absolutely doesn't cause diabetes, just that we won't know one way or another until larger studies are performed with proper methods. https://vinayprasadmdmph.substack.com/p/does-covid19-cause-d...

The CDC study does have methodological problems, but there's also been prior research that suggests similar effects (in more severely ill patients), as well as observing destruction of insulin-creating pancreas cells by COVID19. Here's a meta-analysis of 8 studies on the topic, with similar conclusions, done across China, Italy, and the U.S.:

https://dom-pubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/dom.142...

Re: More Americans are saying they’re ‘vaxxed and done’

#486

Post by mizzack »

lastofthemojito wrote: post #365
mizzack wrote: post #246

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You've got your anecdotes, and I've got mine. My 3 young kids all caught omicron last week. Each were lethargic for a day, had a minor sore throat, and were back to normal in a day or two. The flu last month was way scarier with high fevers. There's a lot of reason to be optimistic about omicron.

What sort of test were you able to get to determine that your kids' cases were of the omicron variant?

Guessing based entirely on symptoms, onset time across the household, and community prevalence.

Re: More Americans are saying they’re ‘vaxxed and done’

#487

Post by AniseAbyss »

absnetneg wrote: post #164

The only thing keeping me from being done is the fear/suspicion that the healthcare system is on the verge of collapse. Front line workers are not being compensated well enough. This means less people taking the career path and increased burn out. We are in for a world of hurt and the only thing I can do is try to not be sick when the hammer falls.

This is why I got the vaccine. I'm personally not afraid of COVID. But the healthcare system shutting down to the point where we have patients dying in the hallways? That scares me.

Too many kids who want to become lawyers or software developers instead of doctors and nurses. With an ageing population that's not good.

Re: More Americans are saying they’re ‘vaxxed and done’

#489

Post by DaltonCoffee »

HideousKojima wrote: post #384
recursive wrote: post #219

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I think the marshmallow test is pretty flawed itself. But maybe the marshmallow test is actually a good analogy. I suspect many of the test "failures" were caused because the test subject (kid) didn't trust the authority figure (test administrator). When you can see a marshmallow with your own eyes, it's more believable. I think it's quite reasonable to factor in some probability that an untrusted stranger would "alt…

The fact that college campuses (which have ~100% vaccination rates as well as young student bodies that are far less likely to face severe symptoms from COVID) are reinstituting lockdowns makes it abundantly clear that the marshmallows are never, ever coming.

Some college campuses could also be better choices for lockdows because they're hotbeds of international students.

Re: More Americans are saying they’re ‘vaxxed and done’

#490

Post by nohankyou »

mizzack wrote: post #246
afavour wrote: post #129

I'm vaxxed. I'm boosted. I'd very much like to be done. But my children cannot be vaccinated. As a parent of a young kid it kind of feels like everyone has just moved on. I know folks in here will tell me that statistically speaking my children are unlikely to be hospitalized and so on, and I agree. But I know enough kids who got COVID and suffered the symptoms (e.g. a months-long scratchy cough) that I'm not going t…

You've got your anecdotes, and I've got mine. My 3 young kids all caught omicron last week. Each were lethargic for a day, had a minor sore throat, and were back to normal in a day or two. The flu last month was way scarier with high fevers. There's a lot of reason to be optimistic about omicron.

45 years old and I've had Omicron since Christmas, still sick, still tired. I miss the flu.
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