26251 replies to this topic

[Victoria Watcher]

Alberta, only a 1% increase in hospitalizations:

 

 

Provincially, 1,101 patients are currently hospitalized including 108 who have been admitted to intensive care. This marks increases of 12 and four respectively.

 

https://lethbridgene...med-in-alberta/

[Victoria Watcher]

B.C. is reporting 2,387 new cases of COVID-19, including one epi-linked case, for a total of 303,565 cases in the province.

 

There are currently 35,770 active cases of COVID-19 in the province, and 262,591 people who tested positive have recovered. Of the active cases, 895 COVID-positive individuals are currently in hospital and 115 are in intensive care. 

 

https://news.gov.bc....HLTH0019-000080

Edited by Victoria Watcher, 19 January 2022 - 04:42 PM.

[Victoria Watcher]

Starbucks Corp. suspended COVID-19 vaccine-or-test requirement for U.S. employees that had been mandated by the government, according to a memo sent to workers on Tuesday, following an adverse U.S. Supreme Court ruling.

 

The coffee giant had said earlier this month it would require its around 220,000 U.S. employees to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 or undergo weekly testing.

 

The U.S. Supreme Court last week struck down Joe Biden administration’s vaccination-or-testing mandate for large businesses, ruling that the policy overstepped executive authority.

 

“We respect the court’s ruling and will comply,” Starbucks Chief Operating Officer John Culver wrote in a memo to workers.

 

 

https://globalnews.c...e-test-mandate/

Edited by Victoria Watcher, 19 January 2022 - 04:52 PM.

[Victoria Watcher]

Ontario Premier Doug Ford will announce Thursday that restaurants in the province will be allowed to reopen at 50 per cent capacity starting on Jan. 31, Radio-Canada has confirmed.

 

The news was first reported by CityNews on Wednesday evening. Radio-Canada confirmed the news with two senior government sources.

 

Currently, food and drink establishments in Ontario are only allowed to offer takeout, drive-thru and delivery services. No indoor service is allowed.

 

 

https://www.cbc.ca/n...acity-1.6320901

Edited by Victoria Watcher, 19 January 2022 - 04:55 PM.

[Sparky]

Holy crap!

How long has this closure been in place?

[Sparky]

^ Ok Jan 5

[sebberry]

 

Starbucks Corp. suspended COVID-19 vaccine-or-test requirement for U.S. employees that had been mandated by the government, according to a memo sent to workers on Tuesday, following an adverse U.S. Supreme Court ruling.

 

The coffee giant had said earlier this month it would require its around 220,000 U.S. employees to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 or undergo weekly testing.

 

The U.S. Supreme Court last week struck down Joe Biden administration’s vaccination-or-testing mandate for large businesses, ruling that the policy overstepped executive authority.

 

“We respect the court’s ruling and will comply,” Starbucks Chief Operating Officer John Culver wrote in a memo to workers.

 

 

https://globalnews.c...e-test-mandate/

 

 

 

Meh, we all know how politicized the USSC has become. 

[dasmo]

I thought I would provide information that would be useful to all as well as you if you did not understand.

 

If you know what it means and have further information or clarification, corrections on the information provided in the reference that is useful please feel free to provide it.

The "95% effective" comes from the relative difference between the trial numbers from the control and product group. This creates a false image in your head. 

The absolute number is more representative. So for example you think 95% means 95 out of 100 will be protected. That is not it at all. 

It is actually 5 out of 15,000 were deemed positive vs 95 out of 15,000 in the control group. (numbers are rounded but close).

 

Using the relative difference means you get the same number in both these examples:

5 out of 100 vs 95 out of 100 (which is the image it brings to mind)

or

5 out of 1000,000 vs 95 out of 1000,000.

Still 95%.

Yet the reality between the two is different. 

 

So while mathematically correct.... it is deceiving. 

[Sparky]

^ Jesus

[Moderation]

I agree that most people do not understand the math. Here is my effort to explain in a way that most people may understand.

 

First there is a difference between between efficacy and effective as the article mentioned but they are similar.

 

Efficacy is measured in a controlled often clinical setting where subjects are, randomly divided into two equal groups. One group gets the vaccine and the other group gets a placebo injection (no vaccine). Then a certain time is waited for exposure to covid.

If both groups were 100 people and 2 in the vaccination group  and 10 in the unvaccinated group were diagnosed with covid then an efficacy number is calculated. 2 vs 10 means that there were 8 less covid among the vaccinated and the efficacy is calculated and expressed as 80%. This means that you have an 80% lower chance of getting covid if you are vaccinated compared to the unvaccinated.

 

Effectiveness is  measured  in the same way to show how well the vaccine works in the real world. It will often be different from the controlled experiment efficacy number. 

 

A problem with using these terms and numbers is that many people relate this to the individuals percentage chance of infection. They mistakenly believe that with a vaccine that is 80% effective they will only have  20% chance of getting infected. What it means is that the vaccine has reduced your chance of getting ill with a particular covid variant compared to the unvaccinated by 80%,

 

I do not think that there is some conspiracy theory behind reporting these numbers. More education on the meaning of the number might help. The bottom line is that they fundamentally show the effectiveness of the vaccines and the reduced chance of getting covid for vaccinated vs unvaccinated. 

[dasmo]

It’s not conspiracy, it’s marketing. You could have saved a lot of words by saying “you are right”.
The absolute numbers from the study showed you had a 0.9% chance of showing symptoms or testing positive if unvaccinated and a 0.04% chance if vaccinated.
That paints a much different picture and not as good sounding as “95%”….

[Moderation]

WE are not the only people on here.

 

If I said I was right would you have believed me? I did indicate that I understood the concepts involved..

 

As you stated these numbers and how they are calculated and what they mean are not well understood. I was  providing information to help others perhaps understand better as well as responding to your claim that I did not know.

 

 I agree it is not a conspiracy.. My opinion is that the general use of these terms is not marketing.

[TFord]

It’s not conspiracy, it’s marketing. You could have saved a lot of words by saying “you are right”.
The absolute numbers from the study showed you had a 0.9% chance of showing symptoms or testing positive if unvaccinated and a 0.04% chance if vaccinated.
That paints a much different picture and not as good sounding as “95%”….

 

Dasmo - thank you 

 

 

TFord 

[TFord]

Whilst we all try to wrap our heads around what has just happened over the last two years, and crucially what is about to happen one thing is for certain, we will never forgive those that tried to bring harm to us. 

 

 

TFord 

[dasmo]

WE are not the only people on here.

If I said I was right would you have believed me? I did indicate that I understood the concepts involved..

As you stated these numbers and how they are calculated and what they mean are not well understood. I was providing information to help others perhaps understand better as well as responding to your claim that I did not know.

I agree it is not a conspiracy.. My opinion is that the general use of these terms is not marketing.

Sorry, you did know. You just didn’t answer the first time. You gave a link.

“The numbers are not well understood” is no excuse for the promotion of 95% effective as being 95 out of 100 won’t get it.
I explained it pretty clear in a short paragraph….

[sebberry]

Whilst we all try to wrap our heads around what has just happened over the last two years, and crucially what is about to happen one thing is for certain, we will never forgive those that tried to bring harm to us. 

 

 

TFord 

 

The anti-vaxxers? 

[TFord]

The anti-vaxxers? 

 

 

If you truly believe what you written I feel sorry for you. Folk that declined this vaccine have caused you no harm. 

 

TFord 

[TFord]

If you think otherwise sebberry you have been brainwashed. 

 

patience 

 

 

TFord 

[sebberry]

If you think otherwise sebberry you have been brainwashed. 

 

patience 

 

 

TFord 

 

Ah, there we go.  The old "If you don't agree with me, it's irrefutable proof you're wrong" trick... 

[Victoria Watcher]

UK:

 

 

 

 

 

 

It’s been criticized by many for its reluctance to introduce more Covid-19 restrictions in the face of the omicron variant, but the U.K. could be one of the first countries to emerge from the coronavirus pandemic, according to one leading scientist.

 

Speaking of various responses to Covid, and particularly the latest wave of cases caused by the virulent omicron variant, leading public health official Professor David Heymann of the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine said that “the U.K is the closest to any country in being out of the pandemic if it isn’t already out of the pandemic and having the disease as endemic.”

 

https://www.cnbc.com...xpert-says.html

Edited by Victoria Watcher, 19 January 2022 - 11:31 PM.