PlagueWatch 2020-23 - Coronavirus

[Furniture]

Over 800 thousand tests completed yesterday.

[budwom]

This whole Covid thing in the U.S. reminds me of a person I saw driving down the road in our town last year...he/she drove more than three miles (it was my walking route) without realizing that one tire was 100% flat...but the car just kept going like all was well, though there was a significant thwapping noise...must've had the tunes cranked up.

[devildeac]

A DJ (and his wife) for one of our social dances is on the verge of being enrolled in phase 3 of a COVID vaccine trial very soon, pending some bloodwork and an ECG. This is along with 30K other participants. I've asked him to share any info he's allowed and willing to share as the trial progresses and will pass it on here, anonymously, of course.

Some SWAG on my part would speculate maybe six on-going trials with similar #s of participants in each one would give us 150-200K subjects and would take at least 3 months to complete, then analyze the data and report so maybe another 3 months. I've not participated in any research so I'd welcome any more enlightenment and edjumacation here that folks with experience and able/willing to provide.

[MarkD83]

I will put this in the Pandemic Thread as a call for help so that it does not sound political.

I was talking to some friends of ours who are teachers. They are worried about schools opening up because of the pandemic. Part of their concern is they are expected to keep the kids safe with little support. This is in addition to what they often have to do which is buying normal supplies to complete their teaching duties. That means a lot of out of pocket expenses.

So go find a school (public, private, religious or after school program) and take them a case of sanitizer, sanitary wipes or masks...

Just like donating to food banks or supplying PPE to hospitals this year, it is something that we can do that is a positive and very patriotic thing to do.

For those in the medical supply field if there is a way to find Covid-19 testing equipment and supplies that would also be helpful.

[budwom]

Angela Merkel weighs in with some thinly disguised criticism:https://www.cnn.com/2020/07/10/world...ntl/index.html

[Bob Green]

Hampton Roads continues to be the hot spot in Virginia. Today’s report indicates 851 new cases with more than a third being in Hampton Roads. Here are today’s numbers for the seven cities:

Virginia Beach - 96
Norfolk - 88
Chesapeake- 42
Portsmouth- 35
Hampton- 15
Newport News - 14
Suffolk - 9

That is 299 (35.13%) total.

https://www.wavy.com/news/health/cor...-high-numbers/

[Wheat/"/"/"]

No.

Another issue with this is that we know people who are infected and are going to develop symptoms but have not yet developed them are contagious. We call this presymptomatic spread. Presymptomatic and asymptomatic patients cannot be distinguished from one another; only time will distinguish them, unfortunately.

So we know for sure that at least in some cases the virus is being spread by asymptomatic people.


Think about it: if it were only spread from symptomatic people, it would be a lot easier to control.

Thanks for the reply. I feel like I can trust your judgement since I know you’re on the front lines.

BTW, I had a required nasal swab test yesterday ahead of one of those routine fun colonoscopy test scheduled for next week. It wasn’t as bad as I thought it would be. I was told 3-5 days before results. Fortunately I feel fine at the moment, so not too concerned.

[JasonEvans]

Congrats... much of the southern half of our nation is pretty much New York city from two months ago.

The morgues across Arizona and Texas are now using refrigerator trucks because they cannot take any more bodies. Charleston, SC has the fastest COVID growth of anyplace on Earth right now, it hospitals are full and cannot accept new patients. The health director of Mississippi says his state has started sending patients who can be moved North to other states because the five largest hospitals in the state have run out of ICU beds.

The US passed 70,000 new cases of Covid on Friday. Let's do some basic math based on what we know about this disease. If all those cases are young people then maybe only 350-500 people die from today’s infections, but it is highly likely that some of those cases are older people or folks who already have health conditions so it is highly likely that our nation signed the premature death warrant of well over 1000 people on Friday... because we refuse to wear masks and stay away from each other.

-Jason "I kid you not when I say that I am terrified... I feel like I am in far more danger right now than I was a couple months ago... and I am a very active and healthy 54 year old" Evans

[JasonEvans]

This Twitter account - https://twitter.com/WDWNT - is posting photos from all across Disney World today. I have to say, most of the photos look like folks are being pretty careful, staying apart from each other as best they can. Except for the places where folks are eating, it looks like a ton of mask wearing too.

[Dr. Rosenrosen]

Despite the mask mandate beginning three weeks ago, NC cases are skyrocketing again. Shattered records for new cases and hospitalizations today - 2,462 cases and 1,093 hospitalizations. Previous highs were 2,099 a week ago and 1,043 yesterday.

I’m concerned that instead of seeing positive impact from masking up that we’re starting to see the impact from the July 4th holiday weekend. Depressing.

[Matches]

Mask usage in NC is up since the mandate but there’s still quite a few folks not wearing them. The mandate isn’t being enforced in many places.

Because apparently we’re all determined to stupid each other to death...

[devildeac]

Despite the mask mandate beginning three weeks ago, NC cases are skyrocketing again. Shattered records for new cases and hospitalizations today - 2,462 cases and 1,093 hospitalizations. Previous highs were 2,099 a week ago and 1,043 yesterday.

I’m concerned that instead of seeing positive impact from masking up that we’re starting to see the impact from the July 4th holiday weekend. Depressing.

Started to rise when we "opened up," coincidentally, for Memorial Weekend and has continued to drift upward (I'm not going back to look at daily counts for the last 30-40 days), up to and including today as you've quoted, likely a result of "celebrating our independence (sarcasm meter finely tuned)" the long July 4th weekend. Dammit.

[devildeac]

Mask usage in NC is up since the mandate but there’s still quite a few folks not wearing them. The mandate isn’t being enforced in many places.

Because apparently we’re all determined to stupid each other to death...

I've used that word sooooo many times in the last ~3 months, along with selfish, ignorant, obstinate and a few others that will not pass the wankerizer.

[CameronBornAndBred]

I just got back from Walmart where they have shut down all of the entrances except for one, with a big sign saying masks required.

Several maskless people walked right on in, past the "security" folks who are keeping count of customers.

[MChambers]

I’m at an outdoor shopping area in Arlington VA, waiting to pick up my pandemic pup. Even in this affluent, well educated suburb, there are a distressing number of people not wearing masks, despite orders to wear them.

[JasonEvans]

I don’t want to speak I’ll of the dead, but, ummm... hard not to say that this dude is a Darwin Award nominee: https://www.google.com/amp/s/abc7ny...virus/6312899/

- A San Antonio doctor said one of her hospital's patients, a 30-year-old man, died after attending a so-called "COVID party" -- a bizarre trend where young people intentionally get together with someone who's infected.

Dr. Jane Appleby, chief medical officer for Methodist Hospital and Methodist Children's Hospital, said the patient thought the coronavirus pandemic was a hoax.

[dudog84]

I’m at an outdoor shopping area in Arlington VA, waiting to pick up my pandemic pup. Even in this affluent, well educated suburb, there are a distressing number of people not wearing masks, despite orders to wear them.

Don't forget pix!

[budwom]

Despite the mask mandate beginning three weeks ago, NC cases are skyrocketing again. Shattered records for new cases and hospitalizations today - 2,462 cases and 1,093 hospitalizations. Previous highs were 2,099 a week ago and 1,043 yesterday.

I’m concerned that instead of seeing positive impact from masking up that we’re starting to see the impact from the July 4th holiday weekend. Depressing.

ouch, I had not realized things were so bad (still? again?)...

As for the notion of enforcing mask wearing, few government entities want the hassle of that task...VT governor has resisted calls for strict mask rules...instead he's relying on having the state and towns send out cops in an educational capacity.
But when the numbers get this out of control, it would seem that more, lots more, needs to be done.

[jimsumner]

If you still think kids can't catch this

https://www.ajc.com/news/coronavirus...tUX5gurg7Of3O/

[throatybeard]

I don’t want to speak I’ll of the dead, but, ummm... hard not to say that this dude is a Darwin Award nominee: https://www.google.com/amp/s/abc7ny...virus/6312899/

Wait, so if it's a hoax, why do you need to go to a party to catch it and get having it out of the way? Couldn't you just, like, not worry about it if it's a hoax? 🤔