Covid-19

[Boomer.....]

NPS is sticking with their quarantine protocol as well.

I can see where Stitt and his "health experts" are coming from. Elementary and possibly middle school kids and younger are not spreading the disease. I have not heard of any outbreaks within schools or classrooms despite infected kids being in class for a day or two prior to testing positive. This is on top of all the kids who probably have it and don't show symptoms. I've long suspected that an immediate family member tests positive and decides to test the rest of the family which reveals the young kid has it as well. If there was ever a superspreader place it would be daycares and you don't see it at all.

However, I think it was a poor decision to release this new set of guidelines at a time when cases are at an all-time high. These school systems will most likely stick to their original policies or else be crucified by parents. Take whatever precautions necessary, just keep kids in school.

 

[oks10]

However, I think it was a poor decision to release this new set of guidelines at a time when cases are at an all-time high. These school systems will most likely stick to their original policies or else be crucified by parents. Take whatever precautions necessary, just keep kids in school.

Yeah, I definitely question why anyone thought that right now was a good time to do it. Every indication I've seen from district responses leads me to believe nothing is going to change in what they're doing. So why even bother with going through changing this??

 

[Rack]

NPS is sticking with their quarantine protocol as well.

I can see where Stitt and his "health experts" are coming from. Elementary and possibly middle school kids and younger are not spreading the disease. I have not heard of any outbreaks within schools or classrooms despite infected kids being in class for a day or two prior to testing positive. This is on top of all the kids who probably have it and don't show symptoms. I've long suspected that an immediate family member tests positive and decides to test the rest of the family which reveals the young kid has it as well. If there was ever a superspreader place it would be daycares and you don't see it at all.

However, I think it was a poor decision to release this new set of guidelines at a time when cases are at an all-time high. These school systems will most likely stick to their original policies or else be crucified by parents. Take whatever precautions necessary, just keep kids in school.

In the school where my wife teaches they have barely closed any and they have had very few cases. A couple times over the course of the school year they have had to shut down one class when they had a positive or two. They have had two teachers over the term of the pandemic get mild cases and that's why they shut down but ONLY there specific classes and kids who had contact with them. They have also had a few kids test positive but very few sometimes deciding to shut things down in certain areas, but mostly not and just isolating and testing. When they shut down they did it per Tulsa Health Department for two weeks each time and then re-opened. The kids that go to that school haven't missed much school at all and have participated in semi normal school life with all sorts of safety measures. The extremes of shutting schools completely down and going all remote, IMHO, isn't good for the students or the teachers. But of course we have to be careful and attempt to stop the spread at the same time...so it's a dilemma. Btw, teachers are in phase 2...and "should" be getting shots now.

My honest opinion is that once the medical community and the elderly in nursing homes get the shot it needs to move to ALL those who want it and have signed up...(i.e. first come first serve). Btw, this is and mostly, has, already happened. I think this because some don't want it and I'd prefer we don't waste our time waiting on those folks to sign up when others really really want it. Let's get it in the arms and get on down the road!

 

[Binman4OSU]

In the school where my wife teaches they have barely closed any and they have had very few cases. A couple times over the course of the school year they have had to shut down one class when they had a positive or two. They have had two teachers over the term of the pandemic get mild cases and that's why they shut down but ONLY there specific classes and kids who had contact with them. They have also had a few kids test positive but very few sometimes deciding to shut things down in certain areas, but mostly not and just isolating and testing. When they shut down they did it per Tulsa Health Department for two weeks each time and then re-opened. The kids that go to that school haven't missed much school at all and have participated in semi normal school life with all sorts of safety measures. The extremes of shutting schools completely down and going all remote, IMHO, isn't good for the students or the teachers. But of course we have to be careful and attempt to stop the spread at the same time...so it's a dilemma. Btw, teachers are in phase 2...and "should" be getting shots now.

my kids school currently has 26 teachers out, 300+ students in quarantine and over 75 students who have tested positive......since Monday Jan 4th. One of my kids has a class that on Jan 4th had 32 kids in it....they have 5 kids in it now.

Gov Stitt yesterday used Broken Arrow public schools as his model example of a school who stayed in session. Back before Christmas break they got up to over 700 students in quarantine or out with COVID.

I'm not 100% sure the Broken Arrow thing can be applied to all schools.

 

[Boomer.....]

In the school where my wife teaches they have barely closed any and they have had very few cases. A couple times over the course of the school year they have had to shut down one class when they had a positive or two. They have had two teachers over the term of the pandemic get mild cases and that's why they shut down but ONLY there specific classes and kids who had contact with them. They have also had a few kids test positive but very few sometimes deciding to shut things down in certain areas, but mostly not and just isolating and testing. When they shut down they did it per Tulsa Health Department for two weeks each time and then re-opened. The kids that go to that school haven't missed much school at all and have participated in semi normal school life with all sorts of safety measures. The extremes of shutting schools completely down and going all remote, IMHO, isn't good for the students or the teachers. But of course we have to be careful and attempt to stop the spread at the same time...so it's a dilemma. Btw, teachers are in phase 2...and "should" be getting shots now.

My honest opinion is that once the medical community and the elderly in nursing homes get the shot it needs to move to ALL those who want it and have signed up...(i.e. first come first serve). Btw, this is and mostly, has, already happened. I think this because some don't want it and I'd prefer we don't waste our time waiting on those folks to sign up when others really really want it. Let's get it in the arms and get on down the road!

As I'm sure you know, teachers are in Phase 2, but are excluded from getting the vaccine yet due to demand. Hopefully they will be allowed to start getting it very soon.

 

[cableok]

NPS is sticking with their quarantine protocol as well.

I can see where Stitt and his "health experts" are coming from. Elementary and possibly middle school kids and younger are not spreading the disease. I have not heard of any outbreaks within schools or classrooms despite infected kids being in class for a day or two prior to testing positive. This is on top of all the kids who probably have it and don't show symptoms. I've long suspected that an immediate family member tests positive and decides to test the rest of the family which reveals the young kid has it as well. If there was ever a superspreader place it would be daycares and you don't see it at all.

However, I think it was a poor decision to release this new set of guidelines at a time when cases are at an all-time high. These school systems will most likely stick to their original policies or else be crucified by parents. Take whatever precautions necessary, just keep kids in school.

Your last paragraph is spot on. I agree with what Stitt is attempting to influence, but he should have given school administrators a heads-up. His announcement caught many schools off-guard and forced them to send press releases and emails to clarify.

Here is where Stitt is coming from. Many schools are doing a phenomenal job contact tracing and using that information to quarantine only students with direct exposure to a positive case. John Hopkins did virtual training for hundreds of Oklahoma administrators/teachers/counselors/nurses this summer. It was two full days of training and resulted in many being “certified” as a contact tracer. Contact tracing is man-hour intensive. The schools that are using those contact tracers and following those protocols are not the issue.

Unfortunately, there are some school districts that are just remaining virtual and not going back to in-person. And there are also school districts that are quarantining entire classes and sometimes entire grades based on one or two positive tests. Those schools are not contact tracing. These are the schools the guidelines are directed. I do not see any school already using contact tracing adjusting their protocols...because they are working.

 

[Binman4OSU]

Remember when we thought this was the first wave

 

[oldguy]

Remember when we thought this was the first wave

View attachment 88351

Aww... those were the days!

 

[Cody51]

Remember when we thought this was the first wave

View attachment 88351

I look at it a bit differently, we were asked to flatten the curve and for 9 months we did just that, now the realities of extended lockdowns are setting in and people are fed up in winter, the worst time as everyone is stuck inside. What should have been happening in that 9 months is the government and the medical community should have been staffing up for when it inevitably broke down, and the government should have been paying 80% of peoples wages to keep them employed until everything reopened. But with our socialism for people with money and rugged individualism for the people without government we have taken every wrong step and it shows

 

[Rack]

my kids school currently has 26 teachers out, 300+ students in quarantine and over 75 students who have tested positive......since Monday Jan 4th. One of my kids has a class that on Jan 4th had 32 kids in it....they have 5 kids in it now.

Gov Stitt yesterday used Broken Arrow public schools as his model example of a school who stayed in session. Back before Christmas break they got up to over 700 students in quarantine or out with COVID.

I'm not 100% sure the Broken Arrow thing can be applied to all schools.

I'm talking about a small private school of 250 kids total and 30 or so teachers and administrators. Easy to manage a smaller crowd. I know you know that quarantine isn't nearly the same as having Covid. Our school nurse is working closely with the Tulsa County department of health and actually had the virus last summer so has been, what I consider, very diligent...yet we don't have a mask rule while sitting in class but when on the move we do...we aren't allowing them to go to lockers except with their class grouping and have the same lunch buddies all year with divisions between upper and lower schools. So far we have both avoided a major break out and closing the school. Occasionally someone goes out on quarantine and my wife has to do both distancing learning and in classroom...but it hasn't happened in a while. We did have a modified week prior to the holidays and have been very careful upon return.

 

[Rack]

I look at it a bit differently, we were asked to flatten the curve and for 9 months we did just that, now the realities of extended lockdowns are setting in and people are fed up in winter, the worst time as everyone is stuck inside. What should have been happening in that 9 months is the government and the medical community should have been staffing up for when it inevitably broke down, and the government should have been paying 80% of peoples wages to keep them employed until everything reopened. But with our socialism for people with money and rugged individualism for the people without government we have taken every wrong step and it shows

Hindsight in 2020? Honestly who freaking knew? We need to give people on all levels a break and work together no matter our former stances...some of this is just unheard of, we are dealing with it as it comes. In a free society it was very difficult to deal with this...and I'm pretty sure most of us wouldn't want to live in a land that forced it's will upon ALL the people for their "safety."

I also disagree that it can be stated that "we have taken every wrong step." The predictions were even more dire than these unacceptable numbers of deaths (one is too many). I'd say we have done a fairly good job as a society on this so far...we have mask mandates most places, we have MOST everyone in total compliance at least locally here in Tulsa town...we have vaccines in record time and we are getting them in arms...BUT we need to roll the vaccine out faster and get it in peoples arms asap, while remaining diligent, washing hands, wearing mask and watching our distance. Honestly it really could have been MUCH worse than it has been so far...AND it's VERY bad.

 

[Binman4OSU]

Will pay an additional 4 hrs of time for each front line employee who gets the vaccine

https://twitter.com/NEWS9/status/1349434325293535233

 

[Binman4OSU]

https://twitter.com/nytimes/status/1349441099757195264

 

[oks10]

https://twitter.com/nytimes/status/1349441099757195264

Imagine how bad things would be if Stitt hadn't issued that day of prayer and fasting last month!...

 

[Boomer.....]

https://twitter.com/nytimes/status/1349441099757195264

From the article:

There is no statewide mask mandate in Oklahoma, although the city of Ardmore has had one since November.

Do they not realize that OKC, Tulsa, Norman, Edmond, etc......... have mask mandates? They act like we only have one small town in the state with a mask mandate.

Oklahoma is experiencing the third worst outbreak in the country, behind Arizona, which is enduring a surge even worse than its summer peak, and California, where a weekslong flood of cases is wearing hospitals and their workers thin.

How's that lockdown and mask mandate doing in Cali?

 

[Binman4OSU]

This thing mutates at an incredible rate

https://twitter.com/CBSNews/status/1349511452382679040?s=19

 

[OSUPsych]

This thing mutates at an incredible rate

https://twitter.com/CBSNews/status/1349511452382679040?s=19

Everything I've read from the people who do the genetics on this say the opposite, at least relative to respiratory viruses. Viruses mutate all the time. They just don't make the news. Happy to have others with better knowledge correct me if I'm wrong.

 

[wrenhal]

Well finally had my first COVID scare. Was taking a shower on Friday night and all of a sudden lost 100% of my ability to smell. I could tell this because my kids got me a shower set for Christmas and that stuff has a really potent smell. While showering I could overwhelmingly smell it, then all of a sudden nothing. Got out of the shower and tested trying to smell other things and I couldn't smell a damn thing, but could taste things with no probs.

Got up Saturday, still no smell...went and took a COVID test. Just got the results. Negative...Smell had returned somewhat by Sunday and still not back to 100% today. Doc thinks it is just a sinus infection.

I was about to say, some people forget that every Covid symptom can be a symptom of other things. Sinus infections can also lead to loss of taste if bad enough. I have migraines sometimes, mentioned I was having one once around a lady that literally turned and told me I needed to get tested because I had Covid. This was at a place I do contract work. I told her I have headaches all the time. She said,
"so does my daughter, but she had one last week and then tested positive for Covid and then got pretty sick. Dr. told us the headache was a common early symptom."
Not even kidding.
Unless you have a reason to get tested, just one or even 2 symptoms just means take caution. More than that then get tested, but a headache though as your only symptom? I just rolled my eyes. Glad I didn't tell her that the cedar in the air due to the dry and warm winter, had kicked in my allergies recently.

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[wrenhal]

However, I think it was a poor decision to release this new set of guidelines at a time when cases are at an all-time high. These school systems will most likely stick to their original policies or else be crucified by parents. Take whatever precautions necessary, just keep kids in school.

Yeah, I definitely question why anyone thought that right now was a good time to do it. Every indication I've seen from district responses leads me to believe nothing is going to change in what they're doing. So why even bother with going through changing this??

Maybe to try and encourage places like Stillwater to open. I think the news said just over 90 percent of public schools in Oklahoma and even more private schools are currently in at least A/B or full time in person instruction. Many Stillwater parents are getting fed up that they're kids aren't going back. With some people saying that in virtual, almost 40 percent of the kids aren't even logging in to do work.

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[wrenhal]

Remember when we thought this was the first wave

View attachment 88351

I look at it a bit differently, we were asked to flatten the curve and for 9 months we did just that, now the realities of extended lockdowns are setting in and people are fed up in winter, the worst time as everyone is stuck inside. What should have been happening in that 9 months is the government and the medical community should have been staffing up for when it inevitably broke down, and the government should have been paying 80% of peoples wages to keep them employed until everything reopened. But with our socialism for people with money and rugged individualism for the people without government we have taken every wrong step and it shows

Another thing is there has been little to no information come out at to things the public can do health wise to help them. Masks and all that are not what I'm talking about. It's been said in studies and I've heard some Dr.s talking about it, but nothing official pushing people. People need to increase their intake of vitamin D, especially minorities and especially in the winter due to getting less sun exposure. Zinc also. Apparently these are 2 things most people can do to help their bodies fight off the virus, but other than masks, distancing, and hand washing, no one says anything else. Not saying it'll cute you, but studies have already said that one reason minorities seem to get it worse is vitamin d absorption.

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