COVID-19 Updates

[maddmaxx ★]

CT courts have been closed since February.  If you're waiting for your divorce to be finalized you're screwed, keep paying.

[Randomguy]

On 3/15/2020 at 5:48 PM, Randomguy said:

The turd flu outbreak was a mess. 

I am upset that this got no likes.

[Square Wheels]

7 hours ago, Philander Seabury said:

Too bad that SW couldn’t have kept politics oot of there too!

 

I closed it once.  If the politics keep up, it will be closed again.

[Dottleshead ★]

3 minutes ago, Square Wheels said:

I closed it once.  If the politics keep up, it will be closed again.

I recognize you have shown great restraint grasshopper. Thank you for doing so.

[Prophet Zacharia]

53 minutes ago, Dottles said:

I recognize you have shown great restraint grasshopper. Thank you for doing so.

Defying public health consensus recommendations is being stupid, not political.

[2Far ★]

On 7/19/2020 at 10:11 AM, Allen said:

They changed the scale of cases per 100,000 to keep the map blue and not red. 
 

You would if you looked at this graph

[Dottleshead ★]

19 minutes ago, Prophet Zacharia said:

Defying public health consensus recommendations is being stupid, not political.

I know but a good idea to remind SWC that. He reopened this thread and will keep it so as long as we play nice. 

[Mr. Silly]

Here's an interesting article describing the 4 vaccines that have had the most success against COVID-19.

 

 

[Randomguy]

1 hour ago, Mr. Grumpy said:

Here's an interesting article describing the 4 vaccines that have had the most success against COVID-19.

It is good to see the progress.

That said, I will believe it when it is working.  If it is no better than the flu vaccine (let's face it, the flu vaccine is a piece of shit), I don't think we can call it a proper vaccine.  Any effectiveness rate lower than 99% is going to be a disappointment, because every butthole and her brother is talking about a vaccine as a covid-ender for sure and certain.

[maddmaxx ★]

Does anyone really still believe that covid will end?  Like other major disease, it will be suppressed but probably never eliminated.  This is not something that will magically go away after we click our heels and wish real hard.

[sheep_herder ★]

Two deaths reported locally today. Victims apparently did not wear masks, and were somewhat socially active. Mother (93) son (75) died in adjacent hospital rooms. Sounds like they were special people. I knew the son, and always thought him to be a bit arrogant.

[Dottleshead ★]

5 hours ago, maddmaxx said:

Does anyone really still believe that covid will end?  Like other major disease, it will be suppressed but probably never eliminated.  This is not something that will magically go away after we click our heels and wish real hard.

I can't speak for others but it sounds like coping is the preferential strategy. I'm watching the news say our hospitals are filling up and more people dying. And the next story runs telling the decision to open up public parks is the correct thing to do. They talk out their ass.

[Mr. Silly]

10 hours ago, maddmaxx said:

Does anyone really still believe that covid will end?  Like other major disease, it will be suppressed but probably never eliminated.  This is not something that will magically go away after we click our heels and wish real hard.

I feel that COVID is something we will be dealing with the rest of our lives.  There is a lot of hype that that a vaccine is just around the corner.  That may be the case but we don't know how effective it is.  Let's say it is like the flu vaccine and only 50% effective.  People will get the vaccination but it would be a coin-flip whether they're protected or not.  They'll be walking around, fat, dumb and mask-less getting and spreading the diseases.  It could also be like the flu vaccine in that protection doesn't last forever.  We won't know the long term effectiveness for 5 years if ever.  ALso remember that COVID is a mutation of SARS.  Even if the vaccine is 99% effective, COVID could mutate again rendering the vaccine ineffective.  

So, no, I don't think it will ever end.

[maddmaxx ★]

IMO Covid is not a mutation of SARS.  It is in a similar family but different.  More different than just a mutation.

[Razors Edge ★]

1 hour ago, Mr. Grumpy said:

I feel that COVID is something we will be dealing with the rest of our lives.  There is a lot of hype that that a vaccine is just around the corner.  That may be the case but we don't know how effective it is.  Let's say it is like the flu vaccine and only 50% effective.  People will get the vaccination but it would be a coin-flip whether they're protected or not.  They'll be walking around, fat, dumb and mask-less getting and spreading the diseases.  It could also be like the flu vaccine in that protection doesn't last forever.  We won't know the long term effectiveness for 5 years if ever.  ALso remember that COVID is a mutation of SARS.  Even if the vaccine is 99% effective, COVID could mutate again rendering the vaccine ineffective.  

So, no, I don't think it will ever end.

COVID-19 will definitely end - either on its own or with effective vaccines and treatments making it ineffective at spreading enough to be a problem. BUT(!) as with all these things, the NEXT in line will be just around the corner, and then the next, and the next, and ...

Our world is perfectly designed for these sorts of virus to spread.  In the past, think Ebola, outbreaks could be fast and furious but contained.  That will still happen if a place is remote, but even back in the Spanish "aka The Kansas Killer" Flu era, because of the massive global activities of WWI, it spread like wildfire whereas, if the was was not raging, it might have just flamed out locally, not globally.

I do wonder if, like the "ordinary flu", we'll just start referring to things as "covid" and every year look for a new "covid shot" in tandem with a "flu variety shot"???

[Mr. Silly]

2 hours ago, maddmaxx said:

IMO Covid is not a mutation of SARS.  It is in a similar family but different.  More different than just a mutation.

Maybe, I am not a medical expert.  From this page, it says the pathogen for SARS was SARS-CoV where as the pathogen for COVID-19 is SARS-CoV-2.  I assumed the '2' meant version 2 with new features and other enhancements.  

[Randomguy]

20 minutes ago, Razors Edge said:

COVID-19 will definitely end

I don't know about that.  It may be that we have a crappy vaccine like the flu vaccine, and people just keep getting it.  Or it may be that the variant mutates and becomes less probematic/symptomatic over time, but keeps on going.   I hope a vaccine truly works 100%, but I realize (unlike pretty much every news outlet out there and what every uninformed person out there keeps repeating) that most viruses never get an effective vaccine.  Bleh.

[Randomguy]

 

 

[Razors Edge ★]

2 minutes ago, Randomguy said:

I don't know about that.  It may be that we have a crappy vaccine like the flu vaccine, and people just keep getting it.  Or it may be that the variant mutates and becomes less probematic/symptomatic over time, but keeps on going.   I hope a vaccine truly works 100%, but I realize (unlike pretty much every news outlet out there and what every uniformed person out there keeps repeating) that most viruses never get an effective vaccine.  Bleh.

Do you know anyone catching the flu from 2000 or 2003 or 2006 or 2010?  Just like those different flus, there will be a COVID-21 or a COVID-22a, b, and c (or however they eventually name them), but it won't - in all seeming likelihood - not be the same COVID-19 spreading.

This is pretty neat lineage info on the 2003 flu variations that shows what a wild world influenza exists in:

CDC has antigenically characterized 699 influenza viruses submitted by U.S. laboratories and collected between September 29, 2002 and May 17, 2003: two hundred and eighty-seven influenza A (H1)† viruses, 143 influenza A (H3N2) viruses, and 269 influenza B viruses. Two hundred and eleven of the influenza A (H1) viruses had the N1 neuraminidase, and 76 had the N2 neuraminidase. The hemagglutinin proteins of all 287 influenza A (H1) viruses were similar antigenically to the hemagglutinin of the vaccine strain A/New Caledonia/20/99 (H1N1). Of the 143 influenza A (H3N2) isolates that have been characterized, 121 (85%) were similar to A/Panama/2007/99, the H3N2 component of the 2002-03 influenza vaccine, and 22 (15%) showed reduced titers to ferret antisera produced against A/Panama/2007/99. Of the 269 influenza B viruses that have been characterized, 268 belonged to the B/Victoria lineage and were similar antigenically to the vaccine strain B/Hong Kong/330/01 and one belonged to the B/Yamagata lineage and was similar to B/Shizuoka/15/01, a B/Sichuan/379/99-like virus.

[Kzoo]

8 minutes ago, Mr. Grumpy said:

I assumed the '2' meant version 2 with new features and other enhancements.  

I believe it means version and not mutation.  COVID-19 is coronavirus in the SARS (Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome) family. Where the common cold is a coronavirus that is not in the SARS family.  But what do we know,  We are from an ignorant state right RG.

[Razors Edge ★]

5 minutes ago, Randomguy said:

 

 

But is he a well respected "expert"?

[maddmaxx ★]

18 minutes ago, Mr. Grumpy said:

Maybe, I am not a medical expert.  From this page, it says the pathogen for SARS was SARS-CoV where as the pathogen for COVID-19 is SARS-CoV-2.  I assumed the '2' meant version 2 with new features and other enhancements.  

SARS stands for severe acute respiratory syndrome.  The COV stands for Corona Virus of which there are several.

Coronaviruses are a large family of viruses which may cause illness in animals or humans.  In humans, several coronaviruses are known to cause respiratory infections ranging from the common cold to more severe diseases such as Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) and Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS). The most recently discovered coronavirus causes coronavirus disease COVID-19.

The original SARS-COV hasn't been around for years.

SARS-COV19 is the current name for the corona virus discovered in 2019

 

[Randomguy]

9 minutes ago, Razors Edge said:

But is he a well respected "expert"?

He may be a college boy, off with his head!

[Randomguy]

14 minutes ago, Razors Edge said:

Do you know anyone catching the flu from 2000 or 2003 or 2006 or 2010?  Just like those different flus, there will be a COVID-21 or a COVID-22a, b, and c (or however they eventually name them), but it won't - in all seeming likelihood - not be the same COVID-19 spreading.

This is pretty neat lineage info on the 2003 flu variations that shows what a wild world influenza exists in:

CDC has antigenically characterized 699 influenza viruses submitted by U.S. laboratories and collected between September 29, 2002 and May 17, 2003: two hundred and eighty-seven influenza A (H1)† viruses, 143 influenza A (H3N2) viruses, and 269 influenza B viruses. Two hundred and eleven of the influenza A (H1) viruses had the N1 neuraminidase, and 76 had the N2 neuraminidase. The hemagglutinin proteins of all 287 influenza A (H1) viruses were similar antigenically to the hemagglutinin of the vaccine strain A/New Caledonia/20/99 (H1N1). Of the 143 influenza A (H3N2) isolates that have been characterized, 121 (85%) were similar to A/Panama/2007/99, the H3N2 component of the 2002-03 influenza vaccine, and 22 (15%) showed reduced titers to ferret antisera produced against A/Panama/2007/99. Of the 269 influenza B viruses that have been characterized, 268 belonged to the B/Victoria lineage and were similar antigenically to the vaccine strain B/Hong Kong/330/01 and one belonged to the B/Yamagata lineage and was similar to B/Shizuoka/15/01, a B/Sichuan/379/99-like virus.

Yikes!  

All those Asians were onto something with their mask wearing, it seems  Who knew?

[BuffJim]

I took a Covid-19 test Monday as a prerequisite to a Pulmonary Function Test. Negative!!  This wasn’t an antibody test, but I don’t think I’ve ever had it. 

[12string]

the COVID 19 vaccine efficacy will be FAR different than the "Flu vaccine".  The Flu vaccine is created yearly based on the flu strains that appear to be spreading.  You don't get a vaccine for all 700 flus, only a couple dozen.  When they say the Flu vaccine is 50% effective, it's because different flus spread than were expected.  A COVID vaccine will be COVID only.

And even if it's only 90% effective, if enough people get it, there eventually will not be enough human hosts for the virus to survive on any large scale.

So we take off the masks, go back to the gym, and have a better plan for addressing COVID22

[maddmaxx ★]

51 minutes ago, 12string said:

the COVID 19 vaccine efficacy will be FAR different than the "Flu vaccine".  The Flu vaccine is created yearly based on the flu strains that appear to be spreading.  You don't get a vaccine for all 700 flus, only a couple dozen.  When they say the Flu vaccine is 50% effective, it's because different flus spread than were expected.  A COVID vaccine will be COVID only.

And even if it's only 90% effective, if enough people get it, there eventually will not be enough human hosts for the virus to survive on any large scale.

So we take off the masks, go back to the gym, and have a better plan for addressing COVID22

Sure we will.

[Randomguy]

1 hour ago, 12string said:

And even if it's only 90% effective,

I think this would be great if it gets that high!

[Razors Edge ★]

10 minutes ago, Randomguy said:

I think this would be great if it gets that high!

You and everyone else! Still, even a lower percentage is better than nothing. 

I think the hurdles will be getting it completed, distributed, and administered to 7 BILLION people - likely two or more shots, too!  Even the US, where it is only 300+ million, good luck getting that done in any period of time, let alone a few month. 

Forget about "safe" as that's likely a crap shoot at this point.  Either we have the process down and can do vaccines safely with only a relatively small test group OR by the time shit hits the fan, lots of folks will have already gotten the shots.

[12string]

1 hour ago, maddmaxx said:

Sure we will.

I didn't say we'll USE the plan.

[Kzoo]

11 minutes ago, Razors Edge said:

Even the US, where it is only 300+ million,

They (US g'ment) have already pre-ordered 200 million so Pharma can create the capability to manufacture.  The distribution is already planned through the DOD if I remember correctly (logistics experts).

I'm not planning on getting in line at this time.

 

[Prophet Zacharia]

Immune responses for mild/moderate illnesses are proving to be weak and short lived. There will be no “herd immunity” just from community exposures, you’ll have two groups: dead people and a bunch of people ready to get reinfected again. 
 

Vaccines historically provide a more robust defense against viral illness.

[Allen ★]

We are out of hospital beds. 

https://www.ajc.com/news/athens-tifton-hospitals-run-out-of-beds-for-critical-patients/ES7VFDLGO5EFLJ5JJEBR6MIVOE/?fbclid=IwAR0G-pC3QfOgDDNvtQZMhMgpzCyXs4mtb-7TVWETH8hTGeCFRjGLXWYfOfM

[Allen ★]

Walton County

Cases – 840 – 38 in the past 24 hours and 245 in the last two weeks.
Cases per 100,000 – 876
Total deaths – 32 – that’s no more deaths reported over the past 24 hours
Hospitalized – 93 – that’s three more hospitalizations reported over the past 24 hours

Gwinnett County

Cases – 16,255 – that’s 340 more reported in the past 24 hours and 3,844 more cases reported in the past two weeks
Cases per 100,000 – 1,674
Total deaths – 223 – that’s 6 more death reported over the past 24 hours
Hospitalized – 1,886 – That is 56 more hospitalizations reported in the last 24 hour

Georgia

Confirmed cases – 178,323 – that is 3,373 more cases reported in the past 24 hours
ICU admissions – 3,301 – that’s 129 more reported in the past 24 hours Hospitalizations – 17,964 – That’s 420 more hospitalizations reported in the past 24 hours
Total deaths – 3,642 – That is 79 more death reported in the past 24 hours

[sheep_herder ★]

It appears the mother and son that died over the weekend will have open funerals with a luncheon afterwards. We'll have to hide and watch for the outcome from this fiasco.

[Razors Edge ★]

1 minute ago, sheep_herder said:

It appears the mother and son that died over the weekend will have open funerals with a luncheon afterwards. We'll have to hide and watch for the outcome from this fiasco.

I saw Herman 9-9-9 Cain passed from it.  It is still quite active and a threat.

[Mr. Silly]

54 minutes ago, Razors Edge said:

I saw Herman 9-9-9 Cain passed from it.  It is still quite active and a threat.

He was hospitalize 10 days after the Tulsa rally. 

[Prophet Zacharia]

38 minutes ago, Razors Edge said:

I saw Herman 9-9-9 Cain passed from it.  It is still quite active and a threat.

Didn’t he contract it at a re-election campaign rally where he refused to wear a mask? 
And Rep. Gohmert refused to wear a mask and is now ill. And a “Cops for Trump” rally with Mike Pence near me today is virtually mask-free.

[Razors Edge ★]

6 minutes ago, Prophet Zacharia said:

Didn’t he contract it at a re-election campaign rally where he refused to wear a mask? 
And Rep. Gohmert refused to wear a mask and is now ill. And a “Cops for Trump” rally with Mike Pence near me today is virtually mask-free.

Meh. Isolated incidents! It is now pretty strongly supported across the board that simple mask usage and hand washing coupled with social distancing and common sense is the 90% solution to the COVID problems facing the US.  We'll get the final 10% with a vaccine, but the 90% ought to at least get us to close to normal.

[Prophet Zacharia]

4 minutes ago, Razors Edge said:

but the 90% ought to at least get us to close to normal.

That requires far better buy-in than currently exists.

[Razors Edge ★]

So, those folks waiting in lines to get tested at drive-up test centers... do they have a doctor's note or are just showing up and getting tested no questions asked?

Seems my system is still six months behind   When do we get to the early, often, and accurately portion of this testing process?

[Randomguy]

24 minutes ago, Prophet Zacharia said:

Didn’t he contract it at a re-election campaign rally where he refused to wear a mask? 
And Rep. Gohmert refused to wear a mask and is now ill. And a “Cops for Trump” rally with Mike Pence near me today is virtually mask-free.

If only it would just attack the ignorant.  <sigh>

[Prophet Zacharia]

15 minutes ago, maddmaxx said:

Remember all those years that you let Rush ramble in the background because you wanted good traffic and weather reports on the AM radio.  Well, some people actually listened.  Addiction takes many forms.

I never listened. The craziest I could tolerate was G. Gordon Liddy who had a radio show when I was in college (I was in Baltimore, not sure if it was regional or syndicated) that followed Howard Stern. I think Rush followed that, but I never listened. Maybe I actually went to class?

[Razors Edge ★]

1 minute ago, Prophet Zacharia said:

I never listened. The craziest I could tolerate was G. Gordon Liddy who had a radio show when I was in college (I was in Baltimore, not sure if it was regional or syndicated) that followed Howard Stern. I think Rush followed that, but I never listened. Maybe I actually went to class?

Yep - we had the G.Gordon Liddy followed by Rush  (morning into early afternoon) back in the early 90s.  Mid-90s, when I moved to DC, we luckily had Stern, then Liddy, then Don & Mike???  That was jumbled up at various times (106.7), but it was always hilarious to hear Don and Mike riff on Liddy who shared their local studio. Guy was wound way too tight.

[Dottleshead ★]

2 hours ago, sheep_herder said:

It appears the mother and son that died

If I catch it, this is what is going to happen to me.

[Dottleshead ★]

19 minutes ago, Prophet Zacharia said:

 Maybe I actually went to class?

All my morning classes took a big hit in my absenteeism. Funny, I thought I'd rejoice more in that fact when I was older.    

[12string]

1 hour ago, Razors Edge said:

Meh. Isolated incidents! It is now pretty strongly supported across the board that simple mask usage and hand washing coupled with social distancing and common sense is the 90% solution to the COVID problems facing the US.  We'll get the final 10% with a vaccine, but the 90% ought to at least get us to close to normal.

Oh, what, you mean like pretty much every other country that's now 95% back in business with very few deaths?  Why didn't we think of that?

Blows my mind, really.  SEeing the sacrifices this country has made in the past, and now we can't wear masks and stay away from people because 3 months is SO LOOOOoong!  There's a whole lot of American reputation that's just completely been disproven lately.

[Razors Edge ★]

3 minutes ago, 12string said:

Oh, what, you mean like pretty much every other country that's now 95% back in business with very few deaths?  Why didn't we think of that?

Blows my mind, really.  SEeing the sacrifices this country has made in the past, and now we can't wear masks and stay away from people because 3 months is SO LOOOOoong!  There's a whole lot of American reputation that's just completely been disproven lately.

An ongoing pandemic does provide a LOT of cover for other stuff, though.  The ultimate "shiny object".

[12string]

We really need to just shut this down now.  Totally shut it down.  And it has to go even further than what we should have done in March.  In March, there were hundreds of cases, not millions.  The longer we wait, the length of the struggle increases exponentially.  I just can't believe how stupid we've become.

[Mr. Silly]

37 minutes ago, Razors Edge said:

That was jumbled up at various times (106.7), but it was always hilarious to hear Don and Mike riff on Liddy who shared their local studio. Guy was wound way too tight.

I remember Liddy was boasting about his scrotum size.  Don went home that evening and measured and found that his scrotum was larger and shared it on the radio the next day.  It pissed Liddy off and Don and Mike weren't allowed to talk about Liddy any more.