CDC suspends social distancing and masks if fully vaccinated

[wadesworld]

My health club isn't requiring masks (although there are still dumb city guidelines)... barely anyone is wearing one. Steam room, sauna, hot tub... all reopened. Bar is restocked as well. Great to see.

#LastDays

[ZiggysFryBoy]

Dane Co has decided that the science will kick in June 1st, but not until then.

[Billy Hoyle]

My health club isn't requiring masks (although there are still dumb city guidelines)... barely anyone is wearing one. Steam room, sauna, hot tub... all reopened. Bar is restocked as well. Great to see.

One of my old studios is no longer requiring them upon proof of vaccination. Running on a treadmill at a full spring while inhaling a mask was no fun. My wife's yoga studio is still requiring them, as is the one down the street.

[jesmu84]

One of my old studios is no longer requiring them upon proof of vaccination. Running on a treadmill at a full spring while inhaling a mask was no fun. My wife's yoga studio is still requiring them, as is the one down the street.

What's considered proof?

Are you okay with being required to provide proof?

[Marquette Fan]

The YMCA had gone to masks being recommended but not required when the mask mandate was overturned in Wisconsin.  I wear one when I'm heading in and out but don't wear one while working out.  There aren't many people still wearing masks there though.

[MU82]

I went to Costco today, my first time in a big-box retail outlet since masks stopped being required. All employees still wore them, and I'd estimate that about half the customers did, too.

I wore mine; I don't mind when I'm not being active, and I figured it wouldn't hurt. I didn't wear it the night before when I umpired a youth baseball game.

[Billy Hoyle]

What's considered proof?

Are you okay with being required to provide proof?

Showing your card. We keep a photo on our phones.

And I am ok with it. I had to provide proof of vaccination to go to MU and needed to go to the health center for updated shots before starting grad school.

One interesting development from the State of Oregon in considering restaurants to have separate vaccinated and non-vaccinated sections.

[Lennys Tap]

Showing your card. We keep a photo on our phones.

And I am ok with it. I had to provide proof of vaccination to go to MU and needed to go to the health center for updated shots before starting grad school.

One interesting development from the State of Oregon in considering restaurants to have separate vaccinated and non-vaccinated sections.

Oregon has lots of great ideas. Is Portland's mayor still touting the takeover of part of her city as a "Summer (and a Fall, Winter and Spring) of Love"?

[The Sultan]

These things dead like vaccine passports and "unvaccinated sections" of restaurants all sound good, but none of it will be a reality affecting our daily lives come fall IMO.

[JWags85]

One of my old studios is no longer requiring them upon proof of vaccination. Running on a treadmill at a full spring while inhaling a mask was no fun. My wife's yoga studio is still requiring them, as is the one down the street.

My gym in the Milwaukee burbs just announced "mask optional" but kind of hinted at respect and courtesy.  But interestingly, it was just posted on their website but not an email blast per usual.  When I was there yesterday morning, it was pretty much masked business as usual, save for treadmills (but cardio has been maskless for a few months).

My finacee goes to a pilates studio that is mask optional, but Id say 75-80% of classes are still specifically noted and marked as "masked"

[MU82]

Oregon has lots of great ideas. Is Portland's mayor still touting the takeover of part of her city as a "Summer (and a Fall, Winter and Spring) of Love"?

Oregon's not the only place with great ideas, Lenny. Is the former "law-and-order" president still saying that the Capitol rioters actually were hugging and kissing cops -- 100+ of whom were injured, many seriously? Are "law-and-order" GOP congresspeople like Andrew Clyde still saying 1/6/21 was like a peaceful day of tourism at the Capitol? (Actually, we know they are; Clyde said this only a couple days ago -- even though photos have surfaced of a terrified Clyde barricading the doors to the chambers.)

[rocky_warrior]

Oregon has lots of great ideas. Is Portland's mayor still touting the takeover of part of her city as a "Summer (and a Fall, Winter and Spring) of Love"?

You're confusing Portland with Seattle, and also a problem Seattle took care of.  But never let facts get in the way of a good story.

But hey, guys, how about the CDC and not just your political opinions, eh?

[Billy Hoyle]

Oregon has lots of great ideas. Is Portland's mayor still touting the takeover of part of her city as a "Summer (and a Fall, Winter and Spring) of Love"?

That wasn't our Mayor (he's a spineless idiot but better than the alternatives, which is f'ing scary to think about). It was Seattle's. Our Mayor, instead of calling out the police when his condo building was attacked and set on fire, moved.

On a more germane topic, studies are showing that infection and transmission of COVID if you are fully vaccinated is extremely low. "Dr. Amesh A. Adalja, a senior scholar at The Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security, told Health magazine "that if you are fully vaccinated, you are virtually unable to be infected with the virus or serve as a vector of spread."

https://www.oregonlive.com/coronavirus/2021/05/can-a-vaccinated-person-still-spread-covid-19-studies-indicate-its-very-unlikely.html?utm_campaign=theoregonian_sf&utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=social&fbclid=IwAR1zJU6EGKC7DcjDhRBoiYFwUJqzU4ecaF_me6epSvDGwHAp50tI6nTnRI8

[The Sultan]

Nursing home around the corner.   One unvaccinated staffer.   Gave it to 9 other vaccinated people, staff and patients.   Unvaccinated staffer is symptomatic and in the hospital.   Other 9 are all positive but asymptomatic.

OK to follow this up, I just read this on the New York Yankees outbreak.

https://nymag.com/intelligencer/2021/05/what-really-happened-with-that-weird-yankees-covid-outbreak.html

"I've always said that it is very unlikely that these vaccines will create fully sterilizing immunity. Sterilizing immunity is the kind of immunity where, if you get exposed and the virus lands in your respiratory tract, it will be neutralized (or killed) immediately. It will not have a chance to replicate. On the other hand, you can have very highly protective vaccines that are not fully sterilizing — vaccines that prevent you from illness, especially severe illness, but may still allow the virus to grow.

...

This is a technology that can catch just ten molecules of virus. But this is a virus that when it is contagious, there are billions of molecules. So we have to be very careful about how we interpret PCR results. Just because the virus can grow a bit — and be detected on a PCR test — does not mean we are stuck in the woods as far as herd immunity goes.A vaccine that doesn't create sterilizing immunity can still greatly limit virus growth, perhaps enough to massively limit transmission. This is likely the case with the mRNA vaccines at least, given the large reductions in cases among kids in hospitals as a result of the adults getting vaccinated. Clearly transmission declined significantly enough to elicit some level of herd effects on the kids."


So in other words....

1. Testing those who are considered "close contacts" is going to yield positive results, but those results very likely are irrelevant because it is doubtful it will replicate enough to be spread.

and 2.  Randomly testing vaccinated people is going to lead to similar results.

Therefore we should stop testing asymptomatic people who are vaccinated.

[rocky_warrior]

Therefore we should stop testing asymptomatic people who are vaccinated.

???

Except to help scientists understand virus/variant transmission amongst vaccinated people. I understand your point that there's not much need (right now)- but I believe the idea is that it's not impossible for a variant "breakthrough" that vaccinated  people could transmit.  So, until we're truly "done" with this thing, testing, testing, testing (and analyzing) are important.

[The Sultan]

???

Except to help scientists understand virus/variant transmission amongst vaccinated people. I understand your point that there's not much need (right now)- but I believe the idea is that it's not impossible for a variant "breakthrough" that vaccinated  people could transmit.  So, until we're truly "done" with this thing, testing, testing, testing (and analyzing) are important.

If a variant is truly a "breakthrough" it would cause a spike in vaccinated people becoming symptomatic.  But until that actually happens, I am not sure how testing a bunch of people who aren't sick is going to help any.  If those people are just carrying variants, but not sick from them or spreading them...what's the point?

[rocky_warrior]

If a variant is truly a "breakthrough" it would cause a spike in vaccinated people becoming symptomatic.  But until that actually happens, I am not sure how testing a bunch of people who aren't sick is going to help any.  If those people are just carrying variants, but not sick from them or spreading them...what's the point?

Certainly if community spread keeps dropping like it has, there is not much point - and ideally we'll get there soon.  But until we get to very minimal spread, it's pretty much SOP in a pandemic to test asymptomatic to understand spread, and take steps to reduce transmission.

[The Sultan]

Certainly if community spread keeps dropping like it has, there is not much point - and ideally we'll get there soon.  But until we get to very minimal spread, it's pretty much SOP in a pandemic to test asymptomatic to understand spread, and take steps to reduce transmission.

But if the vaccinated are asymptomatic, they aren't spreading it.  Which is why the mask recommendations have been lifted right?

[Frenns Liquor Depot]

I would jump onto the Michael Mina soapbox if I were the CDC or one of these organizations that continue to test to keep the work environment safe.  Ditch the PCR and instead to an antigen/quick test to see if people are infectious.  Seems like a better surveillance method.

Learning a bunch of Yankees have a trace amount of virus is interesting and makes good news for a few days, but isn't very useful.

[rocky_warrior]

But if the vaccinated are asymptomatic, they aren't spreading it.  Which is why the mask recommendations have been lifted right?

1) Unlikely to spread it.
2) I thought we were talking about testing, and your contention that testing asymptomatic should be immediately stopped.  Not about masks. 

Again, ideally it's all moot in anther few weeks.  I just don't think the testing is "hurting" anything to stop the spread of the virus, or has any effect on most people's lives.  It's mostly regular testing in healthcare or work settings (nursing home, MLB) which is catching these asymptomatic.  And those data points are useful for scientists.  Now, to Frenns point, the media running with the info is only for sensationalism. 

So perhaps you just object to hearing about asymptomatic test results

[The Sultan]

BTW, our public health guidelines on campus for next year look like they are going to be...  Do everything like you did this year....test and isolate the symptomatic, contact trace those they came in contact with, but the vaccinated are exempt from testing and quarantine (unless symptomatic) AND are exempt from surveillance testing as well.

Right now we are leaning against mandating vaccines, but making it very clear that many of the rules and regulations from 2020-21 will still be in place next year if you aren't vaccinated.  (Including indoor masking and distancing.)

[The Lens]

BTW, our public health guidelines on campus for next year look like they are going to be...  Do everything like you did this year....test and isolate the symptomatic, contact trace those they came in contact with, but the vaccinated are exempt from testing and quarantine (unless symptomatic) AND are exempt from surveillance testing as well.

Right now we are leaning against mandating vaccines, but making it very clear that many of the rules and regulations from 2020-21 will still be in place next year if you aren't vaccinated.  (Including indoor masking and distancing.)

What do you think about Lawrence U going with the vaxx mandate?  Always tough to be first but I thought maybe others would follow.

[The Sultan]

What do you think about Lawrence U going with the vaxx mandate?  Always tough to be first but I thought maybe others would follow.

We will see.  Lawrence is more "liberal," draws from a more diverse geographic profile, and has the endowment to weather any students who decide to head elsewhere because of this more than most private schools in Wisconsin.  It absolutely is not surprising that they were the first to make this decision.

To me it seems a little early.  I would guess you won't see other schools coming to conclusions about this for another few weeks.

[StillAWarrior]

We will see.  Lawrence is more "liberal," draws from a more diverse geographic profile, and has the endowment to weather any students who decide to head elsewhere because of this more than most private schools in Wisconsin.  It absolutely is not surprising that they were the first to make this decision.

To me it seems a little early.  I would guess you won't see other schools coming to conclusions about this for another few weeks.

Here's Purdue's approach (at least as of last week):

In Year Two of the Protect Purdue Pledge, students may choose either to:

1) Get fully vaccinated and successfully submit valid documentation before coming to campus this fall. (Students who choose to vaccinate upon arrival to campus may utilize our onsite clinic at no charge.) OR
2) Participate in frequent, mandatory surveillance testing. 

Students who provide valid documentation of full vaccination status against COVID-19 will be exempted from mandatory surveillance testing and may enjoy greater amounts of choice as it pertains to activities on campus. Random audits of submitted documentation will be performed to confirm vaccination status. Submitting falsified vaccine documentation will result in swift and severe disciplinary action, up to and including expulsion.

[MU82]

My daughter, a Lawrence alum, was thrilled to see her alma mater take a leadership role.