Pestilence or: How I Learned to Worry Constantly and Live with COVID

[Equium Duo]

More data from the EU:

[Sacul]

Remember the Dutch riots last weekend?
In a amazingly quick and most likely record holding speed the first 2 rioters already got their sentencing done. 5 months jail time. A standard verdict for a offense like that, throwing stones at police, would be 60 hours community service and maybe a few weeks jail time.

Lots of crocodile tears and 'that wasnt like me', 'i really dont understand why i did that' etc. Pictures were crystal clear tho, multiple stones at police, ambulance, firefighters, flipping the finger at camera people from the news.

Get rektd and think about your dumb actions for a month or 3 (good behaviour and all will get you out quicker and a ancle bracelet). No sympathy at all for those rioters.

[Lallante]

Longtime family friend reported that his son died of COVID. Father and son not vaccinated, both were overweight, son had mild asthma. Son leaves behind two young daughters.

Aunt has covid, says it's not a joke. Says she's getting better. Not vaccinated.
A month or two ago, her brother got the Pfizer shot (and sheepishly admitted it when asked by my father) after his wife got covid and was hospitalized. She was not vaccinated.
I do not know the vax status of the rest of my dad's side of the family, but they're mostly hard-core Republicans, so I have a good guess.

Dad has his booster shot scheduled. He's debating whether he should get a third Pfizer shot or get a Moderna one. I will probably be getting a Pfizer shot after getting two Moderna shots.

Three people in my workgroup got booster shots this past Friday, two of them were knocked out for about a day.

I literally havent met anyone who admits to being unvaccinated or even about having reservations. Howcome you have so many in your sphere of influence?

Do you know many people who think Brexit is a good idea?

No basically none

[Lallante]

Longtime family friend reported that his son died of COVID. Father and son not vaccinated, both were overweight, son had mild asthma. Son leaves behind two young daughters.

Aunt has covid, says it's not a joke. Says she's getting better. Not vaccinated.
A month or two ago, her brother got the Pfizer shot (and sheepishly admitted it when asked by my father) after his wife got covid and was hospitalized. She was not vaccinated.
I do not know the vax status of the rest of my dad's side of the family, but they're mostly hard-core Republicans, so I have a good guess.

Dad has his booster shot scheduled. He's debating whether he should get a third Pfizer shot or get a Moderna one. I will probably be getting a Pfizer shot after getting two Moderna shots.

Three people in my workgroup got booster shots this past Friday, two of them were knocked out for about a day.

I literally havent met anyone who admits to being unvaccinated or even about having reservations. Howcome you have so many in your sphere of influence?

Maybe you live in a bubble.

Yeah I guess so.

[Equium Duo]

I know of both, none of whom will benefit in any way from either scenario. Madness!

[Nordstern]

Longtime family friend reported that his son died of COVID. Father and son not vaccinated, both were overweight, son had mild asthma. Son leaves behind two young daughters.

Aunt has covid, says it's not a joke. Says she's getting better. Not vaccinated.
A month or two ago, her brother got the Pfizer shot (and sheepishly admitted it when asked by my father) after his wife got covid and was hospitalized. She was not vaccinated.
I do not know the vax status of the rest of my dad's side of the family, but they're mostly hard-core Republicans, so I have a good guess.

Dad has his booster shot scheduled. He's debating whether he should get a third Pfizer shot or get a Moderna one. I will probably be getting a Pfizer shot after getting two Moderna shots.

Three people in my workgroup got booster shots this past Friday, two of them were knocked out for about a day.

I literally havent met anyone who admits to being unvaccinated or even about having reservations. Howcome you have so many in your sphere of influence?

Bold of you to assume I can influence them. Detente was achieved decades ago in my father's family by not discussing politics.

[Arkaday]

I'm a few weeks out from being boosted, live in a rural community and my immediate family is all within an hour or two drive. I'm one of the five people vaccinated and I think the only one with a booster shot and who masks in public. Decided to give the holiday a spin. Listening to my family swapping Covid stories was wild. Not a one of them seems to understand they can get it again. One of my mother's siblings is absolutely wrecked a month out and not even 50. Even used the phrase "being sick isn't something you worry about until you're fucked up"

Not a shred of reflection from any of them.

[helgur]

New variant that spreads even more than the delta variant emerges in South Africa. Stock markets in a nosedive. The nightmare evolves yet again.

[depili]

TBH actually reading the news is that there are now ~10-20 cases of the new variant seen and only thing about it that is certain is that it has more mutations than other seen so far. There ain't real actual data on if it spreads faster or evades vaccine protection. But feel free to panic if you feel the need.

[helgur]

TBH actually reading the news is that there are now ~10-20 cases of the new variant seen and only thing about it that is certain is that it has more mutations than other seen so far. There ain't real actual data on if it spreads faster or evades vaccine protection. But feel free to panic if you feel the need.

You forgot the

There's a lot of uncertainties about the new variant, but there's reasons to be worried. In the Gautang province SA, the amount of positive tests have increased from one percent to 30 in 3 weeks. It's about to outcompete the deltavariant very rapidly. It's also spread to Hong Kong apparently.

[Zeekar]

The variants will continue untill immunity improves!

[El Capitano]

There was one case in Hong Kong (obviously so far) and it was contained because of quarantine.

[Hel OWeen]

New variant that spreads even more than the delta variant emerges in South Africa. Stock markets in a nosedive. The nightmare evolves yet again.

To visualize that (but pls note the disclaimer):

[Maximillian]

The only way a new variant out-competes the established variant is by being more infectous. Doesn't mean that it is more deadly, just that it spreads faster and once someone has Covid they die or recover with a degree of immunity.

Also as vacination & recovery immunity rates increase natural selective pressures will favour the fast spreader virus.

The big test will be if it increases hospitalisation rates over Delta, and it is too soon to make that determination.

So basically Covid will keep getting more and more infective until the pool of vulnerable people shrinks to the point where the virus burns itself out.

[Hel OWeen]

Considering how poorly Germany currently handles the whole situation, I bet Germany manages to breed its own more infectious variation. And yes, I'm looking at you, Saxony!

[Jori McKie]

Germany is fucked, numbers are insane infections, icus etc etc.

I'm personally on the brink of punching unvacced co workers (actually every unvacced person) in their face. We have/had a smallish outbreak in our company. 4 Dudes all vacced with 2 shots got covid and so far all are well and not in hospital. Shouldn't that be enough trigger for the last remaining unvacced ones to get their shots but fuck no "my immune system will handle it, it's just a cold, microchips, 5g, whatever..." i can't hear it anymore.

Yes, i'm fucking angry. Then i read the news about that new variant from south africa and this one might, again might be the one (escape variant, means vaccines aren't working on it). So far 24 serious mutations and especially lots of them on the spike protein. Spreading potential 30-50% faster than Delta... Hallelujah

Mandatory vaccination can't come soon enough and i hope the fines/restrictions for unvacced people will be high/lots. Actually do it like Italy, not vaccinated can't get to work, period.

[Zekk Pacus]

Longtime family friend reported that his son died of COVID. Father and son not vaccinated, both were overweight, son had mild asthma. Son leaves behind two young daughters.

Aunt has covid, says it's not a joke. Says she's getting better. Not vaccinated.
A month or two ago, her brother got the Pfizer shot (and sheepishly admitted it when asked by my father) after his wife got covid and was hospitalized. She was not vaccinated.
I do not know the vax status of the rest of my dad's side of the family, but they're mostly hard-core Republicans, so I have a good guess.

Dad has his booster shot scheduled. He's debating whether he should get a third Pfizer shot or get a Moderna one. I will probably be getting a Pfizer shot after getting two Moderna shots.

Three people in my workgroup got booster shots this past Friday, two of them were knocked out for about a day.

I literally havent met anyone who admits to being unvaccinated or even about having reservations. Howcome you have so many in your sphere of influence?

Maybe you live in a bubble.

Yeah I guess so.

I work in healthcare.

At the moment there is a LOT of pushback from support and allied professional grades about the mandate that's coming in for NHS staff and contractors.

Doctors? Very little to none, not that I have a lot of direct exposure to the doctors.

Porters, Domestics, HCAs, Doctor's Assistants, Nurses? Everyone of those bands has a vocal minority that's refusing to get vaccinated and assuming the government will fold and cancel the demand because we'd lose too many staff.

[Equium Duo]

I just dont understand why?

I have some relatives, and as they smoke or drink or whatever else. They smugly tell me that I "don't know what is in the vaccine" like some sort of GOTCHA moment.. mad

[Zekk Pacus]

Your guess is as good as mine.

Personally I blame social media.

[Jori McKie]

Your guess is as good as mine.

Personally I blame social media.

^^ That and some people are just stupid.