The effect of covid on college towns

[moe.ron]

This is an interesting video on the effect of covid not only on the university, but the effect on the college.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SZShVhclRbQ

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-TmfJlqq__c

[bevinpiphi]

I normally don’t mind living in a college town.
But not this year. Not with the students still frequenting the bars in town.

[Cheerio]

So much has occurred on the covid front since these videos were posted in late August of 2020. The recent touting of possible vaccines only encourages students/people who hate following covid sanctions to continue ignoring covid sanctions. And that isn't good for ANY town, with a university or not.

Common news, people: vaccines for the gen pub won't be available as quickly as you think. And RIGHT NOW our local/county hospitals are all quickly losing ICU bed space.

I live in a college town, too, and here the problem of both students and citizens not masking and ignoring necessary distancing/occupation capacity limits continues. There appears to be no basic care for one another as human beings to prevent covid's spread and no discipline to follow any new covid guidelines longer than a week or two.

There is also the political fight between factions of government. The president has no national covid plan, and our governor's requests for voluntary sanctions are both followed and fought against by the people and their elected representatives. Our county stays silent beyond the basic "wash hands, keep a 6 foot distance, and wear masks". Our town mayor continues to state, "do want you want, no harm no foul no fines for not following the governor's covid guidelines". The lack of caring and finer leadership by some government officials is unbecoming.

Lastly: On my daily walk yesterday I noticed a dozen new out-of-state license plates on cars parked within two miles of my home. Which means students home for break, and people visiting relatives who traveled to here from there, further spreading who knows how much covid virus and complicating an already dire national emergency covid situation.

[Kevin]

In Oklahoma, I doubt there are many things differently. While I'm sure there are cases at the schools, I have only heard of one student death since COVID began. I've heard of some deaths among primary and secondary school faculty, but colleges are not in-person, so if faculty infections occur, it has nothing to do with exposure to students.

That said, bars are full. People are ignoring mask requirements. People believe it's a hoax. I read an account from a nurse in North Dakota who reports putting people on vents while those folks are still absolutely convinced this is a hoax.

My family and I go nowhere. No visitors come inside our home. Our 5 year old hasn't played with another child in weeks. I have to go to the courthouse almost every day, but I wear my mask and frequently sanitize my hands, which is the best I can do.

Hearings in our family law cases in Oklahoma County (an urban county) have interestingly been pared down to 10 minutes, masks on, socially distant, which might lessen viral load transmissions. At the same time, I did a trial in a rural county where I had to set at the same table as my client, opposing counsel and his client, and was ordered by the court to be unmasked when I spoke.

So.. this isn't getting better til we can get a vaccine, and until then, may the odds be ever in our favor.

[chi-o_cat]

Originally Posted by Kevin

So.. this isn't getting better til we can get a vaccine, and until then, may the odds be ever in our favor.

Right, even once the vaccine is available (or various vaccines as appears to be the case), I think there will be a huge issue with people actually getting it. If some people aren't willing to put a piece of cloth over their nose and mouth for the time it takes to go grocery shopping, do we really expect them to take a brand new fast-tracked vaccine? There are already a lot of people who don't trust the flu vaccine, and that's something that's been around and proven safe & effective for years.

I also think there will be a lot of logistical issues with the vaccines once they are released for use, such as the super low temperatures required in storing and shipping. And at least one of the vaccines being talked about requires 2 doses a couple of weeks apart, and I can see people going and getting that first dose and then forgetting or not bothering to go back for the follow-up.

[Kevin]

Originally Posted by chi-o_cat

Right, even once the vaccine is available (or various vaccines as appears to be the case), I think there will be a huge issue with people actually getting it. If some people aren't willing to put a piece of cloth over their nose and mouth for the time it takes to go grocery shopping, do we really expect them to take a brand new fast-tracked vaccine? There are already a lot of people who don't trust the flu vaccine, and that's something that's been around and proven safe & effective for years.

I also think there will be a lot of logistical issues with the vaccines once they are released for use, such as the super low temperatures required in storing and shipping. And at least one of the vaccines being talked about requires 2 doses a couple of weeks apart, and I can see people going and getting that first dose and then forgetting or not bothering to go back for the follow-up.

Once the vaccines are out and widely available, we will at least be able to by and large protect ourselves and our own. At that point, I think the government needs to stop paying for hospitalizations, let those who want to cling to their imaginary freedoms kill and bankrupt themselves with medical debt.

Right now, I look to the government to take responsibility and save people from themselves because no one can reasonably protect themselves 100%. If there's a 95% effective vaccine reasonably available, everything changes.

I do worry about mass distribution and whether vaccines make it to urban and rural communities. It's going to take some very careful messaging to get everyone to buy in with our balkanized climate.

I also worry about vaccines being made available to developing countries, but one thing at a time.