I’ve never been to Costco 

Neighbors just sent us a text saying they tested positive. They supposedly were being very careful, though I am pretty sure the husband was going to work and not wearing a mask. Even people that should know better can't follow simple guidelines. It's only mid-November too, the horror in store for us as we creep deeper into winter is going to be insane. I'm trying to talk the wife into pulling our kids out of school but now she's hesitant, which is a compete role reversal of 3 months ago. We are all F'ed.

1 hour ago, we_gotta_believe said:

Neighbors just sent us a text saying they tested positive. They supposedly were being very careful, though I am pretty sure the husband was going to work and not wearing a mask. Even people that should know better can't follow simple guidelines. It's only mid-November too, the horror in store for us as we creep deeper into winter is going to be insane. I'm trying to talk the wife into pulling our kids out of school but now she's hesitant, which is a compete role reversal of 3 months ago. We are all F'ed.

Don't panic, bud.  Treatments are already exponentially better than they were 6 months ago.  It's not something you want to get but if you do, or a loved one does, the likelihood of survival now is the greatest it's ever been.  There could likely be as many as a half-dozen vaccines available within 6 months as well. 

The numbers are in from the state of Delaware and its open schools.  Across the entire state, from September 1 to November 6, there were a grand total of 291 cases in schools: 40 K-12 private school staff; 78 K-12 private school students; 110 K-12 public school staff; and 63 K-12 public school students.

1 hour ago, we_gotta_believe said:

Neighbors just sent us a text saying they tested positive. They supposedly were being very careful, though I am pretty sure the husband was going to work and not wearing a mask. Even people that should know better can't follow simple guidelines. It's only mid-November too, the horror in store for us as we creep deeper into winter is going to be insane. I'm trying to talk the wife into pulling our kids out of school but now she's hesitant, which is a compete role reversal of 3 months ago. We are all F'ed.

Calm down brah.  Biden already created a vaccine!  Haven't you heard?

17 minutes ago, Arsenal79 said:

Calm down brah.  Biden already created a vaccine!  Haven't you heard?

I know, isn't he just the best? Rest assured I'll be first in line to get the Biden vaccine when it's available. 

2 minutes ago, DBW said:

FOH if trump won the election you’d let him take the vaccine and then be sucking his cawk so he can inject it into you.  

I'm not gay, not that there's anything wrong with that.

And your homophobia is truly disgusting.  Seek help!

21 minutes ago, Arsenal79 said:

I'm not gay, not that there's anything wrong with that.

And your homophobia is truly disgusting.  Seek help!

 

🤮

2 minutes ago, DBW said:

Didn’t say you were gay, said you would suck a cawk to get the vaccine. You’re a trumper,  We know you’re not smart enough to use a syringe.  
 

 

You post a lot about sucking cawk.  A subject you have much experience in no doubt.  Likely unresolved trauma from where your butch blasted it down your gullet and you choked on it like the b!tch you are.

Again, seek help!

1 hour ago, Arsenal79 said:

Calm down brah.  Biden already created a vaccine!  Haven't you heard?

Oh, you mean the one Trump just took credit for today?

1 hour ago, DBW said:

FOH if trump won the election you’d let him take the vaccine and then be sucking his cawk so he can inject it into you.  

Oh my....

So, my aunt that lived in NJ passed away on Oct 22nd. My parents and brother flew to NJ for the funeral that was supposed to be on October 26th. Welp... 9 family members in NJ got covid and they postponed the service.  My parents and brother came back to Florida on the 27th.  My brother started feeling sick on the 28th. My dad on the 30th, and my mom on the 31st. 

All 3 positive.  So everyone has been quarantined since they got back.  They are all doing ok, but both my dad and brother are dealing with fatigue and muscle weakness.  My mom has a lingering nasty sounding cough.  

I was real close to traveling to NJ with them and bringing my 2 year old, but something was telling me not to go. I already had covid but my son hasnt. Im feeling real glad i didn't take him up there.  

3 hours ago, we_gotta_believe said:

Neighbors just sent us a text saying they tested positive. They supposedly were being very careful, though I am pretty sure the husband was going to work and not wearing a mask. Even people that should know better can't follow simple guidelines. It's only mid-November too, the horror in store for us as we creep deeper into winter is going to be insane. I'm trying to talk the wife into pulling our kids out of school but now she's hesitant, which is a compete role reversal of 3 months ago. We are all F'ed.

My kindergartner is ending a 7 day quarantine on Thursday because of a positive test in his class (the kid hadn’t been in the last for the prior week). 
Tonight, we get a call from the mom of our 3rd grader’s best friend... he lost his sense of taste tonight and they are awaiting test results. So, I’m sure that we are in for another quarantine and hopefully my kid doesn’t get it. Thankfully the kid hasn’t been coughing or sneezing yet but he does sit at my kid’s lunch table (spaced out), which is the only time they have their mask off. 
My wife wants to pull the kids immediately but I’m not sure. I don’t know if there has been a lot of school transmission and our kindergartner loves his teacher. If we pull them and go fully remote, we have to switch teachers. 
Ugh.... this winter is going to suck. 
 

1 hour ago, Ace Nova said:

Oh, you mean the one Trump just took credit for today?

No way brah.  Biden made it happen!  His inspirational leadership from his basement made all the difference!

11 minutes ago, Arsenal79 said:

No way brah.  Biden made it happen!  His inspirational leadership from his basement made all the difference!

You need to cool off, bro.

Some perspective on Pfizer from my alma mater:

 

Quote

What Does Pfizer’s Vaccine News Mean for the Coronavirus Pandemic?

Two BU COVID-19 researchers express cautious optimism, but also raise questions, about the vaccine announcement that caused so much buzz

As the coronavirus pandemic rages on, with the United States recently reaching a peak of more than 120,000 new cases in a single day, a glimmer of hope appeared on the horizon this week. Pfizer announced that early data from its coronavirus vaccine clinical trial shows that the vaccine is at least 90 percent effective in protecting against COVID-19 infections. 

But while that certainly places Pfizer squarely in the lead amidst the race to develop COVID-19 vaccines, its trial is not yet completed and the scientific data was not released alongside the announcement about its vaccine’s projected efficacy. 

The Brink asked two experts at Boston University’s National Emerging Infectious Diseases Laboratories (NEIDL) for their take on the news, and what it means for curbing the pandemic. According to coronavirus researchers John Connor, a NEIDL virologist and a School of Medicine associate professor, and Florian Douam, a NEIDL microbiologist and a MED assistant professor, even the promise of Pfizer’s vaccine doesn’t mean a quick fix to the pandemic is around the corner. 

The Brink: What were your thoughts upon hearing the news that Pfizer’s vaccine preliminarily looks to be 90 percent effective?

Connor: As it is stated, this is a very encouraging number. The more I think about it though, the more information I feel is not offered. Is it 90 percent effective in those at highest risk? If it is 100 percent effective in healthy individuals with no health complications, and 40 percent in the elderly and those with health complications, I am not so impressed. If it is 90 percent effective across all populations tested, then I am truly excited. 

I am also curious about how long they think this 90 percent protective number holds following vaccination. If protection against infection holds for a year then this is super exciting. If protection against infection lasts for six weeks or three months, much less exciting.

Douam: I think it is definitely a good news, but I would not declare victory yet. The announcement was made on the news, and we have yet to see the actual data in scientific journals. Especially, I would want to see how racially/ethnically/socially diverse is the vaccinated population that shows [the vaccine has] 90 percent effective protection. Additionally, we have to be aware that 90 percent figure could still change, as the trial is not over.

So, I am optimistic but I still remain cautious. Another point is that although 90 percent is definitely a great start to bend the pandemic, we will need to refine this vaccine over time to increase effectiveness, ideally up to 95 percent. For a pandemic of this scale, where hundreds of millions will have to be vaccinated, leaving 10 percent of people unprotected is a lot.

Is it responsible for Pfizer to come out with this finding before the trial is finished and their data have been peer reviewed?

Connor: I am constantly uncomfortable with the direct-to-press reporting of results, especially with the small amount of information that is released. I understand that these are unprecedented times and everyone is very interested in the development and approval of a vaccine that protects against COVID-19. I would like to see that if they are going to release top-line numbers like this that they release all of the data. 

Douam: It is a bit premature in my opinion, but I also understand the need for the country to hear that things are moving toward the right direction. So, I can also understand why they made the announcement. There is also a big vaccine race ongoing, especially with Moderna, so their announcement is also a signal to the other biopharma [companies developing vaccines] that Pfizer is taking the lead.

By the end of the year, Pfizer expects to make enough doses to vaccinate 15 million to 20 million people. What impact could this have on the spread of coronavirus here in the United States?

Connor: I can’t tell whether Pfizer expects to have these made (e.g., sitting in a freezer at Pfizer) or made, delivered, and administered. Regardless, having any progress on a vaccine and its initial rollout will be great. I do not think that it will mean that the disease stops circulating in the United States immediately, but it could be an important start in protecting our most vulnerable populations from this disease.

Douam: It really depends where the vaccination campaign will be conducted, and which population(s) will be targeted. If the targeted populations are low-risk populations, like persons who have been very careful since the beginning of the pandemic in maintaining distancing and wearing masks, then vaccinating 15 million of those people will not have a significant impact. However, if we aim to target areas and populations that, by their behavior, facilitate spread of [COVID-19], then this can have a more dramatic impact. 

My concern, however, is that there is still a lot of vaccine hesitancy out there, and it seems that the people who do not practice physical distancing and do not wear masks are also the most likely to reject vaccination, unfortunately. Therefore, I really think that these first set of doses could have the most impact if they were distributed to very specific workers that are on the front line of this pandemic, that is: the healthcare workers, child care workers, elderly care workers, and social workers.

Does the good news about the Pfizer vaccine bode well for other similar vaccines in development?

Connor: I think so, but we are in uncharted territory on much of this vaccine development.

Douam: Yes, definitely, but we have to wait to see what will be the definitive effectiveness of this vaccine, and how the effectiveness of other vaccines will compare. If the Moderna vaccine (or other vaccines) have an effectiveness of 95 percent, this is huge, as 5 percent can represent several million people. I am curious to see how other biotech/pharma [companies] are going to react to the Pfizer announcement. Are they also going to communicate their non-definitive percentages of [vaccine] effectiveness as fast as they can? Or are they going to wait a bit longer to provide the public with a definitive/final percentage of effectiveness, [which could be] as good or even better than [Pfizer’s] 90 percent?

We also have to keep in mind, as I mentioned before, that this is just version 1.0 of a vaccine, and we still don’t know how protective it is over months and years—and we will not know that before months and years have passed—which is why I think that the vaccine is going to be a constant work in progress over the next few years. I would not be surprised if we were to be given vaccine shots on a yearly basis with a new version of the vaccine every year. [This would] avoid taking the chance of the overall immunization going down, because this virus is going to stick around no matter what.

Will the vaccine’s design—needing two doses, requiring cold storage—hamper its ability to be quickly and broadly distributed?

Connor: Indeed it will.

Douam: This is why I was talking [about this being] vaccine version 1.0. Right now, we need something quick and that works. We would take anything that works. But the vaccine race will not stop after that, as there are still challenges associated with these [initial] vaccines. The first one is the percentage of effectiveness that I was talking about before. The second is the vaccine’s stability and transportation; mRNA vaccines [like Pfizer’s] are easy to make and [can provoke a good immune response], but they are less stable than other vaccines. They require dry ice for transportation, which would suggest that we might face a shortage of dry ice soon. If a company can make something as easy to produce, but easier to transport, the Pfizer vaccine will become obsolete. 

The third [factor here] is the [Pfizer vaccine’s] booster requirement. It is complicated enough to vaccinate enough people once, so [having to vaccinate everyone] two times makes it harder. Getting rid of a booster shot is, to me, the most pressing thing that will need to be fixed by the next versions of the vaccine.
 

• Editor, The Brink

  Kat J. McAlpine is editor of The Brink, Boston University’s news site for scientific breakthroughs and pioneering research. Kat has been telling science stories for over a decade, and prior to joining BU’s editorial staff, publicized research at Boston Children’s Hospital, Harvard University’s Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering, and the University of Connecticut’s School of Engineering. Profile
  
  http://www.bu.edu/articles/2020/what-does-pfizers-vaccine-news-mean-for-the-coronavirus-pandemic/

 

14 hours ago, paco said:

I started to slowly stock up on items in preparation of a shut down.   

I don't think it will happen. I mean, it probably should if we want to make it through the winter in one piece, but I think it's become politically untenable and we're just going to have to hold our own **** together for the foreseeable future.

Stay safe.

7 hours ago, Smokesdawg said:

My kindergartner is ending a 7 day quarantine on Thursday because of a positive test in his class (the kid hadn’t been in the last for the prior week). 
Tonight, we get a call from the mom of our 3rd grader’s best friend... he lost his sense of taste tonight and they are awaiting test results. So, I’m sure that we are in for another quarantine and hopefully my kid doesn’t get it. Thankfully the kid hasn’t been coughing or sneezing yet but he does sit at my kid’s lunch table (spaced out), which is the only time they have their mask off. 
My wife wants to pull the kids immediately but I’m not sure. I don’t know if there has been a lot of school transmission and our kindergartner loves his teacher. If we pull them and go fully remote, we have to switch teachers. 
Ugh.... this winter is going to suck. 
 

My preschooler caught a cold in September. Transmission is definitely possible. I'm gonna keep pushing my wife on it, with a vaccine around the corner, I'd rather just err on the side of caution rather than live with the regret. 

43 minutes ago, EaglesRocker97 said:

I don't think it will happen. I mean, it probably should if we want to make it through the winter in one piece, but I think it's become politically untenable and we're just going to have to hold our own **** together for the foreseeable future.

Stay safe.

The way I look at it is, if I don't need it, then I keep my costs down in the spring as we go through all the canned goods, paper products, etc.  But if I need it, my family is good.

3 minutes ago, paco said:

The way I look at it is, if I don't need it, then I keep my costs down in the spring as we go through all the canned goods, paper products, etc.  But if I need it, my family is good.

I'm pretty sure the money I've saved not eating out has gone to collecting wine. I bought a 52-bottle wine chiller on sale back in June. I know who I'm hanging out with this winter, lol.

I didn't think we'd see lockdowns again, but I feel like there's some kind of modified lockdown/restriction coming here soon if case numbers don't get under control.

1 minute ago, Dawkins 20 said:

I didn't think we'd see lockdowns again, but I feel like there's some kind of modified lockdown/restriction coming here soon if case numbers don't get under control.

It'll be dictated by healthcare capacity. If the hospitals in your area are getting flooded with covid patients, then the governor will have no other choice. A lot of people seem to think these decisions to issue stay at home orders are done arbitrarily or are politically motivated but that's just not the case. They are trying to stem the tide that otherwise would've crushed hospitals. Nobody wants to see a lockdown more than the doctors and nurses that are working themselves to the bone.

Here’s where the counties of PA stand per the Department of Health 

22 minutes ago, we_gotta_believe said:

It'll be dictated by healthcare capacity. If the hospitals in your area are getting flooded with covid patients, then the governor will have no other choice. A lot of people seem to think these decisions to issue stay at home orders are done arbitrarily or are politically motivated but that's just not the case. They are trying to stem the tide that otherwise would've crushed hospitals. Nobody wants to see a lockdown more than the doctors and nurses that are working themselves to the bone.

Hospitalizations/deaths/ICU/vents are increasing pretty rapidly here now. I know the healthcare system has said that they have the ability to expand capacity even further in hospitals, but I'm just a bit wary at what things will look like a month from now if the number of daily infections aren't curbed. Right now, Ontario is averaging more than double the amount of daily positive tests as it was during the first wave. The positivity rate yesterday was north of 5%. Not great.