Numb from the Covid

[akslop]

Well then, we can compare notes.

I opend up a can of worms with my Surrey multi generational comments. Murphys law would have it a staff member living in Surrey at a multi generational household tested positive.

So here is where it gets confusing. We have a confirmed case. I have notified staff to be vigilant and monitor symptoms. Now they want to go get tested and I say no not required because you don't have symptoms and if you go get tested that means you need to self isolate until you get your results.

Same staff members panicking yet refuse to get vaccinated. FML

 

[dezza]

@akslop they should get results in 24-48hrs, so not such a big deal to isolate in that time

 

[Regs]

I'm the dick, @Regs?

It appears that way, yes.

 

[bulljive]

no dude you said it’s the flu. 3 million with a absolutely massive response, sorry isn’t the flu. I don’t think all these experts are lying. They were off on death rate for sure. What’s Ontario supposed to do, they don’t have the staff to deal with the problem. Imagine they did nothing and it was 20,000 a day.
I’m not alarmed didn’t say i was. Personally haven’t been sick in about 18 months. Get sick 3-4 times a year and have most of my life. Not a great immune system I guess. Ever thought maybe just maybe the flu isn’t circulating because, fcuking wild idea here, We are doing all these things that helped prevent the spread of such illnesses.

JBN I’ll take a wild stab, Regular church goer? I’d bet my house on it.

 

[johnnybluenose]

I opend up a can of worms with my Surrey multi generational comments. Murphys law would have it a staff member living in Surrey at a multi generational household tested positive.

So here is where it gets confusing. We have a confirmed case. I have notified staff to be vigilant and monitor symptoms. Now they want to go get tested and I say no not required because you don't have symptoms and if you go get tested that means you need to self isolate until you get your results.

Same staff members panicking yet refuse to get vaccinated. FML

My daughter's best friend had covid. She felt shite Easter Saturday. She was last with my kid on the previous Wednesday. We dropped my kid off at school on the following Tuesday and were told to come get her because she was a close contact. Upshot was the kid that tested + for Rona got to go to school 2 days before my kid, who never tested positive, nor showed any signs of symptoms did. Makes total sense right?

 

[johnnybluenose]

JBN I’ll take a wild stab, Regular church goer? I’d bet my house on it.

What does that have to do with anything?

Taking a libertarian approach somehow makes someone religious? Regardless of whether I do or don't... all this says is you're a judgmental dick. Typical of the "Liberal, progressive, show kindness" crew... attack someone on character, faith, identity, politics or gender because they may not be falling into line with the rhetoric.

Appalling.

 

[bulljive]

I haven’t attacked anyone that’s your narrative. As usual. You’re the Angry one stomping your feet. everyone is an idiot. I say that because every person I know that’s a regular church goer sounds identical too you. Same narrative. Here you are judging me. How 2021 of you to assume that. Soft.

My thought line in the middle. I agree with some ideas on both sides. Do I think there is a bigger plan, this isn’t an illness that deserves a response. No sorry I don’t agree. That’s my feeling. Hard time feeling like businessman and soccer coaches have a better insight then experts that were on the front line of Ebola and dedicated their life to this.
Do I wish more choices were strictly proven science? Yes I do. Transmission indoor, let’s limit that, increase ventilation. Maybe not have indoor sports proceeding for a bit here if the science shows. But Christ guys let’s get the vaccines and hope come July like they have said, we are close to normal.

 

[johnnybluenose]

I haven’t attacked anyone that’s your narrative. As usual. You’re the Angry one stomping your feet. everyone is an idiot. I say that because every person I know that’s a regular church goer sounds identical too you. Same narrative. Here you are judging me. How 2021 of you to assume that. Soft.

My thought line in the middle. I agree with some ideas on both sides. Do I think there is a bigger plan, this isn’t an illness that deserves a response. No sorry I don’t agree. That’s my feeling. Hard time feeling like businessman and soccer coaches have a better insight then experts that were on the front line of Ebola and dedicated their life to this.
Do I wish more choices were strictly proven science? Yes I do. Transmission indoor, let’s limit that, increase ventilation. Maybe not have indoor sports proceeding for a bit here if the science shows. But Christ guys let’s get the vaccines and hope come July like they have said, we are close to normal.

How am I angry and stomping my feet? Literally every post up to the one where I posted my follow up to the post of the "anti-mask" study/hypothesis whatever has been thoughtful, respectful and open to honest debate and then this:

Also I have not attacked anyone, that's not my narrative. I never said anyone was an idiot except for maybe the three stooges Bonnie, Dix and Horgan.

If you want to feel normal, do normal. Live your life as best you can in and around the restrictions. The fact they keep pushing this "everyone is going to die" narrative is baloney. Stats are stats.

https://www.jccf.ca/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/Covid-Statistics-BC-april-6-2021.pdf

Call the JCCF whatever you want to... they're at least deep diving the stats, the government isn't forthcoming with demographics, underlying conditions, differentiating between "dying of covid" or "dying with covid" so good folks like JCCF publish the data the Media are unwilling to publish. The Media won't tell everyone that Covid is overblown because people will turn the page.

Also (not to speak for Dude) I think what Dude was saying the numbers for those who GET covid and die and/or are hospitalized are similar to those who GET the Flu. Covid is MORE contagious than the Flu, we can all agree on that. But I get a flu every 2-3 years and feel shite for 2-3 days. I have had a coworker die from the Flu.

Chances are you have a higher likelihood of winning the lottery than you do of dying from Covid... unless you're Obese, have one of the big 5 diseases and/or are over the age of 80.

 

[dezza]

I am fully aware of what I posted Dezza. The article is anti-mask literature. There are as many pro-mask studies as anti-mask studies... but the upshot is the hypothesis stated facts that COVID isn't what everyone was told by "the experts" that is was going to be.

So if people feel like they are safe by adorning neck gaiters or some shitey piece of "cute" fabric their daughter sewed up for them, so they can go to Costco and buy fake food, cheese string by the furlong and gallons of HFCS Soda, and then judge me for having healthy mates over for beers at my house... they too can go fcuk themselves along with you because I'm not falling sucker for this garbage agenda.
Have the "authorities" got it in their minds that nobody is allowed to die anymore? On average 105 people a day die in BC, off all natural and unnatural causes.

The way Bonnie made a meal over that "Multiple underlying health conditions 2 year old, but the toddler indeed died from Covid" was frightening. If that were my kid I'd be seeking legal counsel over how to sue the Fluevog's off her feet.

So if you are fully aware that what you're posting is not actually peer-reviewed, scientific research, why are you trying to present it as some kind of hidden truth that the government are covering up? What is your agenda?

If you feel emboldened to have your mates over for beers, that's on you. If you go to Costco with no mask on and no regard for everyone else in society then you are just a prick.

 

[johnnybluenose]

So if you are fully aware that what you're posting is not actually peer-reviewed, scientific research, why are you trying to present it as some kind of hidden truth that the government are covering up? What is your agenda?

If you feel emboldened to have your mates over for beers, that's on you. If you go to Costco with no mask on and no regard for everyone else in society then you are just a prick.

1. When originally posted I had incorrectly thought it was a study. In any event the facts contained in the hypothesis aren't being debated are they? Suchas this quote:

This was confirmed by the head of National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases from US stating, “the overall clinical consequences of COVID-19 are similar to those of severe seasonal influenza”

I posted it because it was on a government website (Which I said was "fun")... I don't have an agenda.

2. I always wear a mask when I'm mandated to do so, because I'm not a prick. When not mandated to wear a mask, I don't, because fresh air is great, and I often suffer bad breath due to my affinity for coffee, deli/cured meat sandwiches on sourdough and hoppy beer.

 

[dezza]

This was confirmed by the head of National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases from US stating, “the overall clinical consequences of COVID-19 are similar to those of severe seasonal influenza” [5]

Ok, so link [5] is this editorial article published March 2020 (the beginning of the pandemic): https://www.nejm.org/doi/10.1056/NEJMe2002387

This particular source is an editorial, not scientific study. As mentioned, it is from a year ago, when we had significantly less knowledge.

The Author of the Hypothesis you posted states that something is being confirmed by this source material, however the editorial actually says

If one assumes that the number of asymptomatic or minimally symptomatic cases is several times as high as the number of reported cases, the case fatality rate may be considerably less than 1%. This suggests that the overall clinical consequences of Covid-19 may ultimately be more akin to those of a severe seasonal influenza (which has a case fatality rate of approximately 0.1%) or a pandemic influenza (similar to those in 1957 and 1968) rather than a disease similar to SARS or MERS, which have had case fatality rates of 9 to 10% and 36%, respectively

"Assumes" and "suggests" are hardly proof of anything.

The breadcrumbs are there, you just need to follow them. I'm not saying anything is right or wrong, I'm just asking that people use critical thinking and stick to facts. When you find information on the internet beware of your own confirmation bias. I would cut apart a pro-mask article in the same fashion if it was similarly constructed and posted here.

And for the record, I'm all for masks off outdoors (assuming you're not in a crowded beach party with people singing at the top of their lungs). I argue with my wife about it all the time.

 

[Dude]

no dude you said it’s the flu. 3 million with a absolutely massive response, sorry isn’t the flu. I don’t think all these experts are lying. They were off on death rate for sure. What’s Ontario supposed to do, they don’t have the staff to deal with the problem. Imagine they did nothing and it was 20,000 a day.
I’m not alarmed didn’t say i was. Personally haven’t been sick in about 18 months. Get sick 3-4 times a year and have most of my life. Not a great immune system I guess. Ever thought maybe just maybe the flu isn’t circulating because, fcuking wild idea here, We are doing all these things that helped prevent the spread of such illnesses.

JBN I’ll take a wild stab, Regular church goer? I’d bet my house on it.

Or, wild idea....it’s just another flu?

I’ve been bloody patient and following all the recommendations and PHO orders. Yeah, I’ll stretch it to the letter of the law but doing my part. I’ve reached complete saturation, including the same line of “How many more have to die.”

For me to believe this is a lot worse than a flu? Well, a lot. Not popular to say, but we are crippling our economy, ramping up depression, creating division, for what? A flu? A decidedly non-deadly-to-99%-of-people virus?

you are saying what happening right now makes sense to you?

 

[STD]

Holy fukc a lot of crap spewed here, I couldn’t be bothered to read most of it but I will say some of you should be happy to wear a mask. Nothing to do with COVID or government control, just wear a mask, talk less and maybe self isolate.

 

[bulljive]

I’m fine with you thinking that Dude, fully allowed to have that opinion that it’s a flu. A super contagious flu, resulting in more deaths. Next time someone tears an ACL we will call it a really bad twist of the knee. I’m ok with others having a different view. My wife works in the hospital, busiest it’s been. Nurses are burnt, tired. People are calling in, they are working short staffed. So no I don’t think it’s the moment to say fcuk it and flood the hospitals even more. They’ve had to open a second Covid unit at Surrey. It’s not panic time everyone is dying stuff but it isn’t time to say I’ve had enough either let’s just move on and live. Again my opinion. I don’t agree with all of the decisions but I don’t agree with lots of how the world works.

 

[akslop]

@akslop they should get results in 24-48hrs, so not such a big deal to isolate in that time

1. When originally posted I had incorrectly thought it was a study. In any event the facts contained in the hypothesis aren't being debated are they? Suchas this quote:


I posted it because it was on a government website (Which I said was "fun")... I don't have an agenda.

2. I always wear a mask when I'm mandated to do so, because I'm not a prick. When not mandated to wear a mask, I don't, because fresh air is great, and I often suffer bad breath due to my affinity for coffee, deli/cured meat sandwiches on sourdough and hoppy beer.

Holy fukc a lot of crap spewed here, I couldn’t be bothered to read most of it but I will say some of you should be happy to wear a mask. Nothing to do with COVID or government control, just wear a mask, talk less and maybe self isolate.

Posting this word for word on every cbc article

 

[Dude]

OK, I will fully admit to yesterday, I had a full on COVID-19 “Fatigue” meld down. At home, and at “work”. I put that in parenthesis why? Well, I have been in isolation until this morning, so my “at work” has been at home for 2.5 weeks.



Firstly, I keep this generally private because there is now a stigma about testing positive. You are almost automatically branded a rule breaker. As much as I was ranting about this being a “cold” and “flu” (which, BTW, I am still very much on, more to follow), I actually have been following guidelines. Now, I do stretch them to the limits. I have not been in hiding. I have been trying to live life as normally as possible. I do have two older kids in the house who are in hiding, and one of those is suffering. My 18 YO daughter is in a bad place, bad enough that we are concerned for her mental health. My son, at least, has been buried in university work. Rarely gets out, but that is life in year 2 BCIT. In the beginning, he struggled with being off-campus, but now in a groove. My 6 YO daughter is the biggest joy in our lives. Always happy, always wanting to do stuff w/ me. My best ski partner this year (45 days), and she loves riding. Since COVID has become a thing, she’s been my biggest escape from constant bombardment of COVID bad news. I can grab our bikes, take her to a pump track, BMX, or even some easy trails, and she loves it…and for that couple of hours I forget about all this bullshit.



I follow the Provincial guidelines, but yeah, I go to the letter. We have been going to restaurants. Mask in, mask out, mask to bathroom. Sanitizing to raw hands. Outdoors is escape, and we don’t need to mask, so I don’t, I feel fresh air is healthier than masked air. Even in isolation, the Provincial guideline encourage exercise. Running, bike riding, walking, and rollerblading (???) are all given as good exercise examples….so I did. The guidelines say, if you come across other people, stay 2m or more away, so I did. Rode and ran a lot alone, was lucky to have my son join me a few times.



Our story….



April 4th I decided to go for a test. I’d had this very slight tickle in my throat causing a slight, intermittent cough. I’d term this as a seasonal cold, if that. In my workouts, I dialed back to about a 75% effort (which is measured, yes, through power output and HR). At the office, we have a strict policy of staying home if any symptoms shown. Follow guidelines. If they worsen, call the Public Health line for guidance. In our family, since COVID-19 became a thing, we have had four real sicknesses. Oldest daughter and son both got significantly ill, where we thought for sure, COVID. They called, were given instructions, and symptoms cleared. No test. Our 6 YO caught a flu, went in right away for a test, negative. So, it was a flu. Then, mine. The big difference? Even though my symptoms were extremely minor, they asked me to test. So Sunday AM the 4th, I woke up early, ran 15 KMs strong. Went to my allotted test time at 10:00, then later that day went to Squamish to ride. When I was literally at the top of a climb- about 2300’ above SL, I got the text: POSITIVE! I thought this was a joke, how could this be possible? I felt healthy as a horse, into about my 3rd hour that day of fairly high intensity efforts.



Came straight home after the ride. The buddy I rode w/ that day was not in close contact, so he wasn’t caught in the protocols (I know this because I divulged the info to the Public Health Nurse the next day). We go into immediate isolation as a family unit. I divulged everything to Public Health. She felt I may have had a false positive, as it was a rapid test. Scheduled me in, and said, should get your wife in too, as you have been sleeping together. And, doing other things more fun that sleeping.



My son went for a test on Monday he 5th, as he’d driven down to Vancouver to golf w/ a buddy. Yes outside, distanced, etc., but buddy has immune compromised Dad, so both went, got tested, both negative.



Tuesday the 6th, we both go in. Proper PCR test. Wednesday Mine comes back NEGATIVE, hers POSITIVE. WTF?



Public Health calls, she’s told to isolate alone in room till midnight the 11th. Said my son should stay isolated alone till the 11th, which he could, as he was hanging at my condo in Burnaby anyways. Says (here is the confusing part) rest of family has to stay isolated till the 21st, 12:00 AM. What? How does that work? But, we do. Her symptoms more than mine: body aches, fatigue, persistent cough now gone. They consider me to have been positive, even though I got a Negative 2 days later. They figure it cleared my system.



Both of us have had boughts with pneumonia in the past, her, a few times, and every winter I worry about her catching it again. Me, last was Feb 2020, walking pneumonia, and knocked me on my ass a solid month. When I learned about COVID, I honestly thought I’d had it.



What we just went through? Not even close. I’d term it a cold, maybe my wife suffered a 48 hour flu. Nothing worse, but I understand effects are wide ranging.



Want something more baffling?



The mass immunization comes available. They clear my wife for it, she gets it like day 1. I don’t know how that works, I was under impression one needed to wait 90 days after a Positive, but whatever. She goes. Even more confusing? My oldest daughter and I were cleared for it on Sunday. So, along w/ my son, we all got ours. We are choosing not to immunize our 6 YO at this time till more data is produced for little kids. We may get an antibody test for her.



Today was the first day I went into public, went for my walk to get coffee. The headline in the weekly paper is “The Forest for the Trees”, which reminded me of the saying, “The Forest through the Trees”. I am not seeing the forest through the trees right now.



Work? Thank fcuk we don’t own a restaurant or anything tourism related. My sister? Not so lucky. She has a wedding planning business and is a professional florist. We business has been decimated. Going through a divorce with a deadbeat husband, too. Saturday I get a call: a university friend of ours committed suicide on Friday. Close friend? No, we’ve all drifted. He left behind two teenaged daughters and a wife. They are experiencing hell right now, true hell. Most definitely COVID-19 related. This is the second friend we’ve lost, one ODed in May. She was already struggling w/ addiction, loses her job at a restaurant, side gig in fashion disappears, left alone in her apartment and found w/ a needle in her arm. Again, one we’d lost tough with. Suicide in Whistler is up, and this is a small town. Take away people’s hope, and this can happen.



The only “positive” at our business has been our staff have adopted our battle. After licking our wounds, we invested heavy into alternate technology development, and went to work. Staff followed the fight, and fighting for every project. We have excellent, stringent COVID protocols. We had to move mid COVID and in doing so invested ~$100K in our new offices to ensure every room have minimum 7 air changes of 99.99% (LOG 4 reduction) purified air. We can do this with a high degree of understanding as air filtration is our core business. We may get a good chunk of this back from the Province, not sure yet. Our business still lost a boatload of money (enough to make you sick) as we were ~35% down YOY, but we didn’t lay anyone off. We got a lot back in federal subsidies for the payroll, and were able to reel in some R&D grants. Still lost money but made manageable. We are fortunate given all else, I think. But, fcuk me....



I do try to be thankful for what I have here. We do have open space, we aren’t under crazy restrictions like Ontario, I am not in a dire situation, like my sister, or the many who’ve felt like ending their own lives was the better path forward. So, yeah, I’m fcuking mad. None of this makes sense, ESPECIALLY after experiencing the COVID web of uncertainty first hand. The Public Health Nurses? God bless them. They are doing their best, and confused as well. Working hard, long days, and doing their best in an environment of constant moving goalposts. First responders? Same. I just don’t know what to believe anymore, except this: whatever “this” is, in terms of protocols, I’m not seeing how it’s to the betterment of all. Suicides way up, one TRILLION in deficit in Canada, destroying whole economies and livelihoods, all for what? A virus that is no worse than a flu?



So, Dezza, you wonder why, when you say “Please stop”, and decry JBN’s post as anti-masking, I get my back up? Sure, you probably rub me the wrong way, but these days, an “Anti mask” article is about as relevant as a “Pro mask” article, for lack of a better description. The way I see it, if we aren’t all asking serious questions at this point, shame on us.



Last, I was a dick yesterday. Fully wound up. Every day I'm on zoom calls with COVID related business. Nothing personal, but these days I can’t escape the COVID negativity, and it did definitely boil over yesterday. Ay home, too. The wife and I had a big blowup in writing yet another company wide COVID protocol memo. She’s right, of course, but I am sick of hiding from a virus that doesn’t appear to be anywhere close to as damaging and deadly as people think it is.

 

[PV]

As polska said ....CHILL.
We all agree that not as many people died as originally forecast. Why? The death numbers are down to 24,000 in canada and 3m in the world because governments and people took action to curtail the spead of the virus and because our hospitals are treating sick people in the hospiitals with ever improving medicines and methods. How many more people would have died if action had not been taken?
We are fortunate to live in B.C. Our death rates are much lower than ontario, and quebec.
We are also lucky to live in canada because canada's death rate is lower than most industrialized countries. Imagine the fears of living in brazil or india or a very poor country with a poor health care system.
Fortunately the worst is over in b.c. The covid positivity rate is slowly declining and more people are getting vaccinated every day.

 

[akslop]

OK, I will fully admit to yesterday, I had a full on COVID-19 “Fatigue” meld down. At home, and at “work”. I put that in parenthesis why? Well, I have been in isolation until this morning, so my “at work” has been at home for 2.5 weeks.



Firstly, I keep this generally private because there is now a stigma about testing positive. You are almost automatically branded a rule breaker. As much as I was ranting about this being a “cold” and “flu” (which, BTW, I am still very much on, more to follow), I actually have been following guidelines. Now, I do stretch them to the limits. I have not been in hiding. I have been trying to live life as normally as possible. I do have two older kids in the house who are in hiding, and one of those is suffering. My 18 YO daughter is in a bad place, bad enough that we are concerned for her mental health. My son, at least, has been buried in university work. Rarely gets out, but that is life in year 2 BCIT. In the beginning, he struggled with being off-campus, but now in a groove. My 6 YO daughter is the biggest joy in our lives. Always happy, always wanting to do stuff w/ me. My best ski partner this year (45 days), and she loves riding. Since COVID has become a thing, she’s been my biggest escape from constant bombardment of COVID bad news. I can grab our bikes, take her to a pump track, BMX, or even some easy trails, and she loves it…and for that couple of hours I forget about all this bullshit.



I follow the Provincial guidelines, but yeah, I go to the letter. We have been going to restaurants. Mask in, mask out, mask to bathroom. Sanitizing to raw hands. Outdoors is escape, and we don’t need to mask, so I don’t, I feel fresh air is healthier than masked air. Even in isolation, the Provincial guideline encourage exercise. Running, bike riding, walking, and rollerblading (???) are all given as good exercise examples….so I did. The guidelines say, if you come across other people, stay 2m or more away, so I did. Rode and ran a lot alone, was lucky to have my son join me a few times.



Our story….



April 4th I decided to go for a test. I’d had this very slight tickle in my throat causing a slight, intermittent cough. I’d term this as a seasonal cold, if that. In my workouts, I dialed back to about a 75% effort (which is measured, yes, through power output and HR). At the office, we have a strict policy of staying home if any symptoms shown. Follow guidelines. If they worsen, call the Public Health line for guidance. In our family, since COVID-19 became a thing, we have had four real sicknesses. Oldest daughter and son both got significantly ill, where we thought for sure, COVID. They called, were given instructions, and symptoms cleared. No test. Our 6 YO caught a flu, went in right away for a test, negative. So, it was a flu. Then, mine. The big difference? Even though my symptoms were extremely minor, they asked me to test. So Sunday AM the 4th, I woke up early, ran 15 KMs strong. Went to my allotted test time at 10:00, then later that day went to Squamish to ride. When I was literally at the top of a climb- about 2300’ above SL, I got the text: POSITIVE! I thought this was a joke, how could this be possible? I felt healthy as a horse, into about my 3rd hour that day of fairly high intensity efforts.



Came straight home after the ride. The buddy I rode w/ that day was not in close contact, so he wasn’t caught in the protocols (I know this because I divulged the info to the Public Health Nurse the next day). We go into immediate isolation as a family unit. I divulged everything to Public Health. She felt I may have had a false positive, as it was a rapid test. Scheduled me in, and said, should get your wife in too, as you have been sleeping together. And, doing other things more fun that sleeping.



My son went for a test on Monday he 5th, as he’d driven down to Vancouver to golf w/ a buddy. Yes outside, distanced, etc., but buddy has immune compromised Dad, so both went, got tested, both negative.



Tuesday the 6th, we both go in. Proper PCR test. Wednesday Mine comes back NEGATIVE, hers POSITIVE. WTF?



Public Health calls, she’s told to isolate alone in room till midnight the 11th. Said my son should stay isolated alone till the 11th, which he could, as he was hanging at my condo in Burnaby anyways. Says (here is the confusing part) rest of family has to stay isolated till the 21st, 12:00 AM. What? How does that work? But, we do. Her symptoms more than mine: body aches, fatigue, persistent cough now gone. They consider me to have been positive, even though I got a Negative 2 days later. They figure it cleared my system.



Both of us have had boughts with pneumonia in the past, her, a few times, and every winter I worry about her catching it again. Me, last was Feb 2020, walking pneumonia, and knocked me on my ass a solid month. When I learned about COVID, I honestly thought I’d had it.



What we just went through? Not even close. I’d term it a cold, maybe my wife suffered a 48 hour flu. Nothing worse, but I understand effects are wide ranging.



Want something more baffling?



The mass immunization comes available. They clear my wife for it, she gets it like day 1. I don’t know how that works, I was under impression one needed to wait 90 days after a Positive, but whatever. She goes. Even more confusing? My oldest daughter and I were cleared for it on Sunday. So, along w/ my son, we all got ours. We are choosing not to immunize our 6 YO at this time till more data is produced for little kids. We may get an antibody test for her.



Today was the first day I went into public, went for my walk to get coffee. The headline in the weekly paper is “The Forest for the Trees”, which reminded me of the saying, “The Forest through the Trees”. I am not seeing the forest through the trees right now.



Work? Thank fcuk we don’t own a restaurant or anything tourism related. My sister? Not so lucky. She has a wedding planning business and is a professional florist. We business has been decimated. Going through a divorce with a deadbeat husband, too. Saturday I get a call: a university friend of ours committed suicide on Friday. Close friend? No, we’ve all drifted. He left behind two teenaged daughters and a wife. They are experiencing hell right now, true hell. Most definitely COVID-19 related. This is the second friend we’ve lost, one ODed in May. She was already struggling w/ addiction, loses her job at a restaurant, side gig in fashion disappears, left alone in her apartment and found w/ a needle in her arm. Again, one we’d lost tough with. Suicide in Whistler is up, and this is a small town. Take away people’s hope, and this can happen.



The only “positive” at our business has been our staff have adopted our battle. After licking our wounds, we invested heavy into alternate technology development, and went to work. Staff followed the fight, and fighting for every project. We have excellent, stringent COVID protocols. We had to move mid COVID and in doing so invested ~$100K in our new offices to ensure every room have minimum 7 air changes of 99.99% (LOG 4 reduction) purified air. We can do this with a high degree of understanding as air filtration is our core business. We may get a good chunk of this back from the Province, not sure yet. Our business still lost a boatload of money (enough to make you sick) as we were ~35% down YOY, but we didn’t lay anyone off. We got a lot back in federal subsidies for the payroll, and were able to reel in some R&D grants. Still lost money but made manageable. We are fortunate given all else, I think. But, fcuk me....



I do try to be thankful for what I have here. We do have open space, we aren’t under crazy restrictions like Ontario, I am not in a dire situation, like my sister, or the many who’ve felt like ending their own lives was the better path forward. So, yeah, I’m fcuking mad. None of this makes sense, ESPECIALLY after experiencing the COVID web of uncertainty first hand. The Public Health Nurses? God bless them. They are doing their best, and confused as well. Working hard, long days, and doing their best in an environment of constant moving goalposts. First responders? Same. I just don’t know what to believe anymore, except this: whatever “this” is, in terms of protocols, I’m not seeing how it’s to the betterment of all. Suicides way up, one TRILLION in deficit in Canada, destroying whole economies and livelihoods, all for what? A virus that is no worse than a flu?



So, Dezza, you wonder why, when you say “Please stop”, and decry JBN’s post as anti-masking, I get my back up? Sure, you probably rub me the wrong way, but these days, an “Anti mask” article is about as relevant as a “Pro mask” article, for lack of a better description. The way I see it, if we aren’t all asking serious questions at this point, shame on us.



Last, I was a dick yesterday. Fully wound up. Every day I'm on zoom calls with COVID related business. Nothing personal, but these days I can’t escape the COVID negativity, and it did definitely boil over yesterday. Ay home, too. The wife and I had a big blowup in writing yet another company wide COVID protocol memo. She’s right, of course, but I am sick of hiding from a virus that doesn’t appear to be anywhere close to as damaging and deadly as people think it is.

Sorry to hear. I dont joke when it comes to mental health.

I went from seeing my eldest daughter who lives in Seattle every other weekend for 15 years since my divorce. Now going on 16 months since I last gave her a hug.

At the end if the day we're all sheep. All we get to choose is what side of the fence to sit on.

I Just want this fcuking thing to be over!

 

[Dude]

Sorry to hear. I dont joke when it comes to mental health.

I went from seeing my eldest daughter who lives in Seattle every other weekend for 15 years since my divorce. Now going on 16 months since I last gave her a hug.

At the end if the day we're all sheep. All we get to choose is what side of the fence to sit on.

I Just want this fcuking thing to be over!

Not posting the suicides to be dramatic, but two people in one year close enough to be considered friends at one point in our lives?

If people aren’t asking if the cure is worse than the disease at this point, they have their heads fully buried in the sand.

 

[Dude]

As polska said ....CHILL.
We all agree that not as many people died as originally forecast. Why? The death numbers are down to 24,000 in canada and 3m in the world because governments and people took action to curtail the spead of the virus and because our hospitals are treating sick people in the hospiitals with ever improving medicines and methods. How many more people would have died if action had not been taken?
We are fortunate to live in B.C. Our death rates are much lower than ontario, and quebec.
We are also lucky to live in canada because canada's death rate is lower than most industrialized countries. Imagine the fears of living in brazil or india or a very poor country with a poor health care system.
Fortunately the worst is over in b.c. The covid positivity rate is slowly declining and more people are getting vaccinated every day.

PV...how many more? Great question. Seems by current rates that the number is a decreasing output, meaning, the death rate actually doesn't climb nearly as fast as the positive count rate, meaning, probably not that many more. Total guess, just following numbers.

Speaking of South America, did speak w/ my buddy in Bolivia, which is a great example. Not Brazil, but same corrupt government mentality and issues, largely a cash system. His family all had COVID. All doing fine, he had lingering effects for a month. His business is tourism related. He's desperate for work, any work, and his government isn't bailing people out. He's asking me if I have any Spanish translation needed, you name it. He's probably going to lose his house soon, and he's considered "wealthy" in his country. The banks will end up owning more than they could ask for.

So, don't ask me, actually ask someone from a less industrialized nation what their feeling is. Most will tell you that they need the world economy to start working normally again for their economic survival, which equals their survival.

For the record, I think Dr. Henry has the shittiest job in the Province right now. She can't win, no matter what. Unfortunately, I also have lost my trust in her.