Happy Atheist Forum

General => Science => Topic started by: Tank on March 10, 2020, 07:43:23 AM

Title: COVID-19
Post by: Tank on March 10, 2020, 07:43:23 AM
You need to read this.

Basically you are most infectious in the early stages. So if you get the symptoms self- isolate ASAP so you don't spread the infection.

People 'shed' high levels of coronavirus, study finds, but most are likely not infectious after recovery begins[/url (https://www.statnews.com/2020/03/09/people-shed-high-levels-of-coronavirus-study-finds-but-most-are-likely-not-infectious-after-recovery-begins/)
Title: Re: COVID-19
Post by: joeactor on March 10, 2020, 06:35:49 PM
Significant if true.

I suspect that the US, China and Russia numbers are vastly under-reported at present.

Time to move! (maybe off planet)
Title: Re: COVID-19
Post by: No one on March 10, 2020, 10:45:14 PM
Moving to Madagascar.
Title: Re: COVID-19
Post by: Tank on March 11, 2020, 07:04:49 AM
The UK health minister has tested positive. She was infectious in a cabinet meeting last Thursday.
Title: Re: COVID-19
Post by: Bad Penny II on March 11, 2020, 09:51:58 AM
This Corona virus only seems to threaten the old or other ailing drains on the health system.
I don't see what the fuss is about, let it take its course, the demographic timebomb defused.
What are we, modern day Canutes telling a virus what to do? It will do what it will do. Let it.

I did the test thing we got off Alibaba on our lungs, after nine months of bushfire smoke it seems we have the respiratory system of an eighty seven year old, but that's by a Chinese scale so we're  probably more like a hundred and seven, breathing wise.

The response to the Corona virus sickens me.
It threatens the most vulnerable amongst us and what do I see?
People hoarding toilet paper
That's right brother, people hoarding toilet paper preventing me accumulating a prudent stockpile, two weeks in a row.
Where is the serious effort to prevent this disease hitting the venerable vulnerable?
Title: Re: COVID-19
Post by: Bad Penny II on March 11, 2020, 12:17:17 PM
Quote from: Tank on March 11, 2020, 07:04:49 AM
The UK health minister has tested positive. She was infectious in a cabinet meeting last Thursday.

Guffaw, guffaw, guffaw, guffaw, guffaw, guffaw, guffaw, guffaw, guffaw, guffaw
Hey, this isn't some public health initiative to make us exercise our lungs, is it?
Title: Re: COVID-19
Post by: Recusant on March 11, 2020, 07:52:14 PM
Halp! The horrible secular authorities are persecuting the good and faithful Christian Jim Bakker, who only wants to stop the advance of disease, really. (Superfluous auto-play video at link)

"NY, Missouri attorneys general order televangelist Jim Bakker to stop promoting alleged coronavirus cure" | American Broadcasting Company (https://abcnews.go.com/US/ny-attorney-general-orders-televangelist-jim-bakker-stop/story?id=69472032)

QuoteTwo state attorneys general ordered a prominent televangelist to stop peddling an alleged coronavirus elixir on his show.

Missouri Attorney General Eric Schmitt filed a lawsuit Tuesday against Jim Bakker for misrepresentations about the effectiveness of "Silver Solution" as a treatment for coronavirus. Schmitt's lawsuit came a week after the office of New York Attorney General Letitia James sent a cease-and-desist order to Bakker, ordering him to stop promoting the supplement as a COVID-19 treatment.

[Continues . . . (https://abcnews.go.com/US/ny-attorney-general-orders-televangelist-jim-bakker-stop/story?id=69472032)]

Bakker has been selling this snake oil for years, along with various products for the "prep and pray" end-times believers.
Title: Re: COVID-19
Post by: Recusant on March 11, 2020, 08:38:28 PM
Science, the house journal of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, has given President Trump and his incompetent, mendacious administration a restrained reminder of the facts. Not that it will matter.

"Do us a favor" | Science (https://science.sciencemag.org/content/early/2020/03/11/science.abb6502)

Quote"Do me a favor, speed it up, speed it up." This is what U.S. President Donald Trump told the National Association of Counties Legislative Conference, recounting what he said to pharmaceutical executives about the progress toward a vaccine for severe acute respiratory syndrome–coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), the virus that causes coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). Anthony Fauci, the long-time leader of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, has been telling the president repeatedly that developing the vaccine will take at least a year and a half—the same message conveyed by pharmaceutical executives. Apparently, Trump thought that simply repeating his request would change the outcome. China has rightfully taken criticism for squelching attempts by scientists to report information during the outbreak. Now, the United States government is doing similar things. Informing Fauci and other government scientists that they must clear all public comments with Vice President Mike Pence is unacceptable. This is not a time for someone who denies evolution, climate change, and the dangers of smoking to shape the public message. Thank goodness Fauci, Francis Collins [director of the U.S. National Institutes of Health (NIH)], and their colleagues across federal agencies are willing to soldier on and are gradually getting the message out.

While scientists are trying to share facts about the epidemic, the administration either blocks those facts or restates them with contradictions. Transmission rates and death rates are not measurements that can be changed with will and an extroverted presentation. The administration has repeatedly said—as it did last week—that virus spread in the United States is contained, when it is clear from genomic evidence that community spread is occurring in Washington state and beyond. That kind of distortion and denial is dangerous and almost certainly contributed to the federal government's sluggish response. After 3 years of debating whether the words of this administration matter, the words are now clearly a matter of life and death.

[. . .]

For the past 4 years, President Trump's budgets have made deep cuts to science, including cuts to funding for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the NIH. With this administration's disregard for science of the Environmental Protection Agency and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, and the stalled naming of a director for the Office of Science and Technology Policy—all to support political goals—the nation has had nearly 4 years of harming and ignoring science.

[. . .]

A vaccine has to have a fundamental scientific basis. It has to be manufacturable. It has to be safe. This could take a year and a half—or much longer. Pharmaceutical executives have every incentive to get there quickly— they will be selling the vaccine after all—but thankfully they also know that you can't break the laws of nature to get there.

Maybe we should be happy. Three years ago, the president declared his skepticism of vaccines and tried to launch an antivaccine task force. Now he suddenly loves vaccines.

But do us a favor, Mr. President. If you want something, start treating science and its principles with respect.

[Link to full article (https://science.sciencemag.org/content/early/2020/03/11/science.abb6502)]

President Trump has a "natural ability" to understand science and medicine because, you know, his uncle was a professor at MIT. With this natural ability he achieves astounding insights that mere scientists and doctors will never have. It is known.
Title: Re: COVID-19
Post by: billy rubin on March 12, 2020, 08:23:48 PM
lol

it's true

(https://i.imgur.com/HXoJcnkl.jpg)

i went to stock up on hummus, basil, and feta cheese, and the toilet paper aisle was empty. except for this woman who shook her head at the human condition.

what are people thinking? you can wipe your butt with a handful of grass.

hmmm

well, at least i can.
Title: Re: COVID-19
Post by: billy rubin on March 12, 2020, 09:13:58 PM
the govenor of my province has forbidden gatherings of moe than 100 people.

school has been cancelld for all of my children.

my job is mostly solitary, but if i have to cancel work, its just that much more time for me to work on my motorcycles.
Title: Re: COVID-19
Post by: Recusant on March 12, 2020, 11:32:26 PM
The vile mountebank Alex Jones (caught driving while intoxicated just a few days ago) has been selling magic silver-infused toothpaste to his gullible listeners as a cure for COVID-19, among other things of course. Now he must cease and desist.

"Alex Jones Probed by New York AG Over Silver-Based Covid-19 'Cure'" | Bloomberg (https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2020-03-12/conspiracy-theorist-s-silver-based-covid-19-cure-being-probed)

QuoteConspiracy theorist Alex Jones's claim that a toothpaste he sells "kills the whole SARS-corona family at point-blank range" is the latest bogus silver-based cure to come under legal scrutiny.

New York Attorney General Letitia James on Thursday ordered Jones to immediately cease and desist from selling the product on his right-wing website, InfoWars. James has already cracked down on similar silver claims made by the disgraced televangelist Jim Bakker and a Phoenix-based salesman.

Jones, who has bragged about his influence with President Donald Trump and hosted him on his show in 2015, told viewers in a March 10 broadcast that the effectiveness of his supposedly virus-fighting toothpaste is backed by the Pentagon and the Department of Homeland Security.

"As the coronavirus continues to pose serious risks to public health, Alex Jones has spewed outright lies and has profited off of New Yorkers' anxieties," James, a Democrat, said in a statement. "Mr. Jones' public platform has not only given him a microphone to shout inflammatory rhetoric, but his latest mistruths are incredibly dangerous."

New York became aware of Jones's false claims after they were flagged online by Media Matters for America, a self-described progressive policy group that says it works to correct conservative "misinformation," the attorney general's office said.

[Continues . . . (https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2020-03-12/conspiracy-theorist-s-silver-based-covid-19-cure-being-probed)]
Title: Re: COVID-19
Post by: Kusa on March 13, 2020, 12:47:38 AM
(https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20200313/e87dae8fb002af2085bbb10ba705c3dd.jpg)
Title: Re: COVID-19
Post by: Dark Lightning on March 13, 2020, 12:52:34 AM
Quote from: Recusant on March 12, 2020, 11:32:26 PM
The vile mountebank Alex Jones (caught driving while intoxicated just a few days ago) has been selling magic silver-infused toothpaste to his gullible listeners as a cure for COVID-19, among other things of course. Now he must cease and desist.

"Alex Jones Probed by New York AG Over Silver-Based Covid-19 'Cure'" | Bloomberg (https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2020-03-12/conspiracy-theorist-s-silver-based-covid-19-cure-being-probed)

QuoteConspiracy theorist Alex Jones's claim that a toothpaste he sells "kills the whole SARS-corona family at point-blank range" is the latest bogus silver-based cure to come under legal scrutiny.

New York Attorney General Letitia James on Thursday ordered Jones to immediately cease and desist from selling the product on his right-wing website, InfoWars. James has already cracked down on similar silver claims made by the disgraced televangelist Jim Bakker and a Phoenix-based salesman.

Jones, who has bragged about his influence with President Donald Trump and hosted him on his show in 2015, told viewers in a March 10 broadcast that the effectiveness of his supposedly virus-fighting toothpaste is backed by the Pentagon and the Department of Homeland Security.

"As the coronavirus continues to pose serious risks to public health, Alex Jones has spewed outright lies and has profited off of New Yorkers' anxieties," James, a Democrat, said in a statement. "Mr. Jones' public platform has not only given him a microphone to shout inflammatory rhetoric, but his latest mistruths are incredibly dangerous."

New York became aware of Jones's false claims after they were flagged online by Media Matters for America, a self-described progressive policy group that says it works to correct conservative "misinformation," the attorney general's office said.

[Continues . . . (https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2020-03-12/conspiracy-theorist-s-silver-based-covid-19-cure-being-probed)]

Alex Jones ought to be probed with a near-molten fire hydrant, but it should be done on the orifice that spews the most shit...
Title: Re: COVID-19
Post by: Bad Penny II on March 13, 2020, 09:11:18 AM
Well things are starting to get serious.
Neil Young said he's not coming for his May concert, no refund for accommodation $ :( 
The prime minister says gatherings over 500 are going to be restricted from Monday, not schools and public transport.  It seems he wants to attend a football game on the weekend but a senior minister has the lurgy so maybe he shouldn't. 
Tom Hanks is on the Gold Coast and he's got it, why didn't I know his wife's  name was Wilson?
I wonder how the maths works, maybe 1% die, few young 10% of if you're 88.
What % of those exposed get it?
What % of people are exposed to the annual flu
It's very complex, I think we need a new form of mathematics to solve this.
https://www.realclearpolitics.com/video/2020/03/06/msnbcs_brian_williams_new_york_times_editorial_board_member_mara_gay_five_divided_by_three_equals_one_million.html (https://www.realclearpolitics.com/video/2020/03/06/msnbcs_brian_williams_new_york_times_editorial_board_member_mara_gay_five_divided_by_three_equals_one_million.html)
QuoteThursday on MSNBC's "The Eleventh Hour" with Brian Williams, New York Times Editorial Board Member Mara Gay and the host accepted without question a tweet that (jokingly) said that Michael Bloomberg could have given every American one million dollars with the five hundred million dollars he spent on his short-lived presidential campaign.

I've been doing the sums.
That's what they pay us for, what did you get?
Using the "Eleventh Hour" technique I estimate we can all expect to die at least a thousand times in the next two weeks.
I'm so glad we put our money in the funeral industry.

Title: Re: COVID-19
Post by: Tank on March 13, 2020, 09:52:26 AM
Well my eldest daughter and her son are off to hospital with 'flu like' symptoms. My son is one of the McLaren team in Australia. They have one case and 13 others in isolation. If anybody else in the team tests positive he's in isolation in Australia for 14 days. My eldest daughter, her son and brother-in-law went on a visit to McLaren last Saturday and spent the whole day in the car there and back. The BIL is a theatre nurse in a Leeds hospital. His wife, my other daughter, also works in a Leeds hospital.
Title: Re: COVID-19
Post by: billy rubin on March 13, 2020, 10:11:07 AM
all tbe schools and universitiez are shut in here in ohio

the quaker boarding zchool asked if we would be will8ng to keep the ugandan student an extra three weeks until they reopen

assuming they reopen then

the american federal government is a complete mezz. no idea about how to deal with thiz except to treat it as a public relationz problem requiring giving money and tax breaks to the oligarchy

27 million americans have no health insurance


we snuck under the wire with one week to spare
Title: Re: COVID-19
Post by: Tank on March 13, 2020, 10:20:50 AM
Do older people get free health insurance?
Title: Re: COVID-19
Post by: Bad Penny II on March 13, 2020, 10:25:48 AM
Quote from: billy rubin on March 13, 2020, 10:11:07 AM
the quaker boarding zchool asked if we would be will8ng to keep the ugandan student an extra three weeks until they reopen

Ha! :frolic:
$2 Green

That's not how he spelled Ugandan last time, maybe its a different student.

Pay up Green.

(https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/d0/Ausztr%C3%A1l_2_doll%C3%A1ros_bankjegy.jpg/1200px-Ausztr%C3%A1l_2_doll%C3%A1ros_bankjegy.jpg)
Title: Re: COVID-19
Post by: billy rubin on March 13, 2020, 10:35:58 AM
Quote from: Tank on March 13, 2020, 10:20:50 AM
Do older people get free health insurance?

yes

here in the statez its called medicare. i think im eligible in just a couple more years
Title: Re: COVID-19
Post by: billy rubin on March 13, 2020, 10:38:37 AM
Quote from: Bad Penny II on March 13, 2020, 10:25:48 AM
Quote from: billy rubin on March 13, 2020, 10:11:07 AM
the quaker boarding zchool asked if we would be will8ng to keep the ugandan student an extra three weeks until they reopen

Ha! :frolic:
$2 Green

That's not how he spelled Ugandan last time, maybe its a different student.

Pay up Green.

(https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/d0/Ausztr%C3%A1l_2_doll%C3%A1ros_bankjegy.jpg/1200px-Ausztr%C3%A1l_2_doll%C3%A1ros_bankjegy.jpg)


huh?

penny, you are mostly a complete mystery to me.
Title: Re: COVID-19
Post by: Tank on March 13, 2020, 11:23:15 AM
Quote from: Tank on March 13, 2020, 09:52:26 AM
Well my eldest daughter and her son are off to hospital with 'flu like' symptoms. My son is one of the McLaren team in Australia. They have one case and 13 others in isolation. If anybody else in the team tests positive he's in isolation in Australia for 14 days. My eldest daughter, her son and brother-in-law went on a visit to McLaren last Saturday and spent the whole day in the car there and back. The BIL is a theatre nurse in a Leeds hospital. His wife, my other daughter, also works in a Leeds hospital.

All ok. Told to self isolate just in case.
Title: Re: COVID-19
Post by: Bad Penny II on March 13, 2020, 12:44:52 PM
Quote from: billy rubin on March 13, 2020, 10:38:37 AM
penny, you are mostly a complete mystery to me.

Thanks Billy
Title: Re: COVID-19
Post by: Magdalena on March 13, 2020, 02:47:47 PM
Quote from: Tank on March 13, 2020, 11:23:15 AM
Quote from: Tank on March 13, 2020, 09:52:26 AM
Well my eldest daughter and her son are off to hospital with 'flu like' symptoms. My son is one of the McLaren team in Australia. They have one case and 13 others in isolation. If anybody else in the team tests positive he's in isolation in Australia for 14 days. My eldest daughter, her son and brother-in-law went on a visit to McLaren last Saturday and spent the whole day in the car there and back. The BIL is a theatre nurse in a Leeds hospital. His wife, my other daughter, also works in a Leeds hospital.

All ok. Told to self isolate just in case.
This is good. :)
Title: Re: COVID-19
Post by: Magdalena on March 13, 2020, 03:00:46 PM
Quote from: Bad Penny II on March 13, 2020, 12:44:52 PM
Quote from: billy rubin on March 13, 2020, 10:38:37 AM
penny, you are mostly a complete mystery to me.

Thanks Billy
You guys are funny.
Title: Re: COVID-19
Post by: Old Seer on March 13, 2020, 03:38:28 PM
No need to panic. 50,000 floks died last year from a flu in the US. The concern is, the virus is suspected to gotten away from a mil spec lab near Wuhan China. If so it still isn't a military grade derivative. Bio Smurf says it a simple/same SARS flu virus and just a bit more dangerous to those with respiratory problems. Anyone should remove themselves from the public when ever they suspect they caught a flu of any type.
Title: Re: COVID-19
Post by: joeactor on March 13, 2020, 08:58:23 PM
Quote from: Tank on March 13, 2020, 11:23:15 AM
Quote from: Tank on March 13, 2020, 09:52:26 AM
Well my eldest daughter and her son are off to hospital with 'flu like' symptoms. My son is one of the McLaren team in Australia. They have one case and 13 others in isolation. If anybody else in the team tests positive he's in isolation in Australia for 14 days. My eldest daughter, her son and brother-in-law went on a visit to McLaren last Saturday and spent the whole day in the car there and back. The BIL is a theatre nurse in a Leeds hospital. His wife, my other daughter, also works in a Leeds hospital.

All ok. Told to self isolate just in case.

Glad all is well.

Meanwhile... I just went to the grocery. Spent about an hour in the checkout lane. And there was zero toilet paper and no cleaning products left. Seriously. What the heck are people doing with all this stuff?
Title: Re: COVID-19
Post by: billy rubin on March 13, 2020, 10:00:20 PM


you did ask.
Title: Re: COVID-19
Post by: Magdalena on March 13, 2020, 11:22:39 PM
Anyways...
There is no toilet paper, no bleach, and now there is no school. All LAUSD Schools Are Closing Monday.
:(

https://laist.com/2020/03/13/lausd_cancels_classes_starting_monday.php (https://laist.com/2020/03/13/lausd_cancels_classes_starting_monday.php)
QuoteFor the next two weeks, coursework all 472,000 students will continue online.
Title: Re: COVID-19
Post by: Magdalena on March 14, 2020, 02:56:27 AM
Okay. Now almost everything else is gone. The shelves are empty. I have never seen anything like this. I asked how long it will take to restock and they said one week.

We'll be fine.
(https://thumbs.gfycat.com/QuestionableGrizzledIbis-max-1mb.gif)
Title: Re: COVID-19
Post by: Icarus on March 14, 2020, 04:21:52 AM
Empty shelves are not an unusual sight to Florida residents.  When we have a Hurricane on the way, the same phenomena is immediately in effect.   In the Hurricane case, ice, batteries, plywood, propane gas tanks, and bottled water are the most sought after items.
Title: Re: COVID-19
Post by: Bad Penny II on March 14, 2020, 11:44:26 AM
Quote from: Magdalena on March 14, 2020, 02:56:27 AM
Okay. Now almost everything else is gone. The shelves are empty. I have never seen anything like this. I asked how long it will take to restock and they said one week.

We'll be fine.
(https://thumbs.gfycat.com/QuestionableGrizzledIbis-max-1mb.gif)

I wouldn't trust supermarket guy.
Title: Re: COVID-19
Post by: Recusant on March 14, 2020, 03:27:58 PM
Title: Re: COVID-19
Post by: xSilverPhinx on March 14, 2020, 03:35:28 PM
Quote from: Recusant on March 14, 2020, 03:27:58 PM


Oh I'm definitely spreading that video!
Title: Re: COVID-19
Post by: Icarus on March 15, 2020, 04:06:32 AM
 Superb!  I too shall spread that video.    :geezer!:
Title: Re: COVID-19
Post by: Dark Lightning on March 15, 2020, 02:26:35 PM
It's going viral. I posted it three other places already!  ;D
Title: Re: COVID-19
Post by: Magdalena on March 15, 2020, 11:46:37 PM
Quote from: Bad Penny II on March 14, 2020, 11:44:26 AM
Quote from: Magdalena on March 14, 2020, 02:56:27 AM
Okay. Now almost everything else is gone. The shelves are empty. I have never seen anything like this. I asked how long it will take to restock and they said one week.

We'll be fine.
(https://thumbs.gfycat.com/QuestionableGrizzledIbis-max-1mb.gif)

I wouldn't trust supermarket guy.

Well, I trusted him and he was right. Every time I go to the store, there are fewer and fewer things on the shelves.
:sad sigh:
Title: Re: COVID-19
Post by: jumbojak on March 16, 2020, 12:40:03 AM
https://www.reddit.com/r/wallstreetbets/comments/fiik36/inside_cdc_headquarters_coronovirus_discussion/
Title: Re: COVID-19
Post by: Tom62 on March 16, 2020, 06:44:29 PM
Starting from tomorrow all non-food shops will be closed here. Schools, gyms, musea, swimming pools, etc. were already closed before.
Title: Re: COVID-19
Post by: Tank on March 16, 2020, 06:52:15 PM
Quote from: Tom62 on March 16, 2020, 06:44:29 PM
Starting from tomorrow all non-food shops will be closed here. Schools, gyms, musea, swimming pools, etc. were already closed before.

Where is here?
Title: Re: COVID-19
Post by: Tank on March 16, 2020, 06:56:13 PM
In the UK the government has asked all people 70+ to self isolate as much as possible for the next 14 weeks.

My younger daughters mother in law has got herself stuck in Egypt! Why the fuck she went on holiday there at this point is anybodies guess. Most of the family are seriously pissed off with her. Her husband, who did not go with her, is looking forward to some peace and quiet.
Title: Re: COVID-19
Post by: jumbojak on March 16, 2020, 06:57:37 PM
Tom is in Germany.
Title: Re: COVID-19
Post by: Tank on March 16, 2020, 07:34:38 PM
Quote from: jumbojak on March 16, 2020, 06:57:37 PM
Tom is in Germany.

Cheers.
Title: Re: COVID-19
Post by: billy rubin on March 16, 2020, 07:58:30 PM
restaurants and bars shut down yesterday in ohio, 6 hours notice to all staff that they had no jobs

trump is in a press conference.

he has been "very strongly tested."
Title: Re: COVID-19
Post by: Tank on March 16, 2020, 08:52:46 PM
Quote from: billy rubin on March 16, 2020, 07:58:30 PM
restaurants and bars shut down yesterday in ohio, 6 hours notice to all staff that they had no jobs

trump is in a press conference.

he has been "very strongly tested."

SMH  >:(
Title: Re: COVID-19
Post by: Tom62 on March 16, 2020, 09:01:55 PM
Quote from: Tank on March 16, 2020, 07:34:38 PM
Quote from: jumbojak on March 16, 2020, 06:57:37 PM
Tom is in Germany.

Cheers.

Thanks! Have to drink at home though, because all the bars and restaurants are closed as well.
I think that within a few weeks we'll have a curfew, like in France, Spain and Italy.
Title: Re: COVID-19
Post by: billy rubin on March 16, 2020, 09:33:11 PM
i do not have a verified source for these numbers. looks like a micrtosfot spreadsheet

(https://i.imgur.com/D6STEBKl.png)

should it be accurate, the important thing to notice is that the united states is precisely tracking the decline of italy during its initial free fall.

in america, we not only have a someone in charge who is having dificulty grasping the situation, we do not have a medical infrastructure that can cope with a major crisis.

i might be wrong, and i hope i am, but it looks like the states is heading for a problem.
Title: Re: COVID-19
Post by: joeactor on March 16, 2020, 11:13:46 PM
also in Los Angeles (tho I was supposed to be in Barcelona this week).

Everything mostly shut down in both locations.

Also, no toilet paper and a lot of food gone. Hoarding big time.

I think the Trump presidency is an intelligence test.
Title: Re: COVID-19
Post by: No one on March 17, 2020, 01:21:56 AM
Churches are closing in the wake of this virus. I guess science conquers faith. Who would have thought it?
Title: Re: COVID-19
Post by: Davin on March 17, 2020, 01:58:17 PM
Quote from: joeactor on March 16, 2020, 11:13:46 PM
I think the Trump presidency is an intelligence test.
It doesn't look like we're passing...
Title: Re: COVID-19
Post by: Tank on March 17, 2020, 08:32:41 PM
I just popped to my local supermarket (Sainsbury's) to get some stir fry bits. It has been stripped clean of virtually everything edible, fresh, tinned and dried. I have never experienced anything like this before.
Title: Re: COVID-19
Post by: billy rubin on March 17, 2020, 09:42:16 PM
interesting. we've got a half dozen goats so if the end of the world approaches we'll postpone it a few weeks.

here in america people are lining up to buy guns:

(https://i.insider.com/5e6f7936235c18709443a3b8?width=1600&format=jpeg&auto=webp)

while in amsterdam they're apparently lining up to buy dope:

(https://s.france24.com/media/display/6d74e63c-66f8-11ea-8064-005056a964fe/w:1240/p:16x9/881c2b6eea116febd51309fc8906b869f21fbc07.webp)

i figure we've got a week or ten days before they force a mandatory quarantine in ohio the way they did in the san francisco bay area. i imagine i'll be in an exempt occupation, because the oil wells have to be attended unless they shut them in, and nobody wants to do that, ever, if they can help it.
Title: COVID-19
Post by: Kusa on March 17, 2020, 10:54:10 PM
I'm glad I don't have to buy any guns or ammo.

I don't have to worry about food either.

Toilet paper, I might have a problem with that if this persists. I might need to save the labels off the tins of food for this.
Title: Re: COVID-19
Post by: billy rubin on March 17, 2020, 11:34:09 PM
just get creative

(https://i.redd.it/1b159hyhhnm41.jpg)
Title: Re: COVID-19
Post by: Icarus on March 18, 2020, 01:23:22 AM
^ That is devilishly creative Billy.
Title: Re: COVID-19
Post by: Dark Lightning on March 18, 2020, 01:31:00 AM
Pretty sure that the shower head in the master bath would reach that far, and I can guarantee that I could put an extension on the hose. Butt we are still water-challenged here in California, so probably not a good option, even if the spray would provide a pleasurable tickle to the bottom of my scrotum.  :-[
Title: Re: COVID-19
Post by: hermes2015 on March 18, 2020, 03:45:40 AM
Quote from: Tank on March 17, 2020, 08:32:41 PM
I just popped to my local supermarket (Sainsbury's) to get some stir fry bits. It has been stripped clean of virtually everything edible, fresh, tinned and dried. I have never experienced anything like this before.

I went my local Pick n Pay supermarket yesterday and found the stock levels on the shelves close to normal. I was told that there had been low numbers of customers. Starting today they have a special shopping hour every Wednesday from 07:00 to 08:00, exclusively for people over 65 who want to avoid crowded places. I suppose I'll have to show my ID because I look 35.
Title: Re: COVID-19
Post by: xSilverPhinx on March 18, 2020, 12:07:47 PM
I went to a supermarket nearby and while it wasn't filled with panic-stricken customers, many shelves were empty. There was only one brand of rice -- I'm guessing the leftover 'meh' brand (which I bought anyway) -- hardly no canned food, and when they bought out a cart of alcohol 46% people started attacking it. 46% isn't even that effective. ::) 
Title: Re: COVID-19
Post by: jumbojak on March 18, 2020, 01:27:23 PM
I'm going to hit the grocery store myself today. Hopefully there's... Something.
Title: Re: COVID-19
Post by: xSilverPhinx on March 18, 2020, 01:44:15 PM
Quote from: jumbojak on March 18, 2020, 01:27:23 PM
I'm going to hit the grocery store myself today. Hopefully there's... Something.

Good luck, JJ  :haironfire:

Title: Re: COVID-19
Post by: xSilverPhinx on March 18, 2020, 01:54:15 PM
As I left the supermarket yesterday I was reminded of this conversation between Gandalf and Frodo:



So I took it out of context and I'm like, damn...

Maybe I should have gone to the supermarket earlier and I wouldn't be stuck with 5kg of 'meh' rice. :deadpan: But then again I remembered that time management never really was my thing so there's no point beating myself over it.
Title: Re: COVID-19
Post by: Dark Lightning on March 18, 2020, 04:13:49 PM
At 65+ I was allowed into a local grocery store an hour early, like about 500 other people.  ::) Got some cereal, vegetables and a whole chicken. We were restricted to the one chicken. That'll make about a meal and a half for the four of us, because it will be in a soup with lots of vegetation. Don't need didn't buy toilet paper, which was non-existent already. I saw people buying stacks of paper plates, like about 500 in a bag.  :???:
Title: Re: COVID-19
Post by: Kusa on March 18, 2020, 09:49:11 PM
500 paper plates? That's crazy. I don't need a plate most of the time. I eat right out of a can and just throw it away. I've been keeping the labels lately just in case I need something to wipe my butt with later on when the TP runs out.
Title: Re: COVID-19
Post by: joeactor on March 18, 2020, 10:34:25 PM
Quote from: Dark Lightning on March 18, 2020, 04:13:49 PM
At 65+ I was allowed into a local grocery store an hour early, like about 500 other people.  ::) Got some cereal, vegetables and a whole chicken. We were restricted to the one chicken. That'll make about a meal and a half for the four of us, because it will be in a soup with lots of vegetation. Don't need didn't buy toilet paper, which was non-existent already. I saw people buying stacks of paper plates, like about 500 in a bag.  :???:

Our local store (Trader Joe's) was letting older folks in about 30 minutes early, instead of waiting in line.
For some reason Corporate told them they couldn't do that... I don't get it.

They're having people line up outside to limit how many are in at a time. Seems to be working well. Also limiting how much you can buy of some items. Still no TP, but found some on Ebay... From China!
Title: Re: COVID-19
Post by: Tank on March 19, 2020, 06:27:26 AM
New dry cough and feeling a high temperature.  >:(
Title: Re: COVID-19
Post by: billy rubin on March 19, 2020, 10:01:38 AM
oooh

a dispatcher in my office showed up for work with a fever.

i cannot believe the willful ignorance of some people
Title: Re: COVID-19
Post by: xSilverPhinx on March 19, 2020, 12:47:51 PM
Quote from: Tank on March 19, 2020, 06:27:26 AM
New dry cough and feeling a high temperature.  >:(

That sucks  :(

What are the government's recommendations in the UK on when to go to the hospital? Here they're basically pleading people not to hospitals unless they're having trouble breathing.
Title: Re: COVID-19
Post by: Dark Lightning on March 19, 2020, 12:53:24 PM
Tank, that's not good- like you need to be told. Stay with us!
Billy, I hope that the dispatcher doesn't have it.
Title: Re: COVID-19
Post by: xSilverPhinx on March 19, 2020, 01:03:15 PM
When I was commenting to my family that now is definitely not a good time to get sick for any reason, my brother (who's way more well-to-do than me) says he's not worried about COVID-19, if he needs to he'll just pay for a private hospital. I'm like, 'Bro, do you really think private hospitals won't also be operating at full capacity in a very short while?'

::)

Then he goes on saying that people die everyday for a variety of reasons, totally ignoring the fact that yes, many people will die avoidable deaths but this goes way beyond death rates. This virus has serious non-health related implications for a lot of people...such as not getting paid because they're not going to work and are unable to work from home.

Some people still have their heads in the clouds.  ::) My brother is such a good guy but he can really be so dumb at times.
Title: Re: COVID-19
Post by: jumbojak on March 19, 2020, 01:40:26 PM
I'm seriously wondering what's going to happen. Right now I'm making next to nothing at work. We haven't shut down completely but it's only a matter of time and in the meantime I don't qualify for any sort of unemployment benefit. This is getting crazy.
Title: Re: COVID-19
Post by: Recusant on March 19, 2020, 01:50:22 PM
Quote from: Tank on March 19, 2020, 06:27:26 AM
New dry cough and feeling a high temperature.  >:(

Please take care. Drink plenty of liquids, and if you begin to have any difficulty with breathing, get to a hospital ASAP.
Title: Re: COVID-19
Post by: xSilverPhinx on March 19, 2020, 02:05:52 PM
Quote from: jumbojak on March 19, 2020, 01:40:26 PM
I'm seriously wondering what's going to happen. Right now I'm making next to nothing at work. We haven't shut down completely but it's only a matter of time and in the meantime I don't qualify for any sort of unemployment benefit. This is getting crazy.

Yeah :(

I'm guessing these lockdowns are going to last at least a couple of months, which means a lot of people are going to find themselves in a lot of financial trouble. Basic supplies are going to take priority over bills but when everything goes back to normal those unpaid bills are still going to be there. It's fucked up.
Title: Re: COVID-19
Post by: Tank on March 19, 2020, 02:09:35 PM
Quote from: Recusant on March 19, 2020, 01:50:22 PM
Quote from: Tank on March 19, 2020, 06:27:26 AM
New dry cough and feeling a high temperature.  >:(

Please take care. Drink plenty of liquids, and if you begin to have any difficulty with breathing, get to a hospital ASAP.

Yes Mum!
Title: Re: COVID-19
Post by: Tank on March 19, 2020, 02:11:15 PM
Feeling better now. Still a bit shaky. It may not be CV19 after all. But I really hope it is. Iwant to get this over and done with.
Title: Re: COVID-19
Post by: hermes2015 on March 19, 2020, 02:42:36 PM
Quote from: Tank on March 19, 2020, 06:27:26 AM
New dry cough and feeling a high temperature.  >:(

How are you feeling now? Please keep us updated.
Title: Re: COVID-19
Post by: Tank on March 19, 2020, 02:56:36 PM
Quote from: hermes2015 on March 19, 2020, 02:42:36 PM
Quote from: Tank on March 19, 2020, 06:27:26 AM
New dry cough and feeling a high temperature.  >:(

How are you feeling now? Please keep us updated.

See two posts up  ;D
Title: Re: COVID-19
Post by: Tom62 on March 19, 2020, 06:46:09 PM
Italy has surpassed China's corona death toll. Italian authorities announced 427 new deaths, pushing the total to 3,405, exceeding the 3,242 fatalities recorded in mainland China.
Title: Re: COVID-19
Post by: Kusa on March 19, 2020, 09:24:30 PM
China quit recording so the comparison is invalid.
Title: Re: COVID-19
Post by: Recusant on March 19, 2020, 09:43:51 PM
Quote from: Kusa on March 19, 2020, 09:24:30 PM
China quit recording so the comparison is invalid.

Can you cite a source for this claim?

At a press conference today, Chinese officials announced eight more deaths (https://www.cnn.com/2020/03/19/asia/coronavirus-covid-19-update-china-intl-hnk/index.html) from the virus. Seems to me that if China were no longer keeping count then they wouldn't know the number and would not announce it.
Title: Re: COVID-19
Post by: Kusa on March 19, 2020, 10:49:11 PM
Quote from: Recusant on March 19, 2020, 09:43:51 PM
Quote from: Kusa on March 19, 2020, 09:24:30 PM
China quit recording so the comparison is invalid.

Can you cite a source for this claim?

At a press conference today, Chinese officials announced eight more deaths (https://www.cnn.com/2020/03/19/asia/coronavirus-covid-19-update-china-intl-hnk/index.html) from the virus. Seems to me that if China were no longer keeping count then they wouldn't know the number and would not announce it.
This stuff is easy to find.

https://www.businessinsider.in/science/health/news/a-leaked-report-pegged-coronavirus-deaths-in-china-at-25000-before-aligning-with-beijings-narrative/articleshow/73980043.cms

https://finance.yahoo.com/news/chinas-coronavirus-victims-likely-10-times-higher-than-reported-analyst-says-155836267.html

https://gellerreport.com/2020/01/coronavirus-death-toll.html/

While Chinese Regime Claims No New Virus Infections, Citizens Say Many Are Still Sick

https://link.theepochtimes.com/while-chinese-regime-claims-no-new-virus-infections-citizens-say-many-are-still-sick_3278515.html
Title: Re: COVID-19
Post by: Recusant on March 19, 2020, 11:10:11 PM
It's notable that neither of the reputable sources you cited supports your claim. They speak of suspicions regarding China under-reporting cases and deaths. Those suspicions are legitimate, but they do not establish that "China quit recording."

The other two sources -- I can only laugh. Pam Geller is a known xenophobic fruit-loop who pushes disinformation ("Obama was definitely born in Kenya, and is secretly a Muslim!!!"). The Epoch Times is likewise a source of disinformation, pushing conspiracy theories and pseudoscience.
Title: Re: COVID-19
Post by: billy rubin on March 19, 2020, 11:24:34 PM
https://howmuchtoiletpaper.com/
Title: Re: COVID-19
Post by: Kusa on March 20, 2020, 12:12:37 AM
Quote from: Recusant on March 19, 2020, 11:10:11 PM
It's notable that neither of the reputable sources you cited supports your claim. They speak of suspicions regarding China under-reporting cases and deaths. Those suspicions are legitimate, but they do not establish that "China quit recording."

The other two sources -- I can only laugh. Pam Geller is a known xenophobic fruit-loop who pushes disinformation ("Obama was definitely born in Kenya, and is secretly a Muslim!!!"). The Epoch Times is likewise a source of disinformation, pushing conspiracy theories and pseudoscience.
Do you believe the Chinese government?
Title: Re: COVID-19
Post by: Recusant on March 20, 2020, 12:36:31 AM
Quote from: Kusa on March 20, 2020, 12:12:37 AM
Quote from: Recusant on March 19, 2020, 11:10:11 PM
It's notable that neither of the reputable sources you cited supports your claim. They speak of suspicions regarding China under-reporting cases and deaths. Those suspicions are legitimate, but they do not establish that "China quit recording."

The other two sources -- I can only laugh. Pam Geller is a known xenophobic fruit-loop who pushes disinformation ("Obama was definitely born in Kenya, and is secretly a Muslim!!!"). The Epoch Times is likewise a source of disinformation, pushing conspiracy theories and pseudoscience.
Do you believe the Chinese government?

I think it is reasonable to suspect that the Chinese government has not been completely honest about what's going in in China, so I won't say that I believe them.

That is different than asserting something as fact without having reliable evidence to support the assertion. If for instance you had said "I doubt that the Chinese are reporting accurate numbers to the world" I probably wouldn't have questioned the basis for your doubt. As the Yahoo reporter noted, the Chinese government has in the past failed to provide accurate information regarding the effects of disease outbreaks in China. If I asserted that they're being dishonest right now or are purposely failing to report an accurate number I would not be able to provide definitive evidence, and you have not changed that.

The fact that you uncritically cited disreputable sources is not reassuring.
Title: Re: COVID-19
Post by: Dark Lightning on March 20, 2020, 12:40:05 AM
Quote from: billy rubin on March 19, 2020, 11:24:34 PM
https://howmuchtoiletpaper.com/

Those boys probably don't have hemorrhoids.
Title: Re: COVID-19
Post by: jumbojak on March 20, 2020, 01:58:51 AM
Being jobless with no prospect of finding employment is a strange feeling. I'd be lying if I said I wasn't scared.
Title: Re: COVID-19
Post by: No one on March 20, 2020, 03:05:19 AM
Maybe, if we're all good little boys and girls, Hovind, Hamm, and Comfort, will pray the virus away.
Title: Re: COVID-19
Post by: Tank on March 20, 2020, 05:48:24 AM
Quote from: jumbojak on March 20, 2020, 01:58:51 AM
Being jobless with no prospect of finding employment is a strange feeling. I'd be lying if I said I wasn't scared.

I would be as well. Pecker up! We know you are worth it!
Title: Re: COVID-19
Post by: Tank on March 20, 2020, 05:50:26 AM
Quote from: Kusa on March 20, 2020, 12:12:37 AM
Quote from: Recusant on March 19, 2020, 11:10:11 PM
It's notable that neither of the reputable sources you cited supports your claim. They speak of suspicions regarding China under-reporting cases and deaths. Those suspicions are legitimate, but they do not establish that "China quit recording."

The other two sources -- I can only laugh. Pam Geller is a known xenophobic fruit-loop who pushes disinformation ("Obama was definitely born in Kenya, and is secretly a Muslim!!!"). The Epoch Times is likewise a source of disinformation, pushing conspiracy theories and pseudoscience.
Do you believe the Chinese government?

No. But given your sources I don't believe you either.
Title: Re: COVID-19
Post by: billy rubin on March 20, 2020, 10:03:55 AM
i grew up in asia and spent more than a little time exposed daily to the face culture of chineze society. in chinese social and olitical relatuonships, it is more important to look good than to be good. when you make an error, you deny it. anz when kther people makez errors you accept their denials.  its how the socity works.

this obtains whether youre talking about the backyard foundariez of the the failed grwat leap forward, the military atrocitiez of tienamen zquare, or the inability of a regional factory manager to make his quota.

i dont know the truth about tbe corona viruz in china, but i would be astonizhed if tbe governement narrative is accurate. its not how the chineze think. remember tbe first response of the regional and national governments to the virus was to lie about it. i zee no reason to think tbey are any different now.
Title: Re: COVID-19
Post by: jumbojak on March 20, 2020, 01:32:07 PM
Quote from: Tank on March 20, 2020, 05:48:24 AM
Quote from: jumbojak on March 20, 2020, 01:58:51 AM
Being jobless with no prospect of finding employment is a strange feeling. I'd be lying if I said I wasn't scared.

I would be as well. Pecker up! We know you are worth it!

It'll be tough to pecker up. I'm not sure when I'll be able to see this girl again...
Title: Re: COVID-19
Post by: joeactor on March 20, 2020, 02:42:01 PM
Quote from: Tank on March 19, 2020, 02:11:15 PM
Feeling better now. Still a bit shaky. It may not be CV19 after all. But I really hope it is. Iwant to get this over and done with.

Great - take care, Tank. It's a nasty bugger.

Been wondering if my wife and I have already had it. We had a really nasty cold while in Barcelona in January. It went on for 6 weeks. Dry cough. 1-2 days of fever. Just seemed to hang on forever.

In other news, California is shut down. Completely. Serious step, but needed.
Title: Re: COVID-19
Post by: Tank on March 20, 2020, 04:10:20 PM
Quote from: joeactor on March 20, 2020, 02:42:01 PM
Quote from: Tank on March 19, 2020, 02:11:15 PM
Feeling better now. Still a bit shaky. It may not be CV19 after all. But I really hope it is. Iwant to get this over and done with.

Great - take care, Tank. It's a nasty bugger.

Been wondering if my wife and I have already had it. We had a really nasty cold while in Barcelona in January. It went on for 6 weeks. Dry cough. 1-2 days of fever. Just seemed to hang on forever.

In other news, California is shut down. Completely. Serious step, but needed.

It would be interesting to know if you were patient zero in the USA.
Title: Re: COVID-19
Post by: joeactor on March 20, 2020, 04:39:29 PM
Quote from: Tank on March 20, 2020, 04:10:20 PM
Quote from: joeactor on March 20, 2020, 02:42:01 PM
Quote from: Tank on March 19, 2020, 02:11:15 PM
Feeling better now. Still a bit shaky. It may not be CV19 after all. But I really hope it is. Iwant to get this over and done with.

Great - take care, Tank. It's a nasty bugger.

Been wondering if my wife and I have already had it. We had a really nasty cold while in Barcelona in January. It went on for 6 weeks. Dry cough. 1-2 days of fever. Just seemed to hang on forever.

In other news, California is shut down. Completely. Serious step, but needed.

It would be interesting to know if you were patient zero in the USA.

I hope not! But I did send a note to the CDC. Will let you all know if they get back to me.

So... Science question: Does anyone know if the current test detects the live virus, or the antibodies?
Just wondering if you can test people who are no longer infectious to see if they've had it.
Title: Re: COVID-19
Post by: Dark Lightning on March 20, 2020, 05:29:32 PM
Quote from: joeactor on March 20, 2020, 04:39:29 PM
Quote from: Tank on March 20, 2020, 04:10:20 PM
Quote from: joeactor on March 20, 2020, 02:42:01 PM
Quote from: Tank on March 19, 2020, 02:11:15 PM
Feeling better now. Still a bit shaky. It may not be CV19 after all. But I really hope it is. Iwant to get this over and done with.

Great - take care, Tank. It's a nasty bugger.

Been wondering if my wife and I have already had it. We had a really nasty cold while in Barcelona in January. It went on for 6 weeks. Dry cough. 1-2 days of fever. Just seemed to hang on forever.

In other news, California is shut down. Completely. Serious step, but needed.

It would be interesting to know if you were patient zero in the USA.

I hope not! But I did send a note to the CDC. Will let you all know if they get back to me.

So... Science question: Does anyone know if the current test detects the live virus, or the antibodies?
Just wondering if you can test people who are no longer infectious to see if they've had it.

I'd like to know that, too. I had a similar bug late January into February that lasted over 3 weeks. The usual meds didn't work on it. I really hope that is what it was, because I already lived through it.
Title: Re: COVID-19
Post by: Tank on March 20, 2020, 06:40:57 PM
Quote from: joeactor on March 20, 2020, 04:39:29 PM
Quote from: Tank on March 20, 2020, 04:10:20 PM
Quote from: joeactor on March 20, 2020, 02:42:01 PM
Quote from: Tank on March 19, 2020, 02:11:15 PM
Feeling better now. Still a bit shaky. It may not be CV19 after all. But I really hope it is. Iwant to get this over and done with.

Great - take care, Tank. It's a nasty bugger.

Been wondering if my wife and I have already had it. We had a really nasty cold while in Barcelona in January. It went on for 6 weeks. Dry cough. 1-2 days of fever. Just seemed to hang on forever.

In other news, California is shut down. Completely. Serious step, but needed.

It would be interesting to know if you were patient zero in the USA.

I hope not! But I did send a note to the CDC. Will let you all know if they get back to me.

So... Science question: Does anyone know if the current test detects the live virus, or the antibodies?
Just wondering if you can test people who are no longer infectious to see if they've had it.

It test for Virus RNA, not antibodies. There is an antibody test being developed. So they can't tell if you have had it and recovered yet.
Title: Re: COVID-19
Post by: Magdalena on March 21, 2020, 01:41:55 AM
Remember what Trump said about COVID-19 last month?
"It's going to disappear. One day, it's like a miracle, it will disappear"
(https://imgc.allpostersimages.com/img/print/u-g-PGQXGL0.jpg?w=550&h=550&p=0)
Title: Re: COVID-19
Post by: Tank on March 21, 2020, 08:07:31 AM
Here is my suggestion for a new reality TV show.

Pensioner Celebrity Death Match!

Celebrates over 70 are pitted against each other in physical combat with the prize for survival being 24 loo rolls.

Sponsored by Andrex!

What would your CV-19 TV programme be?
Title: Re: COVID-19
Post by: billy rubin on March 21, 2020, 12:49:34 PM
i would hold a contest for tbe dumbest thing a talking head said on the television.

back in 89 i was in the lomo prieta earthquake in california

a well regarded newscasterstood in front of the cameras and solemnly explained that the reason there were fires after earthquakes waz because the rocks rubbing together made giant sparks that ignited the buildings
Title: Re: COVID-19
Post by: billy rubin on March 21, 2020, 12:54:35 PM
Quote from: jumbojak on March 20, 2020, 01:58:51 AM
Being jobless with no prospect of finding employment is a strange feeling. I'd be lying if I said I wasn't scared.

for the first time in my life. i appear tobe in a protected occupation. oil and gas iz considered critical infrastrure because of the epidemic

however my health insurance is on hold until my kids get their citizenship approved by the cherokee nation. if their office in oklahoma gets sick my insurance application maymisz the deadline

zo one up one down
Title: Re: COVID-19
Post by: Kusa on March 21, 2020, 03:35:01 PM
(https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20200321/0453633c6d38205abe1afd273ee7b4cb.jpg)
Title: Re: COVID-19
Post by: No one on March 21, 2020, 05:33:15 PM
"Avoid public gathering" there is only 4 of them. I think they're safe.
Title: Re: COVID-19
Post by: Sandra Craft on March 22, 2020, 01:35:28 AM
Quote from: No one on March 21, 2020, 05:33:15 PM
"Avoid public gathering" there is only 4 of them. I think they're safe.

Yeah, but they're still supposed to stay at least 6' from one another so they're screwed there.
Title: Re: COVID-19
Post by: Recusant on March 22, 2020, 04:37:55 AM
 :rofl: Well done!
Title: Re: COVID-19
Post by: billy rubin on March 22, 2020, 09:27:28 AM
okay

maybe im just dumb. i finally figured ^^^that out without asking my teenagerz for help.

but this next one myztifiez me:

https://www.cnn.com/2020/03/21/politics/army-coronavirus-social-post/index.html

can someone explain the faux pas to me?

or is it horrifyi gly obvious and i should juzt go to classes in remedial humanity?
Title: Re: COVID-19
Post by: joeactor on March 22, 2020, 01:48:26 PM
Quote from: Tank on March 20, 2020, 06:40:57 PM
Quote from: joeactor on March 20, 2020, 04:39:29 PM
Quote from: Tank on March 20, 2020, 04:10:20 PM
Quote from: joeactor on March 20, 2020, 02:42:01 PM
Quote from: Tank on March 19, 2020, 02:11:15 PM
Feeling better now. Still a bit shaky. It may not be CV19 after all. But I really hope it is. Iwant to get this over and done with.

Great - take care, Tank. It's a nasty bugger.

Been wondering if my wife and I have already had it. We had a really nasty cold while in Barcelona in January. It went on for 6 weeks. Dry cough. 1-2 days of fever. Just seemed to hang on forever.

In other news, California is shut down. Completely. Serious step, but needed.

It would be interesting to know if you were patient zero in the USA.

I hope not! But I did send a note to the CDC. Will let you all know if they get back to me.

So... Science question: Does anyone know if the current test detects the live virus, or the antibodies?
Just wondering if you can test people who are no longer infectious to see if they've had it.

It test for Virus RNA, not antibodies. There is an antibody test being developed. So they can't tell if you have had it and recovered yet.

Excellent - thanks Tank!

I figured they'd need the antibody test to know the true extent of the virus.
Title: Re: COVID-19
Post by: xSilverPhinx on March 22, 2020, 03:29:38 PM
My mother is worried about her elderly parents living in in the city of São Paulo (over 12 million residents), which is currently the epicenter in Brazil. They're both over 85 years old and suffer from chronic diseases, which puts them in the high risk group many times over.

My grandfather still insists on leaving the house every now and then, endangering himself and my grandmother.

So...my mother asked me to drive with her 1,100 km north to pick them up and bring them back to Porto Alegre, where we currently live. We would've left this morning but my grandfather told her not to bother, he hates the south and would rather die in São Paulo. My submissive grandmother has no say in what happens in her life so she's stuck with my abusive grandfather.

Now my mother's upset and worried about her mother, who she can't help.

:picard facepalm:

Title: Re: COVID-19
Post by: jumbojak on March 22, 2020, 05:39:57 PM
I would already be on the road to take her away from that house.
Title: Re: COVID-19
Post by: Recusant on March 22, 2020, 08:06:10 PM
Quote from: billy rubin on March 22, 2020, 09:27:28 AM
okay

maybe im just dumb. i finally figured ^^^that out without asking my teenagerz for help.

but this next one myztifiez me:

https://www.cnn.com/2020/03/21/politics/army-coronavirus-social-post/index.html

can someone explain the faux pas to me?

or is it horrifyi gly obvious and i should juzt go to classes in remedial humanity?

I don't think it's obvious. In my opinion the CNN reporter failed to give enough context to understand the situation. I went to a military-oriented site (https://taskandpurpose.com/mandatory-fun/army-instagram-coronavirus), which gave a more explicit description. It was a flippant response to the question "Why did a man eat a bat?"

The chiming in by Representative Duckworth claiming that the post was an example of racism seems off base to me, but maybe I'm lacking in the proper perception.

The article I linked gives me the impression that though that post gained attention, it was the overall flippancy of the responses that got the person responsible relieved from that position.

Title: Re: COVID-19
Post by: Tom62 on March 22, 2020, 08:33:12 PM
Our "beloved" leader of the free world has to go into quarantine (https://time.com/5808001/merkel-quarantine-coronavirus-covid-19/).
Title: Re: COVID-19
Post by: billy rubin on March 22, 2020, 09:14:02 PM
Quote from: Recusant on March 22, 2020, 08:06:10 PM


I don't think it's obvious. In my opinion the CNN reporter failed to give enough context to understand the situation. I went to a military-oriented site (https://taskandpurpose.com/mandatory-fun/army-instagram-coronavirus), which gave a more explicit description. It was a flippant response to the question "Why did a man eat a bat?"

The chiming in by Representative Duckworth claiming that the post was an example of racism seems off base to me, but maybe I'm lacking in the proper perception.

The article I linked gives me the impression that though that post gained attention, it was the overall flippancy of the responses that got the person responsible relieved from that position.

ahh

flip i guess it was.

but the question wasn't very sharp, i think. people eat bats in various places for the same reasons people eat anything-- they consider them food. anything is edible to somebody, and chinese cultures, especially cantonese, eat just about everything, in my experience.

as for tammy, i don't see any racism. she and i went to the same secondary school in singapore (different years), and she's ethniocally chinese, so she ought to be as aware of that as i am.

the story as i understand it was that the disease was traced to wild-game food market in wuhan. that's the sort of place a lot of diseases get transmitted.
Title: Re: COVID-19
Post by: billy rubin on March 22, 2020, 09:29:41 PM
on  lighter note, the governor of my state put  us all into lockdown, effective midnight tomorrow.

stay at home, unless there is an essential function that you need to pewrform. buying dog food, helpnig your neighbor, delivering groceries to grandmother, and stuff like that is okay.

going to the beach (we have a beach to the north, i guess), reclining in the park, attending a sporting event or dinner function are verboten, he says.

the health department and police have the authority to chastise you, but he says that's not the plan so far.

in my case the point is moot, as i belong to a protected class because i work in the oil fields. my typical 50 to 60-hour work weeks will continue. maybe increwase, too, because the day care centers will close and some other drivers will have to stay hoime with their kids.
Title: Re: COVID-19
Post by: xSilverPhinx on March 22, 2020, 10:16:56 PM
Quote from: jumbojak on March 22, 2020, 05:39:57 PM
I would already be on the road to take her away from that house.

She won't leave him.
Title: Re: COVID-19
Post by: Recusant on March 23, 2020, 02:56:15 AM
You're describing a truly poignant aspect of the current pandemic, xSilverPhinx.  :sadnod:

* * *

My attempt at a positive view of COVID-19 is that it might be a serious wake-up notification to Homo sapiens regarding our collective hygiene. I think that this bug is by no means the last that will appear as we barge around on this planet, and it shows the direction that things might go.

Here we have a virus with a nice long incubation period during which no symptoms appear, and in fact some infected will show few if any symptoms at all. That's a situation in which the virus can infect a high percentage of the population over a period of a couple of months, if there is no change in protocols of behavior. If the virus were somewhat more lethal than COVID-19 (not too lethal too quickly, of course) and the government in the outbreak locale was as incompetent as the Chinese were (https://foreignpolicy.com/2020/02/15/coronavirus-xi-jinping-chinas-incompetence-endangered-the-world/), we'd be seeing a more impressive winnowing right now, I think.

I used the term incompetent because that's how the title of the article sums it up. It is of course much more complicated and damning than that. The Communist Party showed some of the same verve for catastrophic dissembling and denial of reality as it did so abundantly during the Great Leap Forward.

Perhaps we (definitely including China) will learn a lesson that will serve us well in the future. Perhaps not.
Title: Re: COVID-19
Post by: Ecurb Noselrub on March 23, 2020, 11:42:50 AM
Hello from Texas.  Dallas County just ordered "shelter in place", and I suspect many other Texas counties/cities will be doing the same soon.  I am working from home, and it's a challenge.  In my town in Central Texas, it's hard to get any paper products or sanitizer.  But Wal-Mart is going to open on Tuesdays just for seniors (I qualify) at 6:00 am to 7:00 am.  I plan to be there at 5:30 am to get in line, with mask in place.  One thing I've learned:  plagues are boring. 
Title: Re: COVID-19
Post by: Tank on March 23, 2020, 01:51:25 PM
Quote from: Ecurb Noselrub on March 23, 2020, 11:42:50 AM
Hello from Texas.  Dallas County just ordered "shelter in place", and I suspect many other Texas counties/cities will be doing the same soon.  I am working from home, and it's a challenge.  In my town in Central Texas, it's hard to get any paper products or sanitizer.  But Wal-Mart is going to open on Tuesdays just for seniors (I qualify) at 6:00 am to 7:00 am.  I plan to be there at 5:30 am to get in line, with mask in place.  One thing I've learned:  plagues are boring.

Good to hear you're all right.
Title: Re: COVID-19
Post by: xSilverPhinx on March 23, 2020, 04:15:29 PM
Quote from: Ecurb Noselrub on March 23, 2020, 11:42:50 AM
Hello from Texas.  Dallas County just ordered "shelter in place", and I suspect many other Texas counties/cities will be doing the same soon.  I am working from home, and it's a challenge.  In my town in Central Texas, it's hard to get any paper products or sanitizer.  But Wal-Mart is going to open on Tuesdays just for seniors (I qualify) at 6:00 am to 7:00 am.  I plan to be there at 5:30 am to get in line, with mask in place.  One thing I've learned:  plagues are boring.

:wave hi:
Title: Re: COVID-19
Post by: Magdalena on March 23, 2020, 04:56:05 PM
Quote from: Ecurb Noselrub on March 23, 2020, 11:42:50 AM
Hello from Texas.  Dallas County just ordered "shelter in place", and I suspect many other Texas counties/cities will be doing the same soon.  I am working from home, and it's a challenge.  In my town in Central Texas, it's hard to get any paper products or sanitizer.  But Wal-Mart is going to open on Tuesdays just for seniors (I qualify) at 6:00 am to 7:00 am.  I plan to be there at 5:30 am to get in line, with mask in place.  One thing I've learned:  plagues are boring.
Hi, Bruce,  :computerwave:
Good to know you're OK.

They're not that boring if you have 2 kids at home --who should be in school.  :fingertap:
Title: Re: COVID-19
Post by: joeactor on March 23, 2020, 05:08:57 PM
I recorded this parody at Tank's request (so you can blame him ;-) )

http://www.joesdump.com/audio/EffectiveSocialDistancing_JoesDump.mp3
Title: Re: COVID-19
Post by: Tank on March 23, 2020, 05:14:49 PM
Quote from: joeactor on March 23, 2020, 05:08:57 PM
I recorded this parody at Tank's request (so you can blame him ;-) )

http://www.joesdump.com/audio/EffectiveSocialDistancing_JoesDump.mp3

Very good Joe!  ;D
Title: Re: COVID-19
Post by: Dark Lightning on March 23, 2020, 07:56:18 PM
Too funny, Joe! :lol: ...and to the point!
Title: Re: COVID-19
Post by: Recusant on March 23, 2020, 08:12:23 PM
Quote from: joeactor on March 23, 2020, 05:08:57 PM
I recorded this parody at Tank's request (so you can blame him ;-) )

http://www.joesdump.com/audio/EffectiveSocialDistancing_JoesDump.mp3

Excellent work, joeactor!  :bravo:

Title: Re: COVID-19
Post by: billy rubin on March 23, 2020, 09:18:30 PM
well, i have a dilemma, one that lots of people have, unfortunately.

the number two son is 17 years old, last night he had a fever of 100.5 F and joint pains. today the fever is gone, but he has a headache. no sore throat, no difficulty breathing.

i took today off, with no symptoms. i have two more days off before i am scheduled to back to work. my job requires me to be within a meter of someone else's perhaps four or five times in a workday. a total of five people i hand a piece of paper to, or take one from.

i'm trying to decide whether to stay in the house and self-quarantine for the next two weeks or go to work.

no way to get the boy tested in the united states. i am leaning towards staying home.
Title: Re: COVID-19
Post by: Tank on March 23, 2020, 09:20:14 PM
Well the UK is now in lockdown with all non-essential shops to close, all people are to stay at home except for work, food shopping and medical works, no meetings of more that 2 people (excepting from the same household), and one exercise excursion per day.
Title: Re: COVID-19
Post by: Tank on March 23, 2020, 09:21:52 PM
Quote from: billy rubin on March 23, 2020, 09:18:30 PM
well, i have a dilemma, one that lots of people have, unfortunately.

the number two son is 17 years old, last night he had a fever of 100.5 F and joint pains. today the fever is gone, but he has a headache. no sore throat, no difficulty breathing.

i took today off, with no symptoms. i have two more days off before i am scheduled to back to work. my job requires me to be within a meter of someone else's perhaps four or five times in a workday. a total of five people i hand a piece of paper to, or take one from.

i'm trying to decide whether to stay in the house and self-quarantine for the next two weeks or go to work.

no way to get the boy tested in the united states. i am leaning towards staying home.

Can you put the paper down and have the other pick it up and visa versa?
Title: Re: COVID-19
Post by: billy rubin on March 23, 2020, 09:28:57 PM
its the paper itself that is transferred. some of the places i go right now won't sign my bills anymore, which is fine. i just mark them "customer did not sign," and we're good.

if i do go back to work, i'm not going to any frac sites or drilling rigs, they're full of people who can't wash, and the environment is loud, so everybody leans in close and says, "whhat?"

i'll be doing nothing but loading water at the well, which is 100 percent solitary, and delivering to an injection well, which requires me to just hand the paper out the window of the truck for a signature and take it back.

Title: Re: COVID-19
Post by: Tank on March 23, 2020, 09:53:24 PM
Quote from: billy rubin on March 23, 2020, 09:28:57 PM
its the paper itself that is transferred. some of the places i go right now won't sign my bills anymore, which is fine. i just mark them "customer did not sign," and we're good.

if i do go back to work, i'm not going to any frac sites or drilling rigs, they're full of people who can't wash, and the environment is loud, so everybody leans in close and says, "whhat?"

i'll be doing nothing but loading water at the well, which is 100 percent solitary, and delivering to an injection well, which requires me to just hand the paper out the window of the truck for a signature and take it back.

It sounds relatively safe to me.
Title: Re: COVID-19
Post by: xSilverPhinx on March 23, 2020, 11:12:05 PM
Quote from: joeactor on March 23, 2020, 05:08:57 PM
I recorded this parody at Tank's request (so you can blame him ;-) )

http://www.joesdump.com/audio/EffectiveSocialDistancing_JoesDump.mp3

:daddance:

:lol:
Title: Re: COVID-19
Post by: Sandra Craft on March 23, 2020, 11:36:13 PM
Quote from: joeactor on March 23, 2020, 05:08:57 PM
I recorded this parody at Tank's request (so you can blame him ;-) )

http://www.joesdump.com/audio/EffectiveSocialDistancing_JoesDump.mp3

I loveit!  :bender:
Title: Re: COVID-19
Post by: Ecurb Noselrub on March 24, 2020, 01:31:09 AM
My county is now under a shelter-in-place order.  Wanna hear something funny?  All gatherings of over 50 are prohibited, so churches can't meet,  but liquor stores are considered an "essential business"! Some fundamentalist somewhere is going crazy.
Title: Re: COVID-19
Post by: Dark Lightning on March 24, 2020, 03:04:08 AM
:lol: They all drink the cooking sherry when no one is looking, anyway.
Title: Re: COVID-19
Post by: Magdalena on March 24, 2020, 05:17:52 AM
Quote from: Ecurb Noselrub on March 24, 2020, 01:31:09 AM
My county is now under a shelter-in-place order.  Wanna hear something funny?  All gatherings of over 50 are prohibited, so churches can't meet,  but liquor stores are considered an "essential business"! Some fundamentalist somewhere is going crazy.
:notsure:
It's just different spirits.
In the name of the brandy
the whiskey
and the gin or rum.
~Amen.
Title: Re: COVID-19
Post by: Tank on March 24, 2020, 06:51:54 AM
Quote from: Ecurb Noselrub on March 24, 2020, 01:31:09 AM
My county is now under a shelter-in-place order.  Wanna hear something funny?  All gatherings of over 50 are prohibited, so churches can't meet,  but liquor stores are considered an "essential business"! Some fundamentalist somewhere is going crazy.

:rofl: Do liquor stores just sell booze or are they general stores that are licenced to sell booze as well?
Title: Re: COVID-19
Post by: Ecurb Noselrub on March 24, 2020, 09:45:29 AM
Quote from: Tank on March 24, 2020, 06:51:54 AM
Quote from: Ecurb Noselrub on March 24, 2020, 01:31:09 AM
My county is now under a shelter-in-place order.  Wanna hear something funny?  All gatherings of over 50 are prohibited, so churches can't meet,  but liquor stores are considered an "essential business"! Some fundamentalist somewhere is going crazy.

:rofl: Do liquor stores just sell booze or are they general stores that are licenced to sell booze as well?

Only liquor stores sell liquor, but you can buy beer and wine in other stores.

Actually, the order prohibits gatherings of 10 or more.  Austin is issuing one today, so basically our society is shut down from Dallas to Austin, a 200 mile swath down the center of Texas.  All larger cities are moving in this direction.
Title: Re: COVID-19
Post by: Ecurb Noselrub on March 24, 2020, 10:03:47 AM
Walmart is opening at 6 this morning for seniors, so we can get toilet paper, etc., before others get it.  So I'm here at 4:50, and there are 2 people in line.  I figure I can out run them or run over them to get to the paper goods.🤣

Wisdom for the day: the reason we have a toilet paper shortage is because of assholes.
Title: Re: COVID-19
Post by: billy rubin on March 24, 2020, 12:15:06 PM
when i lived in midland county, andrews to the north was completely dry. if you wanted beer there you had to drive to where i lived.

really you just had to get to the county line, because there was always a liquor store just over.
Title: Re: COVID-19
Post by: Ecurb Noselrub on March 24, 2020, 12:17:28 PM
Quote from: billy rubin on March 24, 2020, 12:15:06 PM
when i lived in midland county, andrews to the north was completely dry. if you wanted beer there you had to drive to where i lived.

really you just had to get to the county line, because there was always a liquor store just over.

There are still dry counties in the Texas panhandle.
Title: Re: COVID-19
Post by: billy rubin on March 24, 2020, 02:07:06 PM
i didn't knw that.

when i wen to school in oklahoma, you coudn't buy liquor by thedrink. you took your bottle from th liquor store to the bar and gave it to the bartender, who wrote your name on a piece of masking tape, stuck it to the bottle and put it ona shelf.

then you could pay him all evening to pour you a drink from your bottle, until you went home.

couldnt take it with you, because you couldnt carry an open container in the car, so it had to stay behind until next time.
Title: Re: COVID-19
Post by: Ecurb Noselrub on March 27, 2020, 12:15:59 PM
Right now I'm in line at the grocery store for an 8:00 opening.  I got here at 7:00 and there about 30 in front of me.  Some got here at 5:30 (hope they can hold their coffee!).  Supposedly, the first 100 have a shot at getting toilet paper and paper towels. 

There are still people (mainly 30 somethings) saying this is overblown.  Older folks (hey Boomer!) are wisely saying we are all susceptible.  Youth is wasted on the young. 
Title: Re: COVID-19
Post by: billy rubin on March 27, 2020, 01:21:31 PM
my teenagers told me that this epidemic is known among them az tbe Boomer Doomer
Title: Re: COVID-19
Post by: Tank on March 27, 2020, 01:26:14 PM
Quote from: billy rubin on March 27, 2020, 01:21:31 PM
my teenagers told me that this epidemic is known among them az tbe Boomer Doomer

:rofl:
Title: Re: COVID-19
Post by: Buddy on March 27, 2020, 03:43:46 PM
Quote from: billy rubin on March 27, 2020, 01:21:31 PM
my teenagers told me that this epidemic is known among them az tbe Boomer Doomer

That is so fucked up.  :rofl:
Title: Re: COVID-19
Post by: billy rubin on March 27, 2020, 04:46:51 PM
teenagers are honest about their own points of view anyway
Title: Re: COVID-19
Post by: hermes2015 on March 27, 2020, 05:01:42 PM
The country is under lockdown, so this is what some normally very congested roads looked like around our ghost town today.

(https://i.imgur.com/FQGMGaY.jpg)

(https://i.imgur.com/bfPEEpj.jpg)

(https://i.imgur.com/NHaQQrc.jpg)

(https://i.imgur.com/9WH6mpP.jpg)

(https://i.imgur.com/yeVUEEn.jpg)

(https://i.imgur.com/49CL3E1.jpg)

(https://i.imgur.com/XXy0BQC.jpg)

(https://i.imgur.com/03LVrz7.jpg)
Title: Re: COVID-19
Post by: Icarus on March 28, 2020, 12:38:52 AM
 a report about an analytical satellite revealed that certain areas of the world, the ones with  less traffic and human activity, were exhibiting far lower  nitrous oxides and other atmospheric nasties than were present just a few days prior.

Title: Re: COVID-19
Post by: Sandra Craft on March 28, 2020, 02:08:53 AM
Just a little something so we can laugh thru our tears:

Title: Re: COVID-19
Post by: Dark Lightning on March 28, 2020, 02:47:12 AM
One of my sons works at an "essential" big box hardware store and came home sick as a dog less than half way through his work day. I really hope he does't have the coronavirus, since I'm 67 YO and in the higher death-rate demographic.  >:(
Title: Re: COVID-19
Post by: Tank on March 28, 2020, 07:44:39 AM
Quote from: Dark Lightning on March 28, 2020, 02:47:12 AM
One of my sons works at an "essential" big box hardware store and came home sick as a dog less than half way through his work day. I really hope he does't have the coronavirus, since I'm 67 YO and in the higher death-rate demographic.  >:(

Keep us posted.
Title: Re: COVID-19
Post by: xSilverPhinx on March 28, 2020, 02:12:59 PM
Quote from: billy rubin on March 27, 2020, 01:21:31 PM
my teenagers told me that this epidemic is known among them az tbe Boomer Doomer

:lol: That is so evil!
Title: Re: COVID-19
Post by: xSilverPhinx on March 28, 2020, 02:13:39 PM
Quote from: Dark Lightning on March 28, 2020, 02:47:12 AM
One of my sons works at an "essential" big box hardware store and came home sick as a dog less than half way through his work day. I really hope he does't have the coronavirus, since I'm 67 YO and in the higher death-rate demographic.  >:(

Yes, keep us posted!
Title: Re: COVID-19
Post by: xSilverPhinx on March 28, 2020, 02:29:05 PM
A thought just occurred to me...if COVID-19 can cause inflammation in the lungs which then leads to decreased oxygen-carbon dioxide exchange then if someone has a biological tendency for inflammation, does that also put them in the high-risk group?

I haven't seen anything related to chronic inflammatory diseases outside the lungs and coronavirus yet. 

My mother, for instance. She doesn't suffer from chronic diseases such as diabetes or hypertension, and she isn't 60 years old yet (though almost there, she'll be 59 this year) but she does feel pain in her joints and frequently has to take anti-inflammatory shots for the pain. I don't know if there is a link between inflammation in general and a higher probability of having more severe symptoms if infected with COVID-19.  :-\   
Title: Re: COVID-19
Post by: jumbojak on March 28, 2020, 03:50:28 PM
I found this very interesting. It's long but worth a watch.


https://youtu.be/vInjzOXssRw
Title: Re: COVID-19
Post by: Magdalena on March 28, 2020, 08:02:24 PM
Quote from: Sandra Craft on March 28, 2020, 02:08:53 AM
Just a little something so we can laugh thru our tears:


"Punishment for the Gay sex, Food Stamp Parties we've been throwing."  :lol:
Title: Re: COVID-19
Post by: Magdalena on March 28, 2020, 08:41:14 PM
Quote from: xSilverPhinx on March 28, 2020, 02:13:39 PM
Quote from: Dark Lightning on March 28, 2020, 02:47:12 AM
One of my sons works at an "essential" big box hardware store and came home sick as a dog less than half way through his work day. I really hope he does't have the coronavirus, since I'm 67 YO and in the higher death-rate demographic.  >:(

Yes, keep us posted!
:this:

I hope it's not the virus.
Keeping my fingers crossed.

~I wish there was more I could do and say, but what else can we do?  :sad sigh:
Title: Re: COVID-19
Post by: Tank on March 29, 2020, 09:46:46 AM
Quote from: Magdalena on March 28, 2020, 08:41:14 PM
Quote from: xSilverPhinx on March 28, 2020, 02:13:39 PM
Quote from: Dark Lightning on March 28, 2020, 02:47:12 AM
One of my sons works at an "essential" big box hardware store and came home sick as a dog less than half way through his work day. I really hope he does't have the coronavirus, since I'm 67 YO and in the higher death-rate demographic.  >:(

Yes, keep us posted!
:this:

I hope it's not the virus.
Keeping my fingers crossed.

~I wish there was more I could do and say, but what else can we do?  :sad sigh:

That's the downside of places like this. We form relationships and when things like this happen there is next to nothing we can do.  >:(
Sending thoughts and prayers  ;D
Title: Re: COVID-19
Post by: Magdalena on March 29, 2020, 07:32:10 PM
Quote from: Tank on March 29, 2020, 09:46:46 AM
Quote from: Magdalena on March 28, 2020, 08:41:14 PM
Quote from: xSilverPhinx on March 28, 2020, 02:13:39 PM
Quote from: Dark Lightning on March 28, 2020, 02:47:12 AM
One of my sons works at an "essential" big box hardware store and came home sick as a dog less than half way through his work day. I really hope he does't have the coronavirus, since I'm 67 YO and in the higher death-rate demographic.  >:(

Yes, keep us posted!
:this:

I hope it's not the virus.
Keeping my fingers crossed.

~I wish there was more I could do and say, but what else can we do?  :sad sigh:

That's the downside of places like this. We form relationships and when things like this happen there is next to nothing we can do.  >:(
True.  :felix:

Quote from: Tank on March 29, 2020, 09:46:46 AM
Sending thoughts and prayers  ;D
A whole truck!
With a ramp, to make unloading them easier.  ;D
Title: Re: COVID-19
Post by: Recusant on March 30, 2020, 04:37:27 AM
Quote from: Dark Lightning on March 28, 2020, 02:47:12 AM
One of my sons works at an "essential" big box hardware store and came home sick as a dog less than half way through his work day. I really hope he does't have the coronavirus, since I'm 67 YO and in the higher death-rate demographic.  >:(

Take care, man.  Here's hoping it's some other bug, and you don't catch it anyway.
Title: Re: COVID-19
Post by: hermes2015 on March 30, 2020, 04:49:04 AM
Let me add my good wishes as well. I hope you guys are OK.
Title: Re: COVID-19
Post by: Dark Lightning on March 30, 2020, 04:56:44 AM
Thanks for the well wishes, folks!  ;D It would appear that he's mostly over it, and no one else in the house is showing symptoms. It would appear to be a short-lived bug of some sort.  8) Scary times we live in.
Title: Re: COVID-19
Post by: Tank on March 31, 2020, 08:40:37 AM
Now that the police have the power to break up groups...

Could they please start with Nickelback ?
Title: Re: COVID-19
Post by: joeactor on March 31, 2020, 02:21:30 PM
Quote from: Tank on March 31, 2020, 08:40:37 AM
Now that the police have the power to break up groups...

Could they please start with Nickelback ?

;D ;D ;D
Title: Re: COVID-19
Post by: billy rubin on March 31, 2020, 04:55:17 PM
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6GBw2897sOM
Title: Re: COVID-19
Post by: billy rubin on March 31, 2020, 05:14:04 PM
(https://i.imgflip.com/3uoxt7.jpg) (https://imgflip.com/i/3uoxt7)
Title: Re: COVID-19
Post by: xSilverPhinx on March 31, 2020, 11:41:08 PM
Quote from: Tank on March 31, 2020, 08:40:37 AM
Now that the police have the power to break up groups...

Could they please start with Nickelback ?

:lol:
Title: Re: COVID-19
Post by: No one on April 01, 2020, 08:43:19 AM
I was in the supermarket and overheard someone wishing trump would get covid-19, and I thought what a terrible thing to happen to that virus.
Title: Re: COVID-19
Post by: xSilverPhinx on April 01, 2020, 03:06:50 PM
Quote from: No one on April 01, 2020, 08:43:19 AM
I was in the supermarket and overheard someone wishing trump would get covid-19, and I thought what a terrible thing to happen to that virus.

Yeah, apparently the virus is really grossed out by some people. It hasn't infected certain politicians, for example ::)
Title: Re: COVID-19
Post by: xSilverPhinx on April 02, 2020, 09:22:07 PM
So...the Brazilian Minister of Health has just signed a decree summoning professionals who can somehow aid in the fight against coronavirus. It's mandatory for some, but as I understood (or misunderstood) it, I don't need to register even though some of my colleagues will have to.

I'm not sure though. I'm lost.  :no idea:

I'm assuming even if I'm not part of the first wave of this 'army' they're putting together, eventually I might be summoned later. I've tried accessing a few government sites but they're down or really slow to open, probably due to the heavy traffic. I guess I'll have to wait to try and gather more information.  :-\
Title: Re: COVID-19
Post by: Dark Lightning on April 03, 2020, 12:18:44 AM
Something like 50k retired medical professionals in California answered the governor's request or volunteered beforehand to step in and help with the Covid-19 situation.  :thumbsup:

On another note, I woke up at 2 AM with an elevated temperature and a super painful sore throat. :panic: The fever was down within a few hours and the sore throat pain has diminished. It appears to be the same ailment that my son came down with last week, and he's still kicking. If it gets worse, I'll go to the doctor. Doesn't seem to be doing that, though. Gotta go gargle some more hydrogen peroxide and show those little shit viruses who's boss around here. Probably ought to go to get a test culture taken, because if it is indeed C-19, the store where my son works has it running rampant.
Title: Re: COVID-19
Post by: xSilverPhinx on April 03, 2020, 12:24:14 AM
Quote from: Dark Lightning on April 03, 2020, 12:18:44 AM
Gotta go gargle some more hydrogen peroxide and show those little shit viruses who's boss around here.

Oh DL, don't gargle that stuff! It's extremely carcinogenic. 

ETA: Seriously, that stuff can damage the DNA in your cells via oxidative stress and lead to mutations. Also, if it's a viral infection, they're mostly inside your cells and not outside as all viruses need living cells in order to reproduce. Gargling with the proper stuff will probably reduce inflammation and pain but will have limited effect in actually killing the viruses. But the proper stuff won't potentially damage your throat in the process.  :-\
Title: Re: COVID-19
Post by: Bluenose on April 03, 2020, 02:26:52 AM
Quote from: Dark Lightning on April 03, 2020, 12:18:44 AM
Something like 50k retired medical professionals in California answered the governor's request or volunteered beforehand to step in and help with the Covid-19 situation.  :thumbsup:

On another note, I woke up at 2 AM with an elevated temperature and a super painful sore throat. :panic: The fever was down within a few hours and the sore throat pain has diminished. It appears to be the same ailment that my son came down with last week, and he's still kicking. If it gets worse, I'll go to the doctor. Doesn't seem to be doing that, though. Gotta go gargle some more hydrogen peroxide and show those little shit viruses who's boss around here. Probably ought to go to get a test culture taken, because if it is indeed C-19, the store where my son works has it running rampant.

I had a sore throat a couple of weeks ago.  I usually gargle some mouth wash for that, but I don't have any atm.  So I poured a dram of a fine single malt and let it run slowly down the back of my tongue and throat.  Did the trick a treat!
Title: Re: COVID-19
Post by: Recusant on April 03, 2020, 04:13:39 AM
 :lol: That's the spirit! Well done.

Of course we shouldn't forget OldGit's universal remedy: Hot whisky and lemon.  :sidesmile:
Title: Re: COVID-19
Post by: Tank on April 03, 2020, 06:20:13 AM
Hope it's not CV-19 but if it is 'may the odd forever be in your favour'.  :D
Title: Re: COVID-19
Post by: Bluenose on April 03, 2020, 07:37:54 AM
Quote from: Recusant on April 03, 2020, 04:13:39 AM
:lol: That's the spirit! Well done.

Of course we shouldn't forget OldGit's universal remedy: Hot whisky and lemon.  :sidesmile:

I add some honey to that, very effective if your head is all stuffed up, I just had a sore throat, the whisky fixed it!




Quote from: Tank on April 03, 2020, 06:20:13 AM
Hope it's not CV-19 but if it is 'may the odd forever be in your favour'.  :D

I'm good, I'm being continuously checked out three times a week when I go for dialysis.  As for the odds, I still haven't won the Lotto, although I suppose my odds would be (marginally) better if I bought a ticket now and then... ::)
Title: Re: COVID-19
Post by: Dark Lightning on April 03, 2020, 03:11:17 PM
Quote from: xSilverPhinx on April 03, 2020, 12:24:14 AM
Quote from: Dark Lightning on April 03, 2020, 12:18:44 AM
Gotta go gargle some more hydrogen peroxide and show those little shit viruses who's boss around here.

Oh DL, don't gargle that stuff! It's extremely carcinogenic. 

ETA: Seriously, that stuff can damage the DNA in your cells via oxidative stress and lead to mutations. Also, if it's a viral infection, they're mostly inside your cells and not outside as all viruses need living cells in order to reproduce. Gargling with the proper stuff will probably reduce inflammation and pain but will have limited effect in actually killing the viruses. But the proper stuff won't potentially damage your throat in the process.  :-\

Oy. Thanks for that information! I'll quit using it. :smilenod:
Title: Re: COVID-19
Post by: Ecurb Noselrub on April 03, 2020, 08:48:49 PM
Quote from: xSilverPhinx on April 01, 2020, 03:06:50 PM
Quote from: No one on April 01, 2020, 08:43:19 AM
I was in the supermarket and overheard someone wishing trump would get covid-19, and I thought what a terrible thing to happen to that virus.

Yeah, apparently the virus is really grossed out by some people. It hasn't infected certain politicians, for example ::)

Trump is even toxic to the toxins.
Title: Re: COVID-19
Post by: Ecurb Noselrub on April 03, 2020, 10:10:29 PM
Well, everyone can breathe easy now - Jared Kushner is in charge of the White House response to Covid-19.  He will probably build a Kushner Tower Hospital in Manhattan and make millions.
Title: Re: COVID-19
Post by: Recusant on April 04, 2020, 04:06:08 AM
Probably at least some of you have already seen this, but I just came across it today.



Title: Re: COVID-19
Post by: Tank on April 04, 2020, 04:45:53 AM
America becomes the first country to officially have over 1,000 people die from coronavirus in one day.  :'(

This may have been exceeded by China if they have been covering up their death toll as some claim. There may also be issues with recording cause of death or even knowing that CV-19 is the root cause of the pneumonia that causes the death.
Title: Re: COVID-19
Post by: joeactor on April 05, 2020, 01:36:15 AM
Quote from: Recusant on April 04, 2020, 04:06:08 AM
Probably at least some of you have already seen this, but I just came across it today.



Ahhh... David Letterman / Santa Claus!
Title: Re: COVID-19
Post by: Davin on April 06, 2020, 06:28:44 PM
I just got back from helping move my GF's parents here, about 1730 miles of driving one way. There are some good reasons we could not wait to move them. The drive out in a car wasn't too bad, we switched drivers to let the other sleep got there in 25 hours. The drive back in the moving van was much worse, but we managed to make it in 27 hours. Traffic was very light. Gas prices in most places were less than $2/gallon. One place was $0.99/gallon. Now we get to stay home in lock down for at least a month.
Title: Re: COVID-19
Post by: Tank on April 06, 2020, 06:30:11 PM
Quote from: Davin on April 06, 2020, 06:28:44 PM
I just got back from helping move my GF's parents here, about 1730 miles of driving one way. There are some good reasons we could not wait to move them. The drive out in a car wasn't too bad, we switched drivers to let the other sleep got there in 25 hours. The drive back in the moving van was much worse, but we managed to make it in 27 hours. Traffic was very light. Gas prices in most places were less than $2/gallon. One place was $0.99/gallon. Now we get to stay home in lock down for at least a month.

Good to hear you are back safe and sound.
Title: Re: COVID-19
Post by: xSilverPhinx on April 06, 2020, 06:35:21 PM
Quote from: Davin on April 06, 2020, 06:28:44 PM
I just got back from helping move my GF's parents here, about 1730 miles of driving one way. There are some good reasons we could not wait to move them. The drive out in a car wasn't too bad, we switched drivers to let the other sleep got there in 25 hours. The drive back in the moving van was much worse, but we managed to make it in 27 hours. Traffic was very light. Gas prices in most places were less than $2/gallon. One place was $0.99/gallon. Now we get to stay home in lock down for at least a month.

Hi Davin, welcome back! :computerwave:

Damn, that's a lot of driving! Are domestic flights getting cancelled in the US as well?

(Though, driving is probably way safer these days than sitting with a bunch of people inside a plane).
Title: Re: COVID-19
Post by: Davin on April 06, 2020, 07:18:57 PM
Quote from: xSilverPhinx on April 06, 2020, 06:35:21 PM
Quote from: Davin on April 06, 2020, 06:28:44 PM
I just got back from helping move my GF's parents here, about 1730 miles of driving one way. There are some good reasons we could not wait to move them. The drive out in a car wasn't too bad, we switched drivers to let the other sleep got there in 25 hours. The drive back in the moving van was much worse, but we managed to make it in 27 hours. Traffic was very light. Gas prices in most places were less than $2/gallon. One place was $0.99/gallon. Now we get to stay home in lock down for at least a month.

Hi Davin, welcome back! :computerwave:

Damn, that's a lot of driving! Are domestic flights getting cancelled in the US as well?

(Though, driving is probably way safer these days than sitting with a bunch of people inside a plane).
We booked a flight in February when we planned the whole thing. The flight was cancelled the day before. They offered another but could not guaranty that the connecting flights would not be cancelled. That and it seemed unsafe to sit in a plane packed with people who could spread the virus and/or I could spread the virus to if I was infected. So because we didn't want to be stranded and didn't want to get or possibly spread the virus, we decided to rent a car and drive it out then drop it off. We had masks, gloves, wipes, and hand sanitizer, we tried to be as safe as we could for ourselves and others.

So many people just didn't give any fucks. I'm not too worried about myself, but if I have it, I do not want to transmit it to anyone else. And I won't know I have it until up to two weeks after I can spread it.
Title: Re: COVID-19
Post by: Davin on April 06, 2020, 07:19:31 PM
Quote from: Tank on April 06, 2020, 06:30:11 PM
Quote from: Davin on April 06, 2020, 06:28:44 PM
I just got back from helping move my GF's parents here, about 1730 miles of driving one way. There are some good reasons we could not wait to move them. The drive out in a car wasn't too bad, we switched drivers to let the other sleep got there in 25 hours. The drive back in the moving van was much worse, but we managed to make it in 27 hours. Traffic was very light. Gas prices in most places were less than $2/gallon. One place was $0.99/gallon. Now we get to stay home in lock down for at least a month.

Good to hear you are back safe and sound.
I guess I'll know in about two weeks if I got it or not.
Title: Re: COVID-19
Post by: Recusant on April 06, 2020, 07:29:59 PM
That's an epic journey. Congratulations on successfully completing the there and back again in one piece, and fulfilling the mission. Good to see you here again.  :)
Title: Re: COVID-19
Post by: Davin on April 06, 2020, 09:15:44 PM
It felt epic. Also, we're not entirely done, now we need to help them buy a house. But there are a lot more people out here to help make that easier.
Title: Re: COVID-19
Post by: Sandra Craft on April 07, 2020, 05:19:56 AM
Quote from: Davin on April 06, 2020, 06:28:44 PM
I just got back from helping move my GF's parents here, about 1730 miles of driving one way. There are some good reasons we could not wait to move them. The drive out in a car wasn't too bad, we switched drivers to let the other sleep got there in 25 hours. The drive back in the moving van was much worse, but we managed to make it in 27 hours. Traffic was very light. Gas prices in most places were less than $2/gallon. One place was $0.99/gallon. Now we get to stay home in lock down for at least a month.

:o  Way to get to know someone really, really well.  Glad you've got that done, fingers crossed for one month from now.
Title: Re: COVID-19
Post by: Magdalena on April 07, 2020, 08:01:33 AM
Quote from: Davin on April 06, 2020, 06:28:44 PM
I just got back from helping move my GF's parents here, about 1730 miles of driving one way. There are some good reasons we could not wait to move them. The drive out in a car wasn't too bad, we switched drivers to let the other sleep got there in 25 hours. The drive back in the moving van was much worse, but we managed to make it in 27 hours. Traffic was very light. Gas prices in most places were less than $2/gallon. One place was $0.99/gallon. Now we get to stay home in lock down for at least a month.
There you are!  :computerwave:

I was wondering where you were. Good to see you here again.
Title: Re: COVID-19
Post by: Ecurb Noselrub on April 07, 2020, 12:54:50 PM
Quote from: Davin on April 06, 2020, 06:28:44 PM
I just got back from helping move my GF's parents here, about 1730 miles of driving one way. There are some good reasons we could not wait to move them. The drive out in a car wasn't too bad, we switched drivers to let the other sleep got there in 25 hours. The drive back in the moving van was much worse, but we managed to make it in 27 hours. Traffic was very light. Gas prices in most places were less than $2/gallon. One place was $0.99/gallon. Now we get to stay home in lock down for at least a month.

Road trips interest me, and this makes me want to take a long drive.  Without revealing any unnecessary info, what part of the country did you cover?
Title: Re: COVID-19
Post by: Davin on April 07, 2020, 03:16:00 PM
Quote from: Sandra Craft on April 07, 2020, 05:19:56 AM
Quote from: Davin on April 06, 2020, 06:28:44 PM
I just got back from helping move my GF's parents here, about 1730 miles of driving one way. There are some good reasons we could not wait to move them. The drive out in a car wasn't too bad, we switched drivers to let the other sleep got there in 25 hours. The drive back in the moving van was much worse, but we managed to make it in 27 hours. Traffic was very light. Gas prices in most places were less than $2/gallon. One place was $0.99/gallon. Now we get to stay home in lock down for at least a month.

:o  Way to get to know someone really, really well.  Glad you've got that done, fingers crossed for one month from now.

She's not liking the being cooped up part of it (we've been working from home for three weeks together), she always wants to go out for any reason at all. I get it, I wouldn't want to be trapped with me either.

Quote from: Magdalena on April 07, 2020, 08:01:33 AM
There you are!  :computerwave:

I was wondering where you were. Good to see you here again.
It's good to be back, looks like we picked up a short term member.

Quote from: Ecurb Noselrub on April 07, 2020, 12:54:50 PM
Road trips interest me, and this makes me want to take a long drive.  Without revealing any unnecessary info, what part of the country did you cover?

AZ -> NM -> TX -> OK -> AR -> TN and then back again. Half of it was at night so we couldn't see much during that time. When we could see, there were some good sights.
Title: Re: COVID-19
Post by: Magdalena on April 07, 2020, 05:34:42 PM
Quote from: Davin on April 07, 2020, 03:16:00 PM

Quote from: Magdalena on April 07, 2020, 08:01:33 AM
There you are!  :computerwave:

I was wondering where you were. Good to see you here again.
It's good to be back, looks like we picked up a short term member.

Who?
Are you talking about the gun-loving Christian? I have blocked him, I don't want to hear anything he has to say.

:levitate:
Title: Re: COVID-19
Post by: Davin on April 07, 2020, 08:50:05 PM
Quote from: Magdalena on April 07, 2020, 05:34:42 PM
Quote from: Davin on April 07, 2020, 03:16:00 PM

Quote from: Magdalena on April 07, 2020, 08:01:33 AM
There you are!  :computerwave:

I was wondering where you were. Good to see you here again.
It's good to be back, looks like we picked up a short term member.

Who?
Are you talking about the gun-loving Christian? I have blocked him, I don't want to hear anything he has to say.

:levitate:
Good strategy for a stress-free life. I'm not there yet but I don't imagine it will take much longer for me to start ignoring.
Title: Re: COVID-19
Post by: Magdalena on April 07, 2020, 09:36:37 PM
Quote from: Davin on April 07, 2020, 08:50:05 PM
Quote from: Magdalena on April 07, 2020, 05:34:42 PM
Quote from: Davin on April 07, 2020, 03:16:00 PM

Quote from: Magdalena on April 07, 2020, 08:01:33 AM
There you are!  :computerwave:

I was wondering where you were. Good to see you here again.
It's good to be back, looks like we picked up a short term member.

Who?
Are you talking about the gun-loving Christian? I have blocked him, I don't want to hear anything he has to say.

:levitate:
Good strategy for a stress-free life. I'm not there yet but I don't imagine it will take much longer for me to start ignoring.

I actually welcomed him and immediately said, goodbye.

I was like, ...!? A Jesus worshiping person who's first post is, "Guns anyone?"
(https://media0.giphy.com/media/TSfvxJB1OGRIk/giphy.gif)
Title: Re: COVID-19
Post by: Davin on April 08, 2020, 03:20:35 PM
Quote from: Magdalena on April 07, 2020, 09:36:37 PM
Quote from: Davin on April 07, 2020, 08:50:05 PM
Quote from: Magdalena on April 07, 2020, 05:34:42 PM
Quote from: Davin on April 07, 2020, 03:16:00 PM

Quote from: Magdalena on April 07, 2020, 08:01:33 AM
There you are!  :computerwave:

I was wondering where you were. Good to see you here again.
It's good to be back, looks like we picked up a short term member.

Who?
Are you talking about the gun-loving Christian? I have blocked him, I don't want to hear anything he has to say.

:levitate:
Good strategy for a stress-free life. I'm not there yet but I don't imagine it will take much longer for me to start ignoring.

I actually welcomed him and immediately said, goodbye.

I was like, ...!? A Jesus worshiping person who's first post is, "Guns anyone?"
(https://media0.giphy.com/media/TSfvxJB1OGRIk/giphy.gif)
Seems like they also have a few more issues.
Title: Re: COVID-19
Post by: Davin on April 08, 2020, 03:56:55 PM
https://nypost.com/2020/04/07/pastor-who-criticized-coronavirus-mass-hysteria-dies-from-illness/?utm_source=reddit.com
Quote
A Virginia pastor who criticized the %u201Cmass hysteria%u201D surrounding the coronavirus pandemic has died of the illness, according to new reports.

[...]

The meme decried the public reaction to the pandemic as %u201Cmass hysteria%u201D and suggested the media was using the outbreak to hurt President Trump.

In the comments, the pastor said he believes the coronavirus %u201Cis a real issue, but I believe the media is pumping out fear and doing more harm than good.%u201D

[...]

But Spradlin%u2019s son Landon Isaac, 32, told the outlet his father %u201Cdidn%u2019t think it was a hoax, he knew it was a real virus.%u201D

%u201CBut he did put up that post because he was frustrated that the media was propagating fear as the main mode of communication,%u201D he said.
I don't wish death on anyone, but his death was a direct result of science denial. Denying reality is dangerous. And think about all the people he infected. It's like the guy Mags met in the grocery store.
Title: Re: COVID-19
Post by: Ecurb Noselrub on April 09, 2020, 12:18:24 AM
Quote from: Davin on April 07, 2020, 03:16:00 PM


AZ -> NM -> TX -> OK -> AR -> TN and then back again. Half of it was at night so we couldn't see much during that time. When we could see, there were some good sights.

Sounds like you were on I-40 for a while, following the old Route 66 for a good distance.  A classic drive.
Title: Re: COVID-19
Post by: Sandra Craft on April 09, 2020, 07:19:34 AM
I thought this was interesting, particularly since if true it means I've already had Covid-19.  Still wearing a face mask outside, even tho the one I hand-stitched makes me look like I have a diaper on my face.

Your December cough could have been Covid-19 (https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/factcheck/2020/03/26/coronavirus-fact-check-could-your-december-cough-have-been-covid-19/2899027001/?fbclid=IwAR0L11zMK_79xo1aMKW_8MPquRyZYhAqo3o2DB3Ux2-6rHmA7Ppm_m6Tyys)
Title: Re: COVID-19
Post by: Davin on April 09, 2020, 02:50:49 PM
Quote from: Ecurb Noselrub on April 09, 2020, 12:18:24 AM
Quote from: Davin on April 07, 2020, 03:16:00 PM


AZ -> NM -> TX -> OK -> AR -> TN and then back again. Half of it was at night so we couldn't see much during that time. When we could see, there were some good sights.

Sounds like you were on I-40 for a while, following the old Route 66 for a good distance.  A classic drive.
Yeah, the I-40 for almost the whole trip. I imagine the drive was better normal because there was hardly any traffic.
Title: Re: COVID-19
Post by: Davin on April 09, 2020, 02:54:23 PM
Quote from: Sandra Craft on April 09, 2020, 07:19:34 AM
I thought this was interesting, particularly since if true it means I've already had Covid-19.  Still wearing a face mask outside, even tho the one I hand-stitched makes me look like I have a diaper on my face.

Your December cough could have been Covid-19 (https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/factcheck/2020/03/26/coronavirus-fact-check-could-your-december-cough-have-been-covid-19/2899027001/?fbclid=IwAR0L11zMK_79xo1aMKW_8MPquRyZYhAqo3o2DB3Ux2-6rHmA7Ppm_m6Tyys)
I got really sick in December. Even with a flu shot, but those are not 100% so maybe or maybe not. I still wear a mask and act like I might currently have it.
Title: Re: COVID-19
Post by: xSilverPhinx on April 09, 2020, 03:39:30 PM
I'm worried because winter is still coming to southern Brazil. It doesn't get too cold (compared to some places up north far from the equator) but it gets cold enough for the incidence of flu-like respiratory illnesses to spike. The new coronavirus is probably not any different and will probably peak in June or July down here.

A COVID-19 vaccine will take longer than that (probably only in 2021). Other effective antiviral drugs and therapies are likely to come before the vaccine. Because of the time it takes to develop these, I'm guessing down here we will either have a very long first wave or a definite second wave coming. Looks like we're in it for the long haul. :sad sigh: 

This year is lost. 
Title: Re: COVID-19
Post by: Dark Lightning on April 09, 2020, 04:28:59 PM
Quote from: Sandra Craft on April 09, 2020, 07:19:34 AM
I thought this was interesting, particularly since if true it means I've already had Covid-19.  Still wearing a face mask outside, even tho the one I hand-stitched makes me look like I have a diaper on my face.

Your December cough could have been Covid-19 (https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/factcheck/2020/03/26/coronavirus-fact-check-could-your-december-cough-have-been-covid-19/2899027001/?fbclid=IwAR0L11zMK_79xo1aMKW_8MPquRyZYhAqo3o2DB3Ux2-6rHmA7Ppm_m6Tyys)

I read that! My wife and I both suspect that we may have had it last December as well, based on the symptoms. I'd be ecstatic if that were the case, considering that we lived through it. The caveat would be that maybe what is sweeping through now is a more virulent mutant of that strain.  :???: I'm going to be extremely careful until we find out for certain.
Title: Re: COVID-19
Post by: hermes2015 on April 09, 2020, 08:35:12 PM
It has just been announced that our country-wide lockdown has been increased by two weeks from the initial 3, and will now be in effect until the end of April. The Latest figures show that out of a population of about 55 million, we have had 1934 cases, 45 recoveries, and 18 deaths.
Title: Re: COVID-19
Post by: xSilverPhinx on April 09, 2020, 09:10:37 PM
Quote from: hermes2015 on April 09, 2020, 08:35:12 PM
It has just been announced that our country-wide lockdown has been increased by two weeks from the initial 3, and will now be in effect until the end of April. The Latest figures show that out of a population of about 55 million, we have had 1934 cases, 45 recoveries, and 18 deaths.

South Africa seems to be in better shape so far compared to Brazil (probably because of an overall younger population?). Of a total population of a little over 211 million people, they're saying we have about 16,000 confirmed cases and 800 confirmed deaths (as of yesterday).

I don't believe these numbers because these are confirmed cases, that is, those that tested positive for COVID-19.  The Brazilian healthcare system isn't testing as much as other countries such as the US. I'd bet the real number of deaths is at least twice that.

Title: Re: COVID-19
Post by: billy rubin on April 09, 2020, 09:15:53 PM
my masks aren't fire retardant like the rest of the shit i wear.  all my clothing has to be FR on the outer layer.

(https://i.imgur.com/BwHgfFgl.jpg)

but in reality, if a welll blows, all that FR clothing will do is keep my ashes in one place so that they can be poured into a box easier.
Title: Re: COVID-19
Post by: No one on April 09, 2020, 09:35:25 PM
(https://cdn.iwastesomuchtime.com/e866b4f5-7c5d-4c82-ae65-9b9cfe2b65b1.jpg)
Title: Re: COVID-19
Post by: xSilverPhinx on April 09, 2020, 09:51:34 PM
Quote from: billy rubin on April 09, 2020, 09:15:53 PM
my masks aren't fire retardant like the rest of the shit i wear.  all my clothing has to be FR on the outer layer.

(https://i.imgur.com/BwHgfFgl.jpg)

but in reality, if a welll blows, all that FR clothing will do is keep my ashes in one place so that they can be poured into a box easier.

How do the fire breathers feel about a non FR face mask?  ;D
Title: Re: COVID-19
Post by: billy rubin on April 09, 2020, 10:18:47 PM
dunno

my lovely wife is making me another out if fabric printed in imagez of insectz

film at 11
Title: Re: COVID-19
Post by: Tank on April 09, 2020, 10:29:19 PM
I have taken the plunge and bought a sewing machine. Will be taking orders from the 21st of April :D
Title: Re: COVID-19
Post by: No one on April 09, 2020, 10:33:01 PM
I don't need a mask, I have my essential oils.
Title: Re: COVID-19
Post by: Tank on April 09, 2020, 10:37:09 PM
Quote from: No one on April 09, 2020, 10:33:01 PM
I don't need a mask, I have my essential oils.

Ah! But if you put the essential oils on the mask they would be 387% more effective!
Title: Re: COVID-19
Post by: Davin on April 09, 2020, 10:40:54 PM
Quote from: Tank on April 09, 2020, 10:37:09 PM
Quote from: No one on April 09, 2020, 10:33:01 PM
I don't need a mask, I have my essential oils.

Ah! But if you put the essential oils on the mask they would be 387% more effective!
Don't you have to dilute them first?
Title: Re: COVID-19
Post by: Tank on April 09, 2020, 10:44:11 PM
Quote from: Davin on April 09, 2020, 10:40:54 PM
Quote from: Tank on April 09, 2020, 10:37:09 PM
Quote from: No one on April 09, 2020, 10:33:01 PM
I don't need a mask, I have my essential oils.

Ah! But if you put the essential oils on the mask they would be 387% more effective!
Don't you have to dilute them first?

How do you dilute a mask?
Title: Re: COVID-19
Post by: Davin on April 09, 2020, 10:46:11 PM
Quote from: Tank on April 09, 2020, 10:44:11 PM
Quote from: Davin on April 09, 2020, 10:40:54 PM
Quote from: Tank on April 09, 2020, 10:37:09 PM
Quote from: No one on April 09, 2020, 10:33:01 PM
I don't need a mask, I have my essential oils.

Ah! But if you put the essential oils on the mask they would be 387% more effective!
Don't you have to dilute them first?

How do you dilute a mask?
I think put a scrap in a gallon of water. then take a drop of that and put it into a new gallon of water. Then drink it and you won't have to wear a mask any more.
Title: Re: COVID-19
Post by: No one on April 09, 2020, 10:47:16 PM
With WD-40 of course.
Title: Re: COVID-19
Post by: Sandra Craft on April 10, 2020, 01:40:46 AM
Quote from: billy rubin on April 09, 2020, 10:18:47 PM
dunno

my lovely wife is making me another out if fabric printed in imagez of insectz

film at 11

I'm going to buy better made face masks on Etsy as soon as I have he spare $$.  I found one shop that'll make me a mask that looks like I have a cat nose.
Title: Re: COVID-19
Post by: billy rubin on April 10, 2020, 02:10:34 AM
lol

the new fashion trend of this century. i suspect face maskz will be normalized

any predictions of the future of facial recognition surveillance in an age of face masks?
Title: Re: COVID-19
Post by: xSilverPhinx on April 10, 2020, 02:12:49 AM
Quote from: billy rubin on April 10, 2020, 02:10:34 AMany predictions of the future of facial recognition surveillance in an age of face masks?

Irises are still exposed!  :(
Title: Re: COVID-19
Post by: xSilverPhinx on April 10, 2020, 02:25:38 AM
Quote from: Sandra Craft on April 10, 2020, 01:40:46 AM
Quote from: billy rubin on April 09, 2020, 10:18:47 PM
dunno

my lovely wife is making me another out if fabric printed in imagez of insectz

film at 11

I'm going to buy better made face masks on Etsy as soon as I have he spare $$.  I found one shop that'll make me a mask that looks like I have a cat nose.

:grin: :grin: :grin: That sounds like a great design!
Title: Re: COVID-19
Post by: Dark Lightning on April 10, 2020, 03:40:25 AM
In the wood working business/hobby, there are face shields that have air drawn through a HEPA filter via fan. I'm going to look into that. I worked in the HAZMAT field for a short time, and the self-contained breathing apparatus could be a real pain, for humidity control, having to go to the bathroom when you're going to be in it for potentially a few hours, and also what you had for dinner that could be polluting the inside of the suit.  :-[
Title: Re: COVID-19
Post by: hermes2015 on April 10, 2020, 04:14:30 AM
Quote from: No one on April 09, 2020, 10:33:01 PM
I don't need a mask, I have my essential oils.

I would carry some crystals as well, just to make sure.
Title: Re: COVID-19
Post by: hermes2015 on April 10, 2020, 04:20:35 AM
Quote from: xSilverPhinx on April 09, 2020, 09:10:37 PM
Quote from: hermes2015 on April 09, 2020, 08:35:12 PM
It has just been announced that our country-wide lockdown has been increased by two weeks from the initial 3, and will now be in effect until the end of April. The Latest figures show that out of a population of about 55 million, we have had 1934 cases, 45 recoveries, and 18 deaths.

South Africa seems to be in better shape so far compared to Brazil (probably because of an overall younger population?). Of a total population of a little over 211 million people, they're saying we have about 16,000 confirmed cases and 800 confirmed deaths (as of yesterday).

I don't believe these numbers because these are confirmed cases, that is, those that tested positive for COVID-19.  The Brazilian healthcare system isn't testing as much as other countries such as the US. I'd bet the real number of deaths is at least twice that.

It's estimated that around 7 to 8% are over 60 years old. I forgot to add that 63776 tests have been done, but I don't know how that compares to other countries.
Title: Re: COVID-19
Post by: Tank on April 10, 2020, 07:08:12 AM
Quote from: hermes2015 on April 10, 2020, 04:14:30 AM
Quote from: No one on April 09, 2020, 10:33:01 PM
I don't need a mask, I have my essential oils.

I would carry some crystals as well, just to make sure.

Make sure they are crystals of essential oils!
Title: Re: COVID-19
Post by: No one on April 10, 2020, 07:39:51 AM
That kind of power would reset the universe.
Title: Re: COVID-19
Post by: Tank on April 10, 2020, 07:56:33 AM
Quote from: No one on April 10, 2020, 07:39:51 AM
That kind of power would reset the universe.

And that is a problem because?
Title: Re: COVID-19
Post by: No one on April 10, 2020, 09:47:17 AM
What if this new universe didn't get a Jesus Christ to die for it?
Title: Re: COVID-19
Post by: xSilverPhinx on April 10, 2020, 11:47:28 PM
New study out today on a worrying effect the new coronavirus has on the brain. It's the same as previously seen in some patients who recover from severe influenza infection, namely the necrosis (tissue death) of the thalamic area. This region plays an important role in sensory input to the brain (sight, touch, taste and hearing --  not smell) and consciousness.

Neurologic Manifestations of Hospitalized Patients With Coronavirus Disease 2019 in Wuhan, China (https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamaneurology/fullarticle/2764549) (Open Access)

QuoteFindings:  In a case series of 214 patients with coronavirus disease 2019, neurologic symptoms were seen in 36.4% of patients and were more common in patients with severe infection (45.5%) according to their respiratory status, which included acute cerebrovascular events, impaired consciousness, and muscle injury.
Title: Re: COVID-19
Post by: billy rubin on April 10, 2020, 11:59:14 PM
juzt got the newz that an elderly member of my yearly meeting died in new york. from the virus.

iknew him for about fifteen yearz. when he lived here we used to take him to lunch after meetin g on firzt day cause he had no money.
Title: Re: COVID-19
Post by: Tank on April 11, 2020, 07:27:27 AM
Quote from: billy rubin on April 10, 2020, 11:59:14 PM
juzt got the newz that an elderly member of my yearly meeting died in new york. from the virus.

iknew him for about fifteen yearz. when he lived here we used to take him to lunch after meetin g on firzt day cause he had no money.

A shame. The nearest to us so far is the father of a close friend. He was 84 and was due to see his first great grandchild in September.
Title: Re: COVID-19
Post by: Magdalena on April 11, 2020, 07:38:15 AM
Quote from: Tank on April 11, 2020, 07:27:27 AM
Quote from: billy rubin on April 10, 2020, 11:59:14 PM
juzt got the newz that an elderly member of my yearly meeting died in new york. from the virus.

iknew him for about fifteen yearz. when he lived here we used to take him to lunch after meetin g on firzt day cause he had no money.

A shame. The nearest to us so far is the father of a close friend. He was 84 and was due to see his first great grandchild in September.
I'm sorry to hear this, both of you.  :(
Title: Re: COVID-19
Post by: Recusant on April 13, 2020, 01:57:48 AM
As I understand it from reading the story below, one of the paths to a vaccination apparently involves modifying a virus that is harmless ("doesn't seem to cause a cytopathic effect (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cytopathic_effect)") to our species in such a way that it produces an immune response to a protein that is present in SARS-CoV-2, the virus that is causing the pandemic. This modified virus would then be given to the patient, resulting in an immunity to SARS-CoV-2.

"Engineered virus might be able to block coronavirus infections, mouse study shows" | ScienceDaily (https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2020/04/200407072712.htm)

QuoteNo vaccines exist that protect people against infections by coronaviruses, including SARS-CoV-2, which causes COVID-19, or the ones that cause SARS and MERS. As COVID-19 continues to wreak havoc, many labs around the world have developed a laser-like focus on understanding the virus and finding the best strategy for stopping it.

This week in mBio, a journal of the American Society of Microbiology, a team of interdisciplinary researchers describes a promising vaccine candidate against the MERS virus. Since the MERS (Middle East Respiratory Syndrome) outbreak began in 2012, more than 850 people have died, and studies suggest the virus has a case fatality rate of more than 30%.

In the new paper, the researchers suggest that the approach they took for a MERS virus vaccine may also work against SARS-CoV-2. The vaccine's delivery method is an RNA virus called parainfluenza virus 5 (PIV5), which is believed to cause a condition known as kennel cough in dogs but appears harmless to people. The researchers added an extra gene to the virus so that infected cells would produce the S, or spike, glycoprotein known to be involved in MERS infections.

"We know people have been exposed to PIV5, but it seems to be an innocuous virus in humans," said pediatric pulmonologist and coronavirus expert Paul McCray, M.D., at the University of Iowa, in Iowa City, who co-led the new study with virologist Biao He, Ph.D., at the University of Georgia, in Athens. "PIV5 doesn't seem to cause a cytopathic effect."

[. . .]

"We're quite interested in using viruses as gene delivery vehicles," said McCray, who has also investigated similar strategies as a way to treat cystic fibrosis. Now, like colleagues around the world, McCray and He have both focused their research efforts on SARS-CoV-2, taking a similar tack to working with mouse models of infection and testing vaccines.

[Continues . . . (https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2020/04/200407072712.htm)]



Title: Re: COVID-19
Post by: Tank on April 13, 2020, 07:56:15 AM
Interesting link.
Title: Re: COVID-19
Post by: xSilverPhinx on April 13, 2020, 01:12:35 PM
Quote from: Recusant on April 13, 2020, 01:57:48 AM
As I understand it from reading the story below, one of the paths to a vaccination apparently involves modifying a virus that is harmless ("doesn't seem to cause a cytopathic effect (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cytopathic_effect)") to our species in such a way that it produces an immune response to a protein that is present in SARS-CoV-2, the virus that is causing the pandemic. This modified virus would then be given to the patient, resulting in an immunity to SARS-CoV-2.

"Engineered virus might be able to block coronavirus infections, mouse study shows" | ScienceDaily (https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2020/04/200407072712.htm)

QuoteNo vaccines exist that protect people against infections by coronaviruses, including SARS-CoV-2, which causes COVID-19, or the ones that cause SARS and MERS. As COVID-19 continues to wreak havoc, many labs around the world have developed a laser-like focus on understanding the virus and finding the best strategy for stopping it.

This week in mBio, a journal of the American Society of Microbiology, a team of interdisciplinary researchers describes a promising vaccine candidate against the MERS virus. Since the MERS (Middle East Respiratory Syndrome) outbreak began in 2012, more than 850 people have died, and studies suggest the virus has a case fatality rate of more than 30%.

In the new paper, the researchers suggest that the approach they took for a MERS virus vaccine may also work against SARS-CoV-2. The vaccine's delivery method is an RNA virus called parainfluenza virus 5 (PIV5), which is believed to cause a condition known as kennel cough in dogs but appears harmless to people. The researchers added an extra gene to the virus so that infected cells would produce the S, or spike, glycoprotein known to be involved in MERS infections.

"We know people have been exposed to PIV5, but it seems to be an innocuous virus in humans," said pediatric pulmonologist and coronavirus expert Paul McCray, M.D., at the University of Iowa, in Iowa City, who co-led the new study with virologist Biao He, Ph.D., at the University of Georgia, in Athens. "PIV5 doesn't seem to cause a cytopathic effect."

[. . .]

"We're quite interested in using viruses as gene delivery vehicles," said McCray, who has also investigated similar strategies as a way to treat cystic fibrosis. Now, like colleagues around the world, McCray and He have both focused their research efforts on SARS-CoV-2, taking a similar tack to working with mouse models of infection and testing vaccines.

[Continues . . . (https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2020/04/200407072712.htm)]

That is interesting. Even though using viruses as vehicles to inject genetic material into host cells for whatever purpose isn't new, it's a very clever strategy. The creative ingenuity of some people who think up these bioengineering strategies bring some hope for humanity amid so much stupidity (not ignorance which can be remedied, I'm talking about real brain-dead stupidity...). 

Thank you for posting that.  ;D
Title: Re: COVID-19
Post by: Recusant on April 13, 2020, 11:10:34 PM
Not particularly helpful, this one, but for what it's worth:

"Over 370,000 People Have Survived COVID-19. Here's What We Know About Recovery" | ScienceAlert (https://www.sciencealert.com/over-370-000-people-have-survived-covid-19-here-s-what-we-know-about-recovery)

QuoteMost people who get the coronavirus recover. More than 372,000 such cases have been documented worldwide.

"Eventually, if all goes well, your immune system will completely destroy all of the virus in your system," Tom Duszynski, director of epidemiology education at Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis, wrote in The Conversation. "A person who was infected with and survived a virus with no long-term health effects or disabilities has 'recovered'."

Still, many uncertainties remain: It's not yet clear how many people have recovered, how the illness will affect them in the long run, or how long they will be immune. Here's everything we know about the people who have recovered from COVID-19.

[. . .]

[Dr Bala] Hota [professor of infectious diseases and Associate Chief Medical Officer at Chicago's Rush University Medical Centre] told CNN that many patients still have a mild cough and feel tired even once they're considered recovered and are no longer contagious. It can take a long time to fully get back to normal.

"It takes anything up to six weeks to recover from this disease," Dr. Mike Ryan, executive director of the World Health Organisation's Health Emergencies Program, said in a March press briefing. "People who suffer very severe illness can take months to recover from the illness."

The process is different for patients who were put on a ventilator.

"What we're seeing in patients who end up on ventilators is that they often stay on them for several weeks," Dr. J. Randall Curtis, a professor at the University of Washington Harborview Medical Centre, told US News & World Report.

"And then, coming off the ventilator, they're often going to be in the ICU for several days, and then back [in a regular hospital unit] for a few days to a week or so to regain their strength."

Dr. Shu-Yuan Xiao, a pathology professor at the University of Chicago School of Medicine, told ABC News that most people with mild cases of COVID-19 should recover "with no lasting effect." The future is murkier for patients who develop severe illness, though.

[Continues . . . (https://www.sciencealert.com/over-370-000-people-have-survived-covid-19-here-s-what-we-know-about-recovery)]
Title: Re: COVID-19
Post by: Tank on April 14, 2020, 08:28:00 AM
Interesting.
Title: Re: COVID-19
Post by: Ecurb Noselrub on April 15, 2020, 06:30:10 PM
My wife and I are arguing about vacation this summer.  I say I'm willing to travel to London and Paris in July.  She is not.  I have to decide by April 30 - I can change my flight until then.  Yeah, I know, this is a First World Problem.  But I'm about to go nuts in this house.   But, if she still says "no" by April 29, the decision is made for me.
Title: Re: COVID-19
Post by: xSilverPhinx on April 16, 2020, 04:20:29 PM
My mother's 50-something year old cousin on her mother's side passed away from the virus recently. She was the prime caretaker of her father, who is just under 90 years old. Now an elderly man is likely infected and on his own.

I didn't know either of them personally, but I feel bad for my maternal grandmother, who lost a niece and is likely to lose a brother as well. :(     
Title: Re: COVID-19
Post by: Tank on April 16, 2020, 07:51:05 PM
Quote from: xSilverPhinx on April 16, 2020, 04:20:29 PM
My mother's 50-something year old cousin on her mother's side passed away from the virus recently. She was the prime caretaker of her father, who is just under 90 years old. Now an elderly man is likely infected and on his own.

I didn't know either of them personally, but I feel bad for my maternal grandmother, who lost a niece and is likely to lose a brother as well. :(     

Bad news all round.
Title: Re: COVID-19
Post by: Asmodean on April 16, 2020, 08:05:37 PM
Quote from: xSilverPhinx on April 16, 2020, 04:20:29 PM
My mother's 50-something year old cousin on her mother's side passed away from the virus recently. She was the prime caretaker of her father, who is just under 90 years old. Now an elderly man is likely infected and on his own.

I didn't know either of them personally, but I feel bad for my maternal grandmother, who lost a niece and is likely to lose a brother as well. :(     
That is a lot of misfortune at once. One can hope that the elderly gentleman pulls through, although losing a child is probably far heavier a shit to deal with than the prospect of succumbing to the virus yourself.

Best wishes. (the kind that if they were horses, at least you could ride them and eat them and sell them for coin. Look, I know that it counts for something, but I fucking detest these hollow platitudes that "everyone," myself included, apparently, is flinging around so freely these days. Apologies for the rant)
Title: Re: COVID-19
Post by: Recusant on April 16, 2020, 10:17:14 PM
Commiseration for the death and misfortune in your family, xSilverPhinx.  :(
Title: Re: COVID-19
Post by: Asmodean on April 16, 2020, 10:42:26 PM
Just read an article about an elderly lady with dementia, who lives in a nursing home and can't have her son or any-one else visit her like she's used to. She doesn't understand why (at least, not all the time) and from what the article claims, her example is common these days. Nobody can visit their elderly relatives in nursing homes. Not, unless it is to say goodbye to the dying.

That's some powerfully dark shit right there. I mean, what else is there, but... It's fucked up. For all involved.

I may translate and post it later, if I remember to when it's not twenty to midnight.
Title: Re: COVID-19
Post by: Tank on April 16, 2020, 10:50:12 PM
My Mother-in-law is totally ga-ga and hasn't got a clue what's going on :(
Title: Re: COVID-19
Post by: Asmodean on April 16, 2020, 11:03:24 PM
That's one thing, I think. Tragic in itself, yet there is some bliss to being totally oblivious. Imagine not being that far gone though. You know that your kid used to come and visit you, other people too. Now though... And sometimes you may even understand why that must be, but then before long, you are just... Abandoned. For all you know, you are.

I think if I were in such a situation, my worst fear would be knowing in those moments of clarity, that they would pass.

I know I project an uncharacteristic amount here, but I must admit, stories like these, told plainly, without flare or drama, they move even my cold, dark psyche.
Title: Re: COVID-19
Post by: Dark Lightning on April 16, 2020, 11:46:42 PM
My mother in law is in hospice care. We can't go into the facility anymore because of Covid-19. Visitors have to sit outside the room on a patio and look in.This is especially hard on my wife. We know she is dying, and she can't even provide a little comfort like holding her mother's hand any more.  :'(
Title: Re: COVID-19
Post by: billy rubin on April 17, 2020, 12:00:28 AM
shit fire

that sucks
Title: Re: COVID-19
Post by: Magdalena on April 17, 2020, 02:38:22 AM
Quote from: xSilverPhinx on April 16, 2020, 04:20:29 PM
My mother's 50-something year old cousin on her mother's side passed away from the virus recently. She was the prime caretaker of her father, who is just under 90 years old. Now an elderly man is likely infected and on his own.

I didn't know either of them personally, but I feel bad for my maternal grandmother, who lost a niece and is likely to lose a brother as well. :(     
My deepest sympathy, xSilverPhinx.
Title: Re: COVID-19
Post by: Magdalena on April 17, 2020, 02:41:28 AM
Quote from: Dark Lightning on April 16, 2020, 11:46:42 PM
My mother in law is in hospice care. We can't go into the facility anymore because of Covid-19. Visitors have to sit outside the room on a patio and look in.This is especially hard on my wife. We know she is dying, and she can't even provide a little comfort like holding her mother's hand any more.  :'(
I'm sorry to hear this, Dark Lightning,
that's sad. :'(
Title: Re: COVID-19
Post by: hermes2015 on April 17, 2020, 04:38:01 AM
Quote from: xSilverPhinx on April 16, 2020, 04:20:29 PM
My mother's 50-something year old cousin on her mother's side passed away from the virus recently. She was the prime caretaker of her father, who is just under 90 years old. Now an elderly man is likely infected and on his own.

I didn't know either of them personally, but I feel bad for my maternal grandmother, who lost a niece and is likely to lose a brother as well. :(     

I am very sorry to hear this sad news, xSilverPhinx.
Title: Re: COVID-19
Post by: xSilverPhinx on April 17, 2020, 10:11:19 AM
Thanks guys, and sorry to hear about the in-laws, Tank and DL.
Title: Re: COVID-19
Post by: Recusant on April 21, 2020, 02:55:27 AM
A primer on the differences in outcomes to infectious diseases by sex. I think the author may not give smoking enough weight as a factor. In the older generations that are more susceptible to COVID-19, a very high percentage of the men were smokers. Probably the genetic susceptibility is more significant, but habitually inhaling gases from a tube of burning plant material is not to be discounted.

"Why do more men die from coronavirus than women?" | The Conversation (https://theconversation.com/why-do-more-men-die-from-coronavirus-than-women-136038)

QuoteAll over the world – in China, Italy, the United States and Australia – many more men than women are dying from COVID-19.

Why? Is it genes, hormones, the immune system – or behaviour – that makes men more susceptible to the disease.

I see it as an interaction of all of these factors and it isn't unique to the SARS-Cov-2 virus – the different response of men and women is typical of many diseases in many mammals.

The grim figures

In Italy and China deaths of men are more than double those of women. In New York city men constitute about 61% of patients who die. Australia is shaping up to have similar results, though here it's mostly in the 70-79 and 80-89 age groups.

[. . .]

One major variable in severity of COVID-19 is age. But this can't explain the sex bias seen globally because the increased male fatality rate is the same in each age group from 30 to 90+. Women also live on average six years longer than men, so there are more elderly women than men in the vulnerable population.

[. . .]

The X chromosome bears more than 1,000 genes with functions in all sorts of things including routine metabolism, blood clotting and brain development.

The presence of two X chromosomes in XX females provides a buffer if a gene on one X is mutated.

XY males lack this X chromosome backup. That's why boys suffer from many sex-linked diseases such as haemophilia (poor blood clotting).

The number of X chromosomes also has big effects on many metabolic characters that are separable from sex hormone effects, as studies of mice reveal.

Females not only have a double dose of many X genes, but they may also have the benefit of two different versions of each gene.

This X effect goes far to explain why males die at a higher rate than females at every age from birth.

And another man problem is the immune system.

We've known for a long time that women have a stronger immune system than men. This is not all good, because it makes women more susceptible to autoimmune diseases such as lupus and multiple sclerosis.

But it gives women an advantage when it comes to susceptibility to viruses, as many studies in mice and humans show. This helps to explain why men are more susceptible to many viruses, including SARS and MERS.

There are at least 60 immune response genes on the X chromosome, and it seems that a higher dose and having two different versions of these gives women a broader spectrum of defences.

[Continues . . . (https://theconversation.com/why-do-more-men-die-from-coronavirus-than-women-136038)]
Title: Re: COVID-19
Post by: Icarus on April 22, 2020, 05:02:42 AM
I am as old as dirt but not ready to cash in my chips.  I was a smoker for more than 70 years and sure as hell did my lungs no favors.  I do not have COPD but I am aware that my lungs do not work as well as they might have had I not inhaled all that poisonous chemistry.

When I was a teen ager it was an accepted, almost obligatory reality, that in order to become a man you had to smoke cigarettes.  While in the military, every one was issued smokes in mess kits. Airline passengers were given cigs, provided by tobacco companies, and it was normal to smoke while in flight. So of course I became a smoker.

Most of the girls did not smoke but they accepted the fact that boys were expected to do so, bad breath and all.

There is almost no question that the current mortality rate of men versus women has some correlation to the smoking habit.........especially for we older men.

A few years ago I ran out of cigs.  It was late in the evening.  I did not want to go down the street to the Bodega to buy cigs at that time of night.  In addition, the price of cigs had continuously increased to a prohibitive level. The next morning I did not go out to buy cigs and I have not touched one of those damned things in more than five years. Addictions do not give up easily.  I still have the nicotine craving. With my diminished lung capacity the Virus would surely kill me with a painfully gasping death.



Title: Re: COVID-19
Post by: Icarus on April 26, 2020, 09:12:35 PM
Interesting pictures that illustrate some of the effects of C19.   Who knew that something good could come as a result of a deadly pandemic?  Helluva price to pay however.

https://www.boredpanda.com/cities-air-pollution-coronavirus-lockdown/?utm_source=2181007_0_0_0&utm_medium=push&utm_campaign=WebPush
Title: Re: COVID-19
Post by: Recusant on April 29, 2020, 06:07:06 AM
A primer on disinfecting surfaces.

"Biohazard Cleaner Warns We Often Miss This Critical Step in Disinfecting Surfaces" | ScienceAlert (https://www.sciencealert.com/biohazard-cleaner-warns-we-often-miss-this-critical-step-in-disinfecting-our-homes)


QuoteTo reduce your chance of infection, the US Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends cleaning areas you touch often, like doorknobs, sinks, and toilets.

But cleaning a surface isn't the same as disinfecting it. The cleaning process involves scrubbing an area with soap and water, while disinfecting means applying a chemical to kill germs.

"The most important step is the cleaning step," Cory Chalmers, the CEO of the professional cleaning service Steri-Clean, told Business Insider.

His team specialises in biohazard cleaning for sites contaminated with infectious diseases. For the past month, the team has dedicated itself almost exclusively to scrubbing down places contaminated by the new coronavirus. That includes homes, cruise ships, offices, factories, and fast-food restaurants.

"A lot of people spray a surface and then wipe it around right away," Chalmers said. "But you're not letting the disinfectant do its job."

[Continues . . . (https://www.sciencealert.com/biohazard-cleaner-warns-we-often-miss-this-critical-step-in-disinfecting-our-homes)]
Title: Re: COVID-19
Post by: Recusant on April 30, 2020, 11:44:23 PM
A good (also long) piece examining the public role of science in the pandemic, and how science and scientists have been affected by the pressure of the public desire for answers as well as the sudden prominence of certain scientific disciplines in public awareness. "In a normal news cycle, science gets like less than 1 percent of the coverage. But in today's news cycle, the only thing in the news is science . . ."

The shopworn adage "Good, Fast, Cheap. Pick two." gets sideways mention. Of course, it becomes more significant when lives are at stake.

Maybe it's just cynicism on my part, but I don't see anything particularly "ugly" or "dark" in this, despite the headline editor framing it that way.

"Science Has an Ugly, Complicated Dark Side. And the Coronavirus Is Bringing It Out." | Mother Jones (https://www.motherjones.com/politics/2020/04/coronavirus-science-rush-to-publish-retractions/)

QuoteBad science is a lot like a virus. It starts small, but if it's shared enough times, it can cause global disruption.

You may remember a kerfuffle last month over whether it is safe to take ibuprofen to treat coronavirus symptoms. It is a prime example of how a series of unfortunate errors can lead to bad health policy. It began harmlessly, when the Lancet Respiratory Medicine, a respected journal, published a 400-word letter from a group of European researchers that raised some safety concerns about the drug. It was an opinion piece that was, according to at least one of the authors, a hypothesis, not a medical recommendation. But much of the world treated the mere suggestion as if it were derived from the results of a clinical trial. Within a week, the French health minister, followed by a spokesperson from the World Health Organization, recommended that people with COVID-19 don't take ibuprofen. A day later, after pushback from doctors and scientists, the WHO backtracked, saying it did "not recommend against" the use of ibuprofen. The move sparked widespread confusion, and for an institution that we're all relying on for solid information, it was not a great look.

Good science requires time. Peer review. Replication. But in the past few months, the scientific process for all things related to COVID-19 has been fast-tracked. While that is, of course, understandable on some level—thousands are dying worldwide every day, after all—it's not necessarily safe. What was once a marathon has been compressed to a 400-meter dash: Researchers race to deliver results, academic journals race to publish, and the media races to bring new information to a scared and eager public. And, at the same time, unverified opinions circulate widely on social media and on TV from so-called experts, which makes understanding the situation all the more difficult.

[Continues . . . (https://www.motherjones.com/politics/2020/04/coronavirus-science-rush-to-publish-retractions/)]

Title: Re: COVID-19
Post by: Randy on May 13, 2020, 01:34:00 AM
I came across this tonight. It's from CNN. I'll quote a part of it and then embed a link.

Quote(CNN)The night Miguel Moran died from complications of the coronavirus, his 23-year-old son and four other family members put on their face masks and rushed to a suburban New York hospital to be at his bedside.
One by one, they donned a hospital-issued plastic gown, a head covering and gloves. They spent a few minutes each saying an emotional farewell to the lifeless body of the 56-year-old immigrant from El Salvador, a Pentecostal church goer who washed trucks to provide for his family.
His only son, Daniel Moran, said a bedside prayer at St. Joseph Hospital on Long Island. He squeezed his dead father's hand.
"One day we'll join you in heaven," he cried.
Sixteen days later, father and son were buried together.
Miguel Moran died of acute respiratory failure from Covid-19 on April 16, according to his death certificate. Eight days after praying over his father's body, Daniel himself was dead from the disease.

https://www.cnn.com/2020/05/12/us/new-york-father-son-coronavirus-deaths/index.html

What I don't understand is, they had everything covered up but their hands. Why weren't they given gloves?
Title: Re: COVID-19
Post by: joeactor on May 13, 2020, 05:46:30 PM
Quote from: Randy on May 13, 2020, 01:34:00 AM
I came across this tonight. It's from CNN. I'll quote a part of it and then embed a link.

Quote(CNN)The night Miguel Moran died from complications of the coronavirus, his 23-year-old son and four other family members put on their face masks and rushed to a suburban New York hospital to be at his bedside.
One by one, they donned a hospital-issued plastic gown, a head covering and gloves. They spent a few minutes each saying an emotional farewell to the lifeless body of the 56-year-old immigrant from El Salvador, a Pentecostal church goer who washed trucks to provide for his family.
His only son, Daniel Moran, said a bedside prayer at St. Joseph Hospital on Long Island. He squeezed his dead father's hand.
"One day we'll join you in heaven," he cried.
Sixteen days later, father and son were buried together.
Miguel Moran died of acute respiratory failure from Covid-19 on April 16, according to his death certificate. Eight days after praying over his father's body, Daniel himself was dead from the disease.

https://www.cnn.com/2020/05/12/us/new-york-father-son-coronavirus-deaths/index.html

What I don't understand is, they had everything covered up but their hands. Why weren't they given gloves?

I'm not sure... but in my experience, gloves (and masks to some extent) give people a false sense of security.

I've seen people with gloves touch a bunch of things, including handles, railings, shoes, etc... then take their mask on and off by the nose. Or touch their hair. Welcome to the infected.
Title: Re: COVID-19
Post by: Magdalena on May 13, 2020, 06:55:10 PM
Quote from: Randy on May 13, 2020, 01:34:00 AM
I came across this tonight. It's from CNN. I'll quote a part of it and then embed a link.

Quote(CNN)The night Miguel Moran died from complications of the coronavirus, his 23-year-old son and four other family members put on their face masks and rushed to a suburban New York hospital to be at his bedside.
One by one, they donned a hospital-issued plastic gown, a head covering and gloves. They spent a few minutes each saying an emotional farewell to the lifeless body of the 56-year-old immigrant from El Salvador, a Pentecostal church goer who washed trucks to provide for his family.
His only son, Daniel Moran, said a bedside prayer at St. Joseph Hospital on Long Island. He squeezed his dead father's hand.
"One day we'll join you in heaven," he cried.
Sixteen days later, father and son were buried together.
Miguel Moran died of acute respiratory failure from Covid-19 on April 16, according to his death certificate. Eight days after praying over his father's body, Daniel himself was dead from the disease.

https://www.cnn.com/2020/05/12/us/new-york-father-son-coronavirus-deaths/index.html

What I don't understand is, they had everything covered up but their hands. Why weren't they given gloves?
They were given gloves.
Title: Re: COVID-19
Post by: joeactor on May 13, 2020, 10:22:43 PM
Here's a somewhat US-centered article about how Covid-19 spreads (with a lot of guesswork in it):
https://www.erinbromage.com/post/the-risks-know-them-avoid-them (https://www.erinbromage.com/post/the-risks-know-them-avoid-them)

QuoteAll these infection events were indoors, with people closely-spaced, with lots of talking, singing, or yelling. The main sources for infection are home, workplace, public transport, social gatherings, and restaurants. This accounts for 90% of all transmission events. In contrast, outbreaks spread from shopping appear to be responsible for a small percentage of traced infections.
Title: Re: COVID-19
Post by: Randy on May 14, 2020, 01:07:46 AM
QuoteThey were given gloves.

I overlooked that. So his son touched his hand without them. That's strange.
Title: Re: COVID-19
Post by: Magdalena on May 14, 2020, 01:18:21 AM
Quote from: Randy on May 14, 2020, 01:07:46 AM
QuoteThey were given gloves.

I overlooked that. So his son touched his hand without them. That's strange.
I don't see where it says that he took the gloves off.  :bigspecs:
Title: Re: COVID-19
Post by: Dark Lightning on May 14, 2020, 01:55:11 AM
I'm of a mind that the family lived with him during the time when he was infected but asymptomatic. That makes the most sense, and obviates the whole gowning process in the ICU, IMO.
Title: Re: COVID-19
Post by: Randy on May 14, 2020, 03:38:12 AM
Quote from: Magdalena on May 14, 2020, 01:18:21 AM
Quote from: Randy on May 14, 2020, 01:07:46 AM
QuoteThey were given gloves.

I overlooked that. So his son touched his hand without them. That's strange.
I don't see where it says that he took the gloves off.  :bigspecs:

You're right. It was never specified that he did. I just took that he held his father's hand while praying and sixteen days later he was buried with his father. It seems, and I am going to guess a lot of readers will see it this way, that he got infected there.

Again though, you're right. It isn't specified that he took them off. My imagery of what transpired is incomplete. I should have thought this one through a lot more before posting.
Title: Re: COVID-19
Post by: Recusant on May 14, 2020, 04:21:02 AM
Quote from: joeactor on May 13, 2020, 10:22:43 PM
Here's a somewhat US-centered article about how Covid-19 spreads (with a lot of guesswork in it):
https://www.erinbromage.com/post/the-risks-know-them-avoid-them (https://www.erinbromage.com/post/the-risks-know-them-avoid-them)

QuoteAll these infection events were indoors, with people closely-spaced, with lots of talking, singing, or yelling. The main sources for infection are home, workplace, public transport, social gatherings, and restaurants. This accounts for 90% of all transmission events. In contrast, outbreaks spread from shopping appear to be responsible for a small percentage of traced infections.

I think that's rather good. Hard for me to find fault in it, anyway, despite the somewhat US-centric approach that you mentioned.

* * *

A look at how coronaviruses coexist with bats and vise versa.

"Bat 'super immunity' may explain how bats carry coronaviruses, study finds" | ScienceDaily (https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2020/05/200506133614.htm)

QuoteA University of Saskatchewan (USask) research team has uncovered how bats can carry the Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS) coronavirus without getting sick -- research that could shed light on how coronaviruses make the jump to humans and other animals.

Coronaviruses such as MERS, Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS), and more recently the COVID19-causing SARS-CoV-2 virus, are thought to have originated in bats. While these viruses can cause serious and often fatal disease in people, for reasons not previously well understood, bats seem unharmed.

"The bats don't get rid of the virus and yet don't get sick. We wanted to understand why the MERS virus doesn't shut down the bat immune responses as it does in humans," said USask microbiologist Vikram Misra.

In research just published in Scientific Reports, the team has demonstrated for the first time that cells from an insect-eating brown bat can be persistently infected with MERS coronavirus for months, due to important adaptations from both the bat and the virus working together.

"Instead of killing bat cells as the virus does with human cells, the MERS coronavirus enters a long-term relationship with the host, maintained by the bat's unique 'super' immune system," said Misra, corresponding author on the paper. "SARS-CoV-2 is thought to operate in the same way."

Misra says the team's work suggests that stresses on bats -- such as wet markets, other diseases, and possibly habitat loss -- may have a role in coronavirus spilling over to other species.

"When a bat experiences stress to their immune system, it disrupts this immune system-virus balance and allows the virus to multiply," he said.

[Continues . . . (https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2020/05/200506133614.htm)]

The paper is open-access:

"Selection of viral variants during persistent infection of insectivorous bat cells with Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus" | Scientific Reports (https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-020-64264-1)

QuoteAbstract

[Paragraph breaks added.]

Coronaviruses that cause severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) and Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS) are speculated to have originated in bats.

The mechanisms by which these viruses are maintained in individuals or populations of reservoir bats remain an enigma. Mathematical models have predicted long-term persistent infection with low levels of periodic shedding as a likely route for virus maintenance and spillover from bats.

In this study, we tested the hypothesis that bat cells and MERS coronavirus (CoV) can co-exist in vitro. To test our hypothesis, we established a long-term coronavirus infection model of bat cells that are persistently infected with MERS-CoV. We infected cells from Eptesicus fuscus with MERS-CoV and maintained them in culture for at least 126 days. We characterized the persistently infected cells by detecting virus particles, protein and transcripts.

Basal levels of type I interferon in the long-term infected bat cells were higher, relative to uninfected cells, and disrupting the interferon response in persistently infected bat cells increased virus replication. By sequencing the whole genome of MERS-CoV from persistently infected bat cells, we identified that bat cells repeatedly selected for viral variants that contained mutations in the viral open reading frame 5 (ORF5) protein. Furthermore, bat cells that were persistently infected with ΔORF5 MERS-CoV were resistant to superinfection by wildtype virus, likely due to reduced levels of the virus receptor, dipeptidyl peptidase 4 (DPP4) and higher basal levels of interferon in these cells.

In summary, our study provides evidence for a model of coronavirus persistence in bats, along with the establishment of a unique persistently infected cell culture model to study MERS-CoV-bat interactions.
Title: Re: COVID-19
Post by: Magdalena on May 14, 2020, 06:11:46 AM
Quote from: Randy on May 14, 2020, 03:38:12 AM
Quote from: Magdalena on May 14, 2020, 01:18:21 AM
Quote from: Randy on May 14, 2020, 01:07:46 AM
QuoteThey were given gloves.

I overlooked that. So his son touched his hand without them. That's strange.
I don't see where it says that he took the gloves off.  :bigspecs:

You're right. It was never specified that he did. I just took that he held his father's hand while praying and sixteen days later he was buried with his father. It seems, and I am going to guess a lot of readers will see it this way, that he got infected there.

Again though, you're right. It isn't specified that he took them off. My imagery of what transpired is incomplete. I should have thought this one through a lot more before posting.
I agree with you, the story doesn't specify where or how the kid got infected. DL could be right:
Quote from: Dark Lightning on May 14, 2020, 01:55:11 AM
I'm of a mind that the family lived with him during the time when he was infected but asymptomatic. That makes the most sense, and obviates the whole gowning process in the ICU, IMO.
Title: Re: COVID-19
Post by: joeactor on May 20, 2020, 07:47:57 PM
My latest blog is about the virus' view of us:
https://www.joesdump.com/2020/05/20/virus-newspaper/ (https://www.joesdump.com/2020/05/20/virus-newspaper/)
Title: Re: COVID-19
Post by: Randy on May 20, 2020, 10:21:21 PM
It reads like a propaganda machine of sorts or a general sending a letter out to the troops.

I found this interesting "Almost forty percent do not even believe in our existence." I knew there were plenty but this with this many it is no wonder we have the plague we do now.
Title: Re: COVID-19
Post by: joeactor on May 20, 2020, 10:22:57 PM
Quote from: Randy on May 20, 2020, 10:21:21 PM
It reads like a propaganda machine of sorts or a general sending a letter out to the troops.

I found this interesting "Almost forty percent do not even believe in our existence." I knew there were plenty but this with this many it is no wonder we have the plague we do now.

I wrote it for my Spanish homework, but, yeah... the 40% thing may not be accurate. Bet it's higher  :'(
Title: Re: COVID-19
Post by: Magdalena on May 21, 2020, 06:38:01 AM
Quote from: joeactor on May 20, 2020, 07:47:57 PM
My latest blog is about the virus' view of us:
https://www.joesdump.com/2020/05/20/virus-newspaper/ (https://www.joesdump.com/2020/05/20/virus-newspaper/)
Amazing Spanish, joeactor!
:clapping: Wow! Accents and everything.
Title: Re: COVID-19
Post by: Tank on May 21, 2020, 06:46:59 AM
The WHO has stated that world wide the number of daily new cases has passed 100,000 for the first time.

https://covid19.who.int/
Title: Re: COVID-19
Post by: Randy on May 21, 2020, 05:10:02 PM
That's quite a lot! It's scary.

I just read this this morning: "A study has estimated there may have been 36,000 fewer coronavirus-related deaths had the US entered lockdown a week earlier in March."

I'm reading on it now but somehow it doesn't surprise me. I've often thought we started the lock down a little late.

Here's the news link: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-52757150
Title: Re: COVID-19
Post by: joeactor on May 21, 2020, 05:35:48 PM
Quote from: Magdalena on May 21, 2020, 06:38:01 AM
Quote from: joeactor on May 20, 2020, 07:47:57 PM
My latest blog is about the virus' view of us:
https://www.joesdump.com/2020/05/20/virus-newspaper/ (https://www.joesdump.com/2020/05/20/virus-newspaper/)
Amazing Spanish, joeactor!
:clapping: Wow! Accents and everything.

Thanks Mags! My teacher helped me correct some of it, but thought it was a funny take on the topic.

Meanwhile, lots of idiots abound in the US of A...
Title: Re: COVID-19
Post by: Recusant on June 16, 2020, 07:32:01 AM
A good look at the issues behind the retracted Lancet paper on hydroxychloroquine and its effectiveness in treating COVID-19.

"Who's to blame? These three scientists are at the heart of the Surgisphere COVID-19 scandal" | Science (https://www.sciencemag.org/news/2020/06/whos-blame-these-three-scientists-are-heart-surgisphere-covid-19-scandal)

QuoteThree unlikely collaborators are at the heart of the fast-moving COVID-19 research scandal, which led to retractions last week by The Lancet and The New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM), and the withdrawal of an online preprint, after the trove of patient data they all relied on was challenged. The three physician-scientists never were at the same institution nor had they ever before written together, but they are the only authors in common on the disputed papers, and the other co-authors all have ties to at least one of them. Their partnership, which seized a high-impact role during a global public health crisis, has now ended disastrously.

[. . .]

Normally co-authors of high-profile papers share subject area expertise or have clear professional ties, says Jerome Kassirer, chief editor of NEJM during the 1990s. He calls the collaboration of the apparently disparate individuals "completely bizarre," and a red flag that the studies warranted intensive scrutiny that the journals failed to provide.

None of the three co-authors responded to requests for comment. Patel spoke with a Science reporter initially but said he wanted to wait for audits of the Surgisphere data to comment, and Desai's spokesperson stopped communicating after the retractions. Still, interviews with former colleagues and a long paper trail shed some light on each of them.

[Continues . . . (https://www.sciencemag.org/news/2020/06/whos-blame-these-three-scientists-are-heart-surgisphere-covid-19-scandal)]

Title: Re: COVID-19
Post by: Recusant on June 18, 2020, 08:31:34 PM
Asymptomatic transmission is a significant factor in the spread of the virus, including within households. :spooked:  :ppe:

"Study shows how quickly coronavirus spreads at home" | Agence France-Presse/Yahoo (https://news.yahoo.com/study-shows-quickly-coronavirus-spreads-home-223741296.html)

QuoteThe novel coronavirus is twice as infectious within households than similar diseases such as SARS, with a substantial number of additional infections spreading before a COVID-19 sufferer shows any symptoms, according to modelling released Thursday.

Researchers based in China and the United States said their findings could have profound impacts on reducing the number of new infections as the pandemic progresses.

Using data on 350 COVID-19 patients and nearly 2,000 of their close contacts in the city of Guangzhou, China, the researchers estimated the virus' "secondary attack rate" -- that is, the probability that an infected person transmits the disease to someone else.

They found that while the average patient had just a 2.4 percent chance of infecting someone they did not live with, that figure jumped to 17.1 percent -- around one in six -- among cohabitants.

According to their models, which rely on data collated in January and February but have been updated to reflect the latest developments, the likelihood of household infection was highest among over-60s, and lowest among under-20s.

The overall chances of infecting a family member or live-in partner with COVID-19 are twice as high as with SARS, and three times higher than MERS, another coronavirus, they found.

Significantly, the researchers found that the probability of a COVID-19 carrier infecting a family member or flatmate was significantly higher -- 39 percent -- before they started showing symptoms than afterwards.

This suggests that the virus is easily transmissible within its incubation period and may be passed on by individuals who don't know they are infected.

The team said that isolation within households cut the total number of COVID-19 cases among the study cohort by 20-50 percent compared with no quarantine.

"Although the effect of case isolation seems moderate, the high infectivity of the virus during the incubation period suggests quarantine of asymptomatic contacts could have prevented more onward transmissions," said Qin-Long Jing from the Guangzhou Center for Disease Control and Prevention.

[Continues . . . (https://news.yahoo.com/study-shows-quickly-coronavirus-spreads-home-223741296.html)]
Title: Re: COVID-19
Post by: joeactor on June 18, 2020, 10:28:29 PM
Governor Newsom of California just required everyone to wear masks... kind of... sometimes... sorta...
https://www.sacbee.com/news/politics-government/capitol-alert/article243634487.html (https://www.sacbee.com/news/politics-government/capitol-alert/article243634487.html)

Seriously, there's so many loopholes. That's the US of A for you. Our lockdown was half-assed, as was everything else in the handling of this pandemic.

Not sure why they just can't say "Masks stop the spread of the virus. You're required to put one on before you leave the house, and leave it on until you get home. If you're caught wearing it incorrectly or not at all, you will be fined."

Spain has a 100 Euro fine.

Time to move.
Title: Re: COVID-19
Post by: billy rubin on June 18, 2020, 11:13:46 PM
there's no excuse for not wearing a mask

Sorry but you are not allowed to view spoiler contents.
Title: Re: COVID-19
Post by: Randy on June 19, 2020, 12:05:56 AM
:rofl: Billy. Seriously, why do law makers make things so complicated? Recusant's wording is all encompassing and simple to remember. I don't see any problem with it.
Title: Re: COVID-19
Post by: Dark Lightning on June 19, 2020, 02:47:20 AM
Quote from: billy rubin on June 18, 2020, 11:13:46 PM
there's no excuse for not wearing a mask

Sorry but you are not allowed to view spoiler contents.


W.T.A.F. is that!? Oh, nvm, I see the description in the link. Yeesh.
Title: Re: COVID-19
Post by: billy rubin on June 19, 2020, 10:33:04 AM
lol

the whole thing about rules is that they exist for people who cannot process reasons.

many people are that way, and to accomodate them, rules have to be exhauztive, because they cannot percieve the reasons and arrive at correct decisions without guidance.

this attitude was very apparent in the public discussions of wearing mazkz. we had health experts cautioning against mask wearing becauze it was not 100 percent effective, and they stated that people would foolishly assume a false sense of zecurity and act in stupid ways.

they said these things while6 the people were listening-- calli g them foolish and predicting stupidity. and they were right.

Title: Re: COVID-19
Post by: joeactor on June 19, 2020, 05:21:56 PM
Quote from: billy rubin on June 19, 2020, 10:33:04 AM
lol

the whole thing about rules is that they exist for people who cannot process reasons.

many people are that way, and to accomodate them, rules have to be exhauztive, because they cannot percieve the reasons and arrive at correct decisions without guidance.

this attitude was very apparent in the public discussions of wearing mazkz. we had health experts cautioning against mask wearing becauze it was not 100 percent effective, and they stated that people would foolishly assume a false sense of zecurity and act in stupid ways.

they said these things while6 the people were listening-- calli g them foolish and predicting stupidity. and they were right.

Truth!

Don't know why it's so hard to say: "Leaving your house? WEAR A MASK!"

All these conditional statements just make loopholes for stupid people.
"I wear it in stores." "I wear it when I'm near someone."

... and don't get me started on idiots with their noses out - WTF!?!?
Title: Re: COVID-19
Post by: Davin on June 19, 2020, 06:11:37 PM
Wearing a mask is a tiny easy thing to do. I don't understand why people are not doing it.
Title: Re: COVID-19
Post by: Dark Lightning on June 19, 2020, 06:13:56 PM
One of my neighbors and some of his friends are not going to wear masks and have stated that they would even brave a citation for not doing so. They also love the president. I'm seeing a correlation.
Title: Re: COVID-19
Post by: billy rubin on June 19, 2020, 07:29:18 PM
yes there's  serious correlation

trump has made a point about how the virus is over, and its time to get back out and start making profits again. this is essential to his reelection strategy.

wearing a mask (especially for him) indicates that the disease is NOT gone, that what he said before is NOT true, and that the various libtards were right to predict problems and to advise caution.

trump would rather deny the problem and ignore the deaths than admit that he is and was wrong.

his minions buy it for the same reason they buy whatever ese he says-- they follow a subset of the news, they believe what he says because they like him personally, and they deny the problem too.

there appears to be a 21 day lag between a superspreader event and the day it appears in mainstream media. trump's oklahoma rally is tomorrow, 20 june. wait until 11 july to see whether he's right or wrong.
Title: Re: COVID-19
Post by: Icarus on June 19, 2020, 11:42:11 PM
Stuffing nineteen thousand people into one closed space is sheer madness.

Friend wife has predicted that many of them will be wearing a mask.  She predicts that the masks will be red and be printed with important messages such as MAGA or other Trumpisms. 

I predict that those cowboys, who wear their obligatory Stetson hats, will make the ultimate sacrifice.  They will trade the Stetson for a red baseball cap with gospel sayings such as "make America Great Again" or "Nobody can tell me what to do" and similar brilliant pronouncements..
Title: Re: COVID-19
Post by: Magdalena on June 20, 2020, 12:10:13 AM
Quote from: Icarus on June 19, 2020, 11:42:11 PM
Stuffing nineteen thousand people into one closed space is sheer madness.

Friend wife has predicted that many of them will be wearing a mask.  She predicts that the masks will be red and be printed with important messages such as MAGA or other Trumpisms. 

I predict that those cowboys, who wear their obligatory Stetson hats, will make the ultimate sacrifice.  They will trade the Stetson for a red baseball cap with gospel sayings such as "make America Great Again" or "Nobody can tell me what to do" and similar brilliant pronouncements..
They are defenitely the 2020 Darwin Award Winners.  :smilenod:

They will likely be yelling and chanting and expelling droplets farther and faster.
"Lock her up!"
"Lock her up!"
"Lock her up!"

They should all get this lovely gift from Trump as they enter the room:
(https://www.wackybuttons.com/previews/110/1100949.jpg)
Title: Re: COVID-19
Post by: Randy on June 20, 2020, 02:09:41 AM
The funny thing about the virus; it's bipartisan. It doesn't seem to care what side of the fence you're on it's going to get you.
Title: Re: COVID-19
Post by: Dark Lightning on June 20, 2020, 02:21:40 AM
Quote from: Randy on June 20, 2020, 02:09:41 AM
The funny thing about the virus; it's bipartisan. It doesn't seem to care what side of the fence you're on it's going to get you.

Truth. But it's also funny about who the vector of maximum transmission is, along party lines. The fact that these dorks endanger us all is more than a little annoying. If it only took out those who don't care, I'd be...sort of...OK with it. But disease is equal opportunity...sort of. Data is starting to accumulate that people with type "O" blood are less likely to get a bad case/more likely to recover if they do. I don't think that worshiping the chump is selected for by blood type.
Title: Re: COVID-19
Post by: Tom62 on June 20, 2020, 07:47:26 AM
Coronavirus restrictions are gradually being lifted across Germany, but responsibility has now been largely handed to the individual federal states - meaning that the country's once-uniform approach to tackling the outbreak is beginning to splinter, and everyone is starting to get a little confused by all the different rules.

Bit by bit, new openings were announced - shops, schools, restaurants, bars, playgrounds, you name it. The proviso is, these institutions can only remain open as long as the infection rate in any given city or district remains below 50 per 100,000 inhabitants per week. If this value is exceeded, restrictions will need to be re-introduced.

Apart from a small easing that allows gatherings in public of members from two households, all contact restrictions and mask requirements will remain in place. Everyone must continue to observe the minimum distance of 1,5 metres.
Title: Re: COVID-19
Post by: billy rubin on June 20, 2020, 10:24:30 AM
i am the only one in my workday who wears a mask. this morning i walked into the dispatch office where three or four people were lined up at the counter. friend of mine asked

how much longer are you going to be wearing a mask?

i said

until itz over. 22 people died in my state the day before yesterday and there are still 1000 people a day dying in the country

he was unaware of those figurez, having checked out of the pandemic so.e time aho. he iz a liberal democrat who hatez donald trump
Title: Re: COVID-19
Post by: Recusant on June 20, 2020, 09:02:05 PM
It would be splendid if people like him do not have reason to reconsider their dismissal of the bug, but that seems unlikely.
Title: Re: COVID-19
Post by: billy rubin on June 20, 2020, 10:38:08 PM
i agree. my president is havin a rally as i speak. 21 days is the time it seems to take before an infection center is pinpointed

that means ill be watching oklahoma on 10 july.
Title: Re: COVID-19
Post by: xSilverPhinx on June 21, 2020, 02:05:45 AM
Brazil just passed the 50,000 death toll...and we all know cases are being under notified in this country. It wouldn't surprise me if we hit the 300,000 mark by the end of this pandemic. Dark times.
Title: Re: COVID-19
Post by: Icarus on June 22, 2020, 12:04:18 AM
I was wrong about the creativity of the dotards at the Trump rally.  Not only did they not have cleverly printed red  masks, almost all of them had no mask at all.  Ain't faith grand?

Title: Re: COVID-19
Post by: Tank on June 22, 2020, 01:30:32 PM
Quote from: Icarus on June 22, 2020, 12:04:18 AM
I was wrong about the creativity of the dotards at the Trump rally.  Not only did they not have cleverly printed red  masks, almost all of them had no mask at all.  Ain't faith grand?

And apparently the organisers asked the audience to gather in front of the stage so it looked like there were more of them. And Trump accused democrats of buying tickets and not showing up.
Title: Re: COVID-19
Post by: billy rubin on June 22, 2020, 02:50:41 PM

where trump got trolled was in the hundreds of thousands of rezervations the kpop crowd made. that told the organizers that it would be a packed house, and so they made embarrassingly overoptimistic preparations.

lol. my heart bleeds.

you can sign up for his rallies online. ive made a rezervation already for hiz rally in arizona tomorrow.

dont think ill be able to make it.
Title: Re: COVID-19
Post by: xSilverPhinx on June 23, 2020, 12:45:42 AM
My mother's students, a husband and wife couple who were in denial and laughed off the severity of the covid-19 pandemic now have a 44 year old otherwise previously healthy son in the ICU. According to neighborhood gossip, exams indicate he might have to be intubated soon. Now they're scared out of their wits. Fact is, roughly half of covid patients who make it into the ICU go there to die. 

Why weren't they scared sooner? The lot of them being smarter could have saved their son and others from all the pain and despair. Who knows how many other denialists they infected so far with their stupid ways?

Cases are rapidly growing in southern Brazil, where I live. I am scared.   
Title: Re: COVID-19
Post by: xSilverPhinx on June 23, 2020, 01:00:13 AM
Apparently many hospitals in more afflicted regions have run out of anesthetic. Imagine having to be intubated without anesthetic?

In other news, seems like facemasks have given people a false sense of security, like it's now ok to go out and interact with people. They help slow infection but they don't protect wearers against infection. Even though we're (Brazil) still on the steep upward curve local governors and mayors are opening commerce and flexibilizing social isolation measures. Precisely what they shouldn't be doing. But of course, money speaks louder than lives. It comes down to that.

Personally, I would rather be thousands of dollars in debt and deal with that after this pandemic than lose a loved one.     
Title: Re: COVID-19
Post by: billy rubin on June 23, 2020, 01:00:46 AM
wtf

i waked in on my human resorces manager to talk about something totally innocuous and she laughed in my face.

is this not normal in these strange day?

(https://i.imgur.com/c4481sKl.jpg)
Title: Re: COVID-19
Post by: Randy on June 23, 2020, 01:06:46 AM
Quote from: billy rubin on June 23, 2020, 01:00:46 AM
wtf

i waked in on my human resorces manager to talk about something totally innocuous and she laughed in my face.

is this not normal in these strange day?

(https://i.imgur.com/c4481sKl.jpg)
You have to admit Billy, you are quite colorful! :lol:

Seriously though, isn't anyone else in the office wearing a mask?
Title: Re: COVID-19
Post by: billy rubin on June 23, 2020, 02:03:51 AM
no one in my industry wears a mask. at my company or elsewhere.

im in the oil patch, very blue collar, republican, and trump-oriented. im also in appalachia to start with. truck driverz, well tenders, equipment operators, wireline and wellhead crews, water transfwr, energy services and so on

covid 19 is a hoax, first, and over, second. there are no masks in my workday except mine.
Title: Re: COVID-19
Post by: Randy on June 23, 2020, 03:46:48 AM
Quote from: billy rubin on June 23, 2020, 02:03:51 AM
covid 19 is a hoax, first, and over, second. there are no masks in my workday except mine.
How can something which was a hoax to begin with be over?

Keep yourself well.
Title: Re: COVID-19
Post by: joeactor on June 23, 2020, 08:13:26 PM
xSp: It's getting to be just as bad in the US. Very little understanding of face masks. Worn wrong or not at all. No distancing. Seriously can't get why the concept is so difficult.

Billy: Looking good!

Stay safe all...

And in other news: antibodies may not last (so much for herd immunity)
https://www.newsweek.com/coronavirus-antibodies-lost-10-wuhan-study-patients-within-21-days-1511850 (https://www.newsweek.com/coronavirus-antibodies-lost-10-wuhan-study-patients-within-21-days-1511850)
Title: Re: COVID-19
Post by: Recusant on June 23, 2020, 08:39:15 PM
If these studies are giving an accurate picture, it appears to me that within a year we'll be reading about studies of people who've been re-infected with the bug.  :-\ :ppe:
Title: Re: COVID-19
Post by: Icarus on June 24, 2020, 06:17:20 AM
XSP in another thread (the mice one) implied that humans are intelligent.  Well some of us have shit for brains coupled with an ill considered death wish.

In my infrequent ventures out into the public places I have made a curious observation.  Black people are far more likely to be wearing a mask than the white people who outnumber the black or brown people. .  I have no statistical evidence to support my casual observations. It is an observable difference in my locale nonetheless. 
Title: Re: COVID-19
Post by: Recusant on July 04, 2020, 05:59:26 AM
Hat tip to Lark for this one.  :toff:

"Coronavirus: Sniffer dogs trial going 'very well'" | BBC (https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-beds-bucks-herts-53254200)

QuoteA trial to see whether dogs can detect coronavirus is going "very well", according to the charity behind it.

Six dogs are being trained by Medical Detection Dogs in Milton Keynes.

Claire Guest, the charity's co-founder and chief executive, said the dogs were already showing signs that they would be able to sniff out the virus.

She has previously trained dogs to spot the scent of malaria, cancer and Parkinson's disease.

[. . .]

Dr Guest said her rescue dog Asher has been doing "exceptionally" well in training. The cocker spaniel was rehomed seven times because of his high drive before he found a home with her.

"He had already learned how to spot malaria and Parkinson's so we knew he would be well suited to this. He has been finding the training odour without any errors," she said.

"He is really leading the way and Storm is also doing incredibly well. He is very driven and really enjoying the work."

After eight weeks' initial training, the successful dogs will move on to a second phase to test them in live situations.

It is hoped the scheme will be expanded and dogs will be able to screen up to 250 people per hour, potentially at airports. They could also be used at testing centres.

The trial, backed by £500,000 of government funding, involves scientists from the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine and Durham University.

[Continues . . . (https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-beds-bucks-herts-53254200)]
Title: Re: COVID-19
Post by: billy rubin on July 04, 2020, 01:49:16 PM
i am fascinated to watch americas republicans flock to trumpz conventionz and ralliez, which are now being held in regionz where covid19 is spiking.

the southern and western statez that scoffed at the lockdown are now watchi g their citizenz sicken and swamp the hospitalz.

you can ignore science when the consequencez are simply living in ignorance of evolution and earth hiztory. even climate change iz so gradual ztill that it can easily be dizmizsed.

but trumps supporters are lining up to make themsevles irrelevant to tbe future, by being dead. you cannot deny covid19-- the viruz doeznt debate the evidence
with you.

i hate to see bystanders become infected and die az a rezult of this mass conflagration of know-nothingz, but if a million people are going to die in tbis country because of their wilful ignorance and belief on nonsense conspiraciez, i cant think of a more dezerving group to start with.

if trumperz have a higher rate of morbidity than nontrumpers, the problem of americas political divide may solve itself
Title: Re: COVID-19
Post by: Icarus on July 04, 2020, 08:04:28 PM
Billy I have entertained thoughts of that nature too.  We sissies who are so meek as to use masks and respect social distances may end up the winners in the long run. 

It is written: "the meek shall inherit the earth" 
Title: Re: COVID-19
Post by: billy rubin on July 04, 2020, 09:12:11 PM
i don't like to see anybody dead, but i believe that people have the right to self-immolate for their principles. if they would only co-associate, it would be easier on everybody else. seriously, from the outside this appears to me as if trump were addressing his constituents:

trump: fellow americans! are you listening?

trumpers: yes, mr. president!

trump: i want all of you to show your support by shooting yourselves in the head!

trumpers: yes, mr president!

<shots fired>

trump: now all of you get out there and vote for me!

trumpers:

trump: on to my second term!
Title: Re: COVID-19
Post by: billy rubin on July 07, 2020, 04:45:24 PM
SILVER!

IS IT TRUE?


https://apnews.com/8ceb44235a63dfb59da10f2ceffb9160?utm_source=PushNotification

IS THERE HOPE FOR THE UNITED STATES?
Title: Re: COVID-19
Post by: Dark Lightning on July 07, 2020, 05:21:13 PM
Quote from: billy rubin on July 07, 2020, 04:45:24 PM
SILVER!

IS IT TRUE?


https://apnews.com/8ceb44235a63dfb59da10f2ceffb9160?utm_source=PushNotification

IS THERE HOPE FOR THE UNITED STATES?

I wonder what kind of religious havoc Pence would wreak before the next president is sworn in, though. Being a lame duck, probably not so much.
Title: Re: COVID-19
Post by: billy rubin on July 07, 2020, 05:23:11 PM
who knows

i'll take the risk
Title: Re: COVID-19
Post by: Recusant on July 21, 2020, 09:31:47 PM
Another one from Lark.  :)

Preliminary and not peer reviewed, but sounding good.

"Coronavirus: Protein treatment trial 'a breakthrough'" | BBC (https://www.bbc.com/news/health-53467022)

QuoteThe preliminary results of a clinical trial suggest a new treatment for Covid-19 reduces the number of patients needing intensive care, according to the UK company that developed it.

The treatment from Southampton-based biotech Synairgen uses a protein called interferon beta which the body produces when it gets a viral infection.

The protein is inhaled directly into the lungs of patients with coronavirus, using a nebuliser, in the hope that it will stimulate an immune response.

The initial findings suggest the treatment cut the odds of a Covid-19 patient in hospital developing severe disease - such as requiring ventilation - by 79%.

Patients were two to three times more likely to recover to the point where everyday activities were not compromised by their illness, Synairgen claims.

It said the trial also indicated "very significant" reductions in breathlessness among patients who received the treatment.

In addition, the average time patients spent in hospital is said to have been reduced by a third, for those receiving the new drug - down from an average of nine days to six days.

The double-blind trial involved 101 volunteers who had been admitted for treatment at nine UK hospitals for Covid-19 infections.

Half of the participants were given the drug, the other half got what is known as a placebo - an inactive substance.

Stock market rules mean Synairgen is obliged to report the preliminary results of the trial.

The results have not been published in a peer-reviewed journal, nor has the full data been made available; so the BBC cannot confirm the claims made for the treatment.

[Continues . . . (https://www.bbc.com/news/health-53467022)]
Title: Re: COVID-19
Post by: Davin on July 21, 2020, 09:56:31 PM
Interferon is the first thing Dr. House always prescribed in the first of almost every episode. I'll wait 'til after the half of the show to see if it works.
Title: Re: COVID-19
Post by: Randy on July 21, 2020, 10:53:41 PM
If it passes the peer review that will be a big step. It isn't a vaccine but being able to stay a shorter amount of time could reduce the number of ICU beds being used. Florida, for example, I think is suffering with a 119% ICU usage. They are overflowing.

For someone like me, it might be a life saver. If I catch it I'm likely to die a lot sooner, days instead of months.

Next we need is a vaccine which North Korea says it's working on. (Yeah, right!) But I think every industrialized nation is probably working on this in some form or fashion. I look daily to see how close they are.
Title: Re: COVID-19
Post by: Dark Lightning on July 22, 2020, 02:39:41 AM
I'm keeping my head down and avoiding as much outside activity as possible. And hoping that the speed of modern science saves a lot more people than just my sorry old ass. I know a guy on another forum who, along with his father, has it. He has a young son less than a year old. That's going to stink if they both die...along with many around them. I'm seeing non-scientific estimates of the actual level of contagion, and I suspect that it isn't as lethal as it's being made out to be. Yeah, I won't be telling that to the survivors, though.
Title: Re: COVID-19
Post by: Randy on July 22, 2020, 02:07:12 PM
My caregiver doesn't like to wear a mask. I'm glad stores are making her. She says it's hot under it. That might be but she'll complain a lot more if she gets the virus. So far it has been just dumb luck that's kept her from getting it.

She cares about me. I told her that if she wears a mask and keeps social distancing she'll save me from getting it. She knows how fragile my health is. She agreed that for my sake, please wear one.
Title: Re: COVID-19
Post by: billy rubin on July 22, 2020, 04:01:16 PM
well, ive been sick for four days

mild fever, aches, headache, zerious fatigue. fine friday, saturday saw me knocked back pretty good.

no cough, no shortness of breath, no taste or smell issues.

quarantined in the warehouse the whole time anyway and ztayed away from people.

blood oxygen above 93 percent, which appears to rule out the virus. today the zymptoms are gone except for just being tired.

i had nine days off that id scheduled for the races and decided to keep anywaty when tbey ewre cancelled. got an incredible amount done during the first four days, then spent the next four on my bed.

back to work tomorrow.

Title: Re: COVID-19
Post by: Tank on July 22, 2020, 04:04:19 PM
Quote from: billy rubin on July 22, 2020, 04:01:16 PM
well, ive been sick for four days

mild fever, aches, headache, zerious fatigue. fine friday, saturday saw me knocked back pretty good.

no cough, no shortness of breath, no taste or smell issues.

quarantined in the warehouse the whole time anyway and ztayed away from people.

blood oxygen above 93 percent, which appears to rule out the virus. today the zymptoms are gone except for just being tired.

i had nine days off that id scheduled for the races and decided to keep anywaty when tbey ewre cancelled. got an incredible amount done during the first four days, then spent the next four on my bed.

back to work tomorrow.

Good to hear that you're feeling better.
Title: Re: COVID-19
Post by: Randy on July 22, 2020, 05:00:21 PM
Darn Billy you had me scared for a brief moment. I'm glad you're feeling better.
Title: Re: COVID-19
Post by: billy rubin on July 23, 2020, 12:24:03 AM
well, i feel okay, but i had an attack of common sense and decided to get a covid test before i go back to work.

turns out theres a free test marathon in the next county south tomorrow, so i called in and told my dispatcher id take one more day off.

then my companys safety guy called be back and asked me to get an all clear on paper before i came back to work.

so im still on vacation until that happenz and not sad at all. weve got food in the house and the farm is paid for.
Title: Re: COVID-19
Post by: Randy on July 23, 2020, 02:26:33 AM
I know what you mean. I'm quarantined by my on volition. When I do go out I'm going to medical clinics and everyone wears a mask including the patients, me as well. I don't step out the door without one. This COVID-19 stuff is bad, even if one survives it there is sometimes lasting damage.
Title: Re: COVID-19
Post by: billy rubin on July 23, 2020, 09:20:35 PM
yes. pulmonary function can be pernanently reduced, you can end up with stroke because of the blood clots, and brain damage due to prolonged oxygen deficit, as i understand it.

no joke. this is not the flu. its a new disaese that has never had the opportunity to co-evolve with th ehost, because it leapfrogged in from other species. as a result, it has no mechaqnism to trweat th ehost benignly. we're in the stage where those individuals in th epopulation who have severe reactions to the virus die and fail to reproduce, and so in subsequent generations the effects of the virus will be somewhat less lethal.\

natural selection in action. routine stuff.

still, its not nice to piss off mother nature.
Title: Re: COVID-19
Post by: Dark Lightning on July 23, 2020, 11:37:38 PM
It's really starting to hit the fan, in Texas-

McALLEN, Texas— In a stunning admission of how dire the COVID-19 situation is in South Texas, the health authority for one border county on Tuesday announced the formation of an ethics committee that will screen all patients for survival potential and will send home those with low probabilities.

Starr County Health Authority Dr. Jose Vazquez said Starr County Memorial Hospital, the county's only hospital, on Tuesday implemented an ethics committee and a triage committee to review all coronavirus patients as they come in to determine what type of life-saving equipment and treatment they would likely require and whether they would likely survive. Those deemed too fragile or sick or elderly will be advised to go home to loved ones, he said.

"There is nowhere to put these patients. The whole state of Texas and neighboring states have no ICU beds to spare for us," Vazquez said Tuesday afternoon during a video conference call with media.
Title: Re: COVID-19
Post by: Randy on July 24, 2020, 12:11:23 AM
It's getting bad. I wonder how many other states will follow suit? I'm expecting Florida to do the same thing, maybe California a little later down the road.
Title: Re: COVID-19
Post by: Dark Lightning on July 24, 2020, 01:46:08 AM
A scheduler from my health care provider called today to schedule a phone interview with my primary care physician. I have arthritis in my hands, feet and back, the worst of which is in my feet. I can barely walk, and that only with orthotics and shoes with really soft soles (Hokaoneone) which really help. The surgery I had last year didn't help, and I was in a CAM boot for 5 weeks, and limping still. I could be more aggressive about getting another surgery which should do the trick (bone fusion) but I'm averse to that because of the possibility of drawing medical professionals away from life-threatening things like Covid for "simple" foot pain...and potentially getting it myself. That's something I'll address in my interview. I'm in California, and our governor is doing a great job, but too many people are just being stupid by not wearing masks. One of my sons has a friend who's dad is on the local PD. They will not issue citations to people not wearing masks, unless it's an additional charge for whatever stupidity the person is engaged in, in the first place.
Title: Re: COVID-19
Post by: billy rubin on July 24, 2020, 02:49:37 AM
Quote from: Dark Lightning on July 23, 2020, 11:37:38 PM
Those deemed too fragile or sick or elderly will be advised to go home to loved ones, he said.


wow.

we're there.
Title: Re: COVID-19
Post by: Dark Lightning on July 24, 2020, 03:23:23 AM
Quote from: billy rubin on July 24, 2020, 02:49:37 AM
Quote from: Dark Lightning on July 23, 2020, 11:37:38 PM
Those deemed too fragile or sick or elderly will be advised to go home to loved ones, he said.


wow.

we're there.

We used to get the flu and many people died, but not a pandemic's worth except for a few cases, like the Spanish Flu way back in the early 191Xs. It just flabbergasts me that that one ignorant, senile, doddering old fool in the White House has that kind of power. Change is needed so that that doesn't happen ever again. I don't know exactly what, or how to effectuate it, but change is needed.
Title: Re: COVID-19
Post by: Magdalena on July 24, 2020, 04:43:00 AM
Quote from: Dark Lightning on July 24, 2020, 03:23:23 AM
Quote from: billy rubin on July 24, 2020, 02:49:37 AM
Quote from: Dark Lightning on July 23, 2020, 11:37:38 PM
Those deemed too fragile or sick or elderly will be advised to go home to loved ones, he said.


wow.

we're there.

We used to get the flu and many people died, but not a pandemic's worth except for a few cases, like the Spanish Flu way back in the early 191Xs. It just flabbergasts me that that one ignorant, senile, doddering old fool in the White House has that kind of power. Change is needed so that that doesn't happen ever again. I don't know exactly what, or how to effectuate it, but change is needed.


:run!:
Title: Re: COVID-19
Post by: Dark Lightning on July 24, 2020, 05:16:10 AM
Quote from: Magdalena on July 24, 2020, 04:43:00 AM
Quote from: Dark Lightning on July 24, 2020, 03:23:23 AM
Quote from: billy rubin on July 24, 2020, 02:49:37 AM
Quote from: Dark Lightning on July 23, 2020, 11:37:38 PM
Those deemed too fragile or sick or elderly will be advised to go home to loved ones, he said.


wow.

we're there.

We used to get the flu and many people died, but not a pandemic's worth except for a few cases, like the Spanish Flu way back in the early 191Xs. It just flabbergasts me that that one ignorant, senile, doddering old fool in the White House has that kind of power. Change is needed so that that doesn't happen ever again. I don't know exactly what, or how to effectuate it, but change is needed.


:run!:

Saw that earlier, elsewhere. Shameful doesn't even begin to cover it.
Title: Re: COVID-19
Post by: Randy on July 24, 2020, 02:14:08 PM
Quote from: billy rubin on July 24, 2020, 02:49:37 AM
Quote from: Dark Lightning on July 23, 2020, 11:37:38 PM
Those deemed too fragile or sick or elderly will be advised to go home to loved ones, he said.


wow.

we're there.
Will they have hospice or palliative care to help ease the suffering at home? This thing is playing out like a nightmare.
Title: Re: COVID-19
Post by: Dark Lightning on July 24, 2020, 02:56:15 PM
I'll try to check. These days seem more like a really bad SF movie.
Title: Re: COVID-19
Post by: Randy on July 24, 2020, 03:00:25 PM
Yeah, DL, I was thinking the same thing. I was viewing this whole thing in an old 1950's B/W film in my head. It's so bad I want to walk out of the theater.
Title: Re: COVID-19
Post by: Recusant on August 04, 2020, 08:13:22 AM
Progress on vaccines looks rather hopeful. Perhaps the Russians and/or the Chinese with their apparent disregard for development safety protocols will achieve something early.

Meanwhile, I haven't posted anything by Ed Yong lately. I highly recommend what he's written so far on the pandemic, which I expect will be turned into a book in the near future. This piece focuses on the US response, which if nothing else provides multiple examples of what to avoid if possible. Spoiler: It's not all Trump's fault. Yong describes his part in it as a "comorbidity." Just as any number of other diseases can (in combination with this coronavirus as a comorbidity) tend to make the effects of this virus much worse when it infects a human being, Trump has had a similar influence on a country that was already ill-prepared for a pandemic.

"How the Pandemic Defeated America" | The Atlantic (https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2020/09/coronavirus-american-failure/614191/)

QuoteHow did it come to this? A virus a thousand times smaller than a dust mote has humbled and humiliated the planet's most powerful nation. America has failed to protect its people, leaving them with illness and financial ruin. It has lost its status as a global leader. It has careened between inaction and ineptitude. The breadth and magnitude of its errors are difficult, in the moment, to truly fathom.

In the first half of 2020, SARS‑CoV‑2—the new coronavirus behind the disease COVID‑19—infected 10 million people around the world and killed about half a million. But few countries have been as severely hit as the United States, which has just 4 percent of the world's population but a quarter of its confirmed COVID‑19 cases and deaths. These numbers are estimates. The actual toll, though undoubtedly higher, is unknown, because the richest country in the world still lacks sufficient testing to accurately count its sick citizens.

Despite ample warning, the U.S. squandered every possible opportunity to control the coronavirus. And despite its considerable advantages—immense resources, biomedical might, scientific expertise—it floundered. While countries as different as South Korea, Thailand, Iceland, Slovakia, and Australia acted decisively to bend the curve of infections downward, the U.S. achieved merely a plateau in the spring, which changed to an appalling upward slope in the summer. "The U.S. fundamentally failed in ways that were worse than I ever could have imagined," Julia Marcus, an infectious-disease epidemiologist at Harvard Medical School, told me.

[Continues . . . (https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2020/09/coronavirus-american-failure/614191/)]
Title: Re: COVID-19
Post by: Recusant on August 12, 2020, 07:31:05 AM
More of a science-oriented article from Ed Yong this time. A look at the state of immunology in relation to SARS-CoV-2.

"Immunology Is Where Intuition Goes to Die" | The Atlantic (https://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2020/08/covid-19-immunity-is-the-pandemics-central-mystery/614956/)

QuoteThere's a joke about immunology, which Jessica Metcalf of Princeton recently told me. An immunologist and a cardiologist are kidnapped. The kidnappers threaten to shoot one of them, but promise to spare whoever has made the greater contribution to humanity. The cardiologist says, "Well, I've identified drugs that have saved the lives of millions of people." Impressed, the kidnappers turn to the immunologist. "What have you done?" they ask. The immunologist says, "The thing is, the immune system is very complicated ..." And the cardiologist says, "Just shoot me now."

The thing is, the immune system is very complicated. Arguably the most complex part of the human body outside the brain, it's an absurdly intricate network of cells and molecules that protect us from dangerous viruses and other microbes. These components summon, amplify, rile, calm, and transform one another: Picture a thousand Rube Goldberg machines, some of which are aggressively smashing things to pieces. Now imagine that their components are labeled with what looks like a string of highly secure passwords: CD8+, IL-1β, IFN-γ. Immunology confuses even biology professors who aren't immunologists—hence Metcalf's joke.

Even the word immunity creates confusion. When immunologists use it, they simply mean that the immune system has responded to a pathogen—for example, by producing antibodies or mustering defensive cells. When everyone else uses the term, they mean (and hope) that they are protected from infection—that they are immune. But, annoyingly, an immune response doesn't necessarily provide immunity in this colloquial sense. It all depends on how effective, numerous, and durable those antibodies and cells are.

Immunity, then, is usually a matter of degrees, not absolutes. And it lies at the heart of many of the COVID-19 pandemic's biggest questions. Why do some people become extremely ill and others don't? Can infected people ever be sickened by the same virus again? How will the pandemic play out over the next months and years? Will vaccination work?

To answer these questions, we must first understand how the immune system reacts to SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus. Which is unfortunate because, you see, the immune system is very complicated.

[Continues . . . (https://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2020/08/covid-19-immunity-is-the-pandemics-central-mystery/614956/)]
Title: Re: COVID-19
Post by: Randy on August 12, 2020, 02:54:25 PM
As someone with a compromised immune system due to chemo lowering my white blood cell count well below normal, they give me a patch thing that injects me 27 hours later with some kind of protein to boost it up so that I'll be ready for my next chemotherapy session. I don't get out much except to clinics or radiology. As a result I haven't had a cold or the flu in a few years now. The last thing I need is something like that to add to the problems I've got. Now, I did get my flu, pneumonia, and shingles prevention shots recently. I don't like to take chances.
Title: Re: COVID-19
Post by: Recusant on August 12, 2020, 07:38:14 PM
Glad to hear your inoculations are up to date, Randy.  :thumbsup:






I came across the article below by a woman who describes herself as "Korean-ish/American-ish," and it reminded me of a comment I made here last year, before the Thing. It was my perception at the time that mask wearing in Asian countries seemed to be as much about fashion as anything to do with health. I was wrong about that, though fashion does play into it in a peripheral way.

"What a Korean Teenage Fashion Trend Reveals About the Culture of Mask-Wearing" | Politico (https://www.politico.com/news/magazine/2020/08/11/what-a-korean-teenage-fashion-trend-reveals-about-the-culture-of-mask-wearing-393204)

QuoteIf you want to understand how the United States is faring so badly in the fight against Covid—even compared with denser countries that got hit earlier—it helps to understand Americans' deeper public attitudes toward health, and why those attitudes are so different in other parts of the world.

Part of the resistance to mask-wearing in the United States has to do with the fact that it's become a partisan political issue. But what I saw growing up in South Korea is how cultural norms can play an important role in the way a country approaches a public health crisis like the coronavirus. I also saw how those norms can change over time, which means they might just change some day in America—too late for this pandemic, but maybe not for the next one.

[. . .]

The good news for the United States is that attitudes about masks and other health measures can change over time. I saw this in South Korea. Even when Korea was faced with the threat of SARS in 2003, masks weren't widely used, partially because the government was able to keep the virus at bay. During the ensuing years, Koreans wore masks as fashion statements or to protect from dust particles, but they weren't solidified as part of Korean culture until the swine flu outbreak in 2009 and MERS in 2015. Consistent messaging from experts on the benefits of mask-wearing stuck. By 2015, Koreans automatically turned to masks during the MERS outbreak, leading to a 709 percent increase in sales.

This past February, before Koreans understood the severity of Covid-19, it was still common to see people roaming the streets without masks, says Kim Jae Hyung, a Korean sociologist at Seoul National University. But once the number of cases exploded to more than 800 a day in the span of a few weeks, people quickly relearned old habits to protect not only themselves but others from the virus.

The United States, however, has been able to dodge most epidemics in recent history. And those that the country couldn't avoid, such as the H1N1 virus, turned out to be less deadly than experts expected. This record has contributed to a sense of American exceptionalism when it comes to health and safety, [Josef] Woodman [CEO of Patients Beyond Borders, a company that provides resources for people who seek medical treatment abroad] says: It's much harder for Americans to grasp the widespread harm a pandemic can cause, making them less enthusiastic about group sacrifices that can curb the disease.

[Link to full article. (https://www.politico.com/news/magazine/2020/08/11/what-a-korean-teenage-fashion-trend-reveals-about-the-culture-of-mask-wearing-393204)]

Title: Re: COVID-19
Post by: No one on August 13, 2020, 02:45:05 PM
Being filled with entitled, willfully ignorant, utterly moronic asshats is what is the issue in America.
Title: Re: COVID-19
Post by: Recusant on August 17, 2020, 04:43:14 AM
An excellent and I thought rather readable article from the New Scientist on the virology of SARS-CoV-2 and its associates.

"An uncommon cold" | NewScientist (https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0262407920308629)

QuoteIN 1889, a disease outbreak in central Asia went global, igniting a pandemic that burned into the following year. It caused fever and fatigue, and killed an estimated 1 million people. The disease is generally blamed on influenza, and was dubbed "Russian flu". But with no tissue samples to check for the flu virus, there is no conclusive proof.

Another possibility is that this "flu" was actually a coronavirus pandemic. The finger has been pointed at a virus first isolated in the 1960s, though today it causes nothing more serious than a common cold. In fact, there are four coronaviruses responsible for an estimated 20 to 30 per cent of colds. Only recently have virologists begun to dig into these seemingly humdrum pathogens and what they have found suggests the viruses have a far more deadly past. Researchers now believe that all four of these viruses began to infect humans in the past few centuries and, when they did, they probably sparked pandemics.

The parallels with our current crisis are obvious. And it turns out that our growing knowledge about these other coronaviruses could be vital in meeting the challenge of covid-19. Insights into the origins, trajectories and features of common cold coronaviruses can provide crucial clues about what to expect in the coming months and years. Understanding these relatively benign viruses may also help us avoid another pandemic.

[Continues . . . (https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0262407920308629)]
Title: Re: COVID-19
Post by: Tank on August 17, 2020, 07:41:05 AM
That was interesting.
Title: Re: COVID-19
Post by: Dark Lightning on August 17, 2020, 02:18:16 PM
Yes, quite interesting. Looks like I'll be wearing a mask for the rest of my life. I don't wear one at home, though. Maybe I should start doing that.
Title: Re: COVID-19
Post by: Randy on August 17, 2020, 03:46:24 PM
I finally got around to reading the article. So many viruses and so little vaccine it seems. Like DL I feel like wearing a mask all the time. I don't wear one in the house because everyone wears a mask when they go out including me. I keep thinking about the asymptomatic ones and what if one of the members of my household is like that.

Scary times we are living in right now.
Title: Re: COVID-19
Post by: Dark Lightning on August 17, 2020, 06:40:08 PM
And now, some really hopeful good news- an inhalable anti-viral that defeats Covid. I'm just going to lay low while this stuff develops, though. If it truly works, just think- if everybody lines up for it and takes it every day for a week, Covid-19 could be history. It would be enough if just most people did it. It could be done for any coronavirus, and maybe even the common cold. Wouldn't that be nice?

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2020/08/200811234951.htm
Title: Re: COVID-19
Post by: Essie Mae on August 18, 2020, 12:18:11 AM
Quote from: Dark Lightning on August 17, 2020, 06:40:08 PM
And now, some really hopeful good news- an inhalable anti-viral that defeats Covid. I'm just going to lay low while this stuff develops, though. If it truly works, just think- if everybody lines up for it and takes it every day for a week, Covid-19 could be history. It would be enough if just most people did it. It could be done for any coronavirus, and maybe even the common cold. Wouldn't that be nice?

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2020/08/200811234951.htm

Incredible. I wonder if there would be side effects though? (Not wanting you rain on anyone's parade). I like being pessimistic; it's so good when proved wrong.
Title: Re: COVID-19
Post by: Dark Lightning on August 18, 2020, 02:14:20 AM
Quote from: Essie Mae on August 18, 2020, 12:18:11 AM
Quote from: Dark Lightning on August 17, 2020, 06:40:08 PM
And now, some really hopeful good news- an inhalable anti-viral that defeats Covid. I'm just going to lay low while this stuff develops, though. If it truly works, just think- if everybody lines up for it and takes it every day for a week, Covid-19 could be history. It would be enough if just most people did it. It could be done for any coronavirus, and maybe even the common cold. Wouldn't that be nice?

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2020/08/200811234951.htm

Incredible. I wonder if there would be side effects though? (Not wanting you rain on anyone's parade). I like being pessimistic; it's so good when proved wrong.

You're not raining on my parade at all! I won't be using it until some enterprising individuals brave enough to volunteer have tried it. If it works, it will be such a triumph for scientific endeavor!

And then all those maskholes will refuse to use it, because god.  >:(
Title: Re: COVID-19
Post by: Randy on August 18, 2020, 01:38:34 PM
If the trials are successful I wonder how long it will take to get it on the shelves? We're probably still talking 2021. I hope everything works out.

I wondered about the side effects. Usually a medicine comes complete with those. Hopefully they are mild but I think at this point we'd rather have anything and suffer with them than to get the virus.
Title: Re: COVID-19
Post by: Dark Lightning on August 18, 2020, 02:32:57 PM
If it were up to me, it would be something administered to the sick first, since they need it most (depending on how sick they are). In those dire straits, the risk of side effects are outweighed by its efficacy, which is yet to be proved in people.
Title: Re: COVID-19
Post by: xSilverPhinx on August 22, 2020, 10:59:44 AM
Yesterday I was in the shopping mall to wire some money to my sister and I saw a shop attendant (not where I was, thankfully) lift his mask so that he could sneeze.   :picard facepalm:

:wtf:

Title: Re: COVID-19
Post by: Tank on August 22, 2020, 05:26:37 PM
Quote from: xSilverPhinx on August 22, 2020, 10:59:44 AM
Yesterday I was in the shopping mall to wire some money to my sister and I saw a shop attendant (not where I was, thankfully) lift his mask so that he could sneeze.   :picard facepalm:

:wtf:

:wtf:
Title: Re: COVID-19
Post by: No one on August 22, 2020, 06:22:55 PM
(https://www.happyatheistforum.com/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.trackie.com%2Ftrack-and-field%2Fimg%2Flayout%2Ficon_quote.jpg&hash=c5a9d5ac5c9c0366d813e18a50510fe9aa16bfc2)Argentium:
Yesterday I was in the shopping mall to wire some money to my sister and I saw a shop attendant (not where I was, thankfully) lift his mask so that he could sneeze

It's a little encouraging actually, that country I reside in, does not have exclusive rights to these bozos.
Title: Re: COVID-19
Post by: Icarus on August 22, 2020, 11:34:56 PM
Silver you are sending money to your sister................are you sending money to your crazy sister?   
Title: Re: COVID-19
Post by: xSilverPhinx on August 23, 2020, 12:43:23 AM
Quote from: Icarus on August 22, 2020, 11:34:56 PM
Silver you are sending money to your sister................are you sending money to your crazy sister?

That's the one.
Title: Re: COVID-19
Post by: No one on August 23, 2020, 01:35:43 AM
Does she have an incriminating photo of you in an uncompromising position?
Title: Re: COVID-19
Post by: xSilverPhinx on August 23, 2020, 02:22:19 AM
Quote from: No one on August 23, 2020, 01:35:43 AM
Does she have an incriminating photo of you in an uncompromising position?

No, we are basically sending her money this time so she can rent an apartment in Uruguay and stay there...in that land far, far away. Basically paying her to stay away.
Title: Re: COVID-19
Post by: Dark Lightning on August 23, 2020, 04:10:10 AM
Quote from: xSilverPhinx on August 23, 2020, 02:22:19 AM
Quote from: No one on August 23, 2020, 01:35:43 AM
Does she have an incriminating photo of you in an uncompromising position?

No, we are basically sending her money this time so she can rent an apartment in Uruguay and stay there...in that land far, far away. Basically paying her to stay away.

You're, aproximadamente, en Rio? Is Uruguay far enough away?  ;D I had to look up the translation, and I hope that google got it correct. I studied Spanish in my teens for three years. I could read Italian and Portuguese and even a little French from what I had learned, and get the basic meaning, but the spelling of the words and of course a lot of the nuance was lost to me. If I had it to do again, I might have been a linguist. Languages have always fascinated me.
Title: Re: COVID-19
Post by: xSilverPhinx on August 23, 2020, 11:43:57 AM
Quote from: Dark Lightning on August 23, 2020, 04:10:10 AM
Quote from: xSilverPhinx on August 23, 2020, 02:22:19 AM
Quote from: No one on August 23, 2020, 01:35:43 AM
Does she have an incriminating photo of you in an uncompromising position?

No, we are basically sending her money this time so she can rent an apartment in Uruguay and stay there...in that land far, far away. Basically paying her to stay away.

You're, aproximadamente, en Rio? Is Uruguay far enough away?  ;D I had to look up the translation, and I hope that google got it correct. I studied Spanish in my teens for three years. I could read Italian and Portuguese and even a little French from what I had learned, and get the basic meaning, but the spelling of the words and of course a lot of the nuance was lost to me. If I had it to do again, I might have been a linguist. Languages have always fascinated me.

I am em Rio! :grin: Just not Rio de Janeiro. 'Rio' means 'River' and there are three states with River in their name, I live in Rio Grande do Sul, about 1,600 km from the city of Rio de Janeiro.  ;D

Uruguay is closer, but still far enough away to be comfortable.

I'm also fond of languages. I tried to be a linguist in a past life, and even completed a year of English-Portuguese at uni, but it didn't work out. I'm actually glad it didn't because I prefer where I am now. Better subject, and much better people.  ::)
Title: Re: COVID-19
Post by: Randy on August 23, 2020, 08:33:16 PM
Quote from: xSilverPhinx on August 23, 2020, 11:43:57 AM
Quote from: Dark Lightning on August 23, 2020, 04:10:10 AM
Quote from: xSilverPhinx on August 23, 2020, 02:22:19 AM
Quote from: No one on August 23, 2020, 01:35:43 AM
Does she have an incriminating photo of you in an uncompromising position?

No, we are basically sending her money this time so she can rent an apartment in Uruguay and stay there...in that land far, far away. Basically paying her to stay away.

You're, aproximadamente, en Rio? Is Uruguay far enough away?  ;D I had to look up the translation, and I hope that google got it correct. I studied Spanish in my teens for three years. I could read Italian and Portuguese and even a little French from what I had learned, and get the basic meaning, but the spelling of the words and of course a lot of the nuance was lost to me. If I had it to do again, I might have been a linguist. Languages have always fascinated me.

I am em Rio! :grin: Just not Rio de Janeiro. 'Rio' means 'River' and there are three states with River in their name, I live in Rio Grande do Sul, about 1,600 km from the city of Rio de Janeiro.  ;D

Uruguay is closer, but still far enough away to be comfortable.

I'm also fond of languages. I tried to be a linguist in a past life, and even completed a year of English-Portuguese at uni, but it didn't work out. I'm actually glad it didn't because I prefer where I am now. Better subject, and much better people.  ::)
Getting off track here but I just wanted to say that I constructed three alien languages for a LAN game which is quite fun. They wanted me to construct all five but the fatigue got to me. I got paid for the use in publications and I got to keep the rights.
Title: Re: COVID-19
Post by: Recusant on September 24, 2020, 06:11:23 PM
Many people are saying that this study got it wrong.

"Herd immunity an impractical strategy, study finds" | EurekAlert (https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2020-09/uog-hia092220.php)

QuoteAchieving herd immunity to COVID-19 is an impractical public health strategy, according to a new model developed by University of Georgia scientists. The study recently appeared in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (https://www.pnas.org/content/early/2020/09/21/2008087117).

Controlling COVID-19 has presented public health policymakers with a conundrum:

How to prevent overwhelming their health care infrastructure, while avoiding major societal disruption? Debate has revolved around two proposed strategies. One school of thought aims for "suppression," eliminating transmission in communities through drastic social distancing measures, while another strategy is "mitigation," aiming to achieve herd immunity by permitting the infection of a sufficiently large proportion of the population while not exceeding health care capacity.

"The herd immunity concept is tantalizing because it spells the end of the threat of COVID-19," said Toby Brett, a postdoctoral associate at the Odum School of Ecology and the study's lead author. "However, because this approach aims to avoid disease elimination, it would need a constant adjustment of lockdown measures to ensure enough--but not too many--people are being infected at a particular point in time. Because of these challenges, the herd immunity strategy is actually more like attempting to walk a barely visible tightrope."

[Continues . . . (https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2020-09/uog-hia092220.php)]
Title: Re: COVID-19
Post by: Randy on September 25, 2020, 03:27:19 PM
I read somewhere (can't remember where to look up the source) that some people who were infected before became infected again. It seems like the herd immunity strategy will not hold water anyway.
Title: Re: COVID-19
Post by: Dark Lightning on September 25, 2020, 04:55:51 PM
Quote from: Randy on September 25, 2020, 03:27:19 PM
I read somewhere (can't remember where to look up the source) that some people who were infected before became infected again. It seems like the herd immunity strategy will not hold water anyway.

That's true, I've seen it in the news, as well. I know that the "common" cold mutates all the time. Since it and C-19 are both coronaviruses, it doesn't surprise me. I'm hoping that the mutants aren't more lethal.
Title: Re: COVID-19
Post by: Randy on September 25, 2020, 05:34:33 PM
Quote from: Dark Lightning on September 25, 2020, 04:55:51 PM
Quote from: Randy on September 25, 2020, 03:27:19 PM
I read somewhere (can't remember where to look up the source) that some people who were infected before became infected again. It seems like the herd immunity strategy will not hold water anyway.

That's true, I've seen it in the news, as well. I know that the "common" cold mutates all the time. Since it and C-19 are both coronaviruses, it doesn't surprise me. I'm hoping that the mutants aren't more lethal.
I hadn't thought about them becoming more lethal although that is certainly within the realm of probability. Maybe we are looking at the end of humanity.
Title: Re: COVID-19
Post by: Dark Lightning on September 25, 2020, 07:03:09 PM
And if that wasn't bad enough, there's another new influenza strain capable of being passed back and forth from man to bird to pig. In China. We need the chump out of office before he screws the pooch again, if this gets out of China.

https://www.cdc.gov/flu/spotlights/2019-2020/cdc-prepare-swine-flu.html
Title: Re: COVID-19
Post by: Recusant on October 17, 2020, 12:59:31 AM
The somewhat bizarre and highly questionable "Great Barrington Declaration (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Barrington_Declaration)" (Wikipedia link) urges a herd immunity approach. There have been a number of responses to/examinations of that farrago of unfounded, speculative, irresponsible "sciency" noise. I thought that the one posted on Wired (https://www.wired.co.uk/article/great-barrington-declaration-herd-immunity-scientific-divide) was good (a few free articles before a paywall goes up there).

A reply of sorts has appeared in the form of the John Snow Memorandum (https://www.johnsnowmemo.com/). Named for John Snow (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Snow), a 19th century British doctor who was prominent in the development of the field of epidemiology, its title also might be seen as a reference to "Game of Thrones" and its recurring theme of "winter is coming."

QuoteAny pandemic management strategy relying upon immunity from natural infections for COVID-19 is flawed. Uncontrolled transmission in younger people risks significant morbidity and mortality across the whole population. In addition to the human cost, this would impact the workforce as a whole and overwhelm the ability of healthcare systems to provide acute and routine care.

Furthermore, there is no evidence for lasting protective immunity to SARS-CoV-2 following natural infection and the endemic transmission that would be the consequence of waning immunity would present a risk to vulnerable populations for the indefinite future. Such a strategy would not end the COVID-19 pandemic but result in recurrent epidemics, as was the case with numerous infectious diseases before the advent of vaccination. It would also place an unacceptable burden on the economy and healthcare workers, many of whom have died from COVID-19 or experienced trauma as a result of having to practise disaster medicine. Additionally, we still do not understand who might suffer from long COVID. Defining who is vulnerable is complex, but even if we consider those at risk of severe illness, the proportion of vulnerable people constitute as much as 30% of the population in some regions. Prolonged isolation of large swathes of the population is practically impossible and highly unethical. Empirical evidence from many countries shows that it is not feasible to restrict uncontrolled outbreaks to particular sections of society. Such an approach also risks further exacerbating the socioeconomic inequities and structural discriminations already laid bare by the pandemic. Special efforts to protect the most vulnerable are essential but must go hand-in-hand with multi-pronged population-level strategies.

Once again, we face rapidly accelerating increase in COVID-19 cases across much of Europe, the USA, and many other countries across the world. It is critical to act decisively and urgently. Effective measures that suppress and control transmission need to be implemented widely, and they must be supported by financial and social programmes that encourage community responses and address the inequities that have been amplified by the pandemic. Continuing restrictions will probably be required in the short term, to reduce transmission and fix ineffective pandemic response systems, in order to prevent future lockdowns. The purpose of these restrictions is to effectively suppress SARS-CoV-2 infections to low levels that allow rapid detection of localised outbreaks and rapid response through efficient and comprehensive find, test, trace, isolate, and support systems so life can return to near-normal without the need for generalised restrictions. Protecting our economies is inextricably tied to controlling COVID-19. We must protect our workforce and avoid long-term uncertainty.

Japan, Vietnam, and New Zealand, to name a few countries, have shown that robust public health responses can control transmission, allowing life to return to near-normal, and there are many such success stories. The evidence is very clear: controlling community spread of COVID-19 is the best way to protect our societies and economies until safe and effective vaccines and therapeutics arrive within the coming months.

We cannot afford distractions that undermine an effective response; it is essential that we act urgently based on the evidence.

[Link to full memorandum. (https://www.johnsnowmemo.com/)]
Title: Re: COVID-19
Post by: Dark Lightning on October 26, 2020, 04:10:02 PM
Benefits of universal masking from Nature: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41591-020-1132-9

"Projections of current non-pharmaceutical intervention strategies by state—with social distancing mandates reinstated when a threshold of 8 deaths per million population is exceeded (reference scenario)—suggest that, cumulatively, 511,373 (469,578–578,347) lives could be lost to COVID-19 across the United States by 28 February 2021. We find that achieving universal mask use (95% mask use in public) could be sufficient to ameliorate the worst effects of epidemic resurgences in many states. Universal mask use could save an additional 129,574 (85,284–170,867) lives from September 22, 2020 through the end of February 2021, or an additional 95,814 (60,731–133,077) lives assuming a lesser adoption of mask wearing (85%), when compared to the reference scenario."

>:(

Bolding is mine. These maskholes need to get it together and wear them.
Title: Re: COVID-19
Post by: Dark Lightning on February 05, 2021, 03:01:35 AM
Got my first dose of Covid vaccine today. It turned me into a NEWT!





















I got better, though.
Title: Re: COVID-19
Post by: No one on February 05, 2021, 03:42:48 AM
I need eye of newt for my next round of hexes. Coincidence, methinks not.
Title: Re: COVID-19
Post by: Tank on February 05, 2021, 08:43:55 AM
Almost 11 million doses administered in the UK as of today.

They are starting a new piece of research in the UK. They are going to mix vaccines. First shot of one type second shot of a different type. The hope is that because the vaccines trigger in subtly different ways they will create a wider and more long lasting immune response. It is also hoped that the combination will give a better protection from new mutations.
Title: Re: COVID-19
Post by: Ecurb Noselrub on February 05, 2021, 05:31:09 PM
My wife and I have both had two doses and over a week has passed.  Now we can party naked in the streets. With masks, of course.
Title: Re: COVID-19
Post by: xSilverPhinx on February 07, 2021, 12:57:14 AM
Lucky. There's no prospect of my family and I getting the vaccine any time soon. ::) :(  It will probably take a few months.
Title: Re: COVID-19
Post by: Recusant on June 25, 2021, 05:46:01 AM
Evidence of ancient coronavirus epidemics:

"We found traces of humanity's age-old arms race with coronaviruses written in our DNA" | The Conversation (https://theconversation.com/we-found-traces-of-humanitys-age-old-arms-race-with-coronaviruses-written-in-our-dna-163254)

QuoteA coronavirus may have swept across East Asia more than 20,000 years ago, leaving traces in the DNA of people in modern China, Japan and Vietnam. Our research, published (https://www.cell.com/current-biology/fulltext/S0960-9822(21)00794-6) in Current Biology, found evidence of genetic adaptation to the coronavirus family of viruses in 42 genes in modern populations in these regions.

The COVID-19 pandemic, caused by the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2, is so far responsible for more than 3.8 million deaths and billions of dollars in economic losses worldwide. The coronavirus family also includes the related MERS and SARS viruses, both of which have caused significant deadly outbreaks in the past 20 years.

Our results show how the hunt for genetic traces of historical viral outbreaks may help us treat the outbreaks of the future.

[Continues . . . (https://theconversation.com/we-found-traces-of-humanitys-age-old-arms-race-with-coronaviruses-written-in-our-dna-163254)]
Title: Re: COVID-19
Post by: Recusant on June 30, 2021, 05:24:33 AM
A critical look at reporting on the "lab leak hypothesis," noting that the recent attention it's received isn't based on genuine evidence.

"US Media Give New Respect to Lab Leak Theory—Though Evidence Is as Lacking as Ever" | FAIR (Fairness and Accuracy In Reporting) (https://fair.org/home/us-media-give-new-respect-to-lab-leak-theory-though-evidence-is-as-lacking-as-ever/)

QuoteWhile many Western media outlets (e.g., NBC, 5/4/20; BBC, 4/26/20) reported on the evidence-free speculations surrounding a potential lab leak of the SARS-CoV-2 virus from the Wuhan Institute of Virology (WIV) in China's Hubei province last year (FAIR.org, 4/17/20), it has never enjoyed as much mainstream credibility as it has in recent months.

Although several reports in 2020 uncritically parroted US officials like Sen. Tom Cotton and former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, and discredited defectors like Yan Li-Meng, there were also many reports at the time disputing and dismissing their claims of a lab leak as a "conspiracy theory" (e.g., Vox, 3/12/20; AP, 12/17/20; Business Insider, 6/2/21).

[. . .]

Despite the sudden media enthusiasm for the lab leak theory, there remains as little compelling evidence that the virus escaped from a Chinese lab as there always has been . . .

[Continues . . . (https://fair.org/home/us-media-give-new-respect-to-lab-leak-theory-though-evidence-is-as-lacking-as-ever/)]
Title: Re: COVID-19
Post by: Tom62 on June 30, 2021, 02:40:40 PM
I had my first BioNTech-Pfizer jab today at the company I work for.
Title: Re: COVID-19
Post by: Ecurb Noselrub on June 30, 2021, 06:16:17 PM
Quote from: Tom62 on June 30, 2021, 02:40:40 PM
I had my first BioNTech-Pfizer jab today at the company I work for.

Good. Any side effects?
Title: Re: COVID-19
Post by: Tom62 on June 30, 2021, 08:28:40 PM
Quote from: Ecurb Noselrub on June 30, 2021, 06:16:17 PM
Quote from: Tom62 on June 30, 2021, 02:40:40 PM
I had my first BioNTech-Pfizer jab today at the company I work for.

Good. Any side effects?

Nothing at all.
Title: Re: COVID-19
Post by: Tank on September 13, 2021, 06:32:32 PM
My younger daughter, her husband and their older son (eight) have all tested positive over the last 3 days. All having minor symptoms.
Title: Re: COVID-19
Post by: Dark Lightning on September 13, 2021, 06:54:22 PM
Yikes. Let's hope the symptoms STAY minor!
Title: Re: COVID-19
Post by: Tank on September 13, 2021, 09:40:29 PM
Quote from: Dark Lightning on September 13, 2021, 06:54:22 PM
Yikes. Let's hope the symptoms STAY minor!

They should. They are both double vaccinated and in their 30's.
Title: Re: COVID-19
Post by: Dark Lightning on September 13, 2021, 09:58:44 PM
Ah, OK. Somehow I got that they hadn't been vaccinated. It must be a huge relief to know that they are vaccinated.
Title: Re: COVID-19
Post by: billy rubin on September 14, 2021, 01:43:05 AM
last week i hsd a preload of wood pellets to go 650 miles to iowa. then they called and said take it back, shut down for covid.

today-seven days later-- i am under those same wood pellets going back to iowa.

hopefully they are all out of quarantine
Title: Re: COVID-19
Post by: Tank on September 14, 2021, 07:52:47 AM
Quote from: Dark Lightning on September 13, 2021, 09:58:44 PM
Ah, OK. Somehow I got that they hadn't been vaccinated. It must be a huge relief to know that they are vaccinated.

They both work in the NHS so they were some of the first guin..., people, vaccinated. :)
Title: Re: COVID-19
Post by: Tank on September 14, 2021, 07:53:53 AM
Quote from: billy rubin on September 14, 2021, 01:43:05 AM
last week i hsd a preload of wood pellets to go 650 miles to iowa. then they called and said take it back, shut down for covid.

today-seven days later-- i am under those same wood pellets going back to iowa.

hopefully they are all out of quarantine

Wood pellets = fuel?
Title: Re: COVID-19
Post by: Biggus Dickus on September 14, 2021, 03:01:43 PM
A friend of mine just got his 2nd dose of the vaccine, and 24 hours later BOOM!...he was stung by a bee. Do your research.
Title: Re: COVID-19
Post by: billy rubin on September 14, 2021, 10:48:01 PM
Quote from: Tank on September 14, 2021, 07:53:53 AM
Quote from: billy rubin on September 14, 2021, 01:43:05 AM
last week i hsd a preload of wood pellets to go 650 miles to iowa. then they called and said take it back, shut down for covid.

today-seven days later-- i am under those same wood pellets going back to iowa.

hopefully they are all out of quarantine

Wood pellets = fuel?

sometimes. theycome in big sacksthatweigh a thousand kilos each, and i carry 22 of em.

sometimets times they go into those pellet stoves, but tbr people ive talked to use em for mixing in with liquid oil field spills or manure, so you move stuff around with a front end loader
Title: Re: COVID-19
Post by: Icarus on September 17, 2021, 12:54:53 AM
Can never be too sure about what Billy is telling us. That is what makes him so interesting.  Pallets....note the spelling, are the wooden frames that stuff is stacked upon prior to storage or transport..  Pellets are what rabbits poop, or in the case of wood pellets what the fire is made from, or if another kind of pellets it is the projectile that is emitted from a sling or air rifle.
Title: Re: COVID-19
Post by: billy rubin on September 17, 2021, 01:42:09 PM
lol

somretimes im not sure about what im saying

tbe wood pellets come in giant supetsacks, one to a 48-inch pallet. drawstring closure. theyre little pieces of chopped hardwoid, sometimes burned in woodstoves and sometimes used as an absorbant medium for chemical spills or to thicken liquid wastes so they can be disposed of in a landfill.

theyre a bitch to carry, because they have no fixed shape and travelling down the road makes the pellets settle, so the straps get loose and the sacks squeeze out from under

carrying steel is vadtly easier, or any rigid object
Title: Re: COVID-19
Post by: billy rubin on September 17, 2021, 01:46:14 PM
doibg flatbed i carry steel coils, sheet, plates, ingots, pipes, girders, shipping conytaoners, dressed lumber, boulders, vehicles, museum exhibits, machinery, agricultural equipment, you name it. csrried a load of beehives once. a flatbed holds some 577? hives, iirc.

yesterday i delivered steel coils for making cars and picked up concrete mats for lining drainage ditches
Title: Re: COVID-19
Post by: Icarus on September 18, 2021, 04:56:51 AM
It is well known that our world would be in deep shit without  long haul truckers.  Trucks bring everything from Blueberries to toilet paper. Not as well realized, they also bring the essential chemicals that purify our city water.

Title: Re: COVID-19
Post by: billy rubin on September 18, 2021, 05:46:47 AM
dont forget that toilet [aper

but i try to stay with a philosophy of of primary producion\

-- imake food

-- iproduce energy

-- i haul low levl goods

in my opinion. th elower the trophic levels we choose to live within, the betteroff outr toatal economy becomes


i n general this means, first thing, we hang all the lawyers
Title: Re: COVID-19
Post by: Anne D. on September 18, 2021, 06:13:08 AM
People keep using that quote. I don't think it means what they think it means : )
Title: Re: COVID-19
Post by: hermes2015 on January 26, 2022, 07:40:18 AM
I had my Pfizer booster shot an hour ago and feeling nothing so far.
Title: Re: COVID-19
Post by: Tom62 on January 26, 2022, 08:14:08 AM
Quote from: hermes2015 on January 26, 2022, 07:40:18 AM
I had my Pfizer booster shot an hour ago and feeling nothing so far.

Normally, it takes some time (one day) to feel the effects. I had my booster shot 2 weeks ago and only felt a sore arm the day after.
Title: Re: COVID-19
Post by: Ecurb Noselrub on February 11, 2022, 09:08:19 PM
Quote from: Anne D. on September 18, 2021, 06:13:08 AM
People keep using that quote. I don't think it means what they think it means : )
.

Correct. I think Dick the Butcher or some bad guy said it.  So if you want tyranny, kill the lawyers.  If you want freedom, pay the lawyers!! Ecurb the Lawyer just said that.
Title: Re: COVID-19
Post by: Recusant on March 21, 2022, 05:13:26 PM
Reminding myself to get the next booster when it becomes available...

"Even mild cases of COVID-19 might result in brain shrinkage and impaired cognitive function" | PsyPost (https://www.psypost.org/2022/03/even-mild-cases-of-covid-19-might-result-in-brain-shrinkage-and-impaired-cognitive-function-62755)

QuoteMany people who have had COVID report feelings of "brain fog", fatigue and problems with concentration and memory long after their initial symptoms resolve. These problems, collectively referred to as "long COVID", may last for months even after mild infection.

Long COVID is very common, and may affect more than half of the people who catch COVID, even if they have a mild case.

Scientists collected data as part of the massive UK Biobank database. They looked at brain magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans and tests of brain function in 785 volunteers who were assessed before the pandemic. They then compared this to the same data collected three years later, when about half of those participants had mild COVID infection, and the other half had not caught COVID. This allowed the scientists to determine the specific effects of mild COVID infection on brain structure and function.

The group who had mild COVID an average of five months beforehand had thinning of brain tissue in several brain regions, ranging from 0.2% to around 2% compared to their pre-COVID scan. This is equivalent to between one and six years of normal brain ageing. Affected brain regions included the parahippocampal gyrus (an area related to memory) and the orbitofrontal cortex, which is located at the front of the brain and is important for smell and taste.

The post-COVID group also showed a reduction in overall brain size between their MRI scans that wasn't seen in the non-COVID group, and had altered connections between different brain regions in the olfactory cortex, an area related to smell.

They performed worse in a test for attention and mental flexibility, a finding that was associated with volume reductions within a part of the cerebellum related to smell and social relationships.

[Continues . . . (https://www.psypost.org/2022/03/even-mild-cases-of-covid-19-might-result-in-brain-shrinkage-and-impaired-cognitive-function-62755)]

"Brain changes after COVID revealed by imaging" | Nature (https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-022-00503-x)
Title: Re: COVID-19
Post by: Ecurb Noselrub on March 21, 2022, 07:13:10 PM
Yes, I'm waiting for Number Four.  Hope it comes around soon.

Sounds like Covid has about the same effect as long-term drinking - brain shrinkage. Except it is accelerated.
Title: Re: COVID-19
Post by: Dark Lightning on March 21, 2022, 09:39:06 PM
"...volume reductions within a part of the cerebellum related to smell and social relationships."

The brain is a real hodge-podge, ain't it? Some brain scientist could probably explain why those two abilities are in the same part of the brain.
Title: Re: COVID-19
Post by: xSilverPhinx on March 22, 2022, 01:01:13 AM
Quote from: Dark Lightning on March 21, 2022, 09:39:06 PM
"...volume reductions within a part of the cerebellum related to smell and social relationships."

The brain is a real hodge-podge, ain't it? Some brain scientist could probably explain why those two abilities are in the same part of the brain.

They probably meant to say "cerebrum" instead of cerebellum.   :P The words are close enough, but they're quite different structures in many ways, heh!
Title: Re: COVID-19
Post by: Dark Lightning on March 22, 2022, 01:36:33 AM
Quote from: xSilverPhinx on March 22, 2022, 01:01:13 AM
Quote from: Dark Lightning on March 21, 2022, 09:39:06 PM
"...volume reductions within a part of the cerebellum related to smell and social relationships."

The brain is a real hodge-podge, ain't it? Some brain scientist could probably explain why those two abilities are in the same part of the brain.

They probably meant to say "cerebrum" instead of cerebellum.   :P The words are close enough, but they're quite different structures in many ways, heh!

I was thinking that you might have had some input on this! I honestly have to admit that I'll have to go look up brain structure to make the distinction between the two. I knew that stuff back in the 5th grade, but I haven't used that information since.  :-[

Still, the fact that this disease causes so much trouble is really concerning to me. We avoided people as much as possible and got vaccinated at the first opportunity. I have people telling me that I'm naïve and gullible for doing so. If they get the disease and suffer debilitating effects for months, or possibly the rest of their lives, that's a pretty damning assessment of their judgment.
Title: Re: COVID-19
Post by: Recusant on March 22, 2022, 05:11:09 AM
Quote from: Dark Lightning on March 21, 2022, 09:39:06 PM
"...volume reductions within a part of the cerebellum related to smell and social relationships."

The brain is a real hodge-podge, ain't it? Some brain scientist could probably explain why those two abilities are in the same part of the brain.

I noticed that too. I admit that rather than investigating the issue further I told myself a "just-so" story about how social relationships of our ancestors were to a large degree driven by pheromones, and kept moving.  :excuse:
Title: Re: COVID-19
Post by: xSilverPhinx on March 23, 2022, 06:39:23 AM
Quote from: Dark Lightning on March 22, 2022, 01:36:33 AM
Quote from: xSilverPhinx on March 22, 2022, 01:01:13 AM
Quote from: Dark Lightning on March 21, 2022, 09:39:06 PM
"...volume reductions within a part of the cerebellum related to smell and social relationships."

The brain is a real hodge-podge, ain't it? Some brain scientist could probably explain why those two abilities are in the same part of the brain.

They probably meant to say "cerebrum" instead of cerebellum.   :P The words are close enough, but they're quite different structures in many ways, heh!

I was thinking that you might have had some input on this! I honestly have to admit that I'll have to go look up brain structure to make the distinction between the two. I knew that stuff back in the 5th grade, but I haven't used that information since.  :-[

Still, the fact that this disease causes so much trouble is really concerning to me. We avoided people as much as possible and got vaccinated at the first opportunity. I have people telling me that I'm naïve and gullible for doing so. If they get the disease and suffer debilitating effects for months, or possibly the rest of their lives, that's a pretty damning assessment of their judgment.

Correction: I looked up the original paper the article is referring to, and apparently it is indeed the cerebellum.

In their analyses they discovered smaller volumes in a region of the cerebellum which connects and communicates with regions of the cerebrum (basically the wrinkled hemispheres that are the "more evolved" part of the brain) which are important in imagining the mental states of other people, and with regions that process smell signals. 

Social cognition is definitely of the higher order type, requiring an interplay of a number of brain areas. The fact that the cerebellum is part of that orchestra made up of mostly parts of the cerebrum is new to me. :grin:

As for Long Covid...definitely scary, especially because infection can trigger immune and inflammatory responses that damage tissues and organs that do not regenerate. 
Title: Re: COVID-19
Post by: xSilverPhinx on March 23, 2022, 06:50:55 AM
Quote from: Recusant on March 22, 2022, 05:11:09 AM
Quote from: Dark Lightning on March 21, 2022, 09:39:06 PM
"...volume reductions within a part of the cerebellum related to smell and social relationships."

The brain is a real hodge-podge, ain't it? Some brain scientist could probably explain why those two abilities are in the same part of the brain.

I noticed that too. I admit that rather than investigating the issue further I told myself a "just-so" story about how social relationships of our ancestors were to a large degree driven by pheromones, and kept moving.  :excuse:

Heheh, the smell thing actually makes sense :grin:

Since the cerebellum is really important for motor function, it wouldn't be much of a stretch to think being able to physically get away from someone who hasn't showered in weeks would be a valuable ability.
Title: Re: COVID-19
Post by: Dark Lightning on March 23, 2022, 02:47:38 PM
Quote from: xSilverPhinx on March 23, 2022, 06:50:55 AM
Quote from: Recusant on March 22, 2022, 05:11:09 AM
Quote from: Dark Lightning on March 21, 2022, 09:39:06 PM
"...volume reductions within a part of the cerebellum related to smell and social relationships."

The brain is a real hodge-podge, ain't it? Some brain scientist could probably explain why those two abilities are in the same part of the brain.

I noticed that too. I admit that rather than investigating the issue further I told myself a "just-so" story about how social relationships of our ancestors were to a large degree driven by pheromones, and kept moving.  :excuse:

Heheh, the smell thing actually makes sense :grin:

Since the cerebellum is really important for motor function, it wouldn't be much of a stretch to think being able to physically get away from someone who hasn't showered in weeks would be a valuable ability.

sniffs armpit> How can I get away from myself?  :-[
Title: Re: COVID-19
Post by: xSilverPhinx on March 24, 2022, 12:50:56 AM
Quote from: Dark Lightning on March 23, 2022, 02:47:38 PM
Quote from: xSilverPhinx on March 23, 2022, 06:50:55 AM
Quote from: Recusant on March 22, 2022, 05:11:09 AM
Quote from: Dark Lightning on March 21, 2022, 09:39:06 PM
"...volume reductions within a part of the cerebellum related to smell and social relationships."

The brain is a real hodge-podge, ain't it? Some brain scientist could probably explain why those two abilities are in the same part of the brain.

I noticed that too. I admit that rather than investigating the issue further I told myself a "just-so" story about how social relationships of our ancestors were to a large degree driven by pheromones, and kept moving.  :excuse:

Heheh, the smell thing actually makes sense :grin:

Since the cerebellum is really important for motor function, it wouldn't be much of a stretch to think being able to physically get away from someone who hasn't showered in weeks would be a valuable ability.

sniffs armpit> How can I get away from myself?  :-[

:lol: I'm afraid I can't help you there!
Title: Re: COVID-19
Post by: Dark Lightning on March 24, 2022, 02:41:19 AM
Quote from: xSilverPhinx on March 24, 2022, 12:50:56 AM
Quote from: Dark Lightning on March 23, 2022, 02:47:38 PM
Quote from: xSilverPhinx on March 23, 2022, 06:50:55 AM
Quote from: Recusant on March 22, 2022, 05:11:09 AM
Quote from: Dark Lightning on March 21, 2022, 09:39:06 PM
"...volume reductions within a part of the cerebellum related to smell and social relationships."

The brain is a real hodge-podge, ain't it? Some brain scientist could probably explain why those two abilities are in the same part of the brain.

I noticed that too. I admit that rather than investigating the issue further I told myself a "just-so" story about how social relationships of our ancestors were to a large degree driven by pheromones, and kept moving.  :excuse:

Heheh, the smell thing actually makes sense :grin:

Since the cerebellum is really important for motor function, it wouldn't be much of a stretch to think being able to physically get away from someone who hasn't showered in weeks would be a valuable ability.

sniffs armpit> How can I get away from myself?  :-[

:lol: I'm afraid I can't help you there!

:D I went and got in the rain locker and got the sweat washed off.  :-[
Title: Re: COVID-19
Post by: Recusant on March 24, 2022, 04:21:12 AM
Quote from: xSilverPhinx on March 23, 2022, 06:50:55 AM
Quote from: Recusant on March 22, 2022, 05:11:09 AM
Quote from: Dark Lightning on March 21, 2022, 09:39:06 PM
"...volume reductions within a part of the cerebellum related to smell and social relationships."

The brain is a real hodge-podge, ain't it? Some brain scientist could probably explain why those two abilities are in the same part of the brain.

I noticed that too. I admit that rather than investigating the issue further I told myself a "just-so" story about how social relationships of our ancestors were to a large degree driven by pheromones, and kept moving.  :excuse:

Heheh, the smell thing actually makes sense :grin:

Since the cerebellum is really important for motor function, it wouldn't be much of a stretch to think being able to physically get away from someone who hasn't showered in weeks would be a valuable ability.

:rofl:  I love it!   :brava:
Title: Re: COVID-19
Post by: billy rubin on March 24, 2022, 11:38:33 AM
what is a rain locker?
Title: Re: COVID-19
Post by: Tank on August 03, 2022, 07:25:13 PM
I had a very mild case at the end of April 2022. I caught it while I was in hospital with sepsis. If I hadn't told them I had a runny nose and slightly sore throat they wouldn't have tested me and I wouldn't have known.
Title: Re: COVID-19
Post by: Recusant on August 05, 2022, 07:59:56 AM
No signs of long covid? Still able to sniff the blossoms and savour the bouquet of your beverage?
Title: Re: COVID-19
Post by: Tank on August 05, 2022, 08:02:37 AM
Quote from: Recusant on August 05, 2022, 07:59:56 AMNo signs of long covid? Still able to sniff the blossoms and savour the bouquet of your beverage?

No signs of long Covid. However I have lost most of my sense of smell due to diabetes.  >:(
Title: Re: COVID-19
Post by: Recusant on August 05, 2022, 08:07:15 AM
Quote from: Tank on August 05, 2022, 08:02:37 AM
Quote from: Recusant on August 05, 2022, 07:59:56 AMNo signs of long covid? Still able to sniff the blossoms and savour the bouquet of your beverage?

No signs of long Covid. However I have lost most of my sense of smell due to diabetes.  >:(

Splendid on the first count. My condolences on the second. Still. . .  :beer:
Title: Re: COVID-19
Post by: Tank on August 05, 2022, 08:08:25 AM
 :beer:
Title: Re: COVID-19
Post by: Recusant on November 18, 2022, 02:21:03 AM
Checking in on the quack world. About what you would expect, but some may find it entertaining...

"COVID-Denying Medical Group Implodes Over Founder's Extravagant Spending" | The Daily Beast (https://www.thedailybeast.com/covid-misinformation-group-americas-frontline-doctors-implodes-over-dr-simone-golds-extravagant-spending)

QuoteWhen employees at leading COVID pseudoscience group America's Frontline Doctors tried to log in to work last week, they found themselves locked out of their email accounts. The nonprofit quickly fell into factions, with employees holding rival Zoom meetings to plot who would take over the group.

The organization's exiled founder, Dr. Simone Gold, tried unsuccessfully to gain access to a private Zoom call, only to find herself stuck in a waiting room. In internal emails, the group's accountant worried about who could still access the $7 million locked in its bank accounts.

[. . .]

As AFLDS's leadership squabbles, the group's rank-and-file employees are struggling to fulfill the organization's basic functions, like connecting their supporters with prescriptions for ivermectin and hydroxychloroquine. In the end, AFLDS staffers are able to do just one thing, according to a signed affidavit filed in court recently: cancel their fans' donations.

[. . .]

AFLDS received at least $10 million in donations, and millions more by facilitating prescriptions for hydroxychloroquine and ivermectin. But Gold derailed her path to right-wing stardom when she entered the Capitol during the Jan. 6 riot with John Strand, an underwear model roughly twenty years her junior who had become her boyfriend and an AFLDS employee. According to prosecutors, Gold stood by as a police officer was attacked by rioters, opting not to use her medical training to help the man.

Gold was arrested a few weeks after the riot and charged with disorderly conduct and other criminal charges. As her legal case loomed in February 2022, Gold—according to emails and affidavits the board's lawyers have added to the court record—resigned her position on the AFLDS board. Joey Gilbert—a former professional boxer turned Nevada lawyer who was once suspended from the sport after testing positive for steroids and amphetamines—was voted onto the board.

According to the board's lawsuit, Gold tried to negotiate a position as a fundraising consultant for the organization with a hefty $1.5 million signing bonus and $600,000 annual salary. Gold ultimately agreed to stay on as a consultant—though it's not clear what financial deal she received.

[Continues . . . (https://www.thedailybeast.com/covid-misinformation-group-americas-frontline-doctors-implodes-over-dr-simone-golds-extravagant-spending)]

I was unable to find what the S stands for in AFLDS. Speculating: Society, Sucker, Stupid . . .
Title: Re: COVID-19
Post by: Tank on November 18, 2022, 10:56:57 AM
:rofl:
Title: Re: COVID-19
Post by: Asmodean on November 18, 2022, 01:41:11 PM
It seems like the S does not stand for a separate word any more than the L does. :headscratch:

The Asmo, He grumpily disapproves.
Title: Re: COVID-19
Post by: Recusant on March 17, 2023, 06:46:14 PM
Despite some vocal support of the "lab leak" hypothesis, it really doesn't have much evidence in support. Occam's Razor would lead to rejecting the "lab leak" as superfluous unless there is evidence in its favor. On the other hand, we know that it is a fairly regular occurrence for novel (to our species) viral diseases to make the jump from a wild animal reservoir to Homo sapiens. There is some evidence to support that route for COVID-19.

"The Strongest Evidence Yet That an Animal Started the Pandemic" | The Atlantic (https://archive.ph/pPX5k)

QuoteFor three years now, the debate over the origins of the coronavirus pandemic has ping-ponged between two big ideas: that SARS-CoV-2 spilled into human populations directly from a wild-animal source, and that the pathogen leaked from a lab. Through a swirl of data obfuscation by Chinese authorities and politicalization within the United States, and rampant speculation from all corners of the world, many scientists have stood by the notion that this outbreak—like most others—had purely natural roots. But that hypothesis has been missing a key piece of proof: genetic evidence from the Huanan Seafood Wholesale Market in Wuhan, China, showing that the virus had infected creatures for sale there.

This week, an international team of virologists, genomicists, and evolutionary biologists may have finally found crucial data to help fill that knowledge gap. A new analysis of genetic sequences collected from the market shows that raccoon dogs being illegally sold at the venue could have been carrying and possibly shedding the virus at the end of 2019. It's some of the strongest support yet, experts told me, that the pandemic began when SARS-CoV-2 hopped from animals into humans, rather than in an accident among scientists experimenting with viruses.

"This really strengthens the case for a natural origin," says Seema Lakdawala, a virologist at Emory University who wasn't involved in the research. Angela Rasmussen, a virologist involved in the research, told me, "This is a really strong indication that animals at the market were infected. There's really no other explanation that makes any sense."

[Continues . . . (https://archive.ph/pPX5k)]
Title: Re: COVID-19
Post by: Tank on March 18, 2023, 08:10:03 AM
Reality doesn't make good headlines.
Title: Re: COVID-19
Post by: Recusant on May 26, 2023, 06:36:15 AM
OK, check your symptoms. Like me, you may have a few even if you've never caught COVID.  ;)

The RECOVER (https://recovercovid.org/about) project has released a paper describing the symptoms of long COVID (https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/fullarticle/2805540?guestAccessKey=1fbcad3a-e2ab-492f-8dcc-0288c178fb94).

"These Are the 12 Major Symptoms of Long COVID" | The Daily Beast (https://www.thedailybeast.com/these-are-the-12-major-symptoms-of-long-covid)

QuoteThe new paper reiterates the scientific term for long COVID: post-acute sequelae, or PASC. The 12 symptoms the authors of the study identified as a result of PASC are:

  • loss of smell/taste
  • feelings of malaise after physical activity
  • chronic cough
  • "brain fog" that makes mental activity difficult
  • thirst
  • heart palpitations
  • chest pains
  • fatigue
  • changes in sexual desire
  • dizziness
  • gastrointestinal ailments
  • abnormal movements
  • hair loss

They forgot to mention shortness of pants and delayed borborygmus. (Sadly, joeactor was the only other Firehead here and he doesn't visit any more, but I feel compelled to quote the Firesign Theatre occasionally.)
Title: Re: COVID-19
Post by: Tank on May 26, 2023, 07:59:12 AM
Shit. I have permanent Covid! Who knew.
Title: Re: COVID-19
Post by: Recusant on August 16, 2023, 09:07:42 PM
Hmm.  Some good news and some not so good, maybe.

"Long COVID is devastating and far from rare. As infections rise again, why are we still ignoring it?" | Salon (https://archive.ph/JH893)

QuoteWhile things seem to be getting back to normal for most people, those with long COVID are still suffering – and this suffering will likely continue on indefinitely if nothing is done to change course.

As previously reported by Salon, an alarming scientific pattern is revealing itself across intersecting areas of research, which suggests that long COVID could be linked to neurodegenerative diseases like Parkinson's – having to do with the misfolding of alpha-synuclein proteins in the human nervous system. This misfolding is possibly triggered by an initial COVID infection and can lead to unwanted accumulation of alpha-synuclein and the formation of Lewy bodies, resulting in neurological disorders.

It's imperative that we follow this trail of science all the way through to the end. We can hope it's disproved, but ignoring it will leave us headed in the direction of disaster: debilitating, chronic, irreversible health conditions — or what some are calling a "mass-disabling event."

However, as a result of the Public Health Emergency Act expiring, COVID research and tracking has become more difficult. Coverage for tests, contact tracing, research funding, data reporting – it's all been thrown out the window, along with what little COVID precaution was left. Yet every COVID infection still puts an individual at risk of developing long COVID – which, according to the data, is increasingly likely among the less vaccinated and the more times you've contracted the virus.

It remains unclear whether certain COVID variants have greater potential to cause long COVID, but what is clear is that long haulers (people with long COVID) often report symptoms that line up with what those going through the prodromal (subclinical) phases of various brain diseases describe – meaning that long COVID patients are quite possibly experiencing the early stages of neurodegeneration.
Title: Re: COVID-19
Post by: Recusant on December 28, 2023, 05:22:15 PM
Speaking of, each encounter with this damn bug apparently increases the potential to develop long COVID, even if those infections produce mild symptoms. A truly nasty virus.  :sulk:

"Every COVID Infection Increases Your Risk of Long COVID, Study Warns" | Science Alert (https://www.sciencealert.com/every-covid-infection-increases-your-risk-of-long-covid-study-warns)

QuoteVaccines ensure bouts of COVID are far less deadly than they were at the pandemic's start, yet multiple studies now suggest even seemingly mild cases of the coronavirus have a cost. With every single infection, our risk of long COVID increases.

While this risk starts (relatively) low for most of us, particularly those vaccinated and in younger people or children, there are concerning signs it may not stay low. If each new invasion of our bodies allows this insidious virus a greater chance to cause damage, such small risks will eventually add up to a big one.

Even if you only experience the symptom of the initial infection mildly.

"Each subsequent COVID infection will increase your risk of developing chronic health issues like diabetes, kidney disease, organ failure and even mental health problems," physician Rambod Rouhbakhsh warned journalist Sara Berg in an American Medical Association podcast earlier this year.

"This dispels the myth that repeated brushes with the virus are mild and you don't have to worry about it. It is akin to playing Russian roulette."

[Continues . . . (https://www.sciencealert.com/every-covid-infection-increases-your-risk-of-long-covid-study-warns)]

The paper is open access:

"Postacute sequelae of COVID-19 at 2 years" | Nature Medicine (https://www.nature.com/articles/s41591-023-02521-2)

QuoteAbstract:

Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection can lead to postacute sequelae in multiple organ systems, but evidence is mostly limited to the first year postinfection.

We built a cohort of 138,818 individuals with SARS-CoV-2 infection and 5,985,227 noninfected control group from the US Department of Veterans Affairs and followed them for 2 years to estimate the risks of death and 80 prespecified postacute sequelae of COVID-19 (PASC) according to care setting during the acute phase of infection.

The increased risk of death was not significant beyond 6 months after infection among nonhospitalized but remained significantly elevated through the 2 years in hospitalized individuals. Within the 80 prespecified sequelae, 69% and 35% of them became not significant at 2 years after infection among nonhospitalized and hospitalized individuals, respectively.

Cumulatively at 2 years, PASC contributed 80.4 (95% confidence interval (CI): 71.6–89.6) and 642.8 (95% CI: 596.9–689.3) disability-adjusted life years (DALYs) per 1,000 persons among nonhospitalized and hospitalized individuals; 25.3% (18.9–31.0%) and 21.3% (18.2–24.5%) of the cumulative 2-year DALYs in nonhospitalized and hospitalized were from the second year.

In sum, while risks of many sequelae declined 2 years after infection, the substantial cumulative burden of health loss due to PASC calls for attention to the care needs of people with long-term health effects due to SARS-CoV-2 infection.

Title: Re: COVID-19
Post by: Tank on December 28, 2023, 05:39:12 PM
That's bad news.
Title: Re: COVID-19
Post by: Recusant on December 28, 2023, 07:44:15 PM
Forcing some advance in medicine is the only good thing that this bug has brought, as far as I can tell. Not enough to make up for the damage it's done.  :(