Gordo14 said:

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GAC06 said:

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And about NPI's, it looks like there's some dissent there

https://texags.com/forums/84/topics/3176542/last#last

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Cool a single paper about the subject matter. Given that transmission of the virus is substantially lower than it naturally was at the beginning of the pandemic and every other respiratory virus has basically disappeared, I would say the evidence ia very much against this one paper.

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Wouldn't it make sense that transmission would slow after millions got infected? How much is due to closures and how much is from heightened awareness about symptoms and people voluntarily isolating? How has flu season been in places with restrictive lockdowns versus those without?

GAC06 said:

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Flagged for derailing

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This whole thread should be deleted then, as it was derailed on post 2.

Yes, we should be careful, and definitely protect the high-risk, but I really don't think making a 3 year old wear a mask in dance class will make a difference, especially since they keep socially distanced anyway.

Fitch said:

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It's on the horizon. Right now there are more hospitalizations and more daily cases than at any other point, plus the political theater going on it's all pretty much drowning out that quite quietly the vaccines are ramping up.

The below has been posted before, from: https://covid19-projections.com/path-to-herd-immunity/

Ideally vaccine distributions continue to scale up and hit or exceed 1M / day. I'm hopeful we're back to 100% normal (domestically) when schools start back in the fall.

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Fitch, are you willing to predict a full house in Kyle in Sept?

We have had a staff death now at our school. Every parent could opt to send their high school student face to face, hybrid, But today I had a total of five students in three block classes. Yesterday was five. The day before it was four. We are keeping a large public high school open with less than five percent of the students opting for face to face instruction. TEA says we must offer face to face, but the cost of operating a building meant for 2500 for 150 kids a day is questionable at best.

My virtual attendance is good..about the same rate we had for regular school pre covid. Teachers are all there, and have 90 or so a day, but of that 90, only 4 or 5 attend in person. Some class periods no students are face to face..all 30 have elected virtual. And even with that right now we have 8 face to face students with active cases and 25 in quarantine for various exposures.

I had my first shot...but Arlington fire posted on their website they have no more vaccine. I am not sure when they will have the supply for my second shot. Arlington fire is a hub and they have distribuated over 18,000 first doses. All supplies now gone and center is closed until they get move vaccine.

So we are a long way from having enough for everyone who wants it to get it. I read that in a nearby county the waiting list is almost 20,000 people long. I know that those in my department who are 1b like me, signed up a day or so after I signed up.. and they are still waiting to be notified of an appointment.

Call me crazy but we could have 100% immunization and we would still see a good number of positive cases each day.

Aust Ag said:

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Fitch said:

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It's on the horizon. Right now there are more hospitalizations and more daily cases than at any other point, plus the political theater going on it's all pretty much drowning out that quite quietly the vaccines are ramping up.

The below has been posted before, from: https://covid19-projections.com/path-to-herd-immunity/

Ideally vaccine distributions continue to scale up and hit or exceed 1M / day. I'm hopeful we're back to 100% normal (domestically) when schools start back in the fall.

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Fitch, are you willing to predict a full house in Kyle in Sept?

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I lose money every...single...time I bet on the Ags, but what the heck, yes! Count me in for stuffing 110k+ in the stadium and the Chicken.

GE said:

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culdeus said:

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I still come back to the thought that what are these things that are "closed" that need to be "open" that aren't right now?

Maybe I live in a sheltered world, but the ISD is open, restaurants are open, bars are open. There's not a damn thing I want to do that I can't. Right now. And it's been that way more or less since May.

I know some school districts remain remote, and that sucks. It seems the right thing to do there is vax up all the teachers and 1b parents and go. Which is, in fact, the plan right now.

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I think of open as open with no masks and no mandated distancing

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Spend less time with petulant, apocalyptic people who have persecution complexes, and the world will feel more open.

I really think the government is going to be surprised at how little the demand for the vaccine is. I'm thinking most healthy people under about 40 will blow it off, same way they blow off the flu vaccine. That's a little over 50% of the population of the US.

culdeus said:

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I still come back to the thought that what are these things that are "closed" that need to be "open" that aren't right now?

Maybe I live in a sheltered world, but the ISD is open, restaurants are open, bars are open. There's not a damn thing I want to do that I can't. Right now. And it's been that way more or less since May.

I know some school districts remain remote, and that sucks. It seems the right thing to do there is vax up all the teachers and 1b parents and go. Which is, in fact, the plan right now.

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It seems like the final frontier that isn't consistently open are corporate HQ's. And that's probably irrelevant to the vast majority of people because most view that as a win since most prefer WFH.

On the restaurant front, you still find random hours and operating days at times though. Still have examples where a restaurant will shut down for 3-4 days to clean after 1 employee tests positive.

wbt5845 said:

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I really think the government is going to be surprised at how little the demand for the vaccine is. I'm thinking most healthy people under about 40 will blow it off, same way they blow off the flu vaccine. That's a little over 50% of the population of the US.

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I'm 47 and waiting on the J&J vaccine. I won't qualify for one at all until third or fourth quarter anyway.

wbt5845 said:

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I really think the government is going to be surprised at how little the demand for the vaccine is. I'm thinking most healthy people under about 40 will blow it off, same way they blow off the flu vaccine. That's a little over 50% of the population of the US.

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I think they will until they run into some restrictions, and then there will be a lot of sound and fury.

By summer I'm guessing my office will be requiring it. I don't have to guess that it will be required for me to go to Italy in June.

Well, that's a good point - will it be required? Can a workplace require immunization for you to set foot on the grounds?

Well, they don't require the flu vaccine. And you don't get your pay docked if you still get sick from flu.

I have a hard time imagining a government requirement to get this vaccine. But I guess I can see businesses, sports teams, etc, requiring proof of vaccination to let you in.

wbt5845 said:

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Well, that's a good point - will it be required? Can a workplace require immunization for you to set foot on the grounds?

Well, they don't require the flu vaccine. And you don't get your pay docked if you still get sick from flu.

I have a hard time imagining a government requirement to get this vaccine. But I guess I can see businesses, sports teams, etc, requiring proof of vaccination to let you in.

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Coworkers and I were talking about this at work the other day. One said that in Texas, employers cannot require it. Not even hospitals, nursing homes, and LTC facilities.

Coworker also said that hospitals are offering financial "bonuses" of several hundred $ to those to do get the vaccine.

I have not independently verified that, but it makes sense.

TXTransplant said:

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wbt5845 said:

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Well, that's a good point - will it be required? Can a workplace require immunization for you to set foot on the grounds?

Well, they don't require the flu vaccine. And you don't get your pay docked if you still get sick from flu.

I have a hard time imagining a government requirement to get this vaccine. But I guess I can see businesses, sports teams, etc, requiring proof of vaccination to let you in.

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Coworkers and I were talking about this at work the other day. One said that in Texas, employers cannot require it. Not even hospitals, nursing homes, and LTC facilities.

Coworker also said that hospitals are offering financial "bonuses" of several hundred $ to those to do get the vaccine.

I have not independently verified that, but it makes sense.

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According to the EEOC, employers can require it. Already been clarified by the feds. My wife's company has staked out the initial position that they are not going to require it but reserve the right to change their minds later.

Which means they ultimately will require it.

Military guidance (at least USMC) is it's not required at least until it gets full FDA approval. Then I imagine it will likely be required, as it is with flu shots.

EEOC Guidance. I suspect there could be an uptick in folks finding religion:

Quote:

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Employers have the legal right to mandate that their employees receive a COVID-19 vaccination, according to the guidance.

The law allows employers to set "a requirement that an individual shall not pose a direct threat to the health or safety of individuals in the workplace."

There are exceptions for employees with disabilities or "sincerely held" religious beliefs protected by the Americans with Disabilities Act and Title VII, respectively.

In those instances, employers are required to show that an unvaccinated employee poses a "significant risk of substantial harm to the health or safety of the individual or others" in the workplace.
Employers that conclude an unvaccinated employee poses such a threat must try to provide a "reasonable accommodation" to the employee.

If there is no reasonable accommodation, or the accommodation places an "undue hardship" on the employer, it is lawful for the employer to "exclude the employee from the workplace," according to the guidance.

That does not mean the employer may automatically terminate the worker. Before termination, the employer most determine whether "any other rights apply" under federal anti-discrimination laws or federal, state and local laws and regulations.

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When OSHA classifies it as a recordable injury, companies will be herding people up like a calf scramble.

TXTransplant said:

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Notice I said "any adult over age 18 can make an appointment to get a vaccine" and not "once a certain percentage of adults are vaccinated". Because we know not everyone will get vaccinated. Honestly, I think we might get to 30% at best (I hope I'm wrong).

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Poling suggests closer to 60%. It was at 75% last summer before the "Trump is rushing the vaccine and it won't be safe and effective" combined with the regular antivax "microchips and autism" crowd. That dropped it down to 50%.

Once the vaccine was approved and Trump lost the election, the rhetoric shifted to "hey it's effective and super safe, watch as [your favorite politician] gets a shot"? Since then, it has been working back up to about 60%.

YouBet said:

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EEOC Guidance. I suspect there could be an uptick in folks finding religion:

Quote:

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Employers have the legal right to mandate that their employees receive a COVID-19 vaccination, according to the guidance.

The law allows employers to set "a requirement that an individual shall not pose a direct threat to the health or safety of individuals in the workplace."

There are exceptions for employees with disabilities or "sincerely held" religious beliefs protected by the Americans with Disabilities Act and Title VII, respectively.

In those instances, employers are required to show that an unvaccinated employee poses a "significant risk of substantial harm to the health or safety of the individual or others" in the workplace.
Employers that conclude an unvaccinated employee poses such a threat must try to provide a "reasonable accommodation" to the employee.

If there is no reasonable accommodation, or the accommodation places an "undue hardship" on the employer, it is lawful for the employer to "exclude the employee from the workplace," according to the guidance.

That does not mean the employer may automatically terminate the worker. Before termination, the employer most determine whether "any other rights apply" under federal anti-discrimination laws or federal, state and local laws and regulations.

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Terrible law and in my estimation, completely unconstitutional. And I am fully pro vaccine. So many issues with this law, I hope it is challenged and brought the the SCOTUS. Now, they may uphold it, but at least it would be scrutinized the way it should be.

One thing that the law does not account for is the immunity that already having Covid has been proven to give a person. One that seems to be just as effective as the vaccine. This is what happens when we let irrational fear make our laws.