COVID-19/corona virus mega thread/prepping thread

[makattak]

A foul smell outside a Brooklyn funeral home led to the discovery of dozens of bodies kept in unrefrigerated rented U-Haul trucks

Read that as refrigerated....

Allow me to channel Emily Litella here: NEVER MIND!

[Ron]

Do we really have to go through this every day?

If you you don't want to have nonsensical conversations and arguments about phony numbers then yes.

It has to be stipulated the numbers were pulled out of someones ass and don't reflect reality.

[cordex]

I actually agree. 

What has been exposed, however, is the dots from representative government to the laws they pass including emergency powers, to how they can actually be applied and used.
It's kind of a made our bed moment.

Then maybe encourage the people who are noticing government overreach - possibly for the first time - instead of making them out to be bleating sheep?

[ConstitutionCowboy]

Muh constitutionz!  Keep hearing this bleating all over facebook, and somewhat here, too.

“The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the states, are reserved to the States respectively, or to the people.”

States have elected representatives who have passed emergency powers laws. This is how they enforce curfews after hurricanes and earthquakes, and how they quell riots.
Right, wrong, or indifferent, this is the facts.

Don't forget, however, that like the limited powers We the People grant to the feral government in the Constitution, the same applies to the powers We the People of the several states grant to our respective states. If the people don't grant a certain power to their state government in their state's constitution, any such power remains with the people.

Woody

[MechAg94]

I actually agree. 

What has been exposed, however, is the dots from representative government to the laws they pass including emergency powers, to how they can actually be applied and used.
It's kind of a made our bed moment.

The other part is that our elected representatives have appointed judges that are either very reluctant to put any limits on the power of govt or they cheer them on.

[Angel Eyes]

This year, Cinco de Mayo falls on Taco Tuesday, but it got cancelled by a virus named for a Mexican beer.

[Ben]

I guess everybody had better keep hoarding toilet paper. These guys say it will take up to two years for global herd immunity.

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2020-05-01/covid-19-pandemic-likely-to-last-two-years-report-says

[WLJ]

Went in to Costco today, zero TP and paper towels. Come on already people.

[ConstitutionCowboy]

I wonder how many people spread the flu who didn't show symptoms...

I'd sure like to get to the bottom of all this hype. The death rate doesn't warrant the panic, fear mongering, and dictates.

Woody

[MillCreek]

My wife went to our local Costco on Thursday, and there was no toilet paper, nor any fresh or frozen chicken. She likes keeping a bag of the Costco individual cyrovac packed boneless skinless chicken breasts in the freezer.  None to be had, or any other chicken parts.

[Ben]

My wife went to our local Costco on Thursday, and there was no toilet paper, nor any fresh or frozen chicken. She likes keeping a bag of the Costco individual cyrovac packed boneless skinless chicken breasts in the freezer.  None to be had, or any other chicken parts.

I haven't been since this all started. Are they out of the five buck deli chickens too, or not making them because of the virus?

Everyone has been talking about the meat shortage, and I saw news stories of bare shelves today, but at my grocery store yesterday, still fully stocked on beef, pork, and chickens.

I've been going through my frozen meat.  I should maybe pick more up at my store in case city slickers drive out here and empty the shelves again.

[Hawkmoon]

I wonder how many people spread the flu who didn't show symptoms...

I'd sure like to get to the bottom of all this hype. The death rate doesn't warrant the panic, fear mongering, and dictates.

That depends on where you live. My county alone has 7,900 confirmed cases and 533 deaths. That's since the second week of March, so eight weeks. Population is around 850,000, so the death rate is 6.75% of cases, and .06% of the total population.

[Cliffh]

I didn't check out the meat dept at Walmart today, but I did walk the paper goods aisle.  There was a little bit (15% or so) of the TP side filled, mostly with the generic WM stuff.  On the other hand, the PT side was 99% full.  They only had the generic and Brawny towels, but they used them to fill in where other brands were supposed to be.  

[RoadKingLarry]

That depends on where you live. My county alone has 7,900 confirmed cases and 533 deaths. That's since the second week of March, so eight weeks. Population is around 850,000, so the death rate is 6.75% of cases, and .06% of the total population.

The problem is with the number of "confirmed cases".
The actual number of total cases is unknown but we have seen reports from a couple of places that put the suspected total of cases higher by a factor of 10 or more.
I suspect that if we ever get enough testing capacity to cover a significant portion of the population we will find that huge numbers of people carry the anitbody with out ever experiencing any symptoms or had very minor symptoms.

[TommyGunn]

I guess everybody had better keep hoarding toilet paper. These guys say it will take up to two years for global herd immunity.

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2020-05-01/covid-19-pandemic-likely-to-last-two-years-report-says

Given how inaccurate  most modeling has been about this Andromeda Strain  Covid 19 bug so far why believe them?  Herd immunity has been prolonged by our stupid - @$$   brilliant lock-down policies but .... two years? 

[Hawkmoon]

The problem is with the number of "confirmed cases".
The actual number of total cases is unknown but we have seen reports from a couple of places that put the suspected total of cases higher by a factor of 10 or more.
I suspect that if we ever get enough testing capacity to cover a significant portion of the population we will find that huge numbers of people carry the anitbody with out ever experiencing any symptoms or had very minor symptoms.

True.

The other problem with our lack of testing capability/capacity is that recovery is supposed to be determined on the basis of two negative tests taken 24 hours apart. We don't have enough testing capacity to test all suspect cases in the "in" side of the bell curve, so I'm sure we're not testing every patient -- twice -- on the "out" side of the curve to verify that they have recovered.

Basically ... we're flying blind.

[Ron]

Basically ... we're flying blind.

and we have to rely on for our information institutions and people who have shown themselves to be if not untrustworthy at the minimum incompetent.

I haven't abandoned my position on holding to the precautionary principle yet but the more real information that leaks out the more I'm chafing at the situation.

[Ben]

I'd like to hear input from our medical professionals on this, but how much is testing capacity related to $$$? I wonder if money would have been better spent instead of giving $1200 checks and unemployment that pays more than people's jobs, had it been put into vastly increasing and speeding up testing? Or even if we put a bajillion dollars into it, would there still be other significant bottlenecks?

The way some new information is looking regarding how many untested people may have had the virus, including with symptoms too mild to notice, the infection vs mortality rate might have let us reopen things a month ago.

For myself, on days in the last couple of months that I've had a little cough or a runny nose, I was wondering if it was just pollen or hey, [paranoid] did I catch the virus? Had there been a quick and easy way for me to get a test (both for the virus and for antibodies), I would have already had myself tested just for the heck of it. With all the restrictions on who can be tested, due to the lack of testing materials and personnel, there was no easy way for me to do that.

[Kingcreek]

I'd like to hear input from our medical professionals on this, but how much is testing capacity related to $$$? I wonder if money would have been better spent instead of giving $1200 checks and unemployment that pays more than people's jobs, had it been put into vastly increasing and speeding up testing? Or even if we put a bajillion dollars into it, would there still be other significant bottlenecks?

The way some new information is looking regarding how many untested people may have had the virus, including with symptoms too mild to notice, the infection vs mortality rate might have let us reopen things a month ago.

For myself, on days in the last couple of months that I've had a little cough or a runny nose, I was wondering if it was just pollen or hey, [paranoid] did I catch the virus? Had there been a quick and easy way for me to get a test (both for the virus and for antibodies), I would have already had myself tested just for the heck of it. With all the restrictions on who can be tested, due to the lack of testing materials and personnel, there was no easy way for me to do that.

You raise a good question. Our politicians were in a rush to throw money out there hey not because it’s an election year.
At risk people and known positives could have sheltered appropriately and much of the healthy world could have continued to function in a less limited way. And dammit they could have kept the public access lakes open for fishing.
I have a part time employee that only wanted to work 2-2.5 days a week or 16-20 hours for the past 3 years. She has never been more than just adequate as an employee. She was averaging around $200 a week pre pandemic. Now she doesn’t want to come back because she got her $1200 impact bonus and is getting unemployment PLUS another $600 per week for being such a pitiful victim of unemployment. IF I tell her we need her back and she says she has concerns about working with the public (she has asthma) or gets sick or has a sick family member, I could be required to pay her full wages for up to 80 hours plus a bunch of other expenses possibly including work comp. and I have to provide PPE etc.
All that small business disaster impact free and loaned money I got will be very soon gone.
So I received about $10k in SBA grants and loans, I’m losing about $10k per month in reduced business income, and my costs and risks going forward are up up up.
Is it to late to just bomb China?

[Hawkmoon]

I have a part time employee that only wanted to work 2-2.5 days a week or 16-20 hours for the past 3 years. She has never been more than just adequate as an employee. She was averaging around $200 a week pre pandemic. Now she doesn’t want to come back because she got her $1200 impact bonus and is getting unemployment PLUS another $600 per week for being such a pitiful victim of unemployment. IF I tell her we need her back and she says she has concerns about working with the public (she has asthma) or gets sick or has a sick family member, I could be required to pay her full wages for up to 80 hours plus a bunch of other expenses possibly including work comp. and I have to provide PPE etc.

Are you saying that you could be required to pay full-time wages to someone who has always been a half-time (or less) employee? That doesn't make sense. (But ... we're talking government rules, so who said it has to make sense/)

[WLJ]

More lockdown news

New Mexico Gov. Lujan Grisham invoked the state’s Riot Control Act to slow the spread of coronavirus and sealed off the roads into and out of the hard-hit city of Gallup, she announced Friday.

To help control a surging outbreak in the city, the Democratic governor locked down the city at the request of Gallup’s mayor, Grisham said in a news release.

Beginning noon Friday, all roads into the city were shut down and businesses were required to close from 5 p.m. until 8 a.m. in the city of 70,000. Additionally, only two people are allowed in a vehicle at the same time.

https://www.foxnews.com/politics/new-mexico-governor-orders-roads-closed-gallup-stop-coronavirus-spread

[ConstitutionCowboy]

The problem is with the number of "confirmed cases".
The actual number of total cases is unknown but we have seen reports from a couple of places that put the suspected total of cases higher by a factor of 10 or more.
I suspect that if we ever get enough testing capacity to cover a significant portion of the population we will find that huge numbers of people carry the anitbody with out ever experiencing any symptoms or had very minor symptoms.

If this is true(probably is), then we already have and have had heard immunity for some time. What we are seeing would then be cases of this "flu" in some of the stragglers. (Your speculation might differ from mine.)

 

Woody

[Kingcreek]

Are you saying that you could be required to pay full-time wages to someone who has always been a half-time (or less) employee? That doesn't make sense. (But ... we're talking government rules, so who said it has to make sense/)

No. Her usual wages up to 80 hours

[MillCreek]

https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/patients-struggle-to-get-uws-touted-test-amid-misinformation-suspicion-about-reliability-of-coronavirus-antibody-tests/

A good article about antibody testing.  So far, the Abbott tests seem to be the most reliable albeit availability is still very limited.  There are a lot of other antibody tests out there but accuracy is suspect.

The issue cited in the article about not being able to order it yet is because there is as yet no widely-available lab interface or orders for the testing built into Epic, the largest electronic medical records system in the country.  Many healthcare systems are having to fall back on paper forms and faxing them to the lab or having the patient hand-carry them to the testing site.

[TFerguson]

Sheep make a lot of noise when they are being herded.