COVID-19 (f/k/a "the Coronavirus")

[MU82]

You know what else kids can do and are thinking about doing at a much larger rate. 

https://www.politico.com/amp/news/2020/08/13/cdc-mental-health-pandemic-394832?__twitter_impression=true

Yep, it's a serious issue. One of many that make the us-versus-them debates about things like mask-wearing so dopey. When the person at the very top starts by doing everything in his power to divide, label and look out for his own self-interests, this is the kind of thing you get.

But again, despite your attempts to change the subject, kids are NOT immune to COVID-19 themselves, and also act as super-spreaders to adults.

[GooooMarquette]

You know what else kids can do and are thinking about doing at a much larger rate. 

https://www.politico.com/amp/news/2020/08/13/cdc-mental-health-pandemic-394832?__twitter_impression=true

And yet we are still waiting for the current administration to take a single step toward providing widespread, affordable access to mental health services to all who need help. Get back to me when that happens.

[The Hippie Satan of Hyperbole]

The best way to help the mental health of our youth is to get control of the virus.

Because I am not sure that sending them into a school, only to see their classmates, teachers, etc. getting sick and eventually going back to virtual learning is good for anyone's mental health.

[wadesworld]

Cannot let science get in the way of kids going back to school.

[Pakuni]

You know what else kids can do and are thinking about doing at a much larger rate. 

https://www.politico.com/amp/news/2020/08/13/cdc-mental-health-pandemic-394832?__twitter_impression=true

A competent government would work to address both issues.
Our current government instead ignores both and gets happy when knuckleheads present it as an either/or debate.

[rocket surgeon]

The best way to help the mental health of our youth is to get control of the virus.

Because I am not sure that sending them into a school, only to see their classmates, teachers, etc. getting sick and eventually going back to virtual learning is good for anyone's mental health.

  like you just said-"you ain't sure"...

[Hards Alumni]

https://covid19.healthdata.org/united-states-of-america

I do not like these projections.

[pacearrow02]

https://covid19.healthdata.org/united-states-of-america

I do not like these projections.

Unbelievable, even with universal masking they anticipating almost 100k more deaths.  As if to say there isn’t much we can do to slow this thing down, just buckle up for a long fall I guess.

[forgetful]

Unbelievable, even with universal masking they anticipating almost 100k more deaths.  As if to say there isn’t much we can do to slow this thing down, just buckle up for a long fall I guess.
[/quote

With Universal masks: 60k more deaths
Without: 130k more deaths
Easing restrictions: 230k more deaths

Seems like masks slow things down considerably. They also didn't look at more restrictions, re. shutting down schools, indoor dining, etc.

So It says we can slow this thing down, depending on what restraints we are willing to accept.

[pacearrow02]

Unbelievable, even with universal masking they anticipating almost 100k more deaths.  As if to say there isn’t much we can do to slow this thing down, just buckle up for a long fall I guess.
[/quote

With Universal masks: 60k more deaths
Without: 130k more deaths
Easing restrictions: 230k more deaths

Seems like masks slow things down considerably. They also didn't look at more restrictions, re. shutting down schools, indoor dining, etc.

So It says we can slow this thing down, depending on what restraints we are willing to accept.

Would be interested if they could but together a projection for 50%, 60%, 70% mask compliance, with limited easing of restrictions

[GooooMarquette]

‘We’re Clearly Not Doing Enough’: Drop in Testing Hampers Coronavirus Response

https://www.nytimes.com/2020/08/15/us/coronavirus-testing-decrease.html?action=click&module=Top%20Stories&pgtype=Homepage

For months, public health experts and federal officials have said that significantly expanding the number of coronavirus tests administered in the United States is essential to reining in the pandemic. By some estimates, several million people might need to be tested each day, including many people who don’t feel sick.

But the country remains far short of that benchmark and, for the first time, the number of known tests conducted each day has fallen.

Reported daily tests trended downward for much of the last two weeks, essentially stalling the nation’s testing response. Some 733,000 people have been tested each day this month on average, down from nearly 750,000 in July, according to the COVID Tracking Project. The seven-day test average dropped to 709,000 on Monday, the lowest in nearly a month, before ticking upward again at week’s end.

The troubling trend comes after months of steady increases in testing, and may in part reflect that fewer people are seeking out tests as known cases have leveled off at more than 50,000 per day, after surging even higher this summer. But the plateau in testing may also reflect people’s frustration at the prospect of long lines and delays in getting results — as well as another fundamental problem: The nation has yet to build a robust system to test vast portions of the population, not just those seeking tests.

-----------------------

It is going to get worse before it gets better, folks.

[tower912]

It is quite believable.   One of the problems is that many choose not to.

[TSmith34, Inc.]

‘We’re Clearly Not Doing Enough’: Drop in Testing Hampers Coronavirus Response

https://www.nytimes.com/2020/08/15/us/coronavirus-testing-decrease.html?action=click&module=Top%20Stories&pgtype=Homepage

"I said to my people, 'Slow the testing down please,' " the President had said.

Trump now says he wasn't kidding when he told officials to slow down coronavirus testing, contradicting staff
https://www.cnn.com/2020/06/22/politics/donald-trump-testing-slow-down-response/index.html

Again, they say the quiet stuff out loud, and vile people cheer along.

[Frenns Liquor Depot]

This is good news for testing.  Also a pretty interesting story of a university partnering with the NBA to generate the data needed to get qualification.

https://www.fda.gov/news-events/press-announcements/coronavirus-covid-19-update-fda-issues-emergency-use-authorization-yale-school-public-health

https://yaledailynews.com/blog/2020/06/26/spit-and-swish-inside-the-nba-yale-partnership/

[Skatastrophy]

"I said to my people, 'Slow the testing down please,' " the President had said.

Trump now says he wasn't kidding when he told officials to slow down coronavirus testing, contradicting staff
https://www.cnn.com/2020/06/22/politics/donald-trump-testing-slow-down-response/index.html

Again, they say the quiet stuff out loud, and vile people cheer along.

His 'people' are listening. Florida, Texas, and Airzona have fallen off of their tests-per-day highs from July.

[jesmu84]

Lotta twitter chatter today about FDA approving cheap, instant saliva test.

Anyone have more info?

[Uncle Rico]

Lotta twitter chatter today about FDA approving cheap, instant saliva test.

Anyone have more info?

https://twitter.com/aslavitt/status/1294654256763609090?s=21

Long thread but lots of info in it

[Frenns Liquor Depot]

Lotta twitter chatter today about FDA approving cheap, instant saliva test.

Anyone have more info?

I posted info on this page earlier. 

[jesmu84]

I posted info on this page earlier.

Missed it. Thanks

[Frenns Liquor Depot]

Missed it. Thanks

Jes here is Yale’s PR.  This will cut down on cost, increase speed.  Someone from the lab was on NPR last night saying that getting the sample off the swab takes a lot of time and resources.  This eliminates that and can allow for a high number of tests each ‘run’.  They (Yale) are really excited they were able to get this approved and have been using it to test locally at the hospital since early days (in test mode).  Next step would be cheap paper strip test you can take at home to detect high level of virus shedding.  Would be the breakthrough we need To keep sick people at home. 

[GooooMarquette]

Jes here is Yale’s PR.  This will cut down on cost, increase speed.  Someone from the lab was on NPR last night saying that getting the sample off the swab takes a lot of time and resources.  This eliminates that and can allow for a high number of tests each ‘run’.  They (Yale) are really excited they were able to get this approved and have been using it to test locally at the hospital since early days (in test mode).  Next step would be cheap paper strip test you can take at home to detect high level of virus shedding.  Would be the breakthrough we need To keep sick people at home.

Link to PR:

https://news.yale.edu/2020/08/15/yales-rapid-covid-19-saliva-test-receives-fda-emergency-use-authorization

It could be HUGE if it's as accurate as they think.

[Frenns Liquor Depot]

Thanks gooo.  Forgot the important part!

[Frenns Liquor Depot]

I’ve found this individual to be a good follow on Twitter as it relates to immune response...  he just shared a paper that shows antibody protection is real.

https://twitter.com/florian_krammer/status/1294706246151536647?s=21

Another one he shared showing mild cases can carry immune response into the future. https://twitter.com/peppermarion/status/1294358071205011456?s=21

[MU82]

Yet another sobering account of why the U.S. has been losing (and continues to lose) the fight against COVID-19.

https://time.com/5879086/us-covid-19/?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=the-brief&utm_content=20200816&et_rid=21516229&fbclid=IwAR2RylLyJm1eu0XaVDbUF5ZedsauQWostFt6-Kp6LluyewMheKobl3-ysso

[GooooMarquette]

Interesting article about how politics, logistical issues and other factors slowed the flow of federal $$ to communities to fight COVID, and led to some bizarre disparities in how much various communities received.

Politics slows flow of U.S. virus funds to local public health

https://www.mprnews.org/story/2020/08/17/politics-slows-flow-of-us-virus-funds-to-local-public-health

One passage in particular highlighted some of the disparities:

Some cities received large federal grants, including Louisville, Ky., whose Health Department was given $42 million by April, more than doubling its annual budget. Because of the way the money was distributed, Louisville's Health Department alone received more money from the CARES Act than the entire government of the city of Minneapolis.

Philadelphia's Health Department was awarded $100 million from a separate fund from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Honolulu County, where cases have remained relatively low, received $124,454 for every positive COVID-19 case it had reported as of Aug. 9, while El Paso County in Texas got just $1,685 per case.