How Have Our Soaring Vendors Fared?

It's my understanding that there are now several rapid tests available that generate results in less than an hour, can be self-administered and have sensitivity of 95-98% and selectivity of 97-100% (false negative of 5% and false positive of 3%). Obviously you'd want to set up testing such that there is no cross-exposure of pilots, staff, etc. prior to getting a test result. You could give out little green "good to go" badges to everyone with a negative test. Seems like unless we can get everyone vaccinated, this is the main method available to provide higher confidence to everyone involved. A mixed combination of vaccinations and testing is a likely outcome given the pace of vaccinations and the age of pilots (older with higher priority to get a stick), volunteers, etc. With the new more infectious strain now circulating in the US it seems like some extra care would be in order. Early season contests are likely to face more concerns than later, but it's really too early to forecast much.

Things are still very much in flux, but at least the trajectory on vaccines and testing - if not hospitalizations - are headed in a positive direction..

Andy Blackburn
9B

On Saturday, January 9, 2021 at 3:34:03 PM UTC-8, Gregg Ballou wrote:
If you have onsite instant testing at a contest and a pilot pops positive, what do you do? Send them the poz pilot home and launch everyone else who was around them to spread the 'rona to farmers? Cancel the whole contest? Who is going to show up knowing notoriously unreliable testing could end their race wasting time and travel expense?

What are our European friends doing for contests this year? Any cancelled or postponed?

On Sunday, January 10, 2021 at 1:46:05 AM UTC-5, wrote:
It's my understanding that there are now several rapid tests available that generate results in less than an hour, can be self-administered and have sensitivity of 95-98% and selectivity of 97-100% (false negative of 5% and false positive of 3%). Obviously you'd want to set up testing such that there is no cross-exposure of pilots, staff, etc. prior to getting a test result. You could give out little green "good to go" badges to everyone with a negative test. Seems like unless we can get everyone vaccinated, this is the main method available to provide higher confidence to everyone involved. A mixed combination of vaccinations and testing is a likely outcome given the pace of vaccinations and the age of pilots (older with higher priority to get a stick), volunteers, etc. With the new more infectious strain now circulating in the US it seems like some extra care would be in order. Early season contests are likely to face more concerns than later, but it's really too early to forecast much.

Things are still very much in flux, but at least the trajectory on vaccines and testing - if not hospitalizations - are headed in a positive direction.

Andy Blackburn
9B

As I understand the latest claims the vaccine does not prevent the vaccinated from getting or spreading covid just lessens their personal symptoms. Launching a fleet of vaccinated pilots is still potentially sending out angels of death upon the world.

On Sun, 10 Jan 2021 17:02:39 -0800, Gregg Ballou wrote:

On Sunday, January 10, 2021 at 1:46:05 AM UTC-5,
wrote:
It's my understanding that there are now several rapid tests available
that generate results in less than an hour, can be self-administered
and have sensitivity of 95-98% and selectivity of 97-100% (false
negative of 5% and false positive of 3%). Obviously you'd want to set
up testing such that there is no cross-exposure of pilots, staff, etc.
prior to getting a test result. You could give out little green "good
to go" badges to everyone with a negative test. Seems like unless we
can get everyone vaccinated, this is the main method available to
provide higher confidence to everyone involved. A mixed combination of
vaccinations and testing is a likely outcome given the pace of
vaccinations and the age of pilots (older with higher priority to get a
stick), volunteers, etc. With the new more infectious strain now
circulating in the US it seems like some extra care would be in order.
Early season contests are likely to face more concerns than later, but
it's really too early to forecast much.

Things are still very much in flux, but at least the trajectory on
vaccines and testing - if not hospitalizations - are headed in a
positive direction.

Andy Blackburn 9B

As I understand the latest claims the vaccine does not prevent the
vaccinated from getting or spreading covid just lessens their personal
symptoms. Launching a fleet of vaccinated pilots is still potentially
sending out angels of death upon the world.

Citation please.

Which vaccine does this apply to?

A surprising number of vaccines, for which initial and stage 2 trials
have been completed, have been developed in various countries. Knowing
which vaccine you are posting about is important because there are
significant differences between these vaccines, consequently an efficacy
claim is meaningless unless the vaccine it applies to is named.



--
--
Martin | martin at
Gregorie | gregorie dot org

On Sunday, January 10, 2021 at 5:02:41 PM UTC-8, Gregg Ballou wrote:
On Sunday, January 10, 2021 at 1:46:05 AM UTC-5, wrote:
It's my understanding that there are now several rapid tests available that generate results in less than an hour, can be self-administered and have sensitivity of 95-98% and selectivity of 97-100% (false negative of 5% and false positive of 3%). Obviously you'd want to set up testing such that there is no cross-exposure of pilots, staff, etc. prior to getting a test result. You could give out little green "good to go" badges to everyone with a negative test. Seems like unless we can get everyone vaccinated, this is the main method available to provide higher confidence to everyone involved. A mixed combination of vaccinations and testing is a likely outcome given the pace of vaccinations and the age of pilots (older with higher priority to get a stick), volunteers, etc. With the new more infectious strain now circulating in the US it seems like some extra care would be in order. Early season contests are likely to face more concerns than later, but it's really too early to forecast much.

Things are still very much in flux, but at least the trajectory on vaccines and testing - if not hospitalizations - are headed in a positive direction.

Andy Blackburn
9B
As I understand the latest claims the vaccine does not prevent the vaccinated from getting or spreading covid just lessens their personal symptoms. Launching a fleet of vaccinated pilots is still potentially sending out angels of death upon the world.

Cite your source(s) - if you have any reliable ones.

Tom

How could you guys not have seen these claims? If you want other sources search, it is part of the current conventional wisdom on covid. And if you believe the current conventional wisdom on covid then isn't recreational flying immoral?
https://www.cnn.com/2021/01/08/healt...ess/index.html
Health officials from Dr. Anthony Fauci on down are cautioning people that no one can dump the the face masks and social distancing behavior just because they've been vaccinated.
Why a Covid-19 vaccine doesn't mean that you can stop wearing a mask
Why a Covid-19 vaccine doesn't mean that you can stop wearing a mask
That's because even people who are themselves immune to the virus might be exposed to it and transmit it to others. It can grow in the nose, says Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases.
"It's possible that someone could get the vaccine but could still be an asymptomatic carrier," said CNN Medical Analyst Dr. Leana Wen, an emergency physician. "They may not show symptoms, but they have the virus in their nasal passageway so that if they're speaking, breathing, sneezing and so on, they can still transmit it to others."

On 1/11/21 1:33 PM, Gregg Ballou wrote:
How could you guys not have seen these claims? If you want other sources search, it is part of the current conventional wisdom on covid. And if you believe the current conventional wisdom on covid then isn't recreational flying immoral?

I open my hangar unaided, move my aircraft outside, fly it, return, and
put it away. I may fuel it up at a self-service pump.

Explain to me how that is "immoral".

--
Dan
5J

On Monday, January 11, 2021 at 2:05:45 PM UTC-8, Dan Marotta wrote:
On 1/11/21 1:33 PM, Gregg Ballou wrote:
How could you guys not have seen these claims? If you want other sources search, it is part of the current conventional wisdom on covid. And if you believe the current conventional wisdom on covid then isn't recreational flying immoral?
I open my hangar unaided, move my aircraft outside, fly it, return, and
put it away. I may fuel it up at a self-service pump.

Explain to me how that is "immoral".

--
Dan
5J
Really Dan? It is the Puritan ethic, it is immoral to have fun or enjoy oneself. All you actions should be to be as miserable as you can possibly be, just like me.

On 1/12/21 12:54 PM, Jonathan St. Cloud wrote:
On Monday, January 11, 2021 at 2:05:45 PM UTC-8, Dan Marotta wrote:
On 1/11/21 1:33 PM, Gregg Ballou wrote:
How could you guys not have seen these claims? If you want other sources search, it is part of the current conventional wisdom on covid. And if you believe the current conventional wisdom on covid then isn't recreational flying immoral?
I open my hangar unaided, move my aircraft outside, fly it, return, and
put it away. I may fuel it up at a self-service pump.

Explain to me how that is "immoral".

--
Dan
5J
Really Dan? It is the Puritan ethic, it is immoral to have fun or enjoy oneself. All you actions should be to be as miserable as you can possibly be, just like me.


Oh! Then I'll just keep reading RAS.

--
Dan
5J

On Monday, January 11, 2021 at 5:05:45 PM UTC-5, Dan Marotta wrote:
On 1/11/21 1:33 PM, Gregg Ballou wrote:
How could you guys not have seen these claims? If you want other sources search, it is part of the current conventional wisdom on covid. And if you believe the current conventional wisdom on covid then isn't recreational flying immoral?
I open my hangar unaided, move my aircraft outside, fly it, return, and
put it away. I may fuel it up at a self-service pump.

Explain to me how that is "immoral".

--
Dan
5J
That's cool. Bit different than launching a bunch of pure gliders on a racing task. And I don't have a problem with glider racing, I have a problem with the hypocrisy of pretending to follow the conventional covid wisdom with restrictions for all, except whatever your thing is, glider racing in this case.