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Started by bacardiandlime, January 30, 2020, 03:20:28 PM

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Treehugger

Quote from: Caracal on June 17, 2020, 04:14:48 AM
Quote from: Treehugger on June 17, 2020, 04:06:21 AM
Has anyone here wondered about the safety of drive-by testing? I am not sick and have no reason to go get myself tested, but if I were feeling sick, I know I would be hesitant. It just seems like the perfect way to pick up Covid if you don't already have it. I know they take precautions, but they don't change their protective gear after after single person, so it stands to reason that if they did encounter someone with Covid, the exterior of their PPE could be shedding the virus. And, of course, even if you are in your car, they still need access to your face.

Again, not at all an expert, but objects don't "shed" virus. It doesn't alight on something and then go airborne again. The other thing is that the dose matters. If you're imagining some scenario where a tester gets virus particles on their mask and then the wind blows or whatever, by the time all that happened you would be talking about amounts way too small to make you sick.

Great. Thanks for the explanation!

clean

Wednesday June 17, county reports a total count of 420 Covid Cases (since the start)

Today, less than 10 days later we are up to 1287 total cases!!!  We have tripled the number of cases in 8 days!!  WTF!!

Tomorrow my county will require all customers and staff to wear masks in 'big box stores'. 

Somehow I dont think that is enough! 

I went to the grocery store today to top off. I have more than enough things to keep me for more than a week.  (I hope I can eat the fresh stuff before it spoils).  Most people were wearing masks, but too many were not wearing them correctly.  Too many uncovered noses and What The Hell is with Pulling Down the Mask when you talk!!!  Idiots!!

With July 4 in a week or so, I wonder if the spikes will continue?

I wonder if this will change my university's plans to reopen with face to face classes at all costs!?

Are things getting better, worse, or staying stable in Your neighborhood?
"The Emperor is not as forgiving as I am"  Darth Vader

mamselle

Dunno.

I only go out once every three weeks for groceries, early in the AM, and once a week to mail checks to my bank and make a withdrawal.

I am masked and gloved when I go out and I only go out for 1 hour or so at the most.

I hear and see things online.

But I don't know what people in my neighborhood are doing because I barely see them.

M.
Forsake the foolish, and live; and go in the way of understanding.

Reprove not a scorner, lest they hate thee: rebuke the wise, and they will love thee.

Give instruction to the wise, and they will be yet wiser: teach the just, and they will increase in learning.

Hegemony

I get grocery delivery and I have not left the house to go to a store or see other people since early March.  I've been out for solo walks and for a few errands that don't involve other people, like putting my vote-by-mail ballot in the mailbox.

But among my friends, I see I am unusual. I am nonplussed at so many people going out for inessential reasons. Clearly they estimate the risks different than I do. I'm in several vulnerable categories, so my strategy for surviving is "Don't get the virus," rather than "Hope for the best."  I wouldn't set foot in a grocery store right now — well, for anything. Delivery is easy, and I can pay the delivery people a big tip because I'm certainly not spending money on anything else.  I also signed up for a nice weekly delivered farm share.  People say, "You can't live in fear." Well, I'm not living in fear, precisely because I'm staying home.

Our area is low in cases, but we went into phase 1 of opening up a couple of weeks ago. Sure enough there came a surge of cases. A few people having parties, and then the people infected at the parties being out and about (until they fell sick), was enough to get it going.

downer

The question of risk estimation has been interesting. I'm on the east coast. I've been working on keeping fit and avoiding depression. Having a strong immune system has been a priority for me. I live alone. It was clear to me from early on that there was no way I was going to just never see anyone for months. That would clearly be bad for my health.

I've seen quite a few people during the pandemic. Mostly it has been outside, and when in cars, we have mostly either worn masks or had the windows open. But I've also had some people visit my apartment. We have all been in low risk categories.

I've been in NYC, had a drink outside at a bar and I've been on trains.

I've been somewhat skeptical about some of the precautions some people take, like not touching incoming packages for several days.

At no point has it felt risky.

On the other hand, you are going to have to drag me kicking and screaming into a badly ventilated classroom of undergraduates for 90 minutes.
"When fascism comes to America, it will be wrapped in the flag and carrying a cross."—Sinclair Lewis

Treehugger

Quote from: clean on June 25, 2020, 03:59:49 PM
Wednesday June 17, county reports a total count of 420 Covid Cases (since the start)

Today, less than 10 days later we are up to 1287 total cases!!!  We have tripled the number of cases in 8 days!!  WTF!!

Tomorrow my county will require all customers and staff to wear masks in 'big box stores'. 

Somehow I dont think that is enough! 

I went to the grocery store today to top off. I have more than enough things to keep me for more than a week.  (I hope I can eat the fresh stuff before it spoils).  Most people were wearing masks, but too many were not wearing them correctly.  Too many uncovered noses and What The Hell is with Pulling Down the Mask when you talk!!!  Idiots!!

With July 4 in a week or so, I wonder if the spikes will continue?

I wonder if this will change my university's plans to reopen with face to face classes at all costs!?

Are things getting better, worse, or staying stable in Your neighborhood?

Do we live in the same county, clean?

Back in May, new daily cases in our county were in the low single digits. Then the numbers started creeping up a couple of weeks ago. Now we are seeing about 150 new cases per day. So, yes, a huge spike. By far, most of the new cases are found in 18 to 21 year olds. Actually, on our county dashboard, the age range from 15 to 24 has the spike, but a friend of mine is in public health and is working with the Covid raw data. She told me last night about the spike being concentrated specifically in the 18-21 y. o. range. Apparently, there is a big hot spot in some apartment complexes just off campus.

Mask wearing is officially encouraged, but not required. However, even if it were required, I just don't think the young'uns are going to be collectively responsible enough to either a) not party or b) party while socially distancing and wearing masks (correctly). Actually, I'm not sure which of the two options is the most ludicrous. My DH agrees that Fall will probably be a disaster, but incredibly, there are some faculty who are naïve enough to believe that the students will be "behave themselves" in the fall (in spite of the current evidence).

marshwiggle

Quote from: Treehugger on June 26, 2020, 06:16:13 AM

Back in May, new daily cases in our county were in the low single digits. Then the numbers started creeping up a couple of weeks ago. Now we are seeing about 150 new cases per day. So, yes, a huge spike. By far, most of the new cases are found in 18 to 21 year olds. Actually, on our county dashboard, the age range from 15 to 24 has the spike, but a friend of mine is in public health and is working with the Covid raw data. She told me last night about the spike being concentrated specifically in the 18-21 y. o. range. Apparently, there is a big hot spot in some apartment complexes just off campus.

Mask wearing is officially encouraged, but not required. However, even if it were required, I just don't think the young'uns are going to be collectively responsible enough to either a) not party or b) party while socially distancing and wearing masks (correctly). Actually, I'm not sure which of the two options is the most ludicrous. My DH agrees that Fall will probably be a disaster, but incredibly, there are some faculty who are naïve enough to believe that the students will be "behave themselves" in the fall (in spite of the current evidence).

The morbid and very sad question, is how many deaths will have to happen among the 18-21 group (i.e. students) before students, institutions, and parents realize that the whole thing was inevitable, to anyone willing to see it?
It takes so little to be above average.

Treehugger

Quote from: marshwiggle on June 26, 2020, 06:25:08 AM
Quote from: Treehugger on June 26, 2020, 06:16:13 AM

Back in May, new daily cases in our county were in the low single digits. Then the numbers started creeping up a couple of weeks ago. Now we are seeing about 150 new cases per day. So, yes, a huge spike. By far, most of the new cases are found in 18 to 21 year olds. Actually, on our county dashboard, the age range from 15 to 24 has the spike, but a friend of mine is in public health and is working with the Covid raw data. She told me last night about the spike being concentrated specifically in the 18-21 y. o. range. Apparently, there is a big hot spot in some apartment complexes just off campus.

Mask wearing is officially encouraged, but not required. However, even if it were required, I just don't think the young'uns are going to be collectively responsible enough to either a) not party or b) party while socially distancing and wearing masks (correctly). Actually, I'm not sure which of the two options is the most ludicrous. My DH agrees that Fall will probably be a disaster, but incredibly, there are some faculty who are naïve enough to believe that the students will be "behave themselves" in the fall (in spite of the current evidence).

The morbid and very sad question, is how many deaths will have to happen among the 18-21 group (i.e. students) before students, institutions, and parents realize that the whole thing was inevitable, to anyone willing to see it?

This is also morbid, but I think all we need is one well-publicized death of an otherwise healthy young person to make everyone start taking this more seriously. I mean one well-publicized local young person death. That will hit home.

downer

Each year "1,825 college students between the ages of 18 and 24 die from alcohol-related unintentional injuries". (Of course, who knows how accurate that claim is, but it is a standard one.)

It's clear that students will be safer this year because they won't be binge drinking at parties nearly as much. Overall, student deaths will go down this year. The risks of younger people dying from Coronavirus are very low.

The issue regarding health is much more serious for college employees, especially those in the older age groups.
"When fascism comes to America, it will be wrapped in the flag and carrying a cross."—Sinclair Lewis

Economizer

QUININE: mentioned a lot in "disease" scenes in old movie? Could it help in therapies and treatments directed to Corona Virus 19 patients?
So, I tried to straighten everything out and guess what I got for it.  No, really, just guess!

bacardiandlime

Quinine has a lot of side-effects. It is no longer widely used even for malaria (its original use).

spork

Quote from: Economizer on June 26, 2020, 06:58:25 AM
QUININE: mentioned a lot in "disease" scenes in old movie? Could it help in therapies and treatments directed to Corona Virus 19 patients?

No.
It's terrible writing, used to obfuscate the fact that the authors actually have nothing to say.

marshwiggle

Quote from: downer on June 26, 2020, 06:53:46 AM
Each year "1,825 college students between the ages of 18 and 24 die from alcohol-related unintentional injuries". (Of course, who knows how accurate that claim is, but it is a standard one.)

It's clear that students will be safer this year because they won't be binge drinking at parties nearly as much. Overall, student deaths will go down this year. The risks of younger people dying from Coronavirus are very low.


The issue that needs to be considered is that institutions closed in the winter because of the risk, thereby acknowledging that

  • the risk is real
  • being on campus raises the risk significantly

Furthermore, the institutions bringing students back on campus are doing so based on the perceived value of the face-to-face experience. (For programs requiring actual hands-on experience, where being on campus is the only option, they have a reasonable case to make.)

So, the risk, even if mitigated somewhat by masks, distancing, etc., is being accepted based on the intangible value of the f2f experience. This is going to be really bad when students in first year are enticed on campus for the experience and then get sick and die. No parent is going to agree in retrospect that it was worth it. (On the other hand, students in some sort of health sciences field, who have to be on campus for practical experiences, which carry the kinds of risks that the actual profession would, are in a much different position.)
It takes so little to be above average.

mythbuster

Quinine and hydroxychlorquine are almost the same thing. Same mode of action. So no, it won't help. Now if you need a daily Gin and Tonic for your mental health, that's a whole other matter!

Stockmann

Quote from: mythbuster on June 26, 2020, 08:09:56 AM
Now if you need a daily Gin and Tonic for your mental health, that's a whole other matter!

Which reminds me, I need to look up margarita recipes. For medicinal purposes, you see.