Coronavirus thread

[André]

My Trumpster brother is scaring me.

My ninety year old mother lives with them.  He listens to Fox new 24/7 and thinks people are being paranoid over the virus.

Thank God for my sister-in-law.  She is a nurse and takes this virus seriously.  She forces my brother to wear a mask to work and clean-up when he gets home.

I was talking with my mother today and she told me he is constantly trying to pressure then into going out and eating in a restaurant.  They bused to eat out a lot.  They are refusing.

That's bad, really. There are reports that excess deaths in the US in 2020 has passed 219000, which would mean the number of reported Covid deaths (180000) is seriously underestimated. Careless people are a danger to everyone.

[T. D.]

That's bad, really. There are reports that excess deaths in the US in 2020 has passed 219000, which would mean the number of reported Covid deaths (180000) is seriously underestimated. Careless people are a danger to everyone.

I've seen tabulations of excess deaths by state, with accompanying (% attributed to COVID) compared with European countries. As you might expect, the Sun Belt and Midwestern states have been seriously underestimating.
For instance, https://www.economist.com/graphic-detail/2020/07/15/tracking-covid-19-excess-deaths-across-countries , though I've seen summaries with better graphics.

And in the "I'm shocked, just shocked!" category:

https://www.cnbc.com/2020/08/31/white-house-suppressed-coronavirus-reports-and-downplayed-virus-house-panel-says.html

[Karl Henning]

The Trump Virus

[T. D.]

https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/trump-coronavirus-scott-atlas-herd-immunity/2020/08/30/925e68fe-e93b-11ea-970a-64c73a1c2392_story.html

One of President Trump's top medical advisers is urging the White House to embrace a controversial "herd immunity" strategy to combat the pandemic, which would entail allowing the coronavirus to spread through most of the population to quickly build resistance to the virus, while taking steps to protect those in nursing homes and other vulnerable populations, according to five people familiar with the discussions.

The administration has already begun to implement some policies along these lines, according to current and former officials as well as experts, particularly with regard to testing.

The approach's chief proponent is Scott Atlas, a neuroradiologist and fellow at Stanford's conservative Hoover Institution, who joined the White House in August as a pandemic adviser. He has advocated that the United States adopt the model Sweden has used to respond to the virus outbreak, according to these officials, which relies on lifting restrictions so healthy people can build immunity to the disease rather than limiting social and business interactions to prevent the virus from spreading.
...
Atlas, who does not have a background in infectious diseases or epidemiology, has expanded his influence inside the White House by advocating policies that appeal to Trump's desire to move past the pandemic and get the economy going, distressing health officials on the White House coronavirus task force and throughout the administration who worry that their advice is being followed less and less.
...

[Karl Henning]

https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/trump-coronavirus-scott-atlas-herd-immunity/2020/08/30/925e68fe-e93b-11ea-970a-64c73a1c2392_story.html

One of President Trump's top medical advisers is urging the White House to embrace a controversial "herd immunity" strategy to combat the pandemic, which would entail allowing the coronavirus to spread through most of the population to quickly build resistance to the virus, while taking steps to protect those in nursing homes and other vulnerable populations, according to five people familiar with the discussions.

The administration has already begun to implement some policies along these lines, according to current and former officials as well as experts, particularly with regard to testing.

The approach's chief proponent is Scott Atlas, a neuroradiologist and fellow at Stanford's conservative Hoover Institution, who joined the White House in August as a pandemic adviser. He has advocated that the United States adopt the model Sweden has used to respond to the virus outbreak, according to these officials, which relies on lifting restrictions so healthy people can build immunity to the disease rather than limiting social and business interactions to prevent the virus from spreading.
...
Atlas, who does not have a background in infectious diseases or epidemiology, has expanded his influence inside the White House by advocating policies that appeal to Trump's desire to move past the pandemic and get the economy going, distressing health officials on the White House coronavirus task force and throughout the administration who worry that their advice is being followed less and less.
...

You see?! My doing nothing was a "strategy" all along!!

[71 dB]

One new corona death in Finland: 335.

Now 336. One per week it seems. 

[T. D.]

Now 336. One per week it seems. 

336? That's an odd lot weekly total in many states in the Land of Science Denial!

https://www.cnbc.com/2020/09/04/key-coronavirus-forecast-predicts-over-410000-total-us-deaths-by-jan-1.html

[Florestan]

Now 336. One per week it seems. 

352 new confirmed cases in Bucharest alone in the last 24 hours.  Total cases about 100,000. Deaths around 4,000.

[MusicTurner]

- After loosening up over summer, numbers going up here in Denmark. 189 registered, newly infected today, which is the highest number since April, but it's mainly among youngsters, and severe cases are still very few. However, more restrictions from Monday will be the likely outcome;

- hydrocortisone is a cheap and very effective medicine, reducing the number of fatalities by 50% among severe cases, studies here say;

- Sweden is doing much better these days, but the initial costs have been very serious, compared to the other Nordic countries;

- on a Global level, at least 321 vaccine projects are being worked on, and at least 32 of those have begun clinical trials
(( https://www.nature.com/articles/d41573-020-00151-8?utm_source=Nature+Briefing&utm_campaign=6bcfacc11e-briefing-dy-20200904&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_c9dfd39373-6bcfacc11e-45297858 ))

- estimates of when vaccines will be generally available, and when they'll be thoroughly effective, still vary a lot though.

[prémont]

- After loosening up over summer, numbers going up here in Denmark. 189 registered, newly infected today, which is the highest number since April,

Sept.1. we had 201 cases, and probably there will be more to day than the preliminary result 189, because some of the answers to tests taken to day aren't registered until to morrow or the day after to morrow, but all tests are registered according to the day they were taken. So the situation is a bit worse, than we are told.

[Karl Henning]

Competent leadership matters

Coronavirus update: New York's infection rate has been below one percent for 30 days

[Todd]

Coronavirus spikes in Spain, France and U.K. raise specter of second wave

India surpasses Brazil, second behind U.S., in total coronavirus cases

[Mandryka]

Creative campaigning from Rochdale council

https://mobile.twitter.com/RochdaleCouncil/status/1303063443822579713

[Todd]

AstraZeneca's Setback Delivers Reality Check on Vaccine Risks

[71 dB]

336? That's an odd lot weekly total in many states in the Land of Science Denial!

https://www.cnbc.com/2020/09/04/key-coronavirus-forecast-predicts-over-410000-total-us-deaths-by-jan-1.html

Now 337. That's total corona deaths in Finland (5.5 million people). The first death happened March 20. Scaled to the population of the US that would be about 20,000.

[Karl Henning]

Now 337. That's total corona deaths in Finland (5.5 million people). The first death happened March 20. Scaled to the population of the US that would be about 20,000.

You are one for needlessly repeating yourself, aren't you?

[71 dB]

You are one for needlessly repeating yourself, aren't you?

Can you blame me when Covid-19 is a nightmare that just doesn't end...

[T. D.]

Now 337. That's total corona deaths in Finland (5.5 million people). The first death happened March 20. Scaled to the population of the US that would be about 20,000.

Hardly a fair comparison, is it?  A civilized country vs. the Mecca of dumbassery.

[71 dB]

Hardly a fair comparison, is it?  A civilized country vs. the Mecca of dumbassery.

Hardly. Who says it's a fair comparison? 

[Karl Henning]

The Mecca of dumbassery.

In a way, poetic...