# Coronavirus general discussion and chit-chat **URL:** \ **Category:** The Quarantine Zone\ **Tags:** covid-quarantine\ **Created:** [August 12, 2020, 5:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coronavirus-general-discussion-and-chit-chat/917903 "2020-08-12T17:29:38Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 37
**Author:** ![eschrodinger](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eschrodinger/32/122_2.png) [@eschrodinger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eschrodinger)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2021, 5:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coronavirus-general-discussion-and-chit-chat/917903/724 "2021-09-14T17:38:28Z")
I think people who are at risk of having anaphylaxis from the mRNA vaccines probably should get a different vaccine. Anaphylaxis is extremely serious. Just because you are being monitored doesn’t mean you won’t die. The severity of the risk when anaphylaxis occurs doesn’t need to be handwaved in order to say that people should still get vaccinated. There may be a very small number of people who are at higher risk of anaphylaxis plus a contraindication for other vaccines. I would leave it to them and their doctors to figure out whether any vaccine is advisable, balancing the risks of getting covid while unvaccinated. That said, I think licensing authorities should go after, and if applicable criminal charges should be brought against, any doctor who is providing made-up excuses for people who are just anti-vaccination. ---
**Author:** ![JaneDoe42](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/janedoe42/32/14104_2.png) [@JaneDoe42](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JaneDoe42)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2021, 6:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coronavirus-general-discussion-and-chit-chat/917903/725 "2021-09-14T18:13:49Z")
I watch the Boise news every night and heard it there, it kinda stuck with me. As I happens, I got the words right, just forgot the speaker and I apologize for that: "I hope that your takeaway from this is that the vaccines work. They are the best tool by far that we have,” to keep people from getting seriously sick from the coronavirus, said **Jeppesen, the state health department director**. The demand on hospitals is likely to increase in coming weeks as case numbers continue to climb, Jeppesen said, so everyone should take steps to avoid needing any emergency care if possible by wearing seatbelts, taking medication as prescribed and _reconsidering activities like riding bikes that can lead to accidents._ > **[Idaho hospitals begin rationing health care amid COVID surge](https://apnews.com/article/business-health-public-health-coronavirus-pandemic-idaho-db21f9a14254996144e78aafb1518259)** > > BOISE, Idaho (AP) — Idaho public health leaders announced Tuesday that they activated “crisis standards of care” allowing health care rationing for the state's northern hospitals because there are more coronavirus patients than the institutions can... ---
**Author:** ![wguy123](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wguy123/32/3161_2.png) [@wguy123](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wguy123)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2021, 6:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coronavirus-general-discussion-and-chit-chat/917903/726 "2021-09-14T18:25:36Z")
Thanks. And yes, I am heeding that advice since I live in the land of unvaxed and unmasked nuts and the hospitals are converting conference rooms to covid wards. ---
**Author:** ![filmore](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/7993a0/32.png) [@filmore](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/filmore)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2021, 6:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coronavirus-general-discussion-and-chit-chat/917903/727 "2021-09-14T18:28:24Z")
> [@JaneDoe42](#): > > and _reconsidering activities like riding bikes that can lead to accidents._ Unfortunately, biking was a poor example because of the resulting comedic effect. It might have been better to state activities which more people engage in and commonly bring people to the emergency room. For example, driving with excessive speed, riding a motorcycle without a helmet, risky household repairs, work that is high up, ladders, careless use of power tools, and so on. I’m sure some people end up in the ER because of a biking accident, but I doubt that’s an activity that most people would need to reconsider because most people don’t bike. ---
**Author:** ![wguy123](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wguy123/32/3161_2.png) [@wguy123](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wguy123)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2021, 6:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coronavirus-general-discussion-and-chit-chat/917903/728 "2021-09-14T18:50:14Z")
This is also the land of No-Helmet Harley and all his buddies going on bar runs. Freedumbbbb!!! ---
**Author:** ![JaneDoe42](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/janedoe42/32/14104_2.png) [@JaneDoe42](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JaneDoe42)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2021, 6:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coronavirus-general-discussion-and-chit-chat/917903/729 "2021-09-14T18:57:16Z")
> [@filmore](#): > > Unfortunately, biking was a poor example because of the resulting comedic effect. I have to slightly disagree. I spend a good part of my day taking in the news. As a result, things tend to blurr and I don’t really fully digest anything for days. If not for that bit of silliness, I would have totally forgotten anything he had to say. Back when this all began, I watched a couple of cars race side by side down a residential street at high speed. Both cars had several passengers sitting on the window sills, waving their arms in the air and screaming. One passenger was masked. Us humans just aren’t that good at risk assessment. ---
**Author:** ![filmore](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/7993a0/32.png) [@filmore](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/filmore)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2021, 7:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coronavirus-general-discussion-and-chit-chat/917903/730 "2021-09-14T19:02:46Z")
> [@JaneDoe42](#): > > If not for that bit of silliness, I would have totally forgotten anything he had to say. Yeah, I guess that’s true. The oddness of the statement is the only reason we’re talking about it. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2021, 7:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coronavirus-general-discussion-and-chit-chat/917903/731 "2021-09-14T19:16:11Z")
Reading about all of these hospitals filling up with non-vaccinated covid patients, and non-covid people with life-threatening emergencies dying because there’s no room, kind of makes me want to see a series of wrongful death lawsuits against those covid patients who actively refused to be vaccinated. ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2021, 8:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coronavirus-general-discussion-and-chit-chat/917903/732 "2021-09-14T20:16:07Z")
I cam in to report possible (if slight) good news: the local hospital’s vaccine clinic is back at the college, where it was when they had a lot more people. However, reading what you guys have written, I wonder if it’s just that the part of the hospital where they would do the vaccinations is being taken up by patients. In my county, infections are going down as people started taking it seriously again. But they may have people from elsewhere, even in my podunk town. ---
**Author:** ![ThelmaLou](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thelmalou/32/390_2.png) [@ThelmaLou](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ThelmaLou)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2021, 9:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coronavirus-general-discussion-and-chit-chat/917903/733 "2021-09-17T21:30:12Z")
> **[3 Tourists Allegedly Attacked A Hostess Who Asked For Vaccine Proof At A...](https://www.npr.org/sections/coronavirus-live-updates/2021/09/17/1038392877/new-york-tourists-attack-hostess-restaurant-vaccine)** > > The hostess reportedly had to be taken to the hospital after the New York City incident, and the three women, who are from Texas, were arrested. > Three tourists were arrested after allegedly assaulting a restaurant hostess in Manhattan after she asked for proof of their vaccination status before they could be seated. > > Footage obtained by [NBC New York](https://www.nbcnewyork.com/news/local/crime-and-courts/carmines-hostess-attacked-after-asking-group-from-texas-for-vaccination-proof-to-dine-inside/3277565/) shows an intense scuffle outside of Carmine’s Italian restaurant on the Upper West Side on Thursday evening. The three tourists, who are from Texas, are alleged to have begun repeatedly punching a 22-year-old hostess after she asked them to show proof they were vaccinated before entering the restaurant, in accordance with local regulations. > > The hostess had to be taken to the hospital after the attack, according to NBC New York. Police arrested three women — 21-year-old Tyonnie Keshay Rankin, 44-year-old Kaeita Nkeenge Rankin, and 49-year-old Sally Rechelle Lewis — and they have since been charged with misdemeanor assault and criminal mischief, according to a Gothamist [report](https://gothamist.com/food/carmines-hostess-assaulted-texas-women-after-asking-proof-vaccination). They are scheduled to appear in court on Oct. 5, the outlet reports. > … That’s it, Texas, spread the love. Make us proud. 😠 ---
**Author:** ![ThelmaLou](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thelmalou/32/390_2.png) [@ThelmaLou](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ThelmaLou)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2021, 2:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coronavirus-general-discussion-and-chit-chat/917903/734 "2021-09-18T14:44:08Z")
Not sure where to post this… > **[So your religion doesn't allow the COVID-19 vaccine? Here are some other...](https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2021/9/17/2052793/-So-your-religion-doesn-t-allow-the-COVID-19-vaccine-Here-are-some-other-medications-you-can-t-take)** > > It’s well understood that Facebook and other social media sites have transformed millions of ordinary Americans into newly minted internet virologists and microbiologists, furiously digging through memes and videos—most of highly dubious origin—to... Apropos of people who won’t take the vaccine because it is supposedly made from aborted babies. > … > > > A hospital system in Arkansas is making it a bit more difficult for staff to receive a religious exemption from its COVID-19 vaccine mandate. The hospital is now requiring staff to also swear off extremely common medicines, such as Tylenol, Tums, and even Preparation H, to get the exemption. > > The move was prompted when Conway Regional Health System noted an unusual uptick in vaccine exemption requests that cited the use of fetal cell lines in the development and testing of the vaccines. > > The [list](https://www.patheos.com/blogs/throughcatholiclenses/2021/01/if-any-drug-tested-on-hek-293-is-immoral-goodbye-modern-medicine/)of common over-the-counter medications (as well as commonly prescribed drugs) which were developed, produced, or tested in manners similar to the developmental COVID-19 vaccines, using descendant lines from old fetal cells encompasses just about anything you would commonly turn to for headache, allergy, or indigestion relief: > > > The list includes Tylenol, Pepto Bismol, aspirin, Tums, Lipitor, Senokot, Motrin, ibuprofen, Maalox, Ex-Lax, Benadryl, Sudafed, albuterol, Preparation H, MMR vaccine, Claritin, Zoloft, Prilosec OTC, and azithromycin. > > Under Conway Regional’s procedure, an employee seeking a “religious exemption” must also swear off these medicines, whose historical development, pre- and post-production testing or production processes involved using fetal cell lines in the same manner as that of the COVID-19 vaccines. > … Well, dang. Who knew? ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2021, 3:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coronavirus-general-discussion-and-chit-chat/917903/735 "2021-09-18T15:30:25Z")
Yeah, i tried to research that, but failed. I’m glad someone else did the leg work. Who knew that it’s helpful to test human medications on human cells? ---
**Author:** ![2\_More\_Bits](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/2_more_bits/32/4148_2.png) [@2\_More\_Bits](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/2_More_Bits)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2021, 4:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coronavirus-general-discussion-and-chit-chat/917903/736 "2021-09-18T16:55:18Z")
The photo, which appears to to show someone I assume is a Carmine’s employee with a mask well under his nose, leaves me scratching my head. ---
**Author:** ![Tfletch1](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tfletch1/32/5340_2.png) [@Tfletch1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tfletch1)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2021, 10:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coronavirus-general-discussion-and-chit-chat/917903/737 "2021-09-18T22:03:19Z")
> [@ThelmaLou](#): > > Well, dang. Who knew? Pretty much all modern medications have been tested on a human collection cell line. Many cell lines are from cancers. HEK 293 are much better for testing because they are not cancer cells. The cells, from an aborted fetus, were immortalized via transfection with adenovirus DNA. The cells are more ‘normal’ than cancer cell lines allowing for more reliable drug discovery. ---
**Author:** ![Melbourne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b5e925/32.png) [@Melbourne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Melbourne)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2021, 11:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coronavirus-general-discussion-and-chit-chat/917903/738 "2021-09-18T23:37:25Z")
> [@puzzlegal](#): > > Yeah, i tried to research that, but failed. I’m glad someone else did the leg work. Who knew that it’s helpful to test human medications on human cells? And yet that’s a very odd list of medications. Tylenol was around long before testing on that cell line became common. It makes me wonder if the testing was subsequent verification of Tylenol – or verification of in-glass-cell testing against known drugs. ---
**Author:** ![Bonum\_Legatum](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bonum_legatum/32/6183_2.png) [@Bonum\_Legatum](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bonum_Legatum)\ **Post date:** [September 19, 2021, 12:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coronavirus-general-discussion-and-chit-chat/917903/739 "2021-09-19T12:09:08Z")
> [@asahi](#): > > I was just going to post this article somewhere. It’s a powerful read. I actually learned something that I hadn’t read before. The article explains why being put on a ventilator often ends up in death. Their immune system gets worn down in that environment, and then there are so many secondary pathogens in the hospital. He talks about how the bodies he receives are so swollen and the blood is clotted, which makes his job much harder. Just a powerful read. I can just imagine a new CT emerging from this: “The hospitals know that you’ll be better off at home, but they take you in for treatment so they’ll get paid by the insurance companies.” ---
**Author:** ![asahi](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asahi/32/8693_2.png) [@asahi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/asahi)\ **Post date:** [September 19, 2021, 4:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coronavirus-general-discussion-and-chit-chat/917903/740 "2021-09-19T16:50:38Z")
Wasn’t sure whether to post this in the breaking news thread so figured I’d put it here. My apologies if it’s already been posted elsewhere but it looks like we may be closer to understanding what causes ‘long COVID’ and, possibly, how to treat it. > **[UAMS Research Team Finds Potential Cause of COVID-19 ‘Long-haulers’](https://news.uams.edu/2021/09/09/uams-research-team-finds-potential-cause-of-covid-19-long-haulers/)** > > LITTLE ROCK — A UAMS research team has identified a potential cause of long-lasting symptoms experienced by COVID-19 patients, often referred to as long-haulers. The findings were published in the journal, The Public Library of Science ONE (PLOS... ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [September 19, 2021, 6:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coronavirus-general-discussion-and-chit-chat/917903/741 "2021-09-19T18:16:04Z")
> [@Coronavirus COVID-19 (2019-nCoV) Thread - 2021 Breaking News](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coronavirus-covid-19-2019-ncov-thread-2021-breaking-news/929428/2600): > > If using 3 times as much active ingredient is all that’s needed to make the vaccine more effective why didn’t Pfizer do it? Heck, why didn’t they use 15 or 20 times as much active ingredient? Answering this here, so as not to clutter the breaking news thread: Moderna tested (at least) 3 doses in mice, which differed by factors of 10. The middle dose looked good enough, so they tested that (100µg) as well as 25µg and 250µg in humans. You can see some of the results in this video. (I’ve edited, and probably replaced all the “mg” with “µg”, but originally said: Um, I don’t know how to print a “mu” in this software. Read all my “mg” as micrograms, not milligrams.) > **[New Subject Offering: "COVID-19, SARS-CoV-2 and the Pandemic"](https://biology.mit.edu/undergraduate/current-students/subject-offerings/covid-19-sars-cov-2-and-the-pandemic-fall-2020/)** > > In Fall 2020, all MIT students and the general public are welcome to join Professors Richard Young and Facundo Batista as they discuss the science of the pandemic during this new class. The stuff about doses starts just after 30 minutes in, with mouse data, and some results of the human trials can be seen starting at 34:38. They found 100µg better than 10µg. At 40 minutes, you can see that 100µg worked better than 25µg, (especially for neutralizing antibodies, and also for persistence of antibodies) but 250µg looked about the same as 100µg. So they went with 100µg. ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [September 19, 2021, 6:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coronavirus-general-discussion-and-chit-chat/917903/742 "2021-09-19T18:17:36Z")
By the way, that whole lecture series was excellent, and open to the public to audit in real time, or to watch at any time on their youtube channel. They have started a new class this fall, and the first two lectures have been posted. Others will air 9-10ET every Wednesday, through MIT’s fall semester. > **[New Subject Offering: "COVID-19, SARS-CoV-2 and the Pandemic"](https://biology.mit.edu/undergraduate/current-students/subject-offerings/covid-19-sars-cov-2-and-the-pandemic/)** > > In Fall 2020, all MIT students and the general public are welcome to join Professors Richard Young and Facundo Batista as they discuss the science of the pandemic during this new class. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [September 19, 2021, 6:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coronavirus-general-discussion-and-chit-chat/917903/743 "2021-09-19T18:20:32Z")
> [@puzzlegal](#): > > Um, I don’t know how to print a “mu” in this software. Option+m n a Mac (µ), ALT+230 on a PC. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coronavirus-general-discussion-and-chit-chat/917903.md?page=36) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coronavirus-general-discussion-and-chit-chat/917903.md?page=38)