Author Topic: Covid-19: sickness, symptoms & relief  (Read 8619 times)

Offline chocolateshake

  • Volunteer HQ
  • ******
  • Join Date: Dec 2016
  • Posts: 3270
  • Karma: 0
  • Liked: 1497
Re: Covid-19: sickness, symptoms & relief
« Reply #90 on: September 16, 2020, 01:16:23 PM »
While CDC director Redfield has a checkered history when it comes to messaging on covid, I'm glad today was not one of those days.  He is one of the few people in public health that is trying to set the proper expectations for a vaccine.  He made two points today.  One, the general public shouldn't expect a vaccine before the summer of 2021.  Two, a vaccine will not work as well as masks.  That's the big one.  The expectation is that a vaccine will be the magic bullet.  It will take care of the problem.  It won't.  Masks work better than a vaccine in preventing spread.  A vaccine is a welcome addition on top of masks.  A vaccine doesn't mean that people should stop wearing masks.

That's the most frustrating part.  People are waiting for a vaccine to save us.  The fact is, we've had all the tools that we needed to control the pandemic all along.  We just didn't use them properly.  The initial recommendation from public health in the US that the general public didn't need to wear masks has been a critical blow that's haunted us ever since.  That wasn't done for any medical reason but due to logistics.  It was an attempt to save masks for health care providers.  From the start, public health should have said that wearing a mask is the single most important thing that people can do.  Now they are but they are fighting a resistance they themselves started.

Offline Miclpea

  • Hall H
  • *****
  • Join Date: Jun 2015
  • Posts: 1129
  • Karma: 0
  • Liked: 350
Re: Covid-19: sickness, symptoms & relief
« Reply #91 on: September 16, 2020, 01:26:39 PM »
You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login
While CDC director Redfield has a checkered history when it comes to messaging on covid, I'm glad today was not one of those days.  He is one of the few people in public health that is trying to set the proper expectations for a vaccine.  He made two points today.  One, the general public shouldn't expect a vaccine before the summer of 2021.  Two, a vaccine will not work as well as masks.  That's the big one.  The expectation is that a vaccine will be the magic bullet.  It will take care of the problem.  It won't.  Masks work better than a vaccine in preventing spread.  A vaccine is a welcome addition on top of masks.  A vaccine doesn't mean that people should stop wearing masks.

That's the most frustrating part.  People are waiting for a vaccine to save us.  The fact is, we've had all the tools that we needed to control the pandemic all along.  We just didn't use them properly.  The initial recommendation from public health in the US that the general public didn't need to wear masks has been a critical blow that's haunted us ever since.  That wasn't done for any medical reason but due to logistics.  It was an attempt to save masks for health care providers.  From the start, public health should have said that wearing a mask is the single most important thing that people can do.  Now they are but they are fighting a resistance they themselves started.
True


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

Friends of Comic Cons

  • Guest
Re: Covid-19: sickness, symptoms & relief
« Reply #92 on: Today at 10:15:55 AM »

Offline alyssa

  • Administrator
  • Stan Lee's Hospitality Suite
  • *****
  • Join Date: Nov 2011
  • Posts: 23486
  • Karma: 0
  • Liked: 7001
Re: Covid-19: sickness, symptoms & relief
« Reply #92 on: September 16, 2020, 09:40:37 PM »
in their defense, the cdc was also fighting the misnomer that normal everyday masks would protect the user.
the misconception about the reason for mask wearing by the culture of the US was the downfall.

Donations gratefully accepted. You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login,
Our Twitters @FoCCBlog @friendsofcci
"Are you willing to give up all you are, to keep all you have?" G'kar Babylon 5

Offline chocolateshake

  • Volunteer HQ
  • ******
  • Join Date: Dec 2016
  • Posts: 3270
  • Karma: 0
  • Liked: 1497
Re: Covid-19: sickness, symptoms & relief
« Reply #93 on: September 17, 2020, 01:44:08 AM »
Normal everyday masks do protect the wearer.  That's been known since long before covid.  There was a study done comparing surgical masks to N95s in preventing flu infection to the wearer.  It was determined that a surgical mask is just as good as a N95.  It is true that the main point of wearing a mask is to prevent someone infected from spreading it, but that doesn't mean that it's ineffective in protecting a wearer from being infected.

It's like the public health authorities in the US threw out everything we knew about respiratory illnesses when addressing covid.  Whether it's a cold, the flu or covid it spreads the same way.  Something else they gave the wrong messaging on was asymptomatic transmission.  Early on they said if someone wasn't coughing or sneezing that we didn't need to worry about it.  It's been known since before covid that simple respiration is enough to spread a respiratory illness.

Now it's like we are rediscovering everything we already knew.  The messaging has evolve to masks also protect the wearer and breathing is enough to spread it with no symptoms.  We were even given plenty of reminders about this.  Back when Italy was out of control and they called on the Chinese CDC for help, the first thing they said when they stepped off the plane was something like "This is a respiratory illness, why aren't you wearing masks?"  This was before things really took off here.
« Last Edit: September 17, 2020, 01:47:10 AM by chocolateshake »

Offline perc2100

  • Volunteer HQ
  • ******
  • Join Date: Mar 2012
  • Posts: 4318
  • Karma: 0
  • Liked: 1770
Re: Covid-19: sickness, symptoms & relief
« Reply #94 on: September 17, 2020, 12:00:22 PM »
You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login
Normal everyday masks do protect the wearer.  That's been known since long before covid.  There was a study done comparing surgical masks to N95s in preventing flu infection to the wearer.  It was determined that a surgical mask is just as good as a N95.  It is true that the main point of wearing a mask is to prevent someone infected from spreading it, but that doesn't mean that it's ineffective in protecting a wearer from being infected.

It's like the public health authorities in the US threw out everything we knew about respiratory illnesses when addressing covid.  Whether it's a cold, the flu or covid it spreads the same way.  Something else they gave the wrong messaging on was asymptomatic transmission.  Early on they said if someone wasn't coughing or sneezing that we didn't need to worry about it.  It's been known since before covid that simple respiration is enough to spread a respiratory illness.

Now it's like we are rediscovering everything we already knew.  The messaging has evolve to masks also protect the wearer and breathing is enough to spread it with no symptoms.  We were even given plenty of reminders about this.  Back when Italy was out of control and they called on the Chinese CDC for help, the first thing they said when they stepped off the plane was something like "This is a respiratory illness, why aren't you wearing masks?"  This was before things really took off here.
I'm by no means a health expert, or even a scientist.  But I am a teacher, and I like to think for the most part I live by logic (Comic-Con attendance notwithstanding, as I think if I detailed my average SDCCI experiences over the years it would not sound very logical to the average non-attendee  :P ).
It has literally hurt my head and driven me crazy how ineptly this pandemic has been handled for the US government agencies.  I don't consider myself a member of any political party, and in my lifetime I've voted GOP, Democrat, Independent, 3rd Party, etc.  It feels undeniable that our Federal government has outright failed with their messaging and response to this pandemic from the beginning, and continues to fail us.  Many local leaders as well (state, municipal, education, etc).
I feel fairly lucky to live in a state that hasn't been completely inept, though one that has released conflicting data/guidelines (between the Departments of Public Health and Education).  San Diego county was one of the first to go off the watch list (yea!!) but is close to go back on the watch list almost entirely because the idiots who run San Diego State University decided to come back in person with hundreds of classes and have quickly had massive outbreaks and have had to shut down in-person classes.  It's incredibly frustrating to see many nations succeed combating COVID-19 while USA has essentially stagnated for months, and will continue to either worsen or stagnate w/out significant change in leadership direction/attitude (and even then, as we're learning with the CDC, the damage may already be done).

It's not only disheartening and depressing, but it's hard not to be constantly livid with our government

Offline chocolateshake

  • Volunteer HQ
  • ******
  • Join Date: Dec 2016
  • Posts: 3270
  • Karma: 0
  • Liked: 1497
Re: Covid-19: sickness, symptoms & relief
« Reply #95 on: September 18, 2020, 12:16:57 AM »
It's not just the lack of action, it's the active interference.  Remember when it was impossible to find masks.  The Postal Service wanted to drop off 5 masks to every household in the US.  The White House got wind of it and made them stop.  The White House was afraid it would "create concern".

On another note, the president of Moderna said something very interesting today.  He said the most likely outcome of their vaccine is that it will not prevent infection, it will reduce the severity.  So a vaccinated person will still get sick, but not severely ill.  He mention making covid like the common cold.

That complicates things.
« Last Edit: September 18, 2020, 03:09:23 AM by chocolateshake »

Offline alyssa

  • Administrator
  • Stan Lee's Hospitality Suite
  • *****
  • Join Date: Nov 2011
  • Posts: 23486
  • Karma: 0
  • Liked: 7001
Re: Covid-19: sickness, symptoms & relief
« Reply #96 on: September 18, 2020, 08:20:50 AM »
You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login


On another note, the president of Moderna said something very interesting today.  He said the most likely outcome of their vaccine is that it will not prevent infection, it will reduce the severity.  So a vaccinated person will still get sick, but not severely ill.  He mention making covid like the common cold.

That complicates things.

That actually makes sense. That's the idea i've been operating under for months. It's about teaching our bodies how to deal with the new variety of virus so it becomes less severe.
Donations gratefully accepted. You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login,
Our Twitters @FoCCBlog @friendsofcci
"Are you willing to give up all you are, to keep all you have?" G'kar Babylon 5

Offline perc2100

  • Volunteer HQ
  • ******
  • Join Date: Mar 2012
  • Posts: 4318
  • Karma: 0
  • Liked: 1770
Re: Covid-19: sickness, symptoms & relief
« Reply #97 on: September 18, 2020, 09:55:48 AM »
You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login
On another note, the president of Moderna said something very interesting today.  He said the most likely outcome of their vaccine is that it will not prevent infection, it will reduce the severity.  So a vaccinated person will still get sick, but not severely ill.  He mention making covid like the common cold.

That complicates things.
Yeah, it complicates things but I think it's the kind of clarity that needs to be repeatedly expressed to the masses.  We aren't getting a polio-esque vaccine that means we'll never have to experience COVID-19: it's more of a "this will dull the impact of the virus," and until our national numbers drop significantly/disappear you'll still need a vaccine AND a mask."
FWIW, my dad (in his late-60's), was impacted by polio: I say that only as a reminder that polio is not that far behind us history-wise, even though for many it feels like ancient history that _maybe_ we've read about!

Offline chocolateshake

  • Volunteer HQ
  • ******
  • Join Date: Dec 2016
  • Posts: 3270
  • Karma: 0
  • Liked: 1497
Re: Covid-19: sickness, symptoms & relief
« Reply #98 on: September 24, 2020, 02:19:11 PM »
Don't forget about some form of eye protection.  All mucus membranes need to be protected,  not just the nose and mouth.  It doesn't have to be something airtight like swim googles or covering the entire head like a Darth Vader helmet.  It is a historic opportunity to cosplay everyday though. ;)  A pair of eyeglasses or sunglasses help.  In an observational study where the percentage of people in the general public wearing glasses is 38%, only 6% of the people infected with covid wore glasses.  That's pretty dramatic.