I think if individual families or people want to postpone Christmas to June, they could certainly agree to do so, and it might even be a really smart thing to do rather than hold family get-togethers later this month. But if any attempt was made to do it on a state or national level, you'd read thundering Tweets about the liberal "War on Christmas" and you'd have uprisings on certain TV networks, etc.
You can't change the date of Christmas any more than you can change the date of Yom Kippur, New Years Day or Eid.
You can change the way you decide to observe these days and that's what's necessary at the moment.
Don't be stupid or selfish. That should be life at all times, but especially now. My brother in law wanted to spend christmas with us, so last week he flew to Toronto from San Francisco and is spending 14 days in a rented condo to isolate. Yes not everyone can do stuff like that but shucks darn. That means Christmas 2020 is as messed up as the rest of the year. Get over it and see you after everyone gets inoculated.
With the first vaccines coming out as 2 dose vaccines, I was wondering how that might work. If 10 million doses are delivered in December, do they immediately vaccinate 10 million people with the first dose, or only 5 million and hold the other 5 million for the second dose three weeks later? Since production is ramping up, I suspect they could do the former, thus vaccinating more people from the start.
I was kidding about the Christmas thing. Geez.
@robsutherland posted:My brother in law wanted to spend christmas with us, so last week he flew to Toronto from San Francisco and is spending 14 days in a rented condo to isolate.
Damn. How sexy do you dress during the holidays to justify that? 
Well - the first member of our extended family has passed away from Covid - Day after the wife of the former mayor of Key West and current County Commissioner died.
I'm very sorry for your loss. It has to be devastating to lose a family member in this way. RIP.
@Rothko posted:With the first vaccines coming out as 2 dose vaccines, I was wondering how that might work. If 10 million doses are delivered in December, do they immediately vaccinate 10 million people with the first dose, or only 5 million and hold the other 5 million for the second dose three weeks later? Since production is ramping up, I suspect they could do the former, thus vaccinating more people from the start.
The short answer is each state decides how they wish to deploy the vaccine.
Then Lord help us Floridians...
LA Times, "Pastor dies of COVID-19 weeks after Fontana megachurch reopened for indoor services"
@jcocktosten posted:Well - the first member of our extended family has passed away from Covid - Day after the wife of the former mayor of Key West and current County Commissioner died.
Condolences from D and I. :-(
Thanks all - not a very close family member but someone we have known for many years, celebrated holidays with etc., and it totally blows.
sorry to hear the news, Ari.
Coronavirus is now the leading cause of death in the US for 2020.
Can't be. It's a hoax, right?
10 PM curfew here in Key West for New Years and the holiday weekend.
The funny thing is, that is correct. We are at the cusp of defeating this virus. But before we can get enough vaccines into people's arms, many many more people are going to die.
I just don't understand the folks who are going out to restaurants, bars, parties, etc. and putting their family members (especially older folks) at risk. There are so many people who are going to die who would survive if they just hunkered down for a few more months and were able to get the vaccine.
Can you imagine knowing that Grandma or Grandpa died from Covid in January or February when an effective vaccine was available like a month later for them?
I just saw six fuctard teenagers get out of an SUV while walking my dog, heading into a nearby townhouse. Maybe there is a party to watch the GA rally, where unsurprisingly nobody is acting safely.
When the polio vaccination was available in the early '50's, a very famous American went on TV and got a vaccination, in a publicity move to encourage people to get vaccinations.
1) Who was he?
2) What American today could do the same?
1) Elvis
2) not Elvis
Reading today the 55% of NYFD will not take vaccine. Whats is with these anti-vax folks? We had the anti-vax folks before we had the vaccine.
@flwino posted:Reading today the 55% of NYFD will not take vaccine. Whats is with these anti-vax folks? We had the anti-vax folks before we had the vaccine.
Means less competition to get the vaccine for me. And once I am vaccinated... well, if others want to go without and get the disease, that's up to them. I will have little sympathy.
@irwin posted:Right on both accounts. I think if Oprah Winfrey would get a shot on tv, it would be a good message for those persons who admire her. And she could be followed by Dr. Fauci, Bill gates, Warren Buffett. Not sure who is the most respected American
I think George Soros should get vaccinated on live TV and tell the camera that it's important for everyone to get vaccinated because where we go one we go all.
You know, just to fvck with the cultists.
looking forward to the shot. My age puts me in Group two for shots. Hope status stays there.
Want to know where you are in line for the vaccine?
@Rothko posted:Want to know where you are in line for the vaccine?
Thanks for the link. I’m not quite dead ass last in line, but I’m pretty damn close....
I guess it depends on what is an "essential worker." Despite my age, per the NY Times, I've got quite a wait behind a few million Marylanders.
I’ve previously referred to myself as big-boned. Time to embrace obese and wear it proudly!
I have a doctor appointment January 27th. I plan to discuss vaccination with him during that visit. I'm hopeful my 3 x co-morbidities move me up on the list. Happy to wait though until health care workers, first responders, nursing home patients and other higher risk patients get theirs first.
https://nypost.com/2020/12/05/...ysfunction-doc-says/
Covid can cause ED. Demand for the vaccine will now be thru the roof for 50% of the population.
@Rothko posted:Want to know where you are in line for the vaccine?
Cool! I'll be getting the 126,500,001st dose!
If you guys think for one minute the NY Times can even come close to predicting when you'll be getting your vaccinations I have a bridge in Brooklyn to sell you.
Really, how much? I bought some great swampland in Florida recently, so a bridge would be a nice addition.
Seriously, of course no one thinks that this NY Time link can tell you when you are going to get the vaccine. It just gives you a good indication as to how many people might be in line before you, based on the various factors.
It doesn't seem to account for the 40% or so of Americans who are likely to either not want the vaccine at all, or want to wait until the rest of us have been vaccinated for a while to see how it goes.
I also wonder if certain people (ultra-wealthy, famous stars, politicians, etc.) will get special access. I remember at the beginning of the pandemic when no one could seem to get a Covid test, there were lots of "special" folks getting the tests. I wouldn't be surprised if the same happens with the vaccine. You know, like a really big donor to a hospital group calls up the CEO and asks about getting the vaccine for himself and his family so he can go skiing in Switzerland. Stuff like that.
Come on, reading is fundamental.
"To put this in perspective, we worked with the Surgo Foundation and Ariadne Labs using their vaccine tool to calculate the number of people who will need a vaccine in each state and county — and where you MIGHT fit in that line."
@Rothko posted:I also wonder if certain people (ultra-wealthy, famous stars, politicians, etc.) will get special access. I remember at the beginning of the pandemic when no one could seem to get a Covid test, there were lots of "special" folks getting the tests. I wouldn't be surprised if the same happens with the vaccine. You know, like a really big donor to a hospital group calls up the CEO and asks about getting the vaccine for himself and his family so he can go skiing in Switzerland. Stuff like that.
"Come on, all the long distance lines are down? What about the satellite? Is it snowing in space? Don't you have some kind of a line that you keep open for emergencies, or for celebrities? I'm both. I'm a celebrity in an emergency!" --Bill Murray
As one considers the risk of taking the vaccine injections, it seems reasonable to consider the risk of not taking the vaccine injection. Seems to me the latter risk is greater.
With a vaccine literally getting authorized today or tomorrow, but with very limited amounts available to the public, I am reminded of Quint's famous monologue from Jaws, where he's talking about his ship, the Indianapolis, was torpedoed and the crew in the water was getting eaten by sharks:
Quint: ... Noon the fifth day, Mr. Hooper, a Lockheed Ventura saw us, he swung in low and he saw us. He's a young pilot, a lot younger than Mr. Hooper, anyway he saw us and come in low. And three hours later a big fat PBY comes down and start to pick us up. You know that was the time I was most frightened? Waitin' for my turn. I'll never put on a lifejacket again. So, eleven hundred men went in the water, three hundred and sixteen men come out, the sharks took the rest, June the 29, 1945. Anyway, we delivered the bomb.
From the LA Times: "New Hampshire House speaker dies of COVID-19; mass exposure among lawmakers feared"
"The speaker of the New Hampshire House of Representatives died of COVID-19, a medical examiner ruled Thursday, a day after the Republican’s unexpected death, raising concerns that other members of one of the world’s largest legislative bodies might have been exposed at their swearing-in last week.
"The swearing-in of the House and the 24-member state Senate was held outdoors last week at the University of New Hampshire because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Hinch was photographed wearing a mask, though it did not cover his nostrils.
More than a quarter of House members, most of them Democrats, skipped the ceremony after learning the day before that several Republican lawmakers had tested positive for the coronavirus after attending an indoor GOP caucus meeting Nov. 20, at which many attendees weren’t wearing masks.
At least one Republican blamed Hinch’s death on a culture pushed by anti-mask forces. 'I believe the peer pressure exerted by those in the Republican Party who refuse to take reasonable precautions is the ultimate cause of Speaker Hinch’s passing,' Republican Rep. William Marsh, a retired doctor, said in an email to the Associated Press."
LIVE FREE AND STUPID AND DIE. So it goes.
We are rounding the corner on this, though I think real safety for people in my demographic group (over 65) won't be achieved until late in 2021. So at this point, who wants to be the soldier who dies the week before the war ends? I've being more careful than ever.