There is less mutation if everybody gets infected all at once, both because everybody gets infected from the same source, and because there was less mutation in the source.
If 1 person infects everybody, then everybody has exactly the same infection, and however it mutates in everybody, it’s a dead end, because everybody has already been infected.
If 1 person infects 2 people the next day, (then mutation), who infect 4 people (then mutation), then 8 people (then mutation) … etc, then we get many more mutant varieties. (But maybe months later)
If 1 person infects 2 people (2 weeks later), who infects 4 people (2 more weeks) etc, then there was more chance for mutation in each case, and more cumulative mutations. (But maybe years later)
The effect of (ineffective) control measures is to delay mutation, rather than to prevent it. If this gives you a chance to develop an effective isolation/ treatment/ immunization plan, then mutation will be prevented by eradication.
So, from the point of view of mutation, the choice between lots of sick people now, or a few sick people for years to come, depends on predicting the future: how effective do you think your control program will be?
My wife will be seeing a patient today whose wife has COVID. Apparently the patient doesn’t have it. Both the patient and my wife will wear masks, of course. I’m pretty sure she wears gloves. She had the J&J vaccine in April (I think). She may do his foot care outside on the deck.
There is a virus here - it kills people… And the only way we prevent it is get vaccinated, get masks, to do social distancing, washing your hands all the time, and not just to think about ‘well my freedom is being kind of disturbed here.’ No, screw your freedom.…Schwarzenegger conceded, “Yeah you have the freedom to wear no mask. But you know something? You’re a schmuck for not wearing a mask.”
Fully vaxed since March. Hubs the idiot had COVID a couple of months ago, and it didn’t look fun. He was down for three weeks, still isn’t vaccinated, the idiot. I mask, he doesn’t.
We don’t go out except for groceries and other essentials.
So, both of us are feeling fatigued, are sneezing and hacking plus my internal thermostat has gone nuts. I have been also been waking up with a low grade headache for the last couple of days.
What do you guys think? I really don’t want to drive all the way into town to get tested because we aren’t really sick, we just don’t feel good. I also don’t want to risk us spreading delta around and if I have it, hubs the idiot probably brought it home.
If it was me, I’d get tested. If it is Covid it’s important to get monitoring and treatment early on. You going into town to get tested won’t spread delta anywhere it isn’t. The personnel who do the testing protect themselves very very well.
Not getting tested lets he-who-shan’t-be-named continue to insist it isn’t Covid.
Hope you feel better tomorrow.
Get yourself ice cream on the way home from getting tested. He only gets ice cream if he gets tested too.
It just occurred to me: my smallpox vaccination scar was visible. My TB vaccination scar was visible. My mantoux test scar was sort of visible (although that was not universally the case).
Back in the day, you could tell which people had some of the vaccinations.
Funny, I was wondering about my smallpox vaccination scar a week or so ago. I can’t see it. My wife says she can, and pointed it out. I guess I can see it, but it ain’t like it used to be. Based on what she showed me on my arm, I think I saw her scar. She said I was right.
Yesterday I asked my wife if she went to ‘the COVID house’. She did. She did her procedure indoors. The patient had been fully vaccinated, and they both wore masks. The wife waited in her car (presumably with the a/c on). The husband said ‘She’s all right. The seat is good for her back.’ The wife had gone to a family visit in Idaho, and came back with a slight fever and sniffling. Wifey RN said that this couple have been very careful and have been self-isolating, but they haven’t gone for a COVID test.
You know, despite the official advice in the US, it looks like having had covid provides decent protection, similar to vaccination. There’s some recent Israeli data that may say it’s better against Delta than the vaccines. I’m sure it’s annoying as hell that he refused to get vaccinated and then caught covid, but if I were living with him, I wouldn’t push the vaccine at this point until/unless you need him to have documentation of vaccination for a trip or something.
Well, you can check your blood oxygenation level to see if you need professional treatment. Of course, you can do that without a covid test, too. I bought a pulse oximeter early in the pandemic, and also got one for my mom.
But there is variability in natural immunity. It doesn’t hurt to get the vaccine. As long as @JaneDoe42 doesn’t get too sick (fingers crossed, JaneDoe!) and doesn’t have long covid issues, she’ll be in pretty good shape for future surges.
I’d rather be vaccinated, then get a mild case of the covid, then get a kickass case, then get vaccinated.
On the other hand, if he is already reinfected. I wouldn’t bother with the vaccine either. He got his two doses.
----> I know the risk is not zero. No one needs to remind me.<----
I sing in a church choir of about a dozen people. Everyone in the choir is fully vaccinated. We wear masks at all times. Most of us wear singers’ masks that are fabric, but quite thick. We do sit close together in a designated area away from the congregation. I don’t mingle with the congregation at all. I’m there for about two hours on Sunday. We only meet on Sunday, having suspended mid-week rehearsals for the past year and a half.
I really want to sing. This is the only in-person contact I have with other human beings. I live alone and have no family at all.
I don’t have a pressing need to go except for mental and emotional health. I love these people. They don’t need me musically, as there are enough altos. The religious part does not apply, as I’m Jewish and attend synagogue services by zoom.
I don’t want to be stupid about this-- taking unnecessary risks-- but I have been achingly lonely this past year+.
@ThelmaLou, everyone around you is vaccinated and wear masks. The mask will reduce the possible dose you could get and the vaccination will reduce your chances of getting seriously ill. Do you have to sit close to the other singers? I see that as the only real issue.
The potential good news cases seem to be peaking (or peaked) at ~ 1400 cases per day, but may be very few in highly vaxxed neighborhoods. You could just wait a couple of weeks to be sure. On the other hand, schools are starting up so…
