Coronavirus Thread VI: Are We Nearly There Yet? (READ OP)

[Cuthon]

I haven't seen many people talk about why so many people have died from the virus. I think one of the biggest causes of death from the virus is self-caused health issues, such as obesity. For example, Vietnam has an obesity rate lower than 10% and has only sustained 10 deaths out of 100,000 per capita. On the other hand, the United States has an Obesity rate of around 40%, plus around 65% also considered overweight, with an overall death rate of 150 per 100,000. Along with the multitude of things we can take away from this outbreak, physical fitness is extremely important in regulating our immune system. What saddens me is most people have obviously overlooked this in the Western world as people's weight has increased during the pandemic.

[San Lumen]

Do you know how large that event is? It’s not feasible.

Of course it's feasible. There are events that have hundreds of thousands of attendees who have to present their tickets, ID, and submit to a search for contraband. These are not challenges that exceed humanity's organisational capabilities.

Do you know what pride entails? It’s likely unfeasible to have tickets for a parade or for that event as a whole. Once they are sold out you can’t go. That’s not fair.

[Vassenor]

I haven't seen many people talk about why so many people have died from the virus. I think one of the biggest causes of death from the virus is self-caused health issues, such as obesity. For example, Vietnam has an obesity rate lower than 10% and has only sustained 10 deaths out of 100,000 per capita. On the other hand, the United States has an Obesity rate of around 40%, plus around 65% also considered overweight, with an overall death rate of 150 per 100,000.

Or, you know, Vietnam didn't royally fuck up its response to the pandemic the way America did under Trump.

[Vassenor]

Of course it's feasible. There are events that have hundreds of thousands of attendees who have to present their tickets, ID, and submit to a search for contraband. These are not challenges that exceed humanity's organisational capabilities.

Do you know what pride entails? It’s likely feasible to have tickets for a parade or for that event as a whole. Once they are sold out you can’t go. That’s not fair.

TIL Ticket-only events are oppressive.

[Ifreann]

I haven't seen many people talk about why so many people have died from the virus. I think one of the biggest causes of death from the virus is self-caused health issues, such as obesity.

Obesity isn't a "self-caused health issue". Obesity is a disease of poverty, not of gluttony.

[San Lumen]

Do you know what pride entails? It’s likely feasible to have tickets for a parade or for that event as a whole. Once they are sold out you can’t go. That’s not fair.

TIL Ticket-only events are oppressive.

I didn’t say that.

[San Lumen]

Do you know what pride entails? It’s likely feasible to have tickets for a parade or for that event as a whole. Once they are sold out you can’t go. That’s not fair.

Indeed. When people had to queue up, the people up the back of the queue were at least aware they didn't have a good chance.

A lottery is the fairest way. Open the selling, close it right before the event. Use the magic of computers to decide who gets in.

I don’t think that’s fair either for an event like that.

[Ifreann]

Of course it's feasible. There are events that have hundreds of thousands of attendees who have to present their tickets, ID, and submit to a search for contraband. These are not challenges that exceed humanity's organisational capabilities.

Do you know what pride entails? It’s likely feasible to have tickets for a parade or for that event as a whole. Once they are sold out you can’t go. That’s not fair.

Do you have similar complaints about the Super Bowl? Once tickets for that have sold out, no one else can go.

[San Lumen]

Do you know what pride entails? It’s likely feasible to have tickets for a parade or for that event as a whole. Once they are sold out you can’t go. That’s not fair.

Do you have similar complaints about the Super Bowl? Once tickets for that have sold out, no one else can go.

That’s not the same.

[Vassenor]

TIL Ticket-only events are oppressive.

I didn’t say that.

You're saying it's unfair that people who can't get a ticket to a ticketed event can't go to the ticketed event.

[Cuthon]

I haven't seen many people talk about why so many people have died from the virus. I think one of the biggest causes of death from the virus is self-caused health issues, such as obesity.

Obesity isn't a "self-caused health issue". Obesity is a disease of poverty, not of gluttony.

More or less both. I despise corporations that sell cheaply made foods packed with dozens of unhealthy preservatives to the poor. Even though this generally with a much larger access to food than most countries comes a much larger caloric intake. People still end up overeating which is made worse by the increase of lethargic and sedentary lifestyles.

[San Lumen]

I didn’t say that.

You're saying it's unfair that people who can't get a ticket to a ticketed event can't go to the ticketed event.

The super bowl is one thing an event like the rose parade or pride is completely different.

[The Free Joy State]

I don’t think every business should be asking your medical information before you enter. How are you going to hold an event such as a parade or festival if your checking that? I don’t see how it’s feasible.

I'm not saying it should be mandatory (especially in scenarios where it's just not possible), but I'm not gonna be losing sleep if antivaxxers find that intentionally being a danger comes with consequences.

On vaccine passports, I am admittedly divided and I don't know with which side to side.

On the positive side is the health, safety and sense of security (as reported by participants in a similar scheme in Denmark). It would be much more secure if everyone can only access events if fully vaccinated (or with a valid medical-only -- no religious belief -- exemption certificate). Also, research seems to indicate that the 43% of Brits, at least, would prefer to only visit pubs that required a vaccine passport, compared to 23% that would visit pubs that did not and 22% that did not care (which suggests that some people may feel more secure knowing they are reciprocally protected). 62% supported vaccine passports to go to the pub. 63% to use an indoor leisure centre, 68% to go to a theatre or indoor concert (61% for an outdoor concert) and 74% to see a sick loved one in hospital.

Against them is the fact that the UK government, at least, does not have a great record with handling private data, and the fact that medical information is a good deal more private than other information that we hand over freely all the time.

[Ethel mermania]

Shot update

Boys got shot #2 Pfizer on wed

Boy #1 had a sore arm, but otherwise is fine.

Boy #2 still feels like shit and has a pretty large red welt at the injection site.

The welt is an immune reaction and should get better soon. If it itches, use antihistamine cream. If it’s hot to the touch, cold compresses bring relief. Watch out for rashes and hives. Gallo got hives the evening after his second shot and had to be given antihistamine by mouth.

We have shoved benadryl down his throat and slathered his arm with the cream. He is up and around. If he were still working he would have called out

[Ifreann]

Do you have similar complaints about the Super Bowl? Once tickets for that have sold out, no one else can go.

That’s not the same.

I don't know why you have so much difficulty in arguing honestly for what you want. Are you going to tell me what the difference is, or do you want me to guess?

[San Lumen]

That’s not the same.

I don't know why you have so much difficulty in arguing honestly for what you want. Are you going to tell me what the difference is, or do you want me to guess?

The super bowl is held in a stadium. There is a limited number of seats by design. Pride is held over the course of several streets and the festival is in a large portion of Greenwich Village.

[San Lumen]

The super bowl is one thing an event like the rose parade or pride is completely different.

It's different. But so completely different that instead of first-come-first-served ticketing, there should be what? No ticketing at all?

I say again: lottery. The next fairest thing would by first-come-first-served in person because that ranks applicants by their preparedness to make personal sacrifice. But it would be utterly inappropriate considering the covid risk.

Tickets isn’t fair for an event like that. So if I want to go with my friends the chances are high I won’t be able too because they don’t win the lottery?

[Vassenor]

I don't know why you have so much difficulty in arguing honestly for what you want. Are you going to tell me what the difference is, or do you want me to guess?

The super bowl is held in a stadium. There is a limited number of seats by design. Pride is held over the course of several streets and the festival is in a large portion of Greenwich Village.

And you know what happens when you hold a parade during a pandemic? Superspreader.

[Ethel mermania]

I don't know why you have so much difficulty in arguing honestly for what you want. Are you going to tell me what the difference is, or do you want me to guess?

The super bowl is held in a stadium. There is a limited number of seats by design. Pride is held over the course of several streets and the festival is in a large portion of Greenwich Village.

Pride is a parade. There is no way to enforce it. The superbowl is a closed event. Show your green star, and you get in.

[Nakena]

I can see where San Lumen is coming from and his fears of an authoritarian dystopia and the emergence of a vaccine apartheid state are not entirely without merit.

Picture this scenario. Suppose that Hong Kong only uses the crappy Sinovac vaccine while Pfizer and other, more trustworthy brands are unavailable. Vaccinations are voluntary, but getting the Sinovac shot is the only way to dine at restaurants, go shopping, go back to work, go to school, or even leave the country. The vast majority of those who have received or are willing to receive the Sinovac jab are mainly pro-PRC loyalists while those who would rather receive the Pfizer shot, which is unavailable in Hong Kong, tend to be mainly pro-democracy dissidents who distrust any vaccine coming out of China.

Pan-democrats and their supporters will find themselves increasingly cut off from society while those who wish to flee Hong Kong will find themselves unable to do so. Political apartheid will be the outcome even if vaccinations are not technically mandatory. At the very least, it's a form of trolling blackmail. Pan-democrats and their families, who will be condemned to begging for scraps under a bridge, will be cynically and inaccurately smeared and stigmatized as "anti-vaxxers".

I can see how vaccine passports can be abused, especially if governments such as my own roundly insist on not allowing people to choose which type of vaccine they would like to be inoculated with. For this reason, I'm not going to jump on the vaccine passport bandwagon either in favor or against the idea because it all feels very draconian to me. As a compromise, maybe allow private businesses and premises to enforce their own restrictions while the government butts out?

Infected Mushroom said they got BioNTech though.

[San Lumen]

The super bowl is held in a stadium. There is a limited number of seats by design. Pride is held over the course of several streets and the festival is in a large portion of Greenwich Village.

Pride is a parade. There is no way to enforce it. The superbowl is a closed event. Show your green star, and you get in.

That’s what I’ve been saying. It’s impossible to enforce

[Ifreann]

I don't know why you have so much difficulty in arguing honestly for what you want. Are you going to tell me what the difference is, or do you want me to guess?

The super bowl is held in a stadium. There is a limited number of seats by design. Pride is held over the course of several streets and the festival is in a large portion of Greenwich Village.

There's a limited amount of space in Greenwich Village.

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Pride is a parade. There is no way to enforce it. The superbowl is a closed event. Show your green star, and you get in.

That’s what I’ve been saying. It’s impossible to enforce

It's perfectly simple to close off a few streets.

[San Lumen]

The super bowl is held in a stadium. There is a limited number of seats by design. Pride is held over the course of several streets and the festival is in a large portion of Greenwich Village.

There's a limited amount of space in Greenwich Village.

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That’s what I’ve been saying. It’s impossible to enforce

It's perfectly simple to close off a few streets.

They already do that but your suggesting only those with tickets can come in. That’s not fair nor practical.

[The Free Joy State]

That’s what I’ve been saying. It’s impossible to enforce

It's perfectly simple to close off a few streets.

If we're talking about feasibility, pre-COVID, I went to a Christmas market. All the streets surrounding it were cordoned-off and because -- since I last went -- it was now a paid event, every entrance had a ticket booth. One ticket did the street stalls and then, if you wanted to go in the tents (where all the nicer, unique stuff -- not the touristy tat -- was) you paid extra at that booth. Total rip-off, bought nothing, would not go again.

The point being, it should be possible to cordon-off the streets and have an entrance booth at every point where there's a break in the cordons.

There's a limited amount of space in Greenwich Village.

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It's perfectly simple to close off a few streets.

They already do that but your suggesting only those with tickets can come in. That’s not fair nor practical.

No, it should be perfectly practical. Your main issue with it appears to be that you don't think it's fair.

[Ifreann]

There's a limited amount of space in Greenwich Village.

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It's perfectly simple to close off a few streets.

They already do that but your suggesting only those with tickets can come in. That’s not fair nor practical.

I'm not suggesting that only those with tickets can attend, I don't really give a shit about the details of New York Pride. I'm refuting your assertion that it would not be feasible in general to ask attendees to show proof of vaccination by giving you examples of events that do require that people show some kind of paperwork, tickets, ID, whatever, before entering.

It's starting to sound like your concern is literally just that you might not be able to attend Pride. Are you going to keep making up lies about it being impossible to ask people for proof of vaccination, or are you going to tell us what your real objection is?