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

[Hards Alumni]

Trump's fault, aina.

Nope, but that is what leadership looks like.  It's going to be nice to have some after four years come January.

[The Lens]

I have been re-watching The Roosevelts, the 2014 Ken Burns doc, on PBS lately.  Teddy lamented in his writings that his Presidency was neither challenged by crisis or war.  He recognized how to be considered one of the best POTUS you needed a challenge.  He was quite disappointed he didn't have one to take on.  That is quite contrast to today.  If Trump tackled this head on he would have sailed to 4 more years.   

[The Hippie Satan of Hyperbole]

I have been re-watching The Roosevelts, the 2014 Ken Burns doc, on PBS lately.  Teddy lamented in his writings that his Presidency was neither challenged by crisis or war.  He recognized how to be considered one of the best POTUS you needed a challenge.  He was quite disappointed he didn't have one to take on.  That is quite contrast to today.  If Trump tackled this head on he would have sailed to 4 more years.   

Agree completely.  And I've been saying that for months.

But it requires too characteristics that he doesn't own - patience and work-ethic. 

[cheebs09]

Agree completely.  And I've been saying that for months.

But it requires too characteristics that he doesn't own - patience and work-ethic.

Some humility too. If even after the beginning he came out and said he was wrong and embraced masks and followed the guidance for reopening, I think he’d be in good shape.

[GooooMarquette]

Paper from the Journal of Hospital Medicine showing the dramatic decline in Covid death rate from March through August, even when adjusting for risk factors. Demonstrates that, despite the Administration's persistent failures, healthcare workers are doing heroic things to minimize the damage....

https://www.journalofhospitalmedicine.com/jhospmed/article/230561/hospital-medicine/trends-covid-19-risk-adjusted-mortality-rates?channel=327#article-intro

We examined in-hospital mortality or discharge to hospice from March through August 2020, adjusted for demographic and clinical factors, including comorbidities, admission vital signs, and laboratory results. Among 5,121 hospitalizations, adjusted mortality dropped from 25.6% (95% CI, 23.2-28.1) in March to 7.6% (95% CI, 2.5-17.8) in August.

[forgetful]

Paper from the Journal of Hospital Medicine showing the dramatic decline in Covid death rate from March through August, even when adjusting for risk factors. Demonstrates that, despite the Administration's persistent failures, healthcare workers are doing heroic things to minimize the damage....

https://www.journalofhospitalmedicine.com/jhospmed/article/230561/hospital-medicine/trends-covid-19-risk-adjusted-mortality-rates?channel=327#article-intro

We examined in-hospital mortality or discharge to hospice from March through August 2020, adjusted for demographic and clinical factors, including comorbidities, admission vital signs, and laboratory results. Among 5,121 hospitalizations, adjusted mortality dropped from 25.6% (95% CI, 23.2-28.1) in March to 7.6% (95% CI, 2.5-17.8) in August.

Hopefully that is mostly due to things we have learned regarding treatment, with minimal role of differences in viral load and clearance due to seasonal differences.

[GooooMarquette]

Hopefully that is mostly due to things we have learned regarding treatment, with minimal role of differences in viral load and clearance due to seasonal differences.

Good points -and I totally agree.

I hadn't thought about the seasonality of clearance in reviewing these numbers, but you're right - to the extent it plays a factor in mortality once patients are hospitalized, we would expect it to be reverting to early springtime (lower) levels of clearance as the weather cools.

Should be interesting to see follow-up studies - comparing the July/August mortality to November/December, etc. Fingers crossed.

[pbiflyer]

No testing, no cases! Guess which state?

Atlas push to 'slow the testing down' tracks with dramatic decline in one key state
https://www.cnn.com/2020/10/29/politics/atlas-desantis-testing-covid-florida/index.html

Their push to de-emphasize tests coincided with a dramatic drop in testing across Florida, even as the country was careening toward a fall coronavirus surge. A CNN analysis of the Florida state official numbers, aggregated by the Covid Tracking Project, shows that testing dropped off at the end of July and early August, with a peak seven-day average over 90,000 tests per day on July 18. Six weeks later, in early September, the seven-day average dropped by nearly half, with fewer than 48,000 tests per day, and hovered between there and 60,000 during the fall.

[MU82]

No testing, no cases! Guess which state?

Atlas push to 'slow the testing down' tracks with dramatic decline in one key state
https://www.cnn.com/2020/10/29/politics/atlas-desantis-testing-covid-florida/index.html

Their push to de-emphasize tests coincided with a dramatic drop in testing across Florida, even as the country was careening toward a fall coronavirus surge. A CNN analysis of the Florida state official numbers, aggregated by the Covid Tracking Project, shows that testing dropped off at the end of July and early August, with a peak seven-day average over 90,000 tests per day on July 18. Six weeks later, in early September, the seven-day average dropped by nearly half, with fewer than 48,000 tests per day, and hovered between there and 60,000 during the fall.

Same state routinely hid and/or lied about its coronavirus-related data.

[Skatastrophy]

Alright nerds, think about this.

Winter has been a burden in the midwest for centuries. It needs to be stopped. This year we are going to STOP MEASURING THE TEMPERATURE OUTSIDE. The only reason to measure the temperature is to stop people from dying from the cold, so if someone is only *feeling* cold then we shouldn't measure the temperature.

And honestly, stop wearing coats they don't work. Over 95% of people that died from the cold were found wearing coats. They just don't work, so knock it off. Coats make you look like a liberal.

We are going to stop winter in its tracks.

[jesmu84]

Alright nerds, think about this.

Winter has been a burden in the midwest for centuries. It needs to be stopped. This year we are going to STOP MEASURING THE TEMPERATURE OUTSIDE. The only reason to measure the temperature is to stop people from dying from the cold, so if someone is only *feeling* cold then we shouldn't measure the temperature.

And honestly, stop wearing coats they don't work. Over 95% of people that died from the cold were found wearing coats. They just don't work, so knock it off. Coats make you look like a liberal.

We are going to stop winter in its tracks.

This is so good

[SERocks]

Alright nerds, think about this.

Winter has been a burden in the midwest for centuries. It needs to be stopped. This year we are going to STOP MEASURING THE TEMPERATURE OUTSIDE. The only reason to measure the temperature is to stop people from dying from the cold, so if someone is only *feeling* cold then we shouldn't measure the temperature.

And honestly, stop wearing coats they don't work. Over 95% of people that died from the cold were found wearing coats. They just don't work, so knock it off. Coats make you look like a liberal.

We are going to stop winter in its tracks.

When I first read this I thought , wow this is really stupid. 

Then I thought.  Yes.  Yes it is..... 

[GooooMarquette]

Alright nerds, think about this.

Winter has been a burden in the midwest for centuries. It needs to be stopped. This year we are going to STOP MEASURING THE TEMPERATURE OUTSIDE. The only reason to measure the temperature is to stop people from dying from the cold, so if someone is only *feeling* cold then we shouldn't measure the temperature.

And honestly, stop wearing coats they don't work. Over 95% of people that died from the cold were found wearing coats. They just don't work, so knock it off. Coats make you look like a liberal.

We are going to stop winter in its tracks.

You win the internet today.

[Jockey]

88,000 cases today.

[wadesworld]

https://www.politico.com/f/?id=00000175-6bc5-d2df-adff-6fdfff5c0000

Time to shut the Covid board down. The pandemic is over!

[mu_hilltopper]

This is a cool graphical story/study:

https://english.elpais.com/society/2020-10-28/a-room-a-bar-and-a-class-how-the-coronavirus-is-spread-through-the-air.html

[MU82]

A study looks at "long-haulers" -- COVID survivors who are now experiencing a variety of medical maladies.

https://www.sacbee.com/news/coronavirus/article246809982.html?ac_cid=DM312405&ac_bid=-1599210424

Among the peculiar and alarming symptoms reported by individuals, who experts call long-haulers, are early signs of Parkinson’s disease, scaly skin rashes and unpleasant tastes in their mouths.

A Centers for Disease Control and Prevention survey between April and June of nearly 300 infected individuals revealed that 35% had not returned to their “usual state of health” two to three weeks after getting testing.

[Hards Alumni]

This is a cool graphical story/study:

https://english.elpais.com/society/2020-10-28/a-room-a-bar-and-a-class-how-the-coronavirus-is-spread-through-the-air.html

What is terribly depressing is that this information is finally being disseminated now that it is nearly winter.  Ventilation systems and windows won't be open with temperatures so low.  And we've had all summer to correct, and probably certify businesses as ventilation compliant... but nope.

Maybe some work on this could be done in the winter, so we can reduce transmission even further.

[rocket surgeon]

china 91,306 cases  4739 deaths...chaaaaaa right!!  they've harvested more kidneys from their "organ donors" than this

[Hards Alumni]

china 91,306 cases  4739 deaths...chaaaaaa right!!  they've harvested more kidneys from their "organ donors" than this

It's likely more than this, but not as many as you seem to be hoping for.

As if this were some sort of morbid competition between countries.

[wadesworld]

china 91,306 cases  4739 deaths...chaaaaaa right!!  they've harvested more kidneys from their "organ donors" than this

https://mobile.twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/1220818115354923009

The biggest hero this country has ever seen seems to think China has been very forthcoming, honest, upfront, and successful at containing the spread of this virus. Not sure why you’d doubt their numbers when our president trusts them over his own intelligence in China telling him this was a big deal.

Heck, he not only thanked China on his own behalf, but on the behalf of all of us. So I’m in! Thank you, President Xi! If you don’t agree with that you must hate America.

[pacearrow02]

https://mobile.twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/1220818115354923009

The biggest hero this country has ever seen seems to think China has been very forthcoming, honest, upfront, and successful at containing the spread of this virus. Not sure why you’d doubt their numbers when our president trusts them over his own intelligence in China telling him this was a big deal.

Heck, he not only thanked China on his own behalf, but on the behalf of all of us. So I’m in! Thank you, President Xi! If you don’t agree with that you must hate America.

Maybe that’s cause the administration was listening to the exPerTs who were saying the same thing.

[GooooMarquette]

A study looks at "long-haulers" -- COVID survivors who are now experiencing a variety of medical maladies.

https://www.sacbee.com/news/coronavirus/article246809982.html?ac_cid=DM312405&ac_bid=-1599210424

Among the peculiar and alarming symptoms reported by individuals, who experts call long-haulers, are early signs of Parkinson’s disease, scaly skin rashes and unpleasant tastes in their mouths.

A Centers for Disease Control and Prevention survey between April and June of nearly 300 infected individuals revealed that 35% had not returned to their “usual state of health” two to three weeks after getting testing.

It really is sad to see so many people suffering long-term effects. And even though some evidence shows they may eventually go away, we still have no idea if they (or other symptoms) might resurface years or decades later (like chickenpox -> shingles).

[wadesworld]

Maybe that’s cause the administration was listening to the exPerTs who were saying the same thing.

The one that 45 calls an idiot?  Oh.

So trust (and thank on behalf of the American people) President Xi and the idiot, but don't trust the intelligence officers you have on the ground in China.  Sounds like a leader to me!

[Hards Alumni]

The one that 45 calls an idiot?  Oh.

So trust (and thank on behalf of the American people) President Xi and the idiot, but don't trust the intelligence officers you have on the ground in China.  Sounds like a leader to me!

Lick your finger and see which way the wind is blowing today to determine if we are listening to experts today or blaming them for being wrong.

What I think is shocking is that if Trump really believes Fauci is doing a bad job he has the power to fire him... yet, he doesn't.

Why is that?   Is it because he actually thinks he is doing a great job?  Or is it because everything that goes wrong he can use Fauci as a scapegoat?  But if he is so incompetent and keeps getting things wrong... then why won't the big boss man fire him?  Doesn't that show poor judgement?  SO WHICH IS IT?

These questions are rhetorical by the way.