PlagueWatch 2020-23 - Coronavirus

[budwom]

just another example of how easy it can be to transmit the virus: we've had literally only one or two cases per day in our entire state, then the other day there were 34 cases in one day in one very tight knit Somali immigrant community, where they just aren't up on masks, distancing, don't grasp how the virus works...fortunately they're getting a lot of attention, testing, education, etc...

[Dr. Rosenrosen]

I've found a bit wider swath of stupidity/ignorance/neglect that crosses generational, ethnic and gender lines than what you've observed.

They were all at Lowe’s and Home Depot today. I broke my own rule and tried to go on a weekend. Big mistake. I’m guessing we’re down to about 25% masking wearing and minimal regard for social distancing. Maybe they were all on hydrochloroquine...

[Neals384]

The sands shift again:

https://www.bbc.com/news/health-52945210



For me, it remains pretty simple:

Wear my mask as directed/suggested in the first sentence above. Cheap, common sense and reasonably effective.

The BBC article kinda oversells the actual WHO revised guidance. First, there is no "Wear a Mask, Dummy" headline on the homepage who.int

You have to drill down to find the new guidelines at https://apps.who.int/iris/rest/bitst...79750/retrieve

Here they summarize the new guidelines for governments:

Advice to decision makers on the use of masks for the general public

Many countries have recommended the use of fabric masks/face coverings for the general public. At the present time, the widespread use of masks by healthy people in the community setting is not yet supported by high quality or direct scientific evidence and there are potential benefits and harms to consider (see below).

However, taking into account the available studies evaluating pre- and asymptomatic transmission, a growing compendium of observational evidence on the use of masks by the general public in several countries, individual values and preferences, as well as the difficulty of physical distancing in many contexts, WHO has updated its guidance to advise that to prevent COVID-19 transmission effectively in areas of community transmission, governments should encourage the general public to wear masks in specific situations and settings as part of a comprehensive approach to suppress SARS-CoV-2 transmission (Table 2).

Could they be any more wishy-washy?

[Neals384]

[/B][/I]

I'm not really sure that people are opposed to opening churches or view them as an experience similar to attending a concert. In my state, the Governor issued a set of criteria for what constituted an essential and non-essential business (or other organization) during the stay-at-home orders, offered an application to appeal your non-essential categorization, and then applied a red, yellow, and green phase for all state counties. As counties moved from red to green, certain business and other organizations also moved from closed to allowed to open with certain restrictions in place.

There was a huge outcry in the business community, confusion about the criteria for what constituted essential and non-essential, and perceived unfairness and bad logic in the appeals and phased reopening process. That was inevitable. The state did its best to assign risk to various types of operations and "essential-ness" but any categorization was always going to be wanting because the types of organizations are just too diverse to fit perfectly into categories so everyone shouted their uniqueness and how little sense the orders made from the rooftops.

My personal sentiment is that governors did their best to assign risk to churches, too, and it had nothing to do with religion, just risk. Churches are just like the businesses crying foul in my state, as far as I'm concerned. Many of them are probably right, the system applied by the governor didn't always make sense. Personally, I'm willing to give some leeway to my Governor because I think he is operating in good faith to the best of his ability but there was ZERO chance he - or any other governor - was ever going to implement a plan that made everyone in the state say, "Nailed it!"

What I'm saying is churches are just another type of organization/business that is crying mistreatment right now. "Religiousness" has nothing to do with it. Many of them have great cases, the governors haven't nailed it, but I don't think imperfection is discrimination.

To me the big mistake governments made was using the word "essential." Doing that had the effect of making them just look clueless, if you consider that (in some states) golf courses, pot stores and McDonald's drive thrus were classed as essential, while dentists and non-emergency medical providers were non-essential. I could add to the list, but you get the idea. Actually, though, what governments are doing in practice is balancing "essential-ness" with "riskiness." Dentists got put on the non-essential list because of the risk involved in doing procedures to patients' mouths, not because anyone with a toothache would consider the dentist non-essential (ask Mrs. Neal's about her recent toothache!)

Words matter!

[YmoBeThere]

They were all at Lowe’s and Home Depot today. I broke my own rule and tried to go on a weekend. Big mistake. I’m guessing we’re down to about 25% masking wearing and minimal regard for social distancing. Maybe they were all on hydrochloroquine...

Did you go when they first opened or was it later in the morning?

[MChambers]

As most of Europe has reopened to some degree, cases have continued to decline: https://www.washingtonpost.com/world...ies-about-why/

[BD80]

The BBC article kinda oversells the actual WHO revised guidance. First, there is no "Wear a Mask, Dummy" headline on the homepage who.int

You have to drill down to find the new guidelines at https://apps.who.int/iris/rest/bitst...79750/retrieve

Here they summarize the new guidelines for governments:



Could they be any more wishy-washy?

NEVER ask a question you don't want to hear the answer to.

Bureaucracies are FULL of individuals who are saying: "Hold my beer …"

[Kdogg]

South Carolina has had huge increases all week now. The increase in testing can only account for some of it. The percent of positive tests has increase meaning that the virus is spreading and / or the mobile testing is hitting areas underserved previously or over representing now. Not good news especially since it seems people are taking fewer and fewer precautions.

[cspan37421]

They were all at Lowe’s and Home Depot today. I broke my own rule and tried to go on a weekend. Big mistake. I’m guessing we’re down to about 25% masking wearing and minimal regard for social distancing. Maybe they were all on hydrochloroquine...

No no - hydrochloroquine is SO last month! Vitamin D is the way to go, trust me. I heard that my retired step-uncle's still-working business partner did all the research on it many years ago, and 70% of the time, it works every time.

You may think I made that last sentence up, but no, that's what was communicated to me just a couple hours ago by a family member.

[wavedukefan70s]

South Carolina has had huge increases all week now. The increase in testing can only account for some of it. The percent of positive tests has increase meaning that the virus is spreading and / or the mobile testing is hitting areas underserved previously or over representing now. Not good news especially since it seems people are taking fewer and fewer precautions.

Yep and we start football practice the 15th.
But conditioning only for two weeks.
Very spread out.
We should be able to soread 70 players
Between 3 fields and a baseball field.

[OldPhiKap]

No no - hydrochloroquine is SO last month! Vitamin D is the way to go, trust me. I heard that my retired step-uncle's still-working business partner did all the research on it many years ago, and 70% of the time, it works every time.

You may think I made that last sentence up, but no, that's what was communicated to me just a couple hours ago by a family member.

I just wear a condom when it go out. I feel protected.

[Mtn.Devil.91.92.01.10.15]

I just wear a condom when it go out. I feel protected.

When it go where now?

[OldPhiKap]

When it go where now?

Roy refers to himself in the third person. I refer to myself as a subject, direct object or indirect object of a verb, or an object of a preposition, usually in reference to a lifeless thing.

Because that’s how I roll.

(And, because it would be too simple to blame autocorrect).

[Mtn.Devil.91.92.01.10.15]

Roy refers to himself in the third person. I refer to myself as a subject, direct object or indirect object of a verb, or an object of a preposition, usually in reference to a lifeless thing.

Because that’s how I roll.

(And, because it would be too simple to blame autocorrect).

Just checking. Most folks wear one when it go in.

(Mods, of that's too saucy for this family friendly board, please delete. I simply could not help myself)

[cspan37421]

I just wear a condom when it go out. I feel protected.

Are you a teacher by any chance? Obligatory xkcd:




https://xkcd.com/463/

[Bluedog]

I just went to Wisconsin from IL, and my oh my, it's like a different world. Cracker Barrel on the side of the road are PACKED with cars and patrons inside not wearing masks. Hardly anybody I saw walking on the street wearing masks although it was in areas where socially distancing is possible.

Literally when I crossed the border into IL and went to a drive through, the difference was stark with people wearing masks and such. Clearly, there is not much of a difference between Lake County, IL residents and Kenosha County, WI. It's just the rules and guidance. IL restaurants still not open for dine in and masks required.

With all that said, is there county by county data that could convey if these measures are making a difference? Of course, I imagine a lot of IL residents are jumping the border into WI as well.

But it was my first foray across state lines and maybe it was confirmation bias, but seemed totally different. On top of that, daycares have been open throughout in WI (although schools have not) whereas they haven't even opened yet in IL (except for those taking care of essential workers children).

Shouldn't we are stark outcomes in differences because of this? I don't think you can necessarily do a statewide comparison because they're too different, but could do a county by county one for border counties if that data exists.

There was also a gathering of 30,000+ in Chicago today outside, so if there isn't a huge uptick in cases, seems to me being outside is not risky at all.

I'm looking at this from a data perspective and differences in outcome. Definitely don't want this to be a political item about which one is right. I just honestly haven't seen that data as the differences really came to light on a somewhat arbitrary state line.

[rsvman]

There are a lot of variables. I think the heat and humidity are going to put the brakes on the virus, at least a little and maybe a lot, and respiratory viruses love it best when people are congregating indoors. They have never been veey successful when the weather is nice and people are spending a lot of time outdoors.

The other issue is that because of the longer incubation period, we don't really have any real-time data. That has been a problem throughout this entire outbreak.

[Ggallagher]

I just went to Wisconsin from IL, and my oh my, it's like a different world. Cracker Barrel on the side of the road are PACKED with cars and patrons inside not wearing masks. Hardly anybody I saw walking on the street wearing masks although it was in areas where socially distancing is possible.

Literally when I crossed the border into IL and went to a drive through, the difference was stark with people wearing masks and such. Clearly, there is not much of a difference between Lake County, IL residents and Kenosha County, WI. It's just the rules and guidance. IL restaurants still not open for dine in and masks required.

With all that said, is there county by county data that could convey if these measures are making a difference? Of course, I imagine a lot of IL residents are jumping the border into WI as well.

But it was my first foray across state lines and maybe it was confirmation bias, but seemed totally different. On top of that, daycares have been open throughout in WI (although schools have not) whereas they haven't even opened yet in IL (except for those taking care of essential workers children).

Shouldn't we are stark outcomes in differences because of this? I don't think you can necessarily do a statewide comparison because they're too different, but could do a county by county one for border counties if that data exists.

There was also a gathering of 30,000+ in Chicago today outside, so if there isn't a huge uptick in cases, seems to me being outside is not risky at all.

I'm looking at this from a data perspective and differences in outcome. Definitely don't want this to be a political item about which one is right. I just honestly haven't seen that data as the differences really came to light on a somewhat arbitrary state line.

The Johns Hopkins covid website...
https://www.arcgis.com/apps/opsdashb...23467b48e9ecf6

breaks the US down by county. Use the admin tabs at the bottom of the panel that's on the left side of their main page. At least that's where it appears for me.

[DukieInKansas]

Went to Aldi today. Most had masks. My frustration was when people went in. We had to wait for a person to leave before someone could enter. The cart in front of me had 3 adults. A person came out but they couldn't go in until 2 more came out. It is so much fun to stand outside in 95 degrees plus humidity. Does it really take 3 adults to shop for groceries?

[PackMan97]

There are a lot of variables. I think the heat and humidity are going to put the brakes on the virus, at least a little and maybe a lot, and respiratory viruses love it best when people are congregating indoors. They have never been veey successful when the weather is nice and people are spending a lot of time outdoors.

The other issue is that because of the longer incubation period, we don't really have any real-time data. That has been a problem throughout this entire outbreak.

Have you been in the south in the summer? I think I spend more times indoor in the summer in Raleigh than I do the winter.