Vaccines - the graphenes of the COVID world - VeloNation - Cycling Forums, Bicycle Forums, Community Forums

Posts:3180

12/22/2020 02:09 PM
https://www.nytimes.com/2020/12/21/upshot/after-vaccine-recommendations-experts.html?campaign_id=9&emc=edit_nn_20201222&instance_id=25294&nl=the-morning®i_id=119138258&segment_id=47564&te=1&user_id=a1d9a383c87e899abb6914a995b92637 From that article: "During the pandemic, experts have asked people to think of themselves as having a risk budget: If you spend some of that limited supply by engaging in riskier behaviors, you will need to cut back in other aspects of your life. Vaccines can expand an individual’s risk budget, Professor Lofgren said. But they do not make the budget infinite: If you travel to see friends, you might still want to offset that decision by avoiding indoor restaurants." Graphene in tire rubber - using the 6 pointed star and weighting each point for that tire's performance (rolling resistance, grip, feel, flat resistance, mileage, etc - I have long felt those weights, expressed as a number, add up to a finite sum; that increasing say rolling resistance come as a cost to grip. Flat resistance comes at a cost to almost everything else. Graphene changed the sum. You could now improve everything a touch or some things quite a lot, but the balancing act is still there. Vaccines - the risk factors are now far lower but still there. It's still 1 in 20. (95%) We may still be contagious after recent exposure even if we don't get sick. To sum up in six words. Wet roads are still wet roads. (I saw an interview with a woman who wrote the book just out on Dolly Parton. She was asked to sum her up in 50 words. Paraphrase. The opposite of Donald Trump in every way! I think she used about 4 more words.)

mondonico

Posts:158

12/22/2020 07:22 PM
Not the sharpest knife in the rack. But does not matter, when I get the vaccine I'm still planning on behaving like I have for the last year, for at least another year.

Posts:2881

12/23/2020 12:22 PM
Testing positive and being contagious are not necessarily the same thing - I hope smart people are working on sorting this out.

Posts:4209

03/16/2021 11:32 AM
Got the 1st Moderna shot this AM....very relieved to get the process started, mostly just to protect my wife. Added bonus - looks like Iceland has the virus under control, and with getting vaccinated, there is no quarantine requirement now. So it is looking increasingly positive for me to do The Rift this year.

Just say "NO!" to WCP!!!!

Posts:3180

03/16/2021 12:57 PM
Good for you! I'm on the list, in the current pool but still waiting. My housemate got his first Sunday. He's a high risk so that's good. I'm hoping to get Moderna also, not because it matters but because it's "homebrew" and Donald Trump's complete opposite lent a real hand when it mattered. (The celebrity with the oh-so-pure voice and the huge heart.)

Posts:4499

03/16/2021 12:58 PM
Looking like July or August here in Canada. They are doing the 90 year olds not in care homes now. I think they’re done the care homes.

Posts:2881

03/16/2021 02:54 PM
Why so slow in Canada?

Posts:4499

03/16/2021 04:27 PM
No domestic production. The slowdown has been in supply chain, not delivery. Canada hedged their bets on multiple vaccines some of which were approved later than others. Things coming in from US side also have been particularly tardy. Maybe you're mad at us because we still won't allow US cruise ships to moor in BC which is really painful for Alaskan economy (haha). Things are starting to ramp up now that the supply issues have been resolved. Seems pretty similar to pace in Europe, my parents (early 80s) are up next week in NL. Then again, the urgency wasn't as great in US where fragile health care system has been totally overwhelmed. Our public system seems to be doing just fine, even when second wave was at it's peak. That second wave was brought under control so despite the slower vaccine delivery were not in a bad spot.

Posts:4499

03/16/2021 07:50 PM
Just looking at stats at home with my wife. Aussie and New Zealand have barely vaccinated anyone (0.2%). Of course they also don’t have any cases to speak of. Seems the urgency is inversely proportional to the case load. CK - good luck w the Rift. I think travel will remain challenging for a while still. I am banking on visiting family sometime in fall early winter.

Posts:2881

03/16/2021 09:38 PM
I am eagerly planning a moto tour in Canada late summer but Ottawa is keeping the brakes on visits from their crazy neighbors, which I used to get but for late summer 2021 no not at all. I'm vaccinated and have antibodies. I am no more likely to infect a Canadian than the man in the moon. How about a little common sense here. Poking every potential American visitor in the eye may be good short term politics, but IMO dumb to unnecessarily exclude - and piss off forever - potential tourists with money to spend. Ditto the week in Temblant my wife wants and the week at Whistler I want next winter. Screw me now for no good reason and it would be hard to forget. Related: The US government has decided to stay out of the Covid passport biz, I assume only to avoid riling the large tin foil hat segment of our populace who aren't so sure about that Socialist vaccine. Jeez.

Posts:4499

03/16/2021 10:12 PM
You can’t open the border piecemeal is the short answer, impossible to police and control. So it remains shut until it fully reopens, which will take time for vaccinations to complete on both side of border. I’m not even sure Whistler or Tremblant care too much. Whistler has been hopping this winter as have a lot of vacation spots. Domestic travel has replaced the international visitors. The cruise depending industry seems to be main exception. So you’re just going to have to park the misplaced indignation and be patient. Btw - we had some outbreaks in care homes that were vaccinated. Being vaccinated does not prevent transmission risk. The consequences of the outbreaks were mild, that changed. https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/23-cases-of-covid-19-identified-in-outbreak-at-kelowna-care-home-where-most-residents-staff-vaccinated-1.5951130

Posts:4209

03/16/2021 10:28 PM
CK - good luck w the Rift. I think travel will remain challenging for a while still. As of now, organizers are very optimistic about it happening. And Iceland has said that if you have had the vaccine, there will be no quarantine on arrival (which had been 5 days). We’ll see...fingers crossed. Have a flight and rental van booked and hotel reservation, as well. We’ll need to out a deposit down next month on the hotel, I think.

Just say "NO!" to WCP!!!!

Posts:3180

03/16/2021 10:29 PM
Posted By Orange Crush on 03/16/2021 10:12 PM ... Btw - we had some outbreaks in care homes that were vaccinated. Being vaccinated does not prevent transmission risk. The consequences of the outbreaks were mild, that changed. https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/23-cases-of-covid-19-identified-in-outbreak-at-kelowna-care-home-where-most-residents-staff-vaccinated-1.5951130 Yup. Graphene. Really, really good stuff but not magic. We still get flats. Tires still wear out. It's still the balance between rolling resistance, grip, damage control, weight and feel.

Posts:4499

03/16/2021 11:28 PM
Yeah Island obviously has a lot riding economically on opening back up. Same w Hawaii. Despite all other closures there’s still weekly flights headed there.

Posts:4499

03/16/2021 11:57 PM
Btw it reads as if a volcanic eruption may be imminent. https://in.news.yahoo.com/iceland-hit-40-000-earthquakes-080220950.html

Posts:4209

03/17/2021 09:38 AM
Yeah, I saw that last week....despite the fact that we are riding around the most active volcano in Europe (Hekla), all the seismic activity is in the Reykjavik peninsula, over 100 miles away. But if there are eruptions leading up to the race, it could prevent planes form arriving obviously. We'll see....I'm sitting at 50 / 50 right now, where I had been 30 / 70.

Just say "NO!" to WCP!!!!

Posts:3180

03/17/2021 04:34 PM
CK, you're wavering on earthquakes and volcanoes? Come on. This is mountain biking. All that stuff does is raise the level of difficulty a notch or two. More merit badges you get to bring home. How many of your friends have ridden a magnitude 7 without dabbing? Bunny hopped a lava flow?

Posts:1767

03/17/2021 07:00 PM
Norway is locked down. Sure hope it opens up for our tandem cruise in July. Booked one of the Santana Adventure trips. Smallish new ship, 100 couples, around the coast of Norge and hopping off at the various ports to ride 30- 40- 50 mile routes.

Posts:2881

03/17/2021 07:47 PM
Just a thought about ski areas making money: lots of sold lift tickets and rental equipment is good, but much of the profit comes from the bars, restaurants and lodging. A local place I frequent had a banner year of folks on the slopes, but all their restaurants were shut down and they will take a large loss this year. As for the EU halting the AZ vaccine, it's just lunacy. The downside of this reaction to extremely flimsy data is huge. If the US shut down Moderna and Pfizer because one in a million got anaphalaxis, the message would be clear: DANGER. The Euros, who usually have their sh*t together on public health, screwed the pooch on this one.

Posts:493

03/17/2021 08:35 PM
My wife and I got our 2nd dose of the Pfizer vaccine this afternoon. In two weeks, we can visit the daughter and the grandkids without reservation or masks. We were happy to get the Pfizer version for a couple of reasons: (1) The interval between 1st & 2nd is three weeks instead of four, and (2) I worked for Pfizer after Lederle/Wyeth was acquired. I know some of the people involved in the vaccine development, and I respect them. LSD - I agree, the EU resistance to the AZ vaccine on the basis of blood clots which occur at a rate comparable with non-vaccinated people doesn't make sense. However, AZ-Oxford did screw up their clinical trials and changed manufacturing sources between late-phase clinical product and commercial product without adequate bridging studies. The blood clot may just be an excuse.

Posts:4499

03/17/2021 08:58 PM
Whistler restaurants and hotels stayed open w distancing and other measures. They’d have lost business but it’s manageable. CK Would be interesting if you ended up being there during volcanic activity. Big Island 2016 (I think) was massively interesting. If tires heat up the water crossings will cool things down again. I’ve kept my ride plans local. Gold Bridge and Fernie should be good. The main risk factor is both are solidly grizzly country.

Posts:4209

03/21/2021 11:26 PM
Oh, there is volcanic activity now!!! https://twitter.com/anthonyquintano/status/1373787472493170695?s=12

Just say "NO!" to WCP!!!!

Posts:2881

03/22/2021 06:10 AM
AZ US trial results are just in and are excellent. Good news.

Posts:3180

03/22/2021 12:52 PM
I went on-line again to try to sign up. (Keep getting told I qualify but there are no appointments available.) Appointments were there! Grabbed the one I wanted and hit NEXT. The following button was to schedule the 2nd appointment. Hit it and got confronted with the first appointment again. Huh? Picked another choice. Got told there was an error. Called the phone number (the pharmacy # at the supermarket doing the COVID shots). Message said that pharmacy wouldn't take COVID calls. Showed up a half hour before the pharmacy opened. First (and only) customer. Said what happened. The pharmacist pulled up the COVID schedule, said she didn't see my name; that glitches happen and that she would call me in a day or so when an unused shot appeared. She seemed together and organized, so ... I don't know yet when my shot is coming but it might be soon!

Posts:4209

03/22/2021 05:10 PM
Good luck, Ben!

Just say "NO!" to WCP!!!!

Posts:3180

03/22/2021 07:51 PM
CK, got the call back soon after I posted above. Scheduled for Friday! Yeah! So second probably late April. Two weeks after that, early May - I can finally do all the stuff I haven't wanted to do, sight on seen, online. Yes, I still cannot be stupid, but an oops! - my housemate doesn't die and I don't see a hell followed by (perhaps) long term consequences. I've been thinking a lot recently about the concept of having only so many "get out of jail free" cards. I've used three already. (The big one, my head injury. Not wearing that Bell and it would have been very different. 2 years later I put full line voltage through my heart. Sweaty hand to sweaty hand. I was on a step ladder. Fully aware my body was paralyzed and my heart and breathing stopped. Managed to summon everything I had and "kick" just enough to push back beyond vertical. Fell for what felt like 10 minutes and landed flat on my back. The slam started my heart. Third time, a right turning truck. I was looking at the truck side, knowing that this was what my best friend's dad told us when we were 11, that if we were ever to see that, we were going to die. The truck straightened out when the passenger screamed. I never heard it. The was no sound that final moment. The driver never saw me.) So I've been thinking I really need to stay on my toes until I get those shots and they have taken effect. It's been getting old. I have one hour and a half or so each week of seeing people. The outdoor Saturday morning farmer's market. (Been going there 15 years.) That's fun. And we don't yet have great weather and huge crowds so I get to actually talk to these vendors who have become friends. I also go out once a week and do other shopping, but early and try to spend as little time indoors. I keep hearing how things are getting better but the numbers are hanging steady at the peak of last summer. With all the re-openings, I don't expect them to come down. So another month and a half of survival mode. But at least I can see the light at the end of the tunnel.

Posts:4499

03/22/2021 08:16 PM
The numbers are crawling up (increased variants at play) but (severe) consequences are going down, at least here. That’s vaccination at work. My shot at first shot got accelerated to May most likely now that everything is in place. Second shot sometime within 4 months later, following the Israel approach. Seems to work there. This seems to give best outcome at population level even though at individual level a closer timeline may be preferable.

Posts:4499

03/22/2021 08:18 PM
That volcano is turning out to be disappointing.

Posts:4209

03/23/2021 02:54 PM
CK, got the call back soon after I posted above. Scheduled for Friday! Great news!!! The numbers are crawling up (increased variants at play) but (severe) consequences are going down, at least here. That’s vaccination at work. Spot on. That volcano is turning out to be disappointing. As long as Hekla (where the race is) doesn't start rumbling, I'm OK with whatever volcanic activity takes place!

Just say "NO!" to WCP!!!!

Posts:2881

03/25/2021 08:36 PM
Chewing the fat here a bit. OC thanks for the link about infections among the vaccinated in an old folks home in BC. Some similar and more widely publicized events occurred in Quebec City and Montreal. I dug into it a bit and found that a common theme was that the positive tests mainly occurred less than two weeks after vaccination, i.e. before maximal immunity. The point being that the vaccines likely work even better in the elderly than these reports might suggest, if given enough time. More good news.

Posts:3180

03/25/2021 09:29 PM
Posted By Frederick Jones on 03/25/2021 08:36 PM Chewing the fat here a bit. OC thanks for the link about infections among the vaccinated in an old folks home in BC. Some similar and more widely publicized events occurred in Quebec City and Montreal. I dug into it a bit and found that a common theme was that the positive tests mainly occurred less than two weeks after vaccination, i.e. before maximal immunity. The point being that the vaccines likely work even better in the elderly than these reports might suggest, if given enough time. More good news. I'm thinking I don't get to let my guard down until 6 weeks from tomorrow. (Assuming a 28 day wait for the next shot if I get Pfizer.) May 7th.

Posts:493

03/25/2021 10:20 PM
Pfizer has a 21-day interval. Moderna (ie, modern RNA) has a 28-day interval. J&J is single dose.

Posts:4499

03/27/2021 07:04 PM
Good analysis LSD. Case load here starting to rise sharply. Doesn’t seem to be tied to changing behaviours. Must be variants.

Posts:3180

03/28/2021 12:20 AM
Got stabbed. Felt nothing yesterday. Woke up to a sore shoulder but otherwise fine (after a great, deep sleep). Rode to the farmers market feeling far better than I expected as I didn't have it yesterday on my pre-shot ride. Was hurting coming home but not surprised. (Downhill in, 550' home.) Started feeling tired mid afternoon so elected to take a nap with March Madness on the radio. Flu-like full body discomfort started up. Took two aspirin when it got to the point where I had to move every 30 seconds. Feel a lot better now 2 hours into the aspirin. (Aspirin is my miracle drug. I always feel better after taking it, even when the pain is one it cannot address.) So ... I didn't get the placebo. Hooray! Pfizer, yes I was told 3 weeks. Scheduled for my second April 16th. May Day, the Worker's day, my freedom day. I was thinking I'd get it early June. Thank you Mr. Biden.

zootracer

Posts:833

03/28/2021 09:34 AM
My wife and I have received our second Pfizer shot. Sore arm for a few days. Second shot I felt a little bit "loopy" a few hours later. Tired for a few days. My wife and I are past age 75. I sat outside in the sun while my wife was getting her shot and watched the parade of old folks shuffle in. Many were using walkers and some in wheelchairs. Some were struggling with breathing problems. Many had to be assisted. Some had to be driven in by vans. Made me feel fortunate to be heathy. Old age is no fun, but at least I am upright and mobile. Exercise is prolonging my life I think, but riding has become a lot more difficult. I stopped riding during the winter months as my old bones and joints can't handle the cold. Spring is hard for me. I still love riding. It's just become harder. I turn 79 this August. Enjoy what you have now. Keep the rubber side down. Zoot

Posts:3180

03/28/2021 01:09 PM
Zoot, my mom rode until she crashed at 85 and couldn't get enough strength back to ride fast enough to feel safe in traffic. The street she lived on and that I grew up on is intimidating and getting worse every year. My inspiration. That's another 17 years for me (although it is also the median lifespan of my dad's side males). So, if I can follow you, I'll be doing well.

Posts:4209

03/29/2021 03:06 PM
Thank you Mr. Biden. Elections have consequences.....isn't that what the GOP liked to spout for the last 4 years?

Just say "NO!" to WCP!!!!

Posts:4209

03/29/2021 05:54 PM
Good news just released re: the effectiveness of the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines * 80% effective against infection 2 weeks after the first dose * 90% effective against infection 2 weeks after the second dose I'm two weeks post-Shot #1, so I like this data!! https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/volumes/70/wr/mm7013e3.htm

Just say "NO!" to WCP!!!!

Posts:4499

03/29/2021 08:17 PM
Not all good news https://www.cbc.ca/news/world/us-officials-pandemic-warning-1.5968462 Sounds like you are seeing a gradual rise in cases again. Same gradual rise Canada and Europe saw a few weeks ago. In past week that gradual rise was replaced by exponential growth. Ontario is out of control. BC is at edge. So we’re tightening things again. Including full shutdown of Whistler Blackcomb to keep out domestic tourists. Sounds like in US largest rises are now seen near Canada border. That border isn’t opening anytime soon. Your case load is still higher though although we’re edging closer and closer. As Canada researcher put it recently. We now have two pandemics. The original virus which is well in control and variants which are far from under control. The Brazilian variant sounds like it is on a fast rise. It has high risk of reinfection. Also more deadly among youth. This is the one that scares experts at moment. It will be some time before we’re truly out of woods. Way too early to start celebrating and letting our guard down. For all I know the finish line could be another 2 years out. Don’t pull an Alaphillipe.

Posts:4499

03/29/2021 08:35 PM
Edit - Whistler is being closed precisely because of surge in P1 variant among its youth workers.

Posts:4499

03/29/2021 10:22 PM
Here’s a good and up to date analysis for those interested in nitty gritty. I’m reading Q3, Q4 as earliest return to normal depending where you are (and if things go well) https://www.mckinsey.com/industries/healthcare-systems-and-services/our-insights/when-will-the-covid-19-pandemic-end

Posts:4209

03/30/2021 09:52 AM
Yeah, I'm not celebrating anything except how effective even a first dose is against infection. The only thing I'll be changing in my behavior is that I feel comfortable joining a group ride at this point. Between the effectiveness of the vaccine and being outside, I feel pretty confident that there is only a very small risk in joining my normal group rides now.

Just say "NO!" to WCP!!!!

Posts:3180

03/30/2021 11:52 AM
A little fun with the vaccine effectiveness percentages. 2 weeks after the first - 80%. 2 weeks after the second - 90%. And standing there with pride - the anti-vaxxer 3%ers. In ten days I get to be an 80%er. (And no, it won't change my habits much. Just lower my level of worry a bit.)

Posts:4499

03/30/2021 09:04 PM
Interesting turn of events. With all the fuss around the AZ vaccine and BC getting a big shipment from US since it isn’t approved there, what was initially supposed to be a big push to get front line workers vaccinated using that batch is now getting redirected to the 55-65 year farts like myself so it doesn’t go to waste. So sounds like I’ll be on phone with pharmacy shortly to book an appointment much sooner than expected.

Posts:4209

03/30/2021 09:23 PM
Awesome news, OC!!

Just say "NO!" to WCP!!!!

Posts:3180

03/30/2021 11:24 PM
OC, so you're getting in line at the soup kitchen? (Supermarket XYZ had a surplus of lettuce. Brought us a truckload so this week we're doing salads.) Good for you! Is AZ a once or twice? Wait?

Posts:1767

03/31/2021 09:01 AM
#2 for me on Tuesday!! Side note, a sales rep I know and occasionally cross paths with is in Barnes Jewish hospital in St. Louis on an ECMO machine. Until 6 weeks ago a COVID skeptic and repeatedly mocked the reported numbers on social media. Now his family updates are filled with "Wear the mask!" "This stuff is real!" and other admonitions to pray, take this serious, etc. etc. I'm surprised at how angry I am at him when I should have more compassionate thoughts.

Posts:4209

03/31/2021 10:48 AM
I'm surprised at how angry I am at him when I should have more compassionate thoughts. I'm fairly infamous for posting a Tony Soprano GIF that has him shrugging and saying "What are you gonna do?" in these situations....easy to be cavalier and indifferent when it is someone you don't actually know. So I totally get that anger...and you can be both angry and compassionate simultaneously. They don't need to be mutually exclusive emotions. Glad to hear you are getting #2 on Tuesday. I'll be a week behind you...can't wait. Our two older daughters have both gotten their first shots, too....so we are 3/5 for family members. Mrs. CK still needs to wait at least another month before she can get one and our youngest daughter is only 15, so no vaccine for her until Aug. 1....but we are getting there.

Just say "NO!" to WCP!!!!

Posts:4499

03/31/2021 11:14 AM
Posted By Cosmic Kid on 03/30/2021 09:23 PM Awesome news, OC!! Good for me. Not so good for those who were supposed to get these shots. Curious what Plan B will be for them. In the end this is about getting our defense up as society so its the overall pace that matters.

Posts:4209

03/31/2021 04:46 PM
Fuuuuuuuuuuuuuck. 15M J&J doses ruined....all US future US production halted. https://www.nytimes.com/2021/03/31/world/johnson-and-johnson-vaccine-mixup.html

Just say "NO!" to WCP!!!!

Posts:2881

03/31/2021 05:58 PM
https://www.nytimes.com/2021/03/31/world/johnson-and-johnson-vaccine-mixup.html Netherlands 1 USA 0 (Gloating from OC is permitted.) Good news is that the anticipated doses from Holland are still coming. J and J subcontracted the Baltimore plant of another company that would have massively boosted supply. But dumbasses there ruined 2+ weeks worth and now it’s all stopped for a massive QC review.

Posts:2881

03/31/2021 06:07 PM
The F-up subcontractor Emergent Biosolutions’ stock had been taking a beating for a while. Just speculation, but I could see some manager in the trenches under huge pressure from above to go fast taking a dumb risk - just to make his or her boss happy.

Posts:4499

03/31/2021 06:19 PM
Posted By Frederick Jones on 03/31/2021 05:58 PM https://www.nytimes.com/2021/03/31/world/johnson-and-johnson-vaccine-mixup.html Netherlands 1 USA 0 (Gloating from OC is permitted.) Not sure what this is about (will read) but momentary gloating is about Germany 1 North Macedonia 2 (the real football - of course) The magical AZ distribution amongst 55-65 year olds turned into an uncontrolled stampede (predictably since there was no planning around it). Will wait it out until dust settles.

Posts:2881

03/31/2021 06:43 PM
Which is more gloatworthy?

Posts:4499

03/31/2021 07:30 PM
The football 100%. The vaccine production - we’re all in this together as long as it gets done. I’d put the unclogging of Suez above it as that required some out of box thinking. Whichever way we turn it a good week for the orange. Flanders win as cherry on pie?!

Posts:3180

03/31/2021 07:52 PM
I actually take this as inevitable but not disaster. Inevitable if we are going to ramp up production like we were building ships, planes and tanks in WW2. The disaster would be been to put this all through the usual FDA procedures and standards, even if the rollout happened perfectly. (WW2 had plenty of production screw-ups that cost American lives. I've read of a few. One I read recently was the B17s sent to England being equipped with machine guns lubed with oil contaminated with water. (Probably most of our infantry and tanks got the same guns.) At sea level, so what? (The guns probably got so hot the water boiled off.) But at 30,000 feet? That oil froze and the guns didn't fire. The mechanics knew. They stripped and re-lubed the guns on the new planes. But some got through. The book "A Higher Call" is about one of those B17s that had 2 guns working (of 11). The WW2 smashing success and total rush job, much like the vaccines, the P51 Mustang. Not perfect on rollout. Did what it was supposed to but speed and power were not better than OK. (The Allison in-line engine didn't have the massive power of an aircooled radial engine of the same size and weight.) Then some bright mechanic got the idea to rip that engine out and cram in the English Rolls-Royce Merlin. That turned it into one of the best propeller fighters ever and still left it with the capacity to fly from England, deep into Germany, do combat with excellent fighters that paid no penalty for range and fly home. (And luckily for the Mustang and the Allied world, a very poor decision was made in Germany to shelve the first jet fighter to concentrate on building bombers. The Messerschmidt 262. 100 mph faster than the Mustang. In equal numbers, it would have been a s*** show for us. Instead, we outnumbered the 262s 10-1 when it finally came out and Germany had lost most of the pilots skilled enough to fly them. Again - the importance of good pandemic/war decision making.) Screw-ups and all, we succeeded in producing ships faster than the Germans could sink them. Planes faster than they could be shot down. I like that we are taking nearly that approach now. (Two of the first things Joe Biden did was was get Merx (sp) to make the Pfizer vaccine and give J & J the go-ahead 2 days after the emergency approval. Granted, we won't really see the effects of this until fall. Too bad those talks weren't started last July but that's water over the dam.)

Posts:2881

03/31/2021 08:35 PM
Ben I enjoy and look forward to you your posts, but this is an inexcusable avoidable screw up at a critical time in our democracy. Like grounding 30000 liberators while the Nazis are close to an Abomb. PS: USA: f’in nazis Netherlands: thank you!

Posts:2881

03/31/2021 08:38 PM
Posted By Frederick Jones on 03/31/2021 08:35 PM Ben I enjoy and look forward to you your posts, but this is an inexcusable avoidable screw up at a critical time in our democracy. Like grounding 30000 liberators while the Nazis are close to an Abomb. PS: USA on 1940s:We hate Nazis, and will spill our blood to prove it. Netherlands: thank you!

Posts:2881

03/31/2021 08:44 PM
Posted By Frederick Jones on 03/31/2021 08:38 PM Posted By Frederick Jones on 03/31/2021 08:35 PM Ben I enjoy and look forward to you your posts, but this is an inexcusable avoidable screw up at a critical time in our democracy. Like grounding 30000 bombers while the Nazis are close to an Abomb. PS: USA in 1942: We hate Nazis, and will spill our blood to prove it. Netherlands: thank you!

Posts:4499

03/31/2021 08:44 PM
FWIW the Netherlands was mostly liberated by Canadian first army while USA spearheaded into Germany presumably to end war as quickly as possible and prevent commies from gathering too much real estate. In return we donate a bunch of tulips to Ottawa but that is really a ploy to sell even more of them.

Posts:2881

03/31/2021 08:52 PM
I’ve lost my skill in adding images to this thread, and as a veteran of the US armed forces I offer all respect to Canadian forces who liberated Holland. Respect. But google American cemeteries in Holland.

Posts:4499

03/31/2021 09:24 PM
Apparently there is one, in Margraten: http://www.abmc.gov/Netherlands I am very familiar with that one as I grew up near it and biked by it many times. Also the area of Amstel Gold Race. Margraten is in Limburg our Deep South. It would have been in trajectory of US forces push to Germany, ie part of famous Ardennes battles. The only reason we’re not Belgian is because Dutch king liked Maastricht, hence the appendix that is dangling from NL that is Dutch Limburg. As a kid I played in trenches and craters of this tank battle and dug up munitions in our back yard. My mom of course experienced it as a 4 year old in basement. If you end up reading link, Sint Joost is my hometown. This operation was run by Brits, about 30k north of Margraten. Everything further north was Brits and Canadian forces mostly I think. Of course they were still bogged down liberating NL when you guys were already in Berlin. That was done strategically. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Blackcock

Posts:3180

03/31/2021 10:15 PM
lsd, 15M doses isn't 30,000 Liberators. It's more like 3,000. We built 13,000 B17s, 18,000 B24s and 4000 B29s. 15M doses in the what? 150M? doses now delivered. A lot but not war ending. It's not like only the J & J can help us. This setback doesn't affect the other two vaccines at all. I got the numbers from this website. https://www.airplanes-online.com/wwii-bomber-production-numbers.htm#.

Posts:4209

04/01/2021 10:20 AM
an inexcusable avoidable screw up Agreed. In addition to the 15 million doses that are getting flushed, the plant in Baltimore was to produce "tens of millions" of doses in the coming weeks and would have played a significant role in getting us closer to herd immunity. The side effect is also then that we cannot ship additional doses overseas to help other countries out...specifically under-developed countries who need our assistance in getting vaccines. There was good news today however,,,the Pfizer vaccine has been shown to provide 90% efficiency in preventing infections (and 100% efficiency against death / hospitlizations) for 6+ months. We still don't know how long the vaccines will work or if booster shots will be required, but this is an encouraging development. It has also been shown to protect children 12-16 YO.....now we just need FDA approval for use in that age group.

Just say "NO!" to WCP!!!!

Posts:3180

04/01/2021 12:04 PM
Cosmic and lsd, I"m not saying this is excusable. Just that sometimes **** happens and trying to go this fast makes it more likely and the consequences higher. I like that we are going this fast. Like throwing race car drivers into F1s and making them race with zero practice. Bad things are going to happen when the stock car drivers hit the chicane. But if the world comes to an end if that winning driver doesn't cross the line with an average speed over 150, you gotta drive those cars. It didn't have to be quite this chaotic. We knew that when the vaccines got approved, it was going to be a massive rush. A lot could have been done ahead of time. Last summer, get the pharmas on board to agree to share facilities, etc. based on what vaccines get approved. Then start going to the facilities and impressing them that they may be drafted as part of a "war effort" and to be ready. Instead, we had silence from those in charge and a "let the market take care of it" approach. Each pharma was basically being told they were on their own to make the best decisions for their bottom line. That isn't spending time and effort on things that may never happen. With a "war effort" approach, you try to impress managers that this is real, everything matters. We saw in WW2 that we could produce good stuff at levels unimaginable before because everyone got on board. Now, we had been watching WW2 brew for a decade, then explode into war for two years before we entered so this thought line was well on the way. The pandemic happened much faster. More reason to be talking to the pharmas, even going to their plants and doing the best you can to have a COVID-safe "get ready!" rally and talk. Last summer. Again, thank you, Mr. Biden, for going so fast. And thank you, pharmas, even with screw-up now and the inevitable ones that will follow. Back to the race car analogy. Last July we knew there was going to be a race, we just didn't know the car type or course. So we let the drives do a few laps in F1s, a couple of drag race starts, laps in the best stock cars, laps in low powered formula cars, etc. So when the blindfolds come off, they recognize the car they are about to step in and race.

Posts:493

04/01/2021 09:55 PM
The J&J screw-up was relying on Emergent to produce their vaccine in the US. Emergent was also working on the AstraZeneca vaccine. Emergent received lots of funding from T's WarpSpeed and hired lots of inexperienced staff. The screw-up involved using A-Z components in the J&J product. According to the reports, this has been attributed to human error. In my experience in Pharma compliance and quality assurance, "human error" is a cop-out. Most times the process is not robust enough or training is insufficient. On the bright side, the screw-up was caught by J&J during release testing, so none of the contaminated batch made it to distribution, which shows that testing is comprehensive and only acceptable product reaches market. J&J now has more oversight on Emergent, and FDA is involved. When J&J resumes US production, it should be a safe product.

Posts:3180

04/01/2021 10:09 PM
smokey, I saw all of that but the Warp Speed funding and rapid hiring. Sounds like J & J is on the ball and that we get to chalk Emergent up as yet another Trump success story.

Posts:2881

04/01/2021 10:18 PM
OC, thanks for your post. Profound respect to your Mom, and to your countrymen. And the French, Belgians, Norwegians, and others who resisted and survived, and respect to their liberators. I cannot really imagine their grit and sacrifice.

Posts:1767

04/02/2021 08:19 AM
LSD +1. I lived in Norway in the mid-70's and had a few occasions to visit with some involved in the resistance. My brother-in-law's parents were in the Danish underground- never spoke of it until some European TV station tracked them down for a story. Their heroism is something few of us, and likely none of us, will ever have the chance to match.

Posts:4499

04/09/2021 06:40 PM
Posted By Cosmic Kid on 03/30/2021 09:23 PM Awesome news, OC!! Got the "we have booking appointments for tomorrow" email just now and am booked in for 3:10 pm tomorrow at a local pharmacy to get the AZ shot. Almost simultaneously a cycling buddy got a 2pm appointment at another pharmacy. We can compare notes and be blood clot buddies LOL (actually I have zero worries in that regard).

Posts:2881

04/09/2021 07:10 PM
More good news. Hope you get your shot soon. OC nailed it when he observed the original Covid is under control but the new strains not so much. Get vaccines in people's arms ASAP!

Posts:4499

04/10/2021 05:13 PM
First shot is in the arm. Second shot TBD as Canada in on the first dose for everyone priority route.

Posts:2881

04/10/2021 08:16 PM
Good for you, good for Canada for doing their best to manage, and I hope also your loved ones and neighbors. Injected deltoid likely will be sore. That's OK.

Posts:4499

04/10/2021 08:45 PM
I pulled something in that upper arm a few weeks ago that's been hurting since so the injection doesn't really change the hurt that was already there. More curious how I wake up tomorrow. Apparently the AZ side effects are mostly on the first dose and from our friend "oldfart" I heard that he'd been under weather a bit following his first shot. I did postpone my planned training ride from today to tomorrow. Maybe not wise. But at least all the yard work got done and it was a fine day for it.

Posts:1767

04/10/2021 09:10 PM
Dose #1 resulted in a sore arm for a bit, dose #2 seemed like no big deal, went to work at one of my rentals doing some painting and clean up between tenants. Next day drove to some appointment and made sales calls. Felt like crap the whole day, got home and was asleep by 6:00pm. Didn't wake up until my wife's alarm clock went off at 5:00am. Did ok after that.

Posts:4499

04/10/2021 09:58 PM
Yes for Pfizer and Moderna it’s the second dose that does it. For AZ it’s the first.

Posts:3180

04/10/2021 10:50 PM
Posted By Orange Crush on 04/10/2021 09:58 PM Yes for Pfizer and Moderna it’s the second dose that does it. For AZ it’s the first. I took a nap the next day feeling tired. About an hour later felt like I had the flu. Every position I tried to lie hurt. Finally got up because it hurt to much to nap. Took an aspirin and started feeling better. Couple of hours later I was fine. That was the Pfizer first.

Posts:4499

04/12/2021 05:02 PM
Haha - if that was Pfitzer dose one, that is promising for dose two Ben. But I am sure that results may vary. I woke middle of night yesterday with muscle and joint soreness, also had a hard time finding a comfortable position of lie down. A bit tired Sunday morning and couldn't go through usual stretching regime. Put some music on and relaxed. Then towards mid-day the sun came out, took some pain killers and got on bike. Rode 4.5 hours and been feeling perfect ever since.

Posts:2881

04/12/2021 06:13 PM
IIRC, try to hold off on the NSAIDS like aspirin, at least for a day, as this can dampen the desired immune response. Tylenol is supposed to be OK. IIRC.

Posts:4499

04/12/2021 06:39 PM
Ah interesting. I just read the part about exercise right after is fine "but you may not feel like it". It didn't mention painkillers but at any rate its Tylenol.

Posts:4499

04/12/2021 07:41 PM
Reads like the concern is largely hypothetical from older studies and it is mostly about taking painkillers before the injection which may dampen the body’s initial response. Well that didn’t happen lol. https://www.healthline.com/health-news/should-you-take-pain-relievers-after-covid-19-vaccine

Posts:1767

04/12/2021 09:25 PM
Being on anti-coagulants Mose otc pain relievers interfere with the drug I take. It's been almost three years since I've taken Advil or Tylenol, and close to ten since I've taken aspirin. I sure wanted something after #2, miserable due to the vaccine and overworking myself with some manual labor projects.

Posts:4209

04/12/2021 09:42 PM
Did your docs say no Tylenol, Dale? I was told only Tylenol, just no nsaids. Going for $4it #2 (Moderna) tomorrow. Heard you should pre-dose with a couple of Tylenol. Fingers crossed....luckily it is a rest / recovery week for me.

Just say "NO!" to WCP!!!!

Posts:1767

04/13/2021 08:29 AM
My INR is generally very stable but one day it was in the 5's (IIRR) and I did some digging and found some people get a heightened INR when warfarin is taken in conjunction with Tylenol. Generally it's with a higher dose over several days but with me it happens with a lower dosages and within a day which was the case when it spiked. That was the only deviation from my normal diet and activity levels so I just avoid that as well as NSAIDS. I've got some leftover Tramadol if I need something to take the edge off the pain. My wife is a CRNA so she has access to some good drugs is that doesn't work https://www.cmaj.ca/content/192/19/E506

Posts:4209

04/13/2021 08:49 AM
Gotcha.... Just took my pre-shot Tylenol....shot is in 90 min. Can't freakin' wait!!

Just say "NO!" to WCP!!!!

Posts:4209

04/13/2021 09:14 AM
FDA halts J&J shots at federal sites and recommends complete halt for now due to risk of blood clots. https://www.cnn.com/2021/04/13/health/johnson-vaccine-pause-cdc-fda/index.html 6 cases of clots out of 6.8 million doses......if offered the J&J vaccine today, I'd take it without hesitation. 99.9999% chance you won't develop a clot. If I told you I would sell you a lottery ticket with a 99.9999% chance of winning, would you buy it? Of course you would. The FDA is doing the right thing with the pause so they can get a precaution out there, but this should not make anyone question the J&J vaccine. But of course the anti-vaxxers will have a field day with this.

Just say "NO!" to WCP!!!!

Posts:4499

04/13/2021 09:34 AM
The lottery ticket is probably not a good parallel. Zero chance of negative side effects other than wasting a few bucks in that ticket. I’d compare it to things we do mindlessly but which carry a very very tiny lethal risk, like stepping in a plane or car. 99.99999% (probably a little less than that) you will end up at destination safely.

Posts:4209

04/13/2021 12:11 PM
Well, the point is the overwhelming odds of a positive outcome, not the severity of a potential negative consequence. You can choose whatever analogy you want, but if you are looking at a 99.9999% chance of a positive outcome, you'd take it. Shot #2 now done....full vaxxed!

Just say "NO!" to WCP!!!!

Posts:4499

04/13/2021 12:23 PM
But the fear and apprehension comes from that puny negative part. That is the part that needs to be put in context. The thing about positive part of vaccine is that if it works, you'll never know. Congrats on the second dose.

Posts:493

04/13/2021 02:21 PM
From the news reports I heard, all 6 were women in their 50s. The pause in administration is to have time to evaluate the cases to determine if there are any commonalities that could identify a heightened risk for clotting as part of the informed consent to accepting the vaccine. It's hard to do meaningful statistics with n=6. I just took my son (37) in for his first Pfizer vaccination this morning.

Posts:4209

04/13/2021 02:52 PM
It's hard to do meaningful statistics with n=6 Which is why the issue never came up in any of the trials....it is such a minute risk that you likely would never see it come up until you literally had treated millions of people. The risk of COVID is FAR greater than the risk of clots.... I appreciate the abundance of caution form the FDA, but context is important. As it is, people were already saying they would wait for the other 2 vaccines vs. taking the J&J. This will only make that situation worse....the best vaccine you can get is the one you get in your arm ASAP. If I was looking for a vaccine, I'd take the J&J w/o hesitation.....

Just say "NO!" to WCP!!!!

Posts:4499

04/13/2021 03:13 PM
"All six cases were in women between the ages of 18 and 48." https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/trudeau-closely-monitoring-johnson-johnson-1.5985580 That makes it read similar to instances AZ in younger women. If one thinks about it mechanistically instead of statistically, one might actually wonder about similarity in causes of these cases since both vaccines were designed on a similar premise. As opposed to Pritzer and Moderna which are designed on a completely different premise.

Posts:4209

04/13/2021 03:40 PM
one might actually wonder about similarity in causes of these cases since both vaccines were designed on a similar premise. That is definitely the prevalent thinking right now....

Just say "NO!" to WCP!!!!

Posts:2881

04/13/2021 04:08 PM
What I wish poobahs would add is the prevalence of these potentially catastrophic thromboses in the unvaccinated population. As near as I can tell, the vaccines roughly double the risk, 1 in 1M rather 1 in 2M

Posts:4499

04/13/2021 09:19 PM
Fear is a funny thing. Unless the scientists can paint a clear picture of cause and effects there’s no amount of percentages we can throw at it that will take away the fear. People will simply look at the articles on clotting risk, read about reasons for it not being understood and go naaaah I’ll wait for another vaccine , as little sense as that decision and fear makes. A full 50% of Canadians is apprehensive about AZ vaccine and after today presumably also about Janssen. Those same people will step on a plane without blinking an eye even though we know that sitting still for longer flights also increases the risk of DVT. Risk perception is not created equal.

Posts:2881

04/13/2021 09:46 PM
True dat, just like the Euros, the pooch was screwed here in the litigious USA. Ironically - but correctly I still fully and confidently believe - I steered younger and middle aged female family and friends to J and J, because of the theoretical issues for them with the mRNA vaccines that do not have a long track record, plus of course the one and done convenience. As for the latest news, surely they were far more likely to get hit by a car driving their shot than this serious but extremely rare potential complication.

Posts:3180

04/13/2021 10:56 PM
The odds of me dying going to get my second shot Friday is probably higher than my odds dying (or even just suffering serious consequences) from any of these vaccines. Despite that, I'll go. (But will step aside to allow someone else, especially someone of color, their first shot. But I'm signed up to get that shot at a supermarket pharmacy in a wealthy neighborhood. So stepping aside probably means someone of means gets their second.)

Posts:4209

04/14/2021 08:38 PM
Follow-up after 2nd shot....could not sleep last night. HR was +5bpm over normal and I could not relax. Finally dozed off around 4:30 and when I woke up 2 hours later, I was slightly achy. Couple Tylenol took care of that, but I was wiped from being up all night. Mostly laid around all day, with a few short naps. Feeling closer to normal now and expect to be normal tomorrow. Luckily this was a recovery week for me, so just an easy ride planned. My reactions to my shingles vaccines were worse than this.....not a big deal.

Just say "NO!" to WCP!!!!

Posts:2881

04/14/2021 08:45 PM
Agree about shingles - miserable! And tetanus boosters can be nasty, too.

Posts:2881

04/16/2021 09:33 PM
Latest on the J and J and AstraZ clot link, from a major poobah: "The risk of thrombocytopenia and the risk of venous thromboembolism after vaccination against SARS-CoV-2 do not appear to be higher than the background risks in the general population, a finding consistent with the rare and sporadic nature of this syndrome" So re open up the spigot and get shots in arms. So many vaccine doubters have hardened their positions based on this scary reporting. Which hurts us all.

Posts:3180

04/16/2021 10:18 PM
Got my second a few hours ago. So far no issues. Can't even feel the shot. So I graduate as a 90%er in two weeks. And be eligible to step up and get my second shingles shot. Then pneumonia. My year of the needle. (Not really. 45 years ago I used to go in every two weeks to get stuck in each arm to donate platelets; back when they wanted everything they could get for research. Those were the big bicycle spoke needles. 15 and 14 gauge.) I'll start doing more business in stores but plan to stick to the same mask and hand sanitizing/washing routines. (Funny, now that I am relatively safe, I have the really good masks and a sanitizer bottle that fits neatly in a shirt pocket - really handy!) And I've asked a woman at the farmer's market out for coffee after we are vaccinated. I'll have to wait for her. She might get hers late next month. I'll need to research a coffee place with a nice outdoors. I want to see this face I haven't seen unmasked for more than a year!

Posts:4209

04/17/2021 07:46 AM
Yeah, I have a nice supply of 3M N95 Aura masks and I am now fully vaxxed....but since I am also not changing my routine anytime soon (other than group rides), I’ll stil need ‘em. Good luck on the date, Ben!!

Just say "NO!" to WCP!!!!

Posts:4499

04/17/2021 10:56 AM
Yes it’s important to stick to the established distancing and contact limiting habits, if only to serve as an example function, until population vaccination levels are at a sufficiently high percentage. In BC we expect to have everyone receive their first shot by end of June at current pace so by summer should be able to relax measures somewhat. Second doses for everyone maybe by end of summer. The local team of experts continues to drill down into exposure numbers down the individual city and population group level for excellent adaptive management. https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/dix-two-weeks-two-months-covid-2021-restrictions-april-1.5991727

Posts:2881

04/17/2021 06:58 PM
Thanks for that update. last I read for Canada was late Sept. Good news. Potential bad news: the Brazil variant is here and may to some degree elude current vaccines. Or that's what the poobahs are chiming.

Posts:4499

04/17/2021 07:34 PM
Different parts of Canada could have different end dates as each province has their own strategy. P1 is now maybe dominant in BC and certainly it led to early Whistler closure. Variants are now 60% of overall cases here. Looking at the daily case count in US it is on a gradual rise. A similar slow rise started here about a month and half ago which signaled variants starting to take over. So keep an eye on those numbers.

Posts:2881

04/17/2021 07:42 PM
Good news is the rising numbers here are mainly among the young, who mostly do OK. Bad news is the variant incubator issue.

Posts:4499

04/17/2021 08:29 PM
Those two are tied. The young seem more susceptible to P1. That’s well established here in numbers we’re seeing. A big rise in hospitalization of younger age groups, a good percentage of them with serious effects.

Posts:2881

04/17/2021 09:09 PM
Sigh

Posts:4499

05/18/2021 06:18 PM
Canada has now caught up to US in terms of percent population with at least one dose. Some interesting looking graphs and analyses below. https://www.cbc.ca/news/health/canada-pandemic-turning-point-covid-19-1.6027497?fbclid=IwAR2-9Qjpfd0ebLEV7LH0sC7dpGxaSJDVdrgKGHi7BGnXgv4vliH4dCmr_TE A more normal summer will lie ahead but a full return to normal will likely only in in Fall once everyone has had their second shot. Despite the overall case counts cratering due to vaccinations, hospitalizations are still quite high due to variants having more serious effects. Kids will get their first shot end of this week so we will be a one dose family. Had a first garden get together with friends in over a year last weekend. Drank a bit more beer which then led to a very long unplanned bike ride the next day (100 miler).

Posts:2881

05/18/2021 08:46 PM
A lot of folks without vaccines have some or near total immunity due to prior infection, likely more here in 'merica than Canada for whatever reasons. It's complicated, but surely that version of immunity is contributing to the US's and to a lesser degree Canada's improving outlook. I remain super frustrated with US public health mouthpieces who dodge questions regarding to what degree natural immunity is contributing to our very welcome dropping infection rates that are approaching herd immunity. They reflexively mouth the fatuous observation that having had Covid does not 100% prevent future infection. Everyone knows that the vaccines don't prevent that either. I get they they are trying to stay on message (get that shot, previously infected or not!) but this dissembling enables the antivaxxers, which is the last thing we need.

Posts:2881

05/18/2021 08:49 PM
PS, did I make it clear that I am pissed off at these uberconservative Feds? They are enabling the anti-everything Fox News crowd and various other naysayers who abide in deeper and darker rabbit holes, which is bad for each and every one of us and our families.

Posts:4499

05/18/2021 08:56 PM
Contributions of prior infections to immunity is an interesting question. Had not thought of that. I can see the difficulty of capturing this. The contribution of vaccinations in dropping infection rates is a controlled test leading to reliable data. The impact of prior infectees in dropping rates is not a controlled test (unless of course we were to take a bunch of them and subject them to virus as second time, volunteers anyone?). That contribution would be less so here in Canada because our per capita infection rates were a lot less than yours. Anyway this doesn’t seem to be a topic of conversation here.

Posts:3180

05/18/2021 08:58 PM
Beginning to do "normal" stuff. Got a haircut! The woman who's been cutting my hair for a long time (17 years?) has seen me once since a year ago February when I stopped in to say hi and leave her a sealed envelope with the tips she hadn't seen. Took my tube amplifier to the best tube doctor in town. It's been a couple of years since I've seen him. (Tube amps are like senior citizens. All goes better when they have their personal physician.) I saw traffic and smelled car fumes. There were some real gifts buried in that forced vacation from modern life. I like that people are now saying they're vaxxed. Still almost everyone here wears masks when indoors and many outdoors. Yes, there will be those who aren't and say they are to take advantage of the opportunities. I'm predicting there will be enough spreader events that responsible businesses will have to start carding customers to have a safe workplace and not be part of the problem and that this will start the next uproar over freedom. The open talk of being vaxxed is going to start pressuring the undecided and "haven't gotten to it" types and maybe even convert an anti or two.

Posts:2881

05/18/2021 09:38 PM
Natural immunity is another area where our CDC has frankly dropped the ball. Yes prior infection does not confer lifeline long immunity. Neither do the vaccines. The poobahs are so focused on the valid "get a shot" message that they are undermining a bigger message that may enable various skeptics, antivaxxers, and other wingnuts that pollute the wider conversation.

Posts:3180

06/03/2021 07:57 PM
Yet another vaccine yesterday. Another sore arm, then a general feeling of nothing being right and assorted pains. Old injuries, throughout my hands and other parts of my body that have seen real work. Got shot in the shoulder with that nail gun so my shingles wouldn't get loose. (The rest of them. They nailed down the first ones back in January.) This one wasn't about protecting others. This one was selfish. I've seen shingles already. When I was too young under the old guidelines for the previous vaccine. That time I saw the characteristic ring of spots as I was getting into riding gear at work to commute home. Thought I'd ask the nurse about them since I walk right past medical on the way to the bike stands (and shower there every bike commute morning). Now I was dressing in a good sized bathroom, several feet from the sink and mirror. The spots were obvious. Had I been home using my far smaller bathroom, missing them for days seems very likely. (I never got the itches or pain from them that many report.) That nurse wouldn't let me leave until I'd called my doc and got an appointment the next day. (Took her a minute to diagnose me and my doc about the same.) Both stressed I had to get the medicine within 72 hours of first symptoms and since most of us aren't spending our days undressed in front of mirrors, most of us don't know when that window opened. Later, my mom told me of the stories of her mom and her aunt. Aunt didn't trust doctors. She'd had a botched surgery as a young woman that locked her knee straight for the rest of her life. Didn't go to the doc to address the spots. Went through 3 months of pure h***. Her sis later saw her spots and right away went to the doc and went through a few weeks of discomfort as I did. So I am almost done! One more vax. Pneumonia. Then next fall, probably the latest flu. The year of 5 vaxes and one more to go, hernia repair, colonoscopy. Red Cross wants me to give blood and platelets. (Cancer procedures that have been on COVID hold are happening.) I really don't want to see another needle, especially those big ones. I do have fatty lumps in several places that have been there for years/decades that I want to get rid of. Probably next fall when my arms won't be seeing sunlight. Yes, another procedure, but one with the payoff of a slightly better, more comfortable life. (I'll look better in a bathing suit also!) Can't really complain. My high school classmate has as many titanium knees as I do bikes plus a hip to offset my ti seatposts and stem. (I like that stuff. And I like putting it where I can see it.)

Posts:4499

06/07/2021 11:31 AM
OK, I will have to make work of that shingles vaccine too. Coming fall/winter most likely. Any other old agey type shots I should think about? I have all the usual vaccinations one gets as kids. Meanwhile just booked Covid-shot two for tomorrow evening. Astrazeneca again because that is first opportunity that came up. Ironically I should be eating cake at time of my booking as it will be my 56th but I will take this instead and cake later. Still waking up when I booked I thought it was for today. 56th also means 40th year of road riding and 50th year of bike commuting. BC is now making quick work of the vaccination race. Around 80% have received dose 1 and rapid progress is being made on second doses. Plan is to be fully back to normal by September with closely monitored intermediate metrics next week and early July.

Posts:3180

06/07/2021 01:21 PM
Actually you kinda got the timing right. I felt a lot better after my shot than I did the next day. The first date they wanted to give me for my colonoscopy was my birthday. I was very quick to say no!

Posts:4499

06/09/2021 07:41 PM
No side effects from AZ dose 2 other than a mighty sore shoulder.

Posts:2881

06/09/2021 08:28 PM
Hey OC, Please nudge your PM to open the US border. He is confusing June 2021 with June 2020. Kinda embarrassing, frankly.

Posts:2881

06/09/2021 08:40 PM
The hospital I work at is down to a single Covid patient on a vent - haven't seen that in a looooong time. Still sucks for that poor person and his/her family, but we are getting back to baseline. Just like Canada will be in three weeks.

Posts:4499

06/09/2021 09:02 PM
Nope. We will not be dictated. Pace is good and being determined through interaction between feds and provinces. We’re not the political pinball machine that’s the us.

Posts:2881

06/09/2021 09:12 PM
Ha, you are a contrarian supreme! Kudos for consistency! More US dollars will be diverted elsewhere.

Posts:4499

06/09/2021 09:20 PM
That’s cool. If there’s anything we’ve learned over last number of years it’s that the US cannot be relied upon. When you’re in an unstable relationship you gotta check for alternatives.

Posts:2881

06/09/2021 10:19 PM
The alternative being . . . less volatility and less money. Even the new ugly mericans (the Chinese) won't come close to refilling those coffers. But good on ya for poking eyes when it feels good. Lord knows the US deserves it. OTOH, cutting off one's nose to spite one's face has its downsides. Vancouver is so rich it won't care. Prince George? Fort Nelson? Whitehorse? Not so much.

Posts:4499

06/09/2021 10:43 PM
Oh those dollars will come back spite notwithstanding that’s the great irony of it. Most of the rural areas have pushed for the within province travel ban that remains in place (to be ended next week), they didn’t even want us Vancouverites coming over, let alone the US border which is seen as a real no brainer to be dealt with down the road. That is why our PM is taking it slow.

Posts:3180

06/10/2021 10:32 AM
So, Canada takes the US Declaration of Independence promise of "life, liberty and pursuit of happiness" as written, life coming first whereas we take it as "pursuit of happiness/money, liberty and life if it doesn't interfere with the first two". I always thought the authors got it right but then, I've always been a little different.

Posts:4499

06/10/2021 11:09 AM
Ben - that is basically correct. While it may seem that we are returning to a baseline (case loads are down but hospitalizations are still about a factor 2-3 above where they should be), variants could throw a wrench into this real quick so caution remains a golden rule, certainly as long as 2nd doses are still being administered. Nicely explained here: https://vancouversun.com/news/canada/race-is-on-for-canada-to-vaccinate-its-way-out-of-potential-fourth-wave-driven-by-delta-variant/wcm/a6ed93e1-2aeb-4972-bf79-386b83d3326e Emerging new variants will continue to remain a threat as long as global vaccination levels are low (currently at a meager 10% or so). So it will be 2023/24 before we are out of this thing as a planet. No use to rush anything.

Posts:3180

06/11/2021 11:30 AM
Edit: wrong thread!

Posts:4499

07/19/2021 02:59 PM
And here you go, border will open up Aug 9 for vaccinated individuals. Not surprising this coincides when Canada will have roughly completed the second dose administrations at current pace. https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/ottawa-border-measures-reopening-1.6107988 Probably too late to rescue tourist season (but lots of domestic tourism to make up and not sure folks should be coming west coast anyway unless they like inhaling forest fire smoke) but cross-border shopping which is huge for both sides of border will certainly pick up immediately.

Posts:2881

07/19/2021 05:52 PM
Word is biden told them the US would open unilaterally. Forced Trudeau’s hand.

Posts:4499

07/19/2021 06:29 PM
I'm sure that what mericans would like to believe haha. No, this has been talked about between provinces and feds over the last month and a bit; pretty much knew this was coming based on vaccination trajectories; that was always going to be the decision gate.

Posts:4499

07/21/2021 10:48 AM
Haha, I wonder whose hand is being forced. The US side was clearly not ready for Canadian announcement. Yes it may be unilaterally opened but from north side. Biden is getting roasted by his fellow democrats. https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/canada-us-land-border-1.6110800

Posts:2881

07/21/2021 12:32 PM
I stand corrected. It was Chuck Shumer NY senator among others who was pushing for a unilateral opening by the US.

Posts:4499

07/21/2021 02:32 PM
Anyway, all the politics aside, Delta is making life interesting. Case loads are slowly creeping up in both US and Canada again although not to a concerning degree at moment. But in Israel, Pfizer covid prevention effectiveness dropped to 60% with Delta in the mix which is maybe foretelling. And the Aussies which faired really well early on are now feeling the pinch of rolling lockdowns due to very slow vaccination rollout combined with Delta.

Posts:1767

07/21/2021 03:48 PM
and here I sit at ground zero for stupidity (SW Missouri) where we cling to our guns and religion and hate science. My youngest daughter and wife work at one of the hospitals that's frequently in the news over the number of people on vents. Frankly at this point I don't care if some hillbilly doesn't want the vaccine but if you get sick just stay home, don't burden the hospital staff, and if you die, then go ahead and do so without burdening the healthcare system (said in my best Ebenezer Scrooge voice). You have the 'Live free or die' attitude? Cool... knock yourself out.

Posts:4499

07/21/2021 04:34 PM
+10 Dale. Exactly. We have them too although a much lower percentage.

Posts:3180

07/21/2021 07:24 PM
Dale, doesn't your state have enough ammunition to simply shoot each virus, one by one? I'm sure a virus is no match for a 30-06 and these days, that's a toy.

Posts:4499

08/06/2021 07:14 PM
I believe this was a topic/ question earlier. Bottom line, even if you had Covid, vaccinating provides big time added protection. So no excuse not to get vaccinated. https://www.cbc.ca/news/health/covid-survivors-vaccine-protection-1.6132903

Posts:3180

08/06/2021 08:21 PM
When I see numbers like those in ICU or dead and the percent vax or no-vax, I compare the death rates. I keep seeing 90-95% benefit/reduction of the "big bads" for those vaccinated. Confirming in real-time the promised numbers from the testing for Pfizer and Moderna. I still see the vaccines as like graphene. There will still be flats, cuts, etc. Now, if we go to a super-spreader event, our odds of getting sick might be 1 in 100 rather than 1 in 5. An N95 mask takes these odds to 1 in 2000 as opposed to 1 in 100. (I'm flying to a wedding next week. Whole flight (except perhaps a quick eat) will be with a new N95. Wedding will be with all vaxxed or tested (barring liars , perhaps by omission; my family is pretty responsible). The vaccines aren't order of magnitude different/better than quality masks worn properly. Biggest advantage is that you can't leave the vaccine at home or get careless about wearing it. Biggest drawback - the sense of security. The bad places for N95s are bad places for the vaccinated. But with the vaccine you can still wear the N95. That level of protection never existed before.

Posts:4499

08/12/2021 02:38 PM
Another interesting read. Long Covid. Focused on Alberta but applies generally. https://www.cbc.ca/news/opinion/opinion-long-covid-alberta-1.6137349

Posts:2881

08/16/2021 10:27 PM
More from the "you can't make this sh*t up" news lead https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/aug/16/vaccine-skeptic-us-cardinal-raymond-burke-ventilator-covid Dang those true believers will never, ever get it. A friend of mine from high school, otherwise truly a smart guy, was very close to his 30 year old son, but recently lost that son to Covid. He lives in a low vaccination US state and frankly still doesn't get it, it was God's will etc. Sad, scary, and hard to believe all at the same time. Maybe some of that reality denying faith helped us help Europe defeat the Nazis and Imperial Japan but this is now and now is not great.

Posts:4499

08/30/2021 11:12 AM
Apparently the crazy resides in Canada too (OK, this is Alberta, our wannebee mericans) "Alberta feed stores inundated with calls for ivermectin over false claims livestock dewormer treats COVID" https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/calgary/ivermectin-alberta-covid-1.6157200

Posts:1767

08/30/2021 02:05 PM
Alberta = cold Texas. Story in the local paper about the farm supply stores around here having a run on ivermectin. I told my wife the story will only drive more business to them. "So THAT'S who's got it in stock! Marge, go get in the truck, we're heading to the feed store."

Posts:4499

08/30/2021 02:21 PM
OK, now I'm wondering if cat dewormer works too. We may have some in a cabinet somewhere.

Posts:493

08/30/2021 10:22 PM
Ivermectin is used in humans to treat river blindness and lice, not vaccine blindness and stupidity. The fidiots can't get it through Rx, so they go through other sources and don't pay attention to the dosage.

Posts:4209

09/14/2021 02:53 PM
They are now taking Betadine, a topical anti-bacterial, to treat COVID. Goddamn they are just fooking rubes.....

Just say "NO!" to WCP!!!!

Posts:1767

09/14/2021 02:58 PM
...but get the proven vaccine? Nah, too many unknowns

Posts:4499

09/14/2021 03:23 PM
Hey those mormon survivalists from Educated turned out to be an online global herbalist superpower. Through that lens it all makes sense.

Posts:3180

12/15/2021 12:26 PM
The latest from the CDC - against Omicron, 1st and 2nd shots, meh, but that booster! Pfizer and Moderna kill it! I like! Fully vaxxxed her. (Each x representing one shot. Next will be vaxl. Roman numeral system. If I get a booster every 6 months, in 10 years I'll be vacced.) I've done the Pfizer 1 and 2. Now the Moderna booster. I was thinking that I screwed up getting the Moderna because for a few days it seemed it was a poor choice for Omicron but apparently that's not the case. Ck - to relate to the thread title, I"m hoping these boosters are Corsa Speeds!

Posts:4499

12/15/2021 08:12 PM
If the Spanish Flu is any indication then we’re now roughly halfway through this thing. Sit tight. Based on South Africa the bad news about omnicron is that it will spread like wildfire and possibly we’ll see highest case loads yet. The good news is that people are leaving hospitals about as fast as they enter. Pfizer provides 30% protection against catching omnicron (pretty low number) but 70% protective against hospitalization (still good). Those are numbers before booster. Getting my booster tomorrow. First mRNA after first two were AZ. Brief scare for my kid at university. His girlfriend (that is new and wild stuff too) had a cold and then briefly couldn’t taste things. Test came back negative so Xmas can continue.

Posts:4209

12/15/2021 11:57 PM
Saw a report today where Fauci said that vax w/ boosters appears to be as effective against omicron as the original virus. But cases are definitely spiking everywhere….Cornell shut down their campus yesterday due to exploding cases. Had a fever since Sunday night….two negative rapid tests but finally got my PCR result tonight, which was also negative. How it takes almost 72 hours to get test results almost 2 years into this nightmare is beyond me.

Just say "NO!" to WCP!!!!

Posts:4209

12/16/2021 12:05 AM
Good thread here by the excellent Andy Slavitt. https://twitter.com/aslavitt/status/1471358851089768449?s=21

Just say "NO!" to WCP!!!!

Posts:2881

12/16/2021 03:20 AM
I’m thinking a J and J would be a nice booster for those of us who so far have had only the Pfizer and/or Moderna. Mix and match clearly boosts more arms of our immune systems. Can’t find J and J in my area, alas.

Posts:4209

12/16/2021 08:53 AM
The mix and match approach has not been proven…..at least not in the data that I have seen. But based on efficacy, I would avoid J&J at this point, especially as a booster. (And I don’t think J&J has been approved as a booster) If you want to mix and match, get Moderna if you had Pfizer or vice versa. I went with Moderna for all 3 shots.

Just say "NO!" to WCP!!!!

Posts:4499

12/16/2021 01:43 PM
BCs mix and match strategy was deemed a success. Of course it was bound to be deemed a success because that is strategy they had to apply with different vaccines becoming available at different times. So success is basically defined as accelerating the pace of vaccine rollout (rather than protection effectiveness), which is a fine definition IMO. Yes, 72 hours for a test is crazy. When I did my molecular test in Paris I got a result in 24hrs. My kids GF also got her result in 24. The problem with boosters is that at pace at which they're being rolled out is too slow to stop omnicron.

Posts:4209

12/16/2021 02:21 PM
I should clarify....when I said the mix & match approach had not been proven, I menat it had not been proven to be the "most" effective. It is absolutely effective and I would not hesitate to tell anyone to go that route. It is like trying to decide what the "fastest" wheel....who fooking cares? They are all fast these days so get the one you want. The differences are minimal...so get whichever wheel (shot) you can. Yes, 72 hours for a test is crazy. Which is the result of the labs being slammed with tests.....cases are rapidly increasing. You'd think we would have ramped up our testing capabilities as well, but.....shrug I have started to see some discussion that, if enough people can get vaxxed / boosted, omicron could represent the beginning of the end for COVID....a more highly contagious, but less virulent strain that becomes the dominant strain and chokes out the more deadly forms.....then COVID essentially becomes the cold or the flu. But the qualifier of getting enough people vaxxed probably kills any chance of that happening....sadly.

Just say "NO!" to WCP!!!!

Posts:4499

12/16/2021 07:13 PM
The trajectory of COVID will become more and more like the flu with or without vaccinations. The real question is how long we need to deal w mutations and how many more. That question doesn’t depend on domestic vaccination levels, it depends on getting people across the globe vaccinated. It’s high time for rich countries to help out the poorest countries that is in everyone’s best interest.

Posts:493

12/16/2021 08:22 PM
OC, as you know, people still die from the flu. As Covid progresses, CDC/FDA will have to guess/predict likely new strains to tailor the vaccines. Fortunately, the new Covid variants are characterized quickly with modern technology, which helps with vaccine refinements. https://cen.acs.org/pharmaceuticals/vaccines/Omicron-puts-scientists-red-alert/99/i44

Posts:4499

12/16/2021 08:30 PM
Posted By smokey 52 on 12/16/2021 08:22 PM OC, as you know, people still die from the flu. Yes agreed. I was merely commenting on CKs note that the COVID evolutionary trajectory towards something more flu like would be impacted by vaccination. It is the inevitable natural evolutionary trajectory of any virus in its quest to survive and multiply.

Posts:4499

12/16/2021 09:20 PM
Moderna booster it is. That and a loaf of bread and 4L of chocolate milk. But those are for the kid.

Posts:4499

12/16/2021 10:07 PM
Smokey - the problem with vaccine tailoring to new variants is that while it may be relatively quick it is still reactive and only gets done once there’s a new mutation. Then you have to distribute it, etc etc. The proper quest should be for universal vaccine but there’s precious little momentum on that front: https://www.cbc.ca/news/health/operation-warp-speed-vaccines-covid-1.6284038

Posts:4209

12/20/2021 11:18 AM
Both my boss and my sales guy tested positive over the weekend....thank god I did not go to the company Xmas party last Thursday. But obviously I was exposed through both of them...at-home test last night was negative and I have no symptoms. PCR test scheduled for Wednesday (5 days after my last encounter with them). Fingers crossed.

Just say "NO!" to WCP!!!!

6ix

Posts:485

12/20/2021 01:42 PM
Fingers crossed you don't get it, CK. It's wild seeing how many of my friends are getting it even though they are vaccinated. And feeling pretty bad too, but he wasn't scheduled to get booster until this week. Guess it was one week too late for him. I think our society has completely given up even trying to fight it in the slightest. Due to weather and such, we've been left to either skip out on social activities or accept the risk of eating indoors recently. Not a fan of that at all but all the cook igloos and outdoor dining that we saw last year have vanished. Humanity is terrible. We don't do even the smallest thing to help others or preventing them from getting sick. If anything, this whole pandemic - and all the crap surrounding the past few years in general - has shook me to the core. There are a lot of good people out there but they are silenced by the deplorables.

Posts:4499

12/20/2021 02:12 PM
Lets hope for the best CK. One of our local forumites (no longer active here but we're still connected via FB) tested positive last week but is (was) doing well. Whistler based, ski areas continue to be a hot bed for Covid. Will be avoiding them for another year. Not on board that humanity is that terrible, but we're definitely hopelessly shortsighted and reactive, neither of which are good properties for a successful battle against Covid. We need to get in front of this thing (maybe by vaccinating the rest of the world where new variants keep popping up because of critical mass of unvaccinated; developing smarter universal vaccines that work against future variants) instead of constantly running behind the facts by about 1-2 months.

Posts:4209

12/20/2021 10:57 PM
Another negative rapid test today….but the number of people was 3x what it was last week when I went to the same drive-thru test center. Staff there doesn’t even watch you do it now…just give you the test, tell you how to do it and come back to collect it. So who know how many people aren’t doing it right and not getting accurate results? At-home tests are almost impossible to find in our area. We are failing…..and the people who have tried to do the right thing all along are carrying the burden.

Just say "NO!" to WCP!!!!

Posts:2881

12/21/2021 12:07 AM
The Omicron tsunami is inevitable, it's already beginning in much of the US. Alas our US bureaucracy is paralyzed by fear of getting something wrong, so they end up focusing on pertinent data from a week or month ago. They do a splendid job of telling us where we were a month ago, and base current policy on that. Meanwhile a big wave will be crashing upon all of us very soon, but with some luck this wave, perhaps the last big wave might be a kitten rather than a lion. And if it is just a kitten's meow, how long will it take for the poobahs to hear meow instead of roar and respond appropriately and in a short time frame?

Posts:3180

12/21/2021 11:28 AM
I've been reading books on WW2; books where the US barely gets mentioned. Now it's "Russia's War". What strikes me is that the great leaders in war are clearly focused on the objective and are willing to sacrifice countrymen by the hundreds or even thousands where needed. (Not mentioned in my readings but a good example - Dwight Eisenhower who sacrificed the first wave of infantry at D-Day.) Pandemics aren't altogether different. But part of what has to be sacrificed to "win" is civil rights. Had we a military general/admiral in a place to call the shots 22 months ago, he might well have seen what was working in Korea, shut down JFK, violated civil rights with as full contract tracing as could be done with cellphones and carriers, hospital records, etc. Maybe a Wall Street bubble burster. And done this so fast that it would be in place before the courts could act. He'd do all of this with speeches to the country on how we had to roll up our sleeves as a nation; as patriotic duty. Sadly we had this man right where he needed to be; in the White House with a full committee, with the authority to act as needed in a national emergency, with a wealth of experience in disease and best of all, the training for and experience as a full naval admiral. One who's expertise was in supply, not leading ships. (The guy you would trust to get a few million test kits shipped correctly.) The clown put this man out to pasture 18 months before the virus got its name. I've always had very mixed feelings re: our military. In my lifetime only a few times have we put it out there for good causes IMO and often both waffled and left it there far too long when we did. (I always liked Bill Clinton's Bosnia. Go in, hit hard, turn it over the the UN and get out. Now if we'd just passed on bombing the Chinese embassy.) But at the same time, I've always felt our military should have an Erwin Rommel or Georgi Zhukov (savior of both Leningrad and Moscow). And when they are needed, politics should be set aside. (Armies, ships, wars and pandemics led by politicians are failures. Exceptions are few enough to prove the rule. Had Stalin stepped back the Russian lives that didn't need to be lost runs 8 digits.)

Posts:4499

12/21/2021 07:39 PM
Posted By Frederick Jones on 12/21/2021 12:07 AM The Omicron tsunami is inevitable, it's already beginning in much of the US. Alas our US bureaucracy is paralyzed by fear of getting something wrong, so they end up focusing on pertinent data from a week or month ago. They do a splendid job of telling us where we were a month ago, and base current policy on that. Meanwhile a big wave will be crashing upon all of us very soon, but with some luck this wave, perhaps the last big wave might be a kitten rather than a lion. And if it is just a kitten's meow, how long will it take for the poobahs to hear meow instead of roar and respond appropriately and in a short time frame? Yup, “exposure for most is 'inevitable'” that’s how fast omnicron is moving. We’ve surpassed the Delta case load in span of a week. I had to laugh when some countries announced travel restrictions for South Africa, the genie was long out the bottle by then: https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/bc-covid-19-case-numbers-1.6293995

Posts:4209

12/21/2021 08:24 PM
I had to laugh when some countries announced travel restrictions for South Africa, And yet those same restrictions are in place, even though the omicron wave is well established here now. They need to be rescinded immediately. Omicron didn’t start there, it is just where it was first detected…and they are being punished for it.

Just say "NO!" to WCP!!!!

Posts:2881

12/21/2021 08:54 PM
I've long had a fantasy that a Covid variant would emerge that would be highly contagious, benign as the common cold (that being another coronavirus, or rather set of coronoviruses), and impart strong immunity. Omicron checks the first box, and plus minus the second (if you're basically healthy, looks good so far, time will tell). The third box is the biggest fantasy, as coronavirus immunity has long been known to be short term. Makes sense, as what evolutionary advantage is gained by never catching another common cold? Anyway, my hope is this big wave will add so much immunity at a tolerable price that this will be the last big wave, maybe for decades. Also, since I am making wishes, that it will pass soon, as I have travel plans for late Feb (second time in two years) to our polite neighbor to the north. Fingers crossed.

Posts:4499

12/23/2021 03:02 PM
The immunity part is perhaps doubtful given how radically different omnicron is from other (known) variants. Its so different they're still struggling to understand how it mutated. With Delta the dominant hypothesis seemed to be mutation within an unvaxxed population. For this one, given that's its origins can only be tied back to original outbreak, they are thinking perhaps a single immunocompromised person may have carried it all this time before it finally spread. Lots of variables and unknowns. Anyway, the peak seems to have passed in South Africa so with that by end of Jan we may be out of woods again and your Feb trip could proceed.

Posts:2881

12/23/2021 09:13 PM
Hopeful. That would require a quick wave AND an agile bureaucracy. The latter is a rare thing.

Posts:4499

01/02/2022 11:31 AM
Interesting read, the path to global vaccine equity may in fact lead through Cuba: https://www.channelnewsasia.com/commentary/cuba-covid-19-vaccine-vaccination-omicron-pandemic-2366491 Meanwhile Biden with his targeted disinformation on the good things happening in Cuba dropped about 10 notches in my opinion. Just another tool of special interests: https://www.aljazeera.com/opinions/2021/8/24/an-open-letter-to-president-biden-on-covid-19-vaccines-for-cuba

Posts:3180

01/02/2022 12:08 PM
Interesting read, OC. Another reminder that when the s*** hits the fan, democracies, the need for freedom and our medical bureaucracy don't always work so well. (Cuba has first shots to 90% already and is currently vaccinating down to 2 years old! With vaccines rolled out in May. This despite a 60 year boycott from its next door neighbor; brought to nearly airtight by the previous administration and kept there by this one.)

Posts:4499

01/11/2022 08:14 PM
Posted By Cosmic Kid on 12/21/2021 08:24 PM I had to laugh when some countries announced travel restrictions for South Africa, And yet those same restrictions are in place, even though the omicron wave is well established here now. They need to be rescinded immediately. Omicron didn’t start there, it is just where it was first detected…and they are being punished for it. More evidence of how backward and behind the facts that South Africa travel ban was. By the time omnicron hit the news it was already in Nova Scotia: https://nationalpost.com/news/canada/omicron-was-in-nova-scotia-wastewater-before-it-was-identified-in-south-africa

Posts:493

01/11/2022 09:39 PM
You should realize that omicron is not the next letter in the Greek alphabet after delta. There were a bunch of variants in between; they just did not catch on. We are on the way to omega, but I doubt it will end there.

Posts:4499

01/11/2022 11:58 PM
Yes, episilon, the California stoner variant, was a dud as were a few others. They also skipped a couple letters.

Posts:2881

01/12/2022 05:00 AM
Ben, I get your comparison of a medical grade mask and vaccination - but needs to be narrowed to the risk of getting Covid. Once infected, mask no help but vaccine big help. PS N95 masks sold for construction workers are easier to get but aren’t as good.

Posts:3180

01/12/2022 10:21 AM
Posted By Frederick Jones on 01/12/2022 05:00 AM Ben, I get your comparison of a medical grade mask and vaccination - but needs to be narrowed to the risk of getting Covid. Once infected, mask no help but vaccine big help. PS N95 masks sold for construction workers are easier to get but aren’t as good. I'll keep wearing those McMaster Carr $10 R95s. (N95 plus odors and mild acids) They fit really well (and fit has been stresses as much as the N from day one). The have a vent that I tape with Duck Tape (durable enough to survive multiple washes!) A great strap system. Behind the head but easy on and off plus really secure. No air leakage at all and just mild fogging of glasses on very cold days. I used to tape under the eyes with 3" masking tape in my boatbuilder days to stop that fogging but haven't so desecrated these yet. Masks and vaccines - seatbelts and ABS brakes. Once infected those masks protect others. Vaccines merely lessen their exposure. Or back to bike tires, cord and compound. Good light, high thread count cord keeps that graphene tread n the road.

Posts:493

01/15/2022 09:56 AM
The granddaughter was exposed at daycare, but her PCR test came back negative. She stayed home a few days and is back at daycare. She is very comfortable wearing a mask but at two is still too young for a vaccination. If she played tennis, she wouldn't need the vaccine.

Posts:4499

01/17/2022 10:52 AM
Along lines of Smokey's tennis comment, looks like Tour de France participation this year will require vaccination. New directive just came out from French government. That also applies to said tennis player, who may find himself in a bit of a corner aside from possibly being banned from Aussie for up to three years haha. And Roubaix of course as an earlier race.

Posts:4209

01/17/2022 07:28 PM
Welp…looks like no TdF for Sagan then. Good signing Total Energies!!

Just say "NO!" to WCP!!!!

Posts:4499

01/20/2022 08:46 PM
Sagan is still welcome to ride in Belgium though and scheduled to do a couple of early spring races.

Posts:4499

01/21/2022 05:02 PM
Interesting vaccination survey by UCI, considering world tour, pro tour and women's world tour Considering all the teams, they estimate that the vaccination coverage of the peloton is currently 82.7%. The range is 40% to 100% depending on team. https://assets.ctfassets.net/761l7gh5x5an/7ykwkC2dG2T5Wy2RdALVC6/02e0780541c6a998600c55ab168ddc9e/Situation_of_the_COVID-19_pandemic_Jan_2022.pdf