Covid NEWS Tuesday 3/31

[mala]

News. I have nothing to start off.

[mockingbird]

But we don't even have enough for healthcare workers. And the way people are prone to cross contaminating our of false confidence when wearing PPE.....



www.washingtonpost.com/health/cdc-considering-recommending-general-public-wear-face-coverings-in-public/2020/03/30/6a3e495c-7280-11ea-87da-77a8136c1a6d_story.html

[charlatti]

Mar 31, 2020 6:34:17 GMT -5 mockingbird said:

But we don't even have enough for healthcare workers. And the way people are prone to cross contaminating our of false confidence when wearing PPE.....



www.washingtonpost.com/health/cdc-considering-recommending-general-public-wear-face-coverings-in-public/2020/03/30/6a3e495c-7280-11ea-87da-77a8136c1a6d_story.html

I was just reading this too — the main push for everyone wearing masks is coming from a conservative think tank’s roadmap for getting America back to normal. Doesn’t sound like there’s much science behind it.

[mala]

I have seen widespread mask usage linked to the low infection rates in other countries, like Japan, where mask usage in public is the norm. I think the people advocating for widespread mask usage are seeing those numbers, but I'm concerned that that are ONLY seeing mask usage as the reason. I think they're ignoring the fact that these countries were testing more and isolating more and much earlier than the US.


ETA: To clarify, I think masks are probably a good idea. What I"m concerned about is that the fact that we reacted late is going to be ignored and instead it's going to become "we didn't wear masks and thats why this is so bad" rather than "our lack of planning and testing is the reason so many people died". I'm going to cross post this into the discussion thread because I think this might dissolve into too much chatter here in News.

[basilosaurus]

About masks, some countries, including where I am, are mandating it for everyone who goes outside. They're also preventing people from mailing masks outside the country, even to friends and family. It's been interesting to watch as last year was similar usage rates just due to pollution, and that's definitely needed as well. So it culturally hasn't been as huge a shift as it would be for Americans.

[omgzombies]

Mar 31, 2020 6:44:09 GMT -5 mala said:

I have seen widespread mask usage linked to the low infection rates in other countries, like Japan, where mask usage in public is the norm. I think the people advocating for widespread mask usage are seeing those numbers, but I'm concerned that that are ONLY seeing mask usage as the reason. I think they're ignoring the fact that these countries were testing more and isolating more and much earlier than the US.


ETA: To clarify, I think masks are probably a good idea. What I"m concerned about is that the fact that we reacted late is going to be ignored and instead it's going to become "we didn't wear masks and thats why this is so bad" rather than "our lack of planning and testing is the reason so many people died". I'm going to cross post this into the discussion thread because I think this might dissolve into too much chatter here in News.

This.  Mask usage is absolutely linked lower infection rates.  This disease is asymptomatic for a long time, if you wear them out in public as a matter of course, you will be wearing one when sick even if you don't know it, and are thus less likely to pass on the disease.   

BUT that also needs to be done in CONJUNCTION with widespread testing and city lockdowns, and a general increase in sanitation practices.  

It's also going to be more difficult to get US citizens to wear masks now.  Not only have we been repeatedly told that "masks don't work",  we don't have a culture where mask wearing is the norm.  Someone wearing a mask is sick or a weirdo germaphobe.  It's going to take work to counteract that and get people used to wearing them.  

[litebright]

If you are in the mood for a head-spinning and totally WTF story:

www.newyorker.com/news/q-and-a/the-contrarian-coronavirus-theory-that-informed-the-trump-administration

This is the kind of thing that is being passed around in 45's world as fact. A theory that viruses "always" get weaker over time, humans and the virus will adapt to each other ASAP and so very few people will die. He has already retracted his initial number of predicting that there will only be 500 U.S. deaths and says it was a typo and he meant 5,000. Meanwhile, we are over 3,100 deaths today.

Above the Law wrote about it as well, under the headline: NYU Law Prof Loses His Sh*t After Reality Fails To Conform To His ‘Darwinian Economics’ Coronavirus Models

"The entire essay reads like a generation skipping trust drafted by a dermatologist — no visible pores, but it’s full of holes. And yet, according to the Washington Post, it’s been passed around approvingly in Trumpland to support the assumption that this whole annoying pandemic thing is getting blown way out of proportion. Because the people running our government read this passage, and thought, Yeah, this guy really get it!"

[gretchenindisguise]

Social Distancing appears to be working in California www.politico.com/states/california/story/2020/03/30/bend-it-like-the-bay-area-doctors-see-flatter-curve-after-2-weeks-of-social-isolation-1269663

[mrsukyankee]

Mar 31, 2020 7:45:32 GMT -5 litebright said:

If you are in the mood for a head-spinning and totally WTF story:

www.newyorker.com/news/q-and-a/the-contrarian-coronavirus-theory-that-informed-the-trump-administration

This is the kind of thing that is being passed around in 45's world as fact. A theory that viruses "always" get weaker over time, humans and the virus will adapt to each other ASAP and so very few people will die. He has already retracted his initial number of predicting that there will only be 500 U.S. deaths and says it was a typo and he meant 5,000. Meanwhile, we are over 3,100 deaths today.

Above the Law wrote about it as well, under the headline: NYU Law Prof Loses His Sh*t After Reality Fails To Conform To His ‘Darwinian Economics’ Coronavirus Models

"The entire essay reads like a generation skipping trust drafted by a dermatologist — no visible pores, but it’s full of holes. And yet, according to the Washington Post, it’s been passed around approvingly in Trumpland to support the assumption that this whole annoying pandemic thing is getting blown way out of proportion. Because the people running our government read this passage, and thought, Yeah, this guy really get it!"

I would not be shocked if this is what informed the UK gov't at first too.

[dirtyred]

Australian liquor stores limit amount of booze that can be purchased to stop panic buying.  The limits seem pretty large to me; how much do Australians drink?


www.brisbanetimes.com.au/national/liquor-stores-impose-booze-limit-from-start-of-trade-20200331-p54fh5.html

[jaylea]

www.cbs8.com/mobile/article/news/health/coronavirus/pandemic-scientist-says-his-team-has-discovered-a-potential-cure-for-covid-19-coronavirus-california/509-4a895be1-80f6-46b0-8812-e2d49d20bebf

Potential treatment developing out of CA and going into testing.

[dirtyred]

Wild goats visiting British seaside town during lockdown.


www.bbc.com/news/uk-wales-52103967

[formerlyak]

Mar 31, 2020 8:04:47 GMT -5 gretchenindisguise said:

Social Distancing appears to be working in California www.politico.com/states/california/story/2020/03/30/bend-it-like-the-bay-area-doctors-see-flatter-curve-after-2-weeks-of-social-isolation-1269663

I didn’t read this one, but I’m in CA and have seen many versions of this article. I hope it’s right and that we really are flattening the curve. However, the comparisons between NY and CA are a little misleading. NY has done a lot more testing, so their confirmed numbers are going to be higher because of that. We have tens of thousands of tests pending results. That said, some of the articles I’ve seen are also looking at impact on ERs, and it appears we are doing well in that regard.

[hazelden]

I have two links to share:

A week or two ago I downloaded a free app (Kinsa) that tracks fevers and symptoms and creates something of a nationwide health weather map. DH and I take our temp most days and enter it to share our info.
www.nytimes.com/2020/03/18/health/coronavirus-fever-thermometers.html

I don't know if this is considered news, but here is a pretty dry (but interesting!) video supporting the idea of masks4all. No one will be leaving my house without a homemade mask from now on.
youtu.be/BoDwXwZXsDI

[pixy0stix]

Mar 31, 2020 8:26:52 GMT -5 dirtyred said:

Wild goats visiting British seaside town during lockdown.


www.bbc.com/news/uk-wales-52103967

This is the content I need.

Boulder, CO had mountain lions - theknow.denverpost.com/2020/03/25/boulder-coronavirus-sheltering-impact-wildlife/236089/

[Velar Fricative]

Mar 31, 2020 8:04:47 GMT -5 gretchenindisguise said:

Social Distancing appears to be working in California www.politico.com/states/california/story/2020/03/30/bend-it-like-the-bay-area-doctors-see-flatter-curve-after-2-weeks-of-social-isolation-1269663

I’ve been so curious about this, especially because SF is the second-most densely populated US city after NYC. It gives me a lot of hope but also makes me wonder what other factors may have helped.

[sewf]

A youtube video I watched featuring a main doctor at a hospital in NYC said that the masks are mostly to train people not to touch their face, not that they block the actual virus. I wonder if that is still what is most helpful. I just ordered cloth mask because I have no sewing skills, but they won’t be here until the 20th at the earliest.

[ESF]

Mar 31, 2020 9:33:27 GMT -5 Velar Fricative said:

Mar 31, 2020 8:04:47 GMT -5 gretchenindisguise said:

Social Distancing appears to be working in California www.politico.com/states/california/story/2020/03/30/bend-it-like-the-bay-area-doctors-see-flatter-curve-after-2-weeks-of-social-isolation-1269663

I’ve been so curious about this, especially because SF is the second-most densely populated US city after NYC. It gives me a lot of hope but also makes me wonder what other factors may have helped.

I think there's a few things.

Compared to many urban areas, there's a lower reliance on public transit, a higher number of people who work from home, and a high number of people working in jobs that are easy to WFH. And people there have had to shelter in place regularly because of the dangerous wildfire smoke over the last couple years, so this isn't really weird or unfamiliar for them. And they live with the constant fear of a huge earthquake, so a lot of people already have disaster preparedness supplies on hand. So by and large, the city was just more prepared in so many ways than anywhere else.

Then, the mayor was the most aggressive in the country, issuing a shelter in place order on Feb. 25, weeks before anywhere else did. So they were already ahead, and this just put them way out ahead.

And while there are certainly no shortage of idiots there, the news may have resonated faster with a larger number of people, due to the fact that not only is the workforce pretty well educated, but there's a lot of people who are highly educated in science fields. 

[mockingbird]

I feel like hospitals don't understand how short staffed they are about to find themselves 

www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2020-03-31/hospitals-tell-doctors-they-ll-be-fired-if-they-talk-to-press?fbclid=IwAR38YlkBlMH91MM7IlbKHMHbpLgJouORopqUqSFfKPIBYa6_IwARQMhYk1M 

[ohgillian]

The only article I've found is paywalled but if you have SF Chronicle access you can read about a nuclear aircraft carrier with COVID-19 on board begging for help.

www.sfchronicle.com/bayarea/article/Exclusive-Captain-of-aircraft-carrier-with-15167883.php

[basilosaurus]

Mar 31, 2020 8:23:50 GMT -5 dirtyred said:

Australian liquor stores limit amount of booze that can be purchased to stop panic buying.  The limits seem pretty large to me; how much do Australians drink?


www.brisbanetimes.com.au/national/liquor-stores-impose-booze-limit-from-start-of-trade-20200331-p54fh5.html

LOL a lot, at least the military do in my limited experience. They got rations of 3 beers/day in Iraq when Americans were limited to 1 at superbowl and a couple other occasions. I also spent a couple weeks in Brisbane when there was a joint exercise with exH and some of his coworkers. People were getting pretty pissed nightly. Not Japanese salaryman pissed, maybe not more than US military, but even though I just went to a few of the nightly happy hours, my liver needed a break after that trip.

But it's probably not as dire as that limit. The more people can buy the less frequently they're going to the store. And they may be picking up things for friends and neighbors as well. 

[redheadbaker]

McConnell blamed the Democrats’ push to impeach President Trump in January for distracting the Trump administration from the threat posed by the coronavirus.

thehill.com/homenews/senate/490335-mcconnell-impeachment-distracted-government-from-coronavirus-threat

[mcsangel2]

Mar 31, 2020 10:17:29 GMT -5 redheadbaker said:

McConnell blamed the Democrats’ push to impeach President Trump in January for distracting the Trump administration from the threat posed by the coronavirus.

thehill.com/homenews/senate/490335-mcconnell-impeachment-distracted-government-from-coronavirus-threat

Sure, Jan.

[aprilsails]

Mar 31, 2020 7:45:32 GMT -5 litebright said:

If you are in the mood for a head-spinning and totally WTF story:

www.newyorker.com/news/q-and-a/the-contrarian-coronavirus-theory-that-informed-the-trump-administration

This is the kind of thing that is being passed around in 45's world as fact. A theory that viruses "always" get weaker over time, humans and the virus will adapt to each other ASAP and so very few people will die. He has already retracted his initial number of predicting that there will only be 500 U.S. deaths and says it was a typo and he meant 5,000. Meanwhile, we are over 3,100 deaths today.

Above the Law wrote about it as well, under the headline: NYU Law Prof Loses His Sh*t After Reality Fails To Conform To His ‘Darwinian Economics’ Coronavirus Models

"The entire essay reads like a generation skipping trust drafted by a dermatologist — no visible pores, but it’s full of holes. And yet, according to the Washington Post, it’s been passed around approvingly in Trumpland to support the assumption that this whole annoying pandemic thing is getting blown way out of proportion. Because the people running our government read this passage, and thought, Yeah, this guy really get it!"

So my Mom and I have discussed the evolutionary theory on viruses (she’s a virologist). He is correct that when we Coronavirus have appeared through human history they have a very bad initial impact and then they generally evolve and change to become milder (ergo the common cold versions that we have going around at any time). My Mom considers SARS and Ebola to be bad viruses since they kill off their host too fast to spread. Covid-19 is a very potent mix that falls outside the norms. The fact that people can be asymptomatic spreaders is bad. The long incubation period is bad. The virulence and death rate is bad. While over hundreds of years if given a chance it may become like the common cold to the majority of the human population (especially once you’ve had it once and survived and produce antibodies), since no one has any immunity at this time you can’t look at it that way. The best and only way to limit its spread is to deny it people through isolation (transmission vectors) or to produce a vaccine and thereby deny it transmission vectors through immunity.

So he’s full of shit.

[meganew]

Mar 31, 2020 12:13:43 GMT -5 aprilsails said:

Mar 31, 2020 7:45:32 GMT -5 litebright said:

If you are in the mood for a head-spinning and totally WTF story:

www.newyorker.com/news/q-and-a/the-contrarian-coronavirus-theory-that-informed-the-trump-administration

This is the kind of thing that is being passed around in 45's world as fact. A theory that viruses "always" get weaker over time, humans and the virus will adapt to each other ASAP and so very few people will die. He has already retracted his initial number of predicting that there will only be 500 U.S. deaths and says it was a typo and he meant 5,000. Meanwhile, we are over 3,100 deaths today.

Above the Law wrote about it as well, under the headline: NYU Law Prof Loses His Sh*t After Reality Fails To Conform To His ‘Darwinian Economics’ Coronavirus Models

"The entire essay reads like a generation skipping trust drafted by a dermatologist — no visible pores, but it’s full of holes. And yet, according to the Washington Post, it’s been passed around approvingly in Trumpland to support the assumption that this whole annoying pandemic thing is getting blown way out of proportion. Because the people running our government read this passage, and thought, Yeah, this guy really get it!"

So my Mom and I have discussed the evolutionary theory on viruses (she’s a virologist). He is correct that when we Coronavirus have appeared through human history they have a very bad initial impact and then they generally evolve and change to become milder (ergo the common cold versions that we have going around at any time). My Mom considers SARS and Ebola to be bad viruses since they kill off their host too fast to spread. Covid-19 is a very potent mix that falls outside the norms. The fact that people can be asymptomatic spreaders is bad. The long incubation period is bad. The virulence and death rate is bad. While over hundreds of years if given a chance it may become like the common cold to the majority of the human population (especially once you’ve had it once and survived and produce antibodies), since no one has any immunity at this time you can’t look at it that way. The best and only way to limit its spread is to deny it people through isolation (transmission vectors) or to produce a vaccine and thereby deny it transmission vectors through immunity.

So he’s full of shit.

Does your mom want to join the boards and just lay down facts all day please? 

[InBetweenDays]

Mar 31, 2020 10:09:03 GMT -5 ESF said:

Mar 31, 2020 9:33:27 GMT -5 Velar Fricative said:

I’ve been so curious about this, especially because SF is the second-most densely populated US city after NYC. It gives me a lot of hope but also makes me wonder what other factors may have helped.

I think there's a few things.

Compared to many urban areas, there's a lower reliance on public transit, a higher number of people who work from home, and a high number of people working in jobs that are easy to WFH. And people there have had to shelter in place regularly because of the dangerous wildfire smoke over the last couple years, so this isn't really weird or unfamiliar for them. And they live with the constant fear of a huge earthquake, so a lot of people already have disaster preparedness supplies on hand. So by and large, the city was just more prepared in so many ways than anywhere else.

Then, the mayor was the most aggressive in the country, issuing a shelter in place order on Feb. 25, weeks before anywhere else did. So they were already ahead, and this just put them way out ahead.

And while there are certainly no shortage of idiots there, the news may have resonated faster with a larger number of people, due to the fact that not only is the workforce pretty well educated, but there's a lot of people who are highly educated in science fields. 

Wait, they declared a shelter in place on February 25?? We didn't have the first case of community spread with an unknown origin in the country until February 28. Or do you mean they declared a state of emergency then?

[Velar Fricative]

My congressman just deployed with the National Guard to assist in our district.

www.politico.com/news/2020/03/31/max-rose-deployed-national-guard-157150

[ohgillian]

Hobby Lobby causing headaches for local governments around the country by violating orders:

Denver: www.denverpost.com/2020/03/30/hobby-lobby-coronavirus-closures-colorado/

Indiana: www.wvlt.tv/content/news/Indiana-Hobby-Lobby-forced-to-close-an-hour-after-reopening--569238971.html

North Carolina:

[ESF]

Mar 31, 2020 12:29:35 GMT -5 InBetweenDays said:

Mar 31, 2020 10:09:03 GMT -5 ESF said:

I think there's a few things.

Compared to many urban areas, there's a lower reliance on public transit, a higher number of people who work from home, and a high number of people working in jobs that are easy to WFH. And people there have had to shelter in place regularly because of the dangerous wildfire smoke over the last couple years, so this isn't really weird or unfamiliar for them. And they live with the constant fear of a huge earthquake, so a lot of people already have disaster preparedness supplies on hand. So by and large, the city was just more prepared in so many ways than anywhere else.

Then, the mayor was the most aggressive in the country, issuing a shelter in place order on Feb. 25, weeks before anywhere else did. So they were already ahead, and this just put them way out ahead.

And while there are certainly no shortage of idiots there, the news may have resonated faster with a larger number of people, due to the fact that not only is the workforce pretty well educated, but there's a lot of people who are highly educated in science fields. 

Wait, they declared a shelter in place on February 25?? We didn't have the first case of community spread with an unknown origin in the country until February 28. Or do you mean they declared a state of emergency then?

Yes, that's it. A state of emergency, sorry.

[picksthemusic]

Mar 31, 2020 8:23:58 GMT -5 jaylea said:

www.cbs8.com/mobile/article/news/health/coronavirus/pandemic-scientist-says-his-team-has-discovered-a-potential-cure-for-covid-19-coronavirus-california/509-4a895be1-80f6-46b0-8812-e2d49d20bebf

Potential treatment developing out of CA and going into testing.

Hey this is that scientist and team from the Pandemic documentary! They are also trying to develop a universal one-time flu shot. I love these people!