How is the corona virus affecting you?

[TastyReuben]

Walmart is just going to take people at their word, pretty much. Kroger is just not going to let anyone without a mask in. It's going to cause a lot of confrontation, IMO. I wish we had Kroger here, BTW.

Around here (meaning my town), Kroger hasn't confronted anyone without a mask. They've never had anyone policing the door, and they've never had anyone up front counting people coming in, even though that was the first actual restriction that went into effect, long before masks.

Walmart did a better job overall of projecting an image, at least, of somewhat taking things seriously; one-way lanes, dedicated entrances and exits, and someone at the front counting and someone enforcing masks (and I got to witness some confrontations).

They didn't keep it up too long, maybe 6-8 months, but all Kroger did was post signs saying masks are required and no more than 500 people in the store at one time. They didn't even put social distance stickers on the floor at the checkout lanes.

I'd guess, purely anecdotal, that mask compliance at either place probably approached 90% at the height of the pandemic, and now (I just came from Kroger earlier today), they're at about 70% compliance...including employees.

I figured as soon as Dewine announced restrictions were coming down 2 June and then the CDC announced vaccinated folks are pretty much virus-proof regardless, that the masks would be coming off. I'll bet when I go into Kroger next weekend, it might very well be 50%.

 

[mjd]

Oh, no problem at all!

Additionally I would like to add that I wish they would have more antibody tests available to see who still has antibodies from a previous infection. They think it's likely that antibodies from an infection are going to diminish with time, and that's why it's important that even people who have had Covid already get vaccinated.

It would also be great to find out whether or not Moderna and Pfizer are effective against all of the variants. I would also like to see booster shots for the vaccines, especially vaccines that are tweaked to target the variants and mutations. I suppose some of that will come out eventually. I think the problem is that there are still going to be reinfections with vaccinated people who are asymptomatic and don't know that they are sick, and they are going to go around and give it to people who haven't been vaccinated yet, and then hospitalizations and deaths are going to go up.

There are certain red states with a large republican affiliation who have said that they will not ever get a vaccine. There are also idiots who still believe that the virus is a hoax, and there are loonies out there who believe that the vaccine is a design by the government to put microchips inside of people to track them (and I think that those weird QAnon people think that aliens want to microchip us?). I can't wrap my head around any of that.

I was sick in November. No hospitalization or medications. I just had to quarantine for 14 days. I didn't feel much of anything but a runny nose (and I thought that was just my regular allergies). So, I know I have antibodies. It's just as you say - we don't know how much of that will protect us in the future.

I've read some of those conspiracy theories. I doubt any aliens out there would want to study us as humans are awful to one another! ;-) I understand vaccine hesitancy when we consider they got it rolled out pretty quickly. I know some think they cut some corners somewhere especially rushing the human trials. If I recall correctly, The Late Night Gourmet participated in the trials. Thanks The Late Night Gourmet! I go for my annual physical next week and will talk to my doctor about it.

I'm just really scared about it. It's not rational at all.

 

[Windigo]

Stepson is getting a home covid test tomorrow. If negative we will help out, otherwise we will not get involved. We're not going to risk getting Covid for their convience and their neighbour who visited has Covid so theres reason to be cautious.

 

[mjd]

Around here (meaning my town), Kroger hasn't confronted anyone without a mask. They've never had anyone policing the door, and they've never had anyone up front counting people coming in, even though that was the first actual restriction that went into effect, long before masks.

Walmart did a better job overall of projecting an image, at least, of somewhat taking things seriously; one-way lanes, dedicated entrances and exits, and someone at the front counting and someone enforcing masks (and I got to witness some confrontations).

They didn't keep it up too long, maybe 6-8 months, but all Kroger did was post signs saying masks are required and no more than 500 people in the store at one time. They didn't even put social distance stickers on the floor at the checkout lanes.

I'd guess, purely anecdotal, that mask compliance at either place probably approached 90% at the height of the pandemic, and now (I just came from Kroger earlier today), they're at about 70% compliance...including employees.

I figured as soon as Dewine announced restrictions were coming down 2 June and then the CDC announced vaccinated folks are pretty much virus-proof regardless, that the masks would be coming off. I'll bet when I go into Kroger next weekend, it might very well be 50%.

We only have an Aldi's and WalMart for groceries in my town. Both were very diligent in the beginning. They counted (I think that was ordered by the Fire Marshalls, right?) people, had someone sanitizing carts between customers, stickers and register guards, etc.

The one thing that really ticked a bunch off is WalMart stopped taking returns on food items so people were having to throw things out with no refunds. It happened to me too. I felt like it was unfair because they would take back non-food items so what's the difference?

I've always been appreciative of how hard retail employees worked but the pandemic response really brought it home for some others that just took those people for granted. I only know of one employee that quit WalMart but all the same smiling faces and helpful associates remained steadfast through the thick of it. I sent a couple of letters to Corporate about it, in fact.

I just hope we can kinda eeeaaaassssseeeeee into reducing restrictions so we don't hit another bad wave. I really wish the selfish, idiotic and stubborn folk would just agree to congregate among themselves and not thrust their *cooties* (I'm trying to bring that word back ;-) onto the rest of us!

 

[mjd]

Stepson is getting a home covid test tomorrow. If negative we will help out, otherwise we will not get involved. We're not going to risk getting Covid for their convience and their neighbour who visited has Covid so theres reason to be cautious.

Sounds like a great plan!

Keep in mind that he could have it even if the test comes back negative. I tested positive in November (had to for an outpatient procedure). I was shocked it was positive because I don't really leave the house much. My caregiver and I assumed she gave it to me because she was my only exposure other than the guy that walked up to the car to do the test. She went to the hospital that same day and tested negative. Here's what the health department told us. I had to quarantine for 14 days but she had to quarantine for NINETEEN days! The extra five days works on the assumption that she would test positive if they bothered to repeat the test.

I don't want to scare you, just let you know there is a "small window" in which a carrier will test negative.

P.S. I'm crossing my fingers, toes and eyes for you! LOL

 

[JAS_OH1]

I was sick in November. No hospitalization or medications. I just had to quarantine for 14 days. I didn't feel much of anything but a runny nose (and I thought that was just my regular allergies). So, I know I have antibodies. It's just as you say - we don't know how much of that will protect us in the future.

I've read some of those conspiracy theories. I doubt any aliens out there would want to study us as humans are awful to one another! ;-) I understand vaccine hesitancy when we consider they got it rolled out pretty quickly. I know some think they cut some corners somewhere especially rushing the human trials. If I recall correctly, The Late Night Gourmet participated in the trials. Thanks The Late Night Gourmet! I go for my annual physical next week and will talk to my doctor about it.

I'm just really scared about it. It's not rational at all.

I am way more scared of getting Covid-19 than I was of the vaccine. I think you got lucky. I have heard that some of the other strains hit people far worse.

And still scratching my head over how 8 people (coaches, staff, and players) with the NY Yankees who had all been vaccinated (J&J) got infected with Covid-19 and one of them was a 2nd infection...his first infection was at the end of last year.

 

[caseydog]

Walmart is just going to take people at their word, pretty much. Kroger is just not going to let anyone without a mask in. It's going to cause a lot of confrontation, IMO. I wish we had Kroger here, BTW.

I'm really surprised you don't have Kroger. They are headquartered in Cincinnati.

CD

 

[caseydog]

Would you mind sharing why you didn't want J&J (here or a pm)?

As for me, I did not want the J&J because its efficacy rate is lower. The Pfizer and Moderna vaccines have the highest efficacy rates -- 90-plus percent.

Don't get me wrong, if all I could get was the J&J, I'd get it. It is a good vaccine, it is just not the best vaccine.

CD

 

[mjd]

I am way more scared of getting Covid-19 than I was of the vaccine. I think you got lucky. I have heard that some of the other strains hit people far worse.

And still scratching my head over how 8 people (coaches, staff, and players) with the NY Yankees who had all been vaccinated (J&J) got infected with Covid-19 and one of them was a 2nd infection...his first infection was at the end of last year.

Yeah. I'm scared of both ends. I lost two family members to COVID.

I hadn't heard about that. I'll go look that up. Strange.

 

[JAS_OH1]

I'm really surprised you don't have Kroger. They are headquartered in Cincinnati.

CD

I am not surprised at all. The nearest Kroger is about an hour away. I live in NE Ohio close to Lake Erie and closer to NY or PA than I am to Cincinnati. Cincinatti is about a 4 hour drive, I can get to PA in 45 minutes. I don't think there are any Kroger stores in PA, not sure.

 

[mjd]

As for me, I did not want the J&J because its efficacy rate is lower. The Pfizer and Moderna vaccines have the highest efficacy rates -- 90-plus percent.

Don't get me wrong, if all I could get was the J&J, I'd get it. It is a good vaccine, it is just not the best vaccine.

CD

I have an artificial knee so I'm already higher risk for blood clots which is why J&J isn't my first choice.

I'm sorry if you said already. I don't recall reading about it if you did. Did you get your vaccine? Which one?

 

[JAS_OH1]

We only have an Aldi's and WalMart for groceries in my town. Both were very diligent in the beginning. They counted (I think that was ordered by the Fire Marshalls, right?) people, had someone sanitizing carts between customers, stickers and register guards, etc.

The one thing that really ticked a bunch off is WalMart stopped taking returns on food items so people were having to throw things out with no refunds. It happened to me too. I felt like it was unfair because they would take back non-food items so what's the difference?

I've always been appreciative of how hard retail employees worked but the pandemic response really brought it home for some others that just took those people for granted. I only know of one employee that quit WalMart but all the same smiling faces and helpful associates remained steadfast through the thick of it. I sent a couple of letters to Corporate about it, in fact.

I just hope we can kinda eeeaaaassssseeeeee into reducing restrictions so we don't hit another bad wave. I really wish the selfish, idiotic and stubborn folk would just agree to congregate among themselves and not thrust their *cooties* (I'm trying to bring that word back ;-) onto the rest of us!

I find that really odd about your Walmart. I do my refunds in about 3 clicks online. I had some wilted lettuce in an order and I logged in and did the return in less than a minute. They didn't want the wilted lettuce back, of course, but gave me a full refund on my credit card that showed up within 24 hours.

But I don't shop in person, I only do curbside shops so maybe that's why it's easy to do.

 

[mjd]

I find that really odd about your Walmart. I do my refunds in about 3 clicks online. I had some wilted lettuce in an order and I logged in and did the return in less than a minute. They didn't want the wilted lettuce back, of course, but gave me a full refund on my credit card that showed up within 24 hours.

But I don't shop in person, I only do curbside shops so maybe that's why it's easy to do.

I recall us talking about this previously. I have no idea why they implemented that policy at our local store. They STILL won't issue refunds for food items. Prior to this new policy I never had a problem getting credited back. The most annoying part is they say they don't know when they will start up again. I stopped using curbside service because of this policy. I trust my caregiver to get decent items so she goes for me when I'm not up to leaving the house. I'm glad you have an easier go with it by you. We're just stuck here because the only alternative is Aldi's. Our Walmart isn't even one of their big stores so it's already slim pickings.

 

[caseydog]

I am not surprised at all. The nearest Kroger is about an hour away. I live in NE Ohio close to Lake Erie and closer to NY or PA than I am to Cincinnati. Cincinatti is about a 4 hour drive, I can get to PA in 45 minutes. I don't think there are any Kroger stores in PA, not sure.

Kroger is the dominant chain in Dallas, and in Houston. They are everywhere. We even have one of their gigantic Kroger Marketplace stores here in Frisco.

On topic, Kroger stores here in Frisco had really weak vaccine efforts. They only did vaccines for an hour or two per day.

But, I'm still seeing pretty good mask compliance at Kroger and Walmart.

CD

 

[mjd]

Kroger is the dominant chain in Dallas, and in Houston. They are everywhere. We even have one of their gigantic Kroger Marketplace stores here in Frisco.

On topic, Kroger stores here in Frisco had really weak vaccine efforts. They only did vaccines for an hour or two per day.

But, I'm still seeing pretty good mask compliance at Kroger and Walmart.

CD

I was reading some stuff on the border situation and they were saying they are releasing immigrants into the communities without testing them. Or, they test them and still release them with instructions to self-quarantine. Have you noticed an upsurge in cases where you are?