Someone should have asked them about abortion. Just to see the level of stupid some Trumps fans really are.
My oldest daughter graduated from Sam with her BA in Political Science and MA in Homeland Security; my youngest daughter is currently there working on her BA in Accounting.
Everybody's sick but not everybody's dying...great news. You're a true patriot. Thank you for your service.
Eh, I'd like to hear more scientists respond to the Lancet article. I thought 5% is about the level of infection in Spain we suspected. Why would we think people who had never had the virus would have immunity? In hard-hit regions, it was 10% with antibodies, which makes sense. There's also a lot of research showing T-cells may be much more important to fighting this disease than the antibodies we're testing for all the time. If you went around a place like New York City and found only 5% of people had antibodies, I guess I'd be more worried. And even then, we're not totally sure how a successful body fights this virus yet.
In other great news... The news clips include news stories, editorials and opinion columns about health and human services from major state and national media outlets. They do not necessarily represent the views or policies of the agency and may contain inaccuracies. Coronavirus on track to overwhelm Houston hospitals in two weeks, mayor says CNBC Hospitals in Houston, Texas are on track to be overwhelmed in approximately two weeks as coronavirus cases mount, Mayor Sylvester Turner said on Sunday. Nearly 200,000 in the state have tested positive, according to data provided state health officials, including more than 35,000 in Harris County, which contains Houston. In Houston, the percentage of tests for the virus coming back positive has risen to nearly 25%. ‘When we’re full, we’re full’: COVID-19 pushes San Antonio hospitals to the limit San Antonio Express-News The alarming surge of COVID-19 hospitalizations in San Antonio — where at least one in four new patients has the disease — is growing at a faster rate than in other major Texas cities. For the last week, the number of hospitalized COVID-19 patients in the trauma-care region that includes San Antonio rose by 55 percent, according to state health department data. If the surge continues, it could overload the San Antonio health care system in the next week or two. ICUs could be overrun in 10 days amid coronavirus spike, Austin mayor says Austin American-Statesman Austin-area intensive care units are in danger of being overrun in the next 10 days to two weeks if the number of people admitted to the hospital for the coronavirus continues its current pace, Austin Mayor Steve Adler said Sunday. The Austin area has about 1,500 hospital beds for coronavirus patients. A total of 446 people were hospitalized in those beds on Saturday night, Adler said. Ten out of the 12 hospitals in Texas' Rio Grande Valley are now full Texas Tribune Hospitals in the Rio Grande Valley sounded the alarm Saturday as their beds filled to capacity with COVID-19 patients and some began transferring patients elsewhere. Ten of 12 hospitals in Hidalgo, Cameron and Starr counties are now on “diversion status,” which means all their beds are full, although Hidalgo County spokesperson Carlos Sanchez said it’s a “fluid situation so diversions may be lifted at any moment.” Several Texas cities worry hospitals may run out of beds in two weeks or sooner Texas Tribune Local officials and experts in Austin, San Antonio, Houston and Fort Worth have expressed concerns that increasing coronavirus hospitalizations could overwhelm their intensive care capacities, with some saying it could happen in less than two weeks. As Texas hit another record high Sunday, reporting 8,181 people hospitalized for the new coronavirus, local officials predicted cities could soon run out of space to care for the sickest patients. Explained: The temporary ban on elective surgeries in some Texas counties amid COVID-19 pandemic KSAT-TV San Antonio Elective surgeries are typically procedures that are booked by the guidance of a patient, typically in advance, because the patient is not in medical danger. Essentially, elective surgeries can still be performed in the listed county’s hospitals, so long as the patient does not infringe upon needed bed capacity for a COVID-19 patient, as determined by the hospital. Family confirms COVID-19 related death of state hospital employee; facility at emergency staffing level KSAT-TV San Antonio The family of a longtime nursing assistant at the San Antonio State Hospital confirmed this week that she died of COVID-19 complications. Hospital superintendent announced Yolanda Huron’s death in an email to employees. Her death comes as multiple employees at the psychiatric hospital have said procedures on how to handle residents, many of whom are not wearing masks, have not been clearly laid out by administration. U.S. COVID-19 Deaths Near 130,000; Florida And Texas Report Record Case Numbers NPR Nearly 130,000 people in the United States have died from the coronavirus and more than 2,800,000 people have been infected, according to the CDC. Both Florida and Texas reported their biggest daily rise in new confirmed cases over the past few days, with Florida reporting 11,443 new resident cases on Saturday and another 9,999 on Sunday. Texas reported a record 8,258 new cases on Saturday followed by 3,449 on Sunday.
This functions only if the school/employer provides N95 masks and face shields to employees. But that doesn't stop the Georgia Tech kids from spreading it to one another, and that sucks for any commuter student who lives with an at risk parent. Another supply chain failure here. It's been 6 months since this virus has been on the horizon and N95s are as common as unicorns. Having them available for everyone would de-politicize the issue as you truly can protect yourself in public.
I hear you, but if Bubba and Karen think a cloth mask is uncomfortable, they wouldn't last two minutes in an N95. (I say that having worn them a decent bit.)
Well they have 250k confirmed cases. If one assumes that the number of actual cases is 10x that, then we'd want ~18% to have the antibodies. I guess it's just a matter of how many people actually got it. I know nothing about the specifics of rona and/or the response to it in Spain other than the numbers given in this article, so maybe my 10x assumption is off base. In any case, I think 5% is much lower than what advocates of natural herd immunity would want to see. That's really what I was getting at. I initially posted that with the text "bad news for the "herd immunity" crowd" but changed it to "bad news for everyone" because it is actually bad news for everyone when the optimists are wrong.
I differ in "stimulation". The stimulation (social media) is suspected of causing an increase in mental illness, including suicides. I don't have the link to it now, but the jump in mental illness since social media is pretty mind numbing. Not sure if it translate during covid19, but it's not clear cut that it might be or might not be beneficial as compared to 1918 without social media. Each person make their own moral and risk calculation. That can be shaped by leaders and we simply don't have the right leadership. I know some people focus on "entitled" American or "selfish" American. I don't know how true that is (how different are human here vs human in Canada, in Germany, in S.Korea), but I suspect that a large part of that is because we don't have strong leadership to lead the nation as a cohesive unit toward a temporary norm. If we simply count of each individual to do the right thing without leading them toward why they should.... but in fact, leading them toward actions that are counter-productive, we would likely fail.
"Let Us Drink Outside! Relaxing Liquor Laws Could Save Bars and Restaurants": https://reason.com/video/let-us-drink-outside-relaxing-liquor-laws-could-save-bars-and-restaurants/ "A number of states are loosening alcohol regulations to help alleviate the economic burden of shutdowns. Iowa has become the first state to fully legalize cocktails-to-go while New York, Colorado, and Virginia, among other states, are experimenting with temporary liberalization. Several other states and municipalities are removing restrictions on public drinking." more at the link
I agree that too much social media use can lead to mental health issues and increased suicides, but it isn’t the only way someone can stimulate their mind right now. There are numerous avenues at our fingertips even during this time of crisis. You can read a book, watch TV/movies, listen to music, play games, learn new recipes or new skills, make or build something, go outside and exercise by yourself, take a day trip in your car and enjoy the open road, FaceTime with friends and family, etc. If a person’s only form of stimulation is social media, that’s on them and they need make an adjustment in their life. No one is forcing anyone to look at Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, TikTok, Reddit, Instagram, etc. as their only means of stimulation during the current pandemic. Because of modern advances in technology, we have many more options to stimulate and entertain our minds than someone did in 1918. It’s up to each individual to figure out what works for him or her. I completely agree with you that effective leaders can get an entire county on board with tough decisions that need to followed during a crisis. FDR during World War II is a perfect example. I also agree we do not have anywhere close to the right leadership in America during this crisis, and it is part of the reason some people still won’t wear masks and social distance even after some Republican governors like Greg Abbott changed course and issued statewide mask orders in the last two weeks. COVID-19 messaging in this country is not unified and consistent and that’s a major problem. I even agree that American leadership has contributed to the attitude of entitlement and selfishness that has been prevalent in our country for many years. We have so much freedom and choice at our disposal, it’s no wonder some Americans think they have the right to do whatever they want. Leaders in this country are afraid to tell their constituents no because they don’t want to lose their political position when it comes time for reelection. Public and private businesses in this country are afraid to tell people no because it affects their revenue streams. Companies lose money when customers go elsewhere; schools are funded by our property tax dollars and lose government funding if they don’t have enough students; hospital systems are for-profit entities that make their money through elective procedures, etc. Therefore, Americans more so than people in other countries are accustomed to getting things the way we want all the time because if one entity won’t do what it takes to satisfy my needs or wants, I’ll simply find another one that will.
Understood, but N95 ubiquitousness would at least make it harder for the Karens to infect people trying to follow good public health policy.
This guy has been a great follow on Twitter since this all started. Prof at UCSC. He usually is very negative on the preprints that have been grabbing headlines, but is a fan of how this study was conducted. Click to read thread:
