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HouTex

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Everything posted by HouTex

  1. https://ourworldindata.org/grapher/united-states-rates-of-covid-19-deaths-by-vaccination-status Interesting statistics from Our World in Data. The link is to the weekly death rates in the US by unvaccinated, vaccinated but without the bivalent booster and vaccinated with the bivalent booster. The most recent week is the week of April 1, 2023. Interestingly, for the most recently reported weeks, by a tiny amount, those boosted with the bivalent booster had a slightly higher mortality rate than those vaccinated but without the bivalent booster (.14 vs. .17 per 100,000 for the week of April 1, 2023). Note that for February and March 2023 the mortality rates between those boosted with the bivalent booster and not boosted with the bivalent booster are very close and they go back and forth. The unvaccinated mortality rate was .61 per 100,000 for the week of April 1. So, for the week of April 1, 2023, the unvaccinated were 3.5x more likely to die than those vaccinated and boosted with the bivalent booster and 4.3x more likely to die than those vaccinated and not boosted with the bivalent booster. I have several takeaways from this data. First, even for the unvaccinated, the recent Covid strains are not particularly dangerous to otherwise healthy people and the death rate is extraordinarily low for those vaccinated. I have seen nothing that changes what we've always known about Covid and co-morbidity. Some will think I'm callous, but my view is that we are all going to die--humans have a 100% mortality rate. So what should I fear? Let's look at the other causes of death. CDC's most recent cancer numbers show 146.2 deaths per 100,000 for 2019 (or 2.81 per week assuming even distribution of deaths). For heart disease, it's 161.5 per 100,000 for 2019 (or 3.10 per week). Comparing the numbers for the week of April 1 for Covid to the most recent cancer and heart disease deaths, I'm 20x more likely to die in a given week from cancer than Covid and I'm 22x more likely to die from heart disease than Covid. And that's for the population at large. I'm 61--some would say I'm getting close to a risk factor--but I'm in very good health (I exercise every day, eat fairly well, and I'm not overweight). I suspect my Covid death risk (being vaccinated and boosted once) is far less than .14 per 100,000. I don't lose much sleep worrying about dying of cancer or heart disease and I damn sure don't worry about Covid--especially after (1) being fully vaccinated and boosted once, (2) getting it in June 2022, (3) being exposed multiple times this summer during the recent spike in cases, and (4) observing the current hospitalization rates in SE Texas during the current spike of cases. We all have our own concerns and risk tolerances and fears of the unknown and unknowable. Some will look at this data and say it supports their decision to get booster number 7+. That's OK by me. I'm also OK with someone who is otherwise healthy who decides to avoid more shots. Now if you are obese or have a significant risk factor then you should consider staying boosted. BTW, I didn't know much about OWID. It appears to be funded, in part, by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. It purports to be non-partisan and merely data-focused.
  2. LOL. I had shingles several years ago before Shingrix was approved. I wasn’t eligible for the earlier vaccine which wasn’t very effective in any event. As soon as Shingrix was approved I got both shots. They kicked my ass—fever and body aches for about 36 hours after each one. Still, it was worth it. Shingles can really fuck you up.
  3. And they are different shots. If they get the seasonal flu strain right it’s very effective. I’m also listening to my doctor. That might cause some of you heartburn (get another doctor!!!).
  4. I don’t really believe the two Pfizer shots in early 2021 and the November 2021 booster really helped much. I got Covid seven months after the last booster. And my symptoms were similar to the vast majority of people with Covid—very light.
  5. Just got my seasonal flu shot. Been doing it for about 20 years or so. Unless the severity of Covid drastically changes, I’ll pass on more boosters. I got the two Pfizer shots and a Moderna booster in November 2021. Looking at the Setrac.org reporting for the 9.5 million SE Texas region of 27 counties, there are only 55 people in ICU with confirmed COVID and Covid patients comprise 1.36 percent of inpatient hospital beds. I got Covid in June 2022, after the shots and the 9/21 booster, and it wasn’t a big deal for me. And I’ve been exposed this summer numerous times without any issues.
  6. Richmond folks would correct you. The courthouse is/was in Richmond unless they built an auxiliary courthouse in Rosenberg after I left in 1980 and I don’t think that happened unless it was a JP court. The cultural divide between Richmond and Rosenberg mattered.
  7. I grew up in Rosenberg and the best Mex was at Larry’s Mexican Restaurant just east of the Brazos in Richmond. Larry got his start at El Felix. The food was fabulous. Damn I miss those days.
  8. Way to go Coco. I think she wins it all.
  9. Rip his feet from the fl Exactly. Do it now.
  10. JFC, they are still watching over some moron hoping they can convince him to leave peacefully. Get the asshole out of there.
  11. What the fuck is wrong with the USTA? They have an idiot making some dumb shit protest and they cause a 20 minute delay. Get your shit together.
  12. So who is without power? I keep hearing about the doomsday forecasts and the angst in this thread, but I haven’t seen/heard about power outages.
  13. If he’s delaying the foursome time to more than 4 hours for a round then he needs a gentle nudge—or maybe not so gentle. If he’s not causing a delay, and unless he’s an asshole, I’d let it go. We all have issues at times on the course.
  14. This. And Key Largo and The Big Sleep and To Have and Have Not.
  15. Reversion to the mean. In the past month I’ve gone from a 7.9 index to a 10.7 and now a 10.1. Course handicap went from a 10 to a 13 and now 12. With 8 rounds now counting your handicap can move pretty quickly if you play often.
  16. Of all the gin joints in all the towns in all the world, she walks into mine. Probably my favorite movie of all time. I first saw it at the Union in 1981 or 1982. $1 to get in. They were always showing classic films. I take it they don’t still do that?
  17. HouTex

    Getting old sucks

    I’ll +1 what others above have said on TE. I battled it for 20 months around 2014-2016. Tried everything mentioned above except the PRP. That was the next thing on my list. I was scheduled for surgery but a friend who is an ortho surgeon talked me out of it. Too high a percentage of failure. I also did the Graston treatment. Hurt like hell. It’s basically aggressively rubbing the pain location on the elbow with a dull knife-like instrument for 5 minutes. I had several of those treatments and I saw some relief. Ice didn’t do anything but i think heat helped a bit. I also did electro therapy. Ultimately, not sure if anything really worked or if it was just resting it for 20 months. I still wear the Band-it brace when I play tennis. Feels like insurance. And I was taking a bunch of Advil the whole time. It eventually hurt my kidney function. Kidneys returned to normal after I stopped. So watch the drugs.
  18. 100% agree. But there are Americans that go to Europe and for whatever reason still tip to US standards. Some are used to it, some don’t know any better, and some tip to the US standard because they just think it’s the right thing to do—even in Europe, if they really liked the service.
  19. In my 6 or 7 trips to Europe and eating out twice a day, I noticed that generally the service was not up to what I usually experience in the US. It wasn't horrible, just average. There are always exceptions. But I never experienced the outstanding service that I usually get at our fine dining restaurants in the US. Still, on the whole, I'd rather see us go to the Euro model.
  20. That was my trend until about two weeks ago. I went from a 7.6 index to 10.7 index in 3 or 4 rounds. Some low scores rolled off and were replaced with some low 90’s and high 80’s. Just when you think you’ve got something figured out the golf gods put you in your place.
  21. HouTex

    Getting old sucks

    Radiation, I believe. It definitely wasn’t surgery and I don’t know what all the options were back then. It was probably early 90’s when he had it the first time. He never told my brother and me until many years later. He didn’t want to worry us—apparently not thinking that we would want our PCP’s to know about the family history of prostate cancer.
  22. I shop mostly at Spec’s and Goody Goody before it closed. Goody Goody had SR on the shelf more than Spec’s but it was still only a few times a year. I recall Spec’s on Fountainview had SR during its grand opening but I haven’t seen it since until last week. I haven’t seen SR at Spec’s downtown in years. I’m wondering if something is going on with the supply.
  23. HouTex

    Getting old sucks

    My doctor still does the digital and he closely monitors my PSA. My dad beat prostate cancer twice and my grandfather also had it. So maybe it’s different with family history. I hate the exam. Something you never get used to.
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