Topic: The COVID-19 Virus is Coming For Us All Thread

[BlackNMild2k1]

Can someone please explain to me W.T.F. is wrong with this guy!!?



He is supporting a protest of the stay at home order, which is the very thing that will help us get this situation under control so we can open the country back up....

I know he wants to skip from step A to step Z and get this over with, but this is seriously stupid, and extremely irresponsible, especially for someone sitting in the "highest" chair in the land. I just hope he personally joins this protest and shakes everyone of his supporters protesting hands in solidarity of the effort. Smfh

[BlackNMild2k1]

Executive order to open businesses in TX may be coming....
https://www.kvue.com/mobile/article/news/health/coronavirus/coronavirus-texas-covid19-cases-update/269-f1c36a64-eedc-4d08-bf40-97c62ffcb39b

[Khushrenada]

[nickmitch]

All festivals in the City of New Orleans for 2020 are cancelled.  The mayor also seems adamant about not having fans at football games should the NFL resume.  There's also been some talk locally about extending the stay at home order.

[BlackNMild2k1]

just tell him to wear a protective rubber suit. Then it should be safe to go out and play.


Meawhile.....

Florida Man last one in, first one out.
Gov. DeSantis to open up certain beaches... with restrictions.
https://www.clickorlando.com/news/florida/2020/04/17/north-florida-beaches-among-first-to-reopen-since-coronavirus-closures/

[Ian Sane]

First confirmed death in Canada was five weeks ago.  So I did a quick spreadsheet of the daily death toll to calculate the average daily death toll for each week.

2
6
31
62
124

Obviously we get a huge jump between weeks 2 and 3.  Over the last three weeks the death toll doubles every week.  That is not going in the right direction.  The amount of new cases has flattened but since I don't think the virus is getting twice as deadly each week I'm assuming we're hitting a limit on tests and the actual amount of cases is increasing at the same rate.

While I want to reopen as much as anyone (it was my brother's birthday on Saturday but there was obviously no celebration) I don't see how you can if the numbers are still going up.  Now the death toll is really more the results of what was happening two weeks ago but what data do we have to indicate that within those last two weeks we turned things around?  There's no vaccine, no new treatment option and the death toll is increasing despite our social distancing efforts.

[stevey]

"Oil prices below $5 a barrel, from a high of $60 at the beginning of the year"
"Oil prices below $2 a barrel"
"Oil prices below $1.50 a barrel"
"Oil prices below $1.00 a barrel"
"Oil prices below $0.01 a barrel"
"Oil futures are negative for the first time in history"
"Oil futures AT -35.20"

In other news, coronavirus cures global warming.

[nickmitch]

The oil price thing seems weird, but keep in mind a lot of oil is bought/sold via financial instruments like derivatives.  Basically, a lot of oil is set to be owned by a bunch of people who have little to no means of actually receiving/storing the oil.  The people they'd normally sell their purchase contracts to have too much oil because usage is down.  The only way those people will take on additional oil is if they were paid to take it.

I've seen some people arguing that deaths/day is an unfair statistic to quote.  I will say, it is a lagging statistic (meaning that if 100 people died today, that means there were 100 times X number of people sick yesterday).  But the more that number rises, the more it shines a light on how close or past medical systems are to capacity.  Number of newly confirmed cases per day isn't too much better because it's strongly limited by the availability of testing and could increase in trend if we all just stopped social distancing.

[nickmitch]

In other news, Brian Kemp is set to reopen the state of Georgia this weekend.

https://www.fox5atlanta.com/news/kemp-restaurants-other-businesses-to-reopen-in-georgia-amid-covid-19-fight

This Friday, they're opening: Gyms, Fitness centers, Barbers, Hair dressers, Nail salons, and Massage therapists.  Restaurants open Monday.

[BeautifulShy]

In other news, Brian Kemp is set to reopen the state of Georgia this weekend.

https://www.fox5atlanta.com/news/kemp-restaurants-other-businesses-to-reopen-in-georgia-amid-covid-19-fight

This Friday, they're opening: Gyms, Fitness centers, Barbers, Hair dressers, Nail salons, and Massage therapists.  Restaurants open Monday.

I totally expect Georgia to be back to how is was within the next two weeks.   

https://www.npr.org/sections/coronavirus-live-updates/2020/04/13/832981899/emergency-declared-in-japanese-prefecture-hit-by-2nd-wave-of-coronavirus-infecti

[broodwars]

In other news, Brian Kemp is set to reopen the state of Georgia this weekend.

https://www.fox5atlanta.com/news/kemp-restaurants-other-businesses-to-reopen-in-georgia-amid-covid-19-fight

This Friday, they're opening: Gyms, Fitness centers, Barbers, Hair dressers, Nail salons, and Massage therapists.  Restaurants open Monday.

I totally expect Georgia to be back to how is was within the next two weeks.   

https://www.npr.org/sections/coronavirus-live-updates/2020/04/13/832981899/emergency-declared-in-japanese-prefecture-hit-by-2nd-wave-of-coronavirus-infecti

Which probably won't help. At this point, the states have stalled the virus as long as is realistically feasible to build up medical infrastructure and gather data. Until a year from now when we have a vaccine, the best we can hope for is herd immunity, which we won't have until at least the 2nd wave passes and CAN'T have until a sufficient number of people acquire the antibodies to fight the virus. It sucks, but it's the only practical move forward. The last few weeks have done an admirable job of showing that the US can't endure another month of sustained lockdown, no matter how much local dictators enjoy flexing their emergency authority.

It'll be interesting to see if certain industries show any sign of recovery from this. Pretty sure that theaters are never making a comeback (this entire experience has done a wonderful job of demonstrating how useless they are), and theme parks probably won't get back to where they were 3 months ago till 2022.

[Stratos]

Sadly theaters may become the new "drive-in" where they become local landmarks people go to once or twice until they get plowed down to make cookie-cutter crowded housing developments.

Best guesses I have read for Disney parks to reopen is January 2021, but I am sure that will depend on outside factors like quarantine, diagnosis, and treatment efforts.

I'm loving quarantine life, but I'm a die-hard introvert who loves working from home. My wife is not and is a nurse to boot. Between the long work hours and a lack of any ability to pursue her biggest outlets of enjoyment (travel, adventure, dancing) its really grinding on her.

[nickmitch]

In other news, Brian Kemp is set to reopen the state of Georgia this weekend.

https://www.fox5atlanta.com/news/kemp-restaurants-other-businesses-to-reopen-in-georgia-amid-covid-19-fight

This Friday, they're opening: Gyms, Fitness centers, Barbers, Hair dressers, Nail salons, and Massage therapists.  Restaurants open Monday.

I totally expect Georgia to be back to how is was within the next two weeks.   

https://www.npr.org/sections/coronavirus-live-updates/2020/04/13/832981899/emergency-declared-in-japanese-prefecture-hit-by-2nd-wave-of-coronavirus-infecti

Which probably won't help. At this point, the states have stalled the virus as long as is realistically feasible to build up medical infrastructure and gather data. Until a year from now when we have a vaccine, the best we can hope for is herd immunity, which we won't have until at least the 2nd wave passes and CAN'T have until a sufficient number of people acquire the antibodies to fight the virus. It sucks, but it's the only practical move forward. The last few weeks have done an admirable job of showing that the US can't endure another month of sustained lockdown, no matter how much local politicians enjoy flexing their emergency authority.

This is assuming that survivors of COVID-19 develop some kind of immunity, and the jury is still out on that.  And hoping for herd immunity the natural way still posits a large number of deaths.

And I also disagree that states have stalled long enough for anything.  There still isn't data on the re-infection risk, as I alluded to, or even the timing of a second wave.  The virus could get stalled by the summer and then ramp back up in the fall, or both seasons could see waves.  And testing capacity, while improving everyday, still isn't high enough.

[Luigi Dude]

This is assuming that survivors of COVID-19 develop some kind of immunity, and the jury is still out on that.  And hoping for herd immunity the natural way still posits a large number of deaths.

Yep, right now there's about 800,000 cases in America with 42,000 death.  Doing herd immunity and say half the country gets it, that will still kill millions of people in less then a year.

It sucks that everything is closed right now but the alternative is literally millions dead in such a short time that will be more devastating then any lockdown is.

[Kairon]

We really need abundantly available testing. We're doing a lot of theory-crafting in its absence, and when we re-open we'll need promiscuous testing so we can see any resurgences welling up and batter down the hatches again.

[BlackNMild2k1]

There's selling the eggs before they even bought the chickens that'll lay them.

In other words, they're moving outside the order of operations here. This will just prolong the issue because they didn't have a unified national reaction/lockdown from the get go.

Now we release certain areas that weren't really tested to begin with back into the wild without any additional testing, and all of everything sacrificed so far was all for nothing.

But carry on... (Really hope I'm wrong)

[King of Twitch]

Social Temporary Distancing sucks. I'm trying to do my part and staying indoors and slaying bots 24/7 in Fortnite but I don't know if it's helping.

[BeautifulShy]

Social Temporary Distancing sucks. I'm trying to do my part and staying indoors and slaying bots 24/7 in Fortnite but I don't know if it's helping.

I mean it is helping not spread or catch the virus it is good to stay inside unless it is absolutely nessesary.   Also playing Fortnight or any other hobbies is good so you can take care of your mental health if that does it for you.  Really any distraction or creative thing you are doing at leasts gives you something you are doing which is not directly tied to COVID-19.   

[BlackNMild2k1]

It's time to sacrifice yourselves for the greater future, Texans.

$C.R.E.A.M.$

"There are more important things than living ... I don't want to die, nobody wants to die but man we've got to take some risks"

https://www.newsweek.com/texas-lt-gov-dan-patrick-fox-news-tucker-carlson-1499106#Echobox=1587463924

$(get the money)$

for more context without opening link, another quote of his....
"When you start shutting down society and people start losing their paychecks and businesses can't open and governments aren't getting revenues...I'm sorry to say that I was right on this,"

$ DOLLA DOLLA BILLS Y'ALL $

[Ian Sane]

In other news, Brian Kemp is set to reopen the state of Georgia this weekend.

https://www.fox5atlanta.com/news/kemp-restaurants-other-businesses-to-reopen-in-georgia-amid-covid-19-fight

This Friday, they're opening: Gyms, Fitness centers, Barbers, Hair dressers, Nail salons, and Massage therapists.  Restaurants open Monday.

That seems ridiculously quick.  Like I could see opening a few things where people don't linger in large groups and then a few weeks later you expand on it based on how things are going.  But waiting a whole two days before reopening restaurants?  Restaurants to me seem like one of the later things that should be opening since everyone sits in the same room for a fair chunk of time.

I'm pessimistic here but my guess is that some places are going to jump to reopen things very quickly and, barring some miracle, will get hit by a second wave of cases.  The places that held off on reopening will see the spike in cases in the areas that opened too soon and will remain locked down and it will be an easier sell to their citizens because there is a textbook example of the effect of opening too soon to point at.

When this first started it sounded like we were holing ourselves up in our homes and hoping the angel of death would pass by.  For a lot of people it hasn't been like that.  I've observed my neighbours being extremely shitty at social distancing but I don't know anyone who's gotten sick or died or even know anyone who knows such a person.  As bad as it sounds, people need to "see" something or they're going to feel this is all unnecessary.  I'm sure people in New York City feel it's necessary but people in Wyoming are less likely to.  It would be horrible to see an area reopen and get creamed by the virus, but it would also probably scare everyone straight for a while.

[Adrock]

Florida recently reopened beaches because Florida. At some point, Florida just has to stop being a national embarrassment, right? Maybe if enough people die? I don’t wish harm on others so I’m not saying anyone should or deserves to die. Ignoring advice from experts/leading scientists is straight up Darwinism (those who can’t from a professional standpoint notwithstanding).

[Ian Sane]

I feel like the word "economy" has become such a political buzzword that people associate it with wall street and the rich getting richer.  Maybe that is what some politicians are truly focused on.

But what they really should be talking about is people's jobs and livelihoods.  My brother is working reduced hours.  Right now it is eating up his vacation hours, which he isn't likely going to have any use for in a year where you can't go anywhere.  But that will run out and then he'll just be making less money.  Fortunately he lives with our parents so his "landlord" can cut him slack on his rent.  But luckily our parents have lived in their house for so many decades that they have paid off their mortgage so they don't have that monthly expense that relies on his rent to help cover.  His co-workers aren't in the same boat.  Many of them have been laid off and those that are still working don't have this narrow fluke of circumstances that make it so that temporarily reduced hours isn't a financial emergency.

Businesses are failing or are in risk of failure due to no fault of their own.  These are small independent businesses, not the big corporations.  Each business failed puts its employees out of work.  How do those same employees find another job when numerous businesses in the same area have also failed and there is a sudden increase in unemployed people and a decrease in the amount of employers?

We're unfortunately being pulled in two directions by horrible situations.  There's disease and death on one side and poverty and unemployment on the other.  The more you work to prevent one direction, the worse you make it in the other.  So it isn't as simple as $$$ because for the average person $$$ is food and shelter.

But that doesn't really become the talking point.  It becomes about being able to go to the beach or watch baseball again.  "My business is going to go under and I'm going to have to fire all my employees" seems like a better sales pitch for reopening then just saying "the economy" in vague terms or focusing on people being bored and annoyed by the lockdowns.

[Stratos]

Social Temporary Distancing sucks. I'm trying to do my part and staying indoors and slaying bots 24/7 in Fortnite but I don't know if it's helping.

It is helping. Keep at it.

Here is a great video that breaks down the reasoning for all this isolation and distancing.

Long and short: this isn't to avoid getting sick, its to slow the spread of the sickness and keep us from hitting our max capacity of handling sick patients. If we hit that max them even more people will die due to a lack of resources to treat people.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CQdHsRkUYKo

The places that held off on reopening will see the spike in cases in the areas that opened too soon and will remain locked down and it will be an easier sell to their citizens because there is a textbook example of the effect of opening too soon to point at.

We already have a textbook example from the Spanish flu. But "something, something history-repeats-itself-when-you-forget-it".

[Luigi Dude]

We're unfortunately being pulled in two directions by horrible situations.  There's disease and death on one side and poverty and unemployment on the other.  The more you work to prevent one direction, the worse you make it in the other.  So it isn't as simple as $$$ because for the average person $$$ is food and shelter.

The thing is poverty and unemployment there are varies ways to deal with that both during and after the crisis.  We can't bring back the millions of people who will die from the virus though if we go back to business as usual too early.

The thing about this virus every has to realize is it can take up to 2 weeks for people to even feel sick and can be contagious during that time.  Some people can literally never even get sick but will still spread the virus.  That's the kind of thing you usually see in a fictional doomsday story but instead it's real.  One person can literally infect hundreds without even knowing it because they feel just fine.

This is why drastic actions need to be taken to contain this.

[broodwars]

Florida recently reopened beaches because Florida. At some point, Florida just has to stop being a national embarrassment, right? Maybe if enough people die? I don’t wish harm on others so I’m not saying anyone should or deserves to die. Ignoring advice from experts/leading scientists is straight up Darwinism (those who can’t from a professional standpoint notwithstanding).

I thought the same when I first saw the pictures going around online, but at the same time...the people were observing social distancing. The groups (presumably families) were distanced away from other people. I honestly see people clustered more closely together when I drop by Publix these days. And being outside in the sun is GOOD for your health, especially with the heat and humidity this time of year.

So yeah, at first glance it looks boneheaded, but so long as people aren't abusing the beaches it looks like a good move to have them open in Northern FL when the risk right now is predominantly in SOUTH FL.