Covid-19

[Rack]

Any clue on when our government will stop forcing Americans traveling abroad to take inaccurate, ineffective, and illogical, Covid testing to return to our own homes? The over testing among the vaccinated and booster are why more cases are showing up among the vaccinated and boosted. Some of them (I don't) test every time they get a stuffy nose or a slight sore throat. IMHO, at this point in time that is no longer helpful but only serves to feed the worry and delay the economy. IF Biden wants the economy to rebound it's really simple...cut the taxes on fuel, open up drilling leases to even larger areas, release this silly restriction on Americans, and others wanting travel enter our country from abroad for travel that does NOTHING to stop the spread. I can't for the life of me figure out why anyone would want to destroy the economy with fear, but, at this late date, that seems that is the only explanation for this continued delay in opening up the economy. Move forward, corporate, compromise, and get something done...or we may just be so weak that our weakened state causes more Ukraines...God forbid. Release the hounds of industry...fill the bank accounts....this is how we fix everything, not just covid.
Travel Industry Continues Pressing U.S. Government For Removal Of Pre-Departure Testing - Travel Off Path

 

[Rack]

Real experience on international return flight testing...

My church supports a medical and building mission and sent 30 people two weeks ago, Physicians, Nurses, Construction workers, and ministers to Guatemala. They returned early Saturday morning. One person tested positive prior to leaving but was able to get a negative and was allowed to return. After they got back, 10 of them now have covid...I think all mild.

Here's my point, why are we testing to return to the states again? All these people likely had covid and it went undetected because it had yet to fully develop (nine of them tested negative). PLUS the one guy who likely had fully developed covid and initially tested positive was allowed to fly home after getting a false negative. The testing did NOTHING to keep them out of the states or stop the spread. I hope they all get well, we are monitoring them and they are isolating. I'm glad they did the medical mission, but I'm pretty sure one of their patients spread covid among the group.

 

[RxCowboy]

Real experience on international return flight testing...

My church supports a medical and building mission and sent 30 people two weeks ago, Physicians, Nurses, Construction workers, and ministers to Guatemala. They returned early Saturday morning. One person tested positive prior to leaving but was able to get a negative and was allowed to return. After they got back, 10 of them now have covid...I think all mild.

Here's my point, why are we testing to return to the states again? All these people likely had covid and it went undetected because it had yet to fully develop (nine of them tested negative). PLUS the one guy who likely had fully developed covid and initially tested positive was allowed to fly home after getting a false negative. The testing did NOTHING to keep them out of the states or stop the spread. I hope they all get well, we are monitoring them and they are isolating. I'm glad they did the medical mission, but I'm pretty sure one of their patients spread covid among the group.

Ten people tested positive out of 30, 1/3rd, and you are asking why we are testing?

 

[Boomer.....]

Just saw this snippit in an email

Lingering inbound testing is impacting American tourism

The US’ inbound testing requirement is having negative impacts on the tourism industry, according to several reports.

The United States is one of the only major countries clinging to pandemic-era testing requirements, Canada, the United Kingdom, Italy, Australia, and more have all axed their inbound testing rules. Currently, anyone arriving or returning to the US must take a test no more than 24 hours before departure, and the fear of testing positive is stopping huge groups from traveling.

According to surveys, more than half of American travelers are reconsidering international travel due to the testing requirement. Of those who said they wouldn’t travel in the next twelve months, 48% named the testing requirement the principal factor. Travelers from other major countries like the UK and Germany are also naming the test as a factor in avoiding travel to the US.

Americans are traveling domestically, but international travel is far more lucrative for the industry. A group of over 250 businesses recently signed a letter to the White House requesting that the testing requirement be dropped, calling it the “single biggest barrier” to the industry’s full recovery.

 

[Boomer.....]

It's interesting that the US is one of the last major countries to require inbound testing all while we were relatively lax on our COVID protocols throughout the pandemic compared to other countries.

 

[OSUPsych]

It's interesting that the US is one of the last major countries to require inbound testing all while we were relatively lax on our COVID protocols throughout the pandemic compared to other countries.

That definitely seems to have shifted. Traveled internationally not that long ago (Europe) and there are far more people wearing masks and social distancing here, even if the vast majority isn't in both places.

 

[Binman4OSU]

Real experience on international return flight testing...

My church supports a medical and building mission and sent 30 people two weeks ago, Physicians, Nurses, Construction workers, and ministers to Guatemala. They returned early Saturday morning. One person tested positive prior to leaving but was able to get a negative and was allowed to return. After they got back, 10 of them now have covid...I think all mild.

Here's my point, why are we testing to return to the states again? All these people likely had covid and it went undetected because it had yet to fully develop (nine of them tested negative). PLUS the one guy who likely had fully developed covid and initially tested positive was allowed to fly home after getting a false negative. The testing did NOTHING to keep them out of the states or stop the spread. I hope they all get well, we are monitoring them and they are isolating. I'm glad they did the medical mission, but I'm pretty sure one of their patients spread covid among the group.

Biden admin announced today that all COVID 19 testing requirements for International Travel will be Lifted. It will expire Sunday at 12:01AM

 

[Rack]

Biden admin announced today that all COVID 19 testing requirements for International Travel will be Lifted. It will expire Sunday at 12:01AM

I'm so glad! I'm hopeful some positive energy for the economy comes from this. I do understand why they waited and watched although it frustrated the heck out of me as a traveler who hasn't left the country since Covid 19...it just took them longer than I thought it should have...I figured they would lift it in April, but better late than never, and I'm sure they were watching UK and others to make a good decision. Is what it is, glad the testing requirement will be over!

From "The Points Guy" ---“Today marks another huge step forward for the recovery of inbound air travel and the return of international travel to the United States,” U.S. Travel Association president Roger Dow said in a statement. “The Biden administration is to be commended for this action, which will welcome back visitors from around the world and accelerate the recovery of the U.S. travel industry.”

 

[StillwaterTownie]

I had covid symptoms back in February 2020 before they started closing things down. It was a coughing sickness with irritated throat. I woke up with it in the middle of the night and had to go to Wal-Mart for cough syrup. Also felt tired, achy with low fever. It went away in close to a week without going to the doctor. Ever since then I have wondered if it was covid. So lo and behold on Wednesday I came down with the very same annoying symptoms. So I decided I better get an Abbot at home test. It showed positive. Later, I went to the doctor. Before prescribing me Paxlovid for it, the doctor had to test me for covid, which came back positive. My oxygen level was 95 and temp 99.2. It was 100.2 on the 2nd day. So I'm glad it's no worse than the 1st apparent time around. My older brother was in the hospital for two weeks with it over a year ago.

 

[jetman]

Ten people tested positive out of 30, 1/3rd, and you are asking why we are testing?

LMAO. RX attempts to make Rack look like he asked an idiotic question....then a day later it is announced all inbound testing will be dropped.

 

[Rack]

LMAO. RX attempts to make Rack look like he asked an idiotic question....then a day later it is announced all inbound testing will be dropped.

If he would have read more my post he would have understood my point. Only one of them tested positive prior to flight and he got a negitive test right after and was allowed to fly. NONE of them were prevented from entering the USA because they didn’t test positive but did a day or two later after returning home. Point was they had Covid developing in their bodies but it was not detected by testing pre flight. Thus the test are not working to keep Covid out of the country…glad the government finally figured out what logic told us months ago.

testing is highly flawed in determining Covid negative or positive in people without active symptoms and this has been known for a long time. The question now is why we’re we so slow when most others did this four months ago?

 

[Rack]

I had covid symptoms back in February 2020 before they started closing things down. It was a coughing sickness with irritated throat. I woke up with it in the middle of the night and had to go to Wal-Mart for cough syrup. Also felt tired, achy with low fever. It went away in close to a week without going to the doctor. Ever since then I have wondered if it was covid. So lo and behold on Wednesday I came down with the very same annoying symptoms. So I decided I better get an Abbot at home test. It showed positive. Later, I went to the doctor. Before prescribing me Paxlovid for it, the doctor had to test me for covid, which came back positive. My oxygen level was 95 and temp 99.2. It was 100.2 on the 2nd day. So I'm glad it's no worse than the 1st apparent time around. My older brother was in the hospital for two weeks with it over a year ago.

Get well man! Hope you are feeling better!

 

[Rack]

Ten people tested positive out of 30, 1/3rd, and you are asking why we are testing?

The point was that testing did nothing to keep them from flying home. Either the test were flawed or it just doesn’t work. They all tested negative pre flight…yet are positive now….everyone should get vaccinated and boosted if they haven’t, I’m sure several of these positives weren’t boosted if not vaccinated at all.

 

[Rack]

More good news is that over 11 billion vaccine doses have been given worldwide…nearly 2 per person on the earth. Tell that to the next person who tells you vaccines are dangerous.

 

[RxCowboy]

LMAO. RX attempts to make Rack look like he asked an idiotic question....then a day later it is announced all inbound testing will be dropped.

It is still idiotic. Rack demonstrated perfectly why. Countries where vaccinations have been low are petri dishes for mutations, and we don't want people bring them back.

 

[jetman]

I'm sure we'll be fine. Just like we've been since they dropped the airline mask requirements.

 

[RxCowboy]

I'm sure we'll be fine. Just like we've been since they dropped the airline mask requirements.

We'll see. I was in a hospital in Texas two weeks ago that wasn't making visitors mask up and I was shocked. I was pretty sure that some of the social distancing changes would be permanent. They may yet be.

 

[jetman]

We'll see. I was in a hospital in Texas two weeks ago that wasn't making visitors mask up and I was shocked. I was pretty sure that some of the social distancing changes would be permanent. They may yet be.

WOW, that is interesting that a hospital isn't enforcing masks.

 

[OSUPsych]

We'll see. I was in a hospital in Texas two weeks ago that wasn't making visitors mask up and I was shocked. I was pretty sure that some of the social distancing changes would be permanent. They may yet be.

I've heard of hospitals doing that because they've gotten tired of enforcing it and their employees constantly getting yelled at, but if you could magically set that aside, masks in hospitals make a boatload of sense even outside of COVID. I know you know this, but hospital born illnesses are huge and you could likely make a huge dent in respiratory ones.

 

[Rack]

It is still idiotic. Rack demonstrated perfectly why. Countries where vaccinations have been low are petri dishes for mutations, and we don't want people bring them back.

I get where you are coming from but we have done a great job worldwide with vaccinations and we will have some variants spread still but shouldn’t it be minor in terms of type of infection considering we had so much community spread and vaccination after omicron? All these cases are minor is my understanding? And if so, doesn’t it make sense that we now treat Covid like everything else (colds and flu) we deal with? Wouldn’t mean it’s endemic?