How are you dealing with life now with the Covid-19 virus situation? (2 Viewers)

[jayembee]

Things have been relatively back to normal for a while. But with the news about Delta and the uptick in cases, my wife has been getting nervous again. We've been eating at restaurants a bit more than usual lately, but when I suggested we do so tonight, K expressed some concern. Since the latest word seems to be that vaccinated people can still carry Delta and pass it on, she's worried about some family members who might be vulnerable.

At any rate, we're pretty much back to wearing masks indoors, even though we're fully vaccinated.

 

[Tony Bensley]

Things have been relatively back to normal for a while. But with the news about Delta and the uptick in cases, my wife has been getting nervous again. We've been eating at restaurants a bit more than usual lately, but when I suggested we do so tonight, K expressed some concern. Since the latest word seems to be that vaccinated people can still carry Delta and pass it on, she's worried about some family members who might be vulnerable.

At any rate, we're pretty much back to wearing masks indoors, even though we're fully vaccinated.

That's pretty much what the CDC is now recommending, as of yesterday. Stay safe!

CHEERS!

 

[Mark Booth]

I read this in an article on CNN:

Aerosols containing Covid-19 can travel as easily as the smoke from a cigarette, Michael Osterholm, director of the Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy at the University of Minnesota, said Friday.

"If you want to understand what an aerosol is, just think of somebody smoking," Osterholm told CNN. "If you can smell a cigarette in the location you're at, then you're breathing someone else's air that may have the virus in it."

I've frequently wondered if expelled cigarette smoke *helps* to carry the virus. I know that's NOT what the quote above is implying, but it still makes me wonder. Could the smoke help the virus particles travel farther?

Mark

 

[Jack P]

The CDC's "recommendation" will not be followed by me. They have zero credibility with me whatsoever. I got my shots and I am not wearing a mask again in any setting.

 

[ManW_TheUncool]

I read this in an article on CNN:



I've frequently wondered if expelled cigarette smoke *helps* to carry the virus. I know that's NOT what the quote above is implying, but it still makes me wonder. Could the smoke help the virus particles travel farther?

Mark

No real idea, but I seriously doubt a little cigarette smoke itself "helps" them travel more. However, I suppose the practices of some smokers (in the way they breath/blow out the smoke) may indeed help the virus travel a bit more at least from the smokers themselves, if they actually have a transmissible load...

Also, I suppose it's possible for a heavily smoke filled environment to help keep the viral aerosol more buoyant in the air, but pretty sure you wouldn't want to be in such an environment anyway, eg. a burning building...

Actually, I would think the viral aerosol might be more buoyant in very humid summer heat than in dry, cold winter... but how much more and whether it makes enough diff? No real idea...

Anyway, I wouldn't generally wanna hang out near smokers regardless of Covid-19...

_Man_

 

[John Sparks]

No shot for me!!!

 

[Mark Booth]

Some Miata friends are on an extended road trip right now. They are heading to a regional Miata event in North Carolina and stopping at various destinations along the way. They are sharing photos on Facebook and I'm concerned that nobody in the photos are wearing masks. Not just my friends, but the people around them at these various spots. They have been traveling through some of the least vaccinated areas of the country. Areas with very high Delta spread.

All of these friends are fully vaccinated. While I applaud and admire their courage to get on with life despite the minimal risks, I can't stop feeling concerned that one of them is going to fall ill and end up hospitalized during the trip.

The other side of that coin is that I wish I felt their comfort level about traveling. It would be nice to stop having to factor COVID into the "what are we going to do today" equation.

Mark

 

[Clinton McClure]

I’m getting as much dine-in restaurant eating as I can before we inevitability go back on lockdown and everything becomes carry out only again. I’m presently sitting in one of my favorite Mexican restaurants enjoying hot salsa, white cheese dip, fish tacos, and mucho grande Michelob Ultras.

 

[DaveF]

FWIW, their road trip is the most dangerous part of their outing. A road trip is maybe 5x to 10x more dangerous than not wearing a mask if vaccinated.

38k car fatalities in 2020

2020 Fatality Data Show Increased Traffic Fatalities During Pandemic | NHTSA

www.nhtsa.gov

<5.9k vaccinated deaths from COVID-19

Breakthrough Covid cases: Data shows how many vaccinated Americans have tested positive

The 125,682 "breakthrough" cases in 38 states represent less than .08 percent of the 164.2 million-plus people fully vaccinated since January.

www.nbcnews.com

 

[Clinton McClure]

 

[Mark Booth]

FWIW, their road trip is the most dangerous part of their outing. A road trip is maybe 5x to 10x more dangerous than not wearing a mask if vaccinated.

38k car fatalities in 2020

2020 Fatality Data Show Increased Traffic Fatalities During Pandemic | NHTSA

www.nhtsa.gov

<5.9k vaccinated deaths from COVID-19

Breakthrough Covid cases: Data shows how many vaccinated Americans have tested positive

The 125,682 "breakthrough" cases in 38 states represent less than .08 percent of the 164.2 million-plus people fully vaccinated since January.

www.nbcnews.com

Dave,

I appreciate your attempt to ease my concern, but your statistics don't factor in:

1) They are on a Miata road trip, which means shunning the interstate wherever feasible and driving roads that are LESS traveled. The risk of accident goes down considerably on a backcountry highway with far fewer vehicles.

2) The infection rates in states like Louisiana, Arkansas and Tennessee are much higher (per capita) than more highly vaccinated states. So, the risk of being exposed is higher when you gather with large groups of other people in these high infection rate states.

3) They are driving Miatas. It is far easier to AVOID an accident in an Miata than it is in most other cars. Nimble little suckers.

Mark

 

[Mark Booth]

The article that Dave linked mentions that in Oklahoma there are more breakthrough infections for folks that received the Johnson & Johnson vaccine vs. Moderna. I wonder if that is due to the fact that more people have received the J&J vaccine in Oklahoma or if the J&J simply doesn't protect as well as the Moderna?

And how does the Pfizer compare?

I can't wait for Pfizer to release its booster (3rd shot) to better protect against Delta. I'll be rolling up my sleeve.

Mark

 

[Clinton McClure]

I think it’s been established that Pfizer and Moderna both enjoy a much higher efficacy rate than J&J.

 

[Carlo_M]

Well now I’m in a similar quandary to what many have faced. I’m fully vaxxed with the Pfizer. I purchased concert tickets for next Sunday months ago, hoping for the best. It’s not a huge venue but it’s a venue. Couple thousand I’d bet but not a sellout. Few things I’m considering. One, this is a very left leaning band, the lead singer is outspoken about his political beliefs during banter. So most of the fans who’ve stayed on board are also left leaning. So that means, especially in SoCal that most will be fully vaccinated. Masks are required as well.

So as of now I’m contemplating wearing an N95 mask and some tight fitting clear cycling goggles (kind of look like big wraparound sunglasses) and braving it.

But I’m conflicted. I may end up not going depending on the news this coming week.

 

[Josh Steinberg]

@Carlo Medina

I saw this on NBC Nightly News last night which I thought was helpful for context on breakthrough infections in the U.S.:

The 125,682 "breakthrough" cases in 38 states found by NBC News represent less than .08 percent of the 164.2 million-plus people who have been fully vaccinated since January, or about one in every 1,300. The number of cases and deaths among the vaccinated is very small compared to the number among the unvaccinated.

Full article here:

Breakthrough Covid cases: Data shows how many vaccinated Americans have tested positive

The 125,682 "breakthrough" cases in 38 states represent less than .08 percent of the 164.2 million-plus people fully vaccinated since January.

www.nbcnews.com

For the majority of fully vaccinated people, going to the concert with no extra protection is likely just fine. For a fully vaccinated person choosing to wear a mask, it’s probably even safer.

I have to admit, when movie theaters opened last year, I fully expected a correlating rise in infections that the data never really showed. When sports arenas started opening for business, I expected a rise that didn’t really seem to follow. When public transportation here in NY resumed something close to normal operation, I expected a rise that didn’t seem to follow. And with cases now on the rise, the reporting I’m seeing locally in NY has most of these rises coming from unvaccinated people who have been ignoring the fine print of “masks are no longer required *if* you’re vaccinated.”

I wouldn’t go to a concert if I wasn’t vaccinated. I wouldn’t bring my unvaccinated children to a concert right now. But I am strongly leaning towards attending indoor shows in the fall. And I am seriously contemplating attending an outdoor stadium concert this week.

Here’s what my wife said to me when I asked her opinion, maybe it will be helpful to you too: there is no point in going if the anxiety or concern about doing so is going to be in your mind the whole time. If you can’t have fun doing it, it’s not worth doing. But, if you can make a plan ahead of time for what you would need to do to feel comfortable about attending, and those measures won’t make going unenjoyable, it’s worth considering. And give yourself permission in advance to bail guilt free if something doesn’t feel right. I thought that was a really useful perspective.

 

[DaveF]

I basically wore a mask all last week — flew cross country, spent 12 hours a day in meetings with 25 - 50 people. When the new CDC guidance came out Tuesday night, I wore my mask Wed and Thursday in the meeting even though all my peers (save two or three) were not.

Work is back to mandatory masks in common areas. But not required in offices, and after wrestling with it, I probably won’t wear my mask sitting at my desk. All my immediate colleagues are vaccinated, and the site is 70%+ vaccinated.

I wore my mask again, grocery shopping this morning.

But I went to the gym unmasked. Density is low, air flow is high. And I want to work out — trading a possible health detriment for a definite health benefit.

Ultimately, my perspective is that I’ve gone nearly two years without getting a cold and I don’t miss being sick. So I don’t want to get sick from COVID-19. With Delta, I guess I’m taking some extra precautions again. But I‘m almost entirely unworried about severe illness. And death for a vax’d person is not a concern to me. “Long Covid” is the big mystery to me, but since that seems to be improved by vaccination, I’m not especially concerned about it.

 

[DaveF]

TL;DR
Everyone’s approach is informed by their experience. Those with direct, severe experience are taking more conservative approach. Those who have been so fortunate as to not see the damage COVID can cause seem more likely to ignore the risk completely.

I’ve seen friends harmed by it, but have experienced nominal mitigations as successfully keeping it away, and continue to act from my experience.

 

[Carlo_M]

Yeah I admit I've felt really safe being fully vaccinated and wearing my mask (I do it because I don't want to be a means of transmission to someone I may come in contact with who has a loved one who couldn't take the vaccine, be it for health reasons or being under 12 years old). And I've seen all the studies that show how protective the mRNA vaccines are even against Delta. But you know how concerts are. Even though I've dined out, you're generally in a restaurant for less than an hour (I'm a fast eater so sometimes half an hour) and restaurants in L.A. are still being cautious and the ones I go to haven't gone back to full capacity.

A concert is people sitting literally shoulder to shoulder, and you're there for 90m to 2h. I think with an n95 and my cycling glasses I'll feel relatively safe. It's just a different beast than sitting in a restaurant for 45 minutes with the nearest table 6' away and less than 25 people in the whole place. i just looked up the venue, seating capacity is 1400 and I'd estimate it to be 2/3 sold out based on Ticketmaster. It's indoors but at least has high ceilings. I'm hoping they have the HVAC going strong...

 

[Josh Steinberg]

It might be worth calling the venue or stopping by the box office to see if your seats could be exchanged for a less crowded area of the venue if that’s a matter of concern. For this outdoor show I’m thinking of seeing on Wednesday, if I’m going, I’m going to aim for the limited view section which looks to have several hundred empty seats now - there are plenty of much better tickets available so my hope is that I can chill out in a mostly quiet spot and not be shoulder to shoulder with anyone.

That won’t be possible with an indoor show I have tickets for in October - similar layout to the theater you just posted a photo of - but that show has a vaccine requirement so I feel that requirement plus me in a mask gets me to the comfort level I want to be at. This outdoor show I’m thinking of going to is kinda gonna be my test run - if I don’t feel comfortable outdoors at this show, I’ll use that to inform my future choices.

 

[Carlo_M]

I'll either go or I won't. I know the back corners are basically open (it's only 2/3 sold out) but I have essentially 3rd row dead center. I'll either feel safe enough to go and enjoy the show, or I won't, and won't go at all.