How COVID-19 is affecting society

[Innula Zenovka]

One more Naomi Woolf tweet -- it was in the compilation, I know, but it really is a thing of wonder

 

[Romana]

And about time, too. Her nonsense made me grit my teeth every time I saw it quoted.
Anti-vaxxers like her are why we can't have nice things.

 

[Bartholomew Gallacher]

The USA are opening up and returning to Pre-Covid working conditions step by step. Many employers want their workers to get back into their offices, what was the normal way before the pandemic crisis, but many workers want to be home office the new normal since they've experienced now how good that works for them.

Tim Cook, Apple CEO, for example wants to see his employers again three days a work week, but many employees downright refuse that and want the current normal to be the new normal.

Apple employees push back against returning to the office in internal letter

Tim Cook is asking employees to return three days a week

www.theverge.com

In many companies employees are even quitting instead than to go back to work like normal.

Bloomberg - Are you a robot?

 

[Beebo Brink]

I'm really fortunate in that my company is ASKING US what we want and has been very flexible about accommodating our answers. At least a few people can't wait to get back into the office, but others (like me) are not willing to go back. I'd be tempted to retire if they demanded a return, but I haven't gotten any pushback from my managers when I made that decision clear. In fact, my director joked that the next time he sees me will probably be at my retirement party and I can't opt out of that because it will be a roast.

 

[Romana]

I called up the guy who makes my guitars today to see how my new one is coming along. He asked me if I'd been following the Fauci e email thing. I didn't know how to answer that, because him being in a red state, he could well have had a quite different opinion than mine, which is 'leave the poor guy alone to do his job'. Then he proved I was right by saying Fauci hat inflated the death numbers, led about masks, blah blah blah. Rather than trying to convince him that there were indeed more deaths than a typical flu season, I stuck to my own personal experience : being in a risk category, I didn't want to roll those dice no matter what the odds were, in the advice of doctors I trust.
He's not a MAGA, but probably watches the conservative news stations.
What do you do when it's someone you need to continue to maintain a good working relationship with, but can't bring yourself to pretend to agree?

 

[Veritable Quandry]

I was given a choice of how to teach in the fall. Some of our students and instructors prefer to stay online, but I miss the classroom. But even before Covid, I did about half my work from home.

 

[Veritable Quandry]

I called up the guy who makes my guitars

On a side note, this was Mrs. Quandry's 50th birthday gift. I started from a kit and then threw away everything but the wood.

 

[Innula Zenovka]

Evernote link because

 

[Innula Zenovka]

‘Claims could run into billions’: the interests at stake if Olympics in Japan were cancelled

IOC officials have avoided any mention of the commercial forces driving the Tokyo Games towards their 23 July opening date

www.theguardian.com

Evernote link because why not

 

[Lexxi]

https://www.yahoo.com/gma/2-passengers-test-positive-covid-003023545.html

Two passengers sharing the same stateroom on board the first North American cruise since 2020 tested positive for COVID-19 on Thursday.

All crew and adult passengers on board the Celebrity Millennium had to show proof that they were fully vaccinated as well as provide a negative COVID-19 test prior to or at the time of boarding.

 

[Katheryne Helendale]

https://www.yahoo.com/gma/2-passengers-test-positive-covid-003023545.html

Someone's got some 'splaining to do!

 

[Rose Karuna]

Someone's got some 'splaining to do!

Cases of fully vaccinated people getting COVID are rare, but still possible. That said though I think it's way too easy to forge VAX cards and sadly, there are a number of assholes who have no regard for public safety who would do it.

 

[Archer]

I would think the hazard comes when the ship docks in port and all those passengers get off and mix with the local population, then reboard. No control over the vaccination rates and infection rates off the ship.

 

[Innula Zenovka]

Cases of fully vaccinated people getting COVID are rare, but still possible. That said though I think it's way too easy to forge VAX cards and sadly, there are a number of assholes who have no regard for public safety who would do it.

From a report by Public Health England, discussing the new Delta variant:

Delta variant causes more than 90% of new Covid cases in UK

Variant first discovered in India believed to spread more easily and be more resistant to vaccines

www.theguardian.com

According to the report, since the start of February to 7 June, there were 33,206 Delta cases in England: while 19,573 were in unvaccinated individuals, 1,785 were among fully vaccinated people and 7,559 were among those who had received one jab, with the vaccination status of the remainder unclear.

In total, 383 people in England were admitted to hospital with the Delta variant over that period – 223 of whom tested positive for Covid before turning up at A&E – with 42 having had two doses of the jab, 86 having one dose and 251 unvaccinated.

Of the 42 deaths recorded in England within 28 days of a positive test involving the Delta variant, 23 were in unvaccinated people, with 12 among those who were fully vaccinated and seven among people who had had one dose.

Evernote link because why not

 

[Innula Zenovka]

England’s lockdown easing on 21 June likely to be delayed by up to four weeks

Monday’s announcement will come as coronavirus case are rising at fastest rate since second wave

www.theguardian.com

This Delta strain seems significantly more infectious than the Alpha variant it's replacing and also somewhat better at overcoming vaccines.

I don't think we're out of the woods yet, and it's only a matter of time until it hits the US, I fear.

 

[danielravennest]

England’s lockdown easing on 21 June likely to be delayed by up to four weeks

Monday’s announcement will come as coronavirus case are rising at fastest rate since second wave

www.theguardian.com

This Delta strain seems significantly more infectious than the Alpha variant it's replacing and also somewhat better at overcoming vaccines.

I don't think we're out of the woods yet, and it's only a matter of time until it hits the US, I fear.

It's already here

The Delta variant, which was first detected in India, now accounts for more than 6% of all infections in the United States, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. And this highly transmissible variant may be responsible for more than 18% of cases in some Western U.S. states.

This may be the reason the decline in cases, which are down by 80% in the last six weeks, seems to have stalled out.

 

[Romana]

England’s lockdown easing on 21 June likely to be delayed by up to four weeks

Monday’s announcement will come as coronavirus case are rising at fastest rate since second wave

www.theguardian.com

This Delta strain seems significantly more infectious than the Alpha variant it's replacing and also somewhat better at overcoming vaccines.

I don't think we're out of the woods yet, and it's only a matter of time until it hits the US, I fear.

Which vaccines, and how many doses?
I've leaned to check my alarm until I can ask doctors I trust.

 

[Innula Zenovka]

Which vaccines, and how many doses?
I've leaned to check my alarm until I can ask doctors I trust.

The question "how many doses" is answered in this graphic, from the article

I don't know if they've broken it down by vaccine, but this is Public Health England's latest briefing on vaccine effectiveness and the Delta variant: Vaccines highly effective against B.1.617.2 variant after 2 doses

ETA: I think, from what I've read, that they're particularly concerned about transmissibility within households and families when some members are vaccinated and some aren't. If you've got a multigenerational household where the older members have been vaccinated but not the younger ones, then unless everyone is cautious, the oldies, despite their vaccinations, nevertheless remain at some risk of catching the disease from an infectious member of the household (though at much less risk than were they unvaccinated).

 

[Innula Zenovka]

No lights, no camera: UK TV producers face equipment shortage

Film and television industry struggles with surge in demand for high-end shows fuelled by lockdown binge viewing

www.theguardian.com

 

[Innula Zenovka]

Which vaccines, and how many doses?
I've leaned to check my alarm until I can ask doctors I trust.

Found it: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/992741/Vaccine_surveillance_report_-_week_23.pdf