D&D and the rising pandemic

[Zardnaar]

it will keep going until we find a vaccine that will eliminate it, like smallpox.

or if that does not happen, we will probably get boosters every year, tailored to eventual variations of the virus and treating it as a flu virus.

Smallpox was something different I don't think we have managed to wipe out a corona virus eg cold and flu.

So yeah I bet on yearly boosters and probable mutation into something less bad but that's not a given.

 

[Dannyalcatraz]

OTOH, the mRNA vaccine tech has come to fruition. And many virologists are thinking it may unlock a new wave of vaccines, both as replacements for older vaccines and against pathogens we’ve been struggling with for goodn knows how long.

 

[Zardnaar]

OTOH, the mRNA vaccine tech has come to fruition. And many virologists are thinking it may unlock a new wave of vaccines, both as replacements for older vaccines and against pathogens we’ve been struggling with for goodn knows how long.

Great if they can get it to work.

 

[Mirtek]

. The only person getting shafted here will be you. And your relatives.

Or some complete strangers who you never even learn about after you and your relatives got nothing worse than a light sneeze

In Germany not even actually catching Covid is a big thing anymore.

No symptoms? Then after 5 days you're free to go out and mingle again. No test required.


Symptoms? Need to wait for a minimum of 2 days after being free of symptoms, then you're free to go out and mingle again. No test required. Unless it already has been a total of 10 days already. Then you're also free even if it's less than 2 days since last symptoms.

And your contact persons are not required to test or quarantine at all unless they show symptoms and are then tested positive. Even if they are not vaccinated

 

[Ralif Redhammer]

Well, this is some hot garbage. Apparently Covid can reoccur after testing negative, even up to a week later (though it looks like some reports extend the timeframe even further than that). Despite behaving as cautiously as I had been prior to going to Origins, I started displaying symptoms and tested positive again last night. So far it's a little less severe than the first time, but still not pleasant.

Looks like it's back to isolating in a single room of the house again. Ugh.

 

[Umbran]

Thank you for trying not to juxtapose "so you want me to abstain from things I wanna do, you must want me to totally isolate" which is the relativism that's so common.

You were the one who presented this as, and I quote, "The only way to minimize exposure is to NEVER go to any large indoors congregations."

Note there's no middle ground here. That's because all these scenarios with extremes at the ends are really only designed to justify you picking the middle option. That looks reasonable, but that's a fallacy.

As the only one here who used absolutes, it seems you are the one who started setting up those extreme ends.

Maybe you should spend some time asking questions, like, "What does 'managing risk' actually look like?" rather than deciding that it needs to be shouted down.

As an example - my table of fully-vaccinated, working-from-home players has started meeting in person again. One of them has a kid that just graduated high school, and they took a trip. When they came back, one week before our scheduled session, the kid tested positive for covid. Parents did not test positive for the entire week. We still cancelled the session.

Managing risk is an active process of making informed choices. It is not just choosing to be reckless. Your characterization otherwise is fiction.

 

[Mirtek]

Well, this is some hot garbage.

Well, while I haven't been asked personally but we apparently have decided as a society that we're cool with that.

Current situation in Germany: Since April mandate to wear masks is off everywhere but in public transport and nursing/medical facilities. And basically that's it.

People go shopping, working, partying, etc. without masks or worry. Since B.5 the incidence is on the rise and worst worry of the people is whether autumn will see a new indoor masking mandate or not. New lock downs or restrictions beyond that would be hard to sell and enforce and politicians are aware of that.

The mask mandate in public transport seems laughable in some places.

Like the rock am ring festival where 90k people were partying without masks or distancing. But security had to make sure they wore their masks during the shuttle ride from the parking lots or camping areas to the main festival area. There they then could dance shoulder to shoulder with thousands of strangers for hours and again had to mask up for the 10 minute shuttle ride back afterwards.

Or when they launched a special 9€-ticket that allows to use public transport all over Germany for a whole month. It's a one time event from June to August. People standing close together at overcrowded train stations, but are only required to mask the moment they enter the train.

If the government cared about keeping people at home or at least at a distance from each other, I could not imagine a worse way to go about that.

We had a summer party at work with 400+ people attending also without any masks or distancing. I honestly expected a lot of people to be missing the next 2-3 weeks but the impact was very low indeed. I since learned that about a dozen tested positive a couple of days afterwards, but no big wave. I was there too and it was a lot of fun.

Last weekend we were at a public running event with 12k starters and a lot of people coming to cheer and for the after party. We stood shoulder to shoulder in the starting area (if all starts were assigned an app. equal number runners we must have been 2k+ people in the staging area being slowly herded over the starting line) and later on the route we of course hat to eventually zig zag through throngs of people running slower and all of us huffing and puffing and then we filled the floors together during the after party. My warn app actually shows me a red warning as of yesterday, but that was to be expected (I am more surprised that it didn't show anything after the company party 3 weeks earlier).

Will I catch it this year? Maybe. Guess by all rights I should (honestly same could be said about 2021). Maybe I'll only catch it only in 2025 or maybe multiple times between now and then. Who knows? Maybe my 0 negative blood type truly has the extraordinary resistance that some studies indicate. Or maybe I already had it and just never noticed.

Public discussions run the whole range from "everybody will get it at least one within the next 2 years anyway" to people still trying to avoid getting it at all.

If I catch it and an elderly folk in my family catches it later? Then that's what happens. They are living their normal lives again just like me. Going out and about their business as I go about mine and we all know it about each other. Maybe it was my elderly aunt that infected me instead of the other way round? Maybe both of us just got it somewhere at the same time and no one actually infected each other?

They won't sit at home and wait for a better day that they'll might never live to see even being extra careful and missing out good times they'll 100% certain never get back. Covid adding a little to the potential mircomort we're being exposed to every day has just been accepted.

Since 2020 I lost a 74 and an 86 year's old relative (distant) to non-covid related reasons. Just elderly people dying like they did prior to 2020 and will after covid is long over and one day I will be one of them. If I were 85 today, I would fore sure not stay isolated at home as long as the government would not force me too. I would be to worried of not living to see a potential end of Covid in 2026. Or maybe by then I'd still be alive but having lost my last remaining mobility I still had at 84 and now being completely bedridden for my remaining time on earth. Or maybe I'll still be a relatively fit and mobile 86 year old, but my friends with whom I did not meet during that time all died in between and I am the last one left.

I am vaccinated 3x, most elderly folk in my family even have their 4th dose already (may even get their 5th before I will be in line to get my 4th) and really the rest will play out however it will.

Currently more people seem to be waiting at crowded airports worrying about thousands of flights being cancelled (because all the personnel they fired during the covid lull has found something else and is not coming back to work security or luggage transport anymore) than worrying about covid either in Germany or their holiday destination. Most of the most popular holiday destination countries no longer require a negative test to enter. And neither does Germany for coming back.

Lot of covid being carried all over europe for sure and most of it likely never being registered.

 

[Ralif Redhammer]

It's unfortunate. When I'm inside a building other than my home, I still wear a mask. People are out there doing things, and I wonder if they're either luckier than I was or are just posting their selfies and not mentioning the whole catching Covid part. Cases are on the downswing in my area again, but still elevated compared to this time last year. I find it personally demoralizing to have done everything right for so long and still be dealing with Covid while other people insist the pandemic is over and it's back to life as normal.

Well, while I haven't been asked personally but we apparently have decided as a society that we're cool with that.

Current situation in Germany: Since April mandate to wear masks is off everywhere but in public transport and nursing/medical facilities. And basically that's it.

People go shopping, working, partying, etc. without masks or worry. Since B.5 the incidence is on the rise and worst worry of the people is whether autumn will see a new indoor masking mandate or not. New lock downs or restrictions beyond that would be hard to sell and enforce and politicians are aware of that.

The mask mandate in public transport seems laughable in some places.

Like the rock am ring festival where 90k people were partying without masks or distancing. But security had to make sure they wore their masks during the shuttle ride from the parking lots or camping areas to the main festival area. There they then could dance shoulder to shoulder with thousands of strangers for hours and again had to mask up for the 10 minute shuttle ride back afterwards.

Or when they launched a special 9€-ticket that allows to use public transport all over Germany for a whole month. It's a one time event from June to August. People standing close together at overcrowded train stations, but are only required to mask the moment they enter the train.

If the government cared about keeping people at home or at least at a distance from each other, I could not imagine a worse way to go about that.

We had a summer party at work with 400+ people attending also without any masks or distancing. I honestly expected a lot of people to be missing the next 2-3 weeks but the impact was very low indeed. I since learned that about a dozen tested positive a couple of days afterwards, but no big wave. I was there too and it was a lot of fun.

Last weekend we were at a public running event with 12k starters and a lot of people coming to cheer and for the after party. We stood shoulder to shoulder in the starting area (if all starts were assigned an app. equal number runners we must have been 2k+ people in the staging area being slowly herded over the starting line) and later on the route we of course hat to eventually zig zag through throngs of people running slower and all of us huffing and puffing and then we filled the floors together during the after party. My warn app actually shows me a red warning as of yesterday, but that was to be expected (I am more surprised that it didn't show anything after the company party 3 weeks earlier).

Will I catch it this year? Maybe. Guess by all rights I should (honestly same could be said about 2021). Maybe I'll only catch it only in 2025 or maybe multiple times between now and then. Who knows? Maybe my 0 negative blood type truly has the extraordinary resistance that some studies indicate. Or maybe I already had it and just never noticed.

Public discussions run the whole range from "everybody will get it at least one within the next 2 years anyway" to people still trying to avoid getting it at all.

If I catch it and an elderly folk in my family catches it later? Then that's what happens. They are living their normal lives again just like me. Going out and about their business as I go about mine and we all know it about each other. Maybe it was my elderly aunt that infected me instead of the other way round? Maybe both of us just got it somewhere at the same time and no one actually infected each other?

They won't sit at home and wait for a better day that they'll might never live to see even being extra careful and missing out good times they'll 100% certain never get back. Covid adding a little to the potential mircomort we're being exposed to every day has just been accepted.

Since 2020 I lost a 74 and an 86 year's old relative (distant) to non-covid related reasons. Just elderly people dying like they did prior to 2020 and will after covid is long over and one day I will be one of them. If I were 85 today, I would fore sure not stay isolated at home as long as the government would not force me too. I would be to worried of not living to see a potential end of Covid in 2026. Or maybe by then I'd still be alive but having lost my last remaining mobility I still had at 84 and now being completely bedridden for my remaining time on earth. Or maybe I'll still be a relatively fit and mobile 86 year old, but my friends with whom I did not meet during that time all died in between and I am the last one left.

I am vaccinated 3x, most elderly folk in my family even have their 4th dose already (may even get their 5th before I will be in line to get my 4th) and really the rest will play out however it will.

Currently more people seem to be waiting at crowded airports worrying about thousands of flights being cancelled (because all the personnel they fired during the covid lull has found something else and is not coming back to work security or luggage transport anymore) than worrying about covid either in Germany or their holiday destination. Most of the most popular holiday destination countries no longer require a negative test to enter. And neither does Germany for coming back.

Lot of covid being carried all over europe for sure and most of it likely never being registered.

 

[Zardnaar]

Well, while I haven't been asked personally but we apparently have decided as a society that we're cool with that.

Current situation in Germany: Since April mandate to wear masks is off everywhere but in public transport and nursing/medical facilities. And basically that's it.

People go shopping, working, partying, etc. without masks or worry. Since B.5 the incidence is on the rise and worst worry of the people is whether autumn will see a new indoor masking mandate or not. New lock downs or restrictions beyond that would be hard to sell and enforce and politicians are aware of that.

The mask mandate in public transport seems laughable in some places.

Like the rock am ring festival where 90k people were partying without masks or distancing. But security had to make sure they wore their masks during the shuttle ride from the parking lots or camping areas to the main festival area. There they then could dance shoulder to shoulder with thousands of strangers for hours and again had to mask up for the 10 minute shuttle ride back afterwards.

Or when they launched a special 9€-ticket that allows to use public transport all over Germany for a whole month. It's a one time event from June to August. People standing close together at overcrowded train stations, but are only required to mask the moment they enter the train.

If the government cared about keeping people at home or at least at a distance from each other, I could not imagine a worse way to go about that.

We had a summer party at work with 400+ people attending also without any masks or distancing. I honestly expected a lot of people to be missing the next 2-3 weeks but the impact was very low indeed. I since learned that about a dozen tested positive a couple of days afterwards, but no big wave. I was there too and it was a lot of fun.

Last weekend we were at a public running event with 12k starters and a lot of people coming to cheer and for the after party. We stood shoulder to shoulder in the starting area (if all starts were assigned an app. equal number runners we must have been 2k+ people in the staging area being slowly herded over the starting line) and later on the route we of course hat to eventually zig zag through throngs of people running slower and all of us huffing and puffing and then we filled the floors together during the after party. My warn app actually shows me a red warning as of yesterday, but that was to be expected (I am more surprised that it didn't show anything after the company party 3 weeks earlier).

Will I catch it this year? Maybe. Guess by all rights I should (honestly same could be said about 2021). Maybe I'll only catch it only in 2025 or maybe multiple times between now and then. Who knows? Maybe my 0 negative blood type truly has the extraordinary resistance that some studies indicate. Or maybe I already had it and just never noticed.

Public discussions run the whole range from "everybody will get it at least one within the next 2 years anyway" to people still trying to avoid getting it at all.

If I catch it and an elderly folk in my family catches it later? Then that's what happens. They are living their normal lives again just like me. Going out and about their business as I go about mine and we all know it about each other. Maybe it was my elderly aunt that infected me instead of the other way round? Maybe both of us just got it somewhere at the same time and no one actually infected each other?

They won't sit at home and wait for a better day that they'll might never live to see even being extra careful and missing out good times they'll 100% certain never get back. Covid adding a little to the potential mircomort we're being exposed to every day has just been accepted.

Since 2020 I lost a 74 and an 86 year's old relative (distant) to non-covid related reasons. Just elderly people dying like they did prior to 2020 and will after covid is long over and one day I will be one of them. If I were 85 today, I would fore sure not stay isolated at home as long as the government would not force me too. I would be to worried of not living to see a potential end of Covid in 2026. Or maybe by then I'd still be alive but having lost my last remaining mobility I still had at 84 and now being completely bedridden for my remaining time on earth. Or maybe I'll still be a relatively fit and mobile 86 year old, but my friends with whom I did not meet during that time all died in between and I am the last one left.

I am vaccinated 3x, most elderly folk in my family even have their 4th dose already (may even get their 5th before I will be in line to get my 4th) and really the rest will play out however it will.

Currently more people seem to be waiting at crowded airports worrying about thousands of flights being cancelled (because all the personnel they fired during the covid lull has found something else and is not coming back to work security or luggage transport anymore) than worrying about covid either in Germany or their holiday destination. Most of the most popular holiday destination countries no longer require a negative test to enter. And neither does Germany for coming back.

Lot of covid being carried all over europe for sure and most of it likely never being registered.

It's purely about the numbers now. Covid can't be stopped and pretty much everyone's sick of restrictions.

Lockdowns are suicidal here so the government just said mask up and knock yourself out.

Mask use is very good you have to wear them going into a restaurant or whatever but not sitting down. This is why we don't go out Thursdays-Saturday places are busy.

Noture about retail I wear masks in shops anyway I think the rules are you have to as mask use is near 100% in supermarkets.

The rules were a bit silly in place restaurants were limited to 100 people but you could book a private event for 200 no masks required.

Tests aren't 108% effective but if you do two or three of them odds are they catch a positive. Boss supplies the RAT tests and they're cheap for home use.

The app we used for contact tracing is used to report positive cases. Contact tracing and testing the numbers mostly collapsed back in April.

Current case numbers are unreliable as it's self reported now and there's incentive not to report (7 days of isolation).

We also had two years of no flu season I haven't even had a cold since 2019. There's a nasty flu strain going around atm and family who have had Covid are saying it feels worse probably because they were vaccinated vs Covid but not the flu.

Hospitals etc are overwhelmed but I don't think it's Covid father in law had to wait 12 hours for tests on Saturday due to various issues with the healthcare system.

Basically the governments gone "be nice DIY aroha"!! and hope for the best if you need to go to hospital. There's a week long wait for doctors appointmentsassuming you can get a doctor and expect 6-12 hour waits for non critical care.

Shortage of everything atm more or less tied to Covid after effects eg border closed 2 years and government lunacy various topics that essentially priced healthcare workers out of a few cities. They're busy sodding off to Australia.

 

[CleverNickName]

It's purely about the numbers now. Covid can't be stopped and pretty much everyone's sick of restrictions.

Lockdowns are suicidal here so the government just said mask up and knock yourself out.

Mask use is very good you have to wear them going into a restaurant or whatever but not sitting down. This is why we don't go out Thursdays-Saturday places are busy.

Noture about retail I wear masks in shops anyway I think the rules are you have to as mask use is near 100% in supermarkets.

The rules were a bit silly in place restaurants were limited to 100 people but you could book a private event for 200 no masks required.

Tests aren't 108% effective but if you do two or three of them odds are they catch a positive. Boss supplies the RAT tests and they're cheap for home use.

The app we used for contact tracing is used to report positive cases. Contact tracing and testing the numbers mostly collapsed back in April.

Current case numbers are unreliable as it's self reported now and there's incentive not to report (7 days of isolation).

We also had two years of no flu season I haven't even had a cold since 2019. There's a nasty flu strain going around atm and family who have had Covid are saying it feels worse probably because they were vaccinated vs Covid but not the flu.

Hospitals etc are overwhelmed but I don't think it's Covid father in law had to wait 12 hours for tests on Saturday due to various issues with the healthcare system.

I won't speak for everyone, but:

• I'm not sick of restrictions. In fact, I would like to see them continue--hundreds of people are still dying of Covid daily.
• I don't mind wearing a mask in public. My wife and I still do, and we still wish everyone else would.
• I hope we keep social distancing restrictions for the rest of my natural life. (Seriously, strangers don't need to sit or stand closer than six feet. Back up, random dude standing behind me at the grocery store.)
• I wouldn't notice if every restaurant permanently switched to only pick-up or delivery service. We order takeout 4, sometimes 5 times a week, but we haven't sat down in a restaurant in years and have no plans to start anytime soon.

I think the "everyone is tired of this" attitude is grossly overstated. 1 in 10 people, certainly. 4 out of 5, unlikely. Everybody? Nope.