Anonymous
By Dr. Henning Ansorg, M.D., FACP, Health Officer County of Santa Barbara, Department of Public Health
Recently, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) released updated outdoor/indoor mask and face covering guidance for fully vaccinated individuals. This is good news as it demonstrates that COVID-19 vaccines are effective at reducing the risk of contracting the virus or experiencing severe symptoms from the virus.
To be “fully vaccinated,” it means that at least two weeks have passed since a person has completed their vaccine series (this means two weeks after receiving the second shot of a Pfizer or Moderna vaccine, or one dose of Johnson & Johnson).
The new guidelines allow fully vaccinated people to be without masks outdoors unless they are in a crowded environment, such as at a sporting event, concert or parade. Mask-free activities for fully vaccinated people include exercising outside, dining outside, or gathering with small groups outdoors.
People who are unvaccinated or partially vaccinated must continue to wear masks outdoors when around other unvaccinated people, as well as when dining outdoors and at crowded events.
It is important to know that all people, whether they are vaccinated or not , are advised to wear masks indoors when around other people they do not live with, regardless of the activity. For more information about local public health orders, guidance, and vaccine distribution in Santa Barbara County, please visit: https://publichealthsbc.org/.
Insanity. Keep wearing your re-breathing foul masks…. Baaaaaaa-Baaaaaaaaa-Baaaaa.
Hahhahaha man, hilarious. Submit your ideas to Comedy Central, they will LOVE it. You’re extremely funny, everyone must tell you all the time.
SACJON (Punk) , I am vaccinated and REFUSE to wear a mask outside- You gotta a problem with dat?
It’s my understanding that people who are fully vaccinated (like myself, with Pfizer, second shot over two weeks ago) are incapable of either catching or transmitting the virus, except in extreme cases. So it seems to me that the public health advisory for everyone, including fully-vaccinated people, wearing masks is the equivalent of hygiene theater, the spraying and wiping of surfaces with alcohol, i.e., completely unnecessary. I suppose they want us to continue wearing masks to protect those who are unable to get a shot, juveniles, in other words. The FDA and CDC has now approved the vaccine for all teens, and by midsummer, presumably younger kids, too. After that, by September, I don’t envision wearing a mask in any circumstance, barring a deadly mutation. The adults who are refusing the vaccine, at this point, are enabling the possibility of a mutation, with their obstinate, anti-science stupidity.
GINGER1 – wrong. Pretty much all you said is wrong.
All good points Ginger!
Just ignore Sacjon. I have a browser plug-in that blocks everything he (and a few others) posts. Edhat became much more enjoyable.
FERNALD – did you just “cancel culture” me? I thought only liberals do that? Sorry any opposing views cause you so much distress. Maybe you should avoid the internet, I wouldn’t want your delicate sensibilities offended.
7:06 PM – Wow, a disinformation enhancement filter! QAnon would pay you for that.
For anyone who does not agree with my post, please tell us what is not exactly correct.
Also consider this: There were but 2 new cases yesterday and a total of 22 still-infectious cases on the entire south coast; that’s out of 250,000 people living in 100 sq miles. The chances of you randomly bumping into someone with covid while out walking the dog is……….nearly impossible. Let us not forget that the real-world vaccine efficacy of the mRNA brands is not 95%, it’s 99.99 percent. That’s the most effective vaccine for anything ever. An actual medical miracle. Yet the CDC and our Public Heath Department wont tell you that. Why? Why do vaccinated people have to cover up anywhere? What’s the risk? Hint: there is no risk.
The answer is fear that people will lie about being vaccinated. So what? Vaccinated can’t get covid and the liars will only put themselves and other unvaccinated people at risk. (If for some medical reason you cannot be vaccinated then of course, wear a proper KN95 mask when appropriate.) If you can be vaccinated and choose not to, that’s not my problem and good luck to you. You’ll need it.
Ginger, what if a significant number of unvaccinated people are all milling about the supermarket at the same time? They risk their own health, which is their business, but my concern is that we don’t want _any_ spread of this virus, because it mutates as it spreads. Kids are still not vaccinated and the younger ones might not be for a long time. The risks are low, I know. (But the risks of kidnapping are also vanishingly low, and yet parents go to great lengths to prevent that.) I have no problem wearing a simple mask inside a store, just as a reminder that we aren’t out of this yet, and nobody can tell who is vaxxed and who isn’t. Our rates are really low now, but it only takes one contagious person to cause a new cluster. Call it theater if you want, but I can handle indoor masking for another few weeks.
GINGER – “If you are vaccinated, you cannot get or give covid, period.” – that is wrong, verifiably wrong. Just because Hannity and Youtube said that doesn’t mean it’s true. The rest of your comment is predicated on that false statement, so….
@ SACJON- the chances of getting Covid after a vaccine is so minimal, you have a better chance of winning the lottery. Even if you got it, like most people, you will MAYBE be sick for 3 days at best … Stay in you little sheep den and follow “The Man’s” orders. The rest of us will live our lives accordingly.
AHCHOOO, think for a moment, If you are vaccinated, what risk are you to the unvaccinated milling around the store? Or them to you? None. So what is the reason you need to be masked? There is none. Indoors, especially in confined and crowded spaces remains a concern, but only for the unvaccinated who of course need to be masked so as not to risk their own health. Until they get the shot.
The anti-vaxers and deniers will get sick and perhaps some will die. That’s on them. No me or you. Those (few) irresponsible antivaxers are not going to cause a cluster and if they do, it will be among themselves. Not the vaccinated and not the at-risk unvaccinated who are taking reasonable, science-based precautions.
You might feel wearing a mask is an okay reminder that we’re not out of this yet, but my opinion is that doing so maintains that level of fear instead of promoting the value of being vaccinated, which is the only thing that WILL get us back to normal.
COASTWATCH – not surprisingly, you missed the point. The fact is, it IS possible to still get the virus and/or spread it after vaccination. I mean, you yourself admitted it. Therefore, GINGER’s assertion that you cannot catch/ spread it, “period,” is wrong. Next!
This will not be popular, but I am way past the paranoia stage of this pandemic. In the couple of months before we even knew of its existence, to the months of uncontrolled transmission during 2020, most (and I consider myself and my loved ones lucky) of us either did not contract the virus, or experienced a mild illness from it. Fast-forward to May 2021, when a majority of the population is at least partially vaccinated, we’ve been wearing masks, washing hands, taking precautions for what seems like forever. I just CANNOT DO THIS CONTINUED PARANOIA. We – at least here in our little SB County – are NOT in a state of emergency. Use common sense: wear masks indoors with strangers, and wash your hands. Get vaccinated if you wish, and I hope you do. And for the love of god, can we please start to move on like we’re not in an emergency any longer? Because we are not.
Thank you, Ginger. Fully agree.
SEABIRD – there’s facts and there’s paranoia. I agree with you, use common sense. Sadly, some are so anti “paranoia” that they take any ounce of common sense mask wearing guidelines as some violation of their rights or some crazy crap. Yes, use common sense, don’t go overboard. Masks indoors when you can’t distance from strangers. Wash your hands. Get vaccinated. Easy.
Reality doesn’t care that you’re tired of taking even simple precautions and want instant gratification.
Okay. One more time:
If you cannot become infected (the mRNA vaxes are 99.99% effective for that) you cannot infect someone else. Period. That is not debatable. It is the definition of the word “infection.” Basic medicine.
Ever hear of someone vaccinated for chickenpox giving that herpes virus to someone else? Of course not because they don’t have oozing lesions shedding virus. It simply does not happen. Not infected, no virus to shed. Do I need to write that again?
Too bad the CDC and the Public Health Department have so much trouble speaking the truth. But they’re damn good at producing nonsensical but pretty flow charts on how to stay safe. I can’t wait for the next addition coming soon. I’ll bet you that will be just prior to Memorial Day weekend. Mark your calendar. New Mask Rule Day.
SBSURFLIFE – Ummm…I think you are confused. The CDC and scientists are in fact pointing out how silly mask wearing outdoors is in many/most scenarios. That is the point of this article. The debate (which is allowed, right…isn’t that much of the point of EDHAT) is centered around the science and scientists who are critical of the CDC for that still being overly cautious…
In essence, considering SB’s vaccination numbers…most of the people walking around with masks on are doing it out of superstition and fear as the CDC (and again they are saying they are being overly cautious) is saying it doesn’t make sense. It’s obviously OK to be superstitious and irrationally fearful…but it’s worth recognizing and realizing that, no…?
DUKE – key words – “most of the people.” So, you acknowledge that some wear it out of scientific necessity. Ok, good. Now, how do you know which people are vaccinated (don’t really need masks) or not (should wear them anytime close to others)? You don’t. No one does. That’s the point. There’s nothing you can do about it, other than complain, which is what all you and VOR have been doing. Just live and let live. Let those who know they don’t need it wear them if they want. You guys are all about personal rights, right? So, stop freaking out over some people choosing to continue wearing masks. Just chill.
“No one on this thread is a scientist. The debate is pointless. ” You do not know who on this discussion is a scientist. Point of fact, I am, complete with lots of degrees but more importantly, actual in-the-field research and, hopefully, the ability to share the knowledge and educate. So the debate is not pointless. It’s about helping people make correct and science-based decisions.
If people want to dwell in the world of conspiracy theories and live a life based on ignorance and fear, that is not my problem, until it effects me and people and I care about. This stuff does.
So keep your hands clean and away from your nose, and until this is over, and it will be just like every virus epidemic in history, take *sensible precautions* to protect yourself and at-risk people around you. And for the sake of all of humanity and the people you love, get vaccinated! Then YOU wont be at risk or a risk to anyone else. It is that simple.
On the internet, nobody knows you’re a dog.
Sac, grasping at straws is a generous description for your comments today. As Duke and I have clearly explained today, and many other times on edhat, which you keep ignoring (it must be intentional at this point, probably because you don’t have a leg to stand on),is that we don’t care or have a problem with people wearing a mask for the rest of their lives out of an extreme overabundance of caution. Our problem is when their irrational fear impacts policy that affects us all. This has significant negative consequces to all of us like the unnecessary school and business closures we’ve been faced with the past year. We are totally okay with live and let live but that is not what has been happening this past year.
VOR – as per usual, you are flailing again. Your so full of carp its unbelievable. You say OK, live and let live, yet here you are screaming and crying because some people still choose to wear a mask, calling them science deniers and paranoid. Don’t worry about it. And no, this is not about the past year (that’s over, move on), this is about NOW and the future. God dang man, your whining is pathetic. Just stop it already.
YOU ARE NOT BEING IMPACTED by others wearing masks even if they’re vaxxed. Enough now.
When enough people are acting irrationally and against science/reason, it’s a problem. Look at hardcore supporters of Trump who ignored the lies and craziness… that’s a problem. As we agreed on all year, the school board ignoring science, the CDC and logic was a problem. Enough people following irrational fears is a problem as it can dictate policy and action. Let’s try (whenever possible) to follow the science and logic…not superstitions.
DUKE – good points. Great thing is, people wearing masks even when not “scientifically necessary” is not (and should not be) a problem for anyone. Well, except those who are freaking out about it here.
Here is a really interesting article about why some people are having a hard time letting go of the masks and other restrictions. https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2021/05/liberals-covid-19-science-denial-lockdown/618780/
Sac, I’m glad you brought that up. According to SBCPHD no one has died of Covid, excuse me, with Covid, in Santa Barbara County in May. Just from the noozhawk and edhat traffic accident reports, more people have died in SB County from car accidents in May. I’m not going to search through all the accident reports right now, but only 6 people with Covid died in SB County in April. I’ll bet you more people died from car accidents in SB than Covid in April. If I’m right, I’ll never comment again, if you’re right you’ll never comment again?
Chip, excellent article and thank you for sharing here. I think it more eloquently explains some of the points a few of us here are making that others (one in particular) refuse to acknowledge.
“But vigilance can have unintended consequences when it imposes on other people’s lives. Even as scientific knowledge of COVID-19 has increased, some progressives have continued to embrace policies and behaviors that aren’t supported by evidence, such as banning access to playgrounds, closing beaches, and refusing to reopen schools for in-person learning…. Public figures and policy makers who try to dictate others’ behavior without any scientific justification for doing so erode trust in public health and make people less willing to take useful precautions”.
Scientists and academics often have zero commonsense and need to review 20 pages of instructions and watch 3 how to videos on YouTube to even begin trying to use a shovel.
One of my past neighbors was a professor at SBCC and I saw him trying to dig a hole in hard dirt with a flat edge shovel. But boy could he teach math
You may be reading by posts but I’m not sure you’re comprehending them (pretty sure actually). So far in May, more have died in car accidents. If you take my bet I will do some research on April. Fair warning, I don’t often make bets unless I’m very confident in the outcome. Balls in your Sac court, what’s it going to be?
Our logorrheic contrafactuals will never pipe down.
VOR – what are you, 7? I don’t make bets, I’m a grown man. This isn’t 3rd grade. Now, again, prove your assertion or sit down.
Scientists told us that we didn’t need masks. It was a white lie so people wouldn’t hoard masks but the road to hell is paved with good intentions and they lost credibilty.
Scientists told us outdoor transmission possibility was under ten percent, so beaches were closed, stand paddlers arrested while at sea. Outdoor dining banned. Turns out the number wasn’t 10%, it wasn’t 5% it wasn’t even 1%… it was .1%. I’m not a scientist or a virologist and don’t need to be to know that people couldn’t use the beach for months (and some people still wear masks at the beach while walking alone!) we couldn’t use outdoor spaces because there was a “10% risk of transmission” when in reality it was statistically negligible. Yeah. They are geniuses. How dare we question them? You know why I question them? Because of BS like saying less than 10% when the real number was .1%
“Well, except those who are freaking out about it here” Freaking out about it here ,,,,,says the brain trust with more than 30 comments on this article alone…. that’s almost 30% of the total freaking out comments/contributions from a single commenter. “So I have to ask you kid, in all the confusion, was it 31 comments or 33?”……”I got’s tuh know…..” Snitched, in part, from a Dirty Harry flick. It’s all good as they say. Good fun on this June Gloom day….
Fern says he blocks Sac, yet he responds to his comment. Just more misinfo from the Parler crowd?
Wearing a mask makes it less likely that people will you will interact with me. A good reason to keep doing it.
BABYcake- not freaking out, just trying to calm a you pansies down about having to see someone wear a mask. Baby. Cakes.
Since there’s no way to tell if someone is vaccinated or not and since those who refuse to (and wear their masks beneath their noses or some such to avoid owning up to their unconcern for others), it makes sense to continue to mask when you may be around such.
Load of nonsense. Didn’t anyone see the recent report (from The NY Times, before you all start freaking out that it’s a “far right conspiracy”) about the ‘misleading’ CDC information wherein we all learned that even without masks, the chance of catching it outdoors is less than .01%? Please do a search, the article is out there. I’m not lying or misdirecting or making this up. People who are vaccinated DO NOT need to wear masks, especially outdoors. But if you’re going to do it (and I will, when indoors) do it for others, not yourself.
What’s frustrating Ginger, and has been this entire pandemic, is people’s inability to understand basic math and statistics. Even if we assume there is rampant community spread (which there isn’t), after you’re fully vaccinated the chances of you catching and then dying from covid are less than the chances you’ll die in a car accident this week. Yet the same people who will continue to wear a mask for their own protection after being vaccinated won’t think twice before getting in a car. It is incredible how detached from real science (vs. The Science TM) and accurate risk assessment a large portion of the population has become. This is a fact, based on real data, on real science. If you want to wear a mask go for it, but if it’s because you want to feel safe you probably shouldn’t get in a car ever again.
Luva, if masks don’t protect the wearer but others, why would it make sense for you (a vaccinated person) to wear a mask around other potentially unvaccinated people? You could wear it as a symbol, or because you like have your face covered, to each his own, but it certainly doesn’t make “sense” as far as epidimolodygy goes.
Time to burn the now useless masks!
In the same way that some people were advocating for schools to not reopen, There are going to be X number of people who are mask “lifers”… despite any/all evidence to the contrary.
It’s a choice people can make… In fact I know multiple fully Fully vaccinated people who jog and “enjoy” quiet beaches masked… it’s just a part of them now.
Thanks for the article Ternst, important to point out they just tested positive, no word on symptoms or if they tested positive and were contagious. MOST IMPORTANT QUOTE OF THE ARTICE “All three were fully vaccinated, meaning their infections are rare breakthrough cases. By the end of April, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention had only tracked 9,245 such cases out of more than 95 million people who were vaccinated.” RAISE YOUR HAND IF YOU CAN DO MATH!, downvote my comment if you can not (or you’re sure what the ‘9.73e-5’ means on your calculator).
Correction, if you’re NOT sure what the “9.73e-5′ mean on your calc. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scientific_notation
Sac – Can’t we be somewhere in the middle… kind of where logic and science are? Let’s masks up in crowded indoors spots but outside in sports and camps and life is just silly at this point. It’s kind of becoming a symbol of anti science really…
DUKE, the school thing is insane. We have SO MUCH data, and Fremont schools are still not open!
NONBIDENARY – you’re exactly right. There is no need to wear a mask outdoors if you are vaccinated. That’s what the chart up there is saying. Did you take a look at it? Aside from standing nuts to butts in an outdoor concert or drinking in the left field pavilion at Dodger stadium (some fun times), no need to wear a mask. So, relax and enjoy your summer. Get vaccinated and have fun again!
Sac, it has long not been about the mask but about the symbol the mask represents. Unfortunately, for those that understand science, math, and statistics, the mask have become a symbol of poor risk assessment, misunderstanding, misinformation, and how the CDC, WHO, and our Public Health Departments did a piss poor job in communicating relevant information during a pandemic and instead used grossly inaccurate models, fear, and entrenchment thinking in order to compel our population into compliance with their political masters and special interest groups (i.e. teachers unions meeting with the CDC to create stricter guidelines than they would have recommended on their own).
Herr Newsom even said yesterday that after June 15th there will be no mask mandates except in very limited indoor mass-gathering settings where people are coming from all over the world. What is special about June 15th? nothing. everyone who wants a shot has had a chance to get one, only a handful of people are in the hospital, our cases can’t really get lower and would disappear if we stopped the hyper-testing, there is zero reason everything can’t be lifted now vs. waiting for the arbitrary June 15th date.
VOR – wrong. The mask does help, even if you don’t think it’s much. It’s been proven time and time again the masks do provide some, albeit minimal, protection. Those who look at it at some “symbol” of oppression or something are just living in a fantasy land, a pretty grim one at that.
DUKE – and that’s totally fine if they want to wear a mask. The problem now is that anti-maskers/vaxxers are so full of piss and vinegar that they get upset at people for making the choice to continue masking in situations where it’s not really needed.
Sac – the piss and vinegar is present on both sides. It wasn’t that long ago that “domestic terrorist” was used here on Edgar regarding anyone outside without a mask…
DUKE – oh come on now, you can’t impute Generaltree’s nonsense to all “liberals.”
Sac, I’ve agreed pre vaccines, indoors, less than 6 feet, masks provide some protection (though recent MIT study shows less protection that we thought). When you are vaccinated it doesn’t provide any statistically meaningful (even albeit minimal) protection. Going back to our much discussed seatbelt analogy, if you’re vaccinated you’re odds of dying from someone else not wearing a mask are about the same as dying because someone else wasn’t wearing their seatbelt. You are a science denier at this point to still clutch masks and demand others do the same, post vaccination. It may make you feel better, which is okay, but the science behind that is psychology not virology.
True enough… it was a humorously notable (and yes wildly over the top) comment. But milder versions popped up from less infamous posters as well. And this “thinking” was obviously present in each and every school board meeting. Son yes it’s ok and your choice to wear a mask anywhere abs everywhere… but with enough people doing it in ridiculous situations it justifies and perpetuates other people doing it in ridiculous situations. The masked jogger and driver aren’t following science… they are in “superstition” territory…
VOR – “You are a science denier at this point to still clutch masks and demand others do the same, post vaccination.” – Do you even read my comments? I’m getting sick of you not reading and then proclaiming what I think. That statement of yours is 100% WRONG, not surprising.
VOR – how many people die in car accident in SB County each week? With your “superior” math skills (rotflmao), you should be able to provide the numbers on this. We’re all waiting……..
Another science lesson: “you are likely confusing the 99.99% effective at preventing symptoms that require hospitalization.” No, I am not. In real-world measurements, not a small test group of hospital workers exposed continually all day to virus-spewing patients, but the real world of a few hundred million vaccinated people, data gathered from three separate countries, the mRNA vaccines are 99.9913% (that’s the current, as of last week calculated number) effective in preventing disease, death and INFECTION. Infection that allows for infecting others. Vaccination is the only thing that guaranties you that those around you wont get sick and die from covid. Period.
Obviously, some of the other vaccines are less effective than than others, but still very effective. Bottom line: If you are vaccinated, it is IMPOSSIBLE for you to get someone else sick. No vaccine is 100% effective, because there are some humans whose immune system, B-lymphocytes specifically, do not get the message. People, those with certain diseases or who are taking immunosuppressant treatments may not be fully protected or protected at all. This is not new info and most of those people know the risks. They live it every single day even before covid.
NONBINARY wrote: “People who are vaccinated DO NOT need to wear masks, especially outdoors. But if you’re going to do it do it for others, not yourself.” Seriously? What, exactly, are you “doing for others”? You are promoting their fear instead of the value of being vaccinated.
The Covid-19 vaccines are a modern medical miracle. The mRNA vaxes are most effective vaccine for any disease– ever. Embrace the technology. Get the shot. Go out in the fresh air and breathe.
Sac – Even you aren’t vaccinated, outside with a mask is silly in most situations Santa Barbarians face. And as an extension…it’s silly for kids playing sports and doing camps to wear masks outside. That’s unscientific paranoia….
If you have been vaccinated, everything on this list is more likely to kill you than covid. That is a fact, that is science. Don’t be a science denier. If you’re vaccinated and still want everyone to mask up, what are you also doing to protect yourself from things more likely to kill you than covid like sharp objects, hornets, sunstroke, pedestrian incident, biking, …? https://injuryfacts.nsc.org/all-injuries/preventable-death-overview/odds-of-dying/
VOR – wearing a mask is not being a “science denier” anymore than wearing a seatbelt when driving 5 mph on a deserted road is being a “risk denier.” Some people prefer to play it overly safe. Why do you care so much about what others do to protect themselves, even if there’s minimal risk involved? Stop worrying so much about everyone else. I agree with the no mask if vaxxed policy. Stop stressing out about all this.
Sac – I think you are downplaying the “overly safe” crowds effect on policy that affects us all. For example, the School Board played it wildly “overly safe”…which obviously had a huge impact on us all. Same goes for certain business closures…the “not following science overly safe” crowd had tangible impacts. It’s time to acknowledge that it’s OK to be overly safe…but you aren’t really accomplishing anything with that action. It’s akin to wearing a helmet as you walk around.
VOR: I wish that my written “delivery” was half as good as yours. Each and every time you mop the floor with a couple of the posters here, they are compelled to come back at you with name calling and/or their favorite “you are completely wrong.” Apparently, everything you and Ginger say is wrong, wrong, and wronger. It’s amazing that the two of you are never/ever right. After you calmly vivisect, slice, dice, and flush these angry posters, they come back at you with their tiny fists and small voices…”you are wrong”. It’s like going to a party, and to constantly avoid the person who only wants to continue arguing for argument’s sake. Okay….wear it, don’t wear it, let me have my cocktail in peace for goodness sakes…shoo fly!
DUKE – nope. Wearing a mask is not the same as not being able to go to school.
BABYCAKES – it’s hilarious that you think VOR is “mopping” anything. Haha!
According to the data Sac (i.e. the science), if you’re vaccinated wearing a seatbelt driving 5mph on a deserted road will do more to reduce your risk of dying than wearing a mask. Wearing a helmet while walking will also reduce your risk of dying more than wearing a mask. If someone really wanted to “play it overly safe”, they should put on a helmet when they walk outside, over their mask of course. To be honest, I had no idea “pedestrian incidents” was that high on the list of things that could kill you.
DUKE – 100%!!! If they kept their insanely overly cautions mindset to themselves vs. trying to force it on others we would have no issue.
DUKE and everyone else – it’s so damn simple. If you are vaccinated, you don’t really need to wear a mask anywhere except maybe at an indoor event with a bunch of strangers. The “rules” are going away and yet you all still kick and scream and cry and moan about it. Just get vaxxed and go out and have fun and live your lives! Stop all these tantrums. It’s freaking exhausting. Now, I’m out. Got games to watch and bikes to ride and oceans to swim in and friends to see. Try not to dwell on this too much longer folks!
DUKE – haven’t decided on getting my kids vaxxed yet, but probably will. I know a few docs and they all say do it. I trust them more than I trust Newsmax, Youtube, VOR, et al.
Sac: timely article today and why we believe this irrational extreme cautiousness of some is a problem. 10% of the people won’t ever feel safe coming back to the office even if everyone was vaccinated. The irrational fear mongering throughout this pandemic will have a lasting and detrimental impact. https://www.cnbc.com/2021/05/12/a-return-to-the-office-will-be-hampered-by-lingering-covid-fears-survey-finds-.html
Sac – But our kids aren’t vaccinated. So how much longer are they going to mandate our 6 and 7 year olds wear one when for so many situations its completely without any scientific or logical merit…
Considering how little it affects kids under 18 I don’t really see the point/value in it at this point for kids.
The SAC keeps getting sopped with science! Dunked in the bucket and slopped on the floor and swooshed up-and-down and side-to-side like a rag doll (the doll keeps fighting back, only to get another dunkety-dunk). Now THAT is hilarious to the casual observers on this board. All in good fun. Blessing to everyone and please excuse my casual observations if you disagree with them.
VOR – As the past year has proven, most people don’t need to go back to “the office.” Working from home should be the new norm for most, but that’s another topic for another day. Go get outside now and enjoy the fog!
BABYCAKES – not sure what acid you took, but maybe read the comments. I actually agree with VOR and DUKE about not needing masks if you’re vaxxed. Not sure why no one sees that. I’m just sticking up for those who choose to still wear masks, whether vaxxed or not. You all (I refuse to type out “y’all” like an idiot) need to read my comments better.
No one on this thread is a scientist. The debate is pointless. For those who are that upset about the precaution of wearing a mask, write to your representative, call the public health department, call the CDC, but stop complaining on local websites about how you (again, not a scientist) are right and they (actual scientists) are wrong.
My, my. What a trollish attitude. Please let us know the name and location of your gym so that we can avoid associating with arrant scofflaws.
Bwah hah hah. It’s over.
With exceptions, right? But science deniers can ignore them.
How do you tell the difference between a vaxxed maskless and a unvaxxed maskless? Does that make a difference in your choices.
Clearly the mask mandate being over is reflected in the numbers. Almost nil now. If the gym was a super spreader we would have heard about it. Why do these comments always or generally try and shame something, someone, or some business.
Don’t shame the small businesses, they have been through enough. Let them recover and keep your mask on if you prefer. No problem with that.
And just imagine;
The pure insanity of this comment board for the last year, regarding only ONE topic..is indicative of the mind-set of the rest of the Nation.
No wonder humans can’t make any progress.
But I do give credit to Ginger..
At least he/she is a scientist.
Thanks! But do consider that scientists can be wrong. Part of being a scientist is to continually review your data and proven presumptions, re-evaluate with new data and see if the proof still holds true. Which is way different that political decision-making which requires no proof or verification of the validity of the presumption. That’s what we’ve faced this past year. Not to mention trolls, crazies and conspiracy believers.
I hope some of us learn something from this experience. I believe we will be a better community when this is over. (Which is not yet—maybe in about a month, in many places.) Do not forget the people who have suffered illness, death and loss of family from this virus or the people who have been effected in so many other ways. Don’t shame or blame. No value in that.
Don’t you feel bad for the people who spent hours and hours developing that pretty mask-use flow chart? It lasted less than a week! Because it was not based on science. It was politics. Theater.
The vaccine is not politics. It’s a modern medical miracle. Embrace it. Take off your mask but remember to drive carefully, slow down and look out for bicyclists and pedestrians. 😉
You are quite right. The risk is there, but way overblown. The mask thing is way overdone. There is no scientific reason for anyone to wear a mask in open spaces, and scant evidence for such in other venues.
“We’ve got to make that transition. If you are vaccinated, you don’t have to wear a mask outside. It would be a very unusual situation, if you were going into a completely crowded situation where people are essentially falling all over each other, then you wear a mask. But any other time, if you’re vaccinated and you’re outside, put aside your mask. You don’t have to wear it.” – Dr. Fauci aka Sultan of Safety, aka the King of [Double] Masks, aka The Supreme Leader of an Overabundance of Caution
Dr. Anthony Fauci told CNN, “The risk when you’re outdoors, WHICH WE HAVE BEEN SAYING ALL ALONG [emphasis added], is extremely low.”
3:37 – You missspelled ample as “scant”.
“Our data from the CDC today suggests that vaccinated people do not carry the virus, don’t get sick, and that it’s not just in the clinical trials but it’s also in real-world data,” -CDC Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky. Walensky was describing the results of a new CDC study of vaccinated Americans, which found that they not only had very high resistance to COVID-19, but also to asymptomatic infections of the SARS-CoV-2 virus – and, by extension, are very unlikely to spread it to other people.
Because there are people around with no common sense, the rest of us may have to keep wearing masks for quite a while, no matter where we are, if other people are present.
And you are free to do so (just don’t call in to school board or city council meetings encouraging continued restrictions for the rest of us). You also need to acknowledge your risk of dying from covid after being vaccinated is so incredibly low you’re more likely to be killed walking around your neighborhood. It needs to be acknowledged that this extremely exaggerated risk, pushed for the past year by the for-profit media (if it bleeds it leads), is what triggered our horrendous pandemic response. Get your shot, live your life as normal. Relax.
VOR – wow…. did you even pause here to get some sleep. I worry about you, ol’ buddy. You need to get some rest. Don’t sleep too long though, or the COVID might getcha! Kidding. But seriously, sleep with one eye open……. I saw some masks running around up to no good!
CNN Chief Medical Correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta criticized the CDC for issuing coronavirus guidance that doesn’t necessarily follow science, which results in people “doing things that we don’t need to be doing.” Gupta also said he can understand why Sen. Susan Collins (R-ME) said she doesn’t consider the CDC the “gold standard” anymore.
Gupta began by discussing school reopenings and said that “we could have probably opened schools, in some ways, based on the knowledge that we had, much earlier. It pains me to say this, but I see where she’s coming from — Sen. Collins — on this. I think for a long time, the concern was the CDC was providing guidance at the beginning of the pandemic that was not scientifically based. And as a result, we didn’t do things that we should have done in this country that could have greatly mitigated what has happened here. And now I think it’s almost a little bit of the reverse problem. The science is not necessarily being followed to the same extent. And as a result, we’re probably doing things that we don’t need to be doing. So, in the end, the CDC needs to be just a science-based organization. What does the science say? You don’t need to wear a mask outside. It’s just one of these things that, again, we’ve known this for some time. If you’re vaccinated, I don’t think you need to wear a mask indoors either. So, this is what the science is sort of showing, and I think the CDC just needs to probably say that. They’re erring on the side of caution. I get it. … But I think, at this point, it has to be very clear what the science shows and what you can do as a result of that.”
Some of us have been saying this for a year, now that Fauci, the CDC, CNN, and Dr. Gupta are saying it will you finally listen?
Thank goodness VOR is allowing people to associate with strangers indoors with no masks. So glad to have his scientifically based guidance. Not.
Excuse me? “Fully vaccinated people don’t need to wear a mask or physically distance during outdoor or indoor activities, large or small, federal health officials said, the fullest easing of pandemic recommendations so far.” – https://www.wsj.com/articles/fully-vaccinated-people-can-stop-wearing-face-masks-physical-distancing-in-most-settings-cdc-says-11620928800?mod=e2tw
You’ve been calling people “science deniers” “Faux News follwers” “Freedumbers” “Coviditos” so long you’ve failed to realize you’re the one not following science (or even common sense).
CDC just today announced that fully vaccinated folks don’t; need to wear a mask or stay 6 feet away anymore.
Indoors or outdoors.
Still need to mack up on airplanes or in a care facility (which seems reasonable) but halleluiah. I’m ditching the mask…Unless a business requires it. I can handle that!
I’m actually working out maskless in the gym right now where I have been going for months 4x per week. No one is wearing a mask, and everyone stopped wearing them several weeks ago. Have your conniption fits everyone.
That just means that you have no respect for the health of other people.