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

[MU Fan in Connecticut]

While grocery bills have increased at least the gas for the car bill is down.

[Hards Alumni]

Interesting discussion about the belief that unemployment leads to higher mortality rates. Some studies suggest that the mortality rate actually has gone down during periods of unemployment.

https://www.charlotteobserver.com/news/coronavirus/article242688251.html?

Well, it helps that we didn't lose a bunch of kids to gunfire at schools this year.  Do we get to count that statistic?

[mu_hilltopper]

I think people are not terrible grocery shoppers. -- They know the difference between perishable and non-perishable foods.   

As you walk around grocery stores the items that are out of stock are items that have a long shelf-life if properly stored.  Dry goods and meat can be stored for many months.

Everyone knows the struggle of bringing home food and needing to play tetris to wedge everything into their freezer(s).

Notice that your produce section is fully stocked, no outages?  That stuff can't be stored long term and no one is hoarding carrots.

Food won't be wasted (any more than usual.)

[Hards Alumni]

I think people are not terrible grocery shoppers. -- They know the difference between perishable and non-perishable foods.   

As you walk around grocery stores the items that are out of stock are items that have a long shelf-life if properly stored.  Dry goods and meat can be stored for many months.

Everyone knows the struggle of bringing home food and needing to play tetris to wedge everything into their freezer(s).

Notice that your produce section is fully stocked, no outages?  That stuff can't be stored long term and no one is hoarding carrots.

Food won't be wasted (any more than usual.)

I'd wager dollars to donuts that there will be plenty of freezer burned meat thrown out in a few months, and "expired" canned and dry goods.

[Galway Eagle]

I think people are not terrible grocery shoppers. -- They know the difference between perishable and non-perishable foods.   

As you walk around grocery stores the items that are out of stock are items that have a long shelf-life if properly stored.  Dry goods and meat can be stored for many months.

Everyone knows the struggle of bringing home food and needing to play tetris to wedge everything into their freezer(s).

Notice that your produce section is fully stocked, no outages?  That stuff can't be stored long term and no one is hoarding carrots.

Food won't be wasted (any more than usual.)

People should buy fresh and home pickle to make things last

[WarriorDad]

1. 8th in Covid19 deaths, 3rd in US population. 6.5% of US population, 2.1% of US deaths.

2. Florida has the (along with Maine) the highest % of senior citizens in the US - 20.5% and the second highest total number behind California. Nursing homes/senior living facilities are everywhere. Given these factors and who Covid kills, one would expect Florida to be an unmitigated disaster. Instead, it's been a relative success.

3. It may be "to early" to draw conclusions about Florida's success, but It's not too early to draw conclusions about New York's, New Jersey's, Connecticut's, Massachusetts', Pennsylvania's, Michigan's and Illinois' failures. I'm content and grateful to be in Florida and reasonably confident that despite our aging population we'll be better off than most.

We should be rooting for Florida's success and I don't know why some are rooting against it (I do know why, but that's another time for another day).

Bloomberg has an opinion piece today that dives into Florida results, the enormous blowback they received initially and now how things look better than most places.  Of course all of this could turn and those that do not want it to succeed will express those wishes with glee.   As the headline says, the notion of a blue-state or red-state way of attacking this is absurd, but that is how it has played out.

https://www.bloomberg.com/opinion/articles/2020-05-12/coronavirus-florida-s-reopening-is-worth-rooting-for

[Hards Alumni]

We should be rooting for Florida's success and I don't know why some are rooting against it (I do know why, but that's another time for another day).

Bloomberg has an opinion piece today that dives into Florida results, the enormous blowback they received initially and now how things look better than most places.  Of course all of this could turn and those that do not want it to succeed will express those wishes with glee.   As the headline says, the notion of a blue-state or red-state way of attacking this is absurd, but that is how it has played out.

https://www.bloomberg.com/opinion/articles/2020-05-12/coronavirus-florida-s-reopening-is-worth-rooting-for

Who, exactly, is rooting against Florida's success? 

[GooooMarquette]

We should be rooting for Florida's success and I don't know why some are rooting against it (I do know why, but that's another time for another day).

Bloomberg has an opinion piece today that dives into Florida results, the enormous blowback they received initially and now how things look better than most places.  Of course all of this could turn and those that do not want it to succeed will express those wishes with glee.   As the headline says, the notion of a blue-state or red-state way of attacking this is absurd, but that is how it has played out.

https://www.bloomberg.com/opinion/articles/2020-05-12/coronavirus-florida-s-reopening-is-worth-rooting-for

I don't know of anyone who is rooting against their success. Most of the criticism I have seen stems from their policies of only listing full-time residents and those who tested positive among their officially reported COVID deaths. The residency requirement eliminates many potential snowbird victims, and the positive test requirement ignores the horribly delayed response in developing accurate tests (leading many COVID victims to die at home, or "undiagnosed" in the hospital).

I am rooting for their success, but I don't think they can ever claim a definitive win or loss until they report the real numbers. If they do that and can still show the numbers coming under control, I will be the first to admit I predicted wrong.

[Warriors4ever]

Is Florida still only counting deaths of residents, not snowbirds who happen to die there? Are they still only counting deaths as being Covid-related is there was laboratory confirmation? Are they still ordering county medical examiners to not publish their counts, as the county and state numbers were not consistent?
I genuinely do not know the answers here, but it was pointed out earlier in this thread that they could be under reporting their number of fatalities.
And no one is rooting for them to fail.

[forgetful]

Who, exactly, is rooting against Florida's success?

500 economists?

[wadesworld]

Cheeks cracks me up.

[cheebs09]

Who, exactly, is rooting against Florida's success?

I remember someone else banging this drum about rooting against Wojo.

[mu_hilltopper]

(Freezer burned meat is safe to eat .. and with the costs of meat these days, you'd have to be Scrooge-McDuck-wealthy to toss it.  Dry goods are often good for a year+ and frankly could be used long past their expiration.)

Different topic - I hadn't heard about this kind of testing before, it was on TV and I can't find a link.

It's where you can test larger groups -- everyone spits into a tube and you test that one big loogie for COVID.   

If it's negative, you just cleared that huge pool of people.  If positive, then you need to test individuals.


Welcome to the MUBB game @Fiserv, please spit here and wait 10 minutes before taking your seat!

[MU82]

We should be rooting for Florida's success and I don't know why some are rooting against it (I do know why, but that's another time for another day).

Bloomberg has an opinion piece today that dives into Florida results, the enormous blowback they received initially and now how things look better than most places.  Of course all of this could turn and those that do not want it to succeed will express those wishes with glee.   As the headline says, the notion of a blue-state or red-state way of attacking this is absurd, but that is how it has played out.

https://www.bloomberg.com/opinion/articles/2020-05-12/coronavirus-florida-s-reopening-is-worth-rooting-for

Joe Nocera (the writer of this opinion piece) makes one brief reference, in the 24th paragraph, about "partisans in this polarized country hoping to be vindicated by the numbers." But this piece is not at all a rant against people "rooting against" Florida successfully beating the virus. He mostly sticks to the facts to form and present his opinion.

Indeed, his conclusion suggests that just as many folks from the "other side" might be "rooting against" Cuomo:

In New York, Governor Andrew Cuomo is relying on strict lockdown conditions because that's what a state with nearly 27,000 deaths in two months demands. In Florida, the steps DeSantis is taking seem appropriate for a state that hasn't yet hit 1,800. What we should all be doing is rooting for them both to succeed. Is that really so hard?

I don't know why some are rooting so hard against New York, hoopaloop (I do know why, but that's another time for another day).

FWIW, I usually like Nocera's work, and I found this piece to be very interesting. I am one who criticized DeSantis, and maybe I did so too hastily.

[Hards Alumni]

(Freezer burned meat is safe to eat .. and with the costs of meat these days, you'd have to be Scrooge-McDuck-wealthy to toss it.  Dry goods are often good for a year+ and frankly could be used long past their expiration.)

Different topic - I hadn't heard about this kind of testing before, it was on TV and I can't find a link.

It's where you can test larger groups -- everyone spits into a tube and you test that one big loogie for COVID.   

If it's negative, you just cleared that huge pool of people.  If positive, then you need to test individuals.


Welcome to the MUBB game @Fiserv, please spit here and wait 10 minutes before taking your seat!

I'm aware that its perfectly safe to eat, but a lot of people take their expiration dates as gospel... and people are overall pretty dumb creatures. 

[StillAWarrior]

Tomorrow morning I have my blood work relating to my annual physical.  They just called and asked if I wanted the antibody test -- $50 (but they'll try insurance first).  Sure.  Why not?  I don't think I've been infected, but apparently I'll know before too long.

[ZiggysFryBoy]

Tomorrow morning I have my blood work relating to my annual physical.  They just called and asked if I wanted the antibody test -- $50 (but they'll try insurance first).  Sure.  Why not?  I don't think I've been infected, but apparently I'll know before too long.

Under the CARES Act, insurance gas to cover it.  At least that was what UW Health had on their website.

[Hards Alumni]

Under the CARES Act, insurance gas to cover it.  At least that was what UW Health had on their website.

IIRC, he said he is in Oho.

As an aside, I had en employee pop down to the Alliant Energy Center at 8am for a test, and he made it back to the office by 840am.  That is excellent news.  Go getcha test.

[StillAWarrior]

Under the CARES Act, insurance gas to cover it.  At least that was what UW Health had on their website.

Thanks.  I'll look into it.

[mu_hilltopper]

Tomorrow morning I have my blood work relating to my annual physical.  They just called and asked if I wanted the antibody test -- $50 (but they'll try insurance first).  Sure.  Why not?  I don't think I've been infected, but apparently I'll know before too long.

I'd go for it.  -- Also, I'm curious how you're scheduled for an "elective" medical appointment.  I'm overdue for a physical too, but I figured I had to wait until all that was lifted.

[GooooMarquette]

IIRC, he said he is in Oho.

As an aside, I had en employee pop down to the Alliant Energy Center at 8am for a test, and he made it back to the office by 840am.  That is excellent news.  Go getcha test.

The CARES Act is federal law, so it would apply regardless of state of residence.

[tower912]

I'd go for it.  -- Also, I'm curious how you're scheduled for an "elective" medical appointment.  I'm overdue for a physical too, but I figured I had to wait until all that was lifted.

Schedule it and work through the process.    Best friend having a colonoscopy tomorrow.    Scheduled 3 weeks ago.

[MarquetteDano]

Everyone knows the struggle of bringing home food and needing to play tetris to wedge everything into their freezer(s).

That is a hilarious,  but accurate,  image.

[pbiflyer]

I don't know of anyone who is rooting against their success. Most of the criticism I have seen stems from their policies of only listing full-time residents and those who tested positive among their officially reported COVID deaths. The residency requirement eliminates many potential snowbird victims, and the positive test requirement ignores the horribly delayed response in developing accurate tests (leading many COVID victims to die at home, or "undiagnosed" in the hospital).

I am rooting for their success, but I don't think they can ever claim a definitive win or loss until they report the real numbers. If they do that and can still show the numbers coming under control, I will be the first to admit I predicted wrong.

And the problem with the under reporting is that it is leading to an attitude of "See, no big deal, I am not wearing a mask or practicing social distancing." It is encouraging reckless behavior. I know, I see it first hand.

[forgetful]

Tomorrow morning I have my blood work relating to my annual physical.  They just called and asked if I wanted the antibody test -- $50 (but they'll try insurance first).  Sure.  Why not?  I don't think I've been infected, but apparently I'll know before too long.

The one thing that I'll caution is that these tests have a false positive rate that can be as high as 20%. They are usually quite reliable in being able to tell you that you have not gotten the virus.

But a lot of the kits are not reliable in being able to tell you that you actually DID actually get the virus.