Omicron variant

Linda Harris59 said:You’re talking complete nonsense here. If the mortality rate were actually down to one in a million, we wouldn't be calling this a pandemic, our hospitals wouldn't be overflowing, and our healthcare workers wouldn't be reaching their breaking point.

What exactly do you mean by "breaking point"?

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Sarah Ross21 said:Because the flu isn't anywhere near as contagious. It doesn't multiply nearly as fast. Period.

There are more than 500,000 posts on this entire forum, and easily 50,000 of them are people trying to compare the flu, the common cold, and COVID. Come on, people! We've been stuck in this endless loop of nonsense for almost two years now. 🤦

Nathan Evans78 said:There are more than 500,000 posts on this entire forum, and easily 50,000 of them are people trying to compare the flu, the common cold, and COVID. Come on, people! We've been stuck in this endless loop of nonsense for almost two years now. 🤦

And why wouldn't you compare them? At the end of the day, all three are respiratory viruses with basically identical symptoms, transmission methods, and seasonal patterns. Some people don't even catch them, some just sneeze a couple of times, some end up on a ventilator, and yeah, some people die from any of the three. To me, the only thing actually worth looking at is how nobody seems to be catching a standard cold or the flu anymore since 2020—all thanks to those measures that supposedly didn't do much for COVID.

Betty Gonzalez912 said:These kinds of populist "arguments" just leave a bad taste in my mouth.
So, by that logic, if the mortality rate drops to one in a million, are lockdowns still justified? If not, where exactly do we draw the line on when measures should be lifted?

Why is it that during flu season—which is milder than COVID, let's be clear—no one ever pushes for strict mandates using that same reasoning: if we save even one life through heavy restrictions, then it’s worth it...

Look, hospitals or nursing homes have definitely used measures for the flu before. For example, my friend's husband actually wasn't allowed in the delivery room when their baby was born—way before COVID hit—because the hospital had gone into quarantine due to an insanely nasty flu season that winter. But as far as I know, there was never anything on a massive, nationwide scale.

Now, if you ask me, these kinds of measures actually make sense if the goal is to stop the healthcare system from getting totally overwhelmed. Because when that happens, it doesn't just mess with COVID; it hits every single function of the hospital. Now, whether *these specific* measures are the right way to achieve that? Well, that's a whole other debate! But from what I remember, the flu never came close to making the entire medical system collapse like COVID did, so it obviously wasn't hitting as hard. In those isolated cases where things got risky, a local hospital would just step in with a quarantine. No media circus, no huge headlines, because it wouldn't be happening in every hospital across the country at once. And honestly, that seemed plenty.

So, if COVID ever reaches the level of being a threat to the hospital system similar to how we handle the flu, then sure, we could go back to those types of measures. And hey, if someone wants to protect themselves, they've got vaccines available (just like for the flu)—you can get vaccinated every winter. Personally, I get my flu shot regularly, even though I'm not exactly a senior citizen! It's just a habit from living in a place where that was totally normal and free—I kept up the habit after moving back here, even though people here often give me weird looks when I show up from the pharmacy with my vaccine (and thankfully, I don't need a hundred bucks to pay for it!).

mellowskipper said:What exactly do you mean by "breaking point"?

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You’re talking about hospitals reaching capacity and medical staff being pushed to their breaking point over a mild, virtually harmless illness where the mortality rate is one in a million.

Linda Harris59 said:You’re talking about hospitals reaching capacity and medical staff being pushed to their breaking point over a mild, virtually harmless illness where the mortality rate is one in a million.

Riley?

You’re really out here arguing with a nurse about whether hospitals are full and staff are struggling, expecting us to take your word over hers? 😵

If I remember right and mellowskipper isn't in healthcare, then my bad.

cosmicorca16 said:Riley?

You’re really out here arguing with a nurse about whether hospitals are full and staff are struggling, expecting us to take your word over hers? 😵

If I remember right and mellowskipper isn't in healthcare, then my bad.

There are anti-vax doctors out there, too. If you want to put your faith in them instead of me, be my guest.

My impression is that a good chunk of my coworkers are teetering right on the edge of total burnout, but whatever...

No issues here, everything is just peachy—it's all Masons, 5G, and bin Laden. 👍

Linda Harris59 said:You’re talking about hospitals reaching capacity and medical staff being pushed to their breaking point over a mild, virtually harmless illness where the mortality rate is one in a million.

Since I actually work in a hospital, let me clarify things for you—immediately. Hospitals are ALWAYS full. That was the case long before COVID ever showed up. And honestly, nobody is "burning out" from exhaustion; people are just doing their jobs, except now they’re getting double the pay for it. Especially the nurses—they’re working 15 days a month on the COVID wards for twice the usual salary. It’s quite something. There is actually a massive line of people fighting to get onto those units, so no one is collapsing from fatigue, and frankly, nobody is spreading misinformation here.

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cosmicorca16 said:Riley?

You’re really out here arguing with a nurse about whether hospitals are full and staff are struggling, expecting us to take your word over hers? 😵

If I remember right and mellowskipper isn't in healthcare, then my bad.

Look, I’m not a nurse, but I am a healthcare worker, and we have a dedicated COVID ward here at the hospital.

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Linda Harris59 said:There are anti-vax doctors out there, too. If you want to put your faith in them instead of me, be my guest.

What are you even talking about? I guess since I haven't been vaccinated, I must be a liar now—that’s some next-level logic right there.
But, just to make things easier for you, there are plenty of doctors and nurses who didn't get the COVID shot either, yet they still show up and take care of their patients in the ICU every single day.
Anyway, believe whatever you want to believe...

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cosmicorca16 said:Riley?

You’re really out here arguing with a nurse about whether hospitals are full and staff are struggling, expecting us to take your word over hers? 😵

If I remember right and mellowskipper isn't in healthcare, then my bad.

Give me a break, the news was all over it saying they're completely overwhelmed and running on fumes.

This whole Omicron thing turned out to be a total dud. 🤣
The media promised us an absolute catastrophe, and then... nothing.