The New Normal

[Harvey]

Now, I definitely do. What was done early on was 100% needed, imo. I hope we never have to do it again. I feel with herd immunity and vax we won't have to.

I'm cool with adding "now" at the end of my sentence.

 

[Andy_ROC]

Now, I definitely do. What was done early on was 100% needed, imo. I hope we never have to do it again. I feel with herd immunity and vax we won't have to.

I feel it's definitely time to move forward and rid ourselves of mandates regarding covid. I feel for kids in schools. So many of them missed out on too much, it has to have lasting effects on them. This is easy for me to say as I don't have kids, but, imo, schools need to go back to being about education and not about health care. Health care should be left up to the parents, as most things should be.

I firmly believe kids, especially the younger grades, are far more resilient and adaptable than adults give them credit.

I've heard a few friends with young kids, one with 4 kids ages 5-12 and he said his kids haven't really complained about masking nor has he heard much from their friends. Seems a lot of the hand wringing often comes from parents, especially those whipped into a tizzy by people they follow in media.

Yeah and there's a whole crap ton of other things that shouldn't be taught in schools. They should focus on the reading writing and arithmetic and reduce the nonsensical noise level of special interest topics. But we can't get into that here.

 

[tirolski]

Yeah and there's a whole crap ton of other things that shouldn't be taught in schools. They should focus on the reading writing and arithmetic and reduce the nonsensical noise level of special interest topics. But we can't get into that here.

Yup.
They should teach bullshitology too. i.e. How to detect bullshit.
Or maybe that’s better left for home skooling.

 

[Harvey]

I firmly believe kids, especially the younger grades, are far more resilient and adaptable than adults give them credit.

I have a 15 yo. Way harder for her than for me or my wife. I'd totally risk covid again at this point, to keep her in school.

 

[trackbiker]

Now, I definitely do. What was done early on was 100% needed, imo. I hope we never have to do it again. I feel with herd immunity and vax we won't have to.

I feel it's definitely time to move forward and rid ourselves of mandates regarding covid. I feel for kids in schools. So many of them missed out on too much, it has to have lasting effects on them. This is easy for me to say as I don't have kids, but, imo, schools need to go back to being about education and not about health care. Health care should be left up to the parents, as most things should be.

I agree. While I followed all of the mandates before the vaccines were available, I only wear a mask now if it is requested. At this point if you are vaxed and get Covid you are much less likely to be hospitalized and even less likely to die. The latest mask mandates were to keep hospitals and hospital staff from being over whelmed. Not to infringe on your rights. The majority of those dying are the unvaxed. It's just natural selection at work. If you have a comorbidity you have to personally be more careful and wear an N95 mask if you are worried about Covid. Lots of people with other diseases have to avoid certain things to avoid getting sick or dying. At this point insurance companies should start raising rates for the unvaxed. Because otherwise we are all going to have to pay for their ignorance.

 

[MarzNC]

I object to the thread title.

None of any of this is normal.

The world changed in late 2019 even though we didn't know it at the time. By mid-2020 the pandemic was in full swing on all continents. Going to take another year or two before the pandemic will be declared over on a global basis.

The "new normal" will include COVID-19 as one of many other contagious diseases that humans have had to adapt to in the last few millennia. Polio, measles, HIV and other contagious diseases are all still around. But there aren't national level headlines any more.

Oct 2012

Wiping Out Polio: How The U.S. Snuffed Out A Killer

During the early 20th century, polio killed thousands of American children each summer and paralyzed many more. Now, as the world fights to eradicate the virus globally, we look back at the development of the polio vaccine and its successful deployment around the world.

www.npr.org

" . . .
Sixty years ago, polio was one of the most feared diseases in the U.S.

As the weather warmed up each year, panic over polio intensified. Late summer was dubbed "polio season." Public swimming pools were shut down. Movie theaters urged patrons not to sit too close together to avoid spreading the disease. Insurance companies started selling polio insurance for newborns.

The fear was well grounded. By the 1950s, polio had become one of the most serious communicable diseases among children in the United States.

In 1952 alone, nearly 60,000 children were infected with the virus; thousands were paralyzed, and more than 3,000 died. Hospitals set up special units with iron lung machines to keep polio victims alive. Rich kids as well as poor were left paralyzed.

Then in 1955, the U.S. began widespread vaccinations. By 1979, the virus had been completely eliminated across the country.
. . ."

 

[G.ski]

Even when he's wrong about the data? He keeps saying that states with stricter covid rules didn't fare any better than very lax states. The data say's otherwise and that he's wrong by a LOT! Can't respect people that aren't willing to modify their opinions in light of data and information.

Did I say I agree with everything he says?

No I did not.

And nothing creeps me out more than people who incessantly quote "data". Seems to me there could be a lot of opinion modification on both sides of the argument.

But it seems most people just want to be "right". Whatever that is.

 

[Andy_ROC]

I have a 15 yo. Way harder for her than for me or my wife. I'd totally risk covid again at this point, to keep her in school.

I could understand that older kids might have more trouble.

Anyway with regard to risk-- I'm not at all worried. I'm vaxed/boosted and have done things to get my immune system stronger. I'm not avoiding doing anything and frankly haven't since 2 weeks after my first shot back in April 2021. I want to expose myself to the virus (or maybe I already have) so I can harden my immune system further. If I get really sick, that's a risk I'm willing to take. I also know it's not all about me, so I'm not going to sweat over wearing a mask if someone requests or recommends it.

Anyway the data I posted earlier shows it's pure bunk to claim that states that had lax covid policies fared the similarly to states with strict covid policies.

 

[MarzNC]

At this point insurance companies should start raising rates for the unvaxed.

I remember reading about at least one large company that was going to make unvaccinated employees extra, in addition to the usual payments for health insurance. Think it was an American company but not positive.

 

[Andy_ROC]

Did I say I agree with everything he says?

No I did not.

And nothing creeps me out more than people who incessantly quote "data". Seems to me there could be a lot of opinion modification on both sides of the argument.

But it seems most people just want to be "right". Whatever that is.

What's wrong with data? I want to be right based on the data and willing to change my opinion based on any new information that comes to my attention. Sadly there' some people that will have none of that. Do you want the plane carrying your family designed and built based on feelings and opinion or math/science data?