Covid-19 discussion and humor thread [Was: CDC says don't touch your face to avoid Covid19...Vets to the rescue!

[Sundancer]

9 minutes ago, Brit said:

Who knows when the US will start levelling. With Florida and other states only now just starting to put in measures there may be some weeks ahead before any kind of slow down on a national level kicks in. 

 

For sure. The US will spike in geographies from the cites outwards, not likely at once as a country, which may create a longer period of leveling once we get there. 

 

But our spread and lifestyles (driving culture...living in houses and not high rises--both true even for most city folk outside NYC) may make our situation not as bleak as we are seeing in some of Europe. I note the interesting test case in Sweden, which in many ways is a lot more like the majority of the US geographically and even in cities, in terms of lifestyle, and is currently open for socially distant business. What's happening there may change but it may serve as a realistic beacon for how to exit the quarantines eventually. 

 

Places like India, I weep for in advance. I really worry about my friends there.

 

Here are the UK and Spain deaths...UK numbers are not level yet but Spain maybe is.

 

 

 

 

Edited April 1, 2020 by Sundancer

[Hardhatharry]

4 minutes ago, Brit said:

Who knows when the US will start levelling. With Florida and other states only now just starting to put in measures there may be some weeks ahead before any kind of slow down on a national level kicks in. 

Us in Florida are just now going to experience what the Spring Breakers did when they came down, not to mention the days after when those people who came in contact with Spring Breakers spreading that. Our spike should start this week...

Edited April 1, 2020 by Hardhatharry

[Sundancer]

1 hour ago, Hardhatharry said:

Us in Florida are just now going to experience what the Spring Breakers did when they came down, not to mention the days after when those people who came in contact with Spring Breakers spreading that. Our spike should start this week...

 

Your governor and the MA governor are morons but that's now in the past, and this is why we need a national plan moving out of this with testing and human movement tracking. 

Edited April 1, 2020 by Sundancer

[Punching Bag]

[Hapless Bills Fan]

1 hour ago, ALF said:

In rural America, cops are delivering groceries to vulnerable residents

 

New York (CNN Business)Major Bobby Reed of the Bourbon County, Kansas, sheriff's department had an idea when he saw that some stores were offering special hours just for elderly customers during the coronavirus crisis: He would start making grocery and prescription deliveries for at-risk residents himself.

 

"These people don't need to get out. They're in a vulnerable age group," the 10-year veteran of the department thought. So he posted on Facebook that he'd volunteer to deliver to elderly residents, shoppers with disabilities and veterans. His rural county, located five miles east of the Missouri border, has about 14,000 residents.

 

https://www.cnn.com/2020/04/01/business/grocery-delivery-coronavirus-police-sheriffs-office/index.html

 

We have that in our area.  An informal network of people who will shop for anyone >65 and vulnerable.

 

27 minutes ago, Sundancer said:

 

Your governor and the MA governor are morons, and this is why we needed a national plan moving out of this with testing and human movement tracking. 

 

The stupid burns on a local level as well.  We have a nice little epidemic blooming here in MO and in the two next larger cities. 

 

The neighboring counties N and S are NOT shut down.  Naturally people who just can't make it another day without a new pair of Gap jeans or new carpet, are just crossing the river to shop.

 

Much of rural Missouri literally has third-world level healthcare. 

 

City and county leaders are BEGGING the governor to shut down the state before the disease makes it out of the cities to the more rural areas, which it most certainly will if it hasn't already. 

 

*crickets*
 

We badly need a uniform national standard shutdown, NOW.  I'm afraid all this piecemeal crap is just prolonging the pain.

 

[Hapless Bills Fan]

https://sports.yahoo.com/nfl-agent-says-both-his-parents-died-6-minutes-apart-because-of-covid-19-001926732.html

 

NFL agent Buddy Baker announced on Tuesday that both of his parents died on Sunday after contracting COVID-19.

He said in a video announcing the news that they died six minutes apart.

 

In loving memory of my mom and dad- please make the tough and right choice and help stop the spreading of this virus. pic.twitter.com/FqVEWjdscq

— Buddy Baker (@ESG_Baker) March 31, 2020

 

“As many of you know my parents recently contracted COVID-19 and unfortunately passed away this past Sunday due to complications,” Baker said. “My parents were amazing people.

 

 

“They were married 51-plus years, and they passed away six minutes apart. Just a few weeks ago, they were in perfect health.”

 

Baker urges awareness

Baker then urged the importance of taking preventative measures to slow the spread of the coronavirus.

 

“I’d like to take this time to make people start thinking about making a change,” Baker continued. “While the CDC and all the regulatory bodies make suggestions about what we should do, I’m not sure everyone understands the importance of it.

 

 

“Practice social distancing. Wash your hands as regularly as you can. And importantly, stay at home.”

[SlimShady'sSpaceForce]

11 hours ago, ExiledInIllinois said:

 

I saw that on FB yesterday   LOL  

[Sundancer]

11 minutes ago, Hapless Bills Fan said:

We badly need a uniform national standard shutdown, NOW.  I'm afraid all this piecemeal crap is just prolonging the pain.

 

I am not even sure it needs to be identical for all 50 states but it needs to be organized nationally so we don’t have idiots making self serving political decisions. 

[Foxx]

[plenzmd1]

13 minutes ago, Foxx said:

said it before...anybody quarantined at home with kids now aint making another....maybe a first one...

[Lurker]

[K-9]

48 minutes ago, Hapless Bills Fan said:

We badly need a uniform national standard shutdown, NOW.  I'm afraid all this piecemeal crap is just prolonging the pain.

We are a couple months into this thing and a haven’t had any semblance of a national plan to this point. To have a national plan requires national planners. I suspect a national plan is not forthcoming any time soon. 

3 minutes ago, plenzmd1 said:

said it before...anybody quarantined at home with kids now aint making another....maybe a first one...

My son, Two Dogs F ing, will get a kick out of this. 

[Sundancer]

15 minutes ago, K-9 said:

We are a couple months into this thing and a haven’t had any semblance of a national plan to this point. To have a national plan requires national planners. I suspect a national plan is not forthcoming any time soon. 

 

 

I believe it's coming. The admin has maintained the opinion that maintaining strict adherence to the (long-ignored) 10th Amendment is the way to go, but coming out of this, ONLY a national plan will work since we have proven that the state and local approach to quarantining is/was a clusterF. 

[BillsFan4]

?‍♂️ (if true)

 

Edited April 1, 2020 by BillsFan4

[John in Jax]

47 minutes ago, plenzmd1 said:

said it before...anybody quarantined at home with kids now aint making another....maybe a first one...

Is the lock to your bedroom door broken!? LOL

[SDS]

24 minutes ago, BillsFan4 said:

?‍♂️

 

 

If true this is ***** criminal.

[Ridgewaycynic2013]

6 minutes ago, SDS said:

 

If true this is ***** criminal.

Buy a case of masks...get a free FEMA trailer?  (International customers only, one per address.)

[K-9]

34 minutes ago, BillsFan4 said:

?‍♂️ (if true)

 

Forbes isn’t exactly a tabloid rag. Given what we know about the lack of cohesive planning across all levels, is there ANY reason to doubt the veracity of this report? Of course not. This is why the DPA is so critical during a time of national crisis. And that’s why it was particularly distressing to read the news article this morning that the DPA has been used ROUTINELY in the last three years. Over a thousand times in order to procure vital equipment.
 

If the health of the public and those who provide the critical care for it is NOT a first line of defense, then nothing is. 

[Lurker]

A new poll conducted March 27-30:   https://www.grinnell.edu/news/americans-showing-resolve-through-covid-19-crisis

 

Tell me if this is something that has already happened because of the coronavirus, if you expect it to happen in the near future or if you do not expect it to happen anytime soon. N=1,009 MoE = ± 3.1 percentage points

 

 

[BillsFan4]

21 minutes ago, K-9 said:

Forbes isn’t exactly a tabloid rag. Given what we know about the lack of cohesive planning across all levels, is there ANY reason to doubt the veracity of this report? Of course not. This is why the DPA is so critical during a time of national crisis. And that’s why it was particularly distressing to read the news article this morning that the DPA has been used ROUTINELY in the last three years. Over a thousand times in order to procure vital equipment.
 

If the health of the public and those who provide the critical care for it is NOT a first line of defense, then nothing is. 

 

 

 

[SDS]

22 minutes ago, K-9 said:

Forbes isn’t exactly a tabloid rag. Given what we know about the lack of cohesive planning across all levels, is there ANY reason to doubt the veracity of this report? Of course not. This is why the DPA is so critical during a time of national crisis. And that’s why it was particularly distressing to read the news article this morning that the DPA has been used ROUTINELY in the last three years. Over a thousand times in order to procure vital equipment.
 

If the health of the public and those who provide the critical care for it is NOT a first line of defense, then nothing is. 

I saw politico. Did you see something from Forbes?

[BillsFan4]

9 minutes ago, SDS said:

I saw politico. Did you see something from Forbes?

In the article they quote Forbes as a source.

 

Quote

The government has yet to curtail exports by U.S. companies, however—roughly 280 million masks in warehouses around the U.S. were purchased by foreign buyers on Monday alone, according to Forbes. A FEMA spokesperson said the agency “has not actively encouraged or discouraged U.S. companies from exporting overseas,” noting that various U.S. agencies are coordinating their activities with their overseas counterparts.

 

[SDS]

1 minute ago, BillsFan4 said:

In the article they quote Forbes as a source.

 

 

Thanks. I missed it. 

[K-9]

8 minutes ago, SDS said:

I saw politico. Did you see something from Forbes?

I was referring to Bertrand’s citing of Forbes in the second of the tweets posted above, pertaining to the 280m masks sitting in US warehouses purchased by foreign buyers on Monday alone.

 

I also saw the politico article about the discussion with Thailand and the hundreds of millions of masks on their way to Bangkok. 

[Punching Bag]

I originally replied to other thread and decided better to put my comments here if I did not want my knuckles broken with steel ruler by teacher.

 

  3 hours ago, Sundancer said:

Pretty good site tracking just NYS and NYC data. 

 

I've been wanting to tease out the NYS data from the US to see how much it's contributing the the numbers. 

 

https://gothamist.com/news/coronavirus-statistics-tracking-epidemic-new-york

I've been wanting to tease out the NYC metro area data from the US to see how much it's contributing the the numbers.

 

I am wondering how much the UN and staff (which is significant) is affecting by and contributing to this.

Heard a story of a embassy employee [diplomat plate] who was shopping while visually ill and coughing unprotected at small produce store.

Owner shut it down to get him out.

[Sundancer]

 

I posted that video without intent in creating a controversy about where I read it (I try to mention sources where possible...most of mine come from the NYT and WSJ but I go elsewhere too) and I’m glad people might see it. It’s a long but sensible take on how individuals can avoid this by just being diligent. My wife has us all following the recommendations from that religiously. 
 

I do think the political bashing is wrongly placed here. Anyone who has time to bash politicians for anything other than their actual actions related to this pandemic and not their party, tweets, or past actions, is wasting energy that they can save for closer to November. 
 

Pence saying that this will be "largely behind us" by Memorial Day aligns with what Gates was saying 10 days ago. That claim needs a national plan to go with it but it sounds possible with the right—and not hard—plan. Get the medical equipment in place, test the S*** out of everyone, and track contacts to squash outbreaks. 

Edited April 1, 2020 by Sundancer

[BillsFan4]

 

Directly for the buffalo area. Bravo Jack.

 

He’s a Good young man.

[Punching Bag]

2 minutes ago, BillsFan4 said:

 

Directly for the buffalo area. Bravo Jack.

 

He’s a Good young man.

 

 

With or without testing?  I could see him donating a few with hockey puck dings.....

[K-9]

42 minutes ago, Limeaid said:

 

UNLESS the tweets are to do something stupid like ignore CDC advice it is all politics.

Been saying that forever. The very nature of pandemics makes them inherently political. And there is nothing wrong with calling out poor leadership in the management of them. Indeed, I suspect that internal criticism has led some leaders to rethink their strategies. 

[Hardhatharry]

https://www.fox35orlando.com/news/governor-desantis-issues-stay-at-home-order-for-all-of-florida

 

 

Hey look stay at home order for all of Florida... On April 1.

Edited April 1, 2020 by Hardhatharry

[K-9]

30 minutes ago, Hardhatharry said:

https://www.fox35orlando.com/news/governor-desantis-issues-stay-at-home-order-for-all-of-florida

 

 

Hey look stay at home order for all of Florida... On April 1.

The irony is rich. I’m sure it’s lost on him, though.

[Bad Things]

2 hours ago, Limeaid said:

I am wondering how much the UN and staff (which is significant) is affecting by and contributing to this.

Heard a story of a embassy employee [diplomat plate] who was shopping while visually ill and coughing unprotected at small produce store.

Owner shut it down to get him out.

 

Apologies if I'm misunderstanding you but, are you seeking to (at least partially) blame the UN for the problems in NYC?

[Hapless Bills Fan]

7 hours ago, Brit said:

Who knows when the US will start levelling. With Florida and other states only now just starting to put in measures there may be some weeks ahead before any kind of slow down on a national level kicks in. 

 

We SO badly need uniform NATIONAL guidelines and pressure on all the governors to enact them.

[Punching Bag]

43 minutes ago, Bad Things said:

 

Apologies if I'm misunderstanding you but, are you seeking to (at least partially) blame the UN for the problems in NYC?

 

Certainly partly to blame if sick employees are shopping without any protection.

The embassies in NYC are immune to any prosecution (just like ones in Washington DC) and its employees have been known to be in car accidents and refuse to pay.  Do not think it is far fetching to think employees, some of which came from overseas, may have bought some viruses.

 

[Bad Things]

17 minutes ago, Hapless Bills Fan said:

 

We SO badly need uniform NATIONAL guidelines and pressure on all the governors to enact them.

 

The lack of national leadership is shocking.

 

They've shown parts of Trumps press conferences on some of our news programs down here and no one can believe it.

[SlimShady'sSpaceForce]

 

 

 

 

[Punching Bag]

2 hours ago, Bad Things said:

Yeah, but really... up until yesterday it was really just about the economy.

 

Exactly do not close down stuff for it will hurt economy was the principle he was advocating even if CDC scientists said otherwise.

Work at government agency and saw conflict of messages.

 

I would be fine for with that if they were funding massive amounts of money into research, grants and equipment but they weren't.

[ Boeing did get money however. ]

 

This country does need an industrial/manufacturing/farming/etc base to survive and a way to keep them healthy while rest of us are in cocoons. 

Many businesses without ability to persuade politicians for help will go bankrupt and it will cascade.

Bankruptcy courts will not help for that is more people ./ companies who will not get paid.

 

 

[Sundancer]

Bill Gates today in the Washington Post on making up for lost time in our response. 
 

Quote

 

Second, the federal government needs to step up on testing. Far more tests should be made available. We should also aggregate the results so we can quickly identify potential volunteers for clinical trials and know with confidence when it’s time to return to normal. There are good examples to follow: New York state recently expanded its capacity to up to more than 20,000 tests per day.

 

There’s also been some progress on more efficient testing methods, such as the self-swab developed by the Seattle Coronavirus Assessment Network, which allows patients to take a sample themselves without possibly exposing a health worker. I hope this and other innovations in testing are scaled up across the country soon.

 

Sign up for our Coronavirus Updates newsletter to track the outbreak. All stories linked in the newsletter are free to access.

Even so, demand for tests will probably exceed the supply for some time, and right now, there’s little rhyme or reason to who gets the few that are available. As a result, we don’t have a good handle on how many cases there are or where the virus is likely headed next, and it will be hard to know if it rebounds later. And because of the backlog of samples, it can take seven days for results to arrive when we need them within 24 hours.

 

This is why the country needs clear priorities for who is tested. First on the list should be people in essential roles such as health-care workers and first responders, followed by highly symptomatic people who are most at risk of becoming seriously ill and those who are likely to have been exposed.

...

 

Finally, we need a data-based approach to developing treatments and a vaccine. Scientists are working full speed on both; in the meantime, leaders can help by not stoking rumors or panic buying. Long before the drug hydroxychloroquine was approved as an emergency treatment for covid-19, people started hoarding it, making it hard to find for lupus patients who need it to survive.

 

We should stick with the process that works: Run rapid trials involving various candidates and inform the public when the results are in. Once we have a safe and effective treatment, we’ll need to ensure that the first doses go to the people who need them most.

 

 

Edited April 2, 2020 by Sundancer

[LeGOATski]

Big "I told ya so" from Bill Gates: 

 

[Hapless Bills Fan]

1 hour ago, Limeaid said:

Certainly partly to blame if sick employees are shopping without any protection.

The embassies in NYC are immune to any prosecution (just like ones in Washington DC) and its employees have been known to be in car accidents and refuse to pay.  Do not think it is far fetching to think employees, some of which came from overseas, may have bought some viruses.

 

Anyone who knows themselves to be sick or to have been in recent contact with sick individuals and is out shopping is behaving culpably, but NYC is a financial/business hub with literally tens of thousands of people flying back from Europe and China every day. 

In that context, considering UN or diplomatic employees stationed in NYC as a particularly significant source of covid-19 infection trees seems to me like a "zebra", in the "if you hear hoofbeats, don't think of zebras" sense.