COVID-19 (artist formerly known as Wuhan strain novel Corona virus)

Getting strong "older people don't count as much" vibes.

 

Was supposed to be getting together with a group of friends all weekend to smoke some meat, watch football, and hangout without wives and kids. My wife insisted/demanded we all take a rapid test before going (which makes perfect sense even though we're all vaccinated). As luck would have it, I'm the one that comes back positive. Completely asymptomatic and feeling normal. Gotta take a PCR tomorrow to verify and home it comes back clear. Otherwise that's a lot of smoked BBQ I'm not gonna get to eat.

 

Then you aren't paying attention to anything going on, by the unvaccinated. Because the unvaccinated do not believe it can happen to them, and they do not want to see any other narrative.

Every single person you know that is unvaccinated, do not believe they can die from this virus. Every single one. They may say "unlikely." Or "very low." Or "not impossible." But what they mean is "to others." Because it's zero, to them.

 

False positive.

 

Ask for a plate to be sent.

Decent chance you have a false positive, though.

 

That's my hope. But not gonna go unless PCR gives me the green light.

 

Be well, my friend.

 

Consider the NAAT test from Walgreens. They call it IDNow and it’s free. It is considered good enough that Canada considered it acceptable rather than PCR when I crossed the border. Result comes back within an advertised 24 hours but in practice we got the results back in an hour.

 

Well that's the one I took...

 

The ID Now? Dang.

Hmm. They also have an antigen test that is rapid but it’s pretty iffy. The ID Now isn’t really known for many false positives but they can happen. I guess PCR it is - that’ll take some time though.

 

Don't believe it can? Or don’t believe it will?

If the former, they’re wrong. But I don’t think most truly believe that. I think most fall into the second category, and for those who are young and healthy, they’re correct.

 

Something that strongly attacks 3 groups of people is more dangerous than something that attacks one group of people.

 

The governors of Alaska & Idaho have placed their entire states on crisis levels of care, aka healthcare rationing. EVERYONE in those states are essentially under DNR orders for any health emergency because hospitals are full of predominately unvaccinated COVID patients. Remember those "Death Panels" people were so unjustifiably up in arms over back in 2009? Well, they're finally here. Where's that outrage now?

It's not just Alaska & Idaho dealing with this. Montana's largest health system has implemented crisis care protocols. Hospitals in Kentucky are teetering on the brink of implementing crisis care. These protocols do not apply to COVID patients only, overwhelmingly unvaccinated COVID patients at that. It applies to all care. Not just "elective surgeries" either- ALL. CARE. A man in Alaska who was in need of a routine heart cath died because there were no beds available. 4 people in renal failure needed renal bypass. Only 2 could get it. 1 who didn't has already died. The other is receiving palliative care at home until they die. Heart attack? Sorry. No room. Car accident? Sorry. No room. Stroke? Sorry. No room. Blood clots? Sorry. No room. Aneurysm? Sorry. No room. Blood infection? Sorry. No room, and on & on. Counseling teams have been activated for doctors & nurses who are struggling with making the decisions on who gets care & who doesn't.

I don't ever want to hear that not getting vaccinated is a personal decision that has no impact on others again. That's bullshit. The ENTIRE population of two states and partial populations in others in the United States of America in the year 2021 are an injury or common health crisis away from having the sword of Damocles swinging over them because of "personal decisions" to not get a proven safe & effective vaccine. Medical providers are suffering even greater psychological effects than before because they are being forced to play God not because of limits to medical expertise or technology but because limited health resources are being voraciously consumed by the "personal decisions" of the unvaccinated who are flooding hospitals. This insanity has to end. Bring on vaccine mandates for all who are legitimately able to receive them. It might save your life or the life of a loved one- not just from COVID but from of any health emergency.

 

There is no difference between these two, in this system of belief. Something that will not happen, cannot happen.

 

I vote unvaccinated don't.

 

Getting to the fundamental disconnect in much of Indy's thinking, here. he doesn't understand tails or that improbability is still certainty given a large enough run. but it can be dismissed with the circular logic of it being a fluke because it is improbable... when it is a certainty.

The more people do not get vaccinated that can, the more people who can't get vaccinated will get sick, the more breakthroughs, the more child deaths, etc. for sure. completely avoidable.

 

Yeah at this point if you're having to degrade and cancel care for the general pop start kicking out unvaccinated covid patients. I'm sure they'll understand, personal responsibility and all.

 

I read that unvaccinated with covid are lying and saying they were vaccinated when they come in and only admitting otherwise later because they are afraid they won't get a bed or don't believe it could even be covid.

 

also had a friend in Knoxville have to wait 24 hours at the er to be seen for something because of the amount of covid people.

 

Instead of encouraging mitigation practices like allowing schools to require masks with no opt out or push for vaccinations both of which would help slow the spread & provide relief for the Tennessee healthcare system, our wonderful governor, Bill Lee- please read with maximum sarcasm, is using his executive power to call up the National Guard, to allow nursing graduates to practice without passing board certification tests, to beg healthcare retirees to return to work, to suspend EMS driver qualifications, to lower the staffing requirements for levels 1 & 2 EMS transports, to allow non-graduate nursing students to staff physical & mental health patient care positions and to allow licensed medical professionals to provide care outside of their areas of expertise. There's more, but you get the picture.

Does no one remember the old truism that an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure? Or, is it just selective application to fit a desired narrative? I'd bet my house that it's the latter. Pure insanity.