outbreak! (ebola, sars, coronavirus, etc)

Lots of shops that were enforcing distancing etc in spring are no longer doing so.
Many of them have increased profits in that same period.
They can afford to take steps to increase safety.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-55594107

A further 1,325 people have died in the UK within 28 days of a positive Covid test - the biggest figure reported on any day since the pandemic began.

Tragic.

Most of those would have been infected before Christmas.

fucking cuomo

.@NYCMayor just announced on @brianlehrer show that the city of New Rochelle started vaccinating first responders and were fined and their vaccines taken away. @1010WINS

— Juliet Papa (@winsjuliet) January 8, 2021

shops probably don't have the staff to enforce limits and distancing. Staff will be expected to do what they do on a normal day, plus the extra work of keeping themselves clean and safe (ie constant wiping and washing things), probably on less manpower because the shops are quieter and taking no money.

The problem is that monitoring the door is a full-time role - you don't see security guards jumping in to wash the dishes when the pub is quiet after all. But if you've got long stretches where nobody comes in - how do you, as a business, balance that H&S need with the sunk cost that adds no money to your margins?

The point is they did it during the first lockdown but they aren't doing it now that things are actually worse... because, I don't know, vaccines, lockdown fatigue, who knows? I'm only talking about major supermarkets here, none of whom are going to go about of business soon.

(I keep repeating points onimo has just made)

I think the difference is now that the effects of those sunk costs are beginning to be felt. Like, it made sense to have a "doorperson" at the start when it seemed possible people might still go out and try to live normal lives around social distancing/queueing/masks. Whereas now, you can see it's nowhere near back to normal levels of physical footfall and trade, and the people who are out are - let's be honest here - the people too reckless and foolhardy to conform to the new standards of pandemic shopping without having to be told off.

Im a little surprised NYC businesses havent been putting jewelry store-style ring to unlock buttons on their stores. Easy way to limit ppl in-store

(xp) I don't know where you are but I'm London and I can assure you the Morrison's, the Tesco's and the Lidl's are as busy as ever. And if I step out on to Holloway Road during the day it's at least twice as busy as it wsa during the first lockdown - at least.

I'm in Glasgow - Lidl is still busy (and people aren't shopping solo! It's a full day out for the family, why?) but Asda is very quiet. The shopping centre I work in - which holds a supermarket - is definitely a lot quieter. Not just compared to normal trade but even compared to what we were dealing with in July when we first re-opened.

Well, you know, London is the City of Fools.

It was quieter in our bit of London today, but I assume that's either because it was freaking cold, or a Friday and so even more people than usual were working from home. Several Exmouth Market restaurants that have been open for takeaway were closed when I went past.

The Sainsbury's round the corner from me had queues snaking round the car park in the spring, now the bit we all stood in is being dug up for what I guess is an extension to the shop and there's no entry restrictions whatsoever. I was in there just before NYE and it was like first day of the sales, just unsafe bedlam. Pretty much everyone does wear masks though, although if more than a few stop doing so I can see that whole system breaking down too.

PS Today's confirmed UK infections: 68,053. Confirmed deaths: 1,325. Still, we're all just muddling through.

a work colleague (who I really don't like that much) posted a long screed on FB about getting kicked out of a Papa Murphy's because he didn't wear a mask (he apparently has a medical reason, but he's also a huge Trump idiot who's been truthering Covid from Day 1 so who knows how legit that is), it sounds like he raised hell and now is gonna take it to corporate. bottom line, if I was still working at Burger King for $7 an hour I don't think I'd bother trying to boot out these idiots knowing the scene that is likely to ensue. I can't imagine having a dude screaming at you is safer than just giving him his damn Whopper Combo

ARE there any legitimate medical reasons not to wear a mask?

ARE there any legitimate medical reasons not to wear a mask?

― Ima Gardener (in orbit), Friday, January 8, 2021 1:30 PM (one minute ago)

the short answer is not really aside from claustrophobia

Some who have been raped find it traumatizing:

https://www.theguardian.com/society/2020/aug/10/survivors-say-they-are-being-stigmatised-for-not-wearing-masks

Hmmm. Well, no matter what, not wearing a mask is a public health danger even if you have a defensible reason, so the thing to do is to let stores bring your purchases to you outdoors for everyone's protection.

^^

that new rochelle tweet was deleted, wondering if there was other confirmation for that?

https://www.lohud.com/story/news/coronavirus/2021/01/08/montefiore-new-rochelle-sanctions-ineligible-vaccinations-covid-investigation/6593444002/

the city that never sleeps! enjoy your weekend!

BREAKING: @NYGovCuomo announces vaccination for priority group 1B will start next week.

Will include:
* People aged 75+
* Add'l groups of essential workers: 1st responders (police, fire), transit workers, education workers

Distribution via pharmacies, doctor networks, unions

— Mark D. Levine (@MarkLevineNYC) January 8, 2021

My state has published this PDF of colorful circles and forecasted timing for various subphases of phase 1

Wow what an ambitious plan.

:/

pareene’s essay today was spot-on. expand criteria now

https://newrepublic.com/article/160810/2000-stimulus-checks-vaccine-rollout-democrats

This… does not look good:

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2021-01-08/covid-patients-symptoms-persist-six-months-in-foreboding-study

That said, those affected were all hospitalized at some point.

yeah for sure it is scary but i feel like it’s probably the case that anybody hospitalised for any viral infection is probably in for a tough time for awhile? partic if you are an oldie which i’m assuming most of these were

median age 57 but not much other info. guessing most of the people with lingering issues tended to fall above that mark

median specifically means that half the people were younger than 57.

Beyond that, the study adds credence to worries about the possibility of reinfections among those who have recovered. The researchers analyzed levels of neutralizing antibodies -- immune proteins that the body normally makes in response to viruses that can ward off repeat illness. In a group of 94 patients, levels of these antibodies fell by an average of 53% during the six-month study period after their sickness peaked.

aimless half the people in the study were under 57

half were over

75% of all the people reported at least one lingering symptom

given what we know about how younger and older people deal with this disease i would be very surprised if that 75% were distributed equally along all the age cohorts in the study

literally the only good thing i could say about ukgov’s handling of this whole thing:

People vaccinated

First dose total
1,296,432

Second dose total
21,313

They’ve just approved Moderna as well but won’t get doses until March at earliest so possibly most of us will be getting that one?

is there anything to read about why it’s going so well relative to other countries? france has vaccinated something like 7000 people.

14m need both doses before lockdown in the UK can be lifted iirc, or at least that’s the story right now. the goalposts will likely be moved!

France is the most anti-vaxxer country in the world, which may have something to do with it…

A more serious answer is to be found here:

https://www.lemonde.fr/les-decodeurs/article/2021/01/04/covid-19-six-questions-pour-comprendre-les-lenteurs-de-la-vaccination-en-france_6065175_4355770.html

Speaking of which, my FIL is now ranting about chemtrails. Verily he hath ascended.

xxp Those figures are a couple of days old now too so hopefully will be ramping up. I think Boris said the vaccine data would be updated daily starting Monday.

(UK figures I mean)

Pom, chemtrails are my favorite tinfoil hat thing. At the hippie grocery store where I work a few years back, there were a lot of true believers, but my favorite was the guy with the shirt that read WHAT ARE THEY SPRAYING? on the back. I about lost my mind when I saw that.

That and the "4/20 STOP THE CHEMTRAILS" show at the big city park.

I loved living in that town because it was so beautiful and it made me feel so sane and normal. Wish those people weren't so racist.

It's not a particularly right-wing conspiracy theory and my FIL is very much on the opposite end of the spectrum, politically speaking, but he's been lapping this shit up while hanging out with his equally covidiotic brother, who is also very much left-leaning except when it comes to… well, the Jews. It always comes back to the Jews with these people, and it's unfortunately not just a right-wing brainworm, so I wouldn't be shocked if my FIL suddenly got on that bandwagon despite all other signs firmly pointing to the contrary (up until the start of the pandemic, at least).

Anyway, sorry for going a bit off-topic here, but with 42% of the French population outright refusing to get vaccinated against Covid-19 despite having access to an excellent public healthcare system – head and shoulders above our stingy equivalent here in Quebec – France is fucked for the foreseeable future. Given the sheer amount of Luddites in that country, I expect ecofascism to make a killing there in a decade or so.

post-hospital syndome is a real entity that is studied but how much of that is specifically being in the hospital or having a particular reason for being in the hospital vs being a person who is more likely than average to be hospitalized is unclear iirc. being in the hospital definitely sucks though it's a truly awful experience generally and especially now that we don't let people have visitors

It's not a particularly right-wing conspiracy theory and my FIL is very much on the opposite end of the spectrum, politically speaking, but he's been lapping this shit up while hanging out with his equally covidiotic brother, who is also very much left-leaning except when it comes to… well, the Jews.

Japan is also highly vaccine hesitant.

https://www.theage.com.au/world/asia/why-japan-has-one-of-the-world-s-lowest-vaccine-confidence-rates-20201223-p56pvd.html?btis

That is not surprising, they think the west is overly vaccinated in general.

Ben Goldacre needs to fucking not

The year has just started but we may already have a strong contender for the 2021 'Golden Covid Awards' in the 'tone-deaf' category ... https://t.co/PaF2lnFRtL

— Prof Francois Balloux (@BallouxFrancois) January 10, 2021

literally the only good thing i could say about ukgov’s handling of this whole thing:

People vaccinated

First dose total
1,296,432

Second dose total
21,313

They’ve just approved Moderna as well but won’t get doses until March at earliest so possibly most of us will be getting that one?

― scampish inquisition (gyac), Saturday, January 9, 2021 4:13 PM (yesterday) bookmarkflaglink

I got my first dose last Thursday and the hospital where I work has already given 2000 staff theirs.

In case anyone is wondering the only side effects I've had are sore arm and maybe fatigue but it's winter and I'm in hibernation mode so idk if the fatigue is related or not tbh.

tbf Goldacre did follow up apologising.
congrats ENBB!

i had a letter from nhs yesterday suggesting i go get vaccinated...

...for the flu.

(am in very bottom category of the people they have categorised so i'm not expecting anything any time soon)

It took until the end of November for the UK to hit a million cases. Yesterday we passed three million.