Coronavirus and Walt Disney World general discussion

[DisneyCane]

For anyone who still thinks there's no impact on the rest of us when we pretend the pandemic is over. A NJ Walmart location is temporarily closed because over 90 employees have tested positive. Yeah, it's "just" a Walmart and it's just 1 store, but there are people in that town (and most towns in the country) who can't afford to shop at more expensive stores, including for their groceries. It's also an example of what can happen when any workplace has an outbreak, so don't think it can't happen somewhere else like food processing plants or warehouses that store essential items. Whether it's Omicron or Delta running through that store doesn't matter at this point because the number of cases has forced them to close regardless of the severity of the illnesses (and with 90+ cases, it's likely they aren't all mild).

NJ Walmart Temporarily Closes After Employee COVID Outbreak, Worker Says

A New Jersey Walmart turned away customers Tuesday evening and will remain closed to the public on Wednesday after dozens of employees tested positive for COVID-19, a worker at the store said.

www.nbcnewyork.com

90 employees didn't "catch" COVID. They tested positive for SARS-CoV-2. It doesn't say how many were completely asymptomatic. We should follow South Africa's lead and stop testing asymptomatic people for no reason. Test and trace doesn't work at all with this virus and especially not the Omicron variant so all we are doing is keeping people out of work when there could be just as many asymptomatic positive employees at Target across the street (I don't know if there actually is one) but who aren't tested due to not coming up as part of contact tracing.

Sorry about the run on sentence!

 

[Jrb1979]

When Omicron debuted, the news outlets were all excited about it because it was the next big thing.
The fear that we are all going to die is a ratings bonanza for the media.
But like a movie that bombs at the box office, Omicron is a ratings failure.
Now they'll have to hope that the next variant will deliver.

* I should say "box office failure."
It certainly delivered the ratings.

Maybe it's time to turn off CNN and FOX News and go back to eating unhealthy.

 

[DisneyFan32]

Since the CDC revised its omicron estimates yesterday, Omicron is not the percentage they thought it was, so we are still on the upswing.

Looking at the point of origin being SA and current trends in the UK, it will go up very quickly with huge case counts but without the correlated upswing in fatalities. Omicron should run its course by February.

^ Yeah but when Omicron will start to down faster by Spring 2022 as the pandemic will be over by mid-2022. Masks will be gone soon by next year.

 

[LittleBuford]

The fear that we are all going to die is a ratings bonanza for the media.

This is just an extremist talking point that bears no relation to what responsible media outlets are reporting.

It's ironic that you're attempting to call out sensationalism by sensationlising things yourself.

 

[Chip Chipperson]

90 employees didn't "catch" COVID. They tested positive for SARS-CoV-2. It doesn't say how many were completely asymptomatic. We should follow South Africa's lead and stop testing asymptomatic people for no reason. Test and trace doesn't work at all with this virus and especially not the Omicron variant so all we are doing is keeping people out of work when there could be just as many asymptomatic positive employees at Target across the street (I don't know if there actually is one) but who aren't tested due to not coming up as part of contact tracing.

Sorry about the run on sentence!

Why would you assume that people were forced to test if asymptomatic? Also, there's a literal difference between "asymptomatic" and "Pre-symptomatic" but we have no way of knowing which one a person is until after the fact. Since you are contagious prior to the onset of symptoms and we can't predict who will or won't eventually have symptoms, it wouldn't make sense to ignore close contacts in the workplace, anyway (if the store did require all employees to test). Allowing an "asymptomatic" employee who tests positive to come to work and later turns out to really have been pre-symptomatic is a very bad idea for any employer since it risks a wider outbreak among employees and customers (if it's a customer-facing job). Many employers still offer paid leave for positive tests, but I know that some have changed their policy to only offering that to vaccinated employees. I don't know what Walmart's policy is regarding pay for employees who test positive, but closing the store for a day or 2 to make sure it's clean and hopefully have enough employees available to adequately staff the store doesn't seem like a bad idea to me. Plus, as the article states, there are employees still showing up to work to restock shelves while the store is closed and someone will need to cover shifts for the employees who are sick, so a temporary closing gives those employees who are healthy but not allowed to work to get some much-needed time off before taking on extra hours on the heels of a busy holiday season.

 

[Chip Chipperson]

I know that some people are opposed to vaccine mandates even for healthcare workers because "who will help take care of people when all those workers quit?" but the bigger issue is "who will take care of people when all those workers get sick?" NJ hospitals have shattered the previous record for positive cases among hospital staff. Dating back to December 2020, the record was 162. This year, that record was broken with 407 positives on December 23. Now? It's up to 2,300. If that doesn't show how important mandating vaccines for healthcare workers is then I don't know what does. Positive outcomes and shorter duration of illness are more likely for vaccinated people, so the odds say that unvaccinated healthcare workers will miss more time at work than the vaccinated ones. It's also another example of why declaring "I'm over it" and pretending there is no pandemic anymore isn't a prudent course of action for any of us regardless of our vaccination status (especially when that allows anti-vaxxers to "identify as vaccinated" and go maskless in public). And let's not forget that the stress of this pandemic has caused many nurses to quit their jobs long before there were any vaccine mandates, but that didn't stop people from pretending like everything was fine back then, either, even though they now claim to support healthcare workers (so long as those workers oppose the vaccine, that is).

For NJ hospitals during historic COVID spike, worry is not over PPE or beds, but staff

Staff illnesses are spiking to record numbers, making it harder for hospitals to care for patients

www.app.com

 

[AEfx]

So then only extremists on both sides should have conversations at each other and everyone else who can think rationally should just shut up? (Because we should be able to discuss both positive and negative developments on this thread.)

That does seem to be the prevailing thought - here and elsewhere - and it has been on the internet for some time now.

I think the difference is (and you can find many hundreds of examples in this very thread) that people outright admit it now. "We can't talk about/acknowledge X because that might make someone question the narrative or give fuel to people asking questions we don't want asked..."

 

[DisneyCane]

Why would you assume that people were forced to test if asymptomatic? Also, there's a literal difference between "asymptomatic" and "Pre-symptomatic" but we have no way of knowing which one a person is until after the fact. Since you are contagious prior to the onset of symptoms and we can't predict who will or won't eventually have symptoms, it wouldn't make sense to ignore close contacts in the workplace, anyway (if the store did require all employees to test). Allowing an "asymptomatic" employee who tests positive to come to work and later turns out to really have been pre-symptomatic is a very bad idea for any employer since it risks a wider outbreak among employees and customers (if it's a customer-facing job). Many employers still offer paid leave for positive tests, but I know that some have changed their policy to only offering that to vaccinated employees. I don't know what Walmart's policy is regarding pay for employees who test positive, but closing the store for a day or 2 to make sure it's clean and hopefully have enough employees available to adequately staff the store doesn't seem like a bad idea to me. Plus, as the article states, there are employees still showing up to work to restock shelves while the store is closed and someone will need to cover shifts for the employees who are sick, so a temporary closing gives those employees who are healthy but not allowed to work to get some much-needed time off before taking on extra hours on the heels of a busy holiday season.

I didn't say they were forced to test. I said that there was no point to testing asymptomatic (even if they are pre-symptomatic) because the same number could be positive and have no idea at a store across the street.

If somebody has symptoms they should isolate until tested and then follow the recommendations for isolation if they are positive because they will likely be more contagious.

There is no point in trying to control this virus by testing and isolating asymptomatic (or pre-symptomatic) people especially if they are vaccinated. It won't make a dent in the grand scheme.

 

[mmascari]

That does seem to be the prevailing thought - here and elsewhere - and it has been on the internet for some time now.

I think the difference is (and you can find many hundreds of examples in this very thread) that people outright admit it now. "We can't talk about/acknowledge X because that might make someone question the narrative or give fuel to people asking questions we don't want asked..."

There are hundreds of nuanced posts on this thread.

Most (at least to my reading) of the "We can't talk about" things are things like were someone posts something clearly untrue. The easiest example is people who want to post about complications related to vaccination by equating them with the risk of catching COVID. A post like that is likely to see lots of responses pointing out that it's ridiculous. Conversely, a post discussing which vaccine to get between J&J and an MRNA one and how it relates to a specific demographic and access is likely to have thoughtful responses.

 

[Lilofan]

This is just an extremist talking point that bears no relation to what responsible media outlets are reporting.

It's ironic that you're attempting to call out sensationalism by sensationlising things yourself.

Unfortunately this doesn't help some with mental illness . I wish I could go back to the days where the hot topic was the thousand of posts of pros and cons of the Disney Skyliner and a number of forum members who were passionate with their respective posts. For me, two areas I will not ride or partake pre Covid
Disney Skyliner
Summit Plummet at Blizzard Beach

 

[Chip Chipperson]

I didn't say they were forced to test. I said that there was no point to testing asymptomatic (even if they are pre-symptomatic) because the same number could be positive and have no idea at a store across the street.

If somebody has symptoms they should isolate until tested and then follow the recommendations for isolation if they are positive because they will likely be more contagious.

There is no point in trying to control this virus by testing and isolating asymptomatic (or pre-symptomatic) people especially if they are vaccinated. It won't make a dent in the grand scheme.

So don't try to limit the spread among Walmart employees and customers because Target might not know they're having an outbreak of their own??? How does that make any sense? Employees don't live in a bubble inside the store. They go home to their families and friends who have a vested interest in knowing if they're being exposed to someone with the virus.

Keep in mind, what you're suggesting will lead to bigger outbreaks in the workplace and not every workplace will have the staffing levels to handle a large number of people being out sick. If you haven't seen the article I linked in another post, NJ is experiencing a dramatic increase in positive cases among hospital staff statewide. Those workers - and the patients in those hospitals - can't afford to take the chance that feeling fine today means they'll feel fine tomorrow, especially since "feeling fine" doesn't equal "not contagious." There is no pretending that an outbreak only impacts the unvaccinated just because the vaccinated have a very small chance of a negative outcome if they catch this virus. My vaccination status doesn't protect me if I can't buy groceries because the store is closed or the food I need isn't available because of an outbreak at the factory that produces it. It doesn't protect me if the nearest hospital is understaffed due to an outbreak and I need to go to the ER for a non-COVID medical issue.

 

[JoeCamel]

Unfortunately this doesn't help some with mental illness . I wish I could go back to the days where the hot topic was the thousand of posts of pros and cons of the Disney Skyliner and a number of forum members who were passionate with their respective posts. For me, two areas I will not ride or partake pre Covid
Disney Skyliner
Summit Plummet at Blizzard Beach

Science says those are safe rides as does the anecdotal evidence...

 

[Lilofan]

Science says those are safe rides as does the anecdotal evidence...

I'm talking my fear of heights in small enclosed places and going 60mph straight down a water slide.

 

[Incomudro]

This is just an extremist talking point that bears no relation to what responsible media outlets are reporting.

It's ironic that you're attempting to call out sensationalism by sensationlising things yourself.

The bulk of mainstream media has little interest in giving the people information that they can utilize on any topic.
That's not just with the subject of covid, and it isn't new.
They've been like this for decades, and long before even cable news existed.
They've always done it with health and nutrition stories for insatance.
Giving viewers just enough information - "Story at 11:00!" - to tune in - while providing it in such a manner to leave the viewer confused.
Chocolate is healthy now?
Eggs are good now?
"They keep changing what is good or bad for us."

 

[Incomudro]

Maybe it's time to turn off CNN and FOX News and go back to eating unhealthy.

I don't watch either of those programs, but millions do.
I am however highly aware of what they do, and what many of their stories are because it is impossible to miss them in the information age.

 

[Lilofan]

The bulk of mainstream media has little interest in giving the people information that they can utilize on any topic.
That's not just with the subject of covid, and it isn't new.
They've been like this for decades, and long before even cable news existed.
They've always done it with health and nutrition stories for insatance.
Giving viewers just enough information - "Story at 11:00!" - to tune in - while providing it in such a manner to leave the viewer confused.
Chocolate is healthy now?
Eggs are good now?
"They keep changing what is good or bad for us."

The hate of mainstream media is because one reason is that the media with diligent reporting exposed their con artist ways on the person (s ) . In defense then the story is peddled to be the media is untrustworthy and " trust me" instead mindset. WC Fields had a famous saying..

 

[Joesixtoe]

Broadly neutralizing antibodies overcome SARS-CoV-2 Omicron antigenic shift - Nature

Pseudovirus assays and surface plasmon resonance show that the Omicron receptor-binding domain binds to human ACE2 with increased affinity relative to the ancestral virus, and that most neutralizing antibodies are considerably less potent against Omicron.

www.nature.com

Peer reviewed for you nice folks. It's a potential hope to combat different variants of covid.

 

[DisneyDebRob]

The bulk of mainstream media has little interest in giving the people information that they can utilize on any topic.
That's not just with the subject of covid, and it isn't new.
They've been like this for decades, and long before even cable news existed.
They've always done it with health and nutrition stories for insatance.
Giving viewers just enough information - "Story at 11:00!" - to tune in - while providing it in such a manner to leave the viewer confused.
Chocolate is healthy now?
Eggs are good now?
"They keep changing what is good or bad for us."

It’s not the media that does the studies on food nutrition.. or why a glass of wine a night is good now but horrible idea a year ago. Same with eggs, chocolate etc. They just report what the newest study shows. It’s confusing why the science on it changes so frequently but here’s the best article I’ve read on it when I was looking a few months ago. So many things play into the final results. Good read.

The trouble with nutrition research: What should we eat?

Which foods are healthful? Which foods should we avoid? In this feature, we ask why the results of nutrition studies are so contradictory and confusing.

www.medicalnewstoday.com

 

[AEfx]

There are hundreds of nuanced posts on this thread.

No one said there wasn't. With nearly 5,000 pages, and now spanning nearly two years, there are examples across the spectrum.

 

[Vegas Disney Fan]

No, it isn't only the people of my mindset that interpret the news that way. My mom has the complete opposite mindset that I do and has since day 1. She double masks with one being KN95, she wouldn't visit my Dad in the hospital or hospice when he was dying (not of COVID) last August just to give you an idea of her mindset.

She watches the news (I don't) and her COVID anxiety/fear seemed quite a bit better in late October and November. Then, once Omicron started being reported she was right back where she was before and this was prior to "the numbers" going up in FL.

My wife and I both think (based on symptoms my Mom has) that she needs to see a psychiatrist to deal with her irrational fear that is seemingly affecting her health in a negative way and 100% of her anxiety has been caused by the way the news reports on COVID.

I can’t watch cable news because of the tone, everything’s deliberately done to create tension. From the “breaking news” intro with the accompanying graphic flashing on the screen to the dramatic music to the anchor who’s tone is so dramatic he/she can make a jury decision feel equally as dramatic as a mass shooting, it all just gives me anxiety.

It’s why I prefer printed news.

I can’t watch reality TV shows like deadliest catch for the same reason, the music they use and the tone the narrator uses to create tension just cause anxiety for me. The cliff hangers and tension just make me want to turn it off.

The best advice for a lot of people is to turn off the national news and stick to local news. The worlds a much happier place to live in when you aren’t being inundated with every bit of horrible news from across the entire world.