Coronavirus

[panteragstk]

Which hospital system did you do your IT stint? I worked 26 years at Texas Health full time and 3 years as a contractor in IT. Maybe we crossed paths.

I was at Parkland during that time. Only a year because that place was all sorts of crazy with management. I don't know how they get anything done.

 

[davidscott]

I was at Parkland during that time. Only a year because that place was all sorts of crazy with management. I don't know how they get anything done.

Yeah, Parkland did have a sort of crazy reputation. You still in DFW? I moved to Florida a couple of years ago after spending 35+ years in DFW.

 

[mtrycrafts]

Well look at it this way. Lot less Republicans to vote against the democrats right? As the queen song goes another one bites the dust.

Yes, but redistricting will make up for those losses and then some.

Just look at Texas. Justice just announced a lawsuit against Texas.

 

[panteragstk]

Yeah, Parkland did have a sort of crazy reputation. You still in DFW? I moved to Florida a couple of years ago after spending 35+ years in DFW.

Nah, I've been in New Braunfels coming up on 6 years. Wasn't a fan of DFW all that much, but most of my time was spent in Plano and Allen.

Had friends in Ft. Worth, and liked it a bit more, but I'm pretty happy down here. We do have our weirdness just like anywhere else, but it's not as bad. Real estate here is going as nuts as it was in DFW when I left.

 

[pewternhrata]

Nah, I've been in New Braunfels coming up on 6 years. Wasn't a fan of DFW all that much, but most of my time was spent in Plano and Allen.

Had friends in Ft. Worth, and liked it a bit more, but I'm pretty happy down here. We do have our weirdness just like anywhere else, but it's not as bad. Real estate here is going as nuts as it was in DFW when I left.

You get a chance to get to schlitterbahn or go down the lazy river?

 

[GO-NAD!]

My first reaction to "another one bites the dust" was to agree and laugh about it. But I can't because so many people have died.

It's also sad that the GOP has a plan for 'winning' future elections despite their loss of voters.

An interesting article on anti-vaxxers.

What’s Really Behind Global Vaccine Hesitancy

Countries with low vaccination rates are suffering from more than just inequity.

www.theatlantic.com

 

[panteragstk]

You get a chance to get to schlitterbahn or go down the lazy river?

Yep. We've taken the kids a couple of times. Wifey is from here, so she's been who knows how many times.

it's fun, but it sucks when it's too crowded. Have to know when to go.

 

[davidscott]

Nah, I've been in New Braunfels coming up on 6 years. Wasn't a fan of DFW all that much, but most of my time was spent in Plano and Allen.

Had friends in Ft. Worth, and liked it a bit more, but I'm pretty happy down here. We do have our weirdness just like anywhere else, but it's not as bad. Real estate here is going as nuts as it was in DFW when I left.

I was stationed at Randolph AFB in Universal City in the late 70s so I am familiar with New Braunfels. Your right much preferable to the Metroplex.

 

[Mr._Clark]

This caught my eye:

>>>With every shift, I see the strain people sick with Covid-19 put on my hospital. Their choice to not get vaccinated is not personal. It forces patients with ruptured appendixes and broken bones to wait for hours in my emergency department, it postpones surgeries for countless other people and burns out doctors and nurses.<<<

I a person's choice effects others, it is not just a personal choice, no matter what the person says.

Opinion | I’m an E.R. Doctor in Michigan, Where Unvaccinated People Are Filling Hospital Beds (Published 2021)

With every shift, I see the strain people sick with Covid-19 put on my hospital.

www.nytimes.com

 

[Kvn_Walker]

This caught my eye:

>>>With every shift, I see the strain people sick with Covid-19 put on my hospital. Their choice to not get vaccinated is not personal. It forces patients with ruptured appendixes and broken bones to wait for hours in my emergency department, it postpones surgeries for countless other people and burns out doctors and nurses.<<<

I a person's choice effects others, it is not just a personal choice, no matter what the person says.

Opinion | I’m an E.R. Doctor in Michigan, Where Unvaccinated People Are Filling Hospital Beds (Published 2021)

With every shift, I see the strain people sick with Covid-19 put on my hospital.

www.nytimes.com

These people put the "ME" in AMErica. Insurance companies need to step up... hit the motherfuckers in the wallet, HARD. After all, that's what capitalism and free market is all about, right?

 

[cpp]

These people put the "ME" in AMErica. Insurance companies need to step up... hit the motherfuckers in the wallet, HARD. After all, that's what capitalism and free market is all about, right?

IF no covid shot, then your health insurance premium will go up would be a perfect adjustment to reality. BUT !, that would most likely impact the poor people. Which means congress and the supreme court would have to step in and it will take years and years to debate. And like always, nothing gets done.

 

[Mikado463]

Nah, I've been in New Braunfels coming up on 6 years. Wasn't a fan of DFW all that much, but most of my time was spent in Plano and Allen.

Had friends in Ft. Worth, and liked it a bit more, but I'm pretty happy down here. We do have our weirdness just like anywhere else, but it's not as bad. Real estate here is going as nuts as it was in DFW when I left.

gotta love them Texans ..............

 

[rnatalli]

This really needs to be brought under control. The country can't continue to expect the vaccinated to keep getting boosters every 3 months or so until enough of the unvaccinated either get infected or die off. At some point, more folks getting boosters will tire and refuse to do so. Combine this with a huge chunk of the world still unvaccinated as many countries hoard supplies and we will all find ourselves in a potentially worse situation. One area of hope is an actual cure assuming it works on multiple strains. I truly find myself disappointed because if we as a world can't come together on something like this, we have passed a point of hope, altruism and become more of a selfish, wretched species.

 

[TLS Guy]

There was another news conference from N0. 10 today. Omicron cases in the UK are doubling every 2 to 3 days. That is a phenomenal rate of growth.

Professor Chris Whitty says that at that rate Omicron will outpace Delta sometime mid January.

According to Chris Whitty, who said he had just talked to his South African colleagues a few hours before, said that they have seen a doubling of patients needing hospital care in the last two days.

So omicron is most likely not the very mild illness we hoped. Chris Whitty did point out that the UK is not South Africa, and has a much higher vaccination rate.

So he correctly pointed out that the UK will see a rise in hospitalizations from Omicron in about two weeks, and deaths in about four weeks.

The UK is going to plan B. This is a return to working from home, for those that can. The mandatory mask mandate is back. Covid passports will be required for large venues, night clubs etc.

Mandatory vaccination is under consideration.

Pfizer say that by lab tests their vaccines after two doses is not enough to neutralize the antigens on the omicron variant, but three doses show some neutralizing activity. I need to stress this is lab data and NOT real world field data.

I did see if I could find current data to confirm what professor Chris Whitty said, but I can't. The South African health department website leaves a lot to be desired.

I did note however an alarming increase in pediatric cases.

Professor Whitty did make the point that up until omicron, the UK was in early transition to an endemic state as far as Covid-19 was concerned. He stated that now the UK has been thrown back into full pandemic mode by omicron.

I think this is looking more serious. In the US we have to deal with the problem of the unvaccinated.

Our hospitals have been at full stretch pretty much for two years. Staff are exhausted, and too many leaving. Many states are requiring military assistance including here in Minnesota.

i'm very concerned that hospital treatment will not be available for all that need it, if omicron does turn out to cause large numbers of cases in the serious category.

If that happens, there are no good options.

 

[Mr._Clark]

IF no covid shot, then your health insurance premium will go up would be a perfect adjustment to reality. BUT !, that would most likely impact the poor people. Which means congress and the supreme court would have to step in and it will take years and years to debate. And like always, nothing gets done.

I'm not so sure that congress and the supreme court would step in. Some employers are already making unvaccinated employees pay more for health insurance:

>>>Companies are telling unvaccinated workers to pay more for health insurance . . .
As Covid cases surged over the summer, Delta Air Lines CEO Ed Bastian took action: Unvaccinated workers would have to pay an extra $200 a month for their health insurance, starting Nov. 1. . . . "This surcharge will be necessary to address the financial risk the decision to not vaccinate is creating for our company," he wrote.

Now, as Covid cases climb once again, more companies are putting aside carrots and turning to sticks in an effort to protect their workers. From Utah grocery chain Harmons to Wall Street banking giant JPMorgan Chase, companies are telling their unvaccinated workers to get the shots or pay more for health insurance. . . .

One employer is trying a different tactic. Mercyhealth, which has more than 7,000 employees at hospitals and clinics in Wisconsin and Illinois, introduced what it called a "risk pool fee," instead of higher health care premiums. Since mid-October, unvaccinated employees have had $60 deducted from their wages each month to go into this pool. . . .

Other employers, including Delta Air Lines, JPMorgan Chase and Harmons appear to be raising health care premiums for unvaccinated workers under something called a "wellness program."

According to federal law, companies are allowed to charge employees different amounts for health care as long as they do it through a program designed to promote healthy behaviors and prevent disease.<<<

I have a hard time seeing how a bill that banned existing wellness programs would get through both the house and the senate, and I can't imagine Biden signing it into law even if such thing were to happen (granted, the wellness programs do have limits as stated in the article).

Companies are telling unvaccinated workers to pay more for health insurance

Citing the high costs associated with Covid illnesses, a growing number of employers are telling employees who decline to be vaccinated to pay up.

www.npr.org

 

[Kvn_Walker]

$200 a month isn’t jackshit. These people were willing to lose their jobs Entirely instead of getting vaccinated. A mild pay cut isn’t going to sway them.

Either 1) the emplpoyer stops paying subsidy and the employee has to pay FULL insurance premium, or 2) the insurance company drops them altogether. That will wake them up.

 

[Mr._Clark]

$200 a month isn’t jackshit. These people were willing to lose their jobs Entirely instead of getting vaccinated. A mild pay cut isn’t going to sway them.

Either 1) the emplpoyer stops paying subsidy and the employee has to pay FULL insurance premium, or 2) the insurance company drops them altogether. That will wake them up.

Not sure about $200, but $60 per month seems to be having some effect. From the article:

>>>Alen Brcic, Mercyhealth's vice president of people and culture, says $60 per month is a nominal amount, even symbolic. Mercyhealth still bears most of the costs when someone misses work or is hospitalized because of Covid.

But after the policy was announced in September, the vaccination rate among the health system's employees rose to 91% from around 70%, according to Brcic.<<<

 

[jinjuku]

My father, 74 just collapsed this morning and they admitted him. Tested positive even though he got his booster on on the 27th.

He's only on a heart monitor, sounded well on the phone, so it's observation overnight and potentially released tomorrow.

This thing's a fucker.

 

[TLS Guy]

My father, 74 just collapsed this morning and they admitted him. Tested positive even though he got his booster on on the 27th.

He's only on a heart monitor, sounded well on the phone, so it's observation overnight and potentially released tomorrow.

This thing's a fucker.

I hope your father has a benign course. His Covid positive test and his heart problem could well be related.

They probably should look for evidence of pericarditis and myocarditis. If either is the case, it should be self limiting, but careful observation would be required.

 

[Danzilla31]

My father, 74 just collapsed this morning and they admitted him. Tested positive even though he got his booster on on the 27th.

He's only on a heart monitor, sounded well on the phone, so it's observation overnight and potentially released tomorrow.

This thing's a fucker.

Very sorry to hear about your father I hope he recovers and recovers soon