The New Normal

[3dogs]

In Montana I would say 1 in every 1000 people has a mask on. Bozeman. I don't know what to think.

You're not in NY anymore!
Land of the free and the brave.

 

[MarzNC]

In Montana I would say 1 in every 1000 people has a mask on. Bozeman. I don't know what to think.

It's fair to say that the regions/states/counties where there has been little interest in masking or vaccination since June 2020 that there are probably a lot more people who have already had COVID-19. Therefore more people with natural immunity who recovered without having serious symptoms and didn't need to be hospitalized. That doesn't mean they won't get Omicron. But it does mean they are less likely to need to be hospitalized. Combine that with the people who are vaccinated and the public health risk will be somewhat lower in Feb 2022 than it was in Feb 2021 or August 2021 for Delta.

The northeast is very different from the southeast and Rocky Mountain states. Looking at the recent stats, the northern midwest, northern northeast along the Canadian border have some characteristics in common. Colorado and Utah have probably already peaked for Omicron combined with the holiday surge since Thanksgiving.

My observations driving around in more than one region in 2020 and 2021 is that a town that depends on tourism is quite different from a small city that has a strong diverse economy. What I saw in Pagosa Springs, CO in Dec 2021 reminded me of Lake Placid in June 2020 or Hendersonville, NC in August 2020 or near Shawnee in July 2021. There weren't that many mandates in place but private businesses and locals were taking sensible precautions based on what was known at the time. On the drive to Colorado across I-40, my travel/ski buddy and I ate in restaurants in TN, OK, TX, CO, KS, and OH. No one cared if we masked, or if we didn't. Some servers were masked, some weren't. We always went either early or late when there were few other customers and didn't stay over an hour.

My ski buddy is a 65+ family physician who was pulled into help with COVID-19 patients in Dec 2020. He flew to meet me in Nashville, TN for the drive to CO. I decided not to fly months ago more because I didn't want to deal with full planes the week before Christmas than any fear of flying during an ongoing pandemic. Plus my RAV4 AWD is so much fun to drive.

 

[MarzNC]

In Montana I would say 1 in every 1000 people has a mask on. Bozeman. I don't know what to think.

Have you been indoors in Bozeman much? If so, what type of places?

 

[snoloco]

"It's not a big deal." I call BS. It's a big deal when you infect someone with a compromised immune system.

No. We have the vaccine to prevent severe illness and make covid into a risk more comparable to that of cold/flu and other viruses. Did you know that people with compromised immune systems existed before covid? Are you suggesting that we permanently alter our lifestyle?

 

[Peter Minde]

No. We have the vaccine to prevent severe illness and make covid into a risk more comparable to that of cold=flu and other viruses. Did you know that people with compromised immune systems existed before covid? Are you suggesting that we permanently alter our lifestyle?

I am suggesting no such thing. I am suggesting that people think of the public good and not just themselves.

 

[snoloco]

I am suggesting no such thing.

I mean that is what you're suggesting. If not now then when is the appropriate time to remove mask mandates?

I am suggesting that people think of the public good and not just themselves.

I got vaccinated and boosted at the first opportunity and that's all you'll get from me.

 

[witch hobble]

Are you suggesting that we permanently alter our lifestyle?

I mean…..you are considering a move to New Hampshire, seemingly because of the pandemic……isn’t that permanently altering your lifestyle?

 

[Campgottagopee]

You don't see a problem with being forced to cover your face in public indefinitely? Well I do. There's nothing offensive about my face, and I don't like being treated like a biohazard.

We also must as the questions why are we doing this, and what is the off ramp? I believe the answers are to score political points by making a show of "doing something" and the off ramp is "when I say so". Those are not good answers.

Forced???? WTF are you talking about.
Common, tell me what can't do in NYS. What has controlled every aspect of your life.
I I I I
Me me me me
Ain't about I or me.

 

[MarzNC]

Anyone remember the talk about the 1918 pandemic? There was masking for a while as a public safety measure, at least in some cities and towns. More importantly, that pandemic wasn't considered over on a global basis until 1920. That was without a vaccine but a very different situation in terms of how it spread between continents and countries.

December 2021

Pandemic: What It Is and What It Means for You

A pandemic is an epidemic that reaches worldwide. The World Health Organization has specific criteria for when an epidemic becomes a pandemic.

www.healthline.com

 

[MarzNC]

Fair to say that Omicron has taken over from Delta pretty much everywhere. Denmark, UK, USA, and South Africa are among the best in terms of doing enough genomic sequencing to properly estimate what variants are around during a given period. Note that a slight variation of Omicron has already been identified. But it's not considered different enough to merit separate consideration. As was the case for a couple variations of Delta.