Permanent Industry Changes in the Post-COVID World

[ss20]

A local town posted on Facebook in regards to Hallowern/Trick or Treat:

"The safest way to celebrate this Halloween is to stay home. If you must go out, please wear a facial covering even if wearing a costume mask, and keep socially distanced. Be sure to use hand sanitizer frequently and wash your hands immediately upon returning home."

I thought I accidentally found an old post from April 2020 with that rherotic. I swear this thing has made some people mentally ill from fear overtaking their thinking methods.

yeah kids coming to the outside door for 10 seconds getting candy...I'm shaking in fear...

 

[icecoast1]

I swear this thing has made some people mentally ill from fear overtaking their thinking methods.

Psychosis induced from watching too much news

 

[Kingslug20]

I read that depression is up to 40% across the board.

 

[tnt1234]

Boston tonight has had me reach my breaking point on Covid. I work in healthcare. I have professionally lived through some of the saddest shit with this pandemic from the start. Consulting and selling hospitals on what they need equipment wise to manage care for these patients.

It is mask up EVERYWHERE in this city still. We were in the tiniest of spaces for a cocktail reception tonight with emergency ED docs. Docs from Mass Gen, Brigham, Mt Sinai, NY Presbyterian, Mayo, Cleveland Clinic, Kaiser, John's Hopkins. ALL of the biggest players. Tiny space with no social distancing possible. BUT!?!, If you had to walk to the bathroom 15 feet through the lobby to get to the bathroom, you were told to mask up. Total no possibility of social distancing super spreader event.

Riding in Ubers around town even with plastic barriers between driver and passengers, "please put your mask on ". All common areas of the hotel, please put your mask on, but by all means take it off and pack into our bar.

I'll still put my six year old with his mask on to take his bus to school on Thursday. I will vaccinate him when approved. I plan on getting a booster for myself as does my wife.

But enough is enough. Time to move on.

Yeah, I'm totally fine with anything to keep people safe, but stuff like this makes little sense. I guess the logic is, if you cough on the people you came with, it's on you all, but if you cough on someone on the way to the bathroom, that's not good?

On the other hand, i don't really care that much and it probably will cut down on cold transmissions too....

 

[drjeff]

I kind of shrug my shoulders when in my office, we have to have the patients wear a mask from when they enter the building for the at most 50 feet it is to our furthest treatment rooms from the front door, then they have their masks off the entire time we're working on them with air/water squirting in their mouths, and then they have to put their masks back on for the at most 50 feet until they leave the building, all because that is what the state dept of health says,

Makes about as much logical sense as the masks on to/from the host/hostess stand in a restaurant to one's table and on their way out as well.

Truthfully I just say to my patients that the sceince behind this current mandate makes no logical sense, however in no way to I want to face a potential fine from the dept of public health should they spot check my office for compliance, which is something that has happened to a few offices in my general area.

Unfortunately it seems like the old mantra of "follow/trust the science" under so many circumstances left the bulding a while ago and has been replaced with "you must comply with what I say, and no questioning what I say is allowed"....

 

[tumbler]

"out of an abundance of caution"

 

[deadheadskier]

Those making and implementing these decisions need to ask themselves, "Are we taking things too far such that we will erode the public's trust and risk reduced compliance in the future if /when another pandemic occurs?"

Yes, Delta was burning pretty hot in August through mid-late September, but the decline has been pretty significant in October. I'm not sure that can be attributed to behavior improvement. If anything, behavior has only worsened the past month as people move indoors due to cooler weather.

 

[drjeff]

Those making and implementing these decisions need to ask themselves, "Are we taking things too far such that we will erode the public's trust and risk reduced compliance in the future if /when another pandemic occurs?"

Yes, Delta was burning pretty hot in August through mid-late September, but the decline has been pretty significant in October. I'm not sure that can be attributed to behavior improvement. If anything, behavior has only worsened the past month as people move indoors due to cooler weather.

The more likely reason behind the decline in Delta now, probably can be seen in the rates of infection in Countries that Delta spread through prior to the US. If you take a look at say India, where Delta originated, the spike in the infection rates curve lasted about 3 months, which is pretty much where we are in this country now.

It comes on like gang busters, works it way through the population and then quickly tapers off as so many within the population who were susceptible prior to the arrival of Delta, were affected by it, and thus the odds of them being affected by it again, while not zero, become really, really low, and the spike ends.

If one looks at the various spikes in COVID, regardless of the variant, they tend to be in the 3 to 4 months window of duration

 

[deadheadskier]

Will be interesting to see if Delta is the last variant that causes a spike. I have not read of post Delta spikes elsewhere globally yet

 

[drjeff]

Will be interesting to see if Delta is the last variant that causes a spike. I have not read of post Delta spikes elsewhere globally yet

You hear some rumbles about the Mu variant as well as the "Delta Plus" (I believe that's what I read it was called) as being on the infectious disease folks radar, but nothing appears currently to be spiking.

At some point, if we haven't already reached on a world wide level the situation where the previous variants along with vaccines haven't affected a signofocant enough portion of the population to switch into endemic mode, that's going to happen.

The bigger question is will many in society be able to accept that any COVID infections is OK, since the truth is that we're never going to eliminate COVID from society, and there will always be a very small number of new COVID cases years from now. Not sure that some people actually grasp that scientific reality

 

[Kingslug20]

Then they will hide in their houses...the rest of us will..just get on with it.

 

[VTKilarney]

Just got back from a business conference in Chicago with about 215 attendees. Chicago has an indoor mask rule, but the hotel said that they couldn’t tell us what to do for a “private event” (ahem).

Maybe 5% of attendees wore masks.

 

[abc]

The bigger question is will many in society be able to accept that any COVID infections is OK, since the truth is that we're never going to eliminate COVID from society, and there will always be a very small number of new COVID cases years from now.

They'll "grasp" it the moment the media stop sensationalizing new Covid variants and cases!

Covid is over for the vaccinated. But what would the media do without some new "thing" to keep their audience? They will continue to report on outbreaks in any corner they could find it. (and thanks to the anti-vaxxers, there will be many of those keep cropping up to feed the media's appetite)

 

[Kingslug20]

Went to a movie last night in Times Square...show that vac card!

 

[drjeff]

They'll "grasp" it the moment the media stop sensationalizing new Covid variants and cases!

Covid is over for the vaccinated. But what would the media do without some new "thing" to keep their audience? They will continue to report on outbreaks in any corner they could find it. (and thanks to the anti-vaxxers, there will be many of those keep cropping up to feed the media's appetite)

Agree with the media sensationalization part.

Unfortunately I feel that unless the sensationalism stops in the next few months, ahead of the major 2022 campaign/election cycle, if focus groups show that the Covid fear narrative still is working, then we've got another year plus of media fear pushing.

Now if by chance next week in both the gubernatorial races in NJ and VA the Republicans unseat the current Democrats in office, where amongst many things, their handling of all things COVID in their states is one of the many campaign issues, then that may help eliminate the constant media COVID fear angle since it will be a sign that it's value for pushing an agenda for their preferred candidates isn't nearly as effective as it used to be

 

[tnt1234]

In fairness part of the rules thing is, they have to generalize and will always err on the side of caution. So it makes some sense in medical settings, like a regular doctor's visit, to leave your mask on, but not for a dentist office....but they just make one rule for 'medical settings'....

I just wish they would ease up for the winter, but I suspect they will wait until spring...

 

[boston_e]

Agree with the media sensationalization part.

Unfortunately I feel that unless the sensationalism stops in the next few months, ahead of the major 2022 campaign/election cycle, if focus groups show that the Covid fear narrative still is working, then we've got another year plus of media fear pushing.

Now if by chance next week in both the gubernatorial races in NJ and VA the Republicans unseat the current Democrats in office, where amongst many things, their handling of all things COVID in their states is one of the many campaign issues, then that may help eliminate the constant media COVID fear angle since it will be a sign that it's value for pushing an agenda for their preferred candidates isn't nearly as effective as it used to be

Hate to break it to you but right leaning "news" outlets have politicized COVID related issues as much or more than left. If republicans win in NJ and VA it will simply reinforce the idea that it is effective for the right leaning outlets to continue to rile on about freedoms and anti-vax BS.

 

[deadheadskier]

Hate to break it to you but right leaning "news" outlets have politicized COVID related issues as much or more than left. If republicans win in NJ and VA it will simply reinforce the idea that it is effective for the right leaning outlets to continue to rile on about freedoms and anti-vax BS.

I'll see your Anti-Vax BS and raise you "January 6th was a False Flag" by the most watched "news" program in the country.

https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1453517062073110540

 

[drjeff]

Hate to break it to you but right leaning "news" outlets have politicized COVID related issues as much or more than left. If republicans win in NJ and VA it will simply reinforce the idea that it is effective for the right leaning outlets to continue to rile on about freedoms and anti-vax BS.

The point I was trying to make, is more about the desire to keep various restrictions in place as well as potential vaccine mandates for kids under 12 which are looming on the horizon. Both of those certainly are of the left's play book now. Both of those will be one of the issues that voters in NJ and VA will be likely thinking about as they go to the polls next Tuesday,

Both major political ideologies have some seriously flawed issues that they "run to" to try and drum up the support (and campaign donations) of their bases. The inability of so many, especially out on the fringes of both major ideologies to try and remove emotion from their thought processes and take a critical look at what their prefered media source(s) are feeding them is truly sad.

 

[abc]

Both major political ideologies have some seriously flawed issues that they "run to" to try and drum up the support (and campaign donations) of their bases.

Aren't that the truth!