Taste and smell returned about 1 week after covid symptoms resolved.
Bman- I’m going to start hoarding cult Cali cabs in anticipation of your return to NYC.
@winedrmike posted:Bman- I’m going to start hoarding cult Cali cabs in anticipation of your return to NYC.
U.S. cuts a deal with Pfizer to buy another 100 million doses of their vaccine. Unfortunately, we won't be seeing those extra vaccine doses until probably second quarter or third quarter of 2021.
"1 person dies of COVID-19 every 10 minutes in L.A. County: Health director"
It’s interesting to go back to the beginning of this thread and read the posts from February and March at the beginning of the pandemic
@irwin posted:It’s interest to go back to the beginning of this thread and read the posts from February and March at the beginning of the pandemic
Notice that the guy who was claiming everything was an overreaction and compared it to flu, after refusing to answer questions directed at him, just went full coward and stopped posting here.
Here's some pearls of wisdom from Thistlin Tom, "I keep disbelieving what I am seeing with all the cancellations of events and work activities. Yes there is a little more risk for older people with underlying conditions, but it is still a flu and the cases are still on the small side. Some precautions are beneficial, but it is like the world is going to shut down for a month. Let's get a little sanity back."
The predictions for January are horrific. Christmas and New Years are going to contribute to a surge upon a surge, I fear.
Some of those people flying around, visiting their families, having parties, and living like it is 2019 are going to regret their decisions.
There's an interesting picture circulating on the internet of a flight tracking website that shows maybe 25 times as many planes in the air over the US as over Europe and Canada. Makes it easier to understand why the US has several times more cases and deaths and why the US will likely have tens of thousands more deaths than in Europe and Canada in the near future and possibly longer.
@bman posted:There's an interesting picture circulating on the internet of a flight tracking website that shows maybe 25 times as many planes in the air over the US as over Europe and Canada. Makes it easier to understand why the US has several times more cases and deaths and why the US will likely have tens of thousands more deaths than in Europe and Canada in the near future and possibly longer.
Think more than half of the Americans feel its over, they won't catch COVID, or too damn stupid to listen to facts and science. Even folks here [many tourists] just plain ignore rules on masks, closeness etc.
@flwino posted:Think more than half of the Americans feel its over, they won't catch COVID, or too damn stupid to listen to facts and science. Even folks here [many tourists] just plain ignore rules on masks, closeness etc.
Including many Canadians, probably. While most past snowbirds have stayed home, according to the news here, many have gone south nonetheless, albeit not in their cars.
Wasn’t hard for Canadians to get cars across the border. Just took a little effort. A Few guys from my club put their cars on a truck and took a helicopter to Niagara Falls. Picked up their cars and headed to Florida. Cost them some money but they did it.
@csm posted:Wasn’t hard for Canadians to get cars across the border. Just took a little effort. A Few guys from my club put their cars on a truck and took a helicopter to Niagara Falls. Picked up their cars and headed to Florida. Cost them some money but they did it.
Not hard for Canadians who can afford helicopters and car shipping, then! But yes, some are doing that.
3 cases of the new British strain ID’d in Ontario. All related to travel. Federal government allows people to land here with no testing (except in Alberta) and requires those arriving to quarantine on essentially the honour system. Apparently because a false negative is more dangerous than no test at all. Not surprising we’re seeing the new variant.
@csm posted:3 cases of the new British strain ID’d in Ontario. All related to travel. Federal government allows people to land here with no testing (except in Alberta) and requires those arriving to quarantine on essentially the honour system. Apparently because a false negative is more dangerous than no test at all. Not surprising we’re seeing the new variant.
Testing would serve no purpose given the delays in results. Those in quarantine are monitored regularly by phone and knocks on the door. I'm not aware of any other democratic country doing things any differently than are we. The British strain was always going to arrive here at some point, just as Covid-19 arrived everywhere. We're doing what we can.
There are rapid tests. Those would serve a purpose. Apparently health Canada thinks it’s unsafe to spit in a tube for some reason.
And those in quarantine are not remotely monitored. They may receive 2 phone calls over 2 weeks but many receive one and no one is knocking on doors these days. At least among the people I know that are and have had to quarantine this fall and winter.
@csm posted:There are rapid tests. Those would serve a purpose. Apparently health Canada thinks it’s unsafe to spit in a tube for some reason.
And those in quarantine are not remotely monitored. They may receive 2 phone calls over 2 weeks but many receive one and no one is knocking on doors these days. At least among the people I know that are and have had to quarantine this fall and winter.
I'm sure there are holes in the system but several FB friends and others have said they've received a number of calls and visits while quarantining. In any case, we are doing as much as everyone else and the variation on the virus would arrive here in any case.
I know the new strain is more contagious. But I can't find any article that says "how" it is more contagious.
Does it require less contact time with an infected person to become infected? Does it mean that it takes a lower viral load to infect a person? Does it mean that it can be transmitted farther by an infected person coughing or speaking?
@bman posted:I'm sure there are holes in the system but several FB friends and others have said they've received a number of calls and visits while quarantining. In any case, we are doing as much as everyone else and the variation on the virus would arrive here in any case.
Frankly, I don’t care what others are doing. I care what Canada is doing, which isn’t enough IMO. I don’t get what is so hard about testing everyone that arrives here even if it’s a rapid test. I don’t get it. No one can tell me it’s better than nothing. I can’t drive 3 hours east to go and see my family but people can go to Florida or Cuba for a vacation, come back here and receive no test and virtually no scrutiny of their requirement to quarantine. Two friends of mine got back from Palm Springs 10 days ago. Have received not a single call.
Anyway hopefully we’ll all have a vaccine in 10 months.
@Rothko posted:I know the new strain is more contagious. But I can't find any article that says "how" it is more contagious.
Does it require less contact time with an infected person to become infected? Does it mean that it takes a lower viral load to infect a person? Does it mean that it can be transmitted farther by an infected person coughing or speaking?
Friend of mine (scientist) tells me it requires a lower viral load to infect someone. It’s apparently, and this is hearsay so forgive me if there is anything not true here, normal course for it to mutate like this. Viruses like this become more contagious but less deadly over time, which is the reason for the mutations. You need live hosts for the virus to spread more efficiently which is its goal.
Interesting - the new Covid-19 variant did not enter Canada via travelers. In other words, it seems it happened organically, as it did in the UK and elsewhere.
Bman, apparently the Canada cases were linked to UK travel after all. From an article on the G&M website today:
Two communities in Ontario and one in British Columbia now have confirmed cases of a COVID-19 variant that has spread rapidly in Britain and forced the government there to impose more severe lockdowns.
However, Ontario officials said Sunday the cases are connected to travel, rather than community spread — correcting information first provided on Saturday. A couple that was diagnosed with the new variant provided more information to contact tracers, and said they had met with a recent traveller to the United Kingdom.
full article:
@vint posted:Bman, apparently the Canada cases were linked to UK travel after all. From an article on the G&M website today:
Two communities in Ontario and one in British Columbia now have confirmed cases of a COVID-19 variant that has spread rapidly in Britain and forced the government there to impose more severe lockdowns.
However, Ontario officials said Sunday the cases are connected to travel, rather than community spread — correcting information first provided on Saturday. A couple that was diagnosed with the new variant provided more information to contact tracers, and said they had met with a recent traveller to the United Kingdom.
full article:
Interesting. I stand corrected. But still, the variant of the virus is gonna come here and everywhere else, I expect. It's just the way it is regardless of the precautions we might take. And I bet it won't be the last variant we see either.
We and others have a long way to go yet before life resumes any semblance of normal.
On another matter, guess what I got for Christmas from my son!!!!
Enjoy! 🍷😁
@bman posted:Testing would serve no purpose given the delays in results. Those in quarantine are monitored regularly by phone and knocks on the door. I'm not aware of any other democratic country doing things any differently than are we. The British strain was always going to arrive here at some point, just as Covid-19 arrived everywhere. We're doing what we can.
bman, I have to disagree with you here. Both provincial and federal governments have mismanaged this beyond comprehension.
if they were actually serious about people not seeing each other and travelling, they would have banned flying, imposed curfews, and actually done something as they have in many European countries. Spain and Italy were actually looking ok until they dropped their guards over the summer. Our ‘leaders’ have closed small business for 2 months and asked people nicely not to get together. Judging by the cases, an absolute colossal failure. Go to any construction site, manufacturing plant, factory, and even large office and many protocols are not being followed, if at all. How do you move and install large items (appliances, fireplaces, furnaces, plumbing, electrical??) and remain 6 feet apart? Costco, ikea, and Walmart are packed beyond comprehension????? Only our ‘leaders’ created this. They went for the low hanging fruit to appease the public and make it look like they were doing something when closing small business.
path of least resistance
I can tell you from personal experience that many are not following these suggested guidelines. (Notice I didn’t call them rules) People are travelling across the country and south to all the Caribbean countries. Many cases are being attributed to family members picking up relatives at the airport before their ‘quarantine’
Guess what? It’s allowed so it can’t be that bad and I don’t disagree with them at all. If the government was serious they would literally shut down and impose curfews but......but you may piss off the real $
And for the snowbirds, it’s very ease to ship a car to Florida for $1500 and just fly.
@mangiare posted:bman, I have to disagree with you here. Both provincial and federal governments have mismanaged this beyond comprehension.
if they were actually serious about people not seeing each other and travelling, they would have banned flying, imposed curfews, and actually done something as they have in many European countries. Spain and Italy were actually looking ok until they dropped their guards over the summer. Our ‘leaders’ have closed small business for 2 months and asked people nicely not to get together. Judging by the cases, an absolute colossal failure. Go to any construction site, manufacturing plant, factory, and even large office and many protocols are not being followed, if at all. How do you move and install large items (appliances, fireplaces, furnaces, plumbing, electrical??) and remain 6 feet apart? Costco, ikea, and Walmart are packed beyond comprehension????? Only our ‘leaders’ created this. They went for the low hanging fruit to appease the public and make it look like they were doing something when closing small business.
path of least resistance
I can tell you from personal experience that many are not following these suggested guidelines. (Notice I didn’t call them rules) People are travelling across the country and south to all the Caribbean countries. Many cases are being attributed to family members picking up relatives at the airport before their ‘quarantine’
Guess what? It’s allowed so it can’t be that bad and I don’t disagree with them at all. If the government was serious they would literally shut down and impose curfews but......but you may piss off the real $And for the snowbirds, it’s very ease to ship a car to Florida for $1500 and just fly.
I don't disagree that the quarantine could be more vigorously enforced and limits on the number of people in the stores allowed to be open as well. But I don't think that the degree of enforcement you are suggesting would work. Resources to enforce the restrictions might not be sufficient and in any case, a certain degree of compliance from the population is required for almost any such restrictions to work. The government could call for all flights to be grounded and maybe they should.
I can't agree though that our handling of the virus has been a "colossal failure", at least according to the data. We always compare ourselves to the US and of course we are doing a lot better than them, unsurprisingly given the truly colossal failure of most political leaders there. But comparing us to other countries, both OECD and non-OECD shows that we are doing relatively well.
We could certainly do better and perhaps more draconian measures and enforcement of them should be imposed but I think you are overstating the degree of failure of our federal and provincial governments, except perhaps Alberta which seems to have handled it worse than others. And the Atlantic provinces seem to have handled it very well indeed.
I am not overstating. Just stating the facts.
It’s interesting that when it may affect you, It’s draconian. Our leaders have taken away the right to work for millions of people, what would you call that?
My family in downtown Rome are not allowed to leave their apartment together. One at a time and only for essentials for one hour max ie not Costco or ikea. Fines are given regularly and you will be stopped and questioned.
if we’re going to get ahead before the vaccine more needs to be done
or just open it right up and say f-it.
@mangiare posted:I am not overstating. Just stating the facts.
It’s interesting that when it may affect you, It’s draconian. Our leaders have taken away the right to work for millions of people, what would you call that?
My family in downtown Rome are not allowed to leave their apartment together. One at a time and only for essentials for one hour max ie not Costco or ikea. Fines are given regularly and you will be stopped and questioned.if we’re going to get ahead before the vaccine more needs to be done
or just open it right up and say f-it.
M, are you suggesting we should do what you say is happening in Rome and force people to stay in their homes for the months it will take for everyone to get the vaccine? Is that what is happening in Italy? If so, is the government giving them money as our government is doing, for many if not most?
As for me, the current shutdown doesn't affect me much at all, actually, as I'm retired. So it's not so draconian for me.
@bman posted:I'm sure there are holes in the system but several FB friends and others have said they've received a number of calls and visits while quarantining. In any case, we are doing as much as everyone else and the variation on the virus would arrive here in any case.
My brother in law flew from San Francisco to Toronto for Christmas. Did his quarantine at an Airbnb. He's heavily into tech (MSc from MIT in computer science) and took a long look at the app. He said that the quarantine app tracked his location through the phone (he didn't leave the condo for 15 days). No knocks but did get phonecalls. Everyone else I know has had knocks as far as I know.
I suspect that if it does track your phone and you were shown to have movement you would get a knock...
@robsutherland posted:My brother in law flew from San Francisco to Toronto for Christmas. Did his quarantine at an Airbnb. He's heavily into tech (MSc from MIT in computer science) and took a long look at the app. He said that the quarantine app tracked his location through the phone (he didn't leave the condo for 15 days). No knocks but did get phonecalls. Everyone else I know has had knocks as far as I know.
I suspect that if it does track your phone and you were shown to have movement you would get a knock...
your phone tracks you for google or apple within 5 feet of where you have your phone.
I have misplaced my phone more often then not, and the track my phone feature even tells me that my phone might be on the second floor of a two story building.
@robsutherland posted:My brother in law flew from San Francisco to Toronto for Christmas. Did his quarantine at an Airbnb. He's heavily into tech (MSc from MIT in computer science) and took a long look at the app. He said that the quarantine app tracked his location through the phone (he didn't leave the condo for 15 days). No knocks but did get phonecalls. Everyone else I know has had knocks as far as I know.
I suspect that if it does track your phone and you were shown to have movement you would get a knock...
Your brother in law's experience aligns with what I've heard from others. In other words, when it comes to ensuring people in quarantine stay put, it more or less works but is not perfect.
@bman posted:Your brother in law's experience aligns with what I've heard from others. In other words, when it comes to ensuring people in quarantine stay put, it more or less works but is not perfect.
you should see south korea, where you literally just sit in a single solitary 300 sq foot hotel room for 14 days and they bring you food and water.
better work on those meditation skills.
@robsutherland posted:My brother in law flew from San Francisco to Toronto for Christmas. Did his quarantine at an Airbnb. He's heavily into tech (MSc from MIT in computer science) and took a long look at the app. He said that the quarantine app tracked his location through the phone (he didn't leave the condo for 15 days). No knocks but did get phonecalls. Everyone else I know has had knocks as far as I know.
I suspect that if it does track your phone and you were shown to have movement you would get a knock...
Was he required to download the app? If so, is he a Canadian citizen? Also, is it the Covid-19 app many have downloaded or a quarantine specific one? Haven’t heard or anyone else having to download any app to quarantine.
@billhike posted:Do you use your left or your right for that?
you get 2 solid weeks to work on your yoga poses =P
@g-man posted:you should see south korea, where you literally just sit in a single solitary 300 sq foot hotel room for 14 days and they bring you food and water.
better work on those meditation skills.
I know it's not Korea, but this comment reminded me of how I would react.
The apps sound interesting. But doesn't it rely on someone carrying their phone with them when they leave the house?