Mask mandate removed (Houston, Lubbock, West: for rent, eviction, loans)

[KathrynAragon]

Colorado is ranked second from the last among the states when it comes to tests per capita (Kansas comes in last place). I have a feeling that their case rate would be higher if they did more testing since so many cases are mild or even asymptomatic.
https://www.worldometers.info/coronavirus/country/us/

To reiterate - any business that wants to maintain a mask mandate is free to do so. Any individual who wants to wear a mask just about anywhere is free to do so as well. So hopefully many people will continue to wear masks as necessary.

[KathrynAragon]

Originally Posted by redguard57

My experience from doing some road trips this year is - if you are a Democrat it's about 4/5 chance you'll wear a mask. If you're a Republican, about 1/4 chance.


.

Wow, you asked strangers what their political affiliation is?

I have been on MANY trips this past year, including road trips and trips on airplanes, to several regions of this country and to large cities, small towns and everything in between. I am sorry but I didn't witness what you are describing. But then I didn't ask people what their political beliefs are, not even friends and certainly not strangers.

[KathrynAragon]

Originally Posted by NBTX11

Recent studies are showing that only one shot is actually very effective. Not as effective as two, but still very effective. The first shot starts to become effective after 10 days. By 10-14 days after her second shot, she will be fully vaccinated. So your looking at a month, not two months. Depending on when she got her shot, she likely has some protection now.

This. Your mom should be very well protected two weeks after her second shot and already has some additional protection now after the first shot.

[KathrynAragon]

Originally Posted by biafra4life

My wife is a nurse, working on a covid floor. Funny she sees people like you brought in all the time...but all the bold tough guy I-KNOW-MY-RIGHTS crap tends to quiet down when they have to suck on a ventilator to stay alive.

Thank goodness the vast majority of positive cases are mild or even asymptomatic.

[WVNomad]

Originally Posted by KathrynAragon

Thank goodness the vast majority of positive cases are mild or even asymptomatic.

Because we are dealing with large numbers (a US population of over over 330 million people) a “minority of cases” of COVID have resulted in the deaths 500,000 people in the US. The Journal of the American Medical Association reported COVID was the leading cause of death in the US in 2020 (https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jam...rticle/2774465). This analysis excludes all of the people who have had long term health issue from COVID, the people who could not have be treated for other medical issues and suffered worse outcomes because medical resources had to be diverted to treating COVID patients, etc. Yeah, it could be worse, but it is a horrible situation. To say “thank goodness the vast majority of positive cases are mild or even a symptomatic” is (1) an unconvincing attempt to show the devastating effects of COVID are exaggerated, and (2) is inappropriately dismissive, disrespectful, and insensitive to the hundreds of thousands of people who died and their families.

[KathrynAragon]

Originally Posted by WVNomad

Because we are dealing with large numbers (a US population of over over 330 million people) a “minority of cases” of COVID have resulted in the deaths 500,000 people in the US. The Journal of the American Medical Association reported COVID was the leading cause of death in the US in 2020 (https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jam...rticle/2774465). This analysis excludes all of the people who have had long term health issue from COVID, the people who could not have be treated for other medical issues and suffered worse outcomes because medical resources had to be diverted to treating COVID patients, etc. Yeah, it could be worse, but it is a horrible situation. To say “thank goodness the vast majority of positive cases are mild or even a symptomatic” is (1) an unconvincing attempt to show the devastating effects of COVID are exaggerated, and (2) is inappropriately dismissive, disrespectful, and insensitive to the hundreds of thousands of people who died and their families.

Hey, get this. My husband died in 2020. No, he didn't die of COVID 19 but the stress of losing 52 percent of his income and the effects of the pandemic in general contributed significantly to his sudden, massive, one time heart attack. So please don't lecture me on how my true statement about the disease comes across.

[Westerner92]

Originally Posted by KathrynAragon

Colorado is ranked second from the last among the states when it comes to tests per capita (Kansas comes in last place). I have a feeling that their case rate would be higher if they did more testing since so many cases are mild or even asymptomatic.
https://www.worldometers.info/coronavirus/country/us/

To reiterate - any business that wants to maintain a mask mandate is free to do so. Any individual who wants to wear a mask just about anywhere is free to do so as well. So hopefully many people will continue to wear masks as necessary.

Colorado’s positivity rate, which is an indication of the proportion of cases being caught and tested, has been hovering in the 3.5% range for weeks now. Most health experts agree that a positivity rate above 5% means uncontrolled spread and that reopening is a bad idea. Texas’ current positivity rate is 8.63%. I realize scientifically illiterate journalists and speculation are most people’s source of information, but I got my numbers from each state’s covid dashboards.

[Treasurevalley92]

Why can't we open the state and keep the mask mandate? I guess Hotwheels needs a distraction from how poorly he managed the cold snap?

"All of Texas Open, No more Masks" is a bigger headline than "State open to full capacity, Masks Still Required"

[WVNomad]

Originally Posted by KathrynAragon

Hey, get this. My husband died in 2020. No, he didn't die of COVID 19 but the stress of losing 52 percent of his income and the effects of the pandemic in general contributed significantly to his sudden, massive, one time heart attack. So please don't lecture me on how my true statement about the disease comes across.

I am genuinely sorry for your husband’s death. The impact of COVID has certainly had both direct and indirect impacts on people’s lives and their health. I can appreciate how your perspective might be shaped given your circumstances. I hope you are able to find some peace and comfort moving forward.

[txbullsfan]

Originally Posted by WVNomad

Because we are dealing with large numbers (a US population of over over 330 million people) a “minority of cases” of COVID have resulted in the deaths 500,000 people in the US. The Journal of the American Medical Association reported COVID was the leading cause of death in the US in 2020 (https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jam...rticle/2774465). This analysis excludes all of the people who have had long term health issue from COVID, the people who could not have be treated for other medical issues and suffered worse outcomes because medical resources had to be diverted to treating COVID patients, etc. Yeah, it could be worse, but it is a horrible situation. To say “thank goodness the vast majority of positive cases are mild or even a symptomatic” is (1) an unconvincing attempt to show the devastating effects of COVID are exaggerated, and (2) is inappropriately dismissive, disrespectful, and insensitive to the hundreds of thousands of people who died and their families.

Great points.

Unfortunately, you are arguing with a sizable portion of the population who thinks that either Covid is a hoax, deaths are exaggerated (despite the fact that people have to have a positive diagnosis of Covid at time of death), or that it is nothing worse then the seasonal flu where people just get the sniffles. Typically, they are probably not going to listen to you, or anyone. Their minds are typically made up. But that does not mean that attempts should still not be made to this sizable portion of people.

Unfortunately, their mindset is despite what the pleathora of respected doctors, nurses, scientists, healthcare workers on the front line and in the field of infection disease are saying.

Many refuse to ignore the peer reviewed and respected scientific evidence and only go with a "one off" and "fringe" doctor / website and their personal anecdotal experience as the deciding factor. It's a shame. It's Cognitive dissonance at the peak of its powers. It has lead to actions that have gotten people killed (or chronically suffering).

Also, people are constantly JUST focusing on Covid deaths but not on the long term health implications of getting infected with Covid-19 / SARS. We have members on this forum (and people out in the general public) who did not die from Covid but now have long term chronic damage / health issues and were completely symptom free and healthy pre Covid. We are just now beginning to to understand the long term effects of this disease that "the majority of cases are mild or even a symptomatic and that "usually only brings about the sniffles" and that is "nothing worse then the flu". Anyone here can read respected, peer reviewed literature on the long term effects of SARS/ Covid.

After complete lockdown was lifted (for a while now), people are (and were) going out to eat at restaurants, buying goods and services and carrying on in life but with some reasonable protections / measures in place. Looking at the charts of Covid spread and deaths, fortunately, this has lead to a downward trajectory. We were on the right path but according to the vast majority of everyone who is on the front lines and all the pleathera in the various respected fields, we are almost there but not completely there yet.

Many of us (most of Texas and the United States) have not gotten the vaccine yet. We want to continue to reasonably go out, just like everyone else and enjoy life, with reasonable protections in place so we (and our families) are protected and so we protect others, until herd immunity or until a reasonable level of vaccination and until we ourselves get vaccinated. Many of us are on long Covid vaccine wait lists.

Here is a thought; many of us do not want to play health Russian Roulette (either death, new long term chronic health issues even though no death, or escaping scott free), so how about having some respect for the rest of us unwashed / un-vaccinated majority and keeping reasonable measures in place most of us / we have been vaccinated?