Comment by Spivak | Hacker News Reader

Comment by Spivak | Hacker News Reader

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On the off chance that this isn’t supposed to be flame-bait. The CDC has been updating their recommendations as new information comes out which isn’t really the same as being wrong unless you have reason to believe they had better information and choose not to act on it.

But yeah, if you believe that it’s too early and not enough research on the effectiveness of booster shots vs. new variants then you should fall back to recommendations that have been tested for longer.

* Wear masks in areas with poor air circulation or air recirculation.

* Keep a 10ft distance from others.

* Avoid being around other people when not necessary.

* If you show symptoms or come in contact with someone who tests positive quarantine for two weeks.

* Get vaccinated and/or boosted if you haven’t already.

The CDC has been making fairly optimistic recs for the vaccinated but you can always be more cautious to your comfort level.

> * If you show symptoms or come in contact with someone who tests positive quarantine for two weeks.

Wouldn't that apply to boostered people as well, since they catch and spread Omicron at similar rates?

But then, how realistic is it to quarantine for two weeks if almost everyone was in contact with someone who tested positive?

And for added difficulty: the rapid tests have really high false-negative rates for Omicron. I had 6 negative RTs (two manufacturers) after symptoms before my positive PCR test.

I know a few people who test negative on PCR tests but have identical symptoms due to a flu. Given the insane rate of omicron I wouldn't assume all these tests were wrong if one of them now tests positive..

It was pretty obvious in my case, because I was in close contact with someone who had the same symptoms and had positive RTs (and then PCR).

Also this person had three RTs within 45 minutes, two positive (manufacturer A) and one negative (manufacturer B).

https://blockclubchicago.org/2022/01/20/center-for-covid-con...

The Center for COVID Control expanded so rapidly that it became unable to keep up with the thousands of tests sent its way — leading to workers leaving tests in garbage bags, unrefrigerated, around the office and lying to customers about their results, former employees said.

I'm aware of that but my examples are not in the US.

Could similar problems not occur outside the US?

That's a complicated discussion. To keep it short, I think different societies are prone to different institutions being centers of organized crime because organized criminals are rational evaluators of power structures and risk.

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