Does this make sense?

[senseandsensibility]

I don't understand the rush to eliminate mask mandates. Haven't we learned that if we eliminate them for vaccinated people, no one will wear them? In other words, the unvaccinated lie. That's how we got Delta, remember?

My county has a VERY high vaccination rate but we are at extreme risk now because we were hit by Omicron about a month after the east coast. But our governor wants to ease the mask mandate now. I just don't get it.

How often will we repeat this cycle?

[JuJuChen]

1. look how many times we've repeated so far. There's your answer.

[lagomorph777]

10. We'll repeat until all vulnerable/stupid/unlucky/young people are killed off.

My dogs are more capable of learning, than the average human.

[AntifaMax]

13. We'll repeat until all vulnerable/stupid/unlucky/old people are dead, as well.

--vulnerable/not so stupid/not so lucky/old person.

[lagomorph777]

15. Yeah, that too.

As an old person, I try to pretend that's not the case.

[gopiscrap]

20. welcome to DU

[Irish_Dem]

2. Trump badly handled the Covid crises and people are sick of the whole thing now.

It is a psychological reaction, not rational.

[uponit7771]

3. +1, We need to define what the end of the pandemic looks like

[Claustrum]

11. The problem is, you can't predict how COVID will react or when it will end.

That's the same thing as how they were "wrong" in their prediction before we had vaccine. They were only wrong because they can't predict human behavior and how many people will actually get infected.

[senseandsensibility]

5. Exactly.

But it's not logical and I think that with better communication from the CDC (for example) many people would realize that.

[Irish_Dem]

6. Yes there could be better handling of Covid communication for sure.

[LizBeth]

4. Higher vacc rate in Or, Omicron late hitting here, mask mandate and people wear them.

I talk to people in the hospitals last week and they said peaked a couple weeks prior. Our Gov is talking March 31 removing mask mandate. After winter. I think it sounds good and I have been masked since the start,, isolated a year and half, paid attention.

[senseandsensibility]

7. I'm in California

and I think I read that Newsom is lifting the mandate on the 15th of this month. Too soon IMO.

[LizBeth]

9. I like that Brown is talking after winter when all is indoors though even cold, people are

mostly outside. Restaurants empty, in Eugene anyway and the restaurant we went to in Portland. People wear the mask. I am sure with lifting people will still wear them. I do like living in blue areas. Working in medical, I hear conversation they want to keep masks regardless because it is just smart. So businesses will still get to decide. Calif is a little warmer so your outdoor weather starts sooner.

[LoisB]

12. California too and I agree with you; too soon. I will continue wearing mine.

nt

[Claustrum]

8. I long thought the battle with COVID was lost.

It could have been different if Trump wasn't president when COVID hit. And even if a democrat was in office when it happened, I don't know how the right wing media machine will react (my guess is mostly the same as now). Whatever measure we try to take will be denounced by them no matter what. Half of the country will hate those restriction (my freedumb).

So I don't think COVID will go away. It will turn into a new yearly flu-like disease. People are either vaccinated or live through COVID with natural immunity (and sadly, many will die because of it).

[doc03]

14. The rush, it has been two f---g years. I got my shots and the booster, the people that haven't had

the shots by now aren't going to get them. I am not wearing a mask unless I feel sick. There is nothing that can be
done about the anti-vax and mask-holes. As far as I know Ohio has no mask mandate, nobody is wearing them. Myself
and about everyone I talk to think it is time to move on it is going to be with us either way. The majority of us had the shots
others have had the COVID already and we should be approaching herd immunity.

[I_UndergroundPanther]

19. Im diabetic

Covid could kill me even though I am vaxxed and boosted. Im wearing my mask until I feel safe. Thats my freedom.

[doc03]

22. Sure that is your choice, I would too if I had a pre-existing illness. nt

[Timewas]

16. this

How often will we repeat this cycle? ad infinitum!

[mackdaddy]

17. I think Omicron has changed the situation, and what works.

First, I am not an expert and this is only my impression from listening to CDC/WHO and such.

But basically Omicron is literally and order of magnitude more contagious than the original or Delta.

Where cloth or surgical masks would lower transmission on the earlier variants, they have been much less effective against Omicron. The only thing that would help is if you are wearing a full N95 mask. You will be exposed to Omicron.

The other thing is that Omicron is so contagious that it has more or less ripped through the entire population. If you were vaccinated/boosted you may not have even know you had it, or at least less likely to go to the hospital. People in the hospital were less likely to have to go to the ICU or ventilator since it was less likely to attack the lungs themselves.

So Omicron has been like a get sick for a week or two, forced "vaccination" for the UN-vaccinated which will bring us near a herd immunity state. (Of course killing many in the process if they are unlucky.)

So mitigation that worked before, much less effective, and we are now on the downhill side of the Omicron Wave. So they are cutting back on the masks/testing mandates.

Again, don't know if this is right or wrong, just what I am getting from this. Not sure why they don't come out and say it.

Me, I am double vaxxed and boosted and still stay away from people as much as I can.

[MissMillie]

18. Governors should be deciding on the metrics based

upon the health experts.

[ananda]

21. I think it's OK because...

Omicron is the variant and it's not dangerous
to the vaxxed.

I still wear my mask indoors, but I'm not afraid
of others who are not masked any more.