[Tmarkwald]

Originally Posted by CFrance

Let them infect each other!

Yep - Darwin, Survival of the Fittest, etc etc ... weed out the weak

[Tmarkwald]

What irritates me are newscasters standing on the street, nobody within 50 feet of them, wearing a mask.

[DAVES]

Originally Posted by GrumpyOldMan

I have been following the changing guidelines from CDC and we have reached what I consider a milestone. With only a few special case exceptions, like doctor's offices, hospitals, public transportation, etc. It is no longer recommended to wear masks.

This is a big deal and carries implications for getting people back to work.

If you follow the John Hopkins website for tracking data, you know that the US has been virtually untouched by the latest worldwide surge which has hit some countries with very deadly results. The US on the other hand has continued a slow steady decline in daily cases and daily deaths. (See link below for their new and improved website which also includes vaccination rate data)

We, the world, have now reached 1.38 trillion doses of vaccine administered. The US has administered 268 Million and while the curve is tapering off, we are still administering more every day.

For the first time in over a year, I have hope that we will beat this thing into submission. New variants are coming, but for now, I look forward to taking my wife out to eat at a restaurant.

COVID-19 Map - Johns Hopkins Coronavirus Resource Center

An endless debate. Truth, REALITY, I don't know or particularly care why some people think it is such a big deal. I do wonder about posters. Imagine if anything REALLY was wrong.

In terms of posts, endless debate about driving, round a bouts, speed. Masks, if it is a thurs and the sun is up you must wear a mask? Or perhaps it should be tied to the tides?
Simple, people can handle it. Wear a mask. Now our great leaders. You will need to check the day of the week and the tide chart.

Vaccinated? Will we now demand people carry proof they have been vaccinated? Will we not object to random police stops demanding to see your paperwork? Self responsibility?
Read any of the threads about round a bouts, speed etc. Chance of self responsibility working is zero in the real world.

Originally Posted by Looking for next wife

India has put cables and fencing over some spots in rivers to stop bodies from being thrown into the water and are burning piles and piles of bodies in the street.

I'm so glad our "conspiracy", never got as bad as their" conspiracy".

I think that this pandemic is just a warning of things to come as gain of function research and techniques like CRISPR make the risk of a plague almost inevitable. Let’s use this opportunity to develop methods to identify, isolate and control the spread of man made viruses. Ignore what has happened at our future perils.

[Mhollowaygleasom]

While it’s wonderful the US has relaxed mask and social distancing guidelines, have the EXPERTS truly provided new information?
The efficacy of the vaccines remains the same, degree of illness, hospitalization and death also remain the same. The term of the studies is longer but without additional findings.
Just what am I missing?
Those who opt out of being vaccinated will continue to walk among us. It’s not like anyone can visually recognize a vaccinated vs unvaccinated individual. In some instances, the honor system surrounding the unvaccinated of masking and social distancing is not and will not be followed.
There is no right or wrong answer in choosing to vaccinate or not. It is a personal choice and frankly no one else’s business. It’s also their right to follow or not follow guidelines.
This is where it gets sticky for me. There hasn’t been any new information with regard to masking or not. This time last year, FL also saw a decrease in new cases.
Variants and mutations of COVID are now present. Many fully vaccinated people will be due for their booster in the next few months and there is no mention of how it will be rolled out.
The TV commercials, news and presidential clips currently being presented display a return to normalcy for vaccinated individuals. Is it wishful thinking on our leaders part that those unvaccinated will suddenly rush to get vaccinated? At this time, about 1/3 of the US is vaccinated, a far cry from heard immunity.
Just what has changed? I’m not entirely sure.
On a personal level, I would love to return to normal without masks or social distancing. On an intellectual level, I’m not quite there yet. No, I’m not living in fear. I am however questioning the integrity of those providing new regulations without new scientific evidence.
We all make choices on a daily basis based on our personal needs and beliefs. To follow CDC guidelines or not will most likely continue to be a personal choice and one of great contention.
Bottom line, do what’s right for you and stop worrying about what others are doing and live YOUR best life.

[LianneMigiano]

I believe it was 7 members of a baseball team (Yankees?) who came down with Covid after being vaccinated! Keep your eyes and ears open. I'm not taking off my mask for a while!!!!!!

[LianneMigiano]

By The Associated Press
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — New York Yankees shortstop Gleyber Torres tested positive for Covid-19 despite being fully vaccinated and having previously contracted the coronavirus during the offseason.

Torres is among eight so-called breakthrough positives among the Yankees — people who tested positive despite being fully vaccinated.

[Hifred]

Your post left off one important point. Those who are not vaccinated are supposed to wear masks. I was at an activity in one of the rec centers when a person who was not wearing a mask said to the group, "I need to have more patience with people telling me I need to get vaccinated." Then she went on about not believing in vaccinations. All non vaccinated people need to wear a mask. This is why. No vaccine is 100% including the measles vaccine. There are different Covid vaccines and the best is 95% effective. That means theoretically 5 out of 100 people if exposed will still have a breakthrough infection. What protects those 5 is that the people around them if vaccinated are not spreading the illness. For example there was a measles outbreak in the U.S. between 1989 - early 1991 due to a rise in anti vaccination sentiment. There were 27,000 cases of measles in the U.S. in the year 1990 alone with approximately 123 preschoolers dying. If someone doesn't want to take the vaccine then they need to be aware they can carry and spread the virus even if they are not experiencing symptoms. Hence, the reason they need to wear a mask.

[Tmarkwald]

Originally Posted by LianneMigiano

By The Associated Press
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — New York Yankees shortstop Gleyber Torres tested positive for Covid-19 despite being fully vaccinated and having previously contracted the coronavirus during the offseason.

Torres is among eight so-called breakthrough positives among the Yankees — people who tested positive despite being fully vaccinated.

A statistical anomaly for sure!

Of the more than 95 million people in the United States who were fully vaccinated, only 9,245 — or 0.01 percent — have been infected with the coronavirus.

Just over a quarter of those people never had symptoms;

132 people, or 1 percent of the breakthrough infections, died.

Twenty of those deaths were in asymptomatic people or probably not related to COVID-19.

So, 132 out of nearly 100 Million...

Here’s what breakthrough infections reveal about COVID-19 vaccines | Science News

[MDLNB]

Originally Posted by John41

India now the hotbed of 1 out of every 3 new cases of covid 19 thought the epidemic was over for them in February. Don’t count you chickens....

Yes, and India still has leprosy too. India is a dirty and nasty place with way too dense of a population.

[MDLNB]

Originally Posted by Girlcopper

Dumb stipulation too. Obviously the ones not vaccinated will say they are. They are the same ones who have cried about wearing a mask this past year so will be the first to pull it off and breath on the rest of us

And the polls show that it will be those that have been vaccinated that will be the last and most hesitant to remove their masks. If you do not believe in science, and do not have confidence in the very vaccination that you demand others to to take, there is no credibility in your argument.

I got my shots, like a good lil serf and now I act as if I am protected from the virus. If everyone on here that has been vaccinated feels that they are still vulnerable, perhaps I was a bit too hasty in getting my vaccination and should rethink this whole matter of vaccination.

[MDLNB]

Originally Posted by DAVES

An endless debate. Truth, REALITY, I don't know or particularly care why some people think it is such a big deal. I do wonder about posters. Imagine if anything REALLY was wrong.

In terms of posts, endless debate about driving, round a bouts, speed. Masks, if it is a thurs and the sun is up you must wear a mask? Or perhaps it should be tied to the tides?
Simple, people can handle it. Wear a mask. Now our great leaders. You will need to check the day of the week and the tide chart.

Vaccinated? Will we now demand people carry proof they have been vaccinated? Will we not object to random police stops demanding to see your paperwork? Self responsibility?
Read any of the threads about round a bouts, speed etc. Chance of self responsibility working is zero in the real world.

Good point. They scream about rights when it comes to stop and frisk for possible deadly guns in the hands of punks and criminals, but when it comes to demanding proof of vaccination, all RIGHTS are abandoned and the Constitution is trashed.

[MDLNB]

News Flash! No one is demanding that you remove your masks. If you are scared, you are still allowed to wear your mask. Do you really care if you are labeled as one that has not been vaccinated? Do you really think that anyone that has not been vaccinated is going to wear their masks, anyway? Wear you mask if you feel the need for a a placebo/safety blanket. If you believe that a mask is going to protect you, go for it. Carry a rabbit foot too, because between the mask and a rabbit's foot you should be able to function in society.

[Spalumbos62]

Originally Posted by LianneMigiano

By The Associated Press
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — New York Yankees shortstop Gleyber Torres tested positive for Covid-19 despite being fully vaccinated and having previously contracted the coronavirus during the offseason.

Torres is among eight so-called breakthrough positives among the Yankees — people who tested positive despite being fully vaccinated.

Yes....they only tested positive....no symptoms....only problem is the person hanging out with them that is not vaccinated...that's basically it...stop crying wolf...unnecessary!

[graciegirl]

Originally Posted by LianneMigiano

I believe it was 7 members of a baseball team (Yankees?) who came down with Covid after being vaccinated! Keep your eyes and ears open. I'm not taking off my mask for a while!!!!!!

Had you thought that those seven may have been jammed in a booth with a server who was contagious and they were incubating the germ before they got vaccinated?

The very first people that I knew here in The Villages to get Covid-19 were two sisters who went with ten neighbors to Orange Blossom Garden to eat to celebrate St. Patrick's day, a year ago March. Six out of the ten got sick. My friends, sisters, one ended up in the hospital on a ventilator, her sister was so sick at home that at one time she had to be brought to emergency to be re-hydrated. They said the server appeared to have a sniffling sneezing cold.

I think it will take years to evaluate and give precise answers to all of our questions about Covid-19. Each must do what they feel comfortable doing. I am thinking that I hope that no one who sees me maskless thinks I don't care. This was one nasty year for all of us.