2020 Is Over Hallelujah. What are you looking forward to in 2021?

[RogerGodahell]

Thank God 2020 is over everyone. The worst year i can ever remember. Let's get this cornona sht behind us so we all don't have to suffocate and wear halloween masks everywhere we go for the rest of our lives. Personally i can't breath for sht with the real/medical ones on i feel like im suffocating. I don't know how doctors do it. I can deal with the thin stretchy ones because i can breathe.

But in all seriousness all i want is for life to return to normal in 2021. It's been such a hard year because of all the covid stuff. I cant even go into the hospital with loved ones. That is terribly hard to deal with if you know what im talking about. Especially if you have older parents or anyone for that matter who need to be with them and the doctors to explain whats going on. 2020 and covid was horrible and im so done with it.

Happy 2021 everyone lets hope for a year that's 100x better than last year.

[RogerGodahell]

Interesting: I just saw an early poll asking if people thought things would return more to normal in 2021.

And the results were:

Yes: 32%

No: 68%

I hope that poll isn't correct because 2020 sucked.

[suknives]

Originally Posted by RogerGodahell

Interesting: I just saw an early poll asking if people thought things would return more to normal in 2021.

And the results were:

Yes: 32%

No: 68%

I hope that poll isn't correct because 2020 sucked.

I think things have changed forever, honestly. Remote working, masks in public, 50 year old men waiting for restocks in the Target card aisle.

[thor_rider08]

"Fauci shares Biden's concern that 'darkest days' may be ahead in Covid-19 fight"

Nope. 2021 is going to be much worse than 2020 imo...
I really hope I am wrong...

[RogerGodahell]

Originally Posted by suknives

I think things have changed forever, honestly. Remote working, masks in public, 50 year old men waiting for restocks in the Target card aisle.

I know they'll change some and things wont always be the same again. But if i have to wear a mask everywhere i go for the rest of my life shoot me now.

[RogerGodahell]

Originally Posted by thor_rider08

"Fauci shares Biden's concern that 'darkest days' may be ahead in Covid-19 fight"

Nope. 2021 is going to be much worse than 2020 imo...
I really hope I am wrong...

Not to get political but Fauci is a puppet trying to hang onto his job. He will go along and say whatever it takes to do so. He's also flip flopped several times already. Masks don't work, masks work, everyone needs to wear masks. Make up your damn mind.

[suknives]

Originally Posted by RogerGodahell

I know they'll change some and things wont always be the same again. But if i have to wear a mask everywhere i go for the rest of my life shoot me now.

I don’t think you’ll HAVE to, but people will definitely choose to.

[suknives]

Originally Posted by RogerGodahell

Not to get political but Fauci is a puppet trying to hang onto his job. He will go along and say whatever it takes to do so. He's also flip flopped several times already. Masks don't work, masks work, everyone needs to wear masks. Make up your damn mind.

Wear a mask

[RogerGodahell]

Originally Posted by suknives

Wear a mask

The medical ones that cut off half your oxygen or the homemade stretchy ones that probably do nothing?

My favorite thing is when people keep touching their face adjusting their mask. That surely wont help spread covid. Now make my subway sandwich.

[thor_rider08]

Originally Posted by RogerGodahell

Not to get political

Ohh!! I am sorry lol I was def not trying to get political at all.

I simply mean the incoming administrations outlook is very negative for the future outlook and the proposed plans don't bode well for a back to normal 2021.
Biden-
"The next few weeks and months are going to be very tough — very tough for our nation, maybe the toughest in this entire pandemic."

Coupled with the new strain of covid locking down London and already being detected in CO I don't see how its going to get better.. at least this year.

[rustywest]

Watching the Pelicans develop into a playoff team...

[suknives]

Originally Posted by RogerGodahell

The medical ones that cut off half your oxygen or the homemade stretchy ones that probably do nothing?

My favorite thing is when people keep touching their face adjusting their mask. That surely wont help spread covid. Now make my subway sandwich.

[RogerGodahell]

Originally Posted by suknives

Trust me i'm a believer in wearing masks. But there are many flaws to it also that people don't think about.

[JoeAdam]

Personally, 2020 was one of the best years of my life. Seems like there is a new covid coming out, so we will probably be on lockdown again.

[RogerGodahell]

Originally Posted by JoeAdam

Personally, 2020 was one of the best years of my life. Seems like there is a new covid coming out, so we will probably be on lockdown again.

How so? Glad it was good for some people. For me it was like 10 years in one. I hated it.

[The_Reverend]

Happy New Year and I am in agreement that COVID changed my life as a pastor. The inability to fellowship with the membership, to visit hospitals and nursing homes to visit and encourage, the inability to have normal more reverent funeral services or just a simple embrace of those hurting has made being a pastor difficult. My family was personally impacted by this pandemic but God faithfully kept us. I too am of the opinion 2021 will be no different and possibly worse. I was a bi-vocational Paator in the healthcare field and sold vaccines. I know a lot about what the media is not telling the people, some because they don’t know or worse they don’t care, only their agenda matters. With that being said stay safe and blessed.

From a card perspective, I hope I am able to turn a profit of 10K per quarter grading and consigning many 30 years in the hobby break. My wife will be the beneficiary from that I. A new ride. I want to still enjoy the hobby side as a collector and be smarter in the investing side. Meeting new people and providing advice to those who ask will also be on the list.

Be safe everyone! This Too Shall Pass but only HE knows when!

[cardzzz]

Happy New Year...I’ll be watching in anticipation to see what Eminence sells for per box.

[KhalDrogo]

Let's clear up some terrible misinformation here. Stop reading headlines that are only meant to scare you.

https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/heal...ou-should-know

In Dec. 2020, a new strain of the coronavirus that causes COVID-19 was reported in the news media. The new strain’s existence raises questions: Is the coronavirus more contagious now? Will the vaccines still work? Are there new or different things you should do now to keep your family safe?

Stuart Ray, M.D., Vice Chair of Medicine for Data Integrity and Analytics, and Robert Bollinger, M.D., M.P.H., Raj and Kamla Gupta Professor of Infectious Diseases, are both experts in SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19. They talk about what is known about this new strain, and answer potential questions and concerns you may have.

Why did the coronavirus change?

New strains of viruses occur when there is a change (mutation) to the virus’ genes. Ray says it is the nature of RNA viruses such as the coronavirus to evolve and change gradually. “Geographic separation tends to result in genetically distinct strains,” he says.

Mutations in viruses — including the coronavirus causing the COVID-19 pandemic — are neither new nor unexpected. Bollinger explains: “All viruses mutate over time, some more than others. For example, flu viruses change often, which is why doctors recommend that you get a flu shot every year.

“We have already seen multiple variants of the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus that are different from the version we first saw in China,” he says.

He notes that this particular strain was detected in southeastern England in September 2020. In December, it became the most common version of the coronavirus, accounting for about 60 percent of new COVID-19 cases. The new strain also appeared in Denmark, the Netherlands, and other European countries, and a similar variant emerged in South Africa.

The COVID-19 new strain: How is it different?

“There are about 23 genetic changes in this strain,” Bollinger says. “There’s some preliminary suggestion that it’s more [contagious], and, although that’s not proven, scientists are noticing a surge of cases in areas where the new strain is appearing, and there could be a connection.”

He notes that the mutations in the new strain seem to affect the coronavirus’s spike proteins, which cover the outer coating of the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus and give it its characteristic spiny appearance. These proteins help the virus attach to human cells in the nose and other areas and invade the body, causing COVID-19 illness.

“Researchers want to see whether the new strain is more ‘sticky,’ due to changes in the spike protein,” he says. “But at this point, that’s not proven, and further studies will reveal more about whether or not the new strain is more easily transmitted.”

Is the new strain of the coronavirus more dangerous?

Bollinger says that so far, the news is good. Although the mutated coronavirus may spread faster from person to person, it does not appear any more likely to cause severe disease or death: “We are not seeing any indication that the new strain is more virulent or dangerous in terms of causing more severe COVID-19 disease.”

He explains that for a virus to survive, it may be more advantageous for it to evolve so that it spreads more easily. On the other hand, viruses don’t get the chance to reproduce if they mutate to become deadly: “If we get too sick or die from a particular virus, we can’t transmit it,” he notes.

Is the new COVID-19 strain affecting children more frequently than earlier strains?

Ray says that although experts in areas where the new strain is appearing have found an increased number of cases in children, he notes that the data show that kids are being infected by old strains, as well as the new one. “There is no convincing evidence that this variant has special propensity to infect or cause disease in children. We need to be vigilant in monitoring such shifts, but we can only speculate at this point,” he says.

Will there be other new strains of the coronavirus?

Yes. As long as the coronavirus spreads through the population, mutations will continue to happen. Ray notes that in 2020, several mutations caught researchers’ attention and raised concern, but further study revealed no major changes in how the coronavirus behaves.

“New strains of the SARS-CoV-2 virus are detected every week,” Ray says. “Most come and go — some persist but don’t become more common; some increase in the population for a while, and then fizzle out. When a change in the infection pattern first pops up, it can be very hard to tell what’s driving the trend: changes to the virus, or changes in human behavior.”

Are there additional COVID-19 precautions for the new coronavirus strain?

Bollinger says that the new coronavirus strain doesn’t call for any new prevention strategies. “We need to continue doing what we’re doing,” he says.

Ray concurs: “There is no demonstration yet that these strains are biologically different in ways that would require any change in current recommendations meant to limit spread of COVID-19,” he says. “Nonetheless, we must continue to be vigilant for such phenomena.”

Ray stresses that human behavior is important. The more people who are infected, the more chances there are for a mutation to occur. Limiting the spread of the virus through maintaining COVID-19 safeguards (mask wearing, physical distancing and practicing hand hygiene) give the virus fewer chances to change.

“We need to re-emphasize basic public health measures, including masking, physical distancing, good ventilation indoors, and limiting gatherings of people in close proximity with poor ventilation. We give the virus an advantage to evolve when we congregate in more confined spaces,” he says.

Will the COVID-19 vaccine still work on the new strain?

Ray says, “There is no evidence at this point that immune responses driven by current vaccines would not work against this new strain.”

“We deal with mutations every year for flu virus, and will keep an eye on this one and track it,” says Bollinger. “If there would ever be a major mutation, the vaccine development process accommodates changes, if necessary, but we’re not at the point when we need to consider that,” he explains. “The antibodies created by the current vaccines should still work.”

Regarding new strains of the coronavirus, how concerned should we be?

“Most of the genetic changes we see in this virus are like the scars people accumulate over a lifetime — incidental marks of the road, most of which have no great significance or functional role,” Ray says.

“When the evidence is strong enough that a viral genetic change is causing a change in the behavior of the virus, we gain new insight regarding how this virus works.”

“As far as this latest strain is concerned, we don’t need to overreact,” Bollinger says. “But, as with any virus, changes are something to be watched, to ensure that testing and vaccines are still effective. The scientists will continue to examine new versions of this coronavirus’ genetic sequencing as it evolves.”

[The_Reverend]

KD great info! I tried to explain this to some people, using the flu as the example, and they could not follow along. These types of discussions are understood by the medical community, but the media and the politician are more times then not talking out of their agenda driven tails. Agsin great info and stay safe.

[JoeAdam]

Originally Posted by RogerGodahell

How so? Glad it was good for some people. For me it was like 10 years in one. I hated it.

Had a baby, got to work from home all year instead of commuting almost 3 hours per day to downtown Chicago, my wife got to teach from our basement, stock portfolio skyrocketed, and made money doing something I love with my card sales. I don’t know anyone who even got a cold, so that was good also.

I’m torn about returning to normal because I don’t want to go back to work. Luckily 2021 starts with me on 10 weeks or paternity leave.

[lietuvalabas]

Originally Posted by RogerGodahell

The medical ones that cut off half your oxygen or the homemade stretchy ones that probably do nothing?

My favorite thing is when people keep touching their face adjusting their mask. That surely wont help spread covid. Now make my subway sandwich.

I'm pro mask (in public when I'm around people I don't know)/very pro hand sani. That said I've been to a few card shows over the summer and the pulling down and adjusting of the masks was rampant. It's like yeahhh dude don't touch my cards you nasty mfer. I guess masks work? But I still find it funny that people still think it protects them when it really is you protecting others. I think it speaks more to my OCD germophobia versus really fearing the virus, I know many people who have had it, did know 1 who died but he was near 70 and lived a pretty unhealthy lifestyle, not saying 1 death isn't too many but when you weigh it out..well you know what I'm saying. My heart goes out to anyone that loses a loved one for any reason, but we look at the flu numbers every year and they're high and I've legit never heard anyone make a federal case out of it.

Originally Posted by The_Reverend

Happy New Year and I am in agreement that COVID changed my life as a pastor. The inability to fellowship with the membership, to visit hospitals and nursing homes to visit and encourage, the inability to have normal more reverent funeral services or just a simple embrace of those hurting has made being a pastor difficult. My family was personally impacted by this pandemic but God faithfully kept us. I too am of the opinion 2021 will be no different and possibly worse. I was a bi-vocational Paator in the healthcare field and sold vaccines. I know a lot about what the media is not telling the people, some because they don’t know or worse they don’t care, only their agenda matters. With that being said stay safe and blessed.

From a card perspective, I hope I am able to turn a profit of 10K per quarter grading and consigning many 30 years in the hobby break. My wife will be the beneficiary from that I. A new ride. I want to still enjoy the hobby side as a collector and be smarter in the investing side. Meeting new people and providing advice to those who ask will also be on the list.

Be safe everyone! This Too Shall Pass but only HE knows when!

I'm sure not everyone will care about the spiritual reverence of your post. But I certainly do and think it was a great post to help usher us into the new year, keep up the good work and grab more color variation Phoenixs my man!

Originally Posted by KhalDrogo

Let's clear up some terrible misinformation here. Stop reading headlines that are only meant to scare you.

https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/heal...ou-should-know

Thanks for posting this KD!

[kobebeast2020]

Kobe Bryants HOF introduction RIP

[hoopstaj]

Birth of my first child in April and force him to be a Laker fan!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[minnesotachill]

I think many will look back at 2020 and see it as the year when we started to appreciate the things we take for granted every day.

[kobebeast2020]

Originally Posted by hoopstaj

Birth of my first child in April and force him to be a Laker fan!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Congrats man my wife and I had our second in July ... your life as you know is over