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

[GooooMarquette]

Allowing for snark....if we don't open now, when do we? You're king of America as of today, what's your plan from this point forward?

Put the CDC in front, instead of "right behind" the states.

Specifically, I would devote the entire scientific force of the federal government to enhance testing (both in numbers, and in ensuring that only the most accurate tests are used), and contact tracing. The hodgepodge of tests - both in terms of availability and accuracy - plus the shortfalls in contact tracing ability, will hamper any effort to rein this in in a responsible way.

Only the CDC has the ability to do that...and if I were King of America, I would order them to get on the above immediately. (Although frankly, if I were King, I would have told them that months ago.)

[Lighthouse 84]

I support you getting the help you need.  Seriously, i do worry about your mental health, and the mental health of all workers during the pandemic.  Something like 40% of all employees have reported symptions of anxiety and or depression in the last few months.  The mental health system is strained, was already, worse now, but make the call.  It will help you immensely.

You could be spot on ZFB. 

https://www.dailywire.com/news/hundreds-of-doctors-warn-trump-of-exponentially-growing-negative-health-consequences-of-shutdown?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=benshapiro

[Pakuni]

You could be spot on ZFB. 

https://www.dailywire.com/news/hundreds-of-doctors-warn-trump-of-exponentially-growing-negative-health-consequences-of-shutdown?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=benshapiro

Interesting that neither the Daily Wire nor Fox News, which first reported on this letter, mentioned who's behind it.

The first signature on the letter was Dr. Simone Gold, an emergency medicine specialist in Los Angeles who is listed as a member of the Save Our Country Coalition* on the group's website. She has recently appeared on conservative talk radio and podcast programs to advocate for the use of hydroxychloroquine, a malaria drug that Trump says he is taking because he believes it can prevent COVID-19, even though no research has shown it to be effective. Gold said she has prescribed the drug to two of her patients with good results.

*Save Our Country Coalition is an alliance of conservative think tanks and political committees formed in late April to end state lockdowns implemented in response to the pandemic. Other members of the coalition include the FreedomWorks Foundation, the American Legislative Exchange Council and Tea Party Patriots.

https://chicago.suntimes.com/coronavirus/2020/5/19/21264399/pro-trump-doctors-reopening-economy-coronavirus

There undoubtedly are millions experiencing anxiety and other mental health issues as a result of the pandemic and stay-at-home orders. We as a country should be working to address their needs, rather than politicizing them or cynically using them as an argument for ending other public health measures.

[buckchuckler]

Don't know if this has been posted, as I don't have the intention of wading through much of this, but this seems to be good news.

https://news.yahoo.com/as-more-states-reopen-georgia-defies-predictions-of-coronavirus-resurgence-whats-the-lesson-for-the-rest-of-the-country-164734815.html

[Warrior2008]

Put the CDC in front, instead of "right behind" the states.

Specifically, I would devote the entire scientific force of the federal government to enhance testing (both in numbers, and in ensuring that only the most accurate tests are used), and contact tracing. The hodgepodge of tests - both in terms of availability and accuracy - plus the shortfalls in contact tracing ability, will hamper any effort to rein this in in a responsible way.

Only the CDC has the ability to do that...and if I were King of America, I would order them to get on the above immediately. (Although frankly, if I were King, I would have told them that months ago.)

I understand your point, but I think its fair to point out that one of the primary reasons we had a shortage of tests in March that left us flying blind was because the CDC royally screwed up fabricating their test in January and February.  Then they dragged their feet "fixing" the problem only to find out the test was essentially useless.  They were supposed to set up contact tracing and surveillance testing in key areas by mid-February and didn't. 

That's not to say the CDC is useless, but my point is they own a level of culpability in how we got to where we are.

[GooooMarquette]

Don't know if this has been posted, as I don't have the intention of wading through much of this, but this seems to be good news.

https://news.yahoo.com/as-more-states-reopen-georgia-defies-predictions-of-coronavirus-resurgence-whats-the-lesson-for-the-rest-of-the-country-164734815.html

It appeared to be good news until people started looking into the data reporting practices...

https://www.cnn.com/2020/05/20/us/florida-georgia-covid-19-test-data/index.html

[ZiggysFryBoy]

I understand your point, but I think its fair to point out that one of the primary reasons we had a shortage of tests in March that left us flying blind was because the CDC royally screwed up fabricating their test in January and February.  Then they dragged their feet "fixing" the problem only to find out the test was essentially useless.  They were supposed to set up contact tracing and surveillance testing in key areas by mid-February and didn't. 

That's not to say the CDC is useless, but my point is they own a level of culpability in how we got to where we are.

Yeah but OMB.

[GooooMarquette]

I understand your point, but I think its fair to point out that one of the primary reasons we had a shortage of tests in March that left us flying blind was because the CDC royally screwed up fabricating their test in January and February.  Then they dragged their feet "fixing" the problem only to find out the test was essentially useless.  They were supposed to set up contact tracing and surveillance testing in key areas by mid-February and didn't. 

That's not to say the CDC is useless, but my point is they own a level of culpability in how we got to where we are.

Absolutely they need to admit their failings...but they are still the best we have.

It's well past time to move forward and have CDC take control. After all, the office was specifically created with situations like this in mind. We can't possibly assess the success or failure of reopening with 50+ different levels of testing and accuracy, and a hodgepodge of contact tracing methodologies.

[Hards Alumni]

I'm being serious.

And I was being serious when I said that I think Chico's needs a checkup.  Creating a second personality is definite sign of mental illness, isn't it?  I'm asking since you're somehow diagnosing me as paranoid, or depressed or something.  Unsure what your criteria for your diagnosis of me is, exactly.  But you're the expert here, not me.

Please advise.

[WarriorDad]

Put the CDC in front, instead of "right behind" the states.

Specifically, I would devote the entire scientific force of the federal government to enhance testing (both in numbers, and in ensuring that only the most accurate tests are used), and contact tracing. The hodgepodge of tests - both in terms of availability and accuracy - plus the shortfalls in contact tracing ability, will hamper any effort to rein this in in a responsible way.

Only the CDC has the ability to do that...and if I were King of America, I would order them to get on the above immediately. (Although frankly, if I were King, I would have told them that months ago.)

We don't have a monarchy in this country, or a system that allows what you want.  Also, so many here and around the country already call him a dictator and you want to actually give him dictator powers?  Careful what you ask for. 

Besides, what is good for NYC isn't good for North Dakota or Wyoming.  This is why you see so many around the nation upset. 

[WarriorDad]

No shît genious.  It's been my schtick for 14 years on this site. 

We all cant be as smart and hysterical as you,  but you have a Solution for everything. 

This place is a joke and i treat it as such.  Always have.

Good luck with your paranoia.

I like your schtick. 

[forgetful]

Masks are mandatory in indoor public places.   Ticketable offense.   Costco can send a picture of your bare face to the 5-0 and it is a $100 fine.   Nationwide universal testing program.   Find a reliable antibodies test.    Cash payments to the previously underpaid unappreciated essential employees.  Stockboys, delivery truck drivers, paramedics working for private companies, nursing home employees, janitors at medical facilities.

Direct payments to small businesses to open them back up.   Insist they all have a plan and actually follow it.   As the king, make a show of visibly following the protocol.   Use my bully pulpit to marginalize the anti-maskers.   Bet my political career on doing the right thing by my constituents.

I'll add one more. Make gatherings of 20+ people a criminal offense. That includes churches. Big parties and churches are spreading this right now. Church and religious services can easily continue in an online format.

If you follow the above. I think much of business can open and stay open in a successful manner.

[WarriorDad]

Yes it is. Over 100K new coronavirus cases yesterday. We've got it under control!
Open up!

Paranoia and over reaction is also part of the calculus.  How many people are you also causing ruin to (financially, socially, emotionally, psychologically) by keeping things closed down?  There are many sides to these difficult questions. 

Of those 100K, how many will die?  As Andrew Cuomo said, people are going to die no matter what you do.  It's terrible, but that is what this virus does.  Was it a heartless comment or a factual one?  I suspect depending on who said it determines how it is classified.

Protect the vulnerable as best you can and let's get this country going again.

[MU Fan in Connecticut]

It appeared to be good news until people started looking into the data reporting practices...

https://www.cnn.com/2020/05/20/us/florida-georgia-covid-19-test-data/index.html

That's the data that shows in Georgia that Sunday now follows Thursday.

[tower912]

It does eventually.   

[MU Fan in Connecticut]

It does eventually.

I should have said "immediately follows". 

[Lennys Tap]

Interesting that neither the Daily Wire nor Fox News, which first reported on this letter, mentioned who's behind it.

The first signature on the letter was Dr. Simone Gold, an emergency medicine specialist in Los Angeles who is listed as a member of the Save Our Country Coalition* on the group's website. She has recently appeared on conservative talk radio and podcast programs to advocate for the use of hydroxychloroquine, a malaria drug that Trump says he is taking because he believes it can prevent COVID-19, even though no research has shown it to be effective. Gold said she has prescribed the drug to two of her patients with good results.

*Save Our Country Coalition is an alliance of conservative think tanks and political committees formed in late April to end state lockdowns implemented in response to the pandemic. Other members of the coalition include the FreedomWorks Foundation, the American Legislative Exchange Council and Tea Party Patriots.

https://chicago.suntimes.com/coronavirus/2020/5/19/21264399/pro-trump-doctors-reopening-economy-coronavirus

There undoubtedly are millions experiencing anxiety and other mental health issues as a result of the pandemic and stay-at-home orders. We as a country should be working to address their needs, rather than politicizing them or cynically using them as an argument for ending other public health measures.

Scientists are people. They have political biases that inform their judgement on how to move forward based on the data - especially when it's not truly definitive. Fox News gives a forum to scientists whose biases lean right. MSNBC, CNN and the three major networks prefer experts who lean left. Almost all of the information we receive is filtered through a lens of political bias. Look no further than Scoop itself. Politics dominate this thread.

[ZiggysFryBoy]

And I was being serious when I said that I think Chico's needs a checkup.  Creating a second personality is definite sign of mental illness, isn't it?  I'm asking since you're somehow diagnosing me as paranoid, or depressed or something.  Unsure what your criteria for your diagnosis of me is, exactly.  But you're the expert here, not me.

Please advise.

I am an expert when i can say thay you are obsessed with chicos, but thats about it. 

You made yourself the coronavirus expert from the beginning with your chicken little-esque wailings and nashing of teeth. 

You're a medical professional, not me. 

[buckchuckler]

It appeared to be good news until people started looking into the data reporting practices...

https://www.cnn.com/2020/05/20/us/florida-georgia-covid-19-test-data/index.html

Did you read it?  It incorporates that, and even cites and links a similar article.  And still

Those figures are undisputed %u2014 despite a clumsy effort by state officials to present the data in a way that made them look even better.

Basically, their 3 week rolling average of positive cases and positive % are declining.  There is an 18% decline from May 4th to the 18th.  Even adjusting for their reporting... um.... irregularities.

Also,

The numbers reflect a slowing in transmission. According to the AJC database, Rt — an epidemiological statistic that represents transmissibility, or the number of people a sick person infects at a particular point in an epidemic — fell from 1.0 on May 4, to 0.94 on May 11, to 0.88 on May 16. An Rt below 1 indicates that each person infects, on average, less than one other person.

[Hards Alumni]

I am an expert when i can say thay you are obsessed with chicos, but thats about it. 

You made yourself the coronavirus expert from the beginning with your chicken little-esque wailings and nashing of teeth. 

You're a medical professional, not me.

Ah, so you can't evaluate me, and it was just a dig.  I can handle that, but maybe you should reevaluate your 'shtick' since it just makes you look like a jerk most of the time.  Maybe don't make a huge deal out of mental health and then a few days later use mental health to make fun of people.  It's just a bad look.

What were my chicken little-esque wailings and nashing (sic) of teeth, exactly?  I warned people early and and said what scientists were saying at the time.  I was proven right on most accounts (the only incorrect one I can think of was the Ibuprofen warning).  There is plenty of history in this and other threads since you seem to want to keep score.

I'm not obsessed with Chico's.  I'm obsessed with calling him a liar at every turn, because if he can't even admit WHO he is, why should anyone believe WHAT he says.  I don't care that he is here and I wouldn't call for him to be banned.  Just looking for the honesty that he demands from the media and others.  I'm sure plenty of others see it that way as well.

[mu03eng]

We don't have a monarchy in this country, or a system that allows what you want.  Also, so many here and around the country already call him a dictator and you want to actually give him dictator powers?  Careful what you ask for. 

Besides, what is good for NYC isn't good for North Dakota or Wyoming.  This is why you see so many around the nation upset.

Oh go dunk your head in a vat of grease, it was a hypothetical to start a discussion. Your post provides no value and is intentionally antagonistic. Contribute in a meaningful way or move along.

[mu03eng]

Masks are mandatory in indoor public places.   Ticketable offense.   Costco can send a picture of your bare face to the 5-0 and it is a $100 fine.   Nationwide universal testing program.   Find a reliable antibodies test.    Cash payments to the previously underpaid unappreciated essential employees.  Stockboys, delivery truck drivers, paramedics working for private companies, nursing home employees, janitors at medical facilities.

Direct payments to small businesses to open them back up.   Insist they all have a plan and actually follow it.   As the king, make a show of visibly following the protocol.   Use my bully pulpit to marginalize the anti-maskers.   Bet my political career on doing the right thing by my constituents.

I can get on board with a lot, may I offer a change? Perhaps my inner economist, but instead of "criminalizing" non-maskers, what if there was a stimulus payment tied to your compliance with mask wearing? Let's say $500 a month per family or something is tied to mask wearing....if you are found to not be wearing a mask in an indoor location(say Costco) you become ineligible for that payment going forward?

Let people profit from their compliance so to speak.

[Lighthouse 84]

I'll add one more. Make gatherings of 20+ people a criminal offense. That includes churches. Big parties and churches are spreading this right now. Church and religious services can easily continue in an online format.

If you follow the above. I think much of business can open and stay open in a successful manner.

What about outside?  Are you ok with outdoor patios and dining open for up to 50, while limiting outdoor church services to 10, ala Minnesota? 

[Hards Alumni]

What about outside?  Are you ok with outdoor patios and dining open for up to 50, while limiting outdoor church services to 10, ala Minnesota?

I'd be fine with properly spaced services outside and a strict no contact/no communion set of rules.  I'm not sure what the argument against that could be.

[Pakuni]

Basically, their 3 week rolling average of positive cases and positive % are declining.  There is an 18% decline from May 4th to the 18th.  Even adjusting for their reporting... um.... irregularities.

I hope this is accurate, because it would be good news.
But the way Georgia is reporting its testing results artificially lowers the positivity rate.

A representative for the Georgia Department of Public Health confirmed Monday that data on its website listing the total number of tests performed includes both antibody and viral tests for the novel coronavirus. The two tests are not the same. Antibody tests tell signs of previous infections while viral tests identify those who are currently infected.

"You're putting apples and oranges together and calling them oranges," said Dr. Harry J. Heiman, a clinical associate professor at Georgia State University's School of Public Health. "You're mixing two different tests. ...All that does is over-inflate the testing number.

"If anything, it skews those numbers to make it appear like the level of disease relative to testing is actually dropping much more dramatically than it is."

https://www.ledger-enquirer.com/news/coronavirus/article242831786.html