Coronavirus in Massachusetts (Boston: calculator, live, office)

[NewfieMama]

Originally Posted by Amontillado

Not exactly "just another virus" recently, though. Covid-19 went from zero to the third-leading cause of death between 2019 and 2020. That's behind heart disease and cancer, but way ahead of any other contagious disease. Maybe it can be knocked down to something like the effect of flu. We'll have to wait to find out.

With covid vaccines more effective than flu vaccines + treatment for covid improving significantly over the past year, I can the mortality rate for covid being lower than the flu. For children, the mortality rate for covid is already significantly lower than the flu and that is with no covid vaccine.

[mdovell]

Sorta related but like I mentioned before I see gym equipment starting to drop in price and now I'm seeing a fair amount of used luxury and sport/sporty cars on facebook marketplace. We haven't had $3 gas nationwide since the fall of 2014. I'm assuming either they can't afford to drive them or they are scraping at selling anything to pay bills.

[massnative71]

Originally Posted by rach5

Well - with the better vaccines being so highly effective (MUCH more effective than the flu vaccine), we would actually have had a shot at creating something approaching herd immunity (assuming Pfizer et al keep up with variants) that protects all those that can't mount an immune response (and of course, for now, kids and those that have only recently become eligible!). Clearly, the CDC gave up on that - but some advance notice instead of the whiplash shift in policy, to give people a chance to get fully vaccinated before facing hordes of maskless customers without distancing, and local governors (and stores) a chance to more carefully adapt the guidance to local conditions, would still have been much better public health policy. And it still would have given people on the fence the same incentive to get vaccinated.
I also don't like the shift in CDC advice from "no masks needed", to "your mask protects me, mine protects you", to "wear a mask to protect yourself" (with businesses at full capacity) to young kids and immunocompromised transplant and cancer patients (as well as many others on immune-suppressing drugs). My trust in the CDC has dropped like a rock this pandemic. Not sure it will ever recover. Clearly, it was not just a Trump problem.
The UK had under 2000 cases (MA a bit under 500) and 4 deaths (MA 5) today, with good vaccination statistics. With a population over 66 million (RI is even worse than MA, as usual). And the UK are just now opening up a bit more, and already warning that a full reopening may be delayed due to the Indian variant.

My trust in the CDC went from near zero prior to the pandemic, to "grudgingly" utilizing their guidance given this was a brand new virus with no real "other" authority to go by, to now pretty much right back where I started. They have long been a political organization, not one of public health.

[Amontillado]

Originally Posted by htfdcolt

That is stellar performance by the UK. I had heard from my colleagues there that the vax campaign was going well, and that (anecdotally) there was less resistance to taking it. Those of us who had Boris Johnson pegged for Trump Jr. need to eat our words, I guess!

That is the effect of a centralized health care system, and just generally a willingness to accept instructions from the government. There's nothing wonderful about Johnson, though at least he's acted responsibly.

Just last month Massachusetts had a holiday to celebrate, uh, not taking orders from the British government. We could ask whether that attitude helps or hurts when a pandemic comes along.

[msRB311]

May 29th - goodbye masks. Unless businesses decide otherwise.

[BostonMike7]

May 29th, (most) everything lifted.

[msRB311]

I'm kind of surprised it's so soon. Just in time for Memorial Day festivities. Curious how businesses will follow.

[robr2]

Originally Posted by htfdcolt

That is stellar performance by the UK. I had heard from my colleagues there that the vax campaign was going well, and that (anecdotally) there was less resistance to taking it. Those of us who had Boris Johnson pegged for Trump Jr. need to eat our words, I guess!

As a nationalist, Johnson and the the other guy are the same. Johnson did downplay the severity of Covid until he was infected and spent time in hospital. He then was willing to say he was wrong and changed his tune unlike the former President who can't admit wrong.

[yesmaybe]

State of Emergency also ends on June 15th.

Originally Posted by msRB311

I'm kind of surprised it's so soon. Just in time for Memorial Day festivities. Curious how businesses will follow.

I thought that quickly was a possibility. After all, if you get rid of the masks there's no point in having any restrictions.

Now we wait and see how quickly companies force employees back in the office.

[msRB311]

Originally Posted by yesmaybe

State of Emergency also ends on June 15th.



I thought that quickly was a possibility. After all, if you get rid of the masks there's no point in having any restrictions.

Now we wait and see how quickly companies force employees back in the office.

Well a lot of companies have already given their employees a return date of sometime after labor day. I guess we'll see if they make it sooner now...but I doubt it. My boss doesn't think we'll be back until Jan 2022. I don't think all companies will necessarily be on board with what the CDC/Baker is doing here...I think it will be helpful for restaurants, bars, hotels, etc but they've been hurt badly by this. Most companies with office workers who are able to work from home haven't been.