Returning from a Year of Isolation in Antarctica

Re:Returning from a Year of Isolation in Antarctica by latchkey on Tuesday June 30, 2020 @05:22PM (#23694938)

Yes. :o

Even worse, people aren't getting their flu shots (and other elective things) because they don't want to risk going to the doctors.

So when we get out of this covid jail... get ready for some interesting charts from the CDC.

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Re:Returning from a Year of Isolation in Antarctica by irrational on Tuesday June 30, 2020 @07:11PM (#23695889)

Do you still trust the CDC? One unfortunate side effect of the pandemic is that my trust in the CDC went from absolute to non-existent. They’ve shown themselves willing to bend to politics instead of siding with science.

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Re:Returning from a Year of Isolation in Antarctica by losteric on Tuesday June 30, 2020 @11:45PM (#23697546)

Well, I blame this administration generally seeking appointments that will bend the knee over science.

Plenty of prior administrations appointment science-bound officials that held the line.

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Re:Returning from a Year of Isolation in Antarctica by thaumasiotes on Wednesday July 01, 2020 @06:31AM (#23699956)

> One unfortunate side effect of the pandemic is that my trust in the CDC went from absolute to non-existent.

Why is that effect unfortunate?

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[dead]

Re:Returning from a Year of Isolation in Antarctica by rorykoehler on Wednesday July 01, 2020 @12:51AM (#23697847)

What do CDC have to do with the efficacy of vaccines?

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Re:Returning from a Year of Isolation in Antarctica by Hinrik on Wednesday July 01, 2020 @04:15AM (#23699126)

What doubt? The momentary mismanagement of one nation's disease control unit means you'll ignore the globally-realized benefits of the greatest life-saving achievement of modern medicine?

Sounds a bit like you were searching for an excuse for a conclusion you arrived at already for other reasons.

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Re:Returning from a Year of Isolation in Antarctica by dredmorbius on Wednesday July 01, 2020 @08:57AM (#23700811)

All due respect to vaccines, and the comment you're responding to is absolutely idiotic, they're only accounting for a small fraction of longevity and mortality improvements over the past 200 years.

The bulk of advances predate either development of widespread vaccination (largely 1930s - 1960s), or antibiotics (1940s), to say nothing of organ transplants (1950s-), cancer treatments (roughly same), imaging (1900s-), and advanced laproscopic surgeries (1970s-).

Basic sanitation (sewerage & solid waste), water purification, food safety, vector control (mosquitos), physical safety (falls, streets/transport, machinery), environment (soot, lead, asbestos, poisons), habits (smoke, drink, drugs), childbirth & childcare, sex ed, nutrition, and simple basic access to medical care count for far more.

http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-uTWEATUzgxk/TXQoTibILtI/AAAAAAAAAA...

Context: http://economicspsychologypolicy.blogspot.com/2011/03/conque...

I'm not disputing that vaccines are a powerful and beneficial tool, but that "the greatest life-saving achievement of modern medicine" is not in fact vaccination, but basic (and often quite pedestrian) public health measures.

This has been Laurie Garrett's thesis since at least the mid-1990s. And yes, she's also a strong vaccine advocate:

https://www.lauriegarrett.com/betrayal-of-trust

https://greatpoliticalbooks.com/betrayal-of-trust-by-laurie-...

[ Parent | on HN ]

Re:Returning from a Year of Isolation in Antarctica by 1996 on Wednesday July 01, 2020 @02:14PM (#23704618)

You are free to consider mycomment idiotic.

However, I will decide on yearly flu shots and others based on my own analysis, as clearly government sources have other things in mind that my best interest.

For example, I will wait 6 to 12 month after a covid vaccine is available to check postmarket studies.

A counter example is papillomavirus and shingles (vzw) vaccines, that I have decided to get, even if it's not recommended for me.

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Re:Returning from a Year of Isolation in Antarctica by rorykoehler on Wednesday July 01, 2020 @04:08AM (#23699085)

That's a really bad over compensation in the other direction.

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Re:Returning from a Year of Isolation in Antarctica by PenguinCoder on Tuesday June 30, 2020 @05:29PM (#23695017)

Supposing there's a reliable CDC left after this is all said and done. Might get dismantled from within as a scapegoat.

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Re:Returning from a Year of Isolation in Antarctica by mobilefriendly on Tuesday June 30, 2020 @06:34PM (#23695565)

Its not a scapegoat -- the CDC is extremely well-funded and has a singular mission -- and is doing a quantifiably terrible job. They downplayed the North America risk the first two months of 2020, utterly botched testing but still refused to allow private lab testing until the White House intervened, and they literally lied to the public about the efficacy of masks. https://www.nytimes.com/2020/06/03/us/cdc-coronavirus.html

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Re:Returning from a Year of Isolation in Antarctica by mnm1 on Tuesday June 30, 2020 @10:33PM (#23697128)

The CDC is part of the executive branch and ultimately has no authority to go against the president's wishes or do anything he doesn't want. Just recently, they said they're not pushing for mandatory mask regulations to not embarrass the president. An agency like this, with no power to do what is right, is completely useless. Still, while I don't trust them one bit now, they don't deserve to be blamed for something they are not in control of. Proper blame lies with the leadership of the executive branch, the white house and ultimately the president. That's where the buck stops and no amount of wishing on their part will ever change that.

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Re:Returning from a Year of Isolation in Antarctica by pbhjpbhj on Wednesday July 01, 2020 @07:04AM (#23700142)

This seems to be a big problem with USA in general - political appointees in fields where objective truth is vital.

Having a legal system that can't arrest, charge, prosecute anyone because politics says not to means you don't have rule of law. If someone is recorded saying they committed sex offences then they should get a police interview regardless of their job.

Having a disease control department that can't give scientific advice because a political appointee won't like it; might as well close that department, it's no longer useful. Or, you could address the root issue.

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Re:Returning from a Year of Isolation in Antarctica by latchkey on Tuesday June 30, 2020 @06:48PM (#23695704)

This video [1] made me sad at the time because I could see it coming. The downplay of the severity along with the usage of masks doesn't age well.

I was coming from Vietnam and early on the govt. wasn't taking it seriously enough and had some major outbreaks. But they immediately got it under control. Contact tracing, testing, lockdowns, spraying, masks, hand washing, propaganda... and look... it worked. Zero deaths, zero new cases in 90+ days now. The whole country is open within its borders and people are safely interacting without any worries.

So, while I think the CDC is doing an ok job... at the end of the day, they totally missed the tidal wave coming at them.

[1] https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/health/2020/02/17/nih-di...

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Re:Returning from a Year of Isolation in Antarctica by odshoifsdhfs on Tuesday June 30, 2020 @08:17PM (#23696360)

In their defence, this happened in most countries in Europe as well. Not sure if incompetence or hubris to be honest (though the mask wearing should be criminal, and imo, is one of the reasons some people refuse to wear them now, based on those comments 3/4 months ago they weren't effective)

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Re:Returning from a Year of Isolation in Antarctica by justaguyhere on Tuesday June 30, 2020 @05:53PM (#23695223)

So when we get out of this covid jail

At the current rate I am wondering if we get out, not when, lol

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Re:Returning from a Year of Isolation in Antarctica by joering2 on Wednesday July 01, 2020 @05:15AM (#23699498)

We will. Thank God its not Ebola and while COVID has high rate of infection it kills small % of sick relatively speaking. Eventually we will build up hoard immunity, but left alone it could easily take until end of next year and it reminds Russia rullette. Sad that CDC and President didn’t standup to the task but I wasn’t suprised. Then there is VP who singlehandy is responsible for the largest outbreak of HIV in USA. So it could be worse. Inagine something as deadly as Ebola that spreads as easily as COVID. These folks who are proud to excercise their freedom because US Constitution doesnt force them to wear masks, wouldn’t have any Constitution left to enjoy at all.

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Re:Returning from a Year of Isolation in Antarctica by majewsky on Wednesday July 01, 2020 @11:10AM (#23702262)

> wouldn’t have any Constitution left to enjoy at all.

Pun intended?

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