Coronavirus and Walt Disney World general discussion

[correcaminos]

A couple states over in Ohio, our cases still are increasing slightly, but hospitalizations are holding steady for the past 2 weeks. I hope things start declining soon.

Nationally, the CDc seems to show hospitalizations decreasing the past couple weeks, while the Covid tracking project shows them continuing to increase. As a tiebreaker, NYT agrees with the Covid tracking project.

Depends on where in the state too. Hospitalizations locally are down cases are stable. Still too high per capita as a whole.

 

[_caleb]

It’s illogical and I don’t agree with it, but I think the idea is “rooting for COVID deaths in order to justify extreme measures designed to prevent every last death.” Crazy as it sounds.

I think yours is a good translation, unfortunately. I'd think anyone who has been paying attention to what's been said in this thread could find a bit more charitable summary of what most of us here have been saying.

Maybe something like "pointing to COVID deaths in order to justify uncomfortable but reasonable measures designed to slow the spread, not overwhelm our hospitals, and prevent as many deaths as possible."

 

[DCBaker]

 

[GoofGoof]

I think yours is a good translation, unfortunately. I'd think anyone who has been paying attention to what's been said in this thread could find a bit more charitable summary of what most of us here have been saying.

Maybe something like "pointing to COVID deaths in order to justify uncomfortable but reasonable measures designed to slow the spread, not overwhelm our hospitals, and prevent as many deaths as possible."

Agreed. Pointing out that covid deaths are high or higher than they need to be isn’t rooting for deaths. Where do people get this stuff from. As far as preventive measures, I’m not sure how anyone can say anything done in the US to date comes remotely close to extreme measures designed to prevent every last death. If they were it’s an epic fail looking at deaths per capita vs most other places (top 10 worst in the world).

 

[sullyinMT]

So, watching the FDA advisory panel trying to decide how to better word their question is really something. You think the general public or this forum gets hung up on semantics about what to call a second shot, or whether a particular news report is sensationalized or biased ...

 

[mmascari]

The numbers aren’t great but not terrible either compared to some places. The percent positive is holding, not at a great level, but not going way up either. Let’s hope this is just the peak of the Thanksgiving bump and doesn‘t keep rising.

169,000 tests and 8.84% positivity.

Imagine if 2 months ago instead of around 75,000 tests with positivity around 4.5%, we did the contact tracing to drive the testing demand of contacts so that 169,000 were being done then? Along with those test results being fast enough to be useful.

Now that's positivity floating around 9%, we should be doing that much more testing and need that much more tracing capacity. While 169,000 is double+ the old 75,000 it's still not enough because the spread got so much worse between the two times.

 

[Disney Experience]

FDA Vaccine and Related Biological Products Advisory Committee Meeting results:

"Based on the totality of scientific evidence available, do the benefits of the Moderna COVID-19 Vaccine outweigh its risks for use in individuals 18 years of age and older?"

Yea: 20
Nay: 00
Abstain: 01

 

[mmascari]

So, watching the FDA advisory panel trying to decide how to better word their question is really something. You think the general public or this forum gets hung up on semantics about what to call a second shot, or whether a particular news report is sensationalized or biased ...

Ask a friend that works in medical development or for the FDA (either side of the conversation, don't we all know someone that worked to get approval?). They'll tell you that in written response with the FDA, every sentence and word is analyzed. Everything is looked at for the hidden meaning that some legal process says they cannot say directly. Every indication that the applicant should explore X but cannot be called out directly.

These panels and any FDA calls are all a big deal. Every interaction is. People will be analyzing every little detail afterwards.

 

[sullyinMT]

Ask a friend that works in medical development or for the FDA (either side of the conversation, don't we all know someone that worked to get approval?). They'll tell you that in written response with the FDA, every sentence and word is analyzed. Everything is looked at for the hidden meaning that some legal process says they cannot say directly. Every indication that the applicant should explore X but cannot be called out directly.

These panels and any FDA calls are all a big deal. Every interaction is. People will be analyzing every little detail afterwards.

Wife is in pharma consulting for clinical trials and provider education around them, so your point is well taken and understood. But the last twenty minutes of the meeting leading up to the vote was pretty heated (and some of the concerns were valid).

 

[_caleb]

So, watching the FDA advisory panel trying to decide how to better word their question is really something. You think the general public or this forum gets hung up on semantics about what to call a second shot, or whether a particular news report is sensationalized or biased ...

Seems to me they have a bit more at stake than we do here.

 

[sullyinMT]

Seems to me they have a bit more at stake than we do here.

Of course. It was my poor attempt at being light hearted. Sheesh

 

[MagicHappens1971]

It’s not off topic, actually right on topic. Thanks for the update!

No problem, I was still in universal at the time and didn’t go into great detail, but, I am not one who is overly cautious so these few things did not deter me directly, however: 1) the distancing is VERY minimal, there are few who enforce the rules, but far less then Disney (IMO), 2) the mask guidelines are very open, neck gaiters are allowed, face shields (from what I saw) are allowed. 3) I have heard Disney is now no longer distancing parties on attractions, for me, I don’t really care one way or the other but consistency would be nice, for example, on Hagrids, no distancing (assuming for capacity and what not) but then all other attractions are and their wait times are suffering due to it. I have also found, as many of us know, the parks have substantially less to do, when you’re not waiting in such long lines, being held up by massive crowds, and what not, for that reason we were pretty much done with islands of adventure by 2. It was 59°, so the three water rides weren’t really an option. I saw some people with their “First Visit” buttons from Disney and honestly feel bad for them. Also a little annoyance from my Harry Potter fan side, JK Rowling was painstakingly specific on the attention to detail and accuracy within the Wizarding World, whether it be Hogsmeade or Diagon Alley, universal has used the pandemic to STRONGLY cheapen that experience. I know this is not a Universal board, but as someone who has been going to Disney extremely often since I was young, and frequenting Universal often enough, I assume the dilution of theming and care applies to Disney as well at the moment. Take all this with a grain of salt, if you’re a park regular (AP, local,etc), go to the parks and enjoy your time, but if you’re a once in a lifetime, once every few years kind of person wanting to travel during the pandemic, I would argue that the parks are just not worth their sticker price.

 

[_caleb]

Of course. It was my poor attempt at being light hearted. Sheesh

Sorry. My mistake.

 

[sullyinMT]

Sorry. My mistake.

Doesn’t always translate. No worries

 

[_caleb]

Also a little annoyance from my Harry Potter fan side, JK Rowling was painstakingly specific on the attention to detail and accuracy within the Wizarding World, whether it be Hogsmeade or Diagon Alley, universal has used the pandemic to STRONGLY cheapen that experience. I know this is not a Universal board, but as someone who has been going to Disney extremely often since I was young, and frequenting Universal often enough, I assume the dilution of theming and care applies to Disney as well at the moment.

How has the experience been cheapened?

 

[GoofGoof]

How has the experience been cheapened?

Not the ticket prices

 

[MagicHappens1971]

How has the experience been cheapened?

From what I’ve seen, they have 1-2 out of Wizarding costumes who are “Guest Experience Support”, they just hold up signs that say to distance and what not. The team members aren’t really in character anymore, I assume that’s the byproduct of the work conditions and loss of morale from layoffs and just the general climate. However, it does affect the experience, they’ve also put up many of those large blue signs about distancing and such, they could have made them themed and more specific to the Wizarding World. There was a few more things here and there but those two are the biggest I could point out at the moment.

EDIT:

Also, within the whole resort, limitations of dining places leave less options, same goes for shopping, many stores are just closed. I haven’t been to Disney since pre-Covid, but one positive thing that I could add is that the character experiences in Suess’ Landing were great!

 

[Kevin_W]

Take all this with a grain of salt, if you’re a park regular (AP, local,etc), go to the parks and enjoy your time, but if you’re a once in a lifetime, once every few years kind of person wanting to travel during the pandemic, I would argue that the parks are just not worth their sticker price.

I would agree with that, based on our October trip. One one hand, it was great because it was still Disney even if diluted. ant that far beats anything else going on in our life right now. But if this was your one trip I would certainly wait for more entertainment offerings, since the entertainment and the little details that are in large part missing right now are what helps set Disney apart,

 

[sullyinMT]

From what I’ve seen, they have 1-2 out of Wizarding costumes who are “Guest Experience Support”, they just hold up signs that say to distance and what not. The team members aren’t really in character anymore, I assume that’s the byproduct of the work conditions and loss of morale from layoffs and just the general climate. However, it does affect the experience, they’ve also put up many of those large blue signs about distancing and such, they could have made them themed and more specific to the Wizarding World. There was a few more things here and there but those two are the biggest I could point out at the moment.

EDIT:

Also, within the whole resort, limitations of dining places leave less options, same goes for shopping, many stores are just closed. I haven’t been to Disney since pre-Covid, but one positive thing that I could add is that the character experiences in Suess’ Landing were great!

When we were there in August, there was something jarring about the blue signs and reminders that removed so much of the theming. I understand the consistent messaging argument by having uniform signs throughout the park, but it was odd. I think I saw in another thread the brilliant idea of making the signs in WWoHP be formatted to look like Umbridge’s decrees.

Other than that, I was surprised at how much Universal was offering by means of masked, distanced M&G’s and outdoor stage shows. Though it looks like recent reports are certainly more crowded than the summer.

 

[Disney Experience]

Moderna's plan for those who got the Placebo in the Phase 3 study is markedly different to Pfizer's.

Pfizer: If the subject requests to end participation in the study. That subject will be unblinded. If they received the Placebo, they will be offered the vaccine only when the supply and priority group they would fall in receives it. Though they will be first in that group. In any case after 6 months post second shot they will be unblinded.

Moderna: They will unblind the whole study. Proactively reconsented participants who received placebo will be offered the vaccine to remain in trial. They will not have to wait until their normal priority group outside of the study would come up. Moderna's participants are composed of 25% healthcare workers in any case.