COVID-19

[k1208438]

Woohoo indoors until June 30th. Fun.

until december 18 and counting. . .

my school chair has a dent in it

[jimmy-bond]

Woohoo indoors until June 30th. Fun.

until december 18 and counting. . .

my school chair has a dent in it

Until my graduation in May. Great way to spend senior year.

[Fyren]

Now that the pandemic's been going on for over a year, how do you guys feel? What have you learned from this past year? What have your experiences been with the pandemic? Has it been positive or negative? Feel free to answer any of these questions and more for as long as you want.

[knightmoves]

What have you learned from this past year?

People are stupid. Well, we knew that anyway.

I think what I've learned is that people are binary. Many people can handle "safe" vs "unsafe", but just can't grasp gradations of risk. Which, given that successfully negotiating the pandemic is all about risk management, is a problem.

[Fyren]

I think what I've learned is that people are binary. Many people can handle "safe" vs "unsafe", but just can't grasp gradations of risk. Which, given that successfully negotiating the pandemic is all about risk management, is a problem.

This is definitely something I have seen. I remember before everyone found out the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine was extremely effective (95%!) in November, they complained that there wouldn't be much of a point in taking it since it wouldn't be super effective anyways. The same goes for masks; a couple of weeks ago, I heard my gym teacher talk about how his doctor said that masks were basically useless at protecting people from the virus (I highly doubt that an actual medical professional said that but whatever). I then saw him go right next to the other gym teacher, sling his arm over him, and take his mask off while he talked right in front of the other gym teacher's face.
As you said, a lot of people's reactions have been black and white even though most things really aren't that way. Even if a vaccine or a mask is, say, 60% effective, most people can't grasp that it's a whole lot better than 0% and instead focus on the other 40%, leading them to just ditch protective measures entirely. The same goes for when the pandemic situation gets better and restrictions ease; people think "Oh, things are back to normal! Time to go out and have fun!" and assume that they no longer need to protect themselves at all. A few weeks later, there's a surge in cases, and the cycle starts all over again.

[knightmoves]

The same goes for masks; a couple of weeks ago, I heard my gym teacher talk about how his doctor said that masks were basically useless at protecting people from the virus (I highly doubt that an actual medical professional said that but whatever).

Yeah, sounds like selective hearing and poor thinking.

It's true enough that a cloth mask on your face has only a modest effect at protecting you from the virus. If you've only got one mask, it's much more effective if you put it over the face of the infected person. (That's why all the "you can wear a mask if you like - it's your choice" people are evil.) The primary reason for you to wear a mask is to protect other people from the virus that you might have (people are at their most infectious the day or so before they start showing Covid symptoms, so you probably don't know you're sick.)

[MorningCoffee]

WOOO VACCINE HAS BEEN APPROVED FOR PEOPLE AGES 12-15 I CAN FINALLY GET IT

But for real, this is a huge step towards the end of this pandemic, and I'm really happy that many others (including myself) can help play a part in stopping this disaster by simply getting vaccinated. (Getting my first dose this Sunday!) I can't wait for this pandemic to end, I miss being able to do stuff normally :,)

*sips hot cocoa in approval*

[MorningCoffee]

ahahah i got vaccinated yesterday and everything feels terrible

but at least i'm half immune to covid now >:)

[Jehosaphat]

ahahah i got vaccinated yesterday and everything feels terrible

but at least i'm half immune to covid now >:)

Get hyped lol

Does anybody know why the side effects are severe as they are? I haven't seen much explaining that part.