TOPIC: Gamehole email 6/7/21

Looks like the are requiring attendees to be vaccinated. May still be wearing a mask, but this makes me feel a lot safer.

balthasar wrote: Looks like the are requiring attendees to be vaccinated. May still be wearing a mask, but this makes me feel a lot safer.

That is some of the best possible news I could have seen about GHC. If he kids vaccine can be available before GHC that might seal the deal for attending.

Endgame wrote:

balthasar wrote: Looks like the are requiring attendees to be vaccinated. May still be wearing a mask, but this makes me feel a lot safer.

That is some of the best possible news I could have seen about GHC. If he kids vaccine can be available before GHC that might seal the deal for attending.

I believe the trial for 12 and under is ongoing and could be done by the end of the summer.

Aren't kids at extremely low risk for catching COVID, and likely to have mild symptoms if they do? Or does the vaccine mandate include kids? It would be a shame for them to ban all kids from coming if they require a vaccine for them and none are available by then.

Mike Steele wrote: Aren't kids at extremely low risk for catching COVID, and likely to have mild symptoms if they do? Or does the vaccine mandate include kids? It would be a shame for them to ban all kids from coming if they require a vaccine for them and none are available by then.

Kids can catch Covid, and they can spread it, I just don't know how their rates differ from that of adults. Vaccinations are available for kids 12 and up. The email doesn't say if people under 18 are excluded, but it does say: "It could very well be that by the time our show actually starts in October that the Covid rates are so low, that we will not have to require proof of vaccination to attend. We will see."

balthasar wrote:

Mike Steele wrote: Aren't kids at extremely low risk for catching COVID, and likely to have mild symptoms if they do? Or does the vaccine mandate include kids? It would be a shame for them to ban all kids from coming if they require a vaccine for them and none are available by then.

Kids can catch Covid, and they can spread it, I just don't know how their rates differ from that of adults. Vaccinations are available for kids 12 and up. The email doesn't say if people under 18 are excluded, but it does say: "It could very well be that by the time our show actually starts in October that the Covid rates are so low, that we will not have to require proof of vaccination to attend. We will see."

Would you be able to copy / paste the email into this thread? I'm not on their email list yet, as I've never attended one (I'm still considering this year).

Mike, this is the portion about their Covid stuff:

Hello gamers!

We hope that you all are enjoying your spring. We have been busily preparing at Gamehole Con Command Central and are very excited about actually having our show this fall. It will be so great to see you all again. To that end, we have some important updates for you.

COVID-19 POLICY
An immediate and obvious challenge to hosting a large event these days is the ongoing Covid pandemic. While Dane County (where Madison, WI sits) has among the lowest Covid rates in the country, and not coincidentally, among the highest vaccination rates, Covid is not gone so we are going to continue to accept guidance from Public Health.

Our paramount goal is of course attendee safety. This includes a subset of the population that likely will not have access to a Covid vaccine before our show, namely children under 12 years of age. And, as we are fortunate to have a large number of young gamers at our show each year, we absolutely must keep their safety in mind as we work through this.

So, based on the current advice from Public Health and with attendee safety squarely in sight, vaccines will be required to attend Gamehole Con 2021.

And because of this, masks will likely not be required, but of course can be worn if you wish.

What this means in practical terms is that to pre-register, you must first attest that you are either fully vaccinated currently or will be by the time the show starts in October in order to buy a badge. It could very well be that by the time our show actually starts in October that the Covid rates are so low, that we will not have to require proof of vaccination to attend. We will see.

Please understand that this is not an item for debate or negotiation. We are going to follow the advice and directions from the experts at Public Health. You have the option of not attending the show if you disagree. If you are planning on attending the show you will need to follow all of the rules and conditions set forth in our policies which are available to read here.

Good for GHC! Wish GC would do this ASAP.

This was also relevant

"Our paramount goal is of course attendee safety. This includes a subset of the population that likely will not have access to a Covid vaccine before our show, namely children under 12 years of age. And, as we are fortunate to have a large number of young gamers at our show each year, we absolutely must keep their safety in mind as we work through this."

I take that to mean no unvaccinated attendees allowed, including kids.

Mike Steele wrote: Aren't kids at extremely low risk for catching COVID, and likely to have mild symptoms if they do? Or does the vaccine mandate include kids? It would be a shame for them to ban all kids from coming if they require a vaccine for them and none are available by then.

The earliest research hinted that kids caught it less before we knew how prevalent asymptomatic carriers were. The conclusive data on it today is that kids catch it at similar rates to adults and transmit it quite a bit more than adults do. Before the most recent variants, there were no child deaths from Covid in the US and less than 100 serious hospitalizations. The variants changed that. Since January, 300-600 kids have died (the data sets vary)(puts in between #6 and #9 in leading causes of death for US Children),1100 hospitalized ages 0-4, and 1900 hospitalized ages 5-17. 1/6th of all hospitalizations resulted in permanent/long-term disability (usually heart damage or lung damage.) The likely culprit is B.1.1.7. The variant that is ravaging India right now is worse than 117 because it is even more infectious and is more effective against vaccinated individuals (though, the MRNA vaccines are still doing well against it - just not 90+% effective.)

Unfortunately, kids aren't terribly safe from this and (most parents will agree here) can be germ factories in the best of times.

As of May, kids ages 12 and older could get vaccinated. The next group will likely be ages 5-11. Pfizer just announced in their quarterly earnings call that they project to get EUA in September for their vaccine. Assume 5 weeks for full efficacy of the vaccine - kids would need to get the first shot no later than around Sept 20th to be fully vaccinated before GHC. So, it's possible but would depend on if you got lucky in getting the first shot early in the queue.

Fred

Wade Schwendemann (Dr. Uid) wrote: This was also relevant

"Our paramount goal is of course attendee safety. This includes a subset of the population that likely will not have access to a Covid vaccine before our show, namely children under 12 years of age. And, as we are fortunate to have a large number of young gamers at our show each year, we absolutely must keep their safety in mind as we work through this."

I take that to mean no unvaccinated attendees allowed, including kids.

I actually read this as the opposite, that they'll be requiring vaccinations of everyone who can get them so that people who genuinely can't get them will be safe. I'm sure more clarity on the will come out as time goes on.

You're likely right

From their attendee information

"Children under 12 are exempt from our vaccine requirement"

Doesn't sound like they're excluded from attending