PlagueWatch 2020-23 - Coronavirus

[bundabergdevil]

Apparently the picture below was taken yesterday at a Florida beach and shows the trouble with patchwork orders. You can see exactly where the county line dividing one county with orders in place from another county without orders in place.

I've heard similar reports from family on the beach in SC. Apparently beach patrol has been asking folks to disperse or distance and they've been met with laughter.

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[Acymetric]

What alternative is there? People won't go back to living their lives somewhat normally until there's reason to think the risk is significantly lessened. Larry Summers (I know, I know) has a piece today in the Post on this: https://www.washingtonpost.com/opini...cture-economy/

If they could say (honestly) "we're going to track you via your phone for 2 weeks and then it'll all be over" maybe you have a chance of getting buy in, but "we're going to directly track you via your phone, and it should be over in 2-4 months we hope" is just going to be an automatic no from a lot of people (I mean, it's going to be an automatic no regardless of the apparent benefits for a decent chunk of people, and honestly that is not a totally unreasonable position).

[Kdogg]

Thank you Jason for fixing my post.

However, this link suggests that the total number of deaths in Hubei province (containing Wuhan) may have been ~10x higher than reported by the government based on the number of cremations performed by funeral homes in the area. For the first time since the outbreak, funeral homes have begun to release the cremated remains to family members in the last week and residents have estimated that 30,000-40,000 have been distributed.

The Chinese government reported 3,182 deaths in Hubei (from Johns Hopkins site). A 10-fold increase in deaths would suggest a much higher incidence of cases as well.

Thanks for the link. That’s the type of indirect data people use to extrapolate figures from China. I cross my fingers that many of those are from other causes.

[MChambers]

Just saw on Facebook that John Price has Covid-19 and is in critical condition. Very sad.

[Acymetric]

Just saw on Facebook that John Price has Covid-19 and is in critical condition. Very sad.

Who is John Price? A quick Google didn't turn up an obvious candidate.

[OldPhiKap]

Who is John Price? A quick Google didn't turn up an obvious candidate.

John Prine.

[MChambers]

John Prine.

Yes, I meant the great John Prine.

Sorry for the typo (or maybe autocorrect got me).

[proelitedota]

The problem is, I don't think you can do that without doing [the equivalent of] this, and I don't recall anybody expressing a lot of excitement about how China is doing it.

Mandatory masks for all people. Even scarfs and hankies are much better than nothing. They all stop aerosol from being expelled.

[curtis325]

Yes, I meant the great John Prine.

Sorry for the typo (or maybe autocorrect got me).

Very sad because he has other health issues too. He's one of my favorites--I saw him in Page Auditorium in the 80s.

[MChambers]

Very sad because he has other health issues too. He's one of my favorites--I saw him in Page Auditorium in the 80s.

Two battles with cancer, I know, and had to cancel a tour recently for another health issue. I saw him in Raleigh in the late 70s.

[jimsumner]

I've seen Prine 7 or 8 times, most recently last fall at the Durham Performing Arts Center, where he was magnificent. Losing him would be horrible.

[LegoBatman]

Country singer Joe Diffie has also passed away due to complications from COVID-19.

[mattman91]

Country singer Joe Diffie has also passed away due to complications from COVID-19.

Say it ain't so! There's just something women like about a pickup man

[YmoBeThere]

Say it ain't so! There's just something women like about a pickup man

I know I'm not likely to own a tractor but I did have a John Deere Green lawnmower for nearly a decade.

[bundabergdevil]

The various lay-off and furlough announcements have noticeably ticked up here in Pennsylvania, which are all after the 500K unemployment claims last week.

Already sending checks to some younger members of the family who were laid off and I can hear the stress in the voices of some small business owner family members. Wife's non-profit had provided a commitment to pay employees through end of next week and will now be reducing hours, laying folks off, though they have had a couple of their benefactors make generous contributions.

This is ugly, ugly, ugly.

[accfanfrom1970]

Yes, I meant the great John Prine.

Sorry for the typo (or maybe autocorrect got me).

Dear Abbey, Dear Abbey. Been a while since I’ve seen him, loved that era.

[cspan37421]

If they could say (honestly) "we're going to track you via your phone for 2 weeks and then it'll all be over" maybe you have a chance of getting buy in, but "we're going to directly track you via your phone, and it should be over in 2-4 months we hope" is just going to be an automatic no from a lot of people (I mean, it's going to be an automatic no regardless of the apparent benefits for a decent chunk of people, and honestly that is not a totally unreasonable position).

If it's opt out, and maybe packaged with a fun "what kind of coronavirus are you" personality quiz, they'll get plenty of people. They'll not opt out and soon forget they're in.

Besides, thanks to Smith vs. Maryland, they don't really need your permission. They can go right to the carriers or even to the advertisers who are in your phone through all your app permissions. You give your data to them; the gov't doesn't have to ask you for it. They can ask them.

[budwom]

called a friend in NYC last night to see how she was holding up, and it turns out her building down there is so full of patients that she rented a car, headed north, and is doing a self quarantine ten miles from here in an Air BnB (secluded, separate apartment)...she didn't feel like waiting around to get sick...she has relatives in the area who can bring her food...NY Thruway was essentially deserted, she said..

[acdevil]

Field hospital being built in Central Park. Those pics should be plastered everywhere to drive home how serious this is.

[bundabergdevil]

called a friend in NYC last night to see how she was holding up, and it turns out her building down there is so full of patients that she rented a car, headed north, and is doing a self quarantine ten miles from here in an Air BnB (secluded, separate apartment)...she didn't feel like waiting around to get sick...she has relatives in the area who can bring her food...NY Thruway was essentially deserted, she said..

Yeah, we should all be doing what we can for friends/family in NYC right now. All I can think to do right now is send food gift certificates and kind words. We have a friend who works for NYC's Emergency Management Department. Just a few fleeting texts but sounds like a lot of NYC first responders, healthcare workers, and other essential personnel...just running on adrenaline with no end in sight.