Coronavirus

[Badger]

16 hours ago, Matt the Bruins said:

It's the one guaranteed growth industry.

 

I went grocery shopping this morning and was stymied by an elderly man hacking and coughing all over the snacks aisle. Did a circuit to pick up a few other things, checked back and he was still there, ditto a few minutes later. He only left his post guarding the Tostitos after I gave up and got in line at the checkout counter, naturally shambling after me to take the next place in line. He was wearing a mask so it was probably smoker's lung or general old person respiratory difficulties, but still set my nerves on edge.

Old people usually just in the middle of the aisle blocking traffic where I go grocery shopping.

[BarretWallace]

14 hours ago, Badger said:

Old people usually just in the middle of the aisle blocking traffic where I go grocery shopping.

That problem isn't unique to old folks.  I'm annoyed a lot more often by clueless middle-aged folks or even young adults who are being assimilated by their phones and remain unaware of the rest of the world--like the people trying to use the aisle or buy the merchandise that they are blocking.  No matter how wide the aisle, these people can somehow arrange their carts and themselves to block it anyway.

 

Of course, if this is my worst problem during the pandemic, I count myself lucky.

[Ternaugh]

24 minutes ago, BarretWallace said:

That problem isn't unique to old folks.  I'm annoyed a lot more often by clueless middle-aged folks or even young adults who are being assimilated by their phones and remain unaware of the rest of the world--like the people trying to use the aisle or buy the merchandise that they are blocking.  No matter how wide the aisle, these people can somehow arrange their carts and themselves to block it anyway.

 

Of course, if this is my worst problem during the pandemic, I count myself lucky.

 

Unfortunately, that was me a few days ago. Part of the issue was that there was a digital coupon advertised on the shelf tag, and I had to navigate the store's app to find it. The app has been "helpfully" modified to remove (or move) the scanner that would find coupons automatically when you showed it the UPC on the package.

[BoloOfEarth]

9 hours ago, BarretWallace said:

No matter how wide the aisle, these people can somehow arrange their carts and themselves to block it anyway.

 

They get really tetchy when you move their carts, too.  I remember one woman whose cart was almost completely blocking the aisle.  I shifted it a little sideways and said, "There, now it's blocking the *entire* aisle. That was what you were aiming for, wasn't it?"   She didn't seem to appreciate my help.

[unclevlad]

I'm sympathetic when dealing with someone who really is mobility-impaired...and normally I might be sympathetic with someone having a coughing fit.  But, not right now.  Masks are probably NOT good enough if someone is actively coughing, and most stores (at least around here) ask that, if you are coughing or otherwise feeling unwelll....don't enter the store.

 

Gits babbling on their phones...well, this is just a new example of Common Cluelessness.  Checks are rare, but remember back in the day when that was the norm?  And the gits who would be tuned out the entire time their groceries were being scanned, weighed, etc.  Until the total.  THEN they dig out their checkbook, and start writing the check.  Seemingly always asking "what is the date today?"  Yes, I wanted to scream.  

 

Ugh.  Since the low point in early September, the 7 day moving average for daily new cases has gone back up 20%.  It isn't the major spike I feared would happen, but we never got close to even semi-controlled since June...if one could even say it was semi-controlled then.  We're about a week away from 8 million cases.

 

And Trump says don't fear Covid.  What should we fear, then?

 

 

[Michael Hopcroft]

2 hours ago, unclevlad said:

And Trump says don't fear Covid.  What should we fear, then?

 

 

Election Day.

[archer]

2 hours ago, unclevlad said:

I'm sympathetic when dealing with someone who really is mobility-impaired...and normally I might be sympathetic with someone having a coughing fit.  But, not right now.  Masks are probably NOT good enough if someone is actively coughing, and most stores (at least around here) ask that, if you are coughing or otherwise feeling unwelll....don't enter the store.

 

Gits babbling on their phones...well, this is just a new example of Common Cluelessness.  Checks are rare, but remember back in the day when that was the norm?  And the gits who would be tuned out the entire time their groceries were being scanned, weighed, etc.  Until the total.  THEN they dig out their checkbook, and start writing the check.  Seemingly always asking "what is the date today?"  Yes, I wanted to scream.  

 

Ugh.  Since the low point in early September, the 7 day moving average for daily new cases has gone back up 20%.  It isn't the major spike I feared would happen, but we never got close to even semi-controlled since June...if one could even say it was semi-controlled then.  We're about a week away from 8 million cases.

 

And Trump says don't fear Covid.  What should we fear, then?

 

 

 

I can't answer that unless you ask it on the Political Discussion thread.

[archer]

US Health and Human Services Secretary Azar meets with three scientists who are pushing the "herd immunity" theory to deal with COVID-19.

 

https://www.politico.com/news/2020/10/06/trump-herd-immunity-scientists-426911

 

“We heard strong reinforcement of the Trump Administration’s strategy of aggressively protecting the vulnerable while opening schools and the workplace,” Azar tweeted after his meeting. 

[ScottishFox]

Texas numbers continue to do well despite the school openings.  I will say that in-person attendance at our local schools are down 50-60% from the norm so that's probably helping keep the numbers down.

 

Still, the rate of non-compliance I see with masks isn't having the Fear the Walking Dead level impact I was worried it might.

 

Hospitalizations are less than 33% of what they were at the peak.  Death rate isn't quite as low, but it is as low as we've seen in a few months.

 

 

3 minutes ago, archer said:

“We heard strong reinforcement of the Trump Administration’s strategy of aggressively protecting the vulnerable while opening schools and the workplace,”

 

I'll admit I've liked this idea for a few months now. 

 

Not because of Trump, but because the illness is so heavily impacting the extremely old and sick and the death rate is so incredibly low among school kids and working age adults.

 

Seems like a targeted re-opening could be achieved with a little more precision and finesse than we've seen so far.

 

 

[archer]

15 minutes ago, ScottishFox said:

 

I'll admit I've liked this idea for a few months now. 

 

Not because of Trump, but because the illness is so heavily impacting the extremely old and sick and the death rate is so incredibly low among school kids and working age adults.

 

Seems like a targeted re-opening could be achieved with a little more precision and finesse than we've seen so far.

 

 

 

Well, if there was any evidence that the administration was "aggressively protecting the vulnerable" then maybe that would be a real strategy, even if I disagreed with it.

 

But the administration has put out a mandate that nursing homes have to test, without giving them money or testing kits. They haven't provided PPE sufficient for nursing homes or VA hospitals, much less more broadly.

 

The "vulnerable" in the US includes those who have heart conditions, asthma, other lung problems, diabetes, and who are old...according to the government.

 

I have asthma, a heart condition, diabetes, and am old. The government knows all of that because it is my healthcare insurance provider and I take medicine for all of that and it's on my medical information from my doctor which he has to send to them.

 

The government hasn't done a damned thing to try to protect me. Or even checked in on me to see if I'm protecting myself.

 

Zip, nada, nothing.

 

The "vulnerable" in the US (who have heart conditions, asthma, other lung problems, diabetes, and who are old) are more than 100 million people (roughly a third of the population). To protect that number of people, there would have to be a massive governmental effort of some sort...and there isn't one.

[Ragitsu]

They care more about money than lives.

[archer]

I take that back.

 

The private company which is my Medicare Part B supplemental insurance provider sent me a reusable cloth mask.

 

Maybe that counts in some form because it's vaguely related to the government?

[archer]

Hmmm...I posted that about the HHS Secretary so that people checking up on COVID news would be aware of what was going on, since that might affect their personal situation, rather than start a political discussion about what's going on.

 

I'd be happy to discuss political implications of it on the political thread. Apologies if I'm getting sidetracked into that here. 

[Cygnia]

[Cygnia]

[archer]

Hawaii reopening to tourism.

 

They are going to give people the option of being tested before getting on the airplane OR quarantine for two weeks after they arrive.

 

So you get a test, think you are in the clear, and get on the airplane seated next to a jerk who has COVID for the next 5-10 hours. 

 

You arrive, he goes into quarantine where he might or might not every show any symptoms, and you wander around the island spreading COVID.

 

Sounds like a plan to me.

 

https://apnews.com/article/virus-outbreak-travel-pandemics-hawaii-archive-1e552052192dbac3cbd8dc97329c811c

 

Big Island Mayor Harry Kim announced that his county would opt out of the testing program and continue to require all visitors to quarantine for two weeks upon arrival. Gov. David Ige on Monday denied a request from the island of Kauai that would have established a post-arrival testing program for visitors to that island. 

[Old Man]

Yeah, we’re screwed. Profits over people, as always. 
 

It’ll take a while to take effect though. Figure tourists start bringing in the virus last half of the month, give it three 10-day cycles to really start to spread, and it’ll be perfectly timed to take out entire families when they get together for Thanksgiving. I’d say the SHTF on 12/2. 

[unclevlad]

WorldOMeter's data day is midnight GMT, so about am hour from now.  We've topped 54, 000 new cases today;  it'll probably end up around 55,000.  

 

That's the highest single-day count since August 14th, and by a decent margin;  53,185 was the previous high over the last almost 2 months, on Sept. 4th.

 

EDIT:  oops.  I've pretty often seen not that many cases in the last hour or so.  Not so today.  56,652.

[Badger]

Hawaii probably should just require testing. The quarantine  is not feasible for tourist. You will spend your entire vacation in quarantine, as who has more than 2 weeks in a row of vacation

[Old Man]

20 minutes ago, Badger said:

Hawaii probably should just require testing. The quarantine  is not feasible for tourist. You will spend your entire vacation in quarantine, as who has more than 2 weeks in a row of vacation

 

Agreed.  Please forward your opinion to Gov. Ige.

 

(Although to be honest, lots of people have over two weeks of "vacation" at the moment...)

[Badger]

Well, with the type of vacation you are talking about, you probably cant afford Hawaii

[Old Man]

I dunno, prices were shockingly low last time I checked.

[unclevlad]

Oh...****.

 

2 hours to go...a tick under 59,000 cases today.  Which means we'll very likely pass 60,000.  That's back-to-back days with significant spikes, and numbers not seen since early August.

 

5 states have new case rates greater than 1 per 2000 people.  That was pretty much worst rate, IIRC, states like Arizona and Florida had at their worst.  4 others are greater than 1 per 3000 people.  New Mexico officials are very concerned because our rate isn't as bad as that...but it's also tripled since its low in early September.

[ScottishFox]

I'm ready for a re-opening at this point.  We've utterly failed to contain it.

 

Remember when we were going to shut down for 15 days to flatten the curve?  That was like 180 days ago.

 

Time to get back to it.

 

And I'm an old fat asthmatic with high blood pressure.  I'd rather take my chances than watch the country collapse in fear.  Within reason - I wear a mask and wash my hands and avoid crowds.

[archer]

Italy makes wearing masks outdoors compulsory because their infection rates are back up to what they were in April.

 

Also ordered compulsory testing on travelers from the United Kingdom, Belgium, the Netherlands and Czech Republic.

 

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-8823393/Italy-makes-mask-wearing-compulsory-OUTDOORS.html