4 ms·

> Now that there's a small chance that this could kill me Wasn't that also true before covid?

by jefftk 5y ago

varelse 5y ago
Much much smaller covid is not just like the flu please go away.
- jefftk 5y ago
  Covid is not just like the flu, yes. If you have no immunity covid is about 10x more likely to kill you. But, once you're vaccinated, the risk from covid is lower than the flu.
  - varelse 5y ago
    Right up until our strong pool of unvaccinated folk provide the evolutionary opportunity to infect the vaccinated pool. Why that seems to be exactly what's happening right now with omicron. But since fatality rates are decoupled from virulence rates as long as you survive long enough to spread the thing, we're all stuck waiting another couple months to sort this out. I'm 100% on team life finds a way (tm). I don't need you to think that way but I'm going to continue thinking that way and we'll see how that goes.
    - jefftk 5y ago
      The vaccines are highly protective against hospitalization and death. As someone vaccinated (and boosted) against covid, I would much rather be infected with covid than the flu. As for life finding a way, I do think we should expect to continue to see additional waves of covid, mutation and infection, but I'm not sure why you would expect that to lead to a high risk of death?
      - varelse 5y ago
        The vaccines are great (And I'm boosted)! We agree on that. But I hope we agree that anti-vaxxers suck. And they are providing a pool for the virus to evolve past the vaccines (as Omicron seems to do). As for the risk of death. I know people who prefer normality with a ~0.5-1.0% additional chance of random death over continued isolation. I get that. I prefer isolation to that myself but I won't impose my views on anyone else. Why can't we just politely accept both sorts have to coexist? Go back to normality if you wish, be my guest even, except where we have to mix upon where you put on a mask or GTFO. Why is this unreasonable? Because apparently this is crazytalk to some.
        nradov 5y ago
        While I encourage everyone eligible to get vaccinated, the current thinking is that new variants are most likely to evolve in immunocompromised patients who have persistent infections. Vaccines aren't very effective for patients with malfunctioning immune systems. https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/covid-variants-may-arise-in-people-with-compromised-immune-systems/ https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/covid-variants-ma... https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMsb2104756 https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMsb2104756
        unmole 5y ago
        Unvaccinated people will eventually catch the virus and in the overwhelming majority of the cases recover and develop potent and robust immunity against future infection.
        varelse 5y ago
        For about 5-7 months or until a new variant emerges but let's not talk about that, right? I enthusiastically support your right to play Russian roulette with pretty good odds if only you support my right not to play. After all if you die and I live that's more social security benefits for me. I'm less worried about dying of the thing than I am of an indefinite and impossible to cure case of long covid and all the horrible things that come with it. People have literally killed themselves over it. But your body your choices and all that. Just remember that goes both ways.
  - stjohnswarts 5y ago
    That may have been true a week ago, with omicron we don't know that yet. Hence google delaying. Jan 10 seems a little optimistic though. i'm not sure why they were even going to bother right before Christmas break anyway, at least in mostly Christian Western countries that slow down the last couple of weeks of december anyway.
wffurr 5y ago
Don't forget the danger of the commute itself. Also a small chance that it could kill you.
- varelse 5y ago
  Also remember to consider the threat posed by dihydrogen monoxide but I digress...
  - wffurr 5y ago
    The ocean in particular has it out for humans. Record drownings in New England this past summer. I dug into it some and realized that I was shockingly ignorant of safe behavior around water in general.

> Now that there's a small chance that this could kill me Wasn't that also true before covid?

by jefftk 5y ago

> Now that there's a small chance that this could kill me Wasn't that also true before covid?

varelse 5y ago

Much much smaller covid is not just like the flu please go away.

jefftk 5y ago
Covid is not just like the flu, yes. If you have no immunity covid is about 10x more likely to kill you. But, once you're vaccinated, the risk from covid is lower than the flu.
- varelse 5y ago
  Right up until our strong pool of unvaccinated folk provide the evolutionary opportunity to infect the vaccinated pool. Why that seems to be exactly what's happening right now with omicron. But since fatality rates are decoupled from virulence rates as long as you survive long enough to spread the thing, we're all stuck waiting another couple months to sort this out. I'm 100% on team life finds a way (tm). I don't need you to think that way but I'm going to continue thinking that way and we'll see how that goes.
  - jefftk 5y ago
    The vaccines are highly protective against hospitalization and death. As someone vaccinated (and boosted) against covid, I would much rather be infected with covid than the flu. As for life finding a way, I do think we should expect to continue to see additional waves of covid, mutation and infection, but I'm not sure why you would expect that to lead to a high risk of death?
    - varelse 5y ago
      The vaccines are great (And I'm boosted)! We agree on that. But I hope we agree that anti-vaxxers suck. And they are providing a pool for the virus to evolve past the vaccines (as Omicron seems to do). As for the risk of death. I know people who prefer normality with a ~0.5-1.0% additional chance of random death over continued isolation. I get that. I prefer isolation to that myself but I won't impose my views on anyone else. Why can't we just politely accept both sorts have to coexist? Go back to normality if you wish, be my guest even, except where we have to mix upon where you put on a mask or GTFO. Why is this unreasonable? Because apparently this is crazytalk to some.
      - nradov 5y ago
        While I encourage everyone eligible to get vaccinated, the current thinking is that new variants are most likely to evolve in immunocompromised patients who have persistent infections. Vaccines aren't very effective for patients with malfunctioning immune systems. https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/covid-variants-may-arise-in-people-with-compromised-immune-systems/ https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/covid-variants-ma... https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMsb2104756 https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMsb2104756
      - unmole 5y ago
        Unvaccinated people will eventually catch the virus and in the overwhelming majority of the cases recover and develop potent and robust immunity against future infection.
        varelse 5y ago
        For about 5-7 months or until a new variant emerges but let's not talk about that, right? I enthusiastically support your right to play Russian roulette with pretty good odds if only you support my right not to play. After all if you die and I live that's more social security benefits for me. I'm less worried about dying of the thing than I am of an indefinite and impossible to cure case of long covid and all the horrible things that come with it. People have literally killed themselves over it. But your body your choices and all that. Just remember that goes both ways.
- stjohnswarts 5y ago
  That may have been true a week ago, with omicron we don't know that yet. Hence google delaying. Jan 10 seems a little optimistic though. i'm not sure why they were even going to bother right before Christmas break anyway, at least in mostly Christian Western countries that slow down the last couple of weeks of december anyway.

wffurr 5y ago

Don't forget the danger of the commute itself. Also a small chance that it could kill you.

varelse 5y ago
Also remember to consider the threat posed by dihydrogen monoxide but I digress...
- wffurr 5y ago
  The ocean in particular has it out for humans. Record drownings in New England this past summer. I dug into it some and realized that I was shockingly ignorant of safe behavior around water in general.