Coronavirus in Massachusetts (Harvard: schools, camp, dangerous)

[porterhouse]

Originally Posted by jayrandom

It looks like under 12 vaccine appointments are getting easier to come by. Any feeling from those with kids under 12 what the vaccination rate is going to be?

I think the polarization of vax rates between 5-12 groups is going to be even more stark than with adult populations. I seem to have 2 groups in my life, those who had their kids sleeves rolled up on day 1 and felt compelled to exploit them on social media, and those who aren't even considering a vaccine which has not been extensively tested on children (fair point) and for a disease which poses little risk to them. Shocking to have a lot of highly educated and otherwise sane people in my life who are so staunchly anti-vax. I never would have guessed.

I'm resigned to being stuck in he middle on this (and most things now). I believe there are a lot like me but it doesn't feel like it as they are less vocal. My kids will be getting vaccinated next week, but it was not without some hesitation. I had a strange reaction to my 2nd dose of the Pfizer vaccine, unlike anything I have had from a vaccination before. The main reasons we decided to move forward with the kids are: a) they asked for it; b) peace of mind for elderly family members who are around them a lot and still petrified from this disease; c) college athlete relatives who are having real side effects a year after having covid, and d) we want the masks off the kids. I know losing masks in school is not guaranteed with vaccination, but I hope it will go down that road. Enough is enough for these kids.

I am disgusted by the group think on this on both sides, and the kids are caught in the middle. Children shouldn't be coming home from school discussing who is and isn't getting vaccinated and gnashing teeth about if and when they will be. It's not mentally healthy. Cambridge is basically propagandizing kids in their schools, both informally and formally. They sent around a video exploiting some of their students to say "cool kids get vaccinated". WTF?

[msRB311]

Ha I noticed two very liberal moms who are always feeling the need to let social know where they stand politically post pics of their kids getting vaccinated.

Many parents I’ve talked to are still ‘waiting’. I talked to a guy last night who said I’m waiting to see what people like you do.

I couldn’t even get an appt for my kids until late November. Appts are scheduled but I still feel hesitant as well.

[lrfox]

Originally Posted by jayrandom

It looks like under 12 vaccine appointments are getting easier to come by. Any feeling from those with kids under 12 what the vaccination rate is going to be?

I don't have kids and this is one of the things that makes me glad that I don't. If I had kids, they'd be getting the shot. But I can understand some reluctance considering the relative newness of the vaccines and the relatively limited risk of COVID to children. I think there will be many instances of vaccinated parents who don't vaccinate or wait to vaccinate their kids.

[OutdoorLover]

Got my booster shot at Walgreens this morning. I see case counts in VT, NH and ME are trending up pretty steeply at present, though not yet MA. The 14-day change in NH is +91%! ...and even VT is +54% over 14 days... meanwhile the Gulf states, which were being ravaged not long ago, have cooled off.

See the hot spots map here:
https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/...vid-cases.html

I suspect that Delta may be coming for New England now. Hospitalizations are still low in New England, but case counts are climbing. Hopefully we have enough people vaccinated to keep our hospitals from being overwhelmed.

[GeoffD]

Originally Posted by OutdoorLover

Got my booster shot at Walgreens this morning. I see case counts in VT, NH and ME are trending up pretty steeply at present, though not yet MA. The 14-day change in NH is +91%! ...and even VT is +54% over 14 days... meanwhile the Gulf states, which were being ravaged not long ago, have cooled off.

See the hot spots map here:
https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/...vid-cases.html

I suspect that Delta may be coming for New England now.

The Vermont hospitalization numbers are not all that different from Massachusetts despite double the infection rate. Higher vaccination rate, most likely.

It’s been a consistent 20 per 100,000 here for a while and New Bedford more like 30 per 100,000.

Personally, I would really like to see better data about long hauler symptoms for vaccinated people. I know I’m unlikely to land in the hospital but I have no sense for my risk of nasty symptoms that don’t go away.

[sawyer2]

For U12, I think that the vaccination rate will be slower and lower overall given the lower risk and general apprehension. The relative rate between towns for U12 will likely mirror that seen previously.

Some apprehension is natural as a parent - we had some but we also had a big sense of relief afterwards.

[OutdoorLover]

Originally Posted by GeoffD

The Vermont hospitalization numbers are not all that different from Massachusetts despite double the infection rate. Higher vaccination rate, most likely.

It’s been a consistent 20 per 100,000 here for a while and New Bedford more like 30 per 100,000.

Personally, I would really like to see better data about long hauler symptoms for vaccinated people. I know I’m unlikely to land in the hospital but I have no sense for my risk of nasty symptoms that don’t go away.

The New England states have the highest fully vaccinated rates in the country, and all are between 70-72% fully vaccinated at the moment, so little difference between us, and about 30% partially or un-vaccinated, so on the other hand, PLENTY of susceptible people still, even in New England.

Hospitalizations lag infections... and I don't *want* things to get worse, but my instincts are that it's likely to get worse here over the next month. 70% vaxed is not enough to escape. I hope though, that our vaccination rate is enough to keep the hospitals from being overwhelmed as happened in the Gulf states when Delta swept them. Mind you, they weren't totally unvaccinated, but I think most were around 40% vaxxed, at least initially.

At a personal level, I am doubly vaxxed, and as of this morning, boosted... when I go into a public indoor space I wear a mask, and I disinfect my cart handle at the supermarket as well... I wash my hands when I come home... so I am trying to be responsible and take reasonable precautions. Certainly, I have zero desire to go into the hospital or mortuary, or to suffer Long Covid, just because I was being lazy. Beyond this though, if I get unlucky, then I get unlucky. I don't want to be a hermit.

[lrfox]

Originally Posted by OutdoorLover

At a personal level, I am doubly vaxxed, and as of this morning, boosted... when I go into a public indoor space I wear a mask, and I disinfect my cart handle at the supermarket as well... I wash my hands when I come home... so I am trying to be responsible and take reasonable precautions. Beyond this, if I get unlucky, then I get unlucky. I don't want to be a hermit.

I'm in the same boat. I'm vaccinated, I have my booster scheduled for next Tuesday, I wear a mask indoors and on public transit, and I'm definitely more cognizant of the little hygiene routines that can make a big difference (more frequent hand washing, cleaning surfaces, etc.). I'm fairly comfortable with my risk level at this point to begin living life again with some precautions (see above). We're going out to eat/drink more, we've traveled more and have booked our first trip overseas since before the pandemic for February (which will be 2 years to the day since our last overseas trip).

We're at a point where I pretty strongly believe that the negative psychological impact of being a hermit for the past 20 months outweighs the risks of COVID for otherwise healthy, vaccinated individuals who are willing to take some precautions. This is especially true for children. Given the fact that there's still a sizeable chunk of the population that's unvaccinated, and that this is the first time in nearly 2 years that much of the country (and world) are allowing "normal" activities to happen again, it should be expected that cases will rise. I think that was always an inevitability when we decided to lift restrictions. The bigger marker of progress will be the hospitalizations that follow increased case counts. If they remain manageable, then we're in OK shape.

[porterhouse]

The hospitals around here are NOT going to be overwhelmed this winter. Covid is an endemic disease at this point. It’s never going away and everyone is going to get it at some point. For me, it’s good to be vaccinated to minimize the risk of severe disease. Best get on with our lives.

[msRB311]

We just got an email that someone in our daughter's kindergarten class has covid.

Also says:

Because we are able to maintain at least 3 feet of distance while in the classroom and be masked, no close contacts have been identified from this positive case.

Per the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education, “An individual who is exposed to a COVID-19 positive individual in the classroom while both individuals were masked, so long as the individuals were spaced at least 3 feet apart, is exempt from testing and quarantine response protocols.”