You are not unique on this site in having a very distorted view of what being older is like. I'm not yet 80 but it's approaching too fast and still I can walk a couple of miles, stand erect without a walker, have a collection of hand-made canes for the day I might need one but it hasn't come yet (and doesn't seem imminent--but the canes come in handy as a weapon in the urban jungle sometimes) and don't feel like anything much is dangerous for me that wasn't dangerous 50 years ago. If I was 30, I still wouldn't want to catch covid if simple measures like a couple of shots and wearing a mask a total of maybe 30-60 minutes a day could prevent it.

You may not think covid presents a risk to you. America's ICU beds currently seem to be full of people who thought that. I am not in one of them because I'm being sensible and it doesn't feel like a burden. And few other people my age are occupying them either because we're all vaccinated (92% in the US) and experienced enough with life to recognize we are not immortal. So the occupants must be people like you. Get a reservation.

^ Statistically speaking, assuming Phil is fairly young and otherwise healthy, you are incorrect.

Talking about who is in ICU beds is not how you describe his personal risk.

Showing data that estimates his risk of becoming ill enough from Covid to wind up in the hospital is how you do that.

Even without the vaccine, his risk remains very low. It would be orders of magnitude lower if he got the vaccine, but for some pointless reason he doesn’t want the vaccine. I’m sure he subscribes to all of the other junk out there without scrutiny, though (CBD oils, various bullshit vitamins, amino acids, etc)

Yeah, when I went a few weeks ago--on the day that the border opened--there was zero line at Port Huron/Sarnia. We got past the border in 5 minutes (the harder part was calling the COVID test site and getting them to send us PDFs that had our names on it and such so that we could show the border guard).

Everybody out of their basement brunching al fresco on a beautiful Sunday in San Francisco:

https://uniim1.shutterfly.com/ng/ser...875627/enhance

^I've sort of noticed that breakfast-brunching is almost as popular as going out to dinner in the post pandemic world. And I get the whole bottomless mimosa thing, but it's kind of weird because I don't remember incredibly long lines to enter the same breakfast restaurants before Covid.

Also in your picture, I see the overhead wires, is the electric bus not allowed to follow it's route on certain days?

A (hopefully) temporary victim of covid (let's say it's in the ICU on a ventillator)

https://uniim1.shutterfly.com/ng/ser...876393/enhance
https://www.sfmta.com/routes/21-hayes-suspended

Calling 10023 and all other College Football Fans around the world!

• Video Link

You guys are all engaged in the wrong debate.

The real question, which I believe to be pretty much settled, is whether we will ever have something better than being vaccinated, living with Covid, and hoping we aren’t one of the unlucky few who have more than mild illness. I think we’re there.

I really do not care that people in Mississippi who have chosen not to be vaccinated are going to hospital and dying. It’s not my problem, and I’m not going to change my life to try to reduce the risk to which they have exposed themselves. I resent still having to pay for fucking PCR tests every time I want to board an airplane and hope there will be enough resistance to this soon that this goes away soon. I’m sure as hell not going back to wearing a mask or “social distancing” to protect people from themselves.

Unless you still believe that Covid can be eradicated (in which case you are dreaming), then if you accept these things now, you are either being logically inconsistent, or are accepting them effectively forever. I’m certainly not prepared to accept that, or even for a couple more years.

Saw that. Shame they blew the game.

We’re you able to snap this shot from your basement window? Nice!

;)

Half of my immediate family is currently unvaccinated. They probably won’t be fully vaccinated until May of 2022. I’d love nothing more than for them to be vaxed, but kids under 12 simply won’t be fully vaxed until Spring.

That’s why its still important for us adults to practice caution where reasonably possible. Kids generally don’t die of Covid, but tell the families of those who’ve lost kids or whose kids are in the hospital that you can’t be bothered to wear a mask at the store. Their schools also send them home for weeks if anything even hints at breaking out in their classrooms.

Come next Spring I’ll generally agree with your stance. But no, we’re not there yet.

One of the things the news (in the United States) doesn't talk about is: If you recover from COVID-19 is it similar to having a vaccine? If it is: Why don't we see a merged total of people vaccinated and people who have recovered? All three of us, including our son, had it earlier this year. Our son Noah had extremely mild symptoms, while Lauren and I were in rough shape. Lauren and I would've been partially vaccinated before we got it, if our appointment for vaccination wasn't moved back by a few weeks. At that time, they had issues getting shipments of the vaccine. Lauren got COVID-19 a few days after that rescheduled first shot appointment and I had it a few days after that. While it wouldn't have been two weeks after a second shot, it may have been enough to prevent the worst issues if those shots weren't rescheduled. We also both had a breakthrough, which I thought was us both getting a bad allergy attack in July, but none of us have allergy issues in July and that was the worst two-day allergy attack any of us have ever had. Our son (too young to get vaccinated) didn't have any symptoms? I'm guessing because he recovered from it a few months earlier?

I've reached a point where I want to enjoy the last few weeks or days I can go mask-free. This looks like something that will continue-on for years. I can remember people saying it (COVID-19) will find a way to both spread more easily and not be as deadly (so it doesn't kill its host), but it appears to be spreading more easily and becoming worse, while reducing the vaccine's protection. I just want to enjoy what little time is remaining that we can go mask-free and I'm in a state that allows it.

On that subject: I did finally visit a store I tried to avoid, due to mask requirements (yes, I have become one of those people that doesn't visit places that require masks). I remember reading here and hearing elsewhere that they can't ask you if you have an exemption from wearing a mask. Both Lauren and I walked-in without masks and no one asked. They had a sign, nearly as big as I am, saying STOP Masks Required. Interestingly, it also said something like by order of your local government... which I know is false. Governor Kemp won't allow local governments to do that. Once inside, I was concerned we would be the only customers without a mask, but interestingly around 25% of the store's customers didn't have masks. This included someone in scrubs who likely worked at the neighboring hospital or a local medical office. No one said anything. Interestingly, other unmasked customers become very friendly with you if you are among their group of the unmasked. After hearing, from the overhead speakers, that all of their employees must be masked... at checkout, we noticed two employees without masks. This included the employee at the register. Lauren later told me she wished she wore a mask.

If you or your kids are unvaccinated and haven't had and fully recovered from COVID-19, you should probably avoid going-out and try the pick-up or delivery services. Unless you live somewhere with masking requirements and 100% compliance with mask mandates. Around here (northeast suburbs of Atlanta), it can be (roughly estimated) 25-50% of the people at stores and 75-90% of people at restaurants without masks. Many people got vaccinated so they wouldn't have to wear a mask again. If we take that away, it could become more difficult to talk them into getting boosters. I do continue to believe that masking should be optional. You decide the level of risk you want to take based on your confidence in the vaccines, the quality of your mask, and being around so many unmasked people. Around here, even sending your kids to school is taking a risk. At least one group of parents is taking Gwinnett County Schools to court saying the schools can't require masks. Yes, leaving home or your car is taking a risk. I do think schools should require masks and vaccines for teachers/employees, but there are others who do not agree with me on that issue, creating risk. There are options that allow people to avoid all of the risk and not leave their car or their home. If you step inside a business, you are taking a risk. I didn't include people with mouth or chin coverings in the unmasked estimates I posted. I will admit, when I first showed signs of COVID-19 in the Spring, I used that mask to help hide the symptoms so I could buy various cold medicines and any grocery items we thought we may need for a few weeks. I'm sure I'm not the only one to do that.

Again, it's avoiding possible long term consequences for a few months of being inconvenienced which women have been doing all along; drinking and smoking while pregnant brings higher risk of complicated pregnancies and developmental issues....which is why responsible women don't do these things. Not sure why you're dying on this hill but you do you.

That's up to you. I'm sure everyone sees the risk differently. Do you see the risk as just a mild cold? If so, going out is a risk you may be more open to taking. Those who think it's what they see on the news may want to stay inside and not take that risk. They may have great reasons for staying at home, such as being pregnant. I'm vaccinated and I've had a breakthrough, so I know it's like a two-day allergy attack. The allergy medicine didn't work that well on it. Actually, the first day was a severe allergy attack and the second day was a more mild allergy attack. The third day, it was gone. And that is with two doses of Moderna. It could be different for someone else, but I see that two-day allergy attack as the risk I take when I go mask-free. I'm willing to take that risk and I should have the right to. If you're concerned about the worst possible outcomes, that won't go away by masking people like me. Look at the waiter standing over your outdoor table with a chin covering or the unmasked person you walk past on the way to your car or the person with the thin mask who is coughing. The person assessing their own risk should decide if they want to go mask-free, wear a mask, stay at home, or wear a KN95 or N95 with a face shield. I respect their choice. They are doing what they think is best for them and their situation. I try to keep two metres of distance from people who appear over-concerned about COVID-19.

One of the things I commented on and I'll bring it up here, again: Is that breakthrough like a booster? If it is, why isn't the news covering that? I still plan to get any available boosters in the future, but it would be nice to know.

It's interesting here in New Orleans the past week. COVID is quite literally forgotten. The essentials (power, food, water, and safe shelter) are all anyone cares about. It's been literal survival mode in the city, and still is for a large part of the region. I was fortunate to have only minor damage, but went 6 full days without power. Everything in the fridge/freezer was either grilled or tossed.

When people (including me) are in line for two hours to get gas for the generator to power a small window unit AC and two lamps, and then spend another two hours in line for clean water and some food, you could care less about a disease that is very unlikely to kill you. A real disaster helps to put things in perspective.

Also, no one is enforcing that vaccine or mask mandate anymore in NOLA. If a place has power and is offering food and drink, they are not going to turn away anyone at this point. Especially all of the amazing recovery workers down here to assist us.

Couldn't agree with this more. At least you guys got power back on in less than a week and not weeks as they were initially predicting.

Fortunately, 3 of the main transmission lines were brought back online fairly quickly. It also helps living near a fire station. Our grid was higher priority because of that. There are still pockets of the metro without power, but each day gets a bit better. Laplace and areas down Bayou Lafourche and Terrebonne won't get power for at least another two weeks. Then the rebuilding begins.

According to Timeout: Why SF is the best city in the world right now
 

Surveys are not perfect, but here's TimeOut's survey ranking on San Francisco:

"In 2020, leaders implemented one of the most aggressive (and effective) Covid-19 responses in the country, and residents came together to keep the city’s spirit and culture alive. Residents pedestrianized streets to create more room for outdoor gatherings, built beautiful parklets for al fresco dining and imbibing, painted boarded-up storefronts with murals, and even shared communal sourdough starters to fuel the baking craze. "

https://www.timeout.com/san-francisc...y-in-the-world

https://www.timeout.com/things-to-do...s-in-the-world

I really feel lied to...this whole time people were saying CA was some sort of nightmare, but all the signs point to it being better than plenty of places.