The Road goes ever on and on ... Day 201 (701)

I'm giving kudos and a plug to the group Back to the Vax. Founded by two Canadian women, it is a support group for one-time vaccine-skeptics who have had a change of heart. The goal is to help families find evidence-based answers to their questions. Currently, almost a third of American parents are opposed to vaccinating their children. Back to the Vax is educational rather than confrontational. One of the founders describes it: "It's almost a knee-jerk reaction to stop them in their tracks and correct them, but that's only going to further alienate them. You have to listen to them with an open mind. Hear them out fully, and say, 'Oh, let me look into that for you.' They may not change their mind overnight, but by taking your time, you're ensuring that they could change their minds. But if it becomes this conflict and it's a negative experience, you're basically closing that door off completely." It pays to remember that, on average, women make about 80 percent of the health care decisions for families. The value of this group may be best described by the comment that the decision is not vaccine or nothing but vaccine or covid. 

Fake testing sites have been found in too many states to list here. One group with multiple sites bills itself as "Center for Covid Control." Real health professionals advise the following guidelines to avoid being fooled. Get a referral from your health care provider; if they are not doing testing, ask them where you should go. Check if a site is listed on a local health department's website. Finally, call the police or sheriff's office to check the legitimacy of an organization. They should know if there have been complaints about a testing center.

Things are not rosy in Hong Kong right now. At the start of February, there were around 100 new cases daily. By February 13, there were 1,347 cases; by February 14, 2,071. The preliminary figure for February 15 is 4,730. ICU beds are at 90 percent capacity; over 3,600 people are hospitalized. This even as 83 percent of the population ages 12 and older have gotten two doses of vaccine, with 74 percent having gotten one. The problem is that the vaccination rate for the older demographic is under 50 percent. Many older people were advised, early on when there were no cases in Hong Kong, not to risk the side effects of the vaccine. This group is not coming in to be vaccinated now. At the other end of the age spectrum, children ages three through 11 can be vaccinated as of February 15. Medical experts warn that there could be 28,000 daily infections by the end of March.

A few quickies:  Doctors frequently advise long covid patients to work out, but many of the patients say this makes them feel worse. The feeling is called "post-exertional malaise." In a study of 3,762 long covid patients, 89 percent reported having felt this. Ontario is loosening covid restrictions while saying that the motivation is declining case numbers not the protests. Proof of vaccination will no longer be required to enter indoor spaces, but mask mandates will remain in effect for now. Camilla, Prince Charles's wife, is self-isolating after testing positive for covid. This is her first infection, as opposed to Charles's being infected for a second time. This of course raises questions about whether Queen Elizabeth might have been infected when she met with Charles two days before his positive test. I realize she's almost 96 and that people that age can die quite easily, but I would hate to see it be because of covid. The pandemic itself is bad enough, but please God, save the queen.