COVID-19 (Coronavirus) discussion

inogen · 1 Apr 2022 at 16:16

ltron said:
Ventilation is the key.

Indeed. But apparently there's "not enough evidence" that increased ventilation reduces spread, or that decreased viral load reduces the chances of infection.

Much like there was no evidence that cholera outbreaks were caused by antiquated sewerage.

The same people who say there's not enough evidence are often the same people who bang on about common sense.

ltron · 1 Apr 2022 at 16:19

inogen said:
Indeed. But apparently there's "not enough evidence" that increased ventilation reduces spread, or that decreased viral load reduces the chances of infection.

Much like there was no evidence that cholera outbreaks were caused by antiquated sewerage.

The same people who say there's not enough evidence are often the same people who bang on about common sense.

Exactly. Although other countries such as Japan have been much more proactive with ventilation, maybe we should ask them. We continue to be very insular in our approach.

The common sense conclusion, as you quite rightly allude to, would be to say that since we know that being outside is much safer than being inside then surely improving ventilation and bringing in more fresh air would be very helpful in reducing transmission.

tom_nieto · 1 Apr 2022 at 16:32

Well, after 2 years and even a stint working on COVID ITU I've finally tested positive. Sore throat yesterday and LFT positive today. Annoyed at the inconvenience of it all really, going to stay away from our 5 week old baby which is a bit sad. The hospital mandates 5 days isolation away from work. With the amount of COVID around there are a lot of vacant shifts.

inogen · 1 Apr 2022 at 22:37

tom_nieto said:
Well, after 2 years and even a stint working on COVID ITU I've finally tested positive. Sore throat yesterday and LFT positive today. Annoyed at the inconvenience of it all really, going to stay away from our 5 week old baby which is a bit sad. The hospital mandates 5 days isolation away from work. With the amount of COVID around there are a lot of vacant shifts.

Get well soon.

I went for an appointment at my local medical centre today. Usually about 5-6 staff for 10 or so doctors and nurses. They had the doors locked as only 2 of them had made it in.

Angilion · 1 Apr 2022 at 23:02

I've just been off for 12 days with it. The first 7 days were part of my annual holiday. I managed to get COVID on the last day before my holiday started. Great holiday!

I was quite unwell for a week (fever, coughing, vomiting, that sort of thing) and still testing positive after 10 days. Today was my first day back at work and it was hard going after a while despite having an easy job. I feel like I have a stamina debuff in play so my stamina bar never gets above half full and drains faster than normal.

Rroff · 1 Apr 2022 at 23:49

Still dropping like flies at work - no one so far seriously ill but most have been bad enough it wouldn't have been sensible to come into work even if it wasn't contagious.

arknor · 2 Apr 2022 at 00:14

inogen said:
The same people who say there's not enough evidence are often the same people who bang on about common sense.

germs don't exist because we can't see them with the naked eye :cry:

chroniclard · 2 Apr 2022 at 00:18

Work going full potato. Few weeks ago, with cases on the rise, they brought back mask usage. Now, with more people off work since covid began, they removed it again. :cry:

Freakbro · 2 Apr 2022 at 01:06

Angilion said:
I've just been off for 12 days with it. The first 7 days were part of my annual holiday. I managed to get COVID on the last day before my holiday started. Great holiday!

You are entitled to ask for that period to be treated as sick and retain the holiday entitlement if you wish.

I was quite unwell for a week (fever, coughing, vomiting, that sort of thing) and still testing positive after 10 days. Today was my first day back at work and it was hard going after a while despite having an easy job. I feel like I have a stamina debuff in play so my stamina bar never gets above half full and drains faster than normal.

And it sounds like you could do with a period of recuperation, still not an ideal use of holiday but better than having none at all.

ltron · 2 Apr 2022 at 01:09

inogen said:
Indeed. But apparently there's "not enough evidence" that increased ventilation reduces spread, or that decreased viral load reduces the chances of infection.

Much like there was no evidence that cholera outbreaks were caused by antiquated sewerage.

The same people who say there's not enough evidence are often the same people who bang on about common sense.

Here's some evidence for the benefits of ventilation and how to do it right: https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-04-01/brisbane-school-no-covid-omicron-outbreaks-term-1/100956850

Rroff · 2 Apr 2022 at 01:22

ltron said:
Here's some evidence for the benefits of ventilation and how to do it right: https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-04-01/brisbane-school-no-covid-omicron-outbreaks-term-1/100956850

Conversely, albeit I'm not aware if they did any smoke simulations etc., my nephew's school had fancy ventilation and HEPA stuff and were still wearing masks and it swept through the school - it isn't a magic bullet though it might work if the premises is ideally laid out and you spend the time modelling the airflow, etc.

Tephnos · 2 Apr 2022 at 01:59

Yes, sadly, ventilation is not a magic bullet.

Honestly, I'm not sure what can be done now at this point, with the evidence coming in that antigenic sin is occurring with Omicron and immunity to it even after infection is pure crap.

The future is full of endless colds year round for everyone.

tom_nieto · 2 Apr 2022 at 09:19

inogen said:
Get well soon.

I went for an appointment at my local medical centre today. Usually about 5-6 staff for 10 or so doctors and nurses. They had the doors locked as only 2 of them had made it in.

Thanks! So far just runny nose and sore throat. Few muscle aches but holding up ok.

COVID is definitely here to stay, I’ll certainly be changing a lot of behaviours permanently, especially mask wearing.

CapitalOne · 2 Apr 2022 at 09:47

Train home from work yesterday, my FFP2 was a source of interest for the 95% of passengers not masked. Have these people not got a memory? Do they not see the news?

There are more people with denial/memory loss than with covid at the moment and that takes some doing.

Office was very quiet, well it was a Friday but lots of Covid about. People tending to just work through it at home rather than call in sick. Looks like the firm are just accepting this situation as a bit of the new normal. Still, business travel back on woohoo!

LOAM · 2 Apr 2022 at 10:18

Rroff said:
Still dropping like flies at work - no one so far seriously ill but most have been bad enough it wouldn't have been sensible to come into work even if it wasn't contagious.

Same with us, the guy who's on his 4th go with it is still off and sounds as rough as **** and now we are getting whacked with the double whammy of people having to be off to look after kids who are getting it again.

At the end of the day even if you think (incorrectly) the virus is no longer physically serious it's debilitating enough to cause serious disruption to everyday life.

ltron · 2 Apr 2022 at 11:43

Rroff said:
Conversely, albeit I'm not aware if they did any smoke simulations etc., my nephew's school had fancy ventilation and HEPA stuff and were still wearing masks and it swept through the school - it isn't a magic bullet though it might work if the premises is ideally laid out and you spend the time modelling the airflow, etc.

I don't know what they were doing wrong, but all the evidence I've seen shows it cuts transmission at least in half when done right. Surely that's worth doing?

https://www.cam.ac.uk/research/news...ence-of-airborne-sars-cov-2-in-covid-19-wards

https://smartairfilters.com/en/blog/hepa-air-purifiers-reduce-classroom-covid-19/

https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/volumes/70/wr/mm7021e1.htm

ltron · 2 Apr 2022 at 11:46

CapitalOne said:
Train home from work yesterday, my FFP2 was a source of interest for the 95% of passengers not masked. Have these people not got a memory? Do they not see the news?

There are more people with denial/memory loss than with covid at the moment and that takes some doing.

Office was very quiet, well it was a Friday but lots of Covid about. People tending to just work through it at home rather than call in sick. Looks like the firm are just accepting this situation as a bit of the new normal. Still, business travel back on woohoo!

Amazing, the governemnt propaganda and denial of reality is so strong. The 'common sense' that the Tories keep going on about as their excuse for not doing their job seems to be sorely lacking and people just do what they are told. This is not good.

ltron · 2 Apr 2022 at 11:56

Rroff said:
Conversely, albeit I'm not aware if they did any smoke simulations etc., my nephew's school had fancy ventilation and HEPA stuff and were still wearing masks and it swept through the school - it isn't a magic bullet though it might work if the premises is ideally laid out and you spend the time modelling the airflow, etc.

Perhaps this was the problem:

“I’ve gone to doctors and dentists here in Boulder,” Prof. Jiménez confessed to me, “and they have HEPA filters, but they’re tiny, about ten times smaller than they should be. And they have them either off or on the lowest setting, so it’s basically a talisman.”

From here: https://www.mcgill.ca/oss/article/covid-19/covid-19-air-both-problem-and-solution

They've got to use their CO2 monitors to measure and make sure it's actually working.

Uther · 2 Apr 2022 at 12:30

ltron said:
Amazing, the governemnt propaganda and denial of reality is so strong. The 'common sense' that the Tories keep going on about as their excuse for not doing their job seems to be sorely lacking and people just do what they are told. This is not good.

I think people don't like being reminded that covid is still there, and seeing a mask makes them remember that it is, and it's not going anywhere.

ltron · 2 Apr 2022 at 12:34

Uther said:
I think people don't like being reminded that covid is still there, and seeing a mask makes them remember that it is, and it's not going anywhere.

I understand, but maybe they should be asking what the government are doing about it and why they are trying to make us all pretend it's over when it's not. What are we paying them for (they keep giving themselves nice pay increases)?