COVID-19 News
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cybrguy
Putin is a War Criminal
Many stores here have added "No Mask" to that sign. I'm certainly all in for that.
Vitolo
Vaporist
No shoes, shirts, no service has been around in Texas for a good 40 years.
The Mask thing.... were it to continue...
would be gotten used to eventually.
When folks would go shirtless and enter a store... no person usually bitched... the shirtless person
was ignored and would eventually leave.
We can't have maskless "ignorants" in a store with us... breathing all over food and everyone... so they are more vigilant about it.
I have seen Supermarket Manager last week, tell a man he had to leave or wear a mask... the man raised hell... the police came.
I do not know the cost of the fine.... but a citation was issued.
I believe in social distance and a mask.
I believe some of the stubborn fucks that feel their freedom is being "tested"... should receive much more than 2nd Grade
correction. They deserve a heavy fine, and maybe even time in jail. (for violating everyone else's right to feel safe)
Then we can really hear them whine about their rights.
I wonder how many 'i wont get vaccinated!' covidiots are championing the idea of a Russian vaccine. I think there is likely some crossover between the two groups.
Russia is doing an incredible job on the meme warfare front.
Coronavirus: Putin memes flood social media
Russia is doing an incredible job on the meme warfare front.
Coronavirus: Putin memes flood social media
Coronavirus: Putin memes flood social media
False and misleading claims are made online after Russia announced the rollout of a vaccine.
www.bbc.co.uk
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Tranquility
Well-Known Member
Coronavirus hasn’t devastated the homeless as many feared
[R]esearchers and advocates say much is unknown about how the pandemic is affecting the estimated half-million people without housing in the U.S.
[R]esearchers and advocates say much is unknown about how the pandemic is affecting the estimated half-million people without housing in the U.S.
florduh
Well-Known Member
This is good news. While this rapid test isn't perfect, it's relatively cheap and very fast. It also doesn't involve shoving a q-tip into your brain:
Yale's COVID-19 saliva test used in NBA gets FDA emergency approval
Federal officials have given emergency approval to a coronavirus saliva test that Yale University researchers used on NBA players and staff.
In a statement, Stephen Hahn, commissioner of the Food and Drug Administration, called the test "groundbreaking," partly because it doesn't need additional components, which have been prone to shortages, necessary with the standard nasal swab COVID-19 test.
The test, known as SalivaDirect, "is simpler, less expensive, and less invasive than the traditional method for such testing," Yale said in a news release Saturday.
The U.S. is far behind other rich countries in coronavirus response
Over the past several weeks, the coronavirus has killed Americans at six times the average rate in other rich countries. And we’re recording about eight times more infections.
Why it matters: The virus burned through the rich world like wildfire in the spring, but this new data confirms that the U.S. is one of very few wealthy countries that have failed to suppress it since then.
Breaking it down: The World Bank’s list of “high-income economies” includes 83 countries and territories, ranging from Austria to Bermuda to Chile. Their populations add up to 907 million — 2.7 times America’s.
Yale's COVID-19 saliva test used in NBA gets FDA emergency approval
Federal officials have given emergency approval to a coronavirus saliva test that Yale University researchers used on NBA players and staff.
In a statement, Stephen Hahn, commissioner of the Food and Drug Administration, called the test "groundbreaking," partly because it doesn't need additional components, which have been prone to shortages, necessary with the standard nasal swab COVID-19 test.
The test, known as SalivaDirect, "is simpler, less expensive, and less invasive than the traditional method for such testing," Yale said in a news release Saturday.
The U.S. is far behind other rich countries in coronavirus response
Over the past several weeks, the coronavirus has killed Americans at six times the average rate in other rich countries. And we’re recording about eight times more infections.
Why it matters: The virus burned through the rich world like wildfire in the spring, but this new data confirms that the U.S. is one of very few wealthy countries that have failed to suppress it since then.
Breaking it down: The World Bank’s list of “high-income economies” includes 83 countries and territories, ranging from Austria to Bermuda to Chile. Their populations add up to 907 million — 2.7 times America’s.
- As of July 1, they’d collectively recorded virtually the same number of cases as the U.S., and 1.6 times as many deaths.
- Since then, however, 69% of all new cases and 75% of all deaths recorded anywhere in the rich world came in the U.S., which accounts for 27% of the group's population.
- The U.S. is conducting more testing than many other countries. But that's only a small part of the story.
Tranquility
Well-Known Member
While the surrounding article is dated May 2020, the important part is the article contained that was written in 2006 on "Disease Mitigation Measures in the Control of Pandemic Influenza".
You can read his resume but the author of the contained article was a super-epidemiologist and it was written in different political times.
How a Free Society Deals with Pandemics, According to Legendary Epidemiologist and Smallpox Eradicator Donald Henderson
From the core article:
ABSTRACT: The threat of an influenza pandemic has alarmed countries around the globe and given rise to an intense interest in disease mitigation measures. This article reviews what is known about the effectiveness and practical feasibility of a range of actions that might be taken in attempts to lessen the number of cases and deaths resulting from an influenza pandemic. The article also discusses potential adverse second and third order effects of mitigation actions that decision makers must take into account. Finally, the article summarizes the authors’ judgments of the likely effectiveness and likely adverse consequences of the range of disease mitigation measures and suggests priorities and practical actions to be taken.
You can read his resume but the author of the contained article was a super-epidemiologist and it was written in different political times.
How a Free Society Deals with Pandemics, According to Legendary Epidemiologist and Smallpox Eradicator Donald Henderson
From the core article:
ABSTRACT: The threat of an influenza pandemic has alarmed countries around the globe and given rise to an intense interest in disease mitigation measures. This article reviews what is known about the effectiveness and practical feasibility of a range of actions that might be taken in attempts to lessen the number of cases and deaths resulting from an influenza pandemic. The article also discusses potential adverse second and third order effects of mitigation actions that decision makers must take into account. Finally, the article summarizes the authors’ judgments of the likely effectiveness and likely adverse consequences of the range of disease mitigation measures and suggests priorities and practical actions to be taken.
florduh
Well-Known Member
The perils and pitfalls of “doing your own research” about COVID-19 (or any other science)
As scientists, the reason we use the scientific method is not because we consider ourselves superior to the cranks, but rather because we recognize that we are human too and thus just as prone to falling into the same traps as they. As Richard Feynman once famously said, “The first principle is that you must not fool yourself—and you are the easiest person to fool. So you have to be very careful about that. After you’ve not fooled yourself, it’s easy not to fool other scientists. You just have to be honest in a conventional way after that.” The scientific method is, above all, a methodology by which scientists try to avoid fooling themselves. Skeptics cross the line dividing skepticism and denialism and quacks the line between science and quackery when they forget that. Doubting a scientific consensus is not in and of itself the mark of the crank. It’s how and why that skepticism exists that distinguishes crankery from genuine scientific skepticism.
The problem with “doing your own research” is that rarely does a lay person (or even a physician or scientist venturing too far outside of his area of expertise) have the background knowledge and skillset to be confident of avoiding crossing that line, whether intentionally or not. It’s not so much that you “must not do your own research.” It’s that you really need to understand that you probably can’t “do your own research” and that the conclusions you reach “doing your own research” are highly likely to be more in line with your prior beliefs than scientifically correct.
As scientists, the reason we use the scientific method is not because we consider ourselves superior to the cranks, but rather because we recognize that we are human too and thus just as prone to falling into the same traps as they. As Richard Feynman once famously said, “The first principle is that you must not fool yourself—and you are the easiest person to fool. So you have to be very careful about that. After you’ve not fooled yourself, it’s easy not to fool other scientists. You just have to be honest in a conventional way after that.” The scientific method is, above all, a methodology by which scientists try to avoid fooling themselves. Skeptics cross the line dividing skepticism and denialism and quacks the line between science and quackery when they forget that. Doubting a scientific consensus is not in and of itself the mark of the crank. It’s how and why that skepticism exists that distinguishes crankery from genuine scientific skepticism.
The problem with “doing your own research” is that rarely does a lay person (or even a physician or scientist venturing too far outside of his area of expertise) have the background knowledge and skillset to be confident of avoiding crossing that line, whether intentionally or not. It’s not so much that you “must not do your own research.” It’s that you really need to understand that you probably can’t “do your own research” and that the conclusions you reach “doing your own research” are highly likely to be more in line with your prior beliefs than scientifically correct.
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Tranquility
Well-Known Member
At least we'll know, when it's all over, who's prior beliefs were more useful in a pandemic. For example, some of the experts had a plan that didn't work out so well (From the Free Society and Pandemics article.):
[21]One of the better developed plans is that of the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene,[22] whose staff considered the use of disease mitigation measures but decided to incorporate few of the measures now described in federal plans.
The results of the expert plan (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/COVID-19_pandemic_in_New_York_City):
The ongoing pandemic is the deadliest disaster by death toll in the history of New York City.[10]
Edited to add:
Here's a guy who wrote a book on the issue. This is just an article:
The Death Of Expertise
I am (or at least think I am) an expert. Not on everything, but in a particular area of human knowledge, specifically social science and public policy. When I say something on those subjects, I expect that my opinion holds more weight than that of most other people.
I never thought those were particularly controversial statements. As it turns out, they’re plenty controversial. Today, any assertion of expertise produces an explosion of anger from certain quarters of the American public, who immediately complain that such claims are nothing more than fallacious “appeals to authority,” sure signs of dreadful “elitism,” and an obvious effort to use credentials to stifle the dialogue required by a “real” democracy....
And, the counter argument on causes:
An Autopsy On ‘The Death Of Expertise’
[21]One of the better developed plans is that of the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene,[22] whose staff considered the use of disease mitigation measures but decided to incorporate few of the measures now described in federal plans.
The results of the expert plan (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/COVID-19_pandemic_in_New_York_City):
The ongoing pandemic is the deadliest disaster by death toll in the history of New York City.[10]
Edited to add:
Here's a guy who wrote a book on the issue. This is just an article:
The Death Of Expertise
I am (or at least think I am) an expert. Not on everything, but in a particular area of human knowledge, specifically social science and public policy. When I say something on those subjects, I expect that my opinion holds more weight than that of most other people.
I never thought those were particularly controversial statements. As it turns out, they’re plenty controversial. Today, any assertion of expertise produces an explosion of anger from certain quarters of the American public, who immediately complain that such claims are nothing more than fallacious “appeals to authority,” sure signs of dreadful “elitism,” and an obvious effort to use credentials to stifle the dialogue required by a “real” democracy....
And, the counter argument on causes:
An Autopsy On ‘The Death Of Expertise’
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florduh
Well-Known Member
The Plan That Could Give Us Our Lives Back
Michael mina is a professor of epidemiology at Harvard, where he studies the diagnostic testing of infectious diseases. He has watched, with disgust and disbelief, as the United States has struggled for months to obtain enough tests to fight the coronavirus. In January, he assured a newspaper reporter that he had “absolute faith” in the ability of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to contain the virus. By early March, that conviction was in crisis. “The incompetence has really exceeded what anyone would expect,” he told The New York Times. His astonishment has only intensified since.
Many Americans may understand that testing has failed in this country—that it has been inadequate, in one form or another, since February. What they may not understand is that it is failing, now. In each of the past two weeks, and for the first time since the pandemic began, the country performed fewer COVID-19 tests than it did in the week prior. The system is deteriorating....
...Instead of restructuring daily life around the American way of testing, he argues, the country should build testing into the American way of life. The wand that will accomplish this feat is a thin paper strip, no longer than a finger. It is a coronavirus test.
Mina says that the U.S. should mass-produce these inexpensive and relatively insensitive tests—unlike other methods, they require only a saliva sample—in quantities of tens of millions a day. These tests, which can deliver a result in 15 minutes or less, should then become a ubiquitous part of daily life. Before anyone enters a school or an office, a movie theater or a Walmart, they must take one of these tests. Test negative, and you may enter the public space. Test positive, and you are sent home. In other words: Mina wants to test nearly everyone, nearly every day.
Michael mina is a professor of epidemiology at Harvard, where he studies the diagnostic testing of infectious diseases. He has watched, with disgust and disbelief, as the United States has struggled for months to obtain enough tests to fight the coronavirus. In January, he assured a newspaper reporter that he had “absolute faith” in the ability of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to contain the virus. By early March, that conviction was in crisis. “The incompetence has really exceeded what anyone would expect,” he told The New York Times. His astonishment has only intensified since.
Many Americans may understand that testing has failed in this country—that it has been inadequate, in one form or another, since February. What they may not understand is that it is failing, now. In each of the past two weeks, and for the first time since the pandemic began, the country performed fewer COVID-19 tests than it did in the week prior. The system is deteriorating....
...Instead of restructuring daily life around the American way of testing, he argues, the country should build testing into the American way of life. The wand that will accomplish this feat is a thin paper strip, no longer than a finger. It is a coronavirus test.
Mina says that the U.S. should mass-produce these inexpensive and relatively insensitive tests—unlike other methods, they require only a saliva sample—in quantities of tens of millions a day. These tests, which can deliver a result in 15 minutes or less, should then become a ubiquitous part of daily life. Before anyone enters a school or an office, a movie theater or a Walmart, they must take one of these tests. Test negative, and you may enter the public space. Test positive, and you are sent home. In other words: Mina wants to test nearly everyone, nearly every day.
Tranquility
Well-Known Member
Has anyone put out a good summary of all the testing issues? It seems like we have at least 7 completely different failures on testing and each had/has a different resolution. I can't seem to find anything that brings together all the issues that happened in anything but superficial generalities. Is there something out there that talks about testing issues in a technical way?
Tranquility
Well-Known Member
Perhaps we should dial it back a bit.
Weekly Updates by Select Demographic and Geographic Characteristics
This guy makes the case the whole of the lockdowns were because we were told there would be no math. (People can't asses risk well.)
LOCKDOWN LUNACY 3.0: It's over
If you’re hoping the COVID-19 pandemic will go on forever, this post may disappoint you. And, I get it. We have gone frothing-at-the-mouth nuts over a slightly above-normal virulence virus, with a unique and obvious age-distribution pattern that should have made containment easy and panic completely unnecessary. And, if you’re living in the United States, like I am, you probably think my declaration that this pandemic is “over” to be somewhere between wishful thinking and incredibly premature, and I hear you, too, although forgive me if I’m not sure you’re the one thinking clearly, given some of the things I’ve recently read. I promise to support my assertion with data, and the wisdom of people far more expert than me who are having a harder time being heard in the present climate of…bats#@t crazy. ...
Weekly Updates by Select Demographic and Geographic Characteristics
This guy makes the case the whole of the lockdowns were because we were told there would be no math. (People can't asses risk well.)
LOCKDOWN LUNACY 3.0: It's over
If you’re hoping the COVID-19 pandemic will go on forever, this post may disappoint you. And, I get it. We have gone frothing-at-the-mouth nuts over a slightly above-normal virulence virus, with a unique and obvious age-distribution pattern that should have made containment easy and panic completely unnecessary. And, if you’re living in the United States, like I am, you probably think my declaration that this pandemic is “over” to be somewhere between wishful thinking and incredibly premature, and I hear you, too, although forgive me if I’m not sure you’re the one thinking clearly, given some of the things I’ve recently read. I promise to support my assertion with data, and the wisdom of people far more expert than me who are having a harder time being heard in the present climate of…bats#@t crazy. ...
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First U.S. cases of coronavirus in minks found at Utah fur farms
Minks at two Utah fur farms have tested positive for the virus that causes covid-19 in humans, the Department of Agriculture said Monday, announcing the first U.S. cases in a species that has been widely culled in Europe after outbreaks there.
Employees at the farms in Utah, the second-largest producer of mink pelts used for coats and other luxury items, also tested positive for the coronavirus, the USDA said.
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W.H.O. Virtual press conference on COVID-19 in the Western Pacific
We are seven and a half months into the COVID-19 pandemic and, sadly, infections and deaths are accelerating in many parts of the world. There are now more than 21.5 million confirmed cases and over 760 000 people have died—each one an individual tragedy for their family and community.
Minks at two Utah fur farms have tested positive for the virus that causes covid-19 in humans, the Department of Agriculture said Monday, announcing the first U.S. cases in a species that has been widely culled in Europe after outbreaks there.
Employees at the farms in Utah, the second-largest producer of mink pelts used for coats and other luxury items, also tested positive for the coronavirus, the USDA said.
=============================================================================================
W.H.O. Virtual press conference on COVID-19 in the Western Pacific
We are seven and a half months into the COVID-19 pandemic and, sadly, infections and deaths are accelerating in many parts of the world. There are now more than 21.5 million confirmed cases and over 760 000 people have died—each one an individual tragedy for their family and community.
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florduh
Well-Known Member
Lives Cut Short: Remembering Health Care Workers In Their 20s Killed By COVID-19
Jasmine Obra believed that if it wasn't for her brother Joshua, she wouldn't exist. When 7-year-old Josh realized that his parents weren't going to live forever, he asked for a sibling so he would never be alone.
By spring 2020, at ages 29 and 21, Josh and Jasmine shared a condo in Anaheim, Calif., not far from Disneyland, which they both loved.
Both worked at a 147-bed locked nursing facility that specialized in caring for elderly people with cognitive issues such as Alzheimer's and where Jasmine, a nursing student, was mentored by Josh, a registered nurse.
Both got tested for the coronavirus on the same day in June.
Both tests came back positive.
Only one of them survived.
While COVID-19 takes a far deadlier toll on elderly people than on young adults, an investigation of front-line health care worker deaths by Kaiser Health News and The Guardian has uncovered numerous instances in which staff members under age 30 were exposed on the job and also succumbed.
Jasmine Obra believed that if it wasn't for her brother Joshua, she wouldn't exist. When 7-year-old Josh realized that his parents weren't going to live forever, he asked for a sibling so he would never be alone.
By spring 2020, at ages 29 and 21, Josh and Jasmine shared a condo in Anaheim, Calif., not far from Disneyland, which they both loved.
Both worked at a 147-bed locked nursing facility that specialized in caring for elderly people with cognitive issues such as Alzheimer's and where Jasmine, a nursing student, was mentored by Josh, a registered nurse.
Both got tested for the coronavirus on the same day in June.
Both tests came back positive.
Only one of them survived.
While COVID-19 takes a far deadlier toll on elderly people than on young adults, an investigation of front-line health care worker deaths by Kaiser Health News and The Guardian has uncovered numerous instances in which staff members under age 30 were exposed on the job and also succumbed.
Trump calls out New Zealand’s 'terrible' Covid surge, on day it records nine new cases
Donald Trump has called out New Zealand for its recent Covid-19 outbreak, saying the places the world hailed as a success story is now facing a “big surge” in cases.
On Monday Auckland recorded nine new cases of the virus, and 13 on Tuesday, while the US’s Monday figure was just under 42,000.
It is the first time Trump has mentioned New Zealand in a campaign speech. On Tuesday, prime minister Jacinda Ardern responded, saying there was “no comparison” between the situation in the US and her country.
Donald Trump has called out New Zealand for its recent Covid-19 outbreak, saying the places the world hailed as a success story is now facing a “big surge” in cases.
On Monday Auckland recorded nine new cases of the virus, and 13 on Tuesday, while the US’s Monday figure was just under 42,000.
It is the first time Trump has mentioned New Zealand in a campaign speech. On Tuesday, prime minister Jacinda Ardern responded, saying there was “no comparison” between the situation in the US and her country.
Tranquility
Well-Known Member
I'm thinking many don't even click the links. I bet the correct one for the Washington Post Mink story is:
First U.S. cases of coronavirus in minks found at Utah fur farms
I think this link will work for WHO:
Virtual press conference on COVID-19 in the Western Pacific
florduh
Well-Known Member
The only US State with COVID numbers comparable to New Zealand is Vermont. About the same number of total cases. Vermont, a State of 600,000, suffered 58 COVID deaths. New Zealand, a nation of 5 million, suffered 22 COVID deaths.
There is no comparison.
Tranquility
Well-Known Member
Some say that any look at the situation is premature.
It's disease. It acts like a disease.
One person says:
We may already have herd immunity – an interview with Professor Sunetra Gupta
...Alastair: So you think that the New Zealand approach, eradicating the virus, is both functionally silly and also immoral?
Well, I don’t know whether I’d go so far as to say it’s immoral. It seems to be very short-sighted, how can it possibly keep the virus out?
I think the smugness, the self-congratulation with which it’s presented is misplaced. The self-righteous attitude is completely ridiculous. If it turns out that the rest of the world, through herd immunity or vaccination, manages to reduce the risk of infection, then what New Zealand will have done would be tantamount to not vaccinating your own child. Just waiting for everyone else to vaccinate their children and then go “ok it’s all safe now”...
florduh
Well-Known Member
South Carolina has a population roughly equivalent to New Zealand's.
SC: 107,000 confirmed cases. 2,288 dead.
NZ: 1,600 confirmed cases. 22 dead.
Maybe in the future New Zealand will be just as ravaged as South Carolina. As it stands now, calling NZ's COVID situation "terrible" compared to the United States is fucking stupid.
SC: 107,000 confirmed cases. 2,288 dead.
NZ: 1,600 confirmed cases. 22 dead.
Maybe in the future New Zealand will be just as ravaged as South Carolina. As it stands now, calling NZ's COVID situation "terrible" compared to the United States is fucking stupid.
RUDE BOY
Space is the Place
The link takes us elsewhere on this . . .
Tranquility
Well-Known Member
It is clearly more important to score Trump points than to understand the pandemic.
Let's go to the quote:
“Big surge in New Zealand, you know it’s terrible, we don’t want that, but this is an invisible enemy that should never have been let to come to Europe and the rest of the world by China.”
So, is it good or is it terrible that New Zealand has a surge? Maybe the importance of the word "big" before surge?
To get back to the disease and not the orangemanbad point, even though NZ is an island, if they want to interact with the world, the disease is going to spread in their communities. The only way to prevent that fact is if we get a vaccine that is highly effective before they get community spread. They might get that if they lock down hard enough--being that they are an island.
florduh
Well-Known Member
Quit your crying. I'm just pointing out how stupid it is to call NZ's very minor outbreak "terrible". If like 12 new cases is "terrible" what's 50,000?
Yes. Maybe x,y, or z happens and then New Zealand will end up with as many dead as South Carolina. Until then, it looks like they saved thousands of people from being dead or maimed. That's the problem with "herd immunity" strategies. With this disease it's not A-you're dead, B-you're fine. We don't know what the long term effects are.
And it's not like the only thing anyone can do is either A) pray for a vaccine or B) say fuck it and just let the virus kill thousands of people. The "It is what it is" strategy.
The rapid tests that have been posted about multiple times in this thread would probably go a long way towards rapidly bringing this virus to heel. If the vast majority of people are getting tested daily, we can prevent enough spread that infections will become very rare.
You can say one day in the future, all of the countries that took massive action to prevent the virus from ravaging their countries will look foolish. Maybe. But it's at least as likely that when we look back, all we got in return for not adopting the best practices of other modern countries is thousands and thousands of extra dead bodies.
Tranquility
Well-Known Member
And, I pointed out the actual quote which was different from your use of it. Still fighting too. So, is it "terrible" or not?
As to the rest, everyone's got an opinion. I posted an expert's. (Which some of us seemed to previously indicate we needed to listen to more.)
Time to get moving on opening up.
The pandemic was not the problem; the response to the pandemic was.
Im sorry. I'm usually better at this. It's as if I'm on drugs or something. Link corrected above, and here.
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