Hunker Down

[Crosley.In.AZ]

We visited a RV sales show thursday morning...  Masks were optional at this inside event at a stadium on the west side of metro Phoenix.

[Crosley.In.AZ]

Not too much has changed here the last 30 days.  These are just observations

No mask required is common now. A few restaurants we visit still do not have condiments out on the tables.  The workers usually have masks on.

I still see a vehicle with a single person in the car with a mask on about 3 times a week.

[Bruce Dorsi]

According to numbers posted by the CDC, covid was the 3rd leading cause of death in 2020.

Heart disease ranked #1 with 690,000 deaths. (2019 = 659,041)  (2018)

Cancer ranked #2 with 598,000 deaths. (2019 = 599,601)  (2018)

President Biden repeatedly says 600,000 people died from covid in the USA.

Covid ranked 3rd with 345,000 deaths.  (2019 respiratory disease, flu, pneumonia = 205,962)

Although covid is real, it has a 98+% survival rate.

We were compelled to wear masks for many months, but the cases were increasing.  ...Could that possibly mean that masks are/were not effective in preventing covid?

The covid tests commonly in use detect many forms of corona virus.  ....Only DNA testing will isolate the covid -19 virus, yet that is/was rarely administered.  ...Could this possibly explain why so many positive test results were on asymptomatic patients?

There's still a big push for vaccinations.  ....Now Pfizer wants to get permission to release a booster shot, which has not yet been fully tested.   ....Lots and lots of money yet to be made !!

[WZ JUNK]

I would add that if you are vaccinated and infected, rarely do you need to be hospitalized, and even more rarely does someone die after being vaccinated and infected.  None of the people currently in the hospital here are in the hospital because of a reaction to the vaccine.  The area where I live is currently a national hot spot of the virus.  We have one of the lowest rates of vaccination, and one of the highest rates of infection.

I am curious about the relationship between having antibodies from having had the virus and your immunity.  How long will you have immunity and how soon should you get vaccinated ?  My thought is that even if you have the immunity, you should get vaccinated.  My reasoning would be that the vaccine will not hurt you, but you might get reinfected by a variant that you do not have immunity.


I AM NOT A DOCTOR !!!!!   or someone with medical knowledge.   All I do is look at the numbers.

[Crosley.In.AZ]

Interesting numbers on cause of deaths.  With the Wuhan flu death numbers: I just do not trust them. Too many reported cases of Wuhan flu deaths that apppeared suspicious. The motorcycle rider that was killed in Florida listed as Covid Wuhan death when it was obvious the crash killed the rider IMHO.. I think a doctor commented that perhaps the flu caused the rider to make bad choice in traffic.  That is funny.

We are currently  located out on west end of metro Phx area.  In the  original Sun City AZ area. We see folks in golf carts on the streets with mask on 1 of 2 pl in the cart. Or golf  cart with a driver only with a mask on. I do not question it. I figure they have a reason to wear the mask. Health reason, asthma , fear...  who knows. My wife has a close friend with asthma real bad.  So she is very careful.

I have a cousin in Tucson that will not get the vaccine.  She is a cancer survivor and told me the vaccine could affect her differently because of the cancer treatment drugs

[Crosley.In.AZ]

New mask mandates are coming out. Very polarizing subject here in AZ. Governor Doug here in AZ says he will not issue new statewide mask mandates. At least the other day he said that.

I am not wearing a mask again.  I am done.  The 3 week quarantine  deal over 1 year ago became 15 months. If a business , office or where ever requires a mask again, I am walking the other way.  Not going to argue the point with an employee or business owner.

[Bruce Dorsi]

"West Orange, NJ, July 26, 2021– RWJBarnabas Health, the largest academic health care system in New Jersey, is extending its COVID-19 vaccine mandate to all RWJBarnabas Health staff including all employees, new employees and medical staff. "

This care provider has 35,000 employees, with 9000+ affiliated doctors.  ....Failure to take the vaccine results in dismissal.

News has reported that approx. 30-35% in the medical field have not been vaccinated by choice.

The promise of "Get the vaccine and you are fully protected" is turning out to NOT be true!

FREEDOM of CHOICE is no longer an option, as many colleges, employers, and governments mandate vaccination.

There is speculation (unproven, just as the vaccine) that the vaccine is the cause of the Delta variant, by compelling the virus to mutate to survive.

Someone I know was hired just a few months ago to work on a new study of the vaccine effectiveness.  ....Evidently, there are still some questions without answers.

[WZ JUNK]

I live in an area where the virus is spreading rapidly.  We also have a very low vaccination rate.

I have some thoughts on what I have observed and studied.

In round figures the vaccines were in the range of 95 percent effective when they were developed.  We knew from the beginning that even if you were vaccinated, you might get sick with the virus.  Locally 98 percent of of the hospitalized virus patients are unvaccinated.  The remain ones that are hospitalized with the virus, and have been vaccinated, are expected to survive.  They are usually hospitalized because they have other conditionings that, combined with the virus, makes them more at risk.  Locally, no one that has been vaccinated, has died from being infected with the virus.  Our hospitals are full of unvaccinated people.  No one locally is in the hospital because of reactions to the vaccine.

I monitor the local numbers daily. I look to math, and medical advise from someone that has credentials and respect.  I do not trust my emotions, a news commentator, or a politicians with my medical advise.  

This is a very hot topic locally and people have very strong feelings.  I repect everyones right to their opinions and I hope they will do the same for me.  I hope that by debating a topic it will encourage people think.

[Charlie Chops 1940]

I live in an area where the virus is spreading rapidly.  We also have a very low vaccination rate.

I have some thoughts on what I have observed and studied.

In round figures the vaccines were in the range of 95 percent effective when they were developed.  We knew from the beginning that even if you were vaccinated, you might get sick with the virus.  Locally 98 percent of of the hospitalized virus patients are unvaccinated.  The remain ones that are hospitalized with the virus, and have been vaccinated, are expected to survive.  They are usually hospitalized because they have other conditionings that, combined with the virus, makes them more at risk.  Locally, no one that has been vaccinated, has died from being infected with the virus.  Our hospitals are full of unvaccinated people.  No one locally is in the hospital because of reactions to the vaccine.

I monitor the local numbers daily. I look to math, and medical advise from someone that has credentials and respect.  I do not trust my emotions, a news commentator, or a politicians with my medical advise.  

This is a very hot topic locally and people have very strong feelings.  I repect everyones right to their opinions and I hope they will do the same for me.  I hope that by debating a topic it will encourage people think.

Well said John. I have long thought that this point would come. My wife and I got the vaccine early this year when it became available. We have masks in the cars and use them from time to time. Most of the medical practices we have had contact with require them.  I don't have much in the way of answers but we are erring on the side of caution and are always trying to sort through the amazing amounts of information. We are in the target group of people at risk and have enough health issues just being alive. I'd like to stick around awhile longer. The only advice I have is to keep abreast of what's going on where you live and make choices you think are best for you. Your close family will likely be of the same mind as you but don't give up on them if they don't agree.

[58 Yeoman]

I live in an area where the virus is spreading rapidly.  We also have a very low vaccination rate.

I have some thoughts on what I have observed and studied.

In round figures the vaccines were in the range of 95 percent effective when they were developed.  We knew from the beginning that even if you were vaccinated, you might get sick with the virus.  Locally 98 percent of of the hospitalized virus patients are unvaccinated.  The remain ones that are hospitalized with the virus, and have been vaccinated, are expected to survive.  They are usually hospitalized because they have other conditionings that, combined with the virus, makes them more at risk.  Locally, no one that has been vaccinated, has died from being infected with the virus.  Our hospitals are full of unvaccinated people.  No one locally is in the hospital because of reactions to the vaccine.

I monitor the local numbers daily. I look to math, and medical advise from someone that has credentials and respect.  I do not trust my emotions, a news commentator, or a politicians with my medical advise.  

This is a very hot topic locally and people have very strong feelings.  I repect everyones right to their opinions and I hope they will do the same for me.  I hope that by debating a topic it will encourage people think.

I agree. While at my age, I'm not afraid of dying, I don't want it to be a long, drawn out, painful affair.

[Bruce Dorsi]

I agree, Charlie, that we should make choices which we think are best for us.

I have never told anyone to get the vaccine or not to get the vaccine.  ....I don't criticize people who have wanted the vaccine, yet it is the vaccinated people who are most critical of the un-vaccinated.

If you got the vaccine because it will protect you from a covid death or serious illness, then please don't worry about my future.

None of my doctors have recommended that I get the vaccine.   .....They ask if I have been vaccinated, but they don't ask why not, or even suggest that I should get it.

What I am opposed to, is losing the FREEDOM of CHOICE as more governments, employers, facilities, etc, MANDATE vaccination.

There are drugs which have been proven to be effective against covid-19, yet doctors are restricted from prescribing them.  .....Doctors who support the use of these drugs have been ridiculed, discredited, and some fired because they aren't following the narrative.

Accurate information vs. misinformation ?   .....Who are we to believe?  ....Fauci?  ....CDC?  ....Biden?  ....Which doctor?  
....Pregnant women should not get the vaccine, or yes, they should?
....Immune compromised people should not get the vaccine, or yes, they should?  

Like you said, the burden is on me, as an individual, to do research and make MY OWN choice.

[enjenjo]

Some of you might be interested in this video. It's about an hour long.  https://www.*.com/video/FsTcRK7SZf9H/  He is a former senior research scientist with Pfizer.

[WZ JUNK]

Some of you might be interested in this video. It's about an hour long.  https://www.*.com/video/FsTcRK7SZf9H/  He is a former senior research scientist with Pfizer.

I watched and then I googled him.  I wanted to know more about the guy who says all governments and medical experts are wrong.  It turns out he is promoted through social media.  I found out something about him from Reuters News here

https://www.reuters.com/article/factcheck-health-coronavirus/fact-check-fact-check-ex-pfizer-scientist-repeats-covid-19-vaccine-misinformation-in-recorded-speech-idUSL2N2N72CS  

I will do a little more fact checking, but it looks like he is promoting his own agenda.  He is giving his opinions and they are different from others, but that does not mean he is correct.

Update    I wanted to edit this post and add more.  There is more information here.   https://www.reuters.com/investigates/special-report/health-coronavirus-vaccines-skeptic/.  

It seems he has caused a lot of misinformation through social media and because he promotes himself as a knowledgeable authority, he is believed.  I get the feeling he is trying to get back at people or companies that he feels have wronged him.  He has made several statements that may have caused a lot of misfortune.

[Crosley.In.AZ]

I agree : if a person wears a mask , fine.  No mask, fine.   My Wife wanted us vaccinated and we were vaccinated early as the process began.  We are fortunate that we seldom have reactions to medications of any type. If I have a mild reaction to a new med: it usually is listed near the top of listed reactions for that med.

The news on TV is something I have stopped taking for granted many years ago. Its not new for me to disbelieve the reports.  If you start listening to the words used in reports. There is a bias there. Other news  items are ignored by most in the media if the agenda is not there.

A buddy of mine and I had a discussion the other day on medical processes in doctors office. He is not happy with recent years the change to not seeing a doctor , but you see a PA instead. You pay the same amount for a doctor, yet do not see a doctor.  I agree with him.

With the Wuhan Flu pandemic , the online or phone call doctor visit has become common.  Yet you pay the same amount as the old days of a doctor visit with a doctor. My friend has health problems and he sees way more doctors than I do. He told me on 3 separate doctors in 2020 he refused a phone and online doctor check up by a PA.  He gets rev'd up on the money end of it. You do not get a office visit with a doctor or even a PA and the phone call visit is not with a doctor either.  But it is full copay amount.

He started in about a colonoscopy he tried to get in 2020..  the discussion was kinda funny. It was suggested to him to scoop some poop up into a container for tests in a lab  instead of an actual colon inspection. He declined that.

I kinda got off on a tangent here.  Sorry

[Crosley.In.AZ]

We have a few schools starting classes today.  The AZ governor is being blasted for his death wish for students and school staff since he has not mandated masks.

I feel the parents and schools need to decide on masks or no mask. If a parent wants a mask on their kids... do it. If the schools says wear a mask and the parent says no mask..  Keep the kid home and school them there.  It is not the favorite decision , but I do not see many options. I am sure there will be many arguments between parents and school staff.  

Sure wish there was a simple answer.