How long to wait

[tmm99]

Yeah. I'm ordering all my high dollar treats (sushi grade fish and wagyu beef) off the internet and drinking my premium booze at home. Good thing I know how to cook.

I don't mind take out either although some things are no good to travel like deep fried fish which needs to be eaten hot out the fryer or it gets all greasy and limp.

Great idea. Instead of depriving myself, I think I will order some sashimi grade fish online.

I'm glad I know how to cook also. I recently purchased a small deep-fryer, so I can have fried fish any time at home. Using a deep-fryer has made cooking fried things so much easier as it can keep a consistent temperature. Fish, chicken wings and Tatsuta chicken all turn out great in it. No need for restaurants.

 

[RobbieB]

You are making me get mine out. I have one, but it has peanut oil in it and step daughter is highly allergic to peanuts.

But end of August she goes back and the peanuts will live again!

 

[tmm99]

I think I will wait as long as it takes. We opened up more last Friday (Phase 3 - indoor dining, gyms, retail stores), but I am just not comfortable with any of it, except going into places where I can wear a mask the whole time. I will change my mind once adequate treatments are available or vaccines are out.

I do miss playing volleyball, but after reading up on long-haulers' stories, I know it's just not worth it.

 

[brewer12345]

Travel for sure would be on my list. Both domestic and international. I’m section hiking the PCT, and would return for a long distance hike there. Visiting family, including my 88 year old parents. Eating in restaurants for sure. In person church services at our mega church.

I enjoy playing the dice, but visiting a casino in Vegas probably would stay off my list. Attending concerts or sporting events stay off the list. I’m disillusioned with sports now anyway. Always loved sports for the escape. Now, to watch sports, is like watching the news. That’ll stay off my list.

Those are my thoughts thus far.

Some of your choices I wouldn't make, like in person services or getting on a plane. Doesn't really matter, since we all make our own choices. What I am really suggesting is that you just think about the exposure you are accepting when you decide what activities you think are worth taking a risk for.

I think there are a lot of people who will be making a similar calculus.

 

[Katiek]

I'll evaluate different activities differently, depending on their relative risk and how important they are to me. I can skip big sporting and entertainment events for a very long time. Eating in a restaurant also isn't too high on my list, but I'm happy to do takeout. I'd be faster to see family (who I know have been smart about their own exposures) in a smaller group even inside.



I'd consider travel to a place where I drive on my own and just relax outside or enjoy pretty scenery. I'm not likely to get on a crowded plane or vacation at an amusement park.

 

[brewer12345]

Great idea. Instead of depriving myself, I think I will order some sashimi grade fish online.

I'm glad I know how to cook also. I recently purchased a small deep-fryer, so I can have fried fish any time at home. Using a deep-fryer has made cooking fried things so much easier as it can keep a consistent temperature. Fish, chicken wings and Tatsuta chicken all turn out great in it. No need for restaurants.

We get a monthly shipment of fish from Alaska, something different every month. All sashimi grade. Some of it I cook, some of it I make into sushi or ceviche.

 

[Moemg]

I will wait for most things but I will at some point get on an airplane to visit my daughter and grandsons . We are eating out much less than we used to and only if the restaurant seems safe . I traveled a lot in the past so if my traveling days are over so be it . I miss movies with bags of popcorn,book club and trivia .Hopefully these will all restart at some point.

 

[tmm99]

We get a monthly shipment of fish from Alaska, something different every month. All sashimi grade. Some of it I cook, some of it I make into sushi or ceviche.

Very nice. I didn't think about ceviche, but I used to have it all the time when I lived in California. It looks like the fish I can get here come from Nova Scotia as I live in Ontario, Canada, but I'm definitely looking into a way to source some fresh sashimi grade fish. Thanks!

 

[Bflotomny]

I think most of us on here are old enough to remember Polio. The vaccine took years to develop-so I don't care who's promising what end of 2020 or 2023 it will take some time. Additionally as someone said by the time it's dispensed we all will be waiting a long time.
I also follow a protocol I learned from one of my former customers- He would wait a year (as long as there were no major adverse events)before he would prescribe any new products. His reason was the FDA only requires the minimum trials- Once approved the public becomes the real trial monkeys.

 

[Moemg]

Great idea. Instead of depriving myself, I think I will order some sashimi grade fish online.

I'm glad I know how to cook also. I recently purchased a small deep-fryer, so I can have fried fish any time at home. Using a deep-fryer has made cooking fried things so much easier as it can keep a consistent temperature. Fish, chicken wings and Tatsuta chicken all turn out great in it. No need for restaurants.

Why not use an air fryer instead ?

 

[tmm99]

Why not use an air fryer instead ?

I have an air-fryer as well, but it's just not the same. Certain things taste much better deep-fried the traditional way, although I'm sure it's not as healthy.

 

[ItsAllGood]

I'm doing as much as I can, as soon as I can. I completely follow all rules. I take necessary precautions, wear a mask and social distance, and I'm out there living my life. I have postponed two Europe trips to 2021, but otherwise hike at least twice weekly, have completed two camp trips (including meals out and shopping for fun) and one airplane journey to visit family many states away. Three more camp trips in the coming 2 months. Life goes on. This isn't the only pandemic we'll see in the near future, in my opinion. Do your best to keep yourself and others safe, and enjoy life!

 

[stepford]

This isn't the only pandemic we'll see in the near future, in my opinion.

I totally agree. 1% fatality rate Pshaw! This is just our starter pandemic.

 

[ILikeStarTrek]

I haven't heard "likely," I've heard late this year/early next is the hopeful possible best case - and that would be literally unprecedented. But maybe I missed it. And again, even if an effective vaccine is developed,

• that doesn't mean anyone and everyone will be able to get one, could take months (health care workers and some others will be ahead of the general population),
• the threshold for success (according to PBS NewHour) is effective with at least 50% of patients, and
• no one has any idea how long it will be effective, could be a year, longer, or mere months.

Those who are banking on a vaccine likely have a long wait ahead.

I don't know about "banking" on a vaccine, but I think there is reason for optimism.

In March, Fauci was saying it would take at least 12-18 months to have an approved vaccine. Now 4 months later, here are a few of his recent statements:

https://abc7news.com/dr-fauci-mark-...hen-will-there-be-a-for-covid-19-and/6321008/
"Beginning of 2021, we may have a vaccine candidate that is actually safe and effective."

https://www.nbcnews.com/health/heal...ine-we-will-least-have-answer-winter-n1233024
"we hope that by end of this year, or the beginning of 2021 we will at least have an answer whether the vaccine or vaccines - plural - are safe and effective,"

I'm quoting what I think is his most pointed statement in each interview but feel free to read the rest of the articles. The point is, while Fauci isn't offering any certainties, he suggests plausible time frames which are much better than what he was saying was the best possible time frame only a few months ago.

There is also good news about other areas mentioned by Midpack, including effectiveness and manufacturing / distribution. For instance:

On effectiveness:
https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-53469839
The Oxford vaccine "study showed 90% of people [1077 people were in the trial] developed neutralising antibodies after one dose. Only ten people were given two doses and all of them produced neutralising antibodies."

On manufacturing/distribution: The U.S. just bought 100 million doses of one vaccine:
https://www.usnews.com/news/health-...-for-100-million-doses-of-coronavirus-vaccine
"They expect to manufacture up to 100 million doses of the vaccine by the end of the year and more than 1.3 billion doses by the end of 2021."

My impression from other stories like this is, as the months go by we seem to be getting better and better news about vaccine progress/testing. Not something to "bank" on, but reason for optimism. As Fauci says, by the end of the year, we should at least know whether the vaccines currently undergoing trials work ("are safe and effective") or not.


From a personal perspective: I'm healthy and in my late 50s - not in the highest risk group but in a medium-risk group. Last year I did about 16 weeks of traveling. I had planned to do that much this year, but so far I've put nearly all travel on hold. Another 5 months (i.e. until the end of this year) isn't that long to wait to find out how this round of vaccine trials pans out. If we find out by the beginning of 2021 that a fairly effective vaccine exists, great. If it takes a few more months for effective distribution, I can wait for that too. Even if a vaccine isn't 100% effective, I'll take what I can get. A 75-80% effective vaccine will give me a lot more confidence about resuming traveling.

If on the other hand we get to the first of next year and all the vaccine candidates that have trials this year are deemed ineffective, and by next year it seems that we are no closer to an effective vaccine than we are this year, I'm not sure exactly what I'll do but I will be very hesitant about traveling (and other group activities). What I think now is, I'll still want to get back to a little bit of traveling but not anywhere near as much as I would have planned; I will try to avoid sightseeing that is likely to be crowded; etc.

 

[ILikeStarTrek]

Dr. Anthony Fauci: Coronavirus will never be eradicated
In the same way the flu will never be eradicated...buckle up.

Midpack, you must be a pessimist, focusing on only the worst statement in that video. Here's a longer quote from the video:

"I think with the combination of good public health measures, a degree of global herd immunity, and a good vaccine, which I hope and feel cautiously optimistic that we will get, I think when you put all three of those together, we will get very good control of this. Whether it's this year or next year, I'm not certain, but I think ultimately, with the combination of good public health measures and a vaccine, that we may not eradicate it, but I think we will bring it down to such a low level that we will not be in the position that we are in right now for an extended period of time."

The glass is half-full, not half-empty!

 

[badatmath]

My future retirement was not built on hanging out with large groups of people or much travel simply because I do not enjoy it. I would actually like to see a few people who do not live in my house but . . . I can wait.

 

[tmm99]

Us introverts defintely fare so much better in this pandemic than extroverts.

 

[audreyh1]

Since returning to pre-Covid activities is likely to result in death or a permanent impairment/disability to someone my age, and my spouse, I can wait a very long time.

Exactly! I don’t feel the need to put a time limit on it.

We’ll keep finding ways to stay safe even if we travel a bit.

 

[Calico]

We don't really mind staying home for the most part. DW has bad asthma and other medical issues that put her at elevated risk. Our dilemma going forward is how to visit the kids and grandkids. They all live about 7 hours by auto, so driving is doable. I guess we will eventually make the drive, rent a hotel room (lysol heavily), and devise a way to interact that will be satisfying to us and the kids, but not too risky. How we will do this is a big question? DW wants to get some kind of plastic suit that will allow her to hug and be close while minimizing the risk of transmission. Any suggestions on how to safely visit would be greatly appreciated.

Plastic hug curtain a fellow designed so he could hug his grandmother. Have your tissues handy. Look at grandma wriggle with delight!

 

[Calico]

Since returning to pre-Covid activities is likely to result in death or a permanent impairment/disability to someone my age, and my spouse, I can wait a very long time.

Exactly. Reading about major organ damage, even in survivors gives me a lot more patience.

^^This.

 

[FIREd]

How long are you willing to wait for Covid to be conquered before returning to doing things you enjoyed pre-Covid? Things like restaurant dining, travel, seeing family, sports, conferences, stadium events, casinos, etc.

I live in an area where infection numbers have been pretty low for 2.5 months. I'm seeing family several times a week (we meet in small groups, while maintaining a longer than usual interpersonal distance and choosing outdoor settings when the weather allows). I've eaten at restaurants as well - choosing the outdoor dining option when available. And I plan on going on vacation in September (road trip to the French Riviera).

The other items on your list don't interest me, even when there is no pandemic.

 

[SecondCor521]

I think each of us has a different capacity and appetite for risk based on our personality and our personal circumstances.

I am a 51-year-old introvert who is probably more on the side of taking risks than some here, so I can already do most of what I want to do. I can work on home projects, shop, go to movies, go to the library and hang out with my offspring. Since the outbreak I have gone to a water park, an amusement park, flown across the country, and stayed in a hotel. I have more plane trips planned for September and December.

Things I can't do yet that I'd like to include visiting my DF84 at his retirement home. We semi-jokingly describe it as a high class medium security prison. The other main exception is a bridge group of about 20 people that I used to meet with once a week - it is nigh on to impossible to socially distance and practice safe behavior when you're shuffling cards around a card table for several hours.

To answer the OP's question, intellectually I would say that I am willing and able to live under the current semi-open stage 3 we're in here and wear a mask for another six months or so. Beyond that I agree with what OP is hinting at (at least I think OP is) - at a certain point the trade-off of a limited life for a lower risk begins to be something I would question. (Personally I also think we'll have several approved vaccines by the end of this calendar year, and if it passes FDA approval I'd probably get one as soon as I could. But y'all know I'm an unrelenting and possibly excessive optimist.)

As a practical matter, though, I've realized that I tend to be willing to follow whatever CDC and state guidelines say as long as the majority of the people I encounter are following those guidelines. So right now that means I wear a mask, but if the guidelines and practice of those around me were to change such that wearing a mask was no longer recommended or something most around me were doing, then I'd probably go along with that. In that respect I tend to just be a rule/herd-follower, and I think this will be the most heavily-weighted factor determining how long I wait.

 

[Bamaman]

We continue to "hunker down" in our home. Just going to grocery store and Home Depot--and avoiding others. The daughter & family did come for a weekend, but no other visitors. We did go to the mountains for two long weekends, but were not around any other RVers. We are careful--wearing masks, etc. But at our age, we're not pushing getting back into the old ways.

Our community is getting a little worse right now and we have no idea when the new normal will be like the old normal. Just rollin' with the flow.

 

[Dtail]

Back to playing Pickleball 6x weekly, but only playing outside. We have had a few social distance get togethers outside with friends.
Being able to play Pickleball gives me the strength to put up with all the things we can't do.

 

[DrRoy]

We are going to visit a state park for several days next month, stay in the lodge there, and wear a mask plus socially distance as needed/required.