Mask up everyone. This is not a drill.

[no_hypocrisy]

My sister called me yesterday. She lives on eastern Long Island, South Shore.

She is in utter misery with Covid. Fever, body aches, splitting headaches, diarrhea, dehydration, nausea, coughing.

She's fully vaxed.

Day One her Covid test was negative. Day Two, it was positive.

She drove herself to the hospital, where they told her to wait in her car until a bed became available. She returned home. She's now taking a super drug where it has to be taken 3 pills twice a day.

This must be the new variant(s) we've read about.

You don't want this.

[hlthe2b]

1. Yes. Even in parts of CO (which tends to lag the NE), hospitalizations are ticking back up.

I don't use AC at home so the open windows at night are bringing in all kinds of allergens. So every morning is a treat to decide whether my throat and nose/sinuses feel congested due to that or... Fortunately my body temp hardly ever varies by more than 0.1 degrees overnight--even in the summertime when I'm hot and along with knowing the cottonwoods are dropping their pretty but puffy nastiness, I continue to feel somewhat reassured. My trick? Vicks vapoinhaler (non-medicated). If I can mostly clear up the nasal congestion just with that (non-medicated) then it is unlikely COVID-19.

[Hugin]

4. ...

I have been sniffing some eucalyptus oil for nearly the same reason.

Those darn poofs.

Really getting tired of the ten or twelve in a row sneezing binges.

[wnylib]

25. Sneezing? Try asthma coughing jags

simultaneous with swollen red eyes and copious tearing that causes post nasal drip which triggers more coughing, etc.

I am discovering the benefits of masking outdoors during pollen season.

[Hugin]

29. They do come in handy.

I have taken to wearing them regularly while doing dust evoking tasks around the house and yard. Along with safety glasses. They are much lighter than the respirator I formerly wore and nearly as good.

[Tetrachloride]

5. Wasabi or wasabi crackers?

[hlthe2b]

7. Yup... That too.

[AGrace]

15. dairy

cutting out dairy can help maintain optimal mucus levels, that flush out environmental irritants, and avoid the issues that can happen due to the excess mucus that dairy induces. also raising the head of your bed a little can help with nighttime stuffiness just from utilizing gravity (i’ve had a lot of sinus issues)

[hlthe2b]

16. Yes, but dairy remains one of my few remaining vices. Can't give up everything...

but, yes you are right.

[renate]

38. Welcome!

[llashram]

44. sound like my

PC doctor...still have not completely stopped the use of cow's milk

[Hugin]

2. KnR

*sigh*

[Bayard]

3. Never stopped

And usually, I'm the only one when out in public.

[MuseRider]

9. Me too

I have twice not worn one and felt so bare I put one on. My husband, who KNOWS better, has been going without for a while.

Luckily it is not too hard here. While hardly anyone wears one there are always a few and I quit hearing jeers from the stupids a while back.

[wnylib]

28. Same here.

[TreasonousBastard]

6. I'm on the North Shore of eastern LI and have been watching...

anxiously as the local nooze shows a pretty big uptick in Covid related infections. Don't know anyone whose gotten it yet, bur I know a lot who think about it.

Local VA and othee medical facilities just don't jerk around. Masks and tests or get out.

[greenjar_01]

18. Suffolk County numbers have trended down, though?

[TreasonousBastard]

23. Well, I have a State app that claims to give me the latest numbers....

But then Newsday goes apeshit when it hears about an outbreak in a retitrement comnunity or school.

Thr app says county #s are way down, but then there's the yelling..

[greenjar_01]

31. NY Times also has Suffolk numbers trending down, and well down from a month ago

[TreasonousBastard]

32. That's right. Numbers are down, but there are local outbreaks...

and lolng discussions about all this at local meetings.

[greenjar_01]

34. Ah

[2naSalit]

8. I restocked my mask supply...

This week. I'm not taking risks. Hell, the hospital in my county was closed for 36 hours due to flooding, just re-opened early this morning. And they only have 3 ICU beds for the whole county.

This batch of variants are quick to reinfect too.

Thanks for posting to keep people aware and I hope your sister gets well quickly!

[LetMyPeopleVote]

10. I am still wearing my mask most places

[emulatorloo]

11. Kick and Rec. Everybody thinks its 'over' but if definitely isn't

[Thtwudbeme]

12. Kick up-

I am shocked at the anti-maskers on DU. There are some that are downright belligerent and use phrases such as "chicken little," "the sky is falling" etc.

Pretty surprised I haven't seen maskers called "sheep" here....yet.

They really believe their vaccines will keep them from getting this. Nope.

[Ferrets are Cool]

21. Yeah, it really bothers me to see that chit here.

Feels like they should be somewhere else.

[wnylib]

30. Took a wrong left turn on the Internet

instead of a right turn?

[Ferrets are Cool]

33. LOL

The AutoNet highway is not well marked.

[liberal_mama]

35. Yeah, it really saddens me to see the posts of the anti-maskers on DU. I am immune compromised

and my child has cancer. The vaccines have been good in preventing some deaths, but they do very little to prevent the infection and spreading of Covid. Long Covid and other health complications also are a concern. My vaccinated husband got Covid and 6 months later, he still has lingering symptoms. It's not a big deal to wear a mask to protect themselves and other vulnerable people. It's hurtful to read their comments.

[Ace Rothstein]

39. I don't care if people wear masks but I'm tired of people pushing masks.

COVID is likely never going away and I'm not going to wear a mask for the rest of my life because of it. I had it last month and it wasn't fun bit I was back to normal in a week. I worked at home through it outside of the first day.

[Thtwudbeme]

40. It's not going to harm you to wear a mask in the grocery store

How long did you have it before you felt bad? Did you go to the store/ school/ work/ or a restaurant during that time unmasked?

People are trying to "push them on you" because they (me/ the royal "we&quot don't want to be exposed to Covid because of selfishness.

[Ace Rothstein]

41. We were exposed at a party on a Saturday night, came down with symptoms early Monday evening.

My mom came over for dinner on Sunday night and was fine.

As I said before, COVID is likely never going away. People need to take the precautions they are most comfortable with at this point. Mask mandates will be political suicide if reinstated.

[Ms. Toad]

46. No. People need to take precautions which minimize the risk of disease. It's not just about you.

When you get COVID, you provide a place for new mutations to develop.

When you get COVID, you spread it to others for 2-3 days before you are aware you have it - and you spread it to others (to become mutation incubators), and you spread it to others who are immune compromised, have comorbidities, or cannot be vaccinated.

Even if you don't care about your own health, there is an increasingly known, severe, consequences of having COVID. When you give it to others - when you could have made responsible choices not to do so - you contribute to the long-term individual and public health impact of COVID: Increased strokes, increased heart attacks, increased cases of shingles in individuals too young to be vaccinated, increased mental/emotional health(brain shrinkage, brain fog, and mental health disorders). The next potential impact (not yet proven) is an increased cancer risk due to the inflammatory nature of the disease - especially of Long COVID. We onlyu have 2 years of data about the long-term impact of COVID - and already there are known long-terms impaxcts more serious than any infectious disease we have encountered.

It is our responsibility, as the party which theoretically cares about others, to put that caring into action - and not stick our fingers in our ears and shout "Me, me, me, me!!!!!!!!"

[dwayneb]

48. Tend to agree

Yes, if you are fully vaccinated and boosted, there is some small chance you could get serious disease. There is no doubt about it.

But the question becomes, are you willing to remain masked for the rest of your life to mitigate this relatively small risk? Everyone must make a decision about that.

Here in Ohio, the rate of hospitalizations and ICU is very low compared to the peaks. A recent small uptick but it is not significant. This data is why I am no longer masked in public.

However, one important lesson from Covid is social distancing. I always keep 6 feet between me and others in a store for example. Not only helps to reduce Covid transmission, but colds and flu as well.

https://ohiohospitals.org/covid19data

[Wednesdays]

13. What new variant?

BA.4? BA.5?

[SheltieLover]

17. Both 4 & 5, from what I've read.

[Jirel]

14. My husband and I are still half maintaining...

… the protocols we practiced 1-2 years ago. We still wear masks for close contact with anyone but a few select friends who’ve been doing the same. We eat out occasionally, but only outdoors. We have broken that rule a few times, but only if we’re in a restaurant at an off-time and barely anyone else is there. We’ve been watching trends carefully, and will be getting more strict once we start seeing numbers climbing around the area. We expect that to happen by midsummer, as kids are in camp, and people party in large groups. Nobody in our “pod” of friends and colleagues has caught COVID this entire time, and we intend to keep it that way.

[Lucky Luciano]

27. You're lifestyle matches mine.

[SheltieLover]

19. I never stopped masking & don't intend to

Besides BA 4 & 5, now Monkeypox is of concern.

Ty for posting.

[Ferrets are Cool]

20. What "super drug"?

[Gilbert Moore]

22. Paxlovid

Paxlovid is the latest COVID-19 treatment that's been all over the news. The drug was granted an emergency use authorization (EUA) by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in December for anyone ages 12 and older who weighs at least 88 pounds, and is at high risk for severe disease.

IT MUST BE STARTED WITHIN 5 DAYS OF SYMPTOMS ! ! !

[Ferrets are Cool]

26. Thanks

I wasn't aware of this.

[ck4829]

24. I'm good. I also don't want a government that cares more about SCOTUS justices than schoolkids

But there's no mask for that.

[riversedge]

36. my nephew had it a few weeks ago. still somewhat sick. vas vaccinated and with

booster also. He is 35 years old. --is a mechanic and works only with a few people.

[peacebuzzard]

37. it is real. I caught it, while obnoxiously careful.

I have 4 vaccines in me, but it does wear off after 3 months and I caught it undoubtedly on a plane or airport while drinking or eating.
These new variants are highly contagious indeed. I always mask in public outside of eating-drinking. I was slammed for 2 weeks in bed with exhaustion and sore throat from coughing.
I still have residual discomfort but had to go back to the field for my work. it finally got me after 2 years of protocol compliance.

[Skittles]

42. those of us who are not selfish assholes never did stop masking

ya know?

[Thtwudbeme]

43. Yep- I had to refuse a work "retreat" on Tuesday

because I was the only one masking. My mother is having heart surgery this morning- she is 84. No one at the meeting cared, so I did not attend.

[iemanja]

45. I hope your sister feels better soon

I went to a work gathering yesterday, and I was the only one wearing a mask. This was at a University in liberal Minneapolis. I see fewer and fewer people masking all the time.

[Tree Lady]

47. We just got second booster today

Nurse guy with traveling nurses from Nashville told me he got covid over a year ago after first shot and was around his mom before he knew he had it and she ended up dying, she refused to get vaccinated and he was in the hospital and even had a vent, one of the lucky ones who lived.

So I ask him are you wearing your mask at stores here? No he says only at work.

Some people are so dumb. What does it take? He almost died, it killed his mom.