COVID-19

[PASabreFan]

4 minutes ago, Indabuff said:

Just to point out how quickly and drastically things change with this goddam thing my parents ended up getting it recently.  Sounded like they were on the rebound the last few days but today my Mom was admitted to the hospital and is currently sedated and on a ventilator.  Flying out tomorrow.  Fortunately I'll be able to see her through a pane of glass.  Better than nothing I suppose.   One thing is certain.  This is gonna suck. 

So sorry to hear it. I'll be thinking of you, your mom and family.

[North Buffalo]

6 minutes ago, Let's Go B-Lo said:

Best wishes to your Mom. I'm on day 8 or 9 of symptoms and they are tolerable most of the time.  First thing in the morning stinks and so does bedtime.  It comes on in waves and I can feel it wreaking havoc with my blood pressure from time to time.  Last Thursday into Friday was the worst. Last night wasn't super fun either.

Keep hydrated, take airborne, exercise lightly, lots of tea.  Took me 11 days to kick it.  Aspirin to keep fever down... Zinc, D3 and Magnesium help.  You will know when it breaks... all of the sudden feel a lot better... but still felt tired easily for the next month after symptoms went away... all my best.

Edited February 9, 2021 by North Buffalo

[LTS]

Son played his varsity hockey game in a year last night.  Man, that was something nice to have.

The protocols in place change things quite a bit (barely in the locker room, not much time to warm up, etc.) but overall it felt like a hockey game and what it meant to the kids is beyond words.

Part of the protocol requires masks. All players must wear masks at all times.  Most are using the masks that attach to the cages on the helmets.  (Fishbowls are actually not recommended at all right now).  I wonder why the NHL couldn't do this. They could deal with wearing a cage with a mask on it.  My son says it blocks a little bit of your ability to see the puck in your feet but you adapt.

They also limit numbers in the locker rooms and many kids never even went into it between periods.

[WildCard]

My parents (Mom professional that applies for vaccine, Dad immunocompromised qualifies) signed up to get theirs today. When they went they, and almost everyone else there, found out they had applied through an invalid link (whatever the hell that means) and were turned away.

Unreal. How does that even happen?

[Eleven]

24 minutes ago, WildCard said:

My parents (Mom professional that applies for vaccine, Dad immunocompromised qualifies) signed up to get theirs today. When they went they, and almost everyone else there, found out they had applied through an invalid link (whatever the hell that means) and were turned away.

Unreal. How does that even happen?

Because we can either do this inexpensively and inefficiently by having governments (regardless of politics) in charge of distribution or we can do it expensively and efficiently by having companies experienced in logistics handle it.  We're running out of money, so inexpensive it is.

Can you imagine Amazon screwing this up?  Neither can I.  But Amazon isn't going to do it for free, and its workers probably wouldn't be properly protected or fairly paid, either.

Maybe putting the Army in charge is the right move.  

[Weave]

1 hour ago, Eleven said:

 

Maybe putting the Army in charge is the right move.  

There are very few organizations as skilled at logistics as the military.  They should have been involved day 1.

[pi2000]

It went through my younger son's (14yo) team two weeks ago during a tournament in Dallas.    The tournament protocol was that any players sitting next to the positive player in the locker room were removed from the tournament.   We had 2 kids test positive over that weekend.   

Over the next week the count grew seemingly every single day, we're up to 10 players and 6 parents infected.    My son tested negative after returning home.    Fast forward a week... I test positive yesterday after having mild flu like symptoms, however I did not go on the Dallas trip.     My wife and 2 boys are fine, and I've been very diligent with the mask and hand washing... no clue where/how I caught it.  Kinda frustrating to catch it at this point tbh.    

[North Buffalo]

4 hours ago, pi2000 said:

It went through my younger son's (14yo) team two weeks ago during a tournament in Dallas.    The tournament protocol was that any players sitting next to the positive player in the locker room were removed from the tournament.   We had 2 kids test positive over that weekend.   

Over the next week the count grew seemingly every single day, we're up to 10 players and 6 parents infected.    My son tested negative after returning home.    Fast forward a week... I test positive yesterday after having mild flu like symptoms, however I did not go on the Dallas trip.     My wife and 2 boys are fine, and I've been very diligent with the mask and hand washing... no clue where/how I caught it.  Kinda frustrating to catch it at this point tbh.    

Problem is the tests are not all that accurate... still... I tested negative as I was coming down with symptoms and right after symptoms were gone yet 3 weeks later tested positive for antibodies.  Your son couldve been a carrier and not known it nor tested positive... who knows.  

Just now, North Buffalo said:

Problem is the tests are not all that accurate... still... I tested negative as I was coming down with symptoms and right after symptoms were gone yet 3 weeks later tested positive for antibodies.  Your son couldve been a carrier and not known it nor tested positive... who knows.  

Unless you get a blood test... most accurate.

[miles]

i was able to schedule a vaccine appointment for my wife and me. the location is really far away, but i am so glad i was able to get something. it auto scheduled it for us for 1 month apart for the second dose, so hopefully by april we will be able to see my family again. we couldnt get the same day, but i am honestly not going to complain

 

because i am a high risk person, i have basically lived like a hermit for the past year. i think i have left my house only like 5 or 6 times this past year. 

 

i got up at 4:30am to start trying to get the appointment today since today was the first day cvs was making appointments. by 730am they were fully booked

i am honestly ready for life to go back to normal, i have been a nervous wreck about it 

Edited February 11, 2021 by miles

[Weave]

My wife had been home since August due to a workers comp injury.  This is her first week back at work full time.  She was sent home early today.  Her office mate tested positive this AM.  It's about a 10'x10' office so.......

You have got to be kidding me.  We damned near went a full calendar year avoiding contact and 4 days into her return to work she's been exposed and needs to quarantine.

She is scheduled to get tested on Monday AM.  We're sleeping in separate rooms until her test results come back.  This sucks.

[Hank]

On 2/10/2021 at 11:18 AM, Weave said:

There are very few organizations as skilled at logistics as the military.  They should have been involved day 1.

With greatest respect to my fellow soldiers,  you overestimate their logistic abilities. 

[Weave]

3 hours ago, Hank said:

With greatest respect to my fellow soldiers,  you overestimate their logistic abilities. 

Maybe you overestimate private industry lol.  Comparatively speaking, other than maybe Amazon, I can’t think of a company that does what the military does with regularity.  

[Weave]

Wife has been symptomatic yesterday and today.  Aches, fatigue, bad headache.  No fever though.  She gets tested tomorrow.  We're really hoping it is psychosomatic, but she seems to be genuinely not feeling well.

[miles]

i got my first vaccine dose today at the cvs. my wife got her dose on friday. we both got the moderna one. im really glad i got up at 430am to make the appointments the day they went live. i have been trying every day since to get my mother in law an appointment and havent had any luck. even getting up at 430am, i am put in the waiting room and by the time i get out of the waiting room the whole state is booked up

 

my mother in law got mouthy with my wife when she heard my wife and i were able to get appointments but we couldnt get one for her. i decided i am not going to look for her anymore. i was the one that got up at 430 am and for 3 hours to get the appointment, meanwhile she doesnt try at all and expects other people to do it for her, then complains about it.

this is what i say to her

Edited February 14, 2021 by miles

[pi2000]

Today is day 5 since having symptoms and testing positive.    Feeling better than the past few days, hopefully done with the worst of it.     Lost taste and smell on day 3.    Days 2, 3 and 4 were the toughest.    Prolly the worst sore throat I've ever had... could barely swallow, steady fever, fatigue, etc.. the typical flu stuff.     Throat is much much better today, fever becoming less frequent.    Dry cough just from the throat irritation.   Considering myself lucky as have not had any respiratory issues and overall it seems to be progressing quickly. 

The plan is to continue to rest, eat well (been taking mineral supplements), drink lots of water, and just be patient.    This Friday will be day 10, after which I'll remove myself from isolation if symptom free for 24hrs.      It's been strange to be home this whole time and not see my boys, or any other part of the house. 

[WildCard]

Seems like quite a few people in here are coming down with it, hope you're all doing alright. I just signed up for my vaccine in April, my parents both got another one rescheduled for the upcoming weeks. Fingers crossed.

[nfreeman]

Here's a well-written article (by an epidemiologist) advocating a full reopening of schools:  https://www.vox.com/2021/2/15/22280763/kids-covid-vaccine-teachers-unions-schools-reopening-cdc?fbclid=IwAR3x0jx_X5d_mOGJNqr-Bmkl22h3AbTi9-bdXWHlI0BoMcQMJpeG4lVfCKk

 

Quote

 

Even so, the union continues to resist a return to full in-person learning. What’s more, the goalpost seems to have shifted again, now to universal vaccination of teachers.

All of this is frustrating, especially to me as an epidemiologist. Generally, union leaders tie their position to public health guidance from bodies like the CDC. But so far, the implementation of these recommendations by our district’s union — and by many others across the country — has been opportunistic, and their stance does not align with current guidance from the World Health Organization, CDC, Massachusetts Department of Public Health, or the Massachusetts Department of Education.

This tension has been agonizing. Because not only do I support organized labor, having previously stood with my town’s educator union in negotiations with the district, but also because union representatives are among our family’s most beloved teachers.

I want our teachers to be safe — and feel safe — at work. I also empathize strongly with the fear and anxiety that they feel. That fear is real. I felt it too when I entered the hospital for work last spring. That fear traumatized me and still makes me tearful when I recall those early, terrifying days of the pandemic.

But as we approach the one-year anniversary of remote education in America, I find that I am losing sympathy for the educators’ position and their myopic vision this far along into the pandemic. We can open schools safely, and we have the evidence in hand to prove it.

 

 

[SwampD]

Good post.

[nfreeman]

36 minutes ago, Let's Go B-Lo said:

I'll say it again. We are already partially open and well over a third of our students' parents have opted to keep their students fully remote. That number has increased since Christmas not decreased.

One of the biggest challenges in reopening is transportation and busing. Our buses are typically full, there is no way to give people even three feet of space on a bus when they are two or three to a seat. There is no pool of unused buses to divide the routes up more nor are there additional drivers. Having the buses do double or triple runs is an option but given that the same buses transport kids at all school levels doing so will create logistical problems when a usual one hour bus run now takes 2 hours or more to complete per age group depending on how many runs you have to make and how far you have to drive not picking anyone up. Some of our kids live a healthy distance from our building. Our school already starts at 7 you can't really make it much earlier than that. Figure the typical bus run for our school is 6-7 and then drivers immediately leave to pick up the next age group.

There are plenty of other issues for individual schools that make reopening really difficult and many of them are borne out of previous lack of investment in the schools. For example, the heater in my room is currently broken. The heater is also the source of air circulation and filtration in my room. 5 other heaters in my hallway are currently broken right now. I have two solutions. One, I can open my window or outside door for 15 minutes of every hour which is fine when it's not 15 degrees outside but is certainly not any more conducive to learning, or I can move to an alternative location like our gym which isn't learning friendly either. If school were fully open, relocation is not an option because those rooms will all be fully used all day. There are plenty of schools and school districts that have similar problems that are not of my doing nor of my unions doing.

Finally, the writer speaks of mask compliance as though it is a given. I can assure you that even in our reduced capacity compliance is far from a given and parental support for forced compliance is far from a given as well. In a fully open scenario I guarantee you mask compliance will be mediocre at best and our district will not support removing a kid from a learning environment for refusal to wear a mask which essentially makes them optional anyway. Do you want your kid sitting next to the kid that refuses to wear their mask? I as the teacher have the ability to distance myself. Your kid has an assigned seat at a shared table with that kid and does not.

People like to pretend teachers unions have all this power. I'm legally prohibited from striking. Ever. My union has literally zero power. You want schools open, do it. There's nothing we can do about it. Nobody wants to acknowledge the army of parents who will immediately lose their minds. It's easier to blame the union. We had parents lose their minds when the local district didn't give kids a snow day this year and had them work remotely instead. Flipped out. Told us we were stealing their childhoods. Next time it snowed they gave the kids a day off and a different group of people flipped out and blamed the lazy teachers union. As though we had even the remotest say in either decision.

 

Just out of curiosity, where do you teach (i.e. WNY or elsewhere, and what grade), and how many days per week is a given student in school in person?

I don't doubt that busing, heating/resources and mask compliance are real issues.  But to say that public schools can be opened over the objections of the teachers unions belies reality in most parts of the country.  https://www.npr.org/2021/01/27/960868462/dont-call-it-a-comeback-school-districts-that-never-opened-are-having-trouble-no
 

Quote

 

On Tuesday, the Chicago Teachers Union and CPS failed to reach a deal on school reopening, triggering plans for 14,000 school staff to refuse to report to schools on Wednesday, and opening the door for a strike.

In Montclair, N.J., an affluent New York City suburb, teachers also refused to come to work, leading the district to abandon its opening plans set for this past Monday. And Washington, D.C., appears headed for a similar showdown over a Feb. 1 opening date. In all three places, this is only the latest in a series of torn-up reopening plans.

Administrators, Mayor Lori Lightfoot and the head of the Chicago Department of Public Health did not initially want to close schools. But, just after the union held a press conference calling for schools to be closed in March, Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker made the call that schools would be shut down statewide.

Once schools were closed, city and school district officials twice insisted that they reopen for in-person learning. Both times the union fought back, even threatening to hold a strike vote. Both times, the school district blinked.

And this:  https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/education/2021/01/25/biden-wants-schools-open-but-teachers-unions-have-other-ideas/4165684001/

Quote

"It's so frustrating," said Adam Grandi, a father of two elementary students in San Francisco, where the district scrapped a Jan. 25 reopening date because the school board couldn't reach an agreement with the union. 

Teachers union officials maintain that the health and safety of their members and the community are paramount. 

Susan Solomon, president of the San Francisco Teachers Union, said rates of transmission are too high to reopen and the district has not committed to enough testing for staff and students.

 

 

 

[JujuFish]

On 2/15/2021 at 10:42 AM, WildCard said:

Seems like quite a few people in here are coming down with it, hope you're all doing alright. I just signed up for my vaccine in April, my parents both got another one rescheduled for the upcoming weeks. Fingers crossed.

I wish I could sign up. All these people that don't want it, I'll take yours.  But no, as a young, healthy adult with no medical conditions, I'm in the last phase.

[Eleven]

23 hours ago, Let's Go B-Lo said:

Delaware, home of our current President. I teach middle school, sixth grade specifically.  Currently, if a parent chooses, a student can be in school two days a week.  The students who attend in person are divided into two cohorts. One cohort comes Monday/Tuesday, the other comes Thursday/Friday.  Wednesday is a remote day for everyone.

Ah, that may be why you said your teachers' union has no power.  Here in Buffalo, the BTF is practically an economic terrorist force.

[Brawndo]

3 hours ago, Eleven said:

Ah, that may be why you said your teachers' union has no power.  Here in Buffalo, the BTF is practically an economic terrorist force.

This can be applied to a few WNY Districts, while the BTF is fighting to keep Teachers out of schools. Another WNY District was fighting for its teachers to be allowed to travel to during February Break. 

[Eleven]

2 hours ago, Brawndo said:

This can be applied to a few WNY Districts, while the BTF is fighting to keep Teachers out of schools. Another WNY District was fighting for its teachers to be allowed to travel to during February Break. 

It's not just COVID for the BTF.  As long as Rumore is in power, our children will not be educated adequately.  Ultimately, we all will suffer, because the aim of public education is to ensure that we are not surrounded by idiots.

[miles]

very interesting thing i learned today. A coworker of mine tested positive. he was the one that refused to wear a mask at work and told me he went all over the place and wasnt worried about covid.

thankfully i have been working from home for a month, so i have no risk. However, the boss of the company needs to get tested now because the coworker wasnt always careful about being 6 feet away from him (especially since he didnt wear a mask).  hopefully the boss requires him to wear a mask going foward.  i am just ready to get my second vaccine dose and be done with this stupid virus

Edited February 19, 2021 by miles

[Weave]

Negative here.  Oh boy, I can grocery shop this week.