PlagueWatch 2020-23 - Coronavirus

[jimsumner]

I posted this in the reopening sports thread but take a look at this NYT survey of over 500 epidemiologists. It basically asks them when they will be comfortable doing certain things like flying, going to a restaurant, going to a ball game and so forth.

It's pretty sobering. Or yes, Devildeac, it might drive some to drink. But it seems like many of the experts are hunkering down for a vaccine.

https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/...gtype=Homepage

[rsvman]

We had four new positive children reported to me this morning; total so far since the beginning of the pandemic is now 51. Only two hospitalized.

Kids are obviously not getting very sick.



I get daily reports so I know of all positive tests in our area. I have at least one new report every day. If anything, it seems like we have had more over the past couple of weeks than we did previously. Apparently the virus didn't get the memo that it was "over" or that the populace was "over it."

[budwom]

Some of you in the US may be interested in the situation with your neighbour to the north. If so, here are the latest numbers from Ontario, population 14.5 million:

New cases reported today: 243

Tests yesterday: 15,557 (down from the approximately 20,000 per day recently)

Total cases: 30,860

Resolved cases: 24,492

In hospital currently: 603

We are now in the first phase of reopening since May 19. Parks and dog parks are open, retail stores with street-front access may open, hospitals have resumed previously scheduled procedures, all within distancing guidelines.

You're doing better than our Quebecois neighbors to the North...they've been a bit lax according to a lot of people, include your PM...we've got lots of friends in T.O., glad to hear things are going well

[budwom]

Haven't gotten through the whole thing yet, but there's a big article in the NYT today about a nursing home in Vermont that got hit really hard - sounds like a big portion of the state's cases were in a few nursing homes.

https://www.nytimes.com/2020/06/08/u...gtype=Homepage

yep, sad fact of the matter is several of the "for profit" nursing homes with "spotty records" as the Times puts it, did not do a great job despite a lot of help from the state...we have the typical understaffing and low pay one finds in such places.
Very sad. Throw in a major prison outbreak, and the Somali cluster, and those have been our major problems thus far, though the Somalis have been staying alive because they're relatively young and the state has been heavily involved in monitoring them.

[Bostondevil]

I know more Southerners who know the difference between Vermont and New Hampshire than I know New Englanders who know the difference between NORTH and South Carolina. Jus sayin'.

[OldPhiKap]

I know more Southerners who know the difference between Vermont and New Hampshire than I know New Englanders who know the difference between NORTH and South Carolina. Jus sayin'.

I really think that the Carolinas should be broken into three states: Vinegar, Ketchup, Mustard.

[budwom]

I know more Southerners who know the difference between Vermont and New Hampshire than I know New Englanders who know the difference between NORTH and South Carolina. Jus sayin'.

my wife and I have traveled extensively in California over the past few decades, and we are often asked by people (waiters, hoteliers, etc) where we're from, and when we say Vermont, they often say things like "is that near San Diego?" or "is that in Virginia." (The Vs hang out together I guess). I don't think we're a country strong in geography, no matter where you go...

[devildeac]

I posted this in the reopening sports thread but take a look at this NYT survey of over 500 epidemiologists. It basically asks them when they will be comfortable doing certain things like flying, going to a restaurant, going to a ball game and so forth.

It's pretty sobering. Or yes, Devildeac, it might drive some to drink. But it seems like many of the experts are hunkering down for a vaccine.

https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/...gtype=Homepage

Hopefully, that's won't tilt/drive folks toward starting, and, for those who sip already, no increased consumption. I'll continue avoiding crowds, wearing a mask all the time when I'm in public places near people, washing/sanitizing my hands probably 20-30 times daily, keeping that 6' distance if/whenever possible and waiting for an effective vaccine and receiving it when available.

[sagegrouse]

I really think that the Carolinas should be broken into three states: Vinegar, Ketchup, Mustard.

Then there are the four natural divisions: mountains, Piedmont, swamps, and Yankee transplantations (tidal waters).

[Bostondevil]

my wife and I have traveled extensively in California over the past few decades, and we are often asked by people (waiters, hoteliers, etc) where we're from, and when we say Vermont, they often say things like "is that near San Diego?" or "is that in Virginia." (The Vs hang out together I guess). I don't think we're a country strong in geography, no matter where you go...

Agreed. Once at Duke, I met up with a classmate to work on a problem set we had been assigned together. We decided to study in his dorm room. He was in a frat. His roommate had a fraternity paddle carved into the shape of Alabama. I saw it and asked, "Are you from Alabama?". He replied yes, how did I know. I pointed to the paddle and his roommate, my classmate, said, "Is that what that is? I never knew." I'm like, geez, didn't you have a puzzle of the United States when you were a kid?

[YmoBeThere]

I posted this in the reopening sports thread but take a look at this NYT survey of over 500 epidemiologists. It basically asks them when they will be comfortable doing certain things like flying, going to a restaurant, going to a ball game and so forth.

It's pretty sobering. Or yes, Devildeac, it might drive some to drink. But it seems like many of the experts are hunkering down for a vaccine.

https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/...gtype=Homepage

So, are epidemiologists naturally germaphobes or do they learn it?

[aimo]

my wife and I have traveled extensively in California over the past few decades, and we are often asked by people (waiters, hoteliers, etc) where we're from, and when we say Vermont, they often say things like "is that near San Diego?" or "is that in Virginia." (The Vs hang out together I guess). I don't think we're a country strong in geography, no matter where you go...

I think that says more about Californians alone. My niece's boyfriend is from "So-Cal" and he seems to be just utterly clueless on all things non-Californian.

[duke79]

Agreed. Once at Duke, I met up with a classmate to work on a problem set we had been assigned together. We decided to study in his dorm room. He was in a frat. His roommate had a fraternity paddle carved into the shape of Alabama. I saw it and asked, "Are you from Alabama?". He replied yes, how did I know. I pointed to the paddle and his roommate, my classmate, said, "Is that what that is? I never knew." I'm like, geez, didn't you have a puzzle of the United States when you were a kid?

I remember that, a few years ago, there was a survey done of the general population in the USA, with a flattened map of North and South America (with no names of countries on it), and a very large percentage of people in the survey (something like 80 or 90%) could not even pick out the United States on the map. It's a little like those general surveys where a large percentage of people can't even tell who the President of the United States is. I believe Jay Leno, when he was on the Tonight Show, used to go out on the street occasionally, and ask random people questions like, "who is the President of the United States" or "what country lies below the United States?" It was amazing and disconcerting to see how few people could answer the questions. I hate to be an intellectual snob, but, in general, we have a very ignorant population.

[camion]

I really think that the Carolinas should be broken into three states: Vinegar, Ketchup, Mustard.

I spent my childhood in Ketchup, went to college/grad school in Vinegar and have worked most of my adult life in Mustard.

Never set foot in Mayonnaise for more than a few minutes while traveling.

[duke79]

You're doing better than our Quebecois neighbors to the North...they've been a bit lax according to a lot of people, include your PM...we've got lots of friends in T.O., glad to hear things are going well

My daughter is moving back up to Montreal in two weeks, to resume her grad school studies. It DOES worry me somewhat.

[Phredd3]

I grew up in Alaska, and when we visited the "Lower 48" we got all kinds of strange questions. Multiple times we were asked what the exchange rate was, which probably comes from the fact that most people placed the state either somewhere vaguely north of Canada, or off the west coast somewhere. And I'm sure that latter location came from the fact that a lot of U.S. maps place both Alaska and Hawaii in a not-to-scale inset to the left of California.

And to keep this vaguely on-topic, Alaska had a big re-spike in cases recently. Of course, the population is so low and so spread out, and the total number of cases so low, that uneven spiking is bound to occur in that particular population.

[Bluedog]

I spent my childhood in Ketchup, went to college/grad school in Vinegar and have worked most of my adult life in Mustard.

Never set foot in Mayonnaise for more than a few minutes while traveling.

I get this was a joke, but I'm taking it literally as I'm genuinely curious...Is there a place in the Carolinas were the sauce of choice is Ketchup???

[budwom]

I get this was a joke, but I'm taking it literally as I'm genuinely curious...Is there a place in the Carolinas were the sauce of choice is Ketchup???

western NC has the red sauce..

[jimsumner]

I remember that, a few years ago, there was a survey done of the general population in the USA, with a flattened map of North and South America (with no names of countries on it), and a very large percentage of people in the survey (something like 80 or 90%) could not even pick out the United States on the map. It's a little like those general surveys where a large percentage of people can't even tell who the President of the United States is. I believe Jay Leno, when he was on the Tonight Show, used to go out on the street occasionally, and ask random people questions like, "who is the President of the United States" or "what country lies below the United States?" It was amazing and disconcerting to see how few people could answer the questions. I hate to be an intellectual snob, but, in general, we have a very ignorant population.

It was called Jay-Walking and it was equal parts hilarious and horrifying. Leno would ask questions like "who did the United States fight in World War I and people would answer "Canada" or some such.

I always tried to convince myself that for every idiot who made it on air they cut hundreds of people who knew the correct answers. But it was not a good endorsement for the U.S. educational system.

[budwom]

My daughter is moving back up to Montreal in two weeks, to resume her grad school studies. It DOES worry me somewhat.

McGill? Very fine place...my wife and I miss our frequent trips up to Montreal as the border has been closed for months...