Coronavirus and Walt Disney World general discussion

[carolina_yankee]

Do these happen at new vac sites or from a briefing room?
I'm curious how it works in other parts of the country, I have lived years in four states and they are all different in response.

He and the health commissioner visit new sites that open and at all milestones, such as first shot, first centenarian, etc.

the Briefings themselves are in an auditorium.





A friend of mine referred to Cuomo’s briefings as her bad boy summer fling that she quickly got over and Governor Murphy’s briefings as coming home to Sunday dinner with Dad and Mom. (Judy Persichelli is the state health commissioner). Murphy is also former ambassador to Germany so he knows how to be diplomatic and gave the previous administration credit where credit was due.

 

[GoofGoof]

2.2M doses today per the Bloomberg tracker. I think that’s a daily high all time. 7 day average up to almost 1.5M a day.

On the delivery front 94M doses delivered as of this morning. It’s looking good to hit 100M delivered by end of Feb. It will still be tough to hit the target of 220M Pfizer and Moderna by end of March, but the manufacturers are ramping up production so who knows. I think if they can even do 100M more doses (200M total) by around end of March that will be a pretty good achievement. There are roughly 5 weeks to go so the manufacturers would need to average 10M doses a week each. Pfizer said they would ramp up to 13M doses a week by mid-March so it seems doable to get to 200M doses by end of March still and possibly even more. Add in 20M doses of JnJ and we should have enough doses for 120-130M people by the end of March or close to 40% of the population. Not too bad.

Bloomberg - Are you a robot?

 

[SamusAranX]

As a young healthy 30 year old, I will gladly take a JnJ shot if it means faster vaccination. I’m ready for getting some sense of normalcy back

 

[DisneyFan32]

When masks and social distancing will go away soon? @GoofGoof and will the pandemic will be end soon in USA?

 

[Disney Experience]

Not sure if this information was already posted here:

Pfizer and BioNTech Initiate a Study as Part of Broad Development Plan to Evaluate COVID-19 Booster and New Vaccine Variants | Pfizer

The evaluation is part of the Phase 1/2/3 trial and will study a third dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine, BNT162b2, at 30 µg that will be given to Phase 1 participants to evaluate the safety and tolerability of a booster vaccine Discussions with regulatory authorities are ongoing...

www.pfizer.com

Times of Israel: https://www.timesofisrael.com/pfize...imed-at-defeating-south-african-virus-strain/

In one study, the US and German pharmaceutical firms said they would look at what happens when people are given a third dose of their two-shot vaccine, six to 12 months after the booster.

Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla told NBC News on Thursday: “We believe that the third dose will raise the antibody response 10- to 20- fold.”

They said in a statement they are also talking to regulators about testing a modified version of their original vaccine to address the South African variant known as B.1.351.

 

[GoofGoof]

When masks and social distancing will go away soon? @GoofGoof and will the pandemic will be end soon in USA?

Let me look into my crystal ball.....

Masks and distancing gone in the US:

• Definitely before 2022
• Probably by WDW’s 50th on October 1st
• Maybe some time this summer
• Unlikely before Memorial Day

The worldwide pandemic ending:

• Likely by the end of 2022
• Maybe by Spring 2022
• Unlikely before Spring 2022

I’m sure I’ll get killed by the doom and gloom crew over being too optimistic, but I’m pretty bullish on the vaccine rollout so far. There are many variables that could derail us like variants and vaccine hesitancy, but so far things look pretty good

Should I start a thread for a contest where we pick the date WDW officially removes all masks and distancing requirements like the Pandora opening date contest and the one for SW:GE? I feel like maybe Covid is too serious a topic, but maybe we all could use a little more light hearted.

 

[danlb_2000]

Let me look into my crystal ball.....

Masks and distancing gone in the US:

• Definitely before 2022
• Probably by WDW’s 50th on October 1st
• Maybe some time this summer
• Unlikely before Memorial Day

The worldwide pandemic ending:

• Likely by the end of 2022
• Maybe by Spring 2022
• Unlikely before Spring 2022

I’m sure I’ll get killed by the doom and gloom crew over being too optimistic, but I’m pretty bullish on the vaccine rollout so far. There are many variables that could derail us like variants and vaccine hesitancy, but so far things look pretty good

Should I start a thread for a contest where we pick the date WDW officially removes all masks and distancing requirements like the Pandora opening date contest and the one for SW:GE? I feel like maybe Covid is too serious a topic, but maybe we all could use a little more light hearted.

Is there a formal criteria for what constitutes a Pandemic?

 

[DisneyFan32]

Let me look into my crystal ball.....

Masks and distancing gone in the US:

• Definitely before 2022
• Probably by WDW’s 50th on October 1st
• Maybe some time this summer
• Unlikely before Memorial Day

The worldwide pandemic ending:

• Likely by the end of 2022
• Maybe by Spring 2022
• Unlikely before Spring 2022

I’m sure I’ll get killed by the doom and gloom crew over being too optimistic, but I’m pretty bullish on the vaccine rollout so far. There are many variables that could derail us like variants and vaccine hesitancy, but so far things look pretty good

Should I start a thread for a contest where we pick the date WDW officially removes all masks and distancing requirements like the Pandora opening date contest and the one for SW:GE? I feel like maybe Covid is too serious a topic, but maybe we all could use a little more light hearted.

My guess is NJ may lift masks and social distancing by early summer?

 

[Disney Experience]

The following article mentions broadly what has been done including use of the DPA, Economy Act, and CARES in the fight for covid. It also talks about dealing with military personal reluctance to be vaccinated, the risk inherent when 80% of our needles and syringes come from a single country (China). Finally they acknowledge the need to help the rest of the world and to deal with future variants.

DOD Officials Provide COVID-19 Response Update

Three Defense Department officials testified at a Senate Armed Services Committee hearing on the department's support for the COVID-19 response.

www.defense.gov

 

[danlb_2000]

My guess is NJ may lift masks and social distancing by early summer?

It's really going to depend on the case counts. NJ has been pretty cautious all along so probably won't lift the restrictions as soon as other states.

 

[Crunchie9]

Let me look into my crystal ball.....

Masks and distancing gone in the US:

• Definitely before 2022
• Probably by WDW’s 50th on October 1st
• Maybe some time this summer
• Unlikely before Memorial Day

The worldwide pandemic ending:

• Likely by the end of 2022
• Maybe by Spring 2022
• Unlikely before Spring 2022

I’m sure I’ll get killed by the doom and gloom crew over being too optimistic, but I’m pretty bullish on the vaccine rollout so far. There are many variables that could derail us like variants and vaccine hesitancy, but so far things look pretty good

Should I start a thread for a contest where we pick the date WDW officially removes all masks and distancing requirements like the Pandora opening date contest and the one for SW:GE? I feel like maybe Covid is too serious a topic, but maybe we all could use a little more light hearted.

Puts on October 1st.

 

[seabreezept813]

Because I think the mRNA shots have proven themselves.

The high school my wife works for just announced they are having a spring musical. So, I guess...
View attachment 535523

Our high school is bringing back all sports and activities. Covid must be over, except there were 8 student cases this week and we are a small school.

 

[GoofGoof]

Is there a formal criteria for what constitutes a Pandemic?

I’ve seen various definitions. A pandemic is an epidemic that covers more than one continent. An epidemic is when disease spreads at a higher level than normal in a specific region or country. It’s a wider spread version of an outbreak which occurs in a smaller, concentrated geographic area. I think there are some technical requirements to reach an epidemic based on number of deaths vs an average periodic death rate. As for when an epidemic or pandemic is over, I think it works like a recession where you don’t know it ended until months later when they look back and determine an end date or a loose timeframe. There is some thought that Covid could become endemic where it’s still around for a long time (possibly forever) but it becomes more harmless like the common cold Corona viruses. In that case at some point the pandemic ends but I’m not sure there will be a specific date defined.

 

[DCBaker]

 

[GhostHost1000]

If that’s true they are going backwards on this

 

[Chi84]

We have that same rule for restaurants in my state. It makes sense for waiting or standing in line to get in, but no one is pulling masks up and down while they're eating. I think they may be having a problem with people in counter service locations sitting at tables waiting for their food or taking breaks at the tables without actually dining. Like everything else, I suspect it will be enforced if they see people trying to get around the rules, but not carried to the point of absurdity.

 

[CatesMom]

Here's the funny thing I've noticed. This website has a collection of posters whose opinions on all matters COVID are more informed and in-line with the evolving science consensus than Medscape. The comments section of Medscape is supposed to be open only to medical professionals, but because there's essentially no moderation and anyone can claim to be a "doctor", you get comments from hard-core antivaxxers, conspiracy theorists of all sorts, herbalists, naturopaths, people with purely political or economic agendas etc. A real hot garbage dump. I think most real licensed professionals have given up policing the comments section, and just read the articles.

So, who would have thought, I found one of the best, generally most mature on-going debates about COVID, covering the medical, scientific, economic and societal aspects... on a Disney parks fansite.

Agreed. After sampling many other COVID discussion groups, I follow here because I look forward to connecting with the multiple points of view, the factual data mixed with anecdotal evidence, and the optimism that those of us not-so-patiently waiting for our shots will find a pot of gold (or at least a return trip to Disney) at the end of the rainbow.

 

[DisneyFan32]

@GoofGoof if all cases are so low by early summer as people got all vaccine by summer then masks and social distancing will gone forever?

 

[Patcheslee]

Our high school is bringing back all sports and activities. Covid must be over, except there were 8 student cases this week and we are a small school.

Swim team finally got the go ahead to allow parents only at home meets here starting Monday, so 3 meets for the season. Masks and distancing required. All other sports have been allowing attendance since October. Our county is at 4.8% 7 day positivity. They still have to limit the away meets to only half the kids due to spacing on the bus.

We have that same rule for restaurants in my state. It makes sense for waiting or standing in line to get in, but no one is pulling masks up and down while they're eating. I think they may be having a problem with people in counter service locations sitting at tables waiting for their food or taking breaks at the tables without actually dining. Like everything else, I suspect it will be enforced if they see people trying to get around the rules, but not carried to the point of absurdity.

DH is a little leary about how harsh enforcement was going to be. Mainly because he's asthmatic, the mask doesn't bother him itself, but asthma is always an issue in summer. Last local amusement park visit, security threaten to throw us out because he lowered his mask while using his inhaler. I understand there are designated areas which we were nowhere close to, but that was IMO absurd. It's one of the few times I've questioned Kings Islands "concern" for people, and written a complaint. I highly doubt Disney would do something so ignorant.

 

[TrainsOfDisney]

Last local amusement park visit, security threaten to throw us out because he lowered his mask while using his inhaler. I understand there are designated areas which we were nowhere close to, but that was IMO absurd. It's one of the few times I've questioned Kings Islands "concern" for people, and written a complaint. I highly doubt Disney would do something so ignorant.

I wouldn’t put it past some Disney Security.