Quote
kovach

Quote
bleedingman
This is a preprint and not yet peer reviewed. Still, food for thought.

"Necessity of COVID-19 vaccination in previously infected individuals"

"Background: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the necessity of COVID-19 vaccination in persons previously infected with SARS-CoV-2."

"Conclusions: Individuals who have had SARS-CoV-2 infection are unlikely to benefit from COVID-19 vaccination, and vaccines can be safely prioritized to those who have not been infected before."

[www.medrxiv.org]

I wonder what the % of people who had Covid got vaccinations vs. those that didn't?

Of course I bet a lot of folks had Covid and didn't know it, Would be hard to tell.

I had Covid and got the vaccination because I sure as heck didn't want it again but sounds like it may have been unnecessary. But then again...probably didn't hurt either at it seems as if we have an excess of the vaccine and running out of people who want it.

It's still uncertain, especially considering the new variants. Here's another article which provides cause for optimism:

The Power of Natural Immunity
Studies show it’s durable and widespread. If you’ve had Covid, you can get by with one shot of vaccine.


[www.wsj.com]

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treaclefingers
That's odd MisterDDDD. I can't see hoards of Canadians surging the border to get the vaccine.

It's over 75% in BC that have had the first jab and climbing, and we've just started a couple of weeks ago on the second shot, and that'll go pretty quickly too. Plus, very low infection rate right now.

It seems like things are coming along pretty quickly. I heard our target vaccine rate is 90% so we'll see how quickly or if we can actually get to that rate.

I thought the numbers might be a little off in this article, at least as it stands for BC residents, treacle. The article cites 6% fully vaxxed in Canada though, not BC.
Not sure how the other provinces are doing, perhaps the influx may come from elsewhere if it did. Has Washinfton's numbers off as well, I chalked that up to the data being two days old.
Either way, really looking forward to cross border traffic again, miss Vancouver and a couple of my family members (not all ) a lot.

Did see two BC plates in line to get tested a couple weeks ago, which I thought was a bit odd. I try to keep up on BC access etc., have family and business there.

Meanwhile, in Los Angeles County...

Worker charged with grand theft for stealing 528 blank COVID vaccine cards from Pomona Fairplex site: DA

“Selling fraudulent and stolen vaccine cards is illegal, immoral,
and puts the public at risk of exposure to a deadly virus,” - DA George Gascón

Counterfeit

A man was charged Wednesday with allegedly stealing hundreds of blank COVID-19 vaccine cards from the Pomona Fairplex mass inoculation site where he worked.
Muhammad Rauf Ahmed, 45, was charged with one felony count of grand theft, according to the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s office. Ahmed, a non-clinical contract worker from Las Vegas, is accused of stealing the cards on April 27 from the Pomona site. “Detectives responded and determined that the suspect had stolen blank COVID-19 vaccine cards and put them in his car,” La Verne police said in a news release Tuesday announcing his arrest. “While conducting follow-up, detectives located more blank COVID-19 vaccine cards in the suspect’s hotel room.” Ahmed allegedly took 528 cards in total. “Selling fraudulent and stolen vaccine cards is illegal, immoral and puts the public at risk of exposure to a deadly virus,” District Attorney George Gascón said in a written statement.

When sold illegally, each COVID-19 vaccine card has a value of at least $15, prosecutors noted. California’s Attorney General Rob Bonta had warned residents last month not to print fake COVID-19 vaccination record cards at home and not to purchase counterfeits. “These counterfeit records undermine the health and safety of Californians and are also illegal,” Bonta said in a consumer alert warning. “I advise you to get your COVID-19 vaccination and the authentic vaccination record that reflects you were vaccinated. Please do not purchase a fraudulent record, do not make your own, and do not fill in blank vaccination record cards with false information.” Vaccines and vaccination cards are offered at no cost, and anyone 12 and older is now eligible to get inoculated in California. Arraignment for Ahmed is scheduled for Aug. 25. The case remains under investigation by the La Verne Police Department.

_____________________________________________________________
Rip this joint, gonna save your soul, round and round and round we go......

$15, lol mine went for $75.

Lol..

_____________________________________________________________
Rip this joint, gonna save your soul, round and round and round we go......

Quote
bleedingman

Quote
kovach

Quote
bleedingman
This is a preprint and not yet peer reviewed. Still, food for thought.

"Necessity of COVID-19 vaccination in previously infected individuals"

"Background: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the necessity of COVID-19 vaccination in persons previously infected with SARS-CoV-2."

"Conclusions: Individuals who have had SARS-CoV-2 infection are unlikely to benefit from COVID-19 vaccination, and vaccines can be safely prioritized to those who have not been infected before."

[www.medrxiv.org]

I wonder what the % of people who had Covid got vaccinations vs. those that didn't?

Of course I bet a lot of folks had Covid and didn't know it, Would be hard to tell.

I had Covid and got the vaccination because I sure as heck didn't want it again but sounds like it may have been unnecessary. But then again...probably didn't hurt either at it seems as if we have an excess of the vaccine and running out of people who want it.

It's still uncertain, especially considering the new variants. Here's another article which provides cause for optimism:

The Power of Natural Immunity
Studies show it’s durable and widespread. If you’ve had Covid, you can get by with one shot of vaccine.


[www.wsj.com]

That's what aa friend who is my Covid sister had been told my people doing clinical research BUT immunity will fade over time so someone who caught it 15 months ago will have lower immunity than someone infected 6 months ago and the variants add risk.

Quote
MingSubu
$15, lol mine went for $75.

If you are serious, you are the problem. There are few times I wish I was a po-lice, but I think this is one of them.

Oh, I forgot: lol.

jb



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2021-06-10 05:26 by jbwelda.

Quote
jbwelda

Quote
MingSubu
$15, lol mine went for $75.

If you are serious, you are the problem. There are few times I wish I was a po-lice, but I think this is one of them.

Oh, I forgot: lol.

jb

If serious not sure which is more stupid, actually faking the vaccination or paying $75 for an index card that can actually be found online and printed.

Too bad there wasn't forethought on the vaccine cards like concert tickets with a hologram or a verifyable bar code.

I thought for sure MingSubu was joking... I hope he was joking...

Meanwhile, this is rather disturbing:

Gangrene, Hearing Loss Show Delta Variant May Be More Severe

Delta

- Indian doctors seeing unusual symptoms in Covid-19 patients
- Data from England suggest it has higher hospitalization risk

The coronavirus variant driving India’s devastating Covid-19 second wave is the most infectious to emerge so far. Doctors now want to know if it’s also more severe. Hearing impairment, severe gastric upsets and blood clots leading to gangrene, symptoms not typically seen in Covid patients, have been linked by doctors in India to the so-called delta variant. In England and Scotland, early evidence suggests the strain -- which is also now dominant there -- carries a higher risk of hospitalization. Delta, also known as B.1.617.2, has spread to more than 60 countries over the past six months and triggered travel curbs from Australia to the U.S. A spike in infections, fueled by the variant, has forced U.K. to reconsider its plans for reopening later this month, with a local report saying it may be pushed back by two weeks. Singapore found that the mutation accounted for 95% of the local Covid samples linked to variants of concern. Higher rates of transmission and a reduction in the effectiveness of vaccines have made understanding the strain’s effects especially critical. “We need more scientific research to analyze if these newer clinical presentations are linked to B.1.617 or not,” said Abdul Ghafur, an infectious disease physician at the Apollo Hospital in Chennai, southern India’s largest city. Ghafur said he is seeing more Covid patients with diarrhea now than in the initial wave of the pandemic.

‘New Enemy’

“Last year, we thought we had learned about our new enemy, but it changed,” Ghafur said. “This virus has become so, so unpredictable.” Stomach pain, nausea, vomiting, loss of appetite, hearing loss and joint pain are among the ailments Covid patients are experiencing, according to six doctors treating patients across India. The beta and gamma variants -- first detected in South Africa and Brazil respectively -- have shown little or no evidence of triggering unusual clinical signs, according to a study by researchers from the University of New South Wales last month. Some patients develop micro thrombi, or small blood clots, so severe that they led affected tissue to die and develop gangrene, said Ganesh Manudhane, a Mumbai cardiologist, who has treated eight patients for thrombotic complications at the Seven Hills Hospital during the past two months. Two required amputations of fingers or a foot. “I saw three-to-four cases the whole of last year, and now it’s one patient a week,” Manudhane said.

Baffling Clots

India has reported 18.6 million Covid cases thus far in 2021, compared with 10.3 million last year. The delta variant was the “primary cause” behind the country’s deadlier second wave and is 50% more contagious than the alpha strain that was first spotted in the U.K., according to a recent study by an Indian government panel. The surge in cases may have driven an increase in the frequency with which rare Covid complications are being observed. Even still, Manudhane said he is baffled by the blood clots he’s seeing in patients across age groups with no past history of coagulation-related problems. “We suspect it could be because of the new virus variant,” he said. Manudhane is collecting data to study why some people develop the clots and others don’t. Doctors are also finding instances of clots forming in blood vessels that supply the intestines, causing patients to experience stomach pain -- their only symptom, local media have reported. Some Covid patients are also seeking medical care for hearing loss, swelling around the neck and severe tonsillitis, said Hetal Marfatia, an ear nose and throat surgeon at Mumbai’s King Edward Memorial Hospital. “Every person is showing different symptoms” in the second wave, she said.

‘Atypical Presentations’

The unusual presentations for delta and a closely related variant known as kappa, whose spread led to a fourth lockdown in the Australian city of Melbourne, are still being confirmed, said Raina MacIntyre, a professor of global biosecurity at the University of New South Wales in Sydney. “In the meanwhile, it is important to take note of this and be aware of possible atypical presentations,” she said. The most alarming aspect of the current outbreak in India is the rapidity with which the virus is spreading, including to children, said Chetan Mundada, a pediatrician with the Yashoda group of hospitals in Hyderabad.

Entire Families

Apollo’s Ghafur said he was also seeing entire families with Covid symptoms, unlike last year when individuals dominated, reflecting an increase in household transmission caused by the delta variant. Cases of Mucormycosis -- a rare opportunistic fungal infection -- have also been surging in India. It had infected more than 8,800 Covid patients and survivors as of May 22, forcing local health care authorities to call it an epidemic. Even as India’s outbreak begins to ease -- daily infections have slipped to less than a quarter of the May 7 peak -- the delta variant is sparking outbreaks elsewhere, including hitherto virus havens such as Taiwan, Singapore and Vietnam, bolstering calls for mass immunization. German politician and scientist Karl Lauterbach said Tuesday the variant will probably become more prevalent in Germany too in the coming months. “To avoid it completely seems unrealistic to me,” he said on Twitter in German. “The decisive factor is a very high vaccination rate, which reduces mortality.” But with emerging evidence delta and at least one other variant may be adept at evading vaccine-induced antibodies, pharmaceutical companies are under pressure to tweak existing shots or develop new ones. “New vaccines have to prepared with new variants in mind,” said Ghafur. “We can’t get ahead of the virus, but at least we can least keep up with it.”

_____________________________________________________________
Rip this joint, gonna save your soul, round and round and round we go......



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2021-06-10 07:42 by Hairball.

This counterfit issue is once again a typical example of how authorities work. They still don't know the saying prevention is better than cure.
How many times passports have been modified because they were easy to copy? And still there's not a bright mind sitting behind his/her desk thinking "vaccination is one way to take care of public health, but making sure that vaccine cards can't be used for counterfit business should go paralell, right?"
Rediscovering the wheel symbolises the stupidity of the human race ... history, what can we learn from it? Learn? You must be kidding. Too much thinking only tortures the brain. Brain? What's that? Don't ask difficult questions. Remember, I'm stupid. Ah, forgot about that ... what means alpha, beta, gamma, delta, epsylon? Oh sorry, I'm ahead of time ...

I'm a GHOST living in a ghost town

Quote
Hairball
I thought for sure MingSubu was joking... I hope he was joking...

Meanwhile, this is rather disturbing:

Gangrene, Hearing Loss Show Delta Variant May Be More Severe

Delta

- Indian doctors seeing unusual symptoms in Covid-19 patients
- Data from England suggest it has higher hospitalization risk

The coronavirus variant driving India’s devastating Covid-19 second wave is the most infectious to emerge so far. Doctors now want to know if it’s also more severe. Hearing impairment, severe gastric upsets and blood clots leading to gangrene, symptoms not typically seen in Covid patients, have been linked by doctors in India to the so-called delta variant. In England and Scotland, early evidence suggests the strain -- which is also now dominant there -- carries a higher risk of hospitalization. Delta, also known as B.1.617.2, has spread to more than 60 countries over the past six months and triggered travel curbs from Australia to the U.S. A spike in infections, fueled by the variant, has forced U.K. to reconsider its plans for reopening later this month, with a local report saying it may be pushed back by two weeks. Singapore found that the mutation accounted for 95% of the local Covid samples linked to variants of concern. Higher rates of transmission and a reduction in the effectiveness of vaccines have made understanding the strain’s effects especially critical. “We need more scientific research to analyze if these newer clinical presentations are linked to B.1.617 or not,” said Abdul Ghafur, an infectious disease physician at the Apollo Hospital in Chennai, southern India’s largest city. Ghafur said he is seeing more Covid patients with diarrhea now than in the initial wave of the pandemic.

‘New Enemy’

“Last year, we thought we had learned about our new enemy, but it changed,” Ghafur said. “This virus has become so, so unpredictable.” Stomach pain, nausea, vomiting, loss of appetite, hearing loss and joint pain are among the ailments Covid patients are experiencing, according to six doctors treating patients across India. The beta and gamma variants -- first detected in South Africa and Brazil respectively -- have shown little or no evidence of triggering unusual clinical signs, according to a study by researchers from the University of New South Wales last month. Some patients develop micro thrombi, or small blood clots, so severe that they led affected tissue to die and develop gangrene, said Ganesh Manudhane, a Mumbai cardiologist, who has treated eight patients for thrombotic complications at the Seven Hills Hospital during the past two months. Two required amputations of fingers or a foot. “I saw three-to-four cases the whole of last year, and now it’s one patient a week,” Manudhane said.

Baffling Clots

India has reported 18.6 million Covid cases thus far in 2021, compared with 10.3 million last year. The delta variant was the “primary cause” behind the country’s deadlier second wave and is 50% more contagious than the alpha strain that was first spotted in the U.K., according to a recent study by an Indian government panel. The surge in cases may have driven an increase in the frequency with which rare Covid complications are being observed. Even still, Manudhane said he is baffled by the blood clots he’s seeing in patients across age groups with no past history of coagulation-related problems. “We suspect it could be because of the new virus variant,” he said. Manudhane is collecting data to study why some people develop the clots and others don’t. Doctors are also finding instances of clots forming in blood vessels that supply the intestines, causing patients to experience stomach pain -- their only symptom, local media have reported. Some Covid patients are also seeking medical care for hearing loss, swelling around the neck and severe tonsillitis, said Hetal Marfatia, an ear nose and throat surgeon at Mumbai’s King Edward Memorial Hospital. “Every person is showing different symptoms” in the second wave, she said.

‘Atypical Presentations’

The unusual presentations for delta and a closely related variant known as kappa, whose spread led to a fourth lockdown in the Australian city of Melbourne, are still being confirmed, said Raina MacIntyre, a professor of global biosecurity at the University of New South Wales in Sydney. “In the meanwhile, it is important to take note of this and be aware of possible atypical presentations,” she said. The most alarming aspect of the current outbreak in India is the rapidity with which the virus is spreading, including to children, said Chetan Mundada, a pediatrician with the Yashoda group of hospitals in Hyderabad.

Entire Families

Apollo’s Ghafur said he was also seeing entire families with Covid symptoms, unlike last year when individuals dominated, reflecting an increase in household transmission caused by the delta variant. Cases of Mucormycosis -- a rare opportunistic fungal infection -- have also been surging in India. It had infected more than 8,800 Covid patients and survivors as of May 22, forcing local health care authorities to call it an epidemic. Even as India’s outbreak begins to ease -- daily infections have slipped to less than a quarter of the May 7 peak -- the delta variant is sparking outbreaks elsewhere, including hitherto virus havens such as Taiwan, Singapore and Vietnam, bolstering calls for mass immunization. German politician and scientist Karl Lauterbach said Tuesday the variant will probably become more prevalent in Germany too in the coming months. “To avoid it completely seems unrealistic to me,” he said on Twitter in German. “The decisive factor is a very high vaccination rate, which reduces mortality.” But with emerging evidence delta and at least one other variant may be adept at evading vaccine-induced antibodies, pharmaceutical companies are under pressure to tweak existing shots or develop new ones. “New vaccines have to prepared with new variants in mind,” said Ghafur. “We can’t get ahead of the virus, but at least we can least keep up with it.”

SO this of course would be the big concern, which is a variant that develops that is able to 'side step' the protections the current vaccines offer.

Perhaps this was an inevitable outcome but never getting 'ahead of the game' would be very disconcerting. Best way to stop these mutations is to stop the spread.

Yay Seattle!
First major US city to fully vax 70% of it's 12 and over residents.
Fitting as we were the first US Covid epicenter region, great job!

Seattle reaches 70% full vaccination, first major US city to do so

SEATTLE - On Wednesday Seattle became the first major American city to fully vaccinate 70% of its residents 12 years-old and older against coronavirus, Mayor Jenny Durkan announced.

“When we launched our vaccination effort earlier this year, I said that I wanted to Seattle to become the first major American city to fully vaccinate 70% of its residents. Today, I am incredibly proud that we have reached that goal,” said Durkan

Currently, 78% of Seattle residents 12 years-old and older have gotten at least one dose of the coronavirus vaccine.

Seattle beat San Francisco as the first city to fully vaccinate 70% of residents, however San Francisco has more residents with at least one dose of the vaccine.
[komonews.com]

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daspyknows

Quote
bleedingman

Quote
kovach

Quote
bleedingman
This is a preprint and not yet peer reviewed. Still, food for thought.

"Necessity of COVID-19 vaccination in previously infected individuals"

"Background: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the necessity of COVID-19 vaccination in persons previously infected with SARS-CoV-2."

"Conclusions: Individuals who have had SARS-CoV-2 infection are unlikely to benefit from COVID-19 vaccination, and vaccines can be safely prioritized to those who have not been infected before."

[www.medrxiv.org]

I wonder what the % of people who had Covid got vaccinations vs. those that didn't?

Of course I bet a lot of folks had Covid and didn't know it, Would be hard to tell.

I had Covid and got the vaccination because I sure as heck didn't want it again but sounds like it may have been unnecessary. But then again...probably didn't hurt either at it seems as if we have an excess of the vaccine and running out of people who want it.

It's still uncertain, especially considering the new variants. Here's another article which provides cause for optimism:

The Power of Natural Immunity
Studies show it’s durable and widespread. If you’ve had Covid, you can get by with one shot of vaccine.


[www.wsj.com]

That's what aa friend who is my Covid sister had been told my people doing clinical research BUT immunity will fade over time so someone who caught it 15 months ago will have lower immunity than someone infected 6 months ago and the variants add risk.

It still might be enough though to fight off infection according to this article which suggest antibody levels drop and plateau over time but rapidly multiply at the first sign of infection:

Covid and Lasting Immunity

Over 63% of US adults have had at least one covid vaccine dose. Looks like 70% may be achievable.

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bv
If everyone was under 50 years old, and hunted deer and rabbits all day, I am sure nobody would worry about covid-19.

We need to face reality, which is a world with many elderly people, average expected living age in the 80's many places, people surviving cancer, people on strong medication, people with overweight, all of that is part of the real world, and many are at risk, especially with covid-19. Also many people not living on a remote ranch in Texas, or a farm in Haparanda, with acres of space, but in a big city with limited ways of getting away from crowds and other people. Consuming a lot of vitamin D and eating a lot of fish will not make old people any younger, fat people any slimmer, it's just another side track.

Wear your masks, take the vaccine, keep a distance, this pandemic is not over, even if some places, some very few places on the planet, do have access to vaccine.

true...

only exercise and a healthy diet can make you slimmer, more healthy overall and can reduce the health-related impacts of aging...and thus, make you more able to fight diseases of all kinds.

hence, "get more exercise, lose the excess weight and start eating a healthier diet" should be on the same list as masks, vax, distance, hand-washing....

they won't prevent Covid...but they will reduce the chances of Covid becoming severe...

besides, masks don't prevent heart disease and diabetes either....so, I guess which "safety measures" people take depends which outcomes they are looking for....

Covid cases on the rise in every region in England; WHO warns of autumn resurgence in Europe

Coronavirus

Covid-19 case rates have increased across every region in England with a sharp rise in the North West, new figures show. The latest weekly surveillance report from Public Health England (PHE), published on Thursday, shows that rates in north-west England increased to 149.6 cases per 100,000 people in the seven days to June 6, up week-on-week from 89.4, PA news reports. This is the highest for the region since the week ending February 21 and is also the highest of any region in England. South-west England has the lowest rate: 20.8, up week-on-week from 9.7. Meanwhile, PHE also said that case rates have risen among almost all age groups in England, with a spike in rates amongst 20 to 29-year-olds, going from 54.0 in the week ending May 30 to 121.0 in the seven days to June 6.This is the age group with the highest rate and the biggest week-on-week increase, while the second highest rate is among 10 to 19-year-olds, up from 73.7 to 99.4. The latest figures come as Health Secretary Matt Hancock told MPs that the Delta variant first identified in India now comprised 91% of cases of coronavirus in the UK.

PHE medical director Dr Yvonne Doyle said: "Once again we are seeing cases rapidly rise across the country and the Delta variant is now dominant.The increase is primarily in younger age groups who are yet to receive the vaccine and we are seeing more hospital admissions. The vaccine rollout is a huge success, however there are many millions who still need one or two doses and protection is not immediate.Therefore, follow the guidance and remember it is safer outside. Practise good hand hygiene and wear face coverings in enclosed spaces". The government said that as of 9am on Thursday, there had been a further 7,393 lab-confirmed cases in the UK. It added that seven more people had died within 28 days of testing positive for Covid-19 as of Thursday, bringing the UK total to 127,867. Separate figures published by the Office for National Statistics show there have been 153,000 deaths registered in the UK where Covid-19 was mentioned on the death certificate.

WHO warns of autumn resurgence in Europe

Jon Henley has more from the WHO on prospects for Europe:
Covid-19 infections, hospitalisations and deaths are falling fast across Europe, but the risk of a deadly autumn resurgence remains high as societies open up and the more transmissible Delta variant advances, the World Health Organization (WHO) has said. Urging people and governments to exercise “caution and common sense” over the summer, the WHO Europe’s regional director, Hans Kluge, said on Thursday that community transmission was still widespread and would continue as travel and social gatherings increased. “We’ve been here before,” Kluge said. “Last summer, cases gradually rose in younger age groups, then moved into older age groups, leading to a devastating … loss of life in the autumn and winter of 2020. Let’s not make that mistake again.”

Katy Smallwood, a senior emergency officer, said the Delta variant first detected in India was of particular concern. “It is not yet prevalent in the European region but in some countries has already displaced the dominant Alpha variant,” she said. “We’ve seen very significant evidence of significantly higher transmissibility, we’ve seen initial basis for increased risk of hospitalisation, and we’ve seen some evidence of immune escape, especially after only one dose of vaccine. Our assessment is that this does pose a significant risk in terms of community transmission.”

_____________________________________________________________
Rip this joint, gonna save your soul, round and round and round we go......

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Hairball

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TheGreek

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Hairball
From Fauci via CNN:

Fauci: US "cannot declare victory prematurely" against Covid-19 as variants are still a threat

Corona-Fauci

While the US has “done very well” with vaccinating its population, Dr. Anthony Fauci said, “we cannot declare victory prematurely because there are still a substantial proportion of people who have not been vaccinated.”
Fauci, director of the U.S. National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases and the chief medical adviser to President Biden, encouraged unvaccinated Americans to get their shot to prevent the spread of the Covid-19 Delta variant first identified in India. “We don't want to let happen in the United States what is happening currently in the UK, where you have a troublesome variant essentially taking over as the dominant variant, which has made it a very difficult situation in the UK. We don't want to be there,” he said. "About 6% of the isolates in the United States are this troublesome variant. You don't want to give it the opportunity to take over as the dominant variant, and we have within our power to do that by getting people vaccinated, because we have very, very good vaccines,” Fauci said. Fauci also said that the US Food & Drug Administration is “very, very carefully” looking into extending shelf life or re-allocating Johnson & Johnson vaccines that are set to expire. Of the 21.4 million Johnson & Johnson doses delivered in the US, about 11 million have been administered, according to data from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The vaccine can be stored for up to three months at refrigerator temperatures.

Exactly , as I could not have said it any better myself . Everyone is running around like they won the Super Bowl or something and everyone is dropping there guard and it's not over and the fat lady is not in the bld, or in the city or state or country for that matter . Such a rush .

Yeah Greek...it's a bit out of control...

And as Bjornulf stated "Wear your masks, take the vaccine, keep a distance, this pandemic is not over..."

Such simple directions/guidance to protect oneself and people get all bent out of shape that there rights are being violated right ? Guess who or what doesn't care nor give a damn about ones rights ? The good ole merry Grim Reaper who does not discriminate . Talk about being "inclusive" In my neck of the woods we had on the local news yesterday outside of the state capital a press briefing from one of the 2 major parties campaigning for the mask mandate to be lifted for kids in school . One mother with her 9 year old son said it's her right to decide whether her kid(s) wear a mask or get vaccinated . This lady was screaming that her kid has difficulty breathing which I understand has to be a tremendous hardship for the youngster , but is the alternative better ? To risk exposing your youngster to COVID-19 or compromising his immune system and cardiac and respiratory system ? Another Lady on NBC News said she doesn't trust the vaccine and nor does she need it . Are people this dumb ? 600,000 dead in the United States so far since March 2020 . Yes this is a disruption and an major inconvenience to our life and liberty , but this is a once in a hundred years and once in our lifetime pandemic and all people care about is going to the bars to knock them back and all of there pastimes and hobbies and recreational activities and travel , which getting on a plane is really appealing at this moment with all of the deranged people losing it and flipping out on flights all because they have to wear a mask . I could care less about the loss of so called activities as I still have my health and happiness .

Here is something no one seems to talk about: your immune system is kept healthy by being exposed to minor amounts of germs that are in the environment and passed from person to person. Not enough to make you sick because a healthy immune system keeps you immune from the minor exposure. But suppose you isolate yourself from society and therefore from the germs in that society, and then all of a sudden expose yourself to that society after a period of isolation. To me, that means your immune system will not be at peak performance and you will start coming down with bacteria and virus strains of disease you would have been protected from with a healthy immune system.

See where I am going with this? When restrictions are off and people are mingling again, I think we are going to see a major resurgence of the common cold, the flu in its various forms and a lot of other illnesses that otherwise we would have avoided by having the healthy immune system. A system that has been compromised by self isolating this past year plus.

Just my own experience and prediction, I doubt anyone will agree but I definitely see the possibility. Its like the invaders from HG Wells' War of the Worlds, brought down by the common cold virus they had no exposure to.

jb

Once in a hundred years pandemic? The last one was 100 years ago. Doesn’t mean we won’t have another pandemic soon. That said, we have to live alongside covid for the foreseeable future, maybe forever. I’m fully vaccinated. Balance and common sense, not anxiety and paranoia.

And, yes. People are dumb. Many have no desire to better themselves mentally or physically.

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jbwelda
Here is something no one seems to talk about: your immune system is kept healthy by being exposed to minor amounts of germs that are in the environment and passed from person to person. Not enough to make you sick because a healthy immune system keeps you immune from the minor exposure. But suppose you isolate yourself from society and therefore from the germs in that society, and then all of a sudden expose yourself to that society after a period of isolation. To me, that means your immune system will not be at peak performance and you will start coming down with bacteria and virus strains of disease you would have been protected from with a healthy immune system.

See where I am going with this? When restrictions are off and people are mingling again, I think we are going to see a major resurgence of the common cold, the flu in its various forms and a lot of other illnesses that otherwise we would have avoided by having the healthy immune system. A system that has been compromised by self isolating this past year plus.

Just my own experience and prediction, I doubt anyone will agree but I definitely see the possibility. Its like the invaders from HG Wells' War of the Worlds, brought down by the common cold virus they had no exposure to.

jb

Won’t get a disagreement here. I agree 100%. Common sense.

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TheGreek

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Hairball

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TheGreek

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Hairball
From Fauci via CNN:

Fauci: US "cannot declare victory prematurely" against Covid-19 as variants are still a threat

Corona-Fauci

While the US has “done very well” with vaccinating its population, Dr. Anthony Fauci said, “we cannot declare victory prematurely because there are still a substantial proportion of people who have not been vaccinated.”
Fauci, director of the U.S. National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases and the chief medical adviser to President Biden, encouraged unvaccinated Americans to get their shot to prevent the spread of the Covid-19 Delta variant first identified in India. “We don't want to let happen in the United States what is happening currently in the UK, where you have a troublesome variant essentially taking over as the dominant variant, which has made it a very difficult situation in the UK. We don't want to be there,” he said. "About 6% of the isolates in the United States are this troublesome variant. You don't want to give it the opportunity to take over as the dominant variant, and we have within our power to do that by getting people vaccinated, because we have very, very good vaccines,” Fauci said. Fauci also said that the US Food & Drug Administration is “very, very carefully” looking into extending shelf life or re-allocating Johnson & Johnson vaccines that are set to expire. Of the 21.4 million Johnson & Johnson doses delivered in the US, about 11 million have been administered, according to data from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The vaccine can be stored for up to three months at refrigerator temperatures.

Exactly , as I could not have said it any better myself . Everyone is running around like they won the Super Bowl or something and everyone is dropping there guard and it's not over and the fat lady is not in the bld, or in the city or state or country for that matter . Such a rush .

Yeah Greek...it's a bit out of control...

And as Bjornulf stated "Wear your masks, take the vaccine, keep a distance, this pandemic is not over..."

Such simple directions/guidance to protect oneself and people get all bent out of shape that there rights are being violated right ? Guess who or what doesn't care nor give a damn about ones rights ? The good ole merry Grim Reaper who does not discriminate . Talk about being "inclusive" In my neck of the woods we had on the local news yesterday outside of the state capital a press briefing from one of the 2 major parties campaigning for the mask mandate to be lifted for kids in school . One mother with her 9 year old son said it's her right to decide whether her kid(s) wear a mask or get vaccinated . This lady was screaming that her kid has difficulty breathing which I understand has to be a tremendous hardship for the youngster , but is the alternative better ? To risk exposing your youngster to COVID-19 or compromising his immune system and cardiac and respiratory system ? Another Lady on NBC News said she doesn't trust the vaccine and nor does she need it . Are people this dumb ? 600,000 dead in the United States so far since March 2020 . Yes this is a disruption and an major inconvenience to our life and liberty , but this is a once in a hundred years and once in our lifetime pandemic and all people care about is going to the bars to knock them back and all of there pastimes and hobbies and recreational activities and travel , which getting on a plane is really appealing at this moment with all of the deranged people losing it and flipping out on flights all because they have to wear a mask . I could care less about the loss of so called activities as I still have my health and happiness .

Yes Greek, it's a mess and people will continue to celebrate and "declare victory prematurely" when we're still in the thick of it, especially as far as the entire world is concerned.
And there are others who will bemoan the inconvenience of restrictions and precautions, along with those who refuse to get vaccinated, etc., etc., etc. - it's a mess, but what can you do?.
My wife and I were happily vaccinated and had our own little celebration, but we continue to follow the rules and regulations while going about our merry way and hoping for the best.

_____________________________________________________________
Rip this joint, gonna save your soul, round and round and round we go......

Does anyone know how JumpingKentFlash is doing?

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jbwelda
Here is something no one seems to talk about: your immune system is kept healthy by being exposed to minor amounts of germs that are in the environment and passed from person to person. Not enough to make you sick because a healthy immune system keeps you immune from the minor exposure. But suppose you isolate yourself from society and therefore from the germs in that society, and then all of a sudden expose yourself to that society after a period of isolation. To me, that means your immune system will not be at peak performance and you will start coming down with bacteria and virus strains of disease you would have been protected from with a healthy immune system.

See where I am going with this? When restrictions are off and people are mingling again, I think we are going to see a major resurgence of the common cold, the flu in its various forms and a lot of other illnesses that otherwise we would have avoided by having the healthy immune system. A system that has been compromised by self isolating this past year plus.

Just my own experience and prediction, I doubt anyone will agree but I definitely see the possibility. Its like the invaders from HG Wells' War of the Worlds, brought down by the common cold virus they had no exposure to.

jb

Why would anyone with some past health issue disagree? The immune system is very complex and differs for many. In my early 40s (30 years ago) I was unexpectedly hit by Sarcoidosis. I was a strong healthy person, but somehow a virus (apartly present in all of us) was activated and messed up my immune system for some time. I recovered without medication and was declared clean after 9 months (! Suggested by the expert doctors because if my age). But ... although I felt and still feel much more capable of dealing with germ and virusses, I developed a few allergies (!, never had any allergies before Sarcoidosis) and they have been with me for the past 30 years. It feels that I have a different immune system compared with the first 40+ years of my life
So yes jb, I think people may develop "old" health issues (again) due to Covid isolation.
Should we really go to Mars?

I'm a GHOST living in a ghost town

Quote
jbwelda
Here is something no one seems to talk about: your immune system is kept healthy by being exposed to minor amounts of germs that are in the environment and passed from person to person. Not enough to make you sick because a healthy immune system keeps you immune from the minor exposure. But suppose you isolate yourself from society and therefore from the germs in that society, and then all of a sudden expose yourself to that society after a period of isolation. To me, that means your immune system will not be at peak performance and you will start coming down with bacteria and virus strains of disease you would have been protected from with a healthy immune system.

See where I am going with this? When restrictions are off and people are mingling again, I think we are going to see a major resurgence of the common cold, the flu in its various forms and a lot of other illnesses that otherwise we would have avoided by having the healthy immune system. A system that has been compromised by self isolating this past year plus.

Just my own experience and prediction, I doubt anyone will agree but I definitely see the possibility. Its like the invaders from HG Wells' War of the Worlds, brought down by the common cold virus they had no exposure to.

jb

This makes sense and I understand. I don't see myself getting rid of my mask including the reasons you listed . I have discovered through my own trial and tribulation that wearing the mask for me works . Here's how . Early March 2020 I visited with a friend who had flu like symptoms and I had a sore throat as well . Bang the Pandemic happens and we have to mask up . Since Right after St. Paddy's day 2020 I have not had a sore throat or even a sniffle .That stands out to me and makes an impression on me as well as Dr. Fauci says the masks work .

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Hairball

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TheGreek

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Hairball

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TheGreek

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Hairball
From Fauci via CNN:

Fauci: US "cannot declare victory prematurely" against Covid-19 as variants are still a threat

Corona-Fauci

While the US has “done very well” with vaccinating its population, Dr. Anthony Fauci said, “we cannot declare victory prematurely because there are still a substantial proportion of people who have not been vaccinated.”
Fauci, director of the U.S. National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases and the chief medical adviser to President Biden, encouraged unvaccinated Americans to get their shot to prevent the spread of the Covid-19 Delta variant first identified in India. “We don't want to let happen in the United States what is happening currently in the UK, where you have a troublesome variant essentially taking over as the dominant variant, which has made it a very difficult situation in the UK. We don't want to be there,” he said. "About 6% of the isolates in the United States are this troublesome variant. You don't want to give it the opportunity to take over as the dominant variant, and we have within our power to do that by getting people vaccinated, because we have very, very good vaccines,” Fauci said. Fauci also said that the US Food & Drug Administration is “very, very carefully” looking into extending shelf life or re-allocating Johnson & Johnson vaccines that are set to expire. Of the 21.4 million Johnson & Johnson doses delivered in the US, about 11 million have been administered, according to data from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The vaccine can be stored for up to three months at refrigerator temperatures.

Exactly , as I could not have said it any better myself . Everyone is running around like they won the Super Bowl or something and everyone is dropping there guard and it's not over and the fat lady is not in the bld, or in the city or state or country for that matter . Such a rush .

Yeah Greek...it's a bit out of control...

And as Bjornulf stated "Wear your masks, take the vaccine, keep a distance, this pandemic is not over..."

Such simple directions/guidance to protect oneself and people get all bent out of shape that there rights are being violated right ? Guess who or what doesn't care nor give a damn about ones rights ? The good ole merry Grim Reaper who does not discriminate . Talk about being "inclusive" In my neck of the woods we had on the local news yesterday outside of the state capital a press briefing from one of the 2 major parties campaigning for the mask mandate to be lifted for kids in school . One mother with her 9 year old son said it's her right to decide whether her kid(s) wear a mask or get vaccinated . This lady was screaming that her kid has difficulty breathing which I understand has to be a tremendous hardship for the youngster , but is the alternative better ? To risk exposing your youngster to COVID-19 or compromising his immune system and cardiac and respiratory system ? Another Lady on NBC News said she doesn't trust the vaccine and nor does she need it . Are people this dumb ? 600,000 dead in the United States so far since March 2020 . Yes this is a disruption and an major inconvenience to our life and liberty , but this is a once in a hundred years and once in our lifetime pandemic and all people care about is going to the bars to knock them back and all of there pastimes and hobbies and recreational activities and travel , which getting on a plane is really appealing at this moment with all of the deranged people losing it and flipping out on flights all because they have to wear a mask . I could care less about the loss of so called activities as I still have my health and happiness .

Yes Greek, it's a mess and people will continue to celebrate and "declare victory prematurely" when we're still in the thick of it, especially as far as the entire world is concerned.
And there are others who will bemoan the inconvenience of restrictions and precautions, along with those who refuse to get vaccinated, etc., etc., etc. - it's a mess, but what can you do?.
My wife and I were happily vaccinated and had our own little celebration, but we continue to follow the rules and regulations while going about our merry way and hoping for the best.

That's right ! I don't get the mantra of some of the anti vaxxers with the "I don't know what the vaccine will do to me " Well for me after the initial injection it doesn't feel like I even had it I mean no noticeable feeling sensation or any kind of reaction physically speaking . I know how dumb that sounds but it's like it never even happened . So what are people afraid of ?

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NashvilleBlues

Quote
jbwelda
Here is something no one seems to talk about: your immune system is kept healthy by being exposed to minor amounts of germs that are in the environment and passed from person to person. Not enough to make you sick because a healthy immune system keeps you immune from the minor exposure. But suppose you isolate yourself from society and therefore from the germs in that society, and then all of a sudden expose yourself to that society after a period of isolation. To me, that means your immune system will not be at peak performance and you will start coming down with bacteria and virus strains of disease you would have been protected from with a healthy immune system.

See where I am going with this? When restrictions are off and people are mingling again, I think we are going to see a major resurgence of the common cold, the flu in its various forms and a lot of other illnesses that otherwise we would have avoided by having the healthy immune system. A system that has been compromised by self isolating this past year plus.

Just my own experience and prediction, I doubt anyone will agree but I definitely see the possibility. Its like the invaders from HG Wells' War of the Worlds, brought down by the common cold virus they had no exposure to.

jb

Won’t get a disagreement here. I agree 100%. Common sense.

Yes and it mirrors what this article is saying:

[www.theguardian.com]

Covid distancing may have weakened children’s immune system, experts say

End of social distancing and mask-wearing could leave children vulnerable to common bugs

Scientists are concerned that measures to combat Covid-19 have weakened the immune systems of young children who have not been able to build up resistance to common bugs, leaving them vulnerable when mask-wearing and social distancing eventually end.

Contact with viral pathogens happens on a fairly regular basis and although it does not always lead to sickness, the exposure helps shore the immune system against the threat should the bugs be encountered again.

Over the past 14 months or so, protracted restrictions on mixing and travel, alongside mask-wearing and social distancing, have not only reduced the risk of Covid but other respiratory bugs such as the flu – cases of which were basically nonexistent last winter, according to surveillance data largely encompassing England compiled by the Royal College of GPs (RCGP).

However, virologists are concerned about RSV, a virus that can cause serious lung infections requiring hospital admission, and sometimes even death, in children under the age of one – and for which there are no approved vaccines.

“Flu worries me, but there is a vaccine – and so the most vulnerable will still have access to the vaccines,” said Dr Catherine Moore, consultant clinical scientist for Public Health Wales. She warned that RSV currently has no vaccine. “Whereas what Covid has done has caused a big issue in our adult ICUs, we may see conversely problems in our paediatric hospitalisations and intensive care,” she said.

Pre-Covid, most children encountered most seasonal viruses before they turned 18 months old. But the biggest influx in paediatric hospital wards each winter are babies under the age of one who have for the first time been infected with RSV – because their lungs are not well developed, their bodies struggle to fight off the infection, explained Moore.

Scientists are worried that if life begins to go back to pre-Covid normality, respiratory viruses that typically circulate every winter will return alongside the coronavirus.

Moore said she was particularly worried about the risk of RSV in young children. “We’ve got two cohorts now of children who’ve never met the virus, so they are susceptible, but there’s two years’ worth of them!”

Before the pandemic, data suggested more than 30,000 babies and children under five were admitted to hospital every year in the UK because of RSV. Assuming “normality” resumes later this year, “we are preparing for a significant impact in paediatrics”, said Moore.

According to the RCGP, a few cases of RSV were detected last month, which is atypical given the virus normally circulates in the winter in the UK.

“Late May RSV is very unusual,” said Deenan Pillay, a professor of virology at University College London and a member of the Independent Sage group. It may be a reflection of more immunological susceptibility, the fact that some Covid restrictions have been relaxed, or indeed a change in the seasonal behaviour of the virus in response to the persistent collective effort to address Covid, he said.

But there are many unknowns and it is hard to predict exactly what will happen in the winter with RSV and other pathogens, said William Irving, a professor of virology from the University of Nottingham. “We didn’t see flu last winter so if it comes back this coming winter, it may be particularly nasty.”

However, there is a flu vaccine that could stave off a considerable chunk of disease, the scientists said, acknowledging that they are hoping the experience of Covid will enhance the uptake of the flu vaccine.

“I would think that it would be a good idea to maybe combine a flu vaccine with a booster dose of the [Covid] vaccine,” said Irving. Efforts to develop a Covid-flu combination vaccine are already under way.

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Hairball

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TheGreek

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Hairball

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TheGreek

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Hairball
From Fauci via CNN:

Fauci: US "cannot declare victory prematurely" against Covid-19 as variants are still a threat

Corona-Fauci

While the US has “done very well” with vaccinating its population, Dr. Anthony Fauci said, “we cannot declare victory prematurely because there are still a substantial proportion of people who have not been vaccinated.”
Fauci, director of the U.S. National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases and the chief medical adviser to President Biden, encouraged unvaccinated Americans to get their shot to prevent the spread of the Covid-19 Delta variant first identified in India. “We don't want to let happen in the United States what is happening currently in the UK, where you have a troublesome variant essentially taking over as the dominant variant, which has made it a very difficult situation in the UK. We don't want to be there,” he said. "About 6% of the isolates in the United States are this troublesome variant. You don't want to give it the opportunity to take over as the dominant variant, and we have within our power to do that by getting people vaccinated, because we have very, very good vaccines,” Fauci said. Fauci also said that the US Food & Drug Administration is “very, very carefully” looking into extending shelf life or re-allocating Johnson & Johnson vaccines that are set to expire. Of the 21.4 million Johnson & Johnson doses delivered in the US, about 11 million have been administered, according to data from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The vaccine can be stored for up to three months at refrigerator temperatures.

Exactly , as I could not have said it any better myself . Everyone is running around like they won the Super Bowl or something and everyone is dropping there guard and it's not over and the fat lady is not in the bld, or in the city or state or country for that matter . Such a rush .

Yeah Greek...it's a bit out of control...

And as Bjornulf stated "Wear your masks, take the vaccine, keep a distance, this pandemic is not over..."

Such simple directions/guidance to protect oneself and people get all bent out of shape that there rights are being violated right ? Guess who or what doesn't care nor give a damn about ones rights ? The good ole merry Grim Reaper who does not discriminate . Talk about being "inclusive" In my neck of the woods we had on the local news yesterday outside of the state capital a press briefing from one of the 2 major parties campaigning for the mask mandate to be lifted for kids in school . One mother with her 9 year old son said it's her right to decide whether her kid(s) wear a mask or get vaccinated . This lady was screaming that her kid has difficulty breathing which I understand has to be a tremendous hardship for the youngster , but is the alternative better ? To risk exposing your youngster to COVID-19 or compromising his immune system and cardiac and respiratory system ? Another Lady on NBC News said she doesn't trust the vaccine and nor does she need it . Are people this dumb ? 600,000 dead in the United States so far since March 2020 . Yes this is a disruption and an major inconvenience to our life and liberty , but this is a once in a hundred years and once in our lifetime pandemic and all people care about is going to the bars to knock them back and all of there pastimes and hobbies and recreational activities and travel , which getting on a plane is really appealing at this moment with all of the deranged people losing it and flipping out on flights all because they have to wear a mask . I could care less about the loss of so called activities as I still have my health and happiness .

Yes Greek, it's a mess and people will continue to celebrate and "declare victory prematurely" when we're still in the thick of it, especially as far as the entire world is concerned.
And there are others who will bemoan the inconvenience of restrictions and precautions, along with those who refuse to get vaccinated, etc., etc., etc. - it's a mess, but what can you do?.
My wife and I were happily vaccinated and had our own little celebration, but we continue to follow the rules and regulations while going about our merry way and hoping for the best.

Same here. In all likelihood there is going to be another wave that hits. Even in California there is a correlation between counties that have higher infection rates and lower rates of vaccination. Those tend to be the rural counties in the state so overall California is relatively safe. At this point anyone who is unvaccinated adult will have only themselves to blame if they catch it and it disrupts their life or kills them. Hopefully the vaccine is approved for kids soon so the children of the vaccinated can be safe too.

Another thing I never got: the early speculation and stating-as-fact that children will not get Covid. Just seems so counter to common sense and what we observe in the world around us. Yet, that seemed to be the perception of most, that the young would somehow be immune from it. But now...

Sometimes you don't need to be a scientist or doctor to recognize the reality
staring back right in front of your face.

jb

Quote
jbwelda
Another thing I never got: the early speculation and stating-as-fact that children will not get Covid. Just seems so counter to common sense and what we observe in the world around us. Yet, that seemed to be the perception of most, that the young would somehow be immune from it. But now...

Sometimes you don't need to be a scientist or doctor to recognize the reality
staring back right in front of your face.

jb

For sure. Elementary school kids do seem less likely to have obvious symptoms, however. I worked in an elementary school of over 500 people this past school year (August 2020-May 2021, full classes daily, all year). The first five classrooms that were quarantined were due to the teachers having been exposed, not the students. Considering there are about 20 kids per class, almost none ever wore masks inside the school, and the teachers were all wearing masks at work, it seemed that although kids aren’t immune, there are differences between how covid impacts adults and children.

Hesitancy and anti-vaxxers in the NFL...

From Sports Illustrated:

GamePlan: How Vaccine Hesitancy Among Players Is Affecting NFL Teams
Why some teams currently have higher COVID-19 vaccination rates and how the impact on their seasons will only grow.

Corona-Football

One after another on Wednesday, the revelations came on the delayed pace NFL teams are dealing with on player vaccinations. “I haven’t been vaccinated yet,” Panthers quarterback Sam Darnold told the local media. “Still gotta think about all those certain things that go into it. Again, it’s everyone’s choice, whether they wanna get vaccinated or not. So, that’s really all I got on it. I don’t wanna go too into detail.” Fair, of course, since these are personal decisions. “Obviously, [the coaches] want everybody to be vaccinated to move more freely around the facility, and with traveling and all that type of stuff,” said Washington defensive end Montez Sweat. “But everybody has their own beliefs, and they’re entitled to their own decision.” That’s also reasonable. But here’s the one thing that you can’t say about this issue: that it won’t have an impact on NFL teams six or seven weeks from now when training camps kick off. And if it might impact training camps, then it might impact how teams come out of the gate in September. And if it might affect how teams come out of the gate in September, then it might have an effect on what the playoff brackets look like. And you get the picture. That’s one reason why, over the last few weeks, coaches have worked exhaustively with their players, like Sweat said, and beaten through every avenue possible to try and get them every bit of information they can on the work Pfizer, Moderna and Johnson & Johnson have done to get us all here, and what players will be putting in their bodies if they make the decision more than 140 million Americans [and counting] already have. Those coaches all know this will start to count very soon. And that’s regardless of where anyone stands philosophically of getting vaccinated for COVID-19.

On Tuesday night, Washington coach Ron Rivera brought in leading immunologist Kizzmekia S. Corbett—who helped lead research that aided in the development of the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine—to speak to his players, lay out the benefits of getting the shots and answer any questions they had. Rivera also told the local media that while 100% of the team’s Tier 1 employees are vaccinated, the player rate is just “nearing 50%.” Which, of course, would be good reason for the coach to enlist someone like Corbett to address the team. Other NFL teams have had more luck. The Chiefs are one with a relatively high vaccination rate, and one factor that was brought up repeatedly by those within the team is the fact that Patrick Mahomes was among the very first to get his shots. Across the league, it seems at least anecdotally, there’s been a natural effect where if the biggest names/brightest stars are getting vaccinated, others follow suit. In fact, I mentioned the Mahomes thing to one rival GM, and he said he’d heard that of the teams with high vaccination rates, where “those teams tended to have five or six stars get it early on. And if you have five or six stars doing it, they all start to do it.” Kansas City coach Andy Reid and head athletic trainer Rick Burkholder also have engaged players in very open and honest conversation while trying to convey what they know. “It’s basically been, It’s up to you guys; it’s all voluntary, but here are the facts,” a Chiefs staffer said. “And Andy has kept them abreast of all the rules changes, too.”

The Falcons are another team that’s approached it like that, and Atlanta has gotten a high rate of vaccinations as a result of it. That quarterback Matt Ryan, like Mahomes, was among the first to get his shots was a factor, too, as was Ryan’s willingness to discuss it with his teammates. And new Falcons coach Arthur Smith approached it with the players similar to how Reid did with his—giving them the facts, encouraging them to talk about it with the team’s doctors and trainers, and being sure not to pressure or guilt-trip them. The Steelers are one more that’s had success, with a player vaccination rate currently sitting between 75% and 80%. Coach Mike Tomlin’s done it by deferring mostly to head athletic trainer John Norwig, who’s going into his 31st season with the team and has the players’ implicit trust. It’s also helped that team leaders, like defensive lineman Cam Heyward, have been advocates and diligent about getting their teammates educated. Now, at this point, it’s still reasonable to say that these personal choices don’t really affect the teams, or the players’ individual ability to get ready for the season through the spring, even if it’s become obvious to everyone in these buildings who’s vaccinated and who’s not (all you have to do is see who’s in a mask and who’s not). But things will likely get considerably less comfortable for unvaccinated players in a few weeks. The league and union are still working out details on how training camp protocols will look, but the current state of the rules can provide a window into the future on that.

• Unvaccinated players still have daily testing; vaccinated players do not.
• Unvaccinated players have to wear masks; vaccinated players do not.
• Unvaccinated players must quarantine after COVID-19 exposure; vaccinated players don’t need to.
• Travel restrictions have been lifted for vaccinated players; they remain in place for unvaccinated players.
• There are capacity limits in the weight room for unvaccinated players; there aren’t for vaccinated players.
• Unvaccinated players have to do grab-and-go meals at the facility; vaccinated players can eat in the cafeteria.
• Unvaccinated players can’t participate in in-person marketing/media opportunities; vaccinated players can.
• Unvaccinated players can’t use the sauna or steam room; vaccinated players can.

And then, there’s the prospect that, between now and camp, the NFL and NFLPA could push over the goal line a proposal further easing restrictions on teams that have 85% of players vaccinated. So if you look at all this, just on the surface, the impact is obvious. Teams with large groups of unvaccinated players, come training camp, will have to lift, meet and socialize with one another in different ways than teams that are largely vaccinated. The fact is, camp is a challenging time of year for every team, and, obviously, these circumstances would make it more challenging for some teams than others, tipping the competitive-balance scale a little. After that, you can dig into the less obvious. The first one is how testing adds about 45 minutes to a player’s day, and how coaches might not be building schedules around those 45 minutes the same way they were to accommodate everyone a year ago. The second, relating to that, is how daily testing will keep guys in town on days off, during the bye weekend (Labor Day weekend) between the preseason and regular season, and then during the TNF “mini-bye” and the normal regular-season bye. Then, there are travel restrictions—where unvaccinated players may well again be confined to their rooms on the road, and unable to visit with family and friends during trips. And there’s more, too, that will wear on players over time, and could have an effect on performance. And yes, this is the same stuff that players went through last year. But this year, guys dealing with it will be playing against a lot of players who won’t have to.

No matter where coaches might personally come down on this, they all realize there’s a competitive advantage, or disadvantage, to be had there. Which has been enough to convince every one of them I hit up to make sure their players have every piece of information possible as the clock ticks toward training camp. So what’s stopping players from getting the vaccine? For the most part, it’s the same things that are slowing the rate in certain parts of the country. In discussing the subject with teams the last couple of days, most of the areas of trepidation cited are familiar ones across the U.S.— right-leaning political beliefs, conspiracy theories, the history of these things in Black culture. Others are more football-specific. One coach told me he has a holdout who’s never had a flu shot, doesn’t drink and is ultra-careful with what he puts in his body, who asked, “Why should I start now?” Then there’s the simpler, “I’m not going to be told what to do” reasoning. Wherever guys land on it, for all of those who haven’t had the vaccine, time is running short. And teams are going to greater lengths to try to make it easy for players who are still mulling it over to get vaccinated. The Bengals are one that set up a June 17 vaccination day for players at Paul Brown Stadium, which will be the fourth one they’ve done this spring. It’s being sold to the guys as a last chance to have a completely normal training camp—because if you get your first shot on June 17, your second would be on or around July 8, and the two-week post-second-shot waiting period would then end July 22, right before most teams have their reporting date. At this point, Cincinnati’s in pretty good shape, hovering around 65% and needing maybe nine or 10 more guys to get the vaccine to cross the 85% threshold. So chances are, the Bengals will have a relatively normal camp. And that might end up mattering more than people think when we get to the season.

_____________________________________________________________
Rip this joint, gonna save your soul, round and round and round we go......