476 replies to this topic

[JBB]

No doubt.  SMU's bowl game in Boston was cancelled.  It's likely that players sitting out to protect themselves from injury ahead of the draft and future seasons is adding to the COVID protocol issue.  The NFL shifted games last week for COVID outbreaks, but went ahead with their games this week.  And they are playing with much smaller rosters than college teams.

[hannerhan]

The NFL also quietly ditched their policy of regularly testing players who are not symptomatic, so that's a big part of why they're managing OK.

[JBB]

Yes, I forgot to mention that.  It helps with the management, but it could be causing it to spread more quickly.  I'm a little surprised we've seen as many things shut back down as we have.

[Doohickie]

Well Omicron has been making a big mess of things. Robert Earl Keen at Bass Hall just cancelled and the Nutcracker had been cancelled already. It's making a mess of pro sports too, NHL had to pause the season and now the Stars are having a big outbreak. I've heard a bit of the same in other leagues too. 

It's interesting how the sports leagues are being handled.  I believe in the NFL, for vaxed players the testing is random or only if a player has symptoms; for unvaxed players they are tested much more frequently.  The NHL can't go to this model though without permission of the Canadian government and exceptions for border crossings.

 

I think for the NHL they may be rescheduling in the time frame of the Olympics (there was supposed to be a three-week break), but they may also be doing a radical rescheduling of planned games to reduce the number of border crossings.  Look for extended road trips to and from Canada.

 

It's been reported that every NHL player is vaccinated except the Detroit Red Wings' Tyler Bertuzzi, although I'm not sure if all players moving up from the AHL are also vaxed.

 

I follow the Buffalo Sabres and they, too, have had some players in Covid protocol, though not as bad as most teams.  They had a scare last season when they played the NJ Devils and immediately afterward several of the Devils tested positive, leading to the Sabres having to cancel several games.  At this point they have perhaps a half dozen in Covid protocol, but only two are experiencing any symptoms (minor for both).

 

The Sabres are in a rebuild and didn't push hard for the playoffs this year; probably a good thing considering Covid.  I would hate to be a top rated team and then lose a bunch of games due to losing front-line players to Covid.... although some teams are playing very well even with their AHL players filling in.  It's just a wacky year.  Maybe by next season things will settle down some.

 

A significant development is that several drug companies have developed drugs to treat Covid.  Several are "drug cocktails" though and need to be monitored for interactions with other common drugs.  It seems development of a drug similar to Theraflu for the flu is not quite done as of yet.  If an anti-Covid drug that can effectively treat the disease can be developed and widely distributed, it could effectively end the pandemic.

[JBB]

I'm dealing with my second round of COVID.  Started my symptoms 1 year to the day after my first round and less than a week after I got a booster.  The symptoms have been relatively mild.  I feel pretty rough early in the morning and late at night, but I'm sleeping good and I feel mostly normal during the day.

[Doohickie]

Seems like it's everywhere these days.

[rriojas71]

I'm dealing with my second round of COVID.  Started my symptoms 1 year to the day after my first round and less than a week after I got a booster.  The symptoms have been relatively mild.  I feel pretty rough early in the morning and late at night, but I'm sleeping good and I feel mostly normal during the day.

Hope you recover quickly JBB

[youngalum]

I'm dealing with my second round of COVID.  Started my symptoms 1 year to the day after my first round and less than a week after I got a booster.  The symptoms have been relatively mild.  I feel pretty rough early in the morning and late at night, but I'm sleeping good and I feel mostly normal during the day.

Is this a reaction to the shot or do you actually have covid?

[JBB]

I tested positive and there were 4 days in between that and my booster.  Given the number of people that I work with that have had or do have it, I think it's a pretty safe bet that I actually have COVID.

[gdvanc]

Get well, JBB!

[JBB]

Thank you for the well wishes.  I'm thankful it appears to be pretty mild.  I just need to get through a few more days of boredom before I can bust out of the house.

[youngalum]

I tested positive and there were 4 days in between that and my booster.  Given the number of people that I work with that have had or do have it, I think it's a pretty safe bet that I actually have COVID.

Feel better soon. Whomever gave you the booster while positive for covid busted all kinds of CDC and health guidelines/regulations. 

[John T Roberts]

Get well soon!

[Doohickie]

 

I tested positive and there were 4 days in between that and my booster.  Given the number of people that I work with that have had or do have it, I think it's a pretty safe bet that I actually have COVID.

Feel better soon. Whomever gave you the booster while positive for covid busted all kinds of CDC and health guidelines/regulations. 

 

I took it the other way:  Tested positive 4 days after the booster.

[JBB]

Yeah, I pretty clearly said in my original post that I tested positive after I got the booster. That second response was awkwardly worded.

[johnfwd]

Hope you are doing well.  Where did you get the test?

[JBB]

I'm doing much better, almost back to normal.  I tested at Care Now and I went there so I could get a note to return to work if I didn't have Covid.  I was lucky to get in when I did.  I checked in at 6:30am and didn't get called to come in until almost 4:00.  I've had friends that tried and couldn't check in or were told that it would be 2-3 days before they could get in.

[Stadtplan]

How do they true up the statistical reporting as far as identifying new infections?  Is there a box that you need to check that identifies new cases from existing re-tests?

[Doohickie]

How do they true up the statistical reporting as far as identifying new infections?  Is there a box that you need to check that identifies new cases from existing re-tests?

Interesting question, actually.

 

I also wonder how "repeat offenders" are tracked, if at all.  A friend of mine had Covid Alpha back in early 2020.  He got vaxed and boosted and then got Omicron (with mild symptoms, he's already better).  I suppose that shows up as two cases at least.

 

Per the Tarrant County Covid site, there were 9,957 new cases today alone.

[AndyN]

I'm doing much better, almost back to normal.  I tested at Care Now and I went there so I could get a note to return to work if I didn't have Covid.  I was lucky to get in when I did.  I checked in at 6:30am and didn't get called to come in until almost 4:00.  I've had friends that tried and couldn't check in or were told that it would be 2-3 days before they could get in.

 

I went to the county site and was able to get a same day appointment on Tuesday at 6:30p at the White Settlement site. There were a bunch of appointments available and it took all of five minutes to get tested. It was not an instant test, I didn't get results back until Thursday morning at 5am.

[Austin55]

I was at a Wedding Dec 27th where everyone got sick afterwards. Only a few of the attendees got tested and everyone who did was positive. I'd imagine the numbers are way higher than what's being recorded. I never got tested because I never ended up feeling bad and the lines are outrageous in the places I've looked. 

[Doohickie]

I was at a Wedding Dec 27th where everyone got sick afterwards. Only a few of the attendees got tested and everyone who did was positive. I'd imagine the numbers are way higher than what's being recorded. I never got tested because I never ended up feeling bad and the lines are outrageous in the places I've looked. 

Yeah.  I'm not going to go out seeking the virus but I'm pretty sure Omicron is darn near endemic at this point, but doesn't affect the vast majority of vaxed folks much, if at all.

[johnfwd]

If the fully vaccinated have Omicron symptoms that are like a head cold, then OTC medications should suffice.  In that case, I'm wondering if testing for Omicron is really necessary.  Before the pandemic, I never got tested for a cold or the flu. I got a flu shot, usually nothing more than that.  Nor did I wear a mask.  The customary reaction to someone with a cold or flu was to be told to stay away from the workplace or other gatherings until that person got to feeling better.  But I strongly support vaccinations until Covid 19's infection rate is significantly diminished.

[Doohickie]

I think this is the endgame.  Barring the emergence of a variant that's both more easily spread like Omicron and more lethal to vaccinated people, I think the "new normal" is going to be repeated booster shots as required.  I think that eventually if Covid is still prevalent and causes severe illness/death, insurance companies will offer discounts to vaccinated individuals (which is how it will be marketed; in reality it will be higher rates for the unvaxed).

 

I think it's somewhat likely that I've had Omicron.  I only got tested once (due to symptoms last fall) and it was negative but I've heard of people who test negative but later test positive.  I called my doctor, told her my symptoms and my negative Covid test result.  She prescribed antibiotics and I was fine in a day or two.  I never thought to get a second test.

[Stadtplan]

Article: At many churches, pandemic hits collection plates, budgets

https://apnews.com/a...24bc460f5ed3a16

 

I would be interested to know about local churches and how they have dealt with recent challenges.  What are some of the factors that you've observed churches are facing currently: attendance/ giving, maintenance / operational costs / insurance costs / payroll costs, infection control protocols / shutdowns, challenges of going virtual /livestreaming services.

[Stadtplan]

I saw this article in the S-T today, Fort Worth-base Tex-Air Filters CEO Jim Rosenthal.  The only question I have is, why is this article in the newspaper today and not 24-months ago?  This would have been good to know.  Great idea though and a company I've used for several years.  They actually custom make their own filters sizes and have a team to swap out filters en masse in commercial office spaces. 

 

Here's instructions and photos on the Corsi-Rosenthal Box:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[360texas]

Concept is workable even for me.  Like most all air filters its designed to remove particulates from the air.  I change out our HVAC filter about every 3 months... or when ever my thermostat reports a filter change.  Possibly the filter box would have to be rebuilt or replaced every 3 or so months? 

A steel or aluminum frame could replace the cardboard panel framework to accommodate just replacing the filters instead of the whole duct taped fan/filter box.  Or did I miss something?