Good news bad news

[EdH]

Originally Posted by Dr Sardonicus

. . .
Good news: Today, my symptoms continue to dissipate. I'm pretty well fixed for groceries.

Glad to read that you're on the mend! (and won't go hungry)

Originally Posted by chalsall

Very good news. Not all in similar situations have food.

Indeed! I have some friends who in their normal routine have to go to the grocery store on the way home from work (almost) every day or they'll not have dinner! The only reasoning I can figure is that it makes it easier to justify dining out. I guess it also saves room in the freezer/fridge. . .

[Dr Sardonicus]

Originally Posted by EdH

<snip>
I have some friends who in their normal routine have to go to the grocery store on the way home from work (almost) every day or they'll not have dinner! The only reasoning I can figure is that it makes it easier to justify dining out. I guess it also saves room in the freezer/fridge. . .

It occurs to me to wonder what type of things they're getting. Given the circumstances (and my experience growing up), it seems unlikely that we're talking about "dinner" being anything like a home-cooked meal.

Of course, when and where I was growing up, the "norm" was to have the father being the "breadwinner" while the mother was the "homemaker." The homemaker could start dinner while the breadwinner was at work, and the family could sit down together and eat a home-cooked meal, generally of food (as opposed to highly processed food-like substances) not long after the breadwinner got home from work. Grocery shopping was mainly done on weekends, with a shopping list planned to provide a week's worth of groceries.

Nowadays, many dinners at home are take-out picked up on the way home from work by whichever parent is getting off work at the relevant time. Convenience items from a grocery store, or items that can be quickly prepared, are almost certainly less expensive than take-out from "fast food" outlets. Perhaps picking up something from a grocery store on the way home from work is the least bad of the choices available.

[chalsall]

Originally Posted by Dr Sardonicus

It occurs to me to wonder what type of things they're getting. Given the circumstances (and my experience growing up), it seems unlikely that we're talking about "dinner" being anything like a home-cooked meal.

Yeah... A very good point. I actually managed to get scurvy twice (seriously) because I self-fed as a youth. One leaf of lettuce on a deep-fried chicken sandwich does not make a complete meal, it turns out. But that's what I ate. For more than four years.

Originally Posted by Dr Sardonicus

Perhaps picking up something from a grocery store on the way home from work is the least bad of the choices available.

Agreed. It might, at the very least, suggest that there might be some greens in there. And, at least one parent in the equation.

We can all complain about how bad we all have had it...

Empirically... Many others have had (and are having) it *far* worse than we could even begin to try to imagine.

[ATH]

Good news, bad news:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XlcFTbgoeBk&t=24s

[Dr Sardonicus]

Bad news: I got a robocall from Public Health with a recorded message requesting that I call back to "discuss" my test result.

Good news: They're taking calls 24/7. I called back immediately.

Bad news: I was "on hold" for a little over half an hour, with some of the the sappiest music ever recorded being played over and over after each time the recorded message played saying "Thank you for calling..."

Good news: The "discussion" was merely a nice gal telling me that my test was positive, and then reading the protocols I was supposed to follow.

Bad news: That poor gal, and others similarly situated, have probably been reading the same protocols every five minutes for goodness knows how long

Good news: What she read out answered the one question I'd had. My isolation will end 10 days from onset of symptoms (assuming I am free of symptoms by then, which seems likelier by the day).

This didn't apply to me, but one of the protocols was for people with no symptoms (asymptomatic) but got tested, and tested positive, their isolation is for ten days FROM THE DAY OF THE TEST.

So I guess I'm lucky I only got tested because I already had symptoms.

But I thought CDC guidelines were 5 days of isolation for asymptomatic people who tested positive.

[chalsall]

Originally Posted by Dr Sardonicus

But I thought CDC guidelines were 5 days of isolation for asymptomatic people who tested positive.

I hope this doesn't come across as flippant, but... At the end of the day, everyone stands alone. Make decisions you are comfortable defending. Be it to one or more Gods. Or yourself. Or your loved ones.

IMHO, you should be thankful there was actually a human in a call center that took your call (despite the holding time).

This means the "system" is working (or, at least, has invested some effort in trying to make it work). And, I know from first-hand experience that those taking the calls are seriously over-worked and stressed out!

On a more personal note... I am very glad to hear you are OK.

Unpresidented times. Again. And, likely, forever.

[Dr Sardonicus]

Originally Posted by chalsall

<snip>
IMHO, you should be thankful there was actually a human in a call center that took your call (despite the holding time).

This means the "system" is working (or, at least, has invested some effort in trying to make it work). And, I know from first-hand experience that those taking the calls are seriously over-worked and stressed out!

I can only imagine what these people are enduring. I'm pretty sure some folks have reacted poorly to hearing things like "Don't go outside unless you need medical treatment."

I listened to the gal read through the guidelines. I told her I understood. I said I'd been sick but was feeling better. She said he was glad to hear it. I thanked her for that.

On a more personal note... I am very glad to hear you are OK.

Thank you!

I'm glad I was vaxxed and boosted. Likely part of the reason my case was mild. And possibly for me not losing sense of taste and smell. I can hardly wait 'til I'm out and about, and people hear I got the bug.

"But you got COVID anyway. Don't you see, you brainwashed vaxxer idiot? That proves the vaccine doesn't work!"

[chalsall]

Originally Posted by Dr Sardonicus

"But you got COVID anyway. Don't you see, you brainwashed vaxxer idiot? That proves the vaccine doesn't work!"

That actually raises an interesting question...

Did "they" do a deep drill-down on the samples you provided, to determine what variant it was classified as? Were there any "deltas" of interest? Could this have been a "false positive" because of your booster?

Can people who test positive "opt-in" to such analysis. Or is this done automatically?

I know people are dying. But this is a really interesting real-time example of policy response.

It is fascinating to observe. My apologies for being a little bit weird...

[axn]

Originally Posted by Dr Sardonicus

But I thought CDC guidelines were 5 days of isolation for asymptomatic people who tested positive.

I think it is for people who came into contact with a known COVID patient, and thus isolating. If they remain asymptomatic for 5 days, they can come out of isolation, with a further 5 days of masking. Or something like that.

[henryzz]

Originally Posted by Dr Sardonicus

I'm glad I was vaxxed and boosted. Likely part of the reason my case was mild. And possibly for me not losing sense of taste and smell. I can hardly wait 'til I'm out and about, and people hear I got the bug.

Probably also because it is likely Omicron. Generally milder and doesn't usually affect taste and smell.

[chalsall]

Originally Posted by henryzz

Probably also because it is likely Omicron. Generally milder and doesn't usually affect taste and smell.

Yes.

Importantly, the current empirical data suggests strongly that Omicron doesn't attack the lungs as much as the earlier variants, while still bringing the autoimmune system up to speed as to what to watch out for because of the similarities.

IMHO, we got lucky with Omicron.

Important to note the data out of Israel suggests that even after a fourth Vax shot, "break-through" infections can still happen.

One works with what one is given...