Conavirus......

[jp1]

Do you mean to say those are not rabid right wing Trumpers defying common sense health precautions and contributing to Trump's desire to infect as many people as possible in the picture? How can the rest of us tell?

They're at a private event, and depending on one's definition of outdoor dining they were technically following the guidelines.* They also weren't going on tv or twitter or on stage at a public event mocking mask wearers.

*personally you wouldn't catch me eating in a space with walls on 3 sides, nor would you find me dining with anywhere near that many people regardless of the guidelines, but that's because I REALLY don't want to bring this into my home. I live with an overweight, prediabetic, hypertensive cancer survivor.

[happystuff]

Oh? I thought I was just responding to it. Silly me.....

Come on, Alan, you feed right into it along with the others here. LOL. Don't condemn them when you do the same thing.

And, yes, I add my share.

[Yppej]

I saw on the evening news an answer to a question I have, if you get the vaccine can you still catch the virus and transmit it to others?

The medical "expert" said it is only 95% effective so you still need to wear a mask. What a moron! People are going to get a vaccine if they believe it will return our country to normalcy, not so they can continue wearing a mask for the rest of their lives. Already lots of people are leery of the vaccine - this type of irresponsible commentary will just drive the number of people willing to get the shot even lower. No vaccine will ever be 100% effective. 95% is pretty damn good.

[bae]

What a moron!

Well, someone is, that's for sure.

[jp1]

I saw on the evening news an answer to a question I have, if you get the vaccine can you still catch the virus and transmit it to others?

The medical "expert" said it is only 95% effective so you still need to wear a mask. What a moron! People are going to get a vaccine if they believe it will return our country to normalcy, not so they can continue wearing a mask for the rest of their lives. Already lots of people are leery of the vaccine - this type of irresponsible commentary will just drive the number of people willing to get the shot even lower. No vaccine will ever be 100% effective. 95% is pretty damn good.

I suppose if one wants to take a 1 in 20 chance that the vaccine won't protect them if they get exposed to the virus, sure, skip the mask. But until a sizable majority of the population has been vaccinated and infection rates drop significantly I'll keep wearing my mask because the vaccine and the mask are two separate layers of protection as long as the virus is still out there in sizable numbers of people.

And yes, if enough people get vaccinated and it works well enough we'll achieve a 100%, or darn near 100%, elimination of the virus. When's the last time anyone got smallpox? Enough decades ago that we don't even get vaccinated for it anymore because it has not existed anywhere in the world for that long.

[razz]

I saw on the evening news an answer to a question I have, if you get the vaccine can you still catch the virus and transmit it to others?

The medical "expert" said it is only 95% effective so you still need to wear a mask. What a moron! People are going to get a vaccine if they believe it will return our country to normalcy, not so they can continue wearing a mask for the rest of their lives. Already lots of people are leery of the vaccine - this type of irresponsible commentary will just drive the number of people willing to get the shot even lower. No vaccine will ever be 100% effective. 95% is pretty damn good.

He was quite correct and answered the question according to scientific knowledge.

People are going to get the vaccine to prevent death or compromised health in order to enjoy their families, earn a living and return to favourite activities. 95% is not a guarantee but an average, I believe.

Using a mask, IMHO, is the most loving activity to protect each other and ourselves, reduce the death rate and ensure a return to some degree of normalcy for everyone.

[Yppej]

Razz I differ from you in that I do not consider wearing a mask normalcy.

[bae]

I suppose if one wants to take a 1 in 20 chance that the vaccine won't protect them if they get exposed to the virus, sure, skip the mask.

One might also say: "Gee, there's a 1/20 chance my vaccine didn't take, and there's a good chance I could catch covid and be asymptomatic and be able to infect others", why then, one might also decide "Gee, I don't want to kill my neighbors, maybe I'll still wear a mask for some time....".

Of course, then you'd have to have empathy for others, which seems to be in short supply.

[bae]

Razz I differ from you in that I do not consider wearing a mask normalcy.

Before COVID, I burned through a couple N95 masks a day on 911 calls, just to make sure a) I didn't give some patient a developing cold or flu and b) I didn't catch the Cooties from a patient.

I plan on wearing an N95 for some time to come, even after vaccination. (Then again, I respond to all sorts of fun infectious disease calls in the field, including Ebola, so what do I know?)

[jp1]

One might also say: "Gee, there's a 1/20 chance my vaccine didn't take, and there's a good chance I could catch covid and be asymptomatic and be able to infect others", why then, one might also decide "Gee, I don't want to kill my neighbors, maybe I'll still wear a mask for some time....".

Of course, then you'd have to have empathy for others, which seems to be in short supply.

Yes, there’s that too. But if I’ve learned anything from our covid life it’s that there’s an appalling number of Americans who lack empathy or concern for the safety and health of others.