Venting(Covid related)

[Mrs Tiggywinkle]

This isn’t political. I am generally apolitical.  But I am so annoyed with my state(NY).

Locally we are at an 18.11% positivity rate. Only 55% of the population is vaccinated though honestly we are seeing breakthrough cases right and left.  Until now, I haven’t really done much social distancing or worrying, but I am now on high dose steroids for anti-rejection of a corneal transplant and have an appointment in late January with a specialist. I have EDS and brittle cornea disease and have changed two diopters in one eye in four months. That’s a problem, and I really need to be seen. If I catch Covid or one of my family members in the house gets Covid, that appointment gets rescheduled and I wait another six months. 
My annoyance is the state is so adamant about keeping kids in schools. Yes, it’s 100% masked, but my three coworkers who just caught it are people who always mask and mask well too.  Kids don’t wear masks properly.  One of my children could tolerate a better mask, but both my boys have severe sensory issues and it’s been a lot of work just to tolerate a cloth mask. As a paramedic, I know and accept the work risk and do what I can to lessen it, but my kids are going to school in Covid soup land.  The vaccination rate for kids is rather low here and I’m to the point it doesn’t matter as far as infection goes.

I know this is all petty, but I’m annoyed that everything shut down when our rates were super low and now there is no political will or favor to close schools(or anything else, but I’m honestly less concerned about walking through a store and we only eat out at one gluten free restaurant and as a friend owns it, we text to see how busy they are before going). School is really our biggest exposure risk.

Edited January 3, 2022 by Mrs Tiggywinkle

[Katy]

I don’t think masking properly is the problem in schools. It’s eating. Unless you live in a place warm and dry enough for the cafeteria to be outside, they’ll catch it at lunch. Not to mention some places have strange rules about how many hours kids can go without food so they serve breakfast, mid-morning snack, lunch, afternoon snack, and if in after school care, an after school snack too. So if schools are in person they will get exposed.

None of these policies were written when Omicron was a concern, and previously kids usually only had mild cases unless they had another condition going on or simultaneously also caught RSV or influenza. 

[Mrs Tiggywinkle]

1 minute ago, Katy said:

I don’t think masking properly is the problem in schools. It’s eating. Unless you live in a place warm and dry enough for the cafeteria to be outside, they’ll catch it at lunch. Not to mention some places have strange rules about how many hours kids can go without food so they serve breakfast, mid-morning snack, lunch, afternoon snack, and if in after school care, an after school snack too. So if schools are in person they will get exposed.

None of these policies were written when Omicron was a concern, and previously kids usually only had mild cases unless they had another condition going on or simultaneously also caught RSV or influenza. 

Yes, my kids get breakfast, mid morning snack and lunch.  Two eat in their classrooms where the kids are supposed to be spaced six feet apart and my youngest eats in the gym where kids are spaced too. Snacks are in classroom.  I don’t think six feet apart really matters anymore to be honest, because it travels through the air.   My kids are vaccinated and are likely to be asymptomatic or mild if they catch it, but we need to really avoid it for the next month.  But I think it’s probably inevitable.

[JustEm]

I'm sorry you have to worry about that. I will be hoping your family avoids it long enough to get your appointment in.

[Caraway]

Never mind

Edited January 3, 2022 by Caraway

[Carrie12345]

I’m with you. Not for your specific personal reason, but certainly as an example. 
 

To me, this call (not just NY) basically equates giving up. At the rate of current spread, having kids (who can, at least as of this morning, still get opted out of masking by me) swirl the soup all around is NOT going to impact my local health services in a positive way. 
Or any other services for that matter.

I saw a terribly perfect TikTok depicting a nurse trying to visit her grandmother in the hospital. She couldn’t be permitted to see her, but she was free to care for other people’s grandmothers in other departments due to shortened isolation requirements. :::shiver:::

 

[Faith-manor]

I am so sorry, Tiggy! And this isn't petty at all. This is a real world hurt caused by poor policies, and has real life, severe consequences. You have every right to be angry and discouraged!

[Spryte]

Not petty.

I find it staggering that our local health district has a positivity rate of 35% yet schools will open with masks optional tomorrow. Staggering.

 

[Faith-manor]

4 minutes ago, Spryte said:

Not petty.

I find it staggering that our local health district has a positivity rate of 35% yet schools will open with masks optional tomorrow. Staggering.

 

Same here. 33% still no masks, and everyone going back in the morning. I just can't even...and the local school district dismantled all online offerings so parents didn't have the choice this year of signing up for virtual.

[Drama Llama]

I am having trouble reconciling the choices that schools made last year with the ones they're making this year.  

I also think there needs to be some kind of mechanism where parents who chose in person, back in the summer when rates were very low and vaccines seemed to prevent transmission, can keep their kids out now.  

I am very sorry you're in this situation.  

[Spryte]

15 minutes ago, Faith-manor said:

Same here. 33% still no masks, and everyone going back in the morning. I just can't even...and the local school district dismantled all online offerings so parents didn't have the choice this year of signing up for virtual.

Yep. No virtual option here either. It’s mind blowing, the choices being made. There’s no consistency from last year to this year.

We have snow, and there’s a herd of kids in our cul de sac. 7 kids. I happen to know that only 2 of them are vaccinated, no masks, no social distancing. I’m calculating how many might have Covid with our 35% positivity rate. School starts tomorrow (or whenever the snow permits), and I think a disaster is in the making.

So much for flattening the curve. It’s survival of the fittest around here.

[KSera]

1 hour ago, Mrs Tiggywinkle said:

Yes, my kids get breakfast, mid morning snack and lunch.  Two eat in their classrooms where the kids are supposed to be spaced six feet apart and my youngest eats in the gym where kids are spaced too. Snacks are in classroom.  I don’t think six feet apart really matters anymore to be honest, because it travels through the air.   My kids are vaccinated and are likely to be asymptomatic or mild if they catch it, but we need to really avoid it for the next month.  But I think it’s probably inevitable.

I’m sorry. I feel like once they made the decision that keeping kids in school was top priority, they lost any ability to consider changing that if circumstances changed. And they haven’t made the other decisions that would’ve needed to be made in order to actually make keeping kids in school top priority. I don’t see any way that schools aren’t severely affected by this. Which of course in turn affects people like you and circumstances like yours.

I was going to give a link to recommend the Posh kids KF94 masks, because everyone here finds them more comfortable than cloth, but if they’re taking masks off to eat anyway, it’s true I don’t know how much good wearing excellent masks the rest of the time makes for younger kids who are with the same kids all day. As you say, 6 feet is meaningless with an airborne illness. I have no idea why they haven’t updated those guidelines yet. Anyone in the room should be considered a close contact at this point.

Hopefully  so many people already caught it over break that your kids will be fine and you’ll be able to go to your appointments as needed.

 

[Mrs Tiggywinkle]

My kids brought this home today: 

So they will not be notified if another child in the classroom has been diagnosed with Covid unless they spent more than 15 minutes within 3 feet and either child was not wearing a mask correctly.   But that’s only for in school, the guidance completely changes for out of school contacts.

https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/daily-life-coping/K-12-infographic.html
 

I expect a lot of kids who caught it over break started back to school today either pre-symptomatic or asymptomatic and are blissfully spread Covid throughout the building.   I know I am pessimistic, but I find the whole thing ridiculous.  We have a variant that escapes natural and vaccinated immunity; you’d think the CDC and state school guidance could catch up. I don’t blame the local school superintendent; they’re following what NYS is telling them they have to do.

[Ting Tang]

I have a relative scheduled for surgery Friday, so I hope all goes well. I agree. Nothing really makes sense.  It feels like what will happen is Omicron will rip through society, and life will be disrupted.  Two of my relatives got positive tests today, one fully vaxxed and boosted. The other with just one dose because he's been in the hospital/rehab and nobody would get him a second dose.  Both are ok, for now.  I think they are just throwing their arms up in the air. I'm not sure what more can be done.  I just pray this becomes endemic.

[KSera]

40 minutes ago, Mrs Tiggywinkle said:

My kids brought this home today: 

So they will not be notified if another child in the classroom has been diagnosed with Covid unless they spent more than 15 minutes within 3 feet and either child was not wearing a mask correctly.   But that’s only for in school, the guidance completely changes for out of school contacts.

https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/daily-life-coping/K-12-infographic.html
 

I expect a lot of kids who caught it over break started back to school today either pre-symptomatic or asymptomatic and are blissfully spread Covid throughout the building.   I know I am pessimistic, but I find the whole thing ridiculous.  We have a variant that escapes natural and vaccinated immunity; you’d think the CDC and state school guidance could catch up.

 

I totally agree with you that it's ridiculous CDC and school guidelines are not being updated for this. I think the rules are differing for in school and out of school because they're trying to keep kids in school at all costs (whereas out of school activities are not a top priority), but I think that's likely to backfire because it means everyone is just going to get it and will be at home anyway.

[Murphy101]

It’s just… stupid. Only kids who were within 3 ft of each other for more than 15 minutes?  Soooo all the kids? Or more realistically the teachers are going to shrug and just be who the hell cares. Bc teachers have enough in their plate without trying to remember that crap in over filled classrooms during a teacher shortage. (Which has been a problem for decades in most districts.)

I don’t think drs should be canceling appts any more either unless they are switching over to help on covid floors.

The new normal is people are just going to either get it or not. Bc the option of reduction while kids are in school like normal and everyone is being told to get back to the office like normal pretty much means no effective measures to reduce or slow exposure.  Which if that’s going to be the new normal - that’s why I don’t think doctors should make patients cancel their appts. And I suspect many many people are not going to and just won’t share that information.

I’ve been seeing a LOT of “allergies” of people out and about and at work or whatever and it stays allergies unless they get it severe enough to see a dr that demands a covid test.  Because they can’t afford to leave work for every sniffle until a covid test comes back and they can’t afford to take their kids out of school either. 

[Grace Hopper]

I think the only thing that’s going to get school to either get serious with mitigation strategies or go virtual again is if too much of the workforce (teachers/admin/support staff) is out sick to conduct school. 
 

OP I hope your appointment happens as scheduled. 

[kbutton]

3 hours ago, Mrs Tiggywinkle said:

One of my children could tolerate a better mask, but both my boys have severe sensory issues and it’s been a lot of work just to tolerate a cloth mask.

See next comment.

1 hour ago, KSera said:

I was going to give a link to recommend the Posh kids KF94 masks, because everyone here finds them more comfortable than cloth, but if they’re taking masks off to eat anyway, it’s true I don’t know how much good wearing excellent masks the rest of the time makes for younger kids who are with the same kids all day.

I agree, but if you are at all interested, we ALL find boat style KF94s to be the most comfortable masks we've tried, far more so than cloth. We use Bluna Facefit mostly at this point (DH wears an N-95 part of time at work and for store runs and Bluna at work when at times he's not "supposed" to be wearing a work-provided N95). Another similar brand has tighter ear loops, and I wear that one, but the loops are too tight for DH and maybe for the boys.  

ETA: I also vote Not Petty. Petty is how I feel about being in the back of line behind anti-vax/anti-mask folks if I get sick because we've been doing the right thing. Petty is probably a nice term for my feelings. It's not Schadenfreude because I am not pleased they are ill, but I definitely feel like people who do the right thing should get first dibs and that HCW's and their families who are vaccinated should as well. 

Edited January 3, 2022 by kbutton

[melmichigan]

Last year everyone wanted schools open, in-person, no mask, no social distancing, and went to bat at every school board meeting fighting for that scenario with the argument that covid doesn’t severely impact kids. That hasn’t changed. Sadly, parents are getting what they asked for. My kids have been shielding  and virtual for almost two years so I can make my appointments. I sincerely hope you are able to make yours. 

Edited January 3, 2022 by melmichigan

[TechWife]

1 hour ago, Murphy101 said:

 

I don’t think drs should be canceling appts any more either unless they are switching over to help on covid floors.

 

I went to the dentist today. There is a family medicine practice in the same building. There is large note on the office door that says they aren’t seeing sick patients. Now, that’s a head scratcher at this point, TBH. 

[Faith-manor]

11 minutes ago, TechWife said:

I went to the dentist today. There is a family medicine practice in the same building. There is large note on the office door that says they aren’t seeing sick patients. Now, that’s a head scratcher at this point, TBH. 

😯😲😱

[Katy]

20 minutes ago, TechWife said:

I went to the dentist today. There is a family medicine practice in the same building. There is large note on the office door that says they aren’t seeing sick patients. Now, that’s a head scratcher at this point, TBH. 

It may not be up to the doctor if they don’t own the practice but instead work for a hospital system. Our pediatrician, who ironically moved 30 miles from here the same week we did from the same town and previously saw our kids (My DH worked for the same company as hers) actually had her practice closed and was moved to the affiliated children’s hospital. Other doctors in the same system don’t see sick kids. They’ve set up a triage system and send you to various practices based on the likelihood your kid has covid. Or at least that’s what they did before Omicron. No idea what the system is now. 

[kbutton]

2 minutes ago, Katy said:

It may not be up to the doctor if they don’t own the practice but instead work for a hospital system. Our pediatrician, who ironically moved 30 miles from here the same week we did from the same town and previously saw our kids (My DH worked for the same company as hers) actually had her practice closed and was moved to the affiliated children’s hospital. Other doctors in the same system don’t see sick kids. They’ve set up a triage system and send you to various practices based on the likelihood your kid has covid. Or at least that’s what they did before Omicron. No idea what the system is now. 

I think some do that here--it's certainly not the first time I've heard of a practice being closed to sick patients. I think sometimes they do virtual appointments. 

[Idalou]

1 hour ago, melmichigan said:

Last year everyone wanted schools open, in-person, no mask, no social distancing, and went to bat at every school board meeting fighting for that scenario with the argument that covid doesn’t severely impact kids. That hasn’t changed. Sadly, parents are getting what they asked for. My kids have been shielding  and virtual for almost two years so I can make my appointments. I sincerely hope you are able to make yours. 

So many parents in western and central NY, along with the Southern Tier, went ballistic last year when schools became virtual. Many also fought the mask mandates for their kids. Teachers in the district next to me are very upset that they weren't going virtual for the next two weeks or so. So yes, the parents are getting what they asked for. And really, its barely more than half the adults in the OP's part of the state, and just a bit more in my area, that are fully vaccinated and boostered. In my opinion, the blame lies in the ignorance of the population, the ones who still make light of the pandemic. The governor is damned if she does and damned if she doesn't. I also believe school districts in New York can go beyond what the CDC guidelines are, so if a school wants to inform parents about classroom cases they can. My neighbors seem to know which kids have been home ill, I should ask them if it's the school telling them or if it's through the gossip vine.

 

Edited January 3, 2022 by Idalou

[Mrs Tiggywinkle]

10 minutes ago, Idalou said:

So many parents in western and central NY, along with the Southern Tier, went ballistic last year when schools became virtual. Many also fought the mask mandates for their kids. Teachers in the district next to me are very upset that they weren't going virtual for the next two weeks or so. So yes, the parents are getting what they asked for. And really, its barely more than half the adults in the OP's part of the state, and just a bit more in my area, that are fully vaccinated and boostered. In my opinion, the blame lies in the ignorance of the population, the ones who still make light of the pandemic. The governor is damned if she does and damned if she doesn't. I also believe school districts in New York can go beyond what the CDC guidelines are, so if a school wants to inform parents about classroom cases they can. My neighbors seem to know which kids have been home ill, I should ask them if it's the school telling them or if it's through the gossip vine.

 

They can inform people, but are not required to by the CDC because a classroom contact isn’t considered a close contact.  We moved to this district in August and I haven’t met anyone; so I’m not part of the gossip chain. I don’t expect I’ll know if anyone tests positive unless my kids know somehow. 

There’s a 55% vaccination rate in the county and I don’t expect it to go higher.  The people who want to be vaccinated are vaccinated.  And there’s a lot of distrust now and I don’t see a lot of people getting boosters.

I know everyone wanted the schools open.  I think they shut down prematurely here in March 2020 and now when we really need to, there is no political will.  I have a coworker married to an administrator in the school district and he said the district is ready to go 100% virtual at a moments notice, but so far their requests have been denied by the state.

[melmichigan]

22 minutes ago, Mrs Tiggywinkle said:

I have a coworker married to an administrator in the school district and he said the district is ready to go 100% virtual at a moments notice, but so far their requests have been denied by the state.

How can they not keep kids in school from an economic standpoint?  The states are going to deny it because they're already dealing with workforce shortages.  If you send kids home you are dealing with those parents that are then removed from the workforce to care for them.  This is no longer about individual or public health, but it's impact on the economy and societal function, and that's really sad.

Edited January 4, 2022 by melmichigan

[KSera]

2 hours ago, Katy said:

It may not be up to the doctor if they don’t own the practice but instead work for a hospital system. Our pediatrician, who ironically moved 30 miles from here the same week we did from the same town and previously saw our kids (My DH worked for the same company as hers) actually had her practice closed and was moved to the affiliated children’s hospital. Other doctors in the same system don’t see sick kids. They’ve set up a triage system and send you to various practices based on the likelihood your kid has covid. Or at least that’s what they did before Omicron. No idea what the system is now. 

That's how it works here. With group practices, they designate certain offices as the ones for sick patients and the other ones for well patients. Which does make sense, as I wouldn't consider going in for a well-appointment if I was going to be sharing the space with people who were there because they had covid symptoms.

1 hour ago, melmichigan said:

How can they not keep kids in school from an economic standpoint?  The states are going to deny it because they're already dealing with workforce shortages.  If you send kids home you are dealing with those parents that are then removed from the workforce to care for them.  This is no longer about individual or public health, but it's impact on the economy and societal function, and that's really sad.

I agree that's an issue, but feel like it's going to lead to the same issue, but with worse consequences. The kids will get sick and then the parents will need to stay home with them anyway and the parents will get it and give it to other people at their place of business, and then everyone will be home anyway. 🤷‍♀️

[Melissa Louise]

Sending hopeful thoughts that you are able to attend your eye appointment. 

Re schools, the childcare aspect of education is what the economy is predicated on. Childcare is the lynchpin. Schools are mass childcare providers, and frankly, as long as they can do that aspect of their job, most ppl don't care about anything else re schools. 

[Faith-manor]

15 minutes ago, KSera said:

 

I agree that's an issue, but feel like it's going to lead to the same issue, but with worse consequences. The kids will get sick and then the parents will need to stay home with them anyway and the parents will get it and give it to other people at their place of business, and then everyone will be home anyway. 🤷‍♀️

I truly think we need another March/April/May 2020 style shut down. Hand out KN95's to every family, strictly enforce the masks when at the grocery store or pharmacy, and allow in person school only for a limited number of children - first responders, HCW's - bring in National Guard in PPE to staff grocery stores.

There is no political will for it, and people are just nuts. But that is what is needed if we want to not entirely gut our healthcare system. It is breaking and can't stand much more. 

We are a wealthy nation, and this is doable. But the wealth is concentrated in such a way, that it does not benefit 98% of the people, and the elite 2% don't care what happens ultimately so long as they hold on to control of the wealth. So it isn't going to happen.