2019-2020 coronavirus pandemic (Vaccination 2021 Edition)

[McElroy]

Destroyer of economies and social lives everywhere - not to mention all the actual lives it has put in danger and to an untimely end, the SARS-CoV-2 -caused COVID-19 pandemic seems to be The Event of the Decade.

It's hard to make a decent summary of the discussion around the pandemic, because obviously it has been on the top of everyone's minds for over a month now. It's a trustbreaker; trust in our politicians and institutions, economy and stability, social and traditional media, and between every person is all under duress.

Wikipedia page
Worldometers link

Discussion topics off my mind:
How accurate are the epidemic models now that strict restrictions and other regulations and measures are put in place? I ask this because while the big European countries and the US have patient steep upward patient graphs for new cases, here in Finland they have recently increased testing and new cases are down. How many will go through the infection without testing? I've even read figures like 19 out of 20 or even 29 out of 30 that aren't tested have COVID-19 at some point anyway. 20% of the population go through with it is the low estimate which seems high, but I guess we will eventually know.

The economy and climate change; the former is in the news while the latter not really. Most people want to go back to their old consumer ways and they will unless the situation drives them broke. I've read about some people in Hong Kong going "revenge shopping" now that some thing are normalizing there, but I reckon that's a small group of people even worldwide. I don't think we will shift our spending habits too much, but some businesses could see permanent shrinkage. Individuals might see the light now that some of their extra spending is put on hold, but new things will come around again.

On Twitter people like to follow closely what politicians say, but I don't really care about that and I just look at what ends up in the official documents after those things are said.

 

[Tau-99]

There's apparently a new strain in China that can survive for up to 49 days (compared to the 2 weeks average in the current "popular" strain). I highly doubt it though, its probably an anomaly.

 

[SilentPony]

There's apparently a new strain in China that can survive for up to 49 days (compared to the 2 weeks average in the current "popular" strain). I highly doubt it though, its probably an anomaly.

It could be, but health and sanitation practices in parts of China are 3rd world, if not lower. They still eat animals most would never consider. Who's the say what other diseases those animals carry?

 

[Nick Calandra]

I live right by a nursing home and the grocery stores near me, even now, have a bunch of older folk going to them...luckily I use Blue Apron, but man, I don’t even wanna go to get groceries when I could potentially get a bunch of people sick.

Luckily very few cases in my county so far, but doubt it’s gonna stay that way.

 

[McElroy]

I don’t even wanna go to get groceries when I could potentially get a bunch of people sick.

The barrage of information, bad news and blame and guilt being thrown at our faces has made everyone hyperaware of the transmission of COVID-19. People don't emanate it in an aura around them, but whatever the situation we can't be 100% sure. However, when you think about it a little longer, like, what is an acceptable risk? In this situation we have all the information and more and are constantly thinking about it, and it makes everyone cautious. How cautious is enough? Now "as cautious as needed to feel at ease" is fine, however people (that I've personally seen and heard, not saying you do this) project their feelings to everyone and now they feel they have the moral high ground to shame and guilt them for not meeting their standard.

This is a personal peeve of mine. Most of those people probably are only willing to go so far because this is temporary, despite the fact that there are always risks you can reduce for other people no matter the circulating pathogens.

 

[Nick Calandra]

The barrage of information, bad news and blame and guilt being thrown at our faces has made everyone hyperaware of the transmission of COVID-19. People don't emanate it in an aura around them, but whatever the situation we can't be 100% sure. However, when you think about it a little longer, like, what is an acceptable risk? In this situation we have all the information and more and are constantly thinking about it, and it makes everyone cautious. How cautious is enough? Now "as cautious as needed to feel at ease" is fine, however people (that I've personally seen and heard, not saying you do this) project their feelings to everyone and now they feel they have the moral high ground to shame and guilt them for not meeting their standard.

This is a personal peeve of mine. Most of those people probably are only willing to go so far because this is temporary, despite the fact that there are always risks you can reduce for other people no matter the circulating pathogens.

I don't really feel like I have a moral high-ground for it, but if I don't need to go out and get groceries because I can have them delivered, I'll do that for now because I have the ability to. Not everyone does and I totally understand that.

Also have a heart condition, so between being aware that I live by an assisted living facility, and that, it's just not worth the risk at the moment if I can avoid it.

With this whole thing, I'd rather people just take it seriously, do what their told and if they want to feel like they have a moral high ground for doing so, whatever at this point. Long as they're not going to springbreak parties haha.

 

[McElroy]

With this whole thing, I'd rather people just take it seriously, do what their told and if they want to feel like they have a moral high ground for doing so, whatever at this point. Long as they're not going to springbreak parties haha.

With this thing, sure, and it will pass eventually, but there are always other things everywhere around us. This pandemic is an example of how information guides our perception of others, our behavior, and even what we feel is the moral thing to do. People take irrational precautions because it makes them feel better, but I think they will revert back to their previous habits as soon as the seriousness of the situation decreases and if questioned about it they will say "it's different now, that other thing was serious".

Anyway, I'm glad you understand the difference between what everyone is expected to do in order to keep the spread low and what someone might do to keep themselves at ease, my beef is with those that don't.

 

[Nick Calandra]

With this thing, sure, and it will pass eventually, but there are always other things everywhere around us. This pandemic is an example of how information guides our perception of others, our behavior, and even what we feel is the moral thing to do. People take irrational precautions because it makes them feel better, but I think they will revert back to their previous habits as soon as the seriousness of the situation decreases and if questioned about it they will say "it's different now, that other thing was serious".

Anyway, I'm glad you understand the difference between what everyone is expected to do in order to keep the spread low and what someone might do to keep themselves at ease, my beef is with those that don't.

People gonna people.

I think the part that bugs me more is that everyone's all like "look at how much less pollution there is" and the "o-zone is healing itself" and all that stuff, and like you said, as soon as this is over they'll go back to doing everything they were before and forget about all that stuff to get back to their daily routine. Business will be right back to polluting at a even higher scale to make up the money they're losing now, people will immediately get in their cars and planes and go for trips they put off, etc.

Social media really puts a spotlight on that, and how many people will make a big deal out of it and then go right back to their routines until another catastrophe happens that literally forces them to change habit.

Not saying I'm any better of course, but this pandemic, for better or worse, has shown very clearly that governments and people can mobilize and get things done (not perfectly) and that same action needs to be taken for climate change, and unfortunately, just like we waited on preparing for the pandemic, the same I feel is gonna happen for climate change.

 

[Secondhand Revenant]

People gonna people.

I think the part that bugs me more is that everyone's all like "look at how much less pollution there is" and the "o-zone is healing itself" and all that stuff, and like you said, as soon as this is over they'll go back to doing everything they were before and forget about all that stuff to get back to their daily routine. Business will be right back to polluting at a even higher scale to make up the money they're losing now, people will immediately get in their cars and planes and go for trips they put off, etc.

Social media really puts a spotlight on that, and how many people will make a big deal out of it and then go right back to their routines until another catastrophe happens that literally forces them to change habit.

Not saying I'm any better of course, but this pandemic, for better or worse, has shown very clearly that governments and people can mobilize and get things done (not perfectly) and that same action needs to be taken for climate change, and unfortunately, just like we waited on preparing for the pandemic, the same I feel is gonna happen for climate change.

I will say, individual action can feel a lot more pointless if there's no greater unifying factor and you know others won't follow. At the moment, government is taking action and that can help make it more of a thing where you know it's not just one small individual action.

 

[Tau-99]

Well, the queen just made her speech, wasn't bad, and I must say, this really will make people feel better.

 

[Yoshi]

i'm a public servant so i still to have to go out to work at my call centre.

i think still being able to see and chat with my co-worker friends is the only thing that's helping me stay sane during this Pandemic

 

[Neuromancer]

As the pandemic has found me in the middle of my military draft and a major refugee crisis at the border, I have been confined in base for a month and will likely not see outside it's fence for another.

New recruits are being placed in once abandoned buildings with rusty old beds to quarantine for a couple of weeks and make sure they don't start a pandemic in here.

Meanwhile, though things have quieted down at the border due to quarantines on both sides, the matter is anything but resolved, and it's only a matter of time before we're back in high alert.

Perfect timing.

 

[Redlin5]

I'm in a very tough position. I'm essentially the only one of my roommates still working and I'm going to keep doing what I'm doing (food delivery) as savings are going to be very very important in the coming months.

I wear a plastic mask, I use gloves for elevators/street crossing buttons, I have no access to public washrooms, and I use hand sanitizer like never before.

2/10 on this patch of Earth, can someone convince the devs to go back...

 

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[JoJo]

Boris Johnson is now in intensive care:

Coronavirus: Boris Johnson moved to intensive care as symptoms worsen

The PM has asked Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab to deputise "where necessary", No 10 says.

www.bbc.co.uk

Looks like things might be about to get hairy.

 

[Topaz]

Boris Johnson is now in intensive care:

It's so weird how it affects different people differently. Prince Charles (who is much older) seemed to recover from it fine, and yet Boris appears to be at death's door.

 

[Secondhand Revenant]

It's so weird how it affects different people differently. Prince Charles (who is much older) seemed to recover from it fine, and yet Boris appears to be at death's door.

It's gonna be weird as hell if he dies from it. Just you don't usually think of world leaders falling ill from something like this and dying in this day and age

 

[Worgen]

I'm IT and I already did most of my stuff remotely so not much has changed but this has impacted my friends planned move down here, which sucks.

 

[deleted20220709]

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[Baffle]

In the case of Boris Johnson, who flagrantly visited a Covid-19 quarantine ward and shook every patient's hand, it is not entirely unexpected that he would fall severely ill afterwards.

He was also sitting pretty close to Raab in Parliament while Raab was coughing his guts up. The Parliament in which absolutely zero social distancing appeared to be in effect.