OT: Coronavirus

When did the world determine you have immunity from Covid after getting it? This notion of herd immunity has neither been proven (or been disproved). 

I forget the source, I read today 1/2 of Covid cases in the US now from asymptomatic or pre-symptomatic people 

@"purplefaithful" said: When did the world determine you have immunity from Covid after getting it? This notion of herd immunity has neither been proven (or been disproved). 

I forget the source, I read today 1/2 of Covid cases in the US now from asymptomatic or pre-symptomatic people 

As far as asymptomatic or presymptomatic that's not really the discussion when we are talking about numbers in countries compared to ours,  the point is the testing procedures and how they can paint a false picture.

I too have tried to take a little comfort in the fact that only 1% of folks who get this thing will die. But this is a reality check...

Why in God's name would anyone think this is a hoax? A month ago, my sister in law who lives in TX ridiculed people who thought this was real. Haven't spoken to her since, but just texted her mom and she confirmed that both she and her husband still think it's a hoax, refuse to wear masks and refuse to put them on their 8 kids. 

https://www.newsweek.com/person-their-30s-dies-after-attending-covid-party-thought-it-was-hoax-health-officials-1517172

@"MaroonBells" said: Why in God's name would anyone think this is a hoax? A month ago, my sister in law who lives in TX ridiculed people who thought this was real. Haven't spoken to her since, but just texted her mom and she confirmed that both she and her husband still think it's a hoax, refuse to wear masks and refuse to put them on their 8 kids. 

https://www.newsweek.com/person-their-30s-dies-after-attending-covid-party-thought-it-was-hoax-health-officials-1517172

Sounds like a keeper to me...MB's Thanksgiving Dinner;

Florida shattered the national record Sunday for the largest single-day increase in positive coronavirus cases in any state since the beginning of the pandemic, adding more than 15,000 cases as its daily average death toll continued to also rise.

Closer to my home in MN...This is a big deal for families needing these services:

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More than 300 adult day centers that provide services for Minnesotans with disabilities and mental illnesses will be allowed to reopen Monday, filling a major gap in the state’s social safety net.The Minnesota Department of Human Services, the state agency that oversees disability services, issued new guidance allowing thousands of adults who live in group homes and other residential care facilities to attend day centers across the state. They had been locked out of the centers since March under restrictions meant to prevent the spread of COVID-19, the deadly respiratory disease caused by the coronavirus.
Human Services Commissioner Jodi Harpstead said the decision was driven by encouraging signs that infection-control protocols are working in group homes and that significantly fewer residents with disabilities are catching the virus. The reopening is also a response to growing concerns over the harm caused by months of grinding isolation and loneliness among Minnesota’s most vulnerable residents. Since the pandemic began, many adults with disabilities have been spending their days confined to their homes and cut off from a place to go during the day for social interaction.
On Friday, the state Department of Health cited “the unintended consequences of prolonged physical separation and isolation” as a reason for easing the lockdown on nursing homes and other senior care facilities, under new guidelines. For the first time since mid-March, designated family members and outside caregivers will be allowed to make scheduled visits inside senior homes to monitor their loved ones’ care and help alleviate their isolation.
“This felt like exactly the right moment,” Harpstead said in an interview Sunday, soon after notifying disability providers of the reopening. “It looks as if there is a pretty good experience in recent weeks in group homes. We hope that continues in that direction and holds firm.”
Across the state, adult day center programs serve about 6,000 Minnesotans with a wide range of disabilities, including autism spectrum disorder, cerebral palsy and traumatic brain injuries. In many small towns and rural areas, they are hubs of activity: They shuttle people to and from work and activities in the community, and provide a destination during the day for those with severe disabilities who might otherwise be isolated at home. The state partially reopened the centers on May 30 for people who live in their own homes or with family members; however, as a safety precaution, people who live in four-bedroom group homes or other congregate care settings were not allowed to return.
The restrictions have taken a huge financial toll on nonprofit disability service providers across the state, which have endured staggering losses since the pandemic began. Dozens of centers have been forced to close because of mounting debts, and thousands of employees at these centers have been laid off or furloughed over the past two months.

@"purplefaithful" said: Florida shattered the national record Sunday for the largest single-day increase in positive coronavirus cases in any state since the beginning of the pandemic, adding more than 15,000 cases as its daily average death toll continued to also rise.

@"StickyBun" said:

@"purplefaithful" said: Florida shattered the national record Sunday for the largest single-day increase in positive coronavirus cases in any state since the beginning of the pandemic, adding more than 15,000 cases as its daily average death toll continued to also rise.

Lots of ocean, lots of tourists from NYC, lots of dumb kids partying like crazy with a Governor who continues to downplay the virus. These 18-25 year olds are asymptomatic and spreading it like wildfire. 

@"MaroonBells" said: Why in God's name would anyone think this is a hoax? A month ago, my sister in law who lives in TX ridiculed people who thought this was real. Haven't spoken to her since, but just texted her mom and she confirmed that both she and her husband still think it's a hoax, refuse to wear masks and refuse to put them on their 8 kids. 

https://www.newsweek.com/person-their-30s-dies-after-attending-covid-party-thought-it-was-hoax-health-officials-1517172

I think I have an idea on which is the winner.

@"StickyBun" said:

@"purplefaithful" said: Florida shattered the national record Sunday for the largest single-day increase in positive coronavirus cases in any state since the beginning of the pandemic, adding more than 15,000 cases as its daily average death toll continued to also rise.

Lots of ocean, lots of tourists from NYC, lots of dumb kids partying like crazy with a Governor who continues to downplay the virus. These 18-25 year olds are asymptomatic and spreading it like wildfire. 

@"BigAl99" said:

@"mjollnir_k" said:

@"Akvike" said:

@"mjollnir_k" said: Anybody find it extremely disturbing while reporting new cases there is no substance to the report ie with symptoms in or needed hospitalization.  If we treated any other disease the way this one is being treated I know the numbers would be extremely different.  Yes there is a definite line with the vulnerable but in reality are we not suppressing the majority in favor of the minority?  

I guess we should just put our head in the sand and wait for the medical community to completely collapse---

Actually the shut down had the exact opposite effect,  Many lost their jobs and the medical community did not get slammed as expected.  Yes some were stress and had to transfer patients but neither Mercy or Comfort were even used.  And the emergency centers collected dust more then anything.

Yes it had that effect, of course it would, but the question is how long will it last.  And your assertion that the medical system did not get slammed, is a matter of opinion.  As far as employment that's all the talk about a U or V shaped recovery, and we are managing to avert both.  The stock market is doing okay, but the majority of folk affected by job loss are not reflected in those numbers, the investor class is okay.  In other economies social health and welfare are integral, ours is pure profit and wealth accumulation.  You know the old cliche, " the rich get richer and the poor get poorer". 

“If you fail to provide it, you will receive a summons with a $2K fine,” Gov. Andrew Cuomo said in a tweet.https://t.co/5YSZwebM2I

— Tampa Bay Times (@TB_Times) July 13, 2020

Florida does have a lot of cases, but the positivity rate is low. And the death rate is extremely low, especially compared to the national average. Keep in mind a TON of people have been tested in FL, probably more than any state. Lots of tests in the pipeline still. Cuomo has a stick up his ass because the Governor of Florida did this same thing to New Yorkers a few months ago, forcing them to quarantine in place upon arrival for 14 days. The hilarious thing is the only people that want back into NYC from FL now are the snowbirds that came down here months ago to get away from the epicenter of the country when NYC had it bad....so he's doing a dog and pony show for the media. And contrary to the media, there are plenty of ICU beds in hospitals in the most populous areas of Florida. 

The one place in Florida that is the worst is Miami. No doubt about that.

lol...little tit for tat ny vs fl

3M, MIT team up to develop quicker, cheaper COVID-19 testResults would be seen in minutes, not days, although there could be false negatives.A collaboration between 3M and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology could lead to a faster, cheaper way to detect COVID-19 — one with results measured in minutes rather than days.

In other words, it would likely be a big deal, if it works.
3M announced Tuesday its “antigen” testing effort received “phase 1” approval from a recently created federal effort to accelerate the deployment of COVID-19 testing technology. But 3M still must pass “phase 2” and receive regulatory approval for the test.
“The holy grail of this would be something akin to a home pregnancy test,” said John Banovetz, 3M’s chief technology officer.
That’s not to say 3M’s test would be sold at retailers like a pregnancy test. But people could quickly get COVID test results “at the point of care,” Banovetz said.
3M would use paper as a testing medium, which would change its physical state if the virus were present.
The most common way to detect COVID-19 is through a polymerase chain-reaction (PCR) test. Test samples, usually from nasal swabbing, must be sent to a government-accredited lab, where technicians look for the virus’ genetic material.
Hospitalized patients can get their PCR tests turned around in two to four hours, but even hospitals have limitations, said Sophia Yohe, an associate professor at the U’s Medical School and director of its molecular diagnostics laboratory.
Outside of hospitals, the wait is considerably longer. Four days is “pretty reasonable,” Yohe said, “and less than four days is really good.”
Labs are dealing with tremendous volumes of tests. Yohe said the U’s lab alone is receiving 4,000 to 5,000 COVID specimens a day from clinics and other health care providers.
An antigen test is much more direct than a PCR test: It doesn’t require sending a specimen to a laboratory.
“The thing that makes them so appealing is that they can be run very quickly and in devices that are portable and can be easily set up,” said Emily Volk, a pathologist at the University of Texas-Health in San Antonio and president-elect of the College of American Pathologists.
With the current COVID testing system’s bottlenecks — and a high demand for tests — more companies and researchers are looking at antigen testing.
“There is absolutely a need globally for decentralized testing, and that is why antigen testing is of such interest right now,” said William Morice, president of Mayo Clinic Laboratories. “But it has an inherent weakness.”
An antigen test, which probes a protein that is part of the virus, is not as sensitive as a PCR test. There’s a higher chance for false negatives with an antigen test.
3M’s quest is to produce “highly accurate” antigen tests for COVID-19, said Cathy Tarnowski, the 3M scientist leading the company’s project. She is working with researchers at MIT’s chemical-engineering department led by professor Hadley Sikes.
Sikes has for years been researching antigen testing for various diseases. 3M is no stranger to the medical device business and can produce testing devices on a large scale like few global manufacturers can.
The company said it could manufacture millions of testing units per day.
The effort is part of the U.S. National Institutes of Health’s Rapid Acceleration of Diagnostics Tech. RADx Tech, as the program is called, is funded by $1.5 billion in federal stimulus money.
The 3M-MIT venture got $500,000 in RadX Tech funding for phase 1, and is eligible for further investment.
3M also is working on approval for the antigen test from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Two other companies have recently gotten FDA approvals for antigen-based COVID-19 tests.
3M said it couldn’t give a timeline for when its antigen test might hit the market. “All I can tell you is as quickly as possible,” Tarnowski said.
https://www.startribune.com/3m-mit-team-up-to-develop-quicker-cheaper-covid-19-test/571757982/

@"StickyBun" said: Florida does have a lot of cases, but the positivity rate is low. And the death rate is extremely low, especially compared to the national average. Keep in mind a TON of people have been tested in FL, probably more than any state. Lots of tests in the pipeline still. Cuomo has a stick up his ass because the Governor of Florida did this same thing to New Yorkers a few months ago, forcing them to quarantine in place upon arrival for 14 days. The hilarious thing is the only people that want back into NYC from FL now are the snowbirds that came down here months ago to get away from the epicenter of the country when NYC had it bad....so he's doing a dog and pony show for the media. And contrary to the media, there are plenty of ICU beds in hospitals in the most populous areas of Florida. 

The one place in Florida that is the worst is Miami. No doubt about that.

Where are you getting those stat's?  If you look at the weekly numbers, I see Florida at 5th highest .35/100K deaths and 3rd @ 19% /100 K for the past week.Looking at WaPo.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/graphics/2020/national/coronavirus-us-cases-deaths/?itid=hp_hp-top-table-main_tracker-bullets%3Ahomepage%2Fstory-ans

Here's  their disclosureData on deaths and cases comes from Post reporting and Johns Hopkins University.
Post-reported data is gathered from state sites and from county and
city sites for certain jurisdictions. Deaths are recorded on the dates
they are announced, not necessarily the dates they occur. All numbers
are provisional and may be revised by the jurisdictions.
The weekly trend uses seasonal
trend decomposition to adjust for daily fluctuations in the reported
case and death numbers. It splits reported numbers into a
day-of-the-week factor and a two-week trend, which we show on the
graphs. This allows us to account for the fact that reported numbers on
the weekend are generally lower than on weekdays.

Perhaps we will need another topic soon
https://www.msn.com/en-us/health/medical/squirrel-tests-positive-for-the-bubonic-plague-in-colorado/ar-BB16ImWf?li=BBnb7Kz

@"BigAl99" said:

@"StickyBun" said: Florida does have a lot of cases, but the positivity rate is low. And the death rate is extremely low, especially compared to the national average. Keep in mind a TON of people have been tested in FL, probably more than any state. Lots of tests in the pipeline still. Cuomo has a stick up his ass because the Governor of Florida did this same thing to New Yorkers a few months ago, forcing them to quarantine in place upon arrival for 14 days. The hilarious thing is the only people that want back into NYC from FL now are the snowbirds that came down here months ago to get away from the epicenter of the country when NYC had it bad....so he's doing a dog and pony show for the media. And contrary to the media, there are plenty of ICU beds in hospitals in the most populous areas of Florida. 

The one place in Florida that is the worst is Miami. No doubt about that.

Where are you getting those stat's?  If you look at the weekly numbers, I see Florida at 5th highest .35/100K deaths and 3rd @ 19% /100 K for the past week.Looking at WaPo.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/graphics/2020/national/coronavirus-us-cases-deaths/?itid=hp_hp-top-table-main_tracker-bullets%3Ahomepage%2Fstory-ans

Here's  their disclosureData on deaths and cases comes from Post reporting and Johns Hopkins University.
Post-reported data is gathered from state sites and from county and
city sites for certain jurisdictions. Deaths are recorded on the dates
they are announced, not necessarily the dates they occur. All numbers
are provisional and may be revised by the jurisdictions.
The weekly trend uses seasonal
trend decomposition to adjust for daily fluctuations in the reported
case and death numbers. It splits reported numbers into a
day-of-the-week factor and a two-week trend, which we show on the
graphs. This allows us to account for the fact that reported numbers on
the weekend are generally lower than on weekdays.

Perhaps we will need another topic soon
https://www.msn.com/en-us/health/medical/squirrel-tests-positive-for-the-bubonic-plague-in-colorado/ar-BB16ImWf?li=BBnb7Kz