outbreak! (ebola, sars, coronavirus, etc)

I live pretty much opposite a pub and it's really weird I haven't been in there in nearly a year.

🖼

🐦[This is @Illinois_Alma🕸 campus from noon today. The first weekend since bars can do indoor seating and this is what happens. pic.twitter.com/SPLT1rKLty🕸
— Kyle Patterson 🧼👏🏽😷 (@kpatterson1216) January 23, 2021🕸]🐦

Not feeling great about my state’s chances right now.

Not always. It was almost 40 even up in Chicago the other day, so much of what we had melted.

I cannot believe that there are places open for indoor dining.

Meantime my partner spent his afternoon working in the ICU yesterday and things are as grim as ever.

It's insane to me that places are opening back up for indoor dining, absolutely insane. We drove a little ways out for a short winter hike on Saturday and drove past a packed pool hall, a packed bar and a fairly crowded restaurant.

It was disheartening, almost as much as the Q&A our city's mayor did about the vaccine. The three main takeaways were:

1. Yes, the distribution has been an absolute mess and confusing, but it's a national problem and no just for us.
2. Yes, he thinks it will get better under the Biden administration, but he's not yet seen a full plan.
3. The thing he's been most frustrated by is that the number of doses we have been getting has actually been going down week after week, the complete opposite of what he would have expected to see.

Which worries me - because if this is the optimistic public statement, things must look incredibly bleak behind the scenes. I'm not hopeful at all.

here in brooklyn i continue to be nonplussed by some of the "outdoor dining" solutions I have seen on my dog walks. E.g. yesterday on Driggs in williamsburg the japanese restaurant over near McCarren Park has erected a large structure along the curb that's basically just an enclosed shed with big plexiglas windows. It's just an additional indoor dining space. there's nothing open about the structure at all. The windows are bolted to the frame with no air gaps. wtf.

"Here, come eat in this enclosed space entirely made out of non-porous plastic — don't mind the condensation on all the 'windows,' it's fine, much safer than being inside the diner, trust us. Sign this waiver, please."

yeah, the covid sheds are amazing. there's one on my block that is accreting windows and doors and roofs every time i walk by. there's even LESS ventilation than in the actual restaurant!

Yep, it's been crazy to see restaurants around here spend a lot of money building "outdoor dining" that is nothing but a fully enclosed space with no ventilation. But, hell, I guess they work, since I keep seeing them packed full. So maybe blame the rubes that see the words "outdoor dining available" and don't process any further than that?

I've started thinking of this cycle of COVID-related shutdowns and reopenings in terms of fire. Like, whoa, the whole city is on fire, maybe all you torch-bearing people should stay home for a little while, well okay, some time has passed and the flames seem to be dying so feel free to congregate once more with torches in hand WHOA, WHY IS EVERYTHING BURNING DOWN AGAIN ALL OF A SUDDEN, WHO CAN SOLVE THIS MYSTERY

I kinda never again want to hear human beings referred to as an intelligent species.

It's really maddening to watch play out, even in areas with better, more consistent messaging.

- The numbers start to dip just a little, "everything looks great, moving to tier what-the-fuckever, indoor dining and bars are A-OK."
- The numbers predictably rise a few weeks later, "well shit, who could possibly have seen that coming? time to lock it down again."

Rinse, repeat.

And now we've got the added layer of "well, there's a vaccine here, so no need to be so cautious", which is going to make this a really rough end of winter/start of spring. So, naturally, we can expect all these people to be absolutely baffled in a month when shit is dire again.

I have no idea when I'm going to eat a meal inside a restaurant again. As I said on Twitter last night, I now order from one particular Chinese place so frequently that the delivery guy doesn't even identify himself when he calls from the driveway, he just says, "Hey, I'm outside."

definitely remember in June when the numbers were steadily going down and you had the BLM protests dominating the news which led a lot of people to think it was over

xpost

i never graduated back to takeout/prepared food delivery even. it's still 100% instacart grocery order, set the non-perishables aside for a day before using, wash the perishables before putting 'em in fridge/freezer. I know at this point that fomites are heavily not indicated as a vector for transmission but i've gotten this far this way and I'm nervous to change it up at a moment when the numbers suck again and there's an ill-defined nasty variant at large

but i miss ordering chinese delivery so fucking much

there's a thought bubble over my head right now with a picture of a quart of pork fried rice with egg and it is steaming and ahhhhhh

I'm going to go out on a limb and say you will be fine ordering Chinese delivery.

https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/daily-life-coping/food-and-COVID-19.html

it never seemed like take-out was ever considered a serious vector. especially as most of what you're ordering will also be cooked, theoretically

seems like good news, though idk if this will be used for a couple months

https://www.jsonline.com/story/news/2021/01/25/international-team-finds-new-more-effective-drug-treat-covid-19/6673529002/

The thing is, not even when I was in college would I have made that queue for the sake of a Bud Lite or gin and tonic.

I don't make that line at Disney World.

very glad that our numbers aren't too bad and eating out is still an option

says something of my character that it doesn't bother me at all to not be allowed to go to people's homes or have guests in but i would be sad if restos weren't open

The thing is, not even when I was in college would I have made that queue for the sake of a Bud Lite or gin and tonic.

Exactly. The only reason I spent much time in that particular bar when I was a student is that it was, at that time, decidedly unhip and a line such as the one shown would have been unimaginable.

My local bookstore has an outdoor cafe where I spent my Sunday afternoons reading and writing; it's not crowded, tables are distanced, and even fellow customers who aren't eating or drinking wear masks. It's one of the places I feel safe.

I think it's time for me to just accept this way of life now and buckle-down-get-productive-again-etc-etc, not because I think this pandemic will go on forever (who fuckin knows) but just because people out there are assholes.

Minnesota officials announced Monday they have identified a person infected with a highly transmissible variant of the coronavirus that has been spreading at alarming rates in recent weeks in Brazil. This is the first report in the United States of the so-called P.1 variant.

The Minnesota Department of Health said the case involved “a Minnesota resident with recent travel history to Brazil,” and the variant was detected through genomic sequencing of random blood samples. The person, a resident of the Twin Cities metro area, reported feeling sick the first week of January, and was tested Jan. 9.

“This isn’t surprising. It’s a very difficult development, but at the same time not unexpected,” Michael T. Osterholm, director of the Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy at the University of Minnesota and an adviser to President Biden’s coronavirus response team, said in an interview.

All viruses mutate, and there are countless variants in circulation. The Brazil variant is one of three that have drawn particular global attention. The other two were first identified in the United Kingdom and South Africa. There is some overlap in the mutations in the three variants, but they arose independently and, along with other variants under review, provide a vivid reminder that the coronavirus is not a static target for vaccines and the human immune system.

I'm just going to say: why the fuck are people travelling to foreign countries?

people are just vacationing like normal, it's annoying. more annoying and infuriating is when your government is doing nothing to stop people from doing so! australia et al seem to have the right idea - making visitors isolate in a hotel assigned by the government for 2 weeks on the traveller's dime

1 - tired of this shit
2 - need to have a medical procedure
3 - need to care for a relative
4 - a million other reasons, some defensible some not

i realise the united states is big and most people don't leave it very often if at all but much of the rest of the world is not like that, and people move between countries a lot

otm

My father is dying 800 miles away.

I'm staying put (partly because there's nothing I can do, and partly because I don't like him very much, but still).

I'm sorry to hear that, YMP, even if you don't like him very much.

This AstraZeneca vaccine story is a fucking mess.

Late yesterday evening, a story appeared in the German paper Handelsblatt, saying that the AZ/Oxford vaccine only has 8% efficacy for the over 65s. When the reporter was challenged to provide sources for this claim, he leaned on “members of the government coalition”, and did a long thread about the story essentially standing by it, ending with this:

7/I understand that some would like to see the story substantiated with actual data. However, this is not an academic preprint but a sourced piece of (political) reporting that tries to shed light on the decision making processes and the obstacles in the race for a Covid vaccine.

— Gregor Waschinski (@washingtonski) January 25, 2021

statement from the German health ministry:

"At first glance it seems that the [newspaper] reports have mixed up two things: about 8% of those tested in the AstraZeneca efficacy study were between 56 and 69, only 3-4 per cent over 70 (MHRA Approval Public Assessment Report)." https://t.co/rPW7RQimiH

— Jim Pickard (@PickardJE) January 26, 2021

lol

https://t.co/OXfXIzjhcx pic.twitter.com/TeCUmt0R04

— Daniel Howdon (@danielhowdon) January 26, 2021

Responses to Tracer's reasons:

1 - we're all sick of this shit, grow the fuck up
2 - if it's not a necessary procedure, then push it back
3 - okay, then stay in the country that you're travelling to with that relative?
4 - I can think of maybe a handful of defensible reasons why anyone should be traveling to a foreign country right now, and even those are questionably defensible

I'm just sick of what seem like excuses for shitty behavior.

Great:

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/jan/25/covid-linked-to-risk-of-mental-illness-and-brain-disorder-study-suggests

xps to table, thanks so much for the empathy towards those of us unlucky enough to be foreign and living in separate countries to our families, that is how I parsed TH’s post

It's almost as if there are people on ILX who don't live in North America? Could that be true?

Love u table but you need to chill. Sometimes life throws things at you and you have to make tough choices you wouldn't otherwise make. It's not like Tracer was advocating he was tired of lockdown and just wanted to throw down nachos and pitchers of margaritas at chilis.

I might lose my livelihood if I don't cross the Atlantic at some point this year because my employer has decided that it's necessary even though it absolutely isn't. To add insult to injury, this trip will cost me a small fortune if government-supervised hotel quarantines are implemented (spoiler: they're about to be). What should I do, quit? Until the Coming Libertarian Utopia™ is fulfilled, I'm afraid that's simply not an option. I suppose I'll be lumped in with all the snowbirds even though I'm not going South and I am perfectly aware that this trip is a dangerous waste of… just about everything, really.

wHy ThE fUcK aRe PeOpLe TrAvElLiNg To FoReIgN cOuNtRiEs

and yeah I’m fucking aggro about this, it’s been almost a year since I saw my parents and Leo fucking Varadkar is today telling me I can forget about this Christmas too?

But I guess it’s what I deserve for living in a different country to the one I’m from?

My coworker, who was Covid positive three months ago, just had a hellish New Year - had her elderly parents (late 70s) and sister for Christmas. every single person ended up infected - including her own children, while her husband was hospitalized and on oxygen for a week. Because of her own antibodies from the last time, she was the only one to pass safely through the outbreak.

Just say no to family, people

I mean, I understand there is a big spectrum of reasons for travel. But I think I'm justified in being disgusted with the photos from someone I went to HS with, first skiing in Michigan, arms around loads of people, unmasked (one of those people, also unmaked, runs multiple restaurants which are still open for takeaway and in person as of this weekend). Then she "really needs a break" so flies to Cabo, tons of photos of her and a big group of people on the beach, selfies with street vendors, etc, no masks. Not sorry, fuck her.

Nobody is justifying those fools itt, except, perhaps Dan S.

Seriously.

Pom I would be terrified of the consequences to me my wife and the dog if I quit my job rn but what your employer is imposing on you, to me that’s unconscionable and intolerable. However iirc your post is in academia so I expect it was very hard-won, and I’m just a middle manager at a housewares company.

^^^that sounds snarky it was not meant to be at all

Didn't scan as snarky in the least! And I completely agree – I was supposed to head back in October and managed to postpone my trip until this spring. Work-wise, my physical presence will not be necessary before January 2022, so insisting on having me there for no apparent reason this year is absurd and it's taking a toll on my mental health tbh. If anything, having this trip in the offing has had a negative impact on my productivity – it's lose-lose all around.