Yes. The vaccines prevent hospitalization and death due to COVID-19. It's not really my opinion that you need on this. The numbers have the obvious truth here--look at the difference between hospitalizations among the unvaccinated and the vaccinated in this graph from NYC for the past couple of months: https://twitter.com/MarkLevineNYC/status/1476709170636337157?s=20
if you're enjoying playing around with ultra black paints, you might also enjoy this video of putting a sparkle coat over an ultra black paint coat on a car. I really enjoyed it on a phone, but when I later showed it to someone on an actual TV it was amazeballs.
currently also trying to remember the name of the guy who won't let anybody else use the original Ultra black, but now there's way safer versions of almost as Ultra black.
We know that, particularly in indoor spaces that are not well-ventilated, SARS-CoV-2 can travel beyond "close contact" distance or linger in the air. So, my question is: what should be the protocol for people who haven't had direct contact with an infected person, but have been in the same building at the same time?
What if people are, say, in the same building, but separate rooms? Or, what if they're not there simultaneously, but at different points on the same day?
Recently my wife had to go to her office, and later learned that one co-worker who was also in the building at the same time (though not in the same room) tested positive shortly thereafter. She took three antigen tests and one LAMP test over the following days, thankfully all negative.
At some point we can't reasonably cover every situation in one guideline. If "In the same building, but separate rooms" counts as an exposure, I would venture that nearly everyone in Manhattan should be quarantining right now, since many apartment buildings are currently homes to people like myself in isolation.
There is a certain amount of dispersion that happens over a fixed time. A poorly ventilated building will have its risks, but that's why better ventilation has to be part of the strategy. If you have good ventilation, then I would limit concern over this to situations where you're with the positive person in the same room at the same time.
With bad ventilation, open windows as much as possible to improve it.
One suspects that the requirement to antigen test is missing because so are the test kits. I used up my reserve after being exposed at Worldcon, and the replacement that I ordered at about 6 times the European price is now scheduled to arrive at the end of next week.
I'd venture that it's at least as much about appeasing business interests that want people to have as little time off work as possible. Not to go totally ad hominem, but I can't help but notice that some of the only pandemic commentators I see praising this decision are those that sit on the boards of consulting firms and the like.
Sure, but bringing employees back prematurely could ultimately result in more total sick days, spread over the entire workforce, than would longer quarantine requirements. And I don't think it's entirely off-base to suggest that it's more important to keep certain types of organizations running relatively smoothly (schools, hospitals, etc.) than others (bars, entertainment venues, etc.). People who work in the latter need to eat too, of course; but that's a reason to demand more robust social support for those individuals, not to throw caution to the wind.
If you close down most businesses, the economy collapses. Where do you get the tax revenue to supply that social support with?
There are things that could actually be done, and we're doing only some of them. Notably, the government could do more to promote good quality masks, not the cloth ones that are so much less effective. It could also fund (in revenue-neutral ways) expansion of testing capacity. I'm no expert, but those both seem like no-brainers.
Note that in Australia, people have been needing PCR tests to cross state borders, sometimes having to wait a week to get a test sample taken.
I think you are both making good points. Which is specifically why I think a test-out-to-leave-early approach is best. We can't have all essential people down for the count at the same time, and we can't also just send people back out into the workforce spewing virus everywhere as a policy.
It has emerged that the CEO of Delta may have motivated CDC to make this change. A letter was sent from that CEO to the CDC. This person requested a 5-day isolation *with a test-out protocol.* For some reason the CDC's final guidance removed that protocol. It is embarrassing when even the profit-motivated CEO has a more sensible, human-centered approach.
You saw today's indications that the rapid tests are more likely to give a false negative for omicron than previous variants? They, too, might have to be reformulated.
To be very blunt, that's a crappy reason. The test should be required to exit isolation before 10 days. If they can't get a test, they isolate 10 days. Then, separately, CDC should be doing everything in its power to increase test availability.
You're ignoring the fact (and I mean "fact") that this won't happen, and can't happen, without imposition by force and police monitoring of quarantining/isolation. Which also can't happen in this country, it's politically impossible.
I do think it should be feasible to deliver at least a couple antigen tests much the same way a lot of localities deliver food to people who need to isolate and need it.
(granted, I was just able to detour on my way somewhere to pick up another two boxes of ihealth from a DC library, with a line only after I quickly wandered through.
there's signs saying to report results on line; I'm annoyed it's not way more prominent)
It can’t *universally* happen without enforcement. But this is not all-or-nothing. Individual action really matters here. Even one person observing real, sensible guidelines will disrupt transmission chains downstream of themselves, a situation which has tangible, exponential impacts.
In case it isn't clear, I'm with you. I've actually been quarantining voluntarily for the past 10 days, despite never having a symptom. I would say that you and I are two of four people I know who would comply, though. People are plain fed up.
So do you believe the vaccines work?
Yes. The vaccines prevent hospitalization and death due to COVID-19. It's not really my opinion that you need on this. The numbers have the obvious truth here--look at the difference between hospitalizations among the unvaccinated and the vaccinated in this graph from NYC for the past couple of months: https://twitter.com/MarkLevineNYC/status/1476709170636337157?s=20
if you're enjoying playing around with ultra black paints, you might also enjoy this video of putting a sparkle coat over an ultra black paint coat on a car. I really enjoyed it on a phone, but when I later showed it to someone on an actual TV it was amazeballs.
https://youtu.be/53JclJwR4Po
currently also trying to remember the name of the guy who won't let anybody else use the original Ultra black, but now there's way safer versions of almost as Ultra black.
Yes! This video is awesome!
I think they're using Musou Black, which is even more black than Black 3.0. And Black 3.0 is...very, very black.
We know that, particularly in indoor spaces that are not well-ventilated, SARS-CoV-2 can travel beyond "close contact" distance or linger in the air. So, my question is: what should be the protocol for people who haven't had direct contact with an infected person, but have been in the same building at the same time?
At this point I consider being in the same indoor space for any amount of time as "close contact."
What if people are, say, in the same building, but separate rooms? Or, what if they're not there simultaneously, but at different points on the same day?
Recently my wife had to go to her office, and later learned that one co-worker who was also in the building at the same time (though not in the same room) tested positive shortly thereafter. She took three antigen tests and one LAMP test over the following days, thankfully all negative.
At some point we can't reasonably cover every situation in one guideline. If "In the same building, but separate rooms" counts as an exposure, I would venture that nearly everyone in Manhattan should be quarantining right now, since many apartment buildings are currently homes to people like myself in isolation.
There is a certain amount of dispersion that happens over a fixed time. A poorly ventilated building will have its risks, but that's why better ventilation has to be part of the strategy. If you have good ventilation, then I would limit concern over this to situations where you're with the positive person in the same room at the same time.
With bad ventilation, open windows as much as possible to improve it.
One suspects that the requirement to antigen test is missing because so are the test kits. I used up my reserve after being exposed at Worldcon, and the replacement that I ordered at about 6 times the European price is now scheduled to arrive at the end of next week.
I'd venture that it's at least as much about appeasing business interests that want people to have as little time off work as possible. Not to go totally ad hominem, but I can't help but notice that some of the only pandemic commentators I see praising this decision are those that sit on the boards of consulting firms and the like.
Unpalatable though it might be, economic considerations actually do matter. To be fair.
Sure, but bringing employees back prematurely could ultimately result in more total sick days, spread over the entire workforce, than would longer quarantine requirements. And I don't think it's entirely off-base to suggest that it's more important to keep certain types of organizations running relatively smoothly (schools, hospitals, etc.) than others (bars, entertainment venues, etc.). People who work in the latter need to eat too, of course; but that's a reason to demand more robust social support for those individuals, not to throw caution to the wind.
If you close down most businesses, the economy collapses. Where do you get the tax revenue to supply that social support with?
There are things that could actually be done, and we're doing only some of them. Notably, the government could do more to promote good quality masks, not the cloth ones that are so much less effective. It could also fund (in revenue-neutral ways) expansion of testing capacity. I'm no expert, but those both seem like no-brainers.
Note that in Australia, people have been needing PCR tests to cross state borders, sometimes having to wait a week to get a test sample taken.
I think you are both making good points. Which is specifically why I think a test-out-to-leave-early approach is best. We can't have all essential people down for the count at the same time, and we can't also just send people back out into the workforce spewing virus everywhere as a policy.
It has emerged that the CEO of Delta may have motivated CDC to make this change. A letter was sent from that CEO to the CDC. This person requested a 5-day isolation *with a test-out protocol.* For some reason the CDC's final guidance removed that protocol. It is embarrassing when even the profit-motivated CEO has a more sensible, human-centered approach.
You saw today's indications that the rapid tests are more likely to give a false negative for omicron than previous variants? They, too, might have to be reformulated.
To be very blunt, that's a crappy reason. The test should be required to exit isolation before 10 days. If they can't get a test, they isolate 10 days. Then, separately, CDC should be doing everything in its power to increase test availability.
You're ignoring the fact (and I mean "fact") that this won't happen, and can't happen, without imposition by force and police monitoring of quarantining/isolation. Which also can't happen in this country, it's politically impossible.
I do think it should be feasible to deliver at least a couple antigen tests much the same way a lot of localities deliver food to people who need to isolate and need it.
(granted, I was just able to detour on my way somewhere to pick up another two boxes of ihealth from a DC library, with a line only after I quickly wandered through.
there's signs saying to report results on line; I'm annoyed it's not way more prominent)
It can’t *universally* happen without enforcement. But this is not all-or-nothing. Individual action really matters here. Even one person observing real, sensible guidelines will disrupt transmission chains downstream of themselves, a situation which has tangible, exponential impacts.
In case it isn't clear, I'm with you. I've actually been quarantining voluntarily for the past 10 days, despite never having a symptom. I would say that you and I are two of four people I know who would comply, though. People are plain fed up.