~*Official #COVID-19 Thread of Doom*~ Revenge of Omicron Prime

[skillzdadirecta]

1 minute ago, Commissar SFLUFAN said:

The puzzle of America's record Covid hospital rate

WWW.BBC.COM

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Europe has fewer Covid patients in hospital now. Why are the US and Canada bucking the Omicron trend?

 

 

That should've been the only line in the entire article

I knew the answer before I even got to the quoted part of your post. 

[Commissar SFLUFAN]

Just now, skillzdadirecta said:

I knew the answer before I even got to the quoted part of your post. 

 

Oh yeah - it was the same for me as well! 

[b_m_b_m_b_m]

Sure am glad that no one works at sporting events and Schools and anywhere else people gather

[Guest]

6 minutes ago, b_m_b_m_b_m said:

Sure am glad that no one works at sporting events and Schools and anywhere else people gather

This tweet completely misses the point of the text. The argument here is that Covid does not present a unique risk to workers, the risk is universal whether in the workplace or in homes (homes being the primary driver of infection!) or watching a ballgame. This is why they bring up things like air pollution. OSHA can’t regulate emissions broadly because workers have to breathe polluted air at work.

 

You can still disagree with the position, but the necessity of any particular activity is irrelevant to the issue of whether something is a workplace risk that the government can regulate.

[b_m_b_m_b_m]

18 minutes ago, sblfilms said:

OSHA can’t regulate emissions broadly because workers have to breathe polluted air at work.

They can require testing for exposure limits and setting upper limits of exposure along with mandating preventative measures. And while they can’t control every possible route of exposure you should be entitled to protections from exposure while at work. 

your logic endorsed by the conservative court however is an endorsement of universal work testing and mask mandates without a vaccine exemption but you wouldn’t see the court sign off on that I’m certain. 

[Brick]

'A Menace to Public Health': Doctors Demand Spotify Puts an End to Covid Lies on 'Joe Rogan Experience'

WWW.ROLLINGSTONE.COM

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Unlike many platforms, Spotify doesn't have a policy prohibiting misinformation. 270 physicians and scientists are hoping to change that.

 

[Guest]

1 minute ago, b_m_b_m_b_m said:

They can require testing for exposure limits and setting upper limits of exposure along with mandating preventative measures. And while they can’t control every possible route of exposure you should be entitled to protections from exposure while at work. 

your logic endorsed by the conservative court however is an endorsement of universal work testing and mask mandates without a vaccine exemption but you wouldn’t see the court sign off on that I’m certain. 

To my knowledge, OSHA doesn’t even regulate indoor air quality. They do regulate air contamination created by the work being done though. Covid is more like the pollution and less like asbestos exposure while demolishing a building.

 

Can you think of something else that is a generalized risk that OSHA regulates?

[AbsolutSurgen]

 

 

 

 

[Jason]

OSHA regulates floors. Does OSHA not get to regulate floors because everywhere has a floor?

[AbsolutSurgen]

Ontario ICUs are largely being overrun by old unvaccinated people.  We need to recognize that and, if we are truly concerned about THAT problem.  Deal with it.

[b_m_b_m_b_m]

41 minutes ago, sblfilms said:

To my knowledge, OSHA doesn’t even regulate indoor air quality. They do regulate air contamination created by the work being done though. Covid is more like the pollution and less like asbestos exposure while demolishing a building.

 

Can you think of something else that is a generalized risk that OSHA regulates?

They regulate worker exposure to pollutants. not generalized risk, but worker health and safety in the workplace. 
 

as an example I used to work in a Polyurethane manufacturing plant. Worker exposure to TDI was monitored via badges that each worker had to wear on the pouring line and there was an exposure limit to how much you could be exposed to as regulated by OSHA. Part of the exposure control was engineering controls which includes ventilation, modifying processes/formulations, plus ppe. The emissions from that ventilation were monitored and regulated by state and federal environmental departments. Outside the plant is epa inside the plant is osha. 
 

In this case the source of potential worker exposure is other workers. To keep the analogy, preventing exposure to covid would involve wearing badges (testing),  engineering controls like ventilation, ppe, and changing the “formulation” (aka the immune system in this analogy) to make it safer for workers around the potential exposure source. 

[Fizzzzle]

On my way to work today (I didn't have covid by the way, just your vanilla flu), the hospital I walk by on my walk had tents set up in the parking lot. That's usually not a good sign, right? They weren't there on Tuesday.

[Jason]

 

[Jason]

 

[johnny]

my school has been hit hard by covid. 30+ kids missing from my classes everyday. we have multiple teachers out right now and no substitutes. so the rest of us are covering them on our prep periods. tiring but on the bright side my check next month will be nice. 

[TheLeon]

9 hours ago, Fizzzzle said:

On my way to work today (I didn't have covid by the way, just your vanilla flu), the hospital I walk by on my walk had tents set up in the parking lot. That's usually not a good sign, right? They weren't there on Tuesday.

This is not to call you out specifically, but I think it’s kinda funny that we can go to work sick, might even be encouraged/ordered to do so, just as long as it isn’t this one specific virus.

 

My supervisor was out for a day because he had this insane cough, but his Covid test came back negative, so he was back to work the next day. 

[Air_Delivery]

Immigration Minister Alex Hawke cancels Novak Djokovic's visa ahead of Australian Open - ABC News

WWW.ABC.NET.AU

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The Serbian star's visa saga heads to court tonight after Immigration Minister Alex Hawke uses his ministerial powers to personally cancel Novak Djokovic's visa.

[cusideabelincoln]

4 hours ago, TheLeon said:

This is not to call you out specifically, but I think it’s kinda funny that we can go to work sick, might even be encouraged/ordered to do so, just as long as it isn’t this one specific virus.

 

My supervisor was out for a day because he had this insane cough, but his Covid test came back negative, so he was back to work the next day. 

Hopefully, but not likely, businesses will rethink how they handle sick days. I've definitely had to work with the flu because I happened to have it on a day that was mandatory: if I called in it would have been instant termination.

[CitizenVectron]

16 minutes ago, cusideabelincoln said:

Hopefully, but not likely, businesses will rethink how they handle sick days. I've definitely had to work with the flu because I happened to have it on a day that was mandatory: if I called in it would have been instant termination.

 

These past two years mostly working from home I've used maybe 3 or 4 sick days, even though I am entitled to 20 per year, mainly because I would think "yeah I'm not feeling great, but I can just sit in my office in pajamas with some hot chocolate and do work." Recently however I decided to stop that and actually take time off if I'm sick. I am entitled to the days off, and if I don't feel great then I am not going to work. Now, don't get me wrong, I am still going to sit at my computer drinking hot chocolate—I will just be playing games instead.

 

EDIT - And my sick days bank. I was curious so I looked it up: I have 60.47 banked sick days at the moment. That means in the 3.5 years I have worked at my current job I have only used about 10 days, or 3-4 per year. Not bad! I think the public-sector standard is around 10 used per year, per employee (compared to about 7 in private sector). Time to start using 25 per year.

[Zaku3]

6 minutes ago, CitizenVectron said:

 

These past two years mostly working from home I've used maybe 3 or 4 sick days, even though I am entitled to 20 per year, mainly because I would think "yeah I'm not feeling great, but I can just sit in my office in pajamas with some hot chocolate and do work." Recently however I decided to stop that and actually take time off if I'm sick. I am entitled to the days off, and if I don't feel great then I am not going to work. Now, don't get me wrong, I am still going to sit at my computer drinking hot chocolate—I will just be playing games instead.

 

EDIT - And my sick days bank. I was curious so I looked it up: I have 60.47 banked sick days at the moment. That means in the 3.5 years I have worked at my current job I have only used about 10 days, or 3-4 per year. Not bad! I think the public-sector standard is around 10 used per year, per employee (compared to about 7 in private sector). Time to start using 25 per year.

 

Video games are how I determine how sick I am. If i can't play then I'm really sick and need rest. If I can then i am getting better.

[Fizzzzle]

5 hours ago, TheLeon said:

This is not to call you out specifically, but I think it’s kinda funny that we can go to work sick, might even be encouraged/ordered to do so, just as long as it isn’t this one specific virus.

 

My supervisor was out for a day because he had this insane cough, but his Covid test came back negative, so he was back to work the next day. 

Oh, for sure. At least right now we're all wearing masks, so it's not like I'm breathing all over everybody.

 

If you don't give people paid sick days, they will work when they're sick.

[CitizenVectron]

Ronald McDonald House in Canada (the McDonalds-backed charity that provides housing and support for families of very sick children who are undergoing treatment at hospitals) has decided that to stay there as a caregiver you have to be vaccinated. And...not unexpectedly, the chuds are ANGRY at McDonalds for this tyranny. They are going to boycott McDonalds now. Here's a short video:

 

 

In fact, RMH isn't even abandoning people who aren't vaccinated, they are still helping them find other accommodations, etc. But chuds will be chuds.

[Fizzzzle]

Do YoUr OwN rEaSeArCh

[Captain Pickle]

17 hours ago, AbsolutSurgen said:

Ontario ICUs are largely being overrun by old unvaccinated people.  We need to recognize that and, if we are truly concerned about THAT problem.  Deal with it.

Send them off on an iceberg?

[AbsolutSurgen]

Just now, Captain Pickle said:

Send them off on an iceberg?

  Wasn't exactly where I was going with this.  

[AbsolutSurgen]

 

Positivity and tests are both falling.  Omicron waves seem to come in fast, peak high, and fall off fast.  I would anticipate that we will see another increase at the end of next week (or beginning of the week after) because of the re-start of in-person school.

I'm not sure this pattern will be the same in parts of the US -- vaccination rates are very high in Ontario and a high % of older people (~75% of 80+) have their boosters.

[b_m_b_m_b_m]

Dangerous game lmao Bloomberg is stupidly reactionary 

[CitizenVectron]

There are pros and cons to this decision (mostly economic cons, in terms of trade disruption). However...America needs to get its fucking act together as a society. I wouldn't be surprised if behind the scenes the Liberals and Conservatives are both basically planning to shift away from the US as a reliable partner over the next decade, and towards the EU or something.

[b_m_b_m_b_m]

I don’t blame any country for trying to keep us plague rats out of their country

[AbsolutSurgen]

9 minutes ago, CitizenVectron said:

There are pros and cons to this decision (mostly economic cons, in terms of trade disruption). However...America needs to get its fucking act together as a society. I wouldn't be surprised if behind the scenes the Liberals and Conservatives are both basically planning to shift away from the US as a reliable partner over the next decade, and towards the EU or something.

That's clearly happening -- not because of this, but other reasons.  It is clear that the US will act in its short-term interests, to the exclusion of its long-term common interests with allies.

[Guest]

2 minutes ago, AbsolutSurgen said:

That's clearly happening -- not because of this, but other reasons.  It is clear that the US will act in its short-term interests, to the exclusion of its long-term common interests with allies.

We’ve only been doing it since literally before we were an independent nation. Not sure why it took everybody else so long to notice!

[Air_Delivery]

7 minutes ago, sblfilms said:

We’ve only been doing it since literally before we were an independent nation. Not sure why it took everybody else so long to notice!

Nah we are way more unstable now than we have been since the 1800s. You can't count on us for anything because conservatives will smash any treaty or deal made by democrats when they get power.

Also this Supreme Court is losing quickly the respect it once commanded with its partisan hackery. 

[b_m_b_m_b_m]

Any other country should see that we are falling apart internally at least at the federal level and should plan accordingly. 

[Commissar SFLUFAN]

1 minute ago, b_m_b_m_b_m said:

Any other country should see that we are falling apart internally at least at the federal level and should plan accordingly. 

 

I think that by and large most American allies have accepted that reality and are figuring out their path forward.

 

For example, it really does seem that the European Union has essentially "moved on" from the United States.

[SuperSpreader]

3 minutes ago, Commissar SFLUFAN said:

 

I think that by and large most American allies have accepted that reality and are figuring out their path forward.

 

For example, it really does seem that the European Union has essentially "moved on" from the United States.

 

Papa UK is also on the out. Unfortunately it will be the Germans and French in charge. I'm dreaming of a Spanish Re-Re-Reconquest! But alas they are busy with patatas bravas.