Coronavirus in Massachusetts (Boston: embassy, hotels, calculated)

[yesmaybe]

Originally Posted by mdovell

What?!?

What, you thought schools weren't going to allow overseas students to come here?

[id77]

Originally Posted by OutdoorLover

With respiratory illnesses, you don't necessarily feel *that* bad, even when you're actually in dire straits. It was 30+ years ago, but I had been diagnosed with pneumonia by my PCP after a chest X-ray. I felt my condition worsen and actually called his office, but the office staff essentially said "Meh, you're fine" and waved me off... I was dizzy and light-headed, and I could tell my breathing was oddly shallow - and I hadn't connected that to the underlying physiology, but I was low on blood oxygen because my lungs were filled with fluid. Fortunately, I made it... When I came into his office days later and told this to my PCP, he said "Holy s---! I'll speak to my staff so they don't do that again, but if that ever happens, don't even call us, go straight to the hospital!"... if I had passed out, I'd likely never have woken up again... and about 10 years ago, my father almost died at home of pneumonia. He hadn't even gone to the doctor because he didn't think he was that sick. Fortunately my Mom was still alive then and when she couldn't find him, she looked in the bathroom where she found him unconscious on the floor and called 911. Were she not there, he'd have died.

I've been hospitalized several times in my life with pneumonia, and in each case it wasn't until symptoms became more severe (dehydration, inability to sleep, prolonged fever) before treatment ramped up past resting at home while waiting for antibiotics to do their thing.

What an individual may do based on past experiences is unique to them, but for the general population, the messaging has been to treat it at home much as you would a cold or flu. So, one hand is telling me to get tested as soon as I think I might have COVID because it's important, and the other hand is telling me that a positive COVID test changes nothing in my treatment until such point that I'm probably going to be dropped in a hospital and subjected to a barrage of tests anyway.

[GeoffD]

Originally Posted by id77

I've been hospitalized several times in my life with pneumonia, and in each case it wasn't until symptoms became more severe (dehydration, inability to sleep, prolonged fever) before treatment ramped up past resting at home while waiting for antibiotics to do their thing.

What an individual may do based on past experiences is unique to them, but for the general population, the messaging has been to treat it at home much as you would a cold or flu. So, one hand is telling me to get tested as soon as I think I might have COVID because it's important, and the other hand is telling me that a positive COVID test changes nothing in my treatment until such point that I'm probably going to be dropped in a hospital and subjected to a barrage of tests anyway.

From my understanding of how COVID-19 can push your oxygen levels off a cliff before you realize you have a problem, I think I'd want a pulse oximeter on my finger if I were showing symptoms at home. I'll be 63 this month so I'm probably in a higher risk group than you are even fully vaccinated.



I didn't even stay at a Holiday Inn last night so I'm certainly not a font of knowledge in this area.

[htfdcolt]

Originally Posted by queerfaith

If I were unvaccinated (prior to being eligible) and developed covid like symptoms I would call MD and demand immediate testing, or get immediate testing somewhere...Then contact my MD or any MD that would treat me immediately with monoclonal antibodies or Ivermectin, because I lost a friend to COVID under the circumstances of not getting vaccinated or treated early. And if I get symptoms now as a vaccinated person-I will do the same! The MD's need firm direction at this time.

Ivermectin? Oh geesh. Let the medical profession do their job!

[charolastra00]

Originally Posted by mdovell

https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/05/...vid-hot-spots/

Uh oh

"Boston University, like several other area institutions, is requiring students to be inoculated before arriving on campus in the fall. While that shouldn’t be a problem for American students, nearly one third of its enrollees are from other countries.

For that reason, the school will allow its international students to be vaccinated in their home countries, *even if the vaccines used haven’t been approved for use in the United States*, according to Jean Morrison, BU’s provost and chief academic officer. However, depending on federal requirements in the fall, those students may have to quarantine on arrival."

What?!?

There is currently no guidance what to do if someone got vaccinated with an unapproved vaccine. We can't just give them J&J or another vaccine. The best we can do in these situations with international students for right now is hope for the best and make sure the rest of the community is vaccinated.

[mdovell]

Originally Posted by yesmaybe

What, you thought schools weren't going to allow overseas students to come here?

If they weren't vaccinated with a decent vaccine yes. The china one isn't anywhere close to good. And keep in mind they can just go online.


Sinovac is not good.

https://www.biospace.com/article/com...a-s-sputnik-v/

[id77]

Originally Posted by mdovell

If they weren't vaccinated with a decent vaccine yes. The china one isn't anywhere close to good. And keep in mind they can just go online.


Sinovac is not good.

https://www.biospace.com/article/com...a-s-sputnik-v/

The case has been repeatedly made that online education is inferior in many ways to in-person education. If I was an international student who got in to a good US university (and paying US university prices), I wouldn't be cool being kicked to the online curb despite having followed the rules given to me by the US. It's not like these students can go back and change which vaccine they got. You have to offer a Plan B that enables in-person, be it a quarantine or some other step or test I can take that will still enable access to in-person learning.

How many Americans would be upset if parts of Europe suddenly said 'sorry, but if you got vaccinated with J&J you can't visit?' This guidance would only impact your travel plans for a few years -- online is affecting these students' quality of education and potential future job prospects.

[yesmaybe]

Originally Posted by mdovell

If they weren't vaccinated with a decent vaccine yes. The china one isn't anywhere close to good.

It would have been good enough for the FDA. Since there's been no US trials about mixing vaccines that I am aware of, have to think that the guidance is going to be that it should be considered acceptable.

[lrfox]

Now that masks are no longer required outside (assuming you can ensure physical distance), anyone noticing different behavior? Between downtown and my neighborhood, I’ve noticed fewer masks, but still quite a bit more than I expected. I’ve kept mine on while walking on the sidewalk, but off in the parks and more open spaces.

[id77]

Originally Posted by lrfox

Now that masks are no longer required outside (assuming you can ensure physical distance), anyone noticing different behavior? Between downtown and my neighborhood, I’ve noticed fewer masks, but still quite a bit more than I expected. I’ve kept mine on while walking on the sidewalk, but off in the parks and more open spaces.

Mostly masked still here. Guidance says to do so around crowds and there’s always crowds on the sidewalks around here so it makes sense most are still masked. There are a few more who are walking around with no mask at all, though.