Topic: The COVID-19 Virus is Coming For Us All Thread

[BlackNMild2k1]

This sounds like the opening to a joke.... but ain't no one laughing (and one of them barely breathing)

A Jewish Doctor, Black Nurse and Asian American Respiratory Therapist Treat COVID-19 Nazi Patient....

https://www.sfchronicle.com/local-politics/article/A-moment-of-doubt-Pandemic-patient-with-swastika-15764534.php

A Jewish doctor, a Black nurse and an Asian American respiratory therapist stood over the patient on the gurney in the emergency room.

“Don’t let me die, doc,” the man begged.

As the man struggled to breathe, the swastika tattooed on his chest rose and fell with each gasp.

Dr. Taylor Nichols promised the man he’d do his best.
[...]
But standing in full protective gear, readying for a pandemic procedure that could expose his team to the coronavirus, Nichols, for the first time in his career, questioned whether he wanted to keep that promise.

“I don’t know if I care,” he remembers thinking. “I didn’t feel compassion for him in that moment.”

I promise you, there is no punchline

[Phil]

Our household got hit with COVID last month. All of us had a bad cough, runny nose, chills, headache, all that bad stuff. My mom and brother both needed an inhaler to help them breathe better. Fortunately, we're all better now, but I'm still a bit irritated that my mom's boss gave it to us in the first place due to ineptness on his part because it could have turned out real bad for my mom especially with her health issues and age.

[nickmitch]

Glad you and your family were able to recover, Phil. Sorry you had to go through that because of someone else's negligence.

[Stratos]

We had a scare last week. Sister-in-law came over to drop something off and like an idiot we let her in without a mask. And her side of the family all gathered together brazenly because they seemed to think they were immune and one of them got it and spread it to most of the others. Half the family refuses to test but sis did and she was positive two days after stopping by to drop something off. Our tests came back negative so that is a big relief for us. We took that near miss as a lesson and have tightened our protections even more.

Hoping you and your family recover quickly Phil. It sucks when you are doing things as right as you can and someone else goes and wrecks everything.

[BlackNMild2k1]

AOC just announced that Americans that have had family members die from COVID can get a Federal Reimbursement of upto $7k for storage and funeral proceedings through FEMA.

https://twitter.com/AOC/status/1358819976388485122?s=20

It's good to see those that want to do good being uncuffed and actually being able to act in the better interest of the people that they represent (including the undocumented). And this is retroactive through Jan 2020.

p.s. the COVID Stimulus Relief bill was also passed.
I didn't get the first 2, and I'm not holding my breath for the 3rd, but I read somewhere that those that never received their prior benefits should still be eligible to receive them.

[nickmitch]

I don't know the circumstances from the second stimulus, but the first one was a tax credit.  So, you should be able to get it when filing your 2020 tax returns.

My parents and my brother have all gotten their first round of the vaccine because the site had extras and they just showed up for them.  While, I'm happy for my family, I'm also extremely jealous and a tad upset that my university has left us completely in the dark.

edit: I should add: "barring any phaseouts or other exclusions".  I remember when the first one hit, I knew I wouldn't get it because I hadn't filed my 2019 return thanks to the extension, but I could get it later because my income went down after going back to school midyear.

[Stratos]

p.s. the COVID Stimulus Relief bill was also passed.
I didn't get the first 2, and I'm not holding my breath for the 3rd, but I read somewhere that those that never received their prior benefits should still be eligible to receive them.

Were you supposed to qualify for them? You can follow up with the treasury if you didn't get them and both can be applied as tax credits if you didn't receive them yet (this is according to TurboTax when I started plugging my numbers as I understood it).

My sister filed her taxes later in the year due to extensions and got the first one mailed to her after filing since it was her first year filing taxes, so that could also still happen to folks as well.

[BlackNMild2k1]

Honestly, I had an issue with Turbotax regarding my 2019 filing that I'm clearing up now.
If I qualified, hopefully I'll see it taken off my 2020's.

[Stratos]

Turbo Tax 2020 has a specific section for Covid relief and should ask you what you received for each round of stimulus. I messed it up because I miss-remembered how much I got when initially plugging in numbers and when I corrected it I watched my taxes due go up so it does have a direct impact.

For context, I received the full amount each round but put less for the second one, so it gave me a tax break for the 'missing amount'. When I added it back in the number changed to remove the benefit. Taxes are so depressing for me and wife as we always tend to owe no matter what we do (and we get advice to assist us each year to make sure we are maximizing things).

As our original tax advisor stated: "Welcome to the middle class! You are too rich to benefit from what you used to benefit from, but too poor to afford living without those benefits". Our two rounds of stimulus are basically going to cover our 2020 tax bill. On one had we have been blessed, but on the other the system sure makes it a pair in some ways.

[Adrock]

LOL Texas. As if February wasn’t enough of a flustercuck for y’all...

Governor Greg Abbott:


Office of the Texas Governor’s website:

Guided tours of the Governor’s Mansion have been temporarily suspended. In addition to being a historical site, the Governor’s Mansion is also the residence of the First Family of Texas and it is not possible to safely provide tours while also adhering the CDC’s health standards.

It’s real. Source: https://gov.texas.gov/first-lady/tours

Here’s a screenshot just in case they try to walk it back:


Good luck, Texans-who-are-actually-trying-not-to-die. As for the rest of you...

[BlackNMild2k1]

🤡

[FyreWulff]

It's now Rona Battle Royale in Texas..

[nickmitch]

It'll be interesting to see what Texas's COVID numbers look like at the end of this week and next week.  I checked on the Googz and it looked like the 7-day average was already ticking upwards, with their first fully open weekend being this past weekend.

Anyway, how's everyone's vaccination prospects looking?  I was able to get a moderna shot recently, and am about halfway through my waiting period for the second dose.  No weird side effects, but I heard they mostly happen after the second dose.

[BeautifulShy]

I have been trying to get an appointment for one the past two weeks through Walgreens and no such luck.  Also the age range is not down to my age at the places that are doing it at the Arizona Cardinals stadium in Glendale so I am waiting still.

[nickmitch]

Keep trying! Myself and a number of people I know were able to get appointments only because places had extras at the end of the day.  I've even heard stories of people in line to checkout at drug stores being offered the vaccine right then and there.  YMMV, of course, but there's always a chance.

[M.K.Ultra]

Colorado is starting the phase that I qualify for 3/19 (tomorrow) so I will be able to make an appointment starting then.

[BeautifulShy]

Keep trying! Myself and a number of people I know were able to get appointments only because places had extras at the end of the day.  I've even heard stories of people in line to checkout at drug stores being offered the vaccine right then and there.  YMMV, of course, but there's always a chance.

Thanks for the encouragement.  Appointments on the state site opened up at 11am and I booked an appointment for the 31st of March at 12:54pm.   

[Stratos]

Was gonna type up another rant about family and friends and refusing the vaccine, but instead I'll just say it sucks when you see you may be losing family and friends to madness and irrational defiance. Its amazing how many people have made up their minds about things based off of hearsay and 'feelings'.

I have a baby girl to protect now so it makes these hard choices much easier to make but not less painful.

[BlackNMild2k1]

I understand the hesitation to take this vaccine based on how it was originally presented, and historical treatment of POC when it comes to testing these things.

From a POC POV, sitting back and watching what happens to everyone that does take it, is quite a popular stance. But honestly, the new admin has done a much better job of framing this as a safe and effective treatment, and not just a monetary achievement and political goal for a re-election campaign.

[BeautifulShy]

Got my first dose of the Pfizer vaccine.  Next one is on the 22nd of April.

[Stratos]

I understand the hesitation to take this vaccine based on how it was originally presented, and historical treatment of POC when it comes to testing these things.

From a POC POV, sitting back and watching what happens to everyone that does take it, is quite a popular stance. But honestly, the new admin has done a much better job of framing this as a safe and effective treatment, and not just a monetary achievement and political goal for a re-election campaign.

That's a great point I hadn't thought of and I ran it by my wife and it kind of stopped her in her tracks. She was the convinced that her mom was being stubborn, and she does have a flair for the dramatic to make her points appear more valid, but Guatemalans were 'tested' by scientist years ago and injected with syphilis virus and forced to suffer until death for the sake of studying how the virus progressed. Guatemalan natives have traditionally been very kind and welcoming to strangers and travelers, but a lot of the native/remote communities have become much more cold because of this treatment in the past. It is probably still in part based out of fear of the unknown, but this past certainly could have an impact on her and other's hesitation sadly. Only thing to combat that is gently providing information and patience and the effects of the vaccines prove to be truly successful.

I was able to convince one sibling to actually go look into the virus by just having a conversation about it, but she was always one of the more reasonable ones.

On another note looks like my state is opening up vaccines to most everyone in the coming weeks so hoping the wife and I can get in there soon. We're hoping my wife can pass on the antibodies to our baby so some added protection. Wasn't a hard decision, but still a bummer to disappointed family by keeping them away until vaccinations are all settled in.

[BeautifulShy]

My mom has hesitations about the vaccine as well mainly in part of the side effects and also she is an old hippy and she doesn't tend to like government involvement with some things.  She isn't opposed to getting it she just wants to see the effects of it after 6 months. She does wear a mask when she goes out but usually not walking from one place to another and really only in places that require it.   This worries me because she is older and I care about her a lot that she isn't taking the vaccine when it is accessable to everyone.  She would rather wait 6 months.  Also she isn't a POC so that isn't her concern as it pertains to herself.

I think after I get my second dose I am going to have her sign up for an appointment and then go with her to it.  Just for moral support.

[BlackNMild2k1]

There's still a lot of unanswered questions, and everyone taking the vaccine now are all guinea pigs in the process of getting those questions answered.

I plan on taking it eventually, but as long as all of you out there taking the vaccine, and I stay cautious  while in public, I'm not all that worried about it in the short term. I can wait it out a bit longer.

But the minute someone develops some cool mutant powers... please let us know.
That might be all the incentive needed

[BeautifulShy]

My powers I would want is psychic powers and the ability to time travel. 
Fingers crossed.

[Stratos]

With our luck these last few years it would be a case of zombi-ism and the world would plunge into that chaotic world some nutty folks I know are prepping for.