OSUmetstud

Quite normal aside from most working from home. I work in the office because I like my computer setup there and I live in a small apartment. Newfoundlanders are no different than anyone else in terms of following guidance imo. The travel restrictions from outside the Atlantic Provinces are quite significant. We been having zero to several cases a week now that are travel related, mostly returning residents or traveling workers. We haven't community spread (from an unknown source) since May. Public Spaces and Gatherings: Distanced gatherings run by a recognized business or organization are expanded to 100 people as long as physical distancing can be maintained, with restrictions. Wakes remain prohibited; however, visitations can occur with restrictions. Distanced gatherings that are not run by a recognized business or organization (like a family event in the backyard) are permitted for up to 50 people as long as physical distancing can be maintained, with restrictions. Places of worship are permitted to resume operations with restrictions. Recreational Activities: Gyms and fitness facilities are permitted to open, with restrictions. Arenas can open, with restrictions. Indoor pools can open, however some restrictions apply. Overnight camping is permitted in all forms, including tenting. Playground equipment can be used. Health care services: Regional health authorities will continue to allow some health care services to resume. Further expansion of visitation in health care to be determined. Businesses and Services: Bars and lounges are permitted to open with reduced occupancy. Indoor entertainment facilities can reopen with reduced occupancy (e.g. bingo halls, cinemas). Performance spaces can reopen with reduced occupancy. https://www.gov.nl.ca/covid-19/alert-system/alert-level-2/

The lower viral loads by mask leading to more mild disease seems somewhat speculative. Viral load does matter for influenza and for SARS but it may not matter for this virus. It may just be that masks would be more likely to keep the viral load under the infectious dose.

They don't care. I've posted studies here. They are purposely ignorant. Im ****ing tired of it.

Its because we have the travel restrictions. It works better than anything else.

I think the data suggest small family gatherings are driving a lot of infection. Schools themselves don't appear to be a major driver. Im sure there's some seasonality. Less people are outside in October/November and respiratory viruses tended to spread better in cooler/lower humidity environments. The infection controls that worked in August may be less effective now.

We've barely tried. We dont invest a lot of resources in diseases that barely kill people. The science has been there for a long time...the money and the will of a pandemic was missing. The 90% may come down but there's no reason it has to.

I thought for sure you were fairly down on it along with Richard because there's never been a vaccine for the other coronaviruses and the common cold. But I don't really feel like digging. Seems like the opportunity cost for delaying infections is even greater now that a vaccine is very close.

I'm sure there will be difficulties with distribution like cold storage but they'll figure it out. You were so sure they wouldn't create one in the first place.

No I mean in general though. Your whole capitalism communism argument. Some of the vaccine production was heavily bolstered by govt monies (US with Moderna and the UK with AZN/Oxford).

Governments all over the world have helped fund the vaccine effort. Equitable distribution was kinda part of the deal. This was not a wholly capitalistic endeavor. Im pretty sure that many govts made a pre-purchase of the Pfizer/bioNTech vaccine candidate, including Canada with 20 million doses.

This is a global effort. How's your no vaccine call looking?

Pfizer/BioNtech is a global company that wasnt funded through operation warp speed. The US govt bought a decent amount of initial doses to immunize first responders. The US doesn't have carte blanch on the vaccine and why would anyone think the us should get all its people vaccinated before other places?

Read the article.

Yikes lol

Lol no. It's Derek Lowe, PhD

A bit more from the Red Sox pitcher.

Its a risk calculation at its most basic. I am more likely to get serious complications or die from an authorized vaccine or from covid over the next year or two?

Indeed

I'm glad the infrastructure is in place but this vaccine is not part of operation warp speed. Thats a fact. Derek lowe is a scientist and blogs about vaccines and therapeutics often. That's why I posted it.

The approval process is not exactly normal given the pandemic. This will probably go through EUA like the anthrax vaccine. But that's because we don't have like a year to wait for the longest term efficacy and safety data. We will have the efficacy/safety we have now to base the EUA on. Full approval will likely wait until well into next year.

Theyre not approving the vaccine based on a Pfizer press release.

We haven't seen the data yet. This was a press release.

Yes. And as far as I know the primary end point was disease prevention...not infection prevention.