The Coronavirus thread

[videtur quam contuor]

There must be a few people among us who are descended from the Bourbon kings of France. It was said that they learned nothing and forgot nothing.

[kermit]

anyone still holding onto the density = high infection risk trope? (or "hot weather will make it disappear")

I am no expert but I don't believe there is any reason to think that Charlotte (or its burbs) will be a safer place than any bigger/denser/transitier city.

Having said that, my errands this morning reveal that people are taking the mask mandate seriously. That was a good (but needlessly delayed) decision by Cooper.

 

 

Edited June 27, 2020 by kermit

[rancenc]

Isn't this the age group at the forefront of saving the world from social and environmental upheaval? They seem to be unable to protect their own health much less the world's ills!!

https://www.washingtonpost.com/national/young-people-are-driving-a-spike-in-coronavirus-infections-officials-say/2020/06/27/3654638c-b7b4-11ea-a510-55bf26485c93_story.html

[elrodvt]

The Washington Post: The data is in: Fox News may have kept millions from taking the coronavirus threat seriously.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/media/the-data-is-in-fox-news-may-have-kept-millions-from-taking-the-coronavirus-threat-seriously/2020/06/26/60d88aa2-b7c3-11ea-a8da-693df3d7674a_story.html

 

They need a new mantra "Fox news - leading the sheep to slaughter".

Edited June 28, 2020 by elrodvt

[davidclt]

8 hours ago, rancenc said:

Isn't this the age group at the forefront of saving the world from social and environmental upheaval? They seem to be unable to protect their own health much less the world's ills!!

https://www.washingtonpost.com/national/young-people-are-driving-a-spike-in-coronavirus-infections-officials-say/2020/06/27/3654638c-b7b4-11ea-a510-55bf26485c93_story.html

Remember when we were invincible? With a little education but without the benefit of age and guile, they come and sling statistics indicating that even if they get Coronavirus, "it won't be that bad." I need to keep reminding myself that while they're "adults" they really are just aged kids still. Brains still developing an connecting.

[videtur quam contuor]

Anecdotal information: My wife is a multiple cancer survivor. No evidence of disease now after chemo/radiation ending March for her most recent diagnosis. She spoke to her breast cancer doctor this week, which treatment was 2016-17. The (female) doctor talked about coronavirus risk. She said that her recovered cancer patients were not in as much risk as some people say, at least not because of cancer treatment.  The issue is that age increases risk. This is because, as she said, that age carries an accumulation of issues and comorbidities. People 65+, 75+ have many more accumulated issues of all kinds. Younger people far less so. So age is a proxy for comorbidities. Rare is the older person with nary a health issue of any kind.

Her doctor is most concerned with those 80+ based on age alone.  60+ with otherwise low BMI, no COPD/Asthma/smoking history, low alcohol use, support system,  no pre diabetes, and so on could survive with immediate care upon symptom onset. So she says.

This is your report from the other end of survival span.

Edited June 28, 2020 by tarhoosier

[kermit]

Quote

'We’re going to win so much, you’re going to be so sick and tired of winning'

 

This is clearly a failure of governance

Edited June 29, 2020 by kermit

[Crucial_Infra]

Remember when they crowed that the death toll would “only” be 60,000? Oops, turns out it’s twice that. Probably gonna be 3x that! Enraging tbh. 

[elrodvt]

Wait, I watched Pence on the sunday news shows. I learned they've made incredible progress and these are just isolated local incidents. Everything is grand you malcontents.   

I am disappointed in the hosts of these shows. If the administration refuses to answer questions (pence's only talent seems to be prevarication) then kill their mike and tell them you will not be party to giving the american public misinformation. He can stick to Fox and OAN.

[Crucial_Infra]

8 minutes ago, elrodvt said:

Wait, I watched Pence on the sunday news shows. I learned they've made incredible progress and these are just isolated local incidents. Everything is grand you malcontents.   

I am disappointed in the hosts of these shows. If the administration refuses to answer questions (pence's only talent seems to be prevarication) then kill their mike and tell them you will not be party to giving the american public misinformation. He can stick to Fox and OAN.

I mean they have made incredible progress in some places. Deaths ARE down. Down from 2000 a day! But their inability to acknowledge that it’s a mix bag and many places are doing really poorly is infuriating and will cost them the election. 
 

If everyone wore masks we could re-open faster and get the economy going but they just can’t bring themselves to say it except in couched terms like “follow local officials”. It’s economic, health, and political malpractice. Let’s see if it works! 

[videtur quam contuor]

If Joseph Biden became president next week what initiative would he enact to improve the federal response. I am sure he will lean on state governors to deal appropriately and swiftly with their situation. What specifically will he do to make the federal response different and better? Something more than signalling such as wearing a mask. A real and meaningful response to where we are now?

[kermit]

5 hours ago, tarhoosier said:

If Joseph Biden became president next week what initiative would he enact to improve the federal response. I am sure he will lean on state governors to deal appropriately and swiftly with their situation. What specifically will he do to make the federal response different and better? Something more than signalling such as wearing a mask. A real and meaningful response to where we are now?

Off the top of my head:

• Uniform scientifically-based recommendations for states to follow
• A federal entity which holds states accountable for not following recommendations (to the extent that is possible/legal)
• Consistent recommendations of best practice from the federal government
• A promise of financial support for states that have a data-driven need for longer lockdowns
• Federal data collection and reporting standards (Texas has had 6,000 more deaths from "pneumonia" already this year than last)
• Federal sourcing of PPE to ensure even supplies and surge capacity when needed
• Mailing 100 non-surgical masks to every household in US
• A Federally funded testing program
• A federally funded random (not symptom-driven) testing program to get a sense of the full extent of the disease in US
• Federal regulations on sick leave
• Federally funded quarantine facilities
• Federal reserve medical staffing (e.g. move military docs into areas with high need)
• Encouraging states to implement vote by mail
• Contract tracing funding, strategies, regulations and mobile phone location data

Edited June 29, 2020 by kermit

[Crucial_Infra]

2 hours ago, tarhoosier said:

If Joseph Biden became president next week what initiative would he enact to improve the federal response. I am sure he will lean on state governors to deal appropriately and swiftly with their situation. What specifically will he do to make the federal response different and better? Something more than signalling such as wearing a mask. A real and meaningful response to where we are now?

Kermit has put together a nice list of concrete initiatives in the previous post but I’d like to comment that signaling shouldn’t be discounted (not saying you are btw). And while signaling alone is only a partial solution, it could’ve made a huge difference especially at the beginning. 

[gman430]

Arizona: https://m.washingtontimes.com/news/2020/jun/29/doug-ducey-closes-arizona-bars-gyms-theaters-30-da/

[elrodvt]

9 hours ago, Crucial_Infra said:

I mean they have made incredible progress in some places. Deaths ARE down. Down from 2000 a day! But their inability to acknowledge that it’s a mix bag and many places are doing really poorly is infuriating and will cost them the election. 
 

If everyone wore masks we could re-open faster and get the economy going but they just can’t bring themselves to say it except in couched terms like “follow local officials”. It’s economic, health, and political malpractice. Let’s see if it works! 

Remember though the death count lags behind the new cases count by a month or more. Additionally, the new cases who are young and survive have, in many instances, passed the disease on to the elderly.

[kermit]

 

 

 

[elrodvt]

CNN: See Anderson Cooper's reaction to Mike Pence using the 'm-word'.

I'm no CNN or Cooper fan but when this popped up in my news feed I felt it was worth watching. It's a good summary of the malfeasance the pence task force has and continues to show. 

 

[kermit]

On 6/24/2020 at 6:17 PM, kermit said:

^ Some folks (of unknown reliability) are suggesting that most of the SC coast is superspreading now that beach season has gotten up to speed (apparently the Myrtle Beach hotels are all full). As those folks return home the real dumpster fire is gonna start.

Quote

Cara Ellen Modisett fields the usual battery of questions every time she visits the doctor: Is she feeling well? Did she travel abroad? Has she been in contact with someone known to have the coronavirus?

Then, last week, Modisett’s physicians in Roanoke, Va. added an unexpected query to their list. “They asked whether I had been to Myrtle Beach,” the 47-year-old said.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2020/07/01/myrtle-beach-reopening-coronavirus/

 

[gman430]

 Way to go North Carolina: 

https://www.charlotteobserver.com/news/coronavirus/article243922562.html#storylink=mainstage_lead

Edited July 1, 2020 by gman430

[JRNYP2C]

I do have to admit, I rarely watch CNN or FOX for that matter.  Haven't for a while.  I do have to agree with Anderson Cooper that the milquetoast attitude Pence and his boss have are detrimental at best for the country at large.  And Kayleigh is nothing more than a FOX News mouthpiece, handpicked by Trump b/c she is so full of the Kool-Aid, it's reprehensible.

To go back to CNN and FOX, I will admit that I'm seeing some breaking off from the norm from FOX.  I can only listen to maybe 5 minutes of either channel.  And when I do catch FOX it is for Tucker Carlson - the former CNN (bow tie wearing) pundit.  Even he is starting to sound somewhat sane with his narrative - because he is not spewing news - just his own opinion.  There was actually a promo on FOX of them extolling the virtues of mask-wearing!  I had to stop and really pay attention to what I was hearing and seeing.

As much as I hope this starts to subside, I have an uneasy feeling that we will unfortunately be the country that everyone looks at with pity and disdain as we head through summer and into the fall.  All that I am hearing and seeing is not looking good for us.

[rancenc]

4 hours ago, gman430 said:

 Way to go North Carolina: 

https://www.charlotteobserver.com/news/coronavirus/article243922562.html#storylink=mainstage_lead

People just came back off of vacation more then likely!

Edited July 1, 2020 by rancenc

[gman430]

Florida is today’s winner: 

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-health-coronavirus-usa-florida/florida-shatters-records-with-over-10000-new-covid-19-cases-in-single-day-idUSKBN243299

Edited July 2, 2020 by gman430

[kermit]

Has anyone noticed that none of us can leave the country?

Instead of living in the 'land of the free' we are now global health pariahs. The donald has managed to build a wall which keeps American's in. 

[Matthew.Brendan]

https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamainternalmedicine/fullarticle/2767980

 

Key Points

Question  Did more all-cause deaths occur during the first months of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic in the United States compared with the same months during previous years?

Findings  In this cohort study, the number of deaths due to any cause increased by approximately 122 000 from March 1 to May 30, 2020, which is 28% higher than the reported number of COVID-19 deaths.

Meaning  Official tallies of deaths due to COVID-19 underestimate the full increase in deaths associated with the pandemic in many states.

[Crucial_Infra]

Way to go RNC. Went through all the trouble to move it to JAX and now they might cancel it.