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

[buckchuckler]

nm

[GooooMarquette]

That was my point. We took the economic hit to make us safer. Through the actions of our leaders and millions of people across the country, we aren't.

As far as spending, I said months ago that people were not going to spend and it will be years before the economy is back. Folks don't want to get caught out in the cold when the second wave hits. Any extra $$$ are getting put away for that scenario.

Yep. That’s how I felt too, and that seems to be how it’s playing out.

[MU82]

So they'll use that to purchase stuff, and stick their regular money in the bank instead.

People aren't spending because they want to be prepared in case the economic situation is worse.  It's about confidence.  And its bad right now.

A certain age, anyway. Lots of young’uns don’t seem to have much fear. Out and about, crowding into bars where allowed. No masks, no social distancing. I’ve seen it here in Charlotte, and have seen it repeatedly in news accounts.

[Frenns Liquor Depot]

Dr Tom’s analysis

https://twitter.com/drtomfrieden/status/1276681496624070657?s=21

[Warriors4ever]

Haha did you see the video in one of the responses showing a Tennessee representative who is angry that he saw a jogger actually wearing a mask? He blamed it on the media.

[mu03eng]

I definitely think some bad behaviors are leading to unnecessary spread, but people are also interpreting data now like it was data in March. It's not just about more tests being conducted now, but whom is being tested. Anyone who is admitted to the hospital is tested, employers who check for fevers are referring employees to get tested prior to returning to work, no questions asked testing sites are open in almost every state, etc. In March and April we were testing only those who were symptomatic enough to be admitted by and large.

All I'm saying is while there is certainly reason to be concerned I wouldn't jump on the we're all doomed train just yet because i don't think the hospitalization and death conversion rates will be as high as everyone in this thread thinks it will be.

[MU82]

Moron.

https://www.nydailynews.com/news/national/ny-reopen-maryland-co-founder-tests-positive-for-coronavirus-20200626-v4tbkkzitbcuxhjwdhx7vfvef4-story.html?fbclid=IwAR3JIb6le2VtvfOPnfPrnDOPv0U9jZAhRPkgj5vbBbn6ab_YkkMsCmDqzfc

A co-founder of the ReOpen Maryland movement, who attended rallies and church services without a mask during the pandemic, has tested positive for COVID-19.

Republican Tim Walters said on Facebook that he’s one of the nearly 2.5 million Americans who have been afflicted by the out-of-control spread of coronavirus. He also said he will not cooperate with public health officials’ efforts to track the virus.

“I was diagnosed yesterday at the ER with COVID-19 and here I am months after not wearing a mask at rallies, churches and so on and so it’s funny how capricious this thing is,” Walters said Thursday.

What started as a dry cough in March has now turned into a fever and vision problems. He said symptoms include a sore throat and a headache, as well as trouble holding down food.

The 53-year-old conservative said he has diabetes and had not always been in the best of health prior to contracting COVID-19.

Walters, a Navy veteran, organized ReOpen Maryland rallies in places including Annapolis, to protest efforts by the state’s governor, a Republican, to contain coronavirus.

According to Ballotpedia.com, Walters finished last among the six candidates who got votes to represent the 32nd district in Maryland House of Delegates in 2016. It was his second run for office.

[Frenns Liquor Depot]

All I'm saying is while there is certainly reason to be concerned I wouldn't jump on the we're all doomed train just yet because i don't think the hospitalization and death conversion rates will be as high as everyone in this thread thinks it will be.

Doomed I don’t know.  We are putting unnecessary stress on our hospitals though and actively encouraging behavior that leads to worse healthcare for all in affected areas (elective surgery cancellations).  We all said watch hospitalizations.  They are up.  Time to ring the bell again unfortunately.

We have slipped back into epidemic as a country. 

This sounds similar to NYC March

https://www.nytimes.com/2020/06/26/opinion/coronavirus-arizona-hospitals.html

[MU82]

Doomed I don’t know.  We are putting unnecessary stress on our hospitals though and actively encouraging behavior that leads to worse healthcare for all in affected areas (elective surgery cancellations).  We all said watch hospitalizations.  They are up.  Time to ring the bell again unfortunately.

We have slipped back into epidemic as a country. 

This sounds similar to NYC March

https://www.nytimes.com/2020/06/26/opinion/coronavirus-arizona-hospitals.html

Agreed.

Taking note and "ringing the bell," as you say, is several steps away from being "doomed."

[GooooMarquette]

A co-founder of the ReOpen Maryland movement, who attended rallies and church services without a mask during the pandemic, has tested positive for COVID-19.

Republican Tim Walters said on Facebook that he’s one of the nearly 2.5 million Americans who have been afflicted by the out-of-control spread of coronavirus. He also said he will not cooperate with public health officials’ efforts to track the virus.

“I was diagnosed yesterday at the ER with COVID-19 and here I am months after not wearing a mask at rallies, churches and so on and so it’s funny how capricious this thing is,” Walters said Thursday.

What started as a dry cough in March has now turned into a fever and vision problems. He said symptoms include a sore throat and a headache, as well as trouble holding down food.

The 53-year-old conservative said he has diabetes and had not always been in the best of health prior to contracting COVID-19.

WTF?!?

So he already took actions that likely caused himself to contract COVID, and now he wants the virus to continue its (mostly) unabated spread to others?

[mu03eng]

Doomed I don’t know.  We are putting unnecessary stress on our hospitals though and actively encouraging behavior that leads to worse healthcare for all in affected areas (elective surgery cancellations).  We all said watch hospitalizations.  They are up.  Time to ring the bell again unfortunately.

We have slipped back into epidemic as a country. 

This sounds similar to NYC March

https://www.nytimes.com/2020/06/26/opinion/coronavirus-arizona-hospitals.html

Hospitalization rates are definitely going up, but hospitalizations FOR Covid aren't going up at nearly the rates we would expect given what happened in the hard hit areas. Hospitalizations are up because of three areas: deferred medical issues that became exacerbated, elective procedure backlog, and patients coming in for Covid. Some patients are testing positive from the first two categories who are mild or asymptomatic which is good they are caught but don't represent significant death risk that those coming in for Covid treatment do.

Reopenings should have happened slower and more carefully. The protests very likely exacerbated the situation and so an expansion to the lesser hit regions was likely. What would be remarkable is if hospital systems didn't take the last couple of months to put surge planning in place....that would be almost criminal. Remember the whole plan is to not overwhelm a hospital system and to protect the vulnerable. If people wear masks and avoid high transmission events and we'll be fine.

[mu03eng]

WTF?!?

So he already took actions that likely caused himself to contract COVID, and now he wants the virus to continue its (mostly) unabated spread to others?

Maybe he's Swedish?

[Warriors4ever]

Nah, he just doesn’t want to fall victim to, you know, Big Brother, Bill Gates, and, because, you know, it’s all a hoax anyway.

[tower912]

He showed everybody how smart he is. 

[injuryBug]

Hospitalization rates are definitely going up, but hospitalizations FOR Covid aren't going up at nearly the rates we would expect given what happened in the hard hit areas. Hospitalizations are up because of three areas: deferred medical issues that became exacerbated, elective procedure backlog, and patients coming in for Covid. Some patients are testing positive from the first two categories who are mild or asymptomatic which is good they are caught but don't represent significant death risk that those coming in for Covid treatment do.

Reopenings should have happened slower and more carefully. The protests very likely exacerbated the situation and so an expansion to the lesser hit regions was likely. What would be remarkable is if hospital systems didn't take the last couple of months to put surge planning in place....that would be almost criminal. Remember the whole plan is to not overwhelm a hospital system and to protect the vulnerable. If people wear masks and avoid high transmission events and we'll be fine.

Exactly I know for a fact if you go into a hospital for anything and have any symptom of covid you are put on the covid floor. So when my wife went in for surgery for kidney stones if she had a covid symptom she would have had been put on the covid floor and kept there until here test came back clear or she showed that she was handling the surgery and covid just fine.  I personally know of 3 cases of this alone

[MU82]

He showed everybody how smart he is.

My favorite story this week.

It's not gonna be easy for anything to top the K-Pop/TikTok kids story of last week, though.

[pbiflyer]

Florida Coronavirus hospitalizations rise beyond April levels, FIU study shows

https://www.palmbeachpost.com/news/20200626/coronavirus-hospitalizations-rise-beyond-april-levels-fiu-study-shows

On Wednesday, 394 people were hospitalized, 84 of them in intensive care and 39 on ventilators, according to the latest data available on a website launched by the university this week.

The number of people hospitalized has increased steadily since mid-May when restrictions were eased to jump-start the economy. Admissions have continued to climb in the past week as the number of confirmed cases have reached record levels.

[MU82]

Florida Coronavirus hospitalizations rise beyond April levels, FIU study shows

https://www.palmbeachpost.com/news/20200626/coronavirus-hospitalizations-rise-beyond-april-levels-fiu-study-shows

On Wednesday, 394 people were hospitalized, 84 of them in intensive care and 39 on ventilators, according to the latest data available on a website launched by the university this week.

The number of people hospitalized has increased steadily since mid-May when restrictions were eased to jump-start the economy. Admissions have continued to climb in the past week as the number of confirmed cases have reached record levels.

Yeesh, pbi. That's horrible.

And very under-reported is the damage COVID-19 can do to "survivors."

Here is a very informative, but sobering, take on this sh1tty virus.

https://www.statnews.com/2020/06/26/from-nose-to-toe-covid19-virus-attacks-like-no-other-respiratory-infection/?utm_source=STAT+Newsletters&utm_campaign=7ea7f29426-Daily_Recap&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_8cab1d7961-7ea7f29426-152391222&fbclid=IwAR3U4L6gqMUQ7L6mwpvCKNYyGGT9Wjjvx4ofkYHrCAJ3_X79YFU88suOtJs

[GooooMarquette]

Great story about a doc from Penn who saved his own life from a rare disease that led to cytokine storm, by using existing drugs approved for other purposes. That's a pretty amazing story in itself.

Now he is working full-time to evaluate all the studies of currently FDA-approved drugs that have been used to fight COVID. The short take-away is that antivirals (lopinovir and ritonivir) and corticosteroids (most notably dexamethasone) continue to look the most promising.

After saving his own life with a repurposed drug, a professor reviews every drug being tried against Covid-19. Here's what he's found

https://www.cnn.com/2020/06/27/health/coronavirus-treatment-fajgenbaum-drug-review-scn-wellness/index.html

[mu03eng]

Florida Coronavirus hospitalizations rise beyond April levels, FIU study shows

https://www.palmbeachpost.com/news/20200626/coronavirus-hospitalizations-rise-beyond-april-levels-fiu-study-shows

On Wednesday, 394 people were hospitalized, 84 of them in intensive care and 39 on ventilators, according to the latest data available on a website launched by the university this week.

The number of people hospitalized has increased steadily since mid-May when restrictions were eased to jump-start the economy. Admissions have continued to climb in the past week as the number of confirmed cases have reached record levels.

Key reporting that's missing that they sort of hint at.....there is a difference between with and for. If you look at the historical rates for ventilation in that county (happen to know a doc in that system) they are up probably 10-15% from normal but between Covid, the age of the population, and delayed intervention leading to emergent outcomes like venting this shouldn't be a shock.

My issue with the current reporting/exasperated tone of discussion is not that Covid is a fraud(isn't) or we shouldn't wear masks(definitely should) it's that it's actually not based in science and appears motivated to shame a bunch of Karen's. The data set from March/April is a different data set from May/June.....the types of people being tested, quantities, etc is very different and so are going to lead to predictions that won't actually come true. I get the need to be cautious but let's have the actual science discussion instead of panic

[pbiflyer]

That’d be great. Perhaps there could be a group designed to do that on a national level that announces useful information on a regular basis. And they would have a unified message speaking with one voice based solely on science.

[mu03eng]

Cause we haven't had enough carrying about what a horrible job Trump and the CDC and other associated cronies have done? Does it really make you feel better just constantly going after that group? I mean if it does, cool I just thought this was a thread to discuss the virus and the science of it all with some policy discussion thrown in based on that. Or are we all just here to talk about what a moron your favorite or least favorite president is or isn't?

Let me know and I'll stop posting accordingly

[injuryBug]

At this point would a few more daily data points be good?  Instead of just cases and % why not add age to the daily metrics as well as symptomatic or asymptomatic. Make this more known that to the public

Moving of the bars to less capacity in some states was a good idea.  The bar scene has to be one of the easiest ways to transmit the virus.  1 person walks in with it stays for a few hours and it is spread all over everyone in that tight space.  In a bar not a chance a mask is being worn either.

[Frenns Liquor Depot]

I hear you eng that its not perfect reporting - not perfect math.  There are multiple epidemiologists sounding the alarm in these states and at the national level.  I trust they understand how to read the data.  It doesnt help that these governments are also communicating in a not trustworthy manner.

I am a business guy - so its all common man observations here. 

- Our curve looks like no other country except maybe Iran. 
- Its not because we are running more tests, its because we are finding more positives
- It's still out of control...now just in new places.
- The media is reporting that (again concede not perfectly)

We need an intervention and plan.  The every state do your own thing strategy is a failure and it's time to ditch it or require better compliance to the CDC guidelines to reopening etc -- in my opinion. 

[injuryBug]

I hear you eng that its not perfect reporting - not perfect math.  There are multiple epidemiologists sounding the alarm in these states and at the national level.  I trust they understand how to read the data.  It doesnt help that these governments are also communicating in a not trustworthy manner.

I am a business guy - so its all common man observations here. 

- Our curve looks like no other country except maybe Iran. 
- Its not because we are running more tests, its because we are finding more positives
- It's still out of control...now just in new places.
- The media is reporting that (again concede not perfectly)

We need an intervention and plan.  The every state do your own thing strategy is a failure and it's time to ditch it or require better compliance to the CDC guidelines to reopening etc -- in my opinion.

Mandate masks indoors or outdoors if social distancing is not able to happen (I am thinking like at a HS football game.  indoor capacity should not be above 50%.  That is where I would start