Coronavirus on a Personal Basis

[AndyinPA]

https://pittsburgh.cbslocal.com/2021/02 ... d-clinics/

About 300 people were supposed to get their second dose of the Moderna vaccine today at the Allegheny County Medical Society. The lot would have been full, but it’s empty because that clinic had to be delayed.

“Until that vaccine is in hand, nothing is guaranteed,” Dr. Natalie Gentile of Gentile Family Direct Primary Care said.

Dr. Natalie Gentile helped organize the clinic to vaccinate healthcare workers and people in Phase 1A. The 300 doses never came.

“And it says they’re pending shipment. Fingers crossed they will even be coming tomorrow,” she said Sunday.

Pharmacies in the state mistakenly gave out what were to be second doses of Moderna as first doses. Now, vaccines are in short supply in the state. The bad weather last week put us further behind. I got my first Moderna on February 10, but have no idea if I''ll get the second on March 10. I already have a appointment scheduled, but I'll have to wait and see if it gets pushed back or not.

[Lani]

While the state government wants to open the state with no restrictions or testing for people who have been vaccinated and for people who have tested negative 4 days before flying here, on Maui (pop 144,444), cases have now risen higher than Oahu (pop. 953,207). Maui also has more tourists than Oahu. Residents are angry because they wear their masks and only gather up to 5 people while tourists ignore the restrictions. They are videoing groups of unmasked people and businesses that are letting too many people inside.

[sad-cafe]

largest school district in Kansas is bringing back students full time next week


ridiculous

[Volkonski]

Mrs. V's youngest brother has recovered from Covid-19. He has returned to his usual living group at the care facility.

[AndyinPA]

Great news!

[Sunrise]

Great news!

‘Yeah that!’

[Clairez]

largest school district in Kansas is bringing back students full time next week


ridiculous

Here in Indiana, the schools have been open the whole time, except a month or so in the spring, when this whole mess first started. My daughter is a teacher and I have a couple of grandkids that have been attending school and playing sports all along with no changes except fewer spectators allowed at sporting events.

I hate it.

[Lani]

Gotta give them credit for contributions they have made here during the pandemic. These are the two most recent, both made in March.

Chan-Zuckerberg gave Kauai $365,193.40 for three commercial cargo vehicles that will be outfitted with "medical-grade facilities, including running water, ventilation and refrigeration capabilities." They will provide covid vaccinations and testing in remote and underserved neighborhoods.

Recently, they also donated $4.2 million to help business survive and employ laid off workers. It will support up to 400 workers and up to 200 employers.
"Participants in the program receive weekly pay, free health insurance benefits and the opportunity to learn new skills and gain professional connections. In addition to supporting displaced workers, the Rise to Work program also benefits non-profit organizations and our local business community on Kaua‘i by increasing their capacity, without adding payroll costs."

[Lani]

Had a difficult day, but good news for my dinky little island. We are #1 for the lowest coronavirus cases and the highest level of vaccinations. Not much going for us here, but we are great in a crisis! All boundaries disappear, and we are all equal and help each other. When I finally retire and move away, I will miss that the most.

Residents can now be exempted from quarantine for a day trip to neighbor islands for medical appointments and a few other things. Unfortunately for me, I am one of the first to use it. When I returned, the National Guard peeps kept asking me for proof of a covid test, show them my Safe Travel account, etc. Nope, I said. Here's my waiver. Sigh. I was moved to another area, where I was watched as a "problem". Because an older woman on mobility scooter is sooo dangerous. I kept telling them to call our emergency management agency and provided the number. (And I know everyone in that department. This would have been straightened out in a minute.) An hour later, I was finally released.

I flew back with mostly tourists. Glad to see them returning and wearing masks, but they suck at social distancing.

[Foggy]

Why would you move away when you retire? You already live in paradise!

[Lani]

Because healthcare sucks here. I had a shattered leg bone, but the radiologist diagnosed arthritis. The local hospital refused to give me pain medication and to send the xrays to Kaiser, my insurance. When I finally got the xrays to Kaiser, it clearly showed the shattered bone, and I was emergency air medivac'd for treatment. That led to 3 major surgeries and years of pain and lack of mobility.

So I'll move to Oahu to be near that hospital that saved me.

[Foggy]

OK, that's perfectly understandable, and going to Oahu is a dream. You know I love you dearly, Lani, and I want the best for you. OK, and i'm pretty jealous of people who live in Hawaii. I'd move there if I could, but ... well, I like Rawly pretty well too also.

Except in winter ...

[Lani]

Sheltered from virus, Kauai plans cautious return to tourism
https://apnews.com/article/kauai-touris ... a7e0367794

LIHUE, Hawaii (AP) — As the coronavirus ravaged other parts of the U.S., residents of this rural Pacific island watched safely from afar.

Kauai, one of the world’s most sought-after vacation destinations, has been nearly impossible to visit for most of the past year, with officials bucking pressure to ease quarantine rules as the state’s economy tanked.

As a result, Hawaii’s least populated county has been one of the safest places to be. Hair salons were open, kids went to school and played team sports, and residents enjoyed restaurants, bars and beaches without the typical hordes of visitors — or the fears of surging virus numbers. As of Wednesday, Kauai has had only 218 confirmed COVID-19 cases since the start of the pandemic, compared with more than 28,000 statewide.

Now, local officials are loosening restrictions, saying early measures and the island’s departure from a state testing program that allowed in more people gave it time to build a strong foundation of public health. A unique “resort bubble” program also helped Kauai bring back some tourists and prepare to reopen more broadly.

It's incorrect about "number of residents who have received at least one dose, at 23%." Almost 40k have had at least one shot, and our population is about 72K.

We have mixed feelings about resuming tourism. Of course, the economy needs it. However, we're loving the lack of traffic jams and car accidents. Also, the parks and beaches are no longer crowded with people.

[Lani]

And now cases here are rising again. We've gone from ZERO cases to 5 this week. All visitors who had negative tests before flying and became ill shortly after arriving.

Statewide, tourist numbers are high during spring break - close to 2019 numbers. So here we go again with increasing cases.

Rinse, repeat.

[jemcanada2]

It seems the few students who were allowed into residence at my university partied for St. Patrick’s Day. Now we have an outbreak of Covid-19 and are shut down again. It went from 1 case to 10 cases to 12 cases in just three days. Who knows what the final case number will be.

https://www.cp24.com/news/covid-19-outb ... -1.5364191

p.s. the photo is at the entrance to the library where I work (but haven’t been to in a year!).

[fierceredpanda]

I hugged my parents for the first time in more than a year on Sunday.

Despite Mrs. FRP and I being outright atheists and my parents being sort of barely-observant protestants, Easter seemed as good a time to get together as any, now that we're all either fully-vaccinated or nearly there (I get my second shot Friday). The Mrs. and I roasted a leg of lamb from the half-lamb that we get from a local farm every year, I dug out a nice bottle of wine (Brunello di Montalcino) and talked politics in the living room with my Dad, Mom made sides and talked politics in the kitchen with Mrs. FRP, little brother and I got some sibling time, big sister called in from California, and my folks' dog just seemed like he was going to die of pure joy (although his reaction to a couple pieces of lamb I secreted him under the table was less excited than I had perhaps hoped). On our way home, Mrs. FRP remarked how strange it was that everything was so normal, and she was right.

And now we're ordering a whole lamb for this year, because my parents liked it so much that they want a half for themselves.

[AndyinPA]

[Tiredretiredlawyer]

[Slim Cognito]

I had to go to a fairly crowded area yesterday so I masked up, packed plenty of wipes and went in. Maybe 25% of the people were masked. I froze and felt the beginnings of a panic attack come on. I put my head down, held my breath, and plowed thru. Once inside, it was fine, people were masked and distanced and I calmed down

Is this my life now?

[AndyinPA]

It's maybe many of our lives now. Mask-wearing is very common here. I can probably count on one hand the number of unmasked people I have seen in stores in the last year. But we are going by way of Amtrak to Arizona, Utah, and Colorado in June. I don't know what to expect there and am not expecting almost universal use out there. Amtrak will be fine, and we will mostly be in our own rental car or outside. I'm a bit concerned about the eating, though. I think we're going to be doing a lot of takeouts, which I'm sick to death of, for three weeks.

[Lani]

I'm so pissed off. Tourism is surging as are the covid cases. A local news channel interviewed people in Waikiki who weren't masking. They said it was safe and/or their states don't require masking outdoors. This isn't going to end well.

My son & I hoped to hug after a year....

ETA people come here because our COVID cases are so low. And then they refuse the simple things we do to keep it that it that way.

[Phoenix520]

Natives and locals should go to the baggage claim at HNL with their largest friends*, bearing signs:

DONT BE THAT ASS
WEAR A MASK

WE MEAN IT.
JUST ASK TINY*

THE CABBIES
ARE OUR SPIES

Would it be legal to make a list of tourists who refuse to wear masks and circulate it to the better hotels, to refuse rooms? No mask, no service.

Why do people act like such asses when they travel? Is it the anonymity factor?

[Lani]

Yeah, the tourists are being assholes will make everything more difficulty for the rest of us.

[LM K]

I'm so pissed off. Tourism is surging as are the covid cases. A local news channel interviewed people in Waikiki who weren't masking. They said it was safe and/or their states don't require masking outdoors. This isn't going to end well.

My son & I hoped to hug after a year....

ETA people come here because our COVID cases are so low. And then they refuse the simple things we do to keep it that it that way.

Those folks should go back to their state then.

[pipistrelle]

A member of the extended family has been down with COVID-19 for a while, miserable but not hospitalized. Finally talked to him last night and asked who sneezed on him. Works at a store in a deep red county in a deep red state. Says people come in with a mask and rip it off right after they get past the people checking. Could have been any one of his Trump-loving neighbors, the kind who "love you so much" on social media but can't be bothered to wear a mask.

I thought I was going to see a scene when a very elderly woman walked into a restaurant maskless. One of the servers immediately said, "Where's your mask?" I wasn't sure what she was going to do. She looked confused for a moment, fished in her pocket, and found it. I don't think she was an anti-masker, but probably had taken it off outdoors where no one was around and forgotten.