covid-19

[billvon 2,995]

10 minutes ago, BIGUN said:

I knew when I was writing it that you guys would swell up and hang the "Racist" label on me. Primarily because while we've met; you really don't know me.  

I don't think you're a racist.  I do think that claiming he is the wrong color, and thus his protest is invalid, is beneath you.

[BIGUN 1,317]

Just now, billvon said:

I do think that claiming he is the wrong color to be allowed to protest is beneath you.

OK. Bill, I'll own that and apologize to the group. Not the impression I was trying to give, but obviously missed the mark.  

[SkyDekker 1,465]

I think in general one is able to make an inherently racist comment without being a racist.

[JerryBaumchen 1,364]

3 hours ago, BIGUN said:

OK. Bill, I'll own that and apologize to the group. Not the impression I was trying to give, but obviously missed the mark.  

Hi Keith,

We all do it now & then.  

I'm thinking that how it came across to us is not what you meant.

Jerry Baumchen

[wolfriverjoe 1,523]

7 hours ago, JerryBaumchen said:

Hi Keith,

Re:  He's half-white

So is Pres. Obama.  IMO, no one considers either of them to be 'white.'  IMO, to the world, they are black.

Jerry Baumchen

Hi Jerry,

While the terms are no longer used, the term 'octoroon' meant someone who was 7/8 white and 1/8 black.
The Supreme Court case of Plessy v Ferguson was the one where SC ruled that Jim Crow 'separate but equal' laws were ok. 
Plessy was ONE EIGHTH black.
Yet he was subject to the laws that restricted black people.

It was in 'To Kill A Mockingbird' that one of the kids made the statement:
“That's what I thought,” said Jem, “but around here once you have a drop of Negro blood, that makes you all black.” ― Harper Lee, To Kill a Mockingbird.

[ryoder 1,590]

5 minutes ago, wolfriverjoe said:

Hi Jerry,

While the terms are no longer used, the term 'octoroon' meant someone who was 7/8 white and 1/8 black.
The Supreme Court case of Plessy v Ferguson was the one where SC ruled that Jim Crow 'separate but equal' laws were ok. 
Plessy was ONE EIGHTH black.
Yet he was subject to the laws that restricted black people.

It was in 'To Kill A Mockingbird' that one of the kids made the statement:
“That's what I thought,” said Jem, “but around here once you have a drop of Negro blood, that makes you all black.” ― Harper Lee, To Kill a Mockingbird.

Even a Wikipedia page on it: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/One-drop_rule

[ryoder 1,590]

Who knew that having a gaslighting fool in power during a pandemic could result in a bad outcome?

South America Is the Only Continent Where COVID Is Still Getting Worse Thanks to Bolsonaro Shitshow

[brenthutch 444]

Back on topic, what does everyone think about the COVID origin story?  It’s starting to look like a “gain of function” lab leak. 

[BIGUN 1,317]

10 hours ago, brenthutch said:

Back on topic, what does everyone think about the COVID origin story?  It’s starting to look like a “gain of function” lab leak. 

I "think" it's going to be very important to tread lightly.

Been reading up on it . . .

https://www.cnn.com/2021/05/27/politics/biden-trump-china-coronavirus-origins/index.html 

[Phil1111 1,149]

3 minutes ago, BIGUN said:

I "think" it's going to be very important to tread lightly.

Been reading up on it . . .

https://www.cnn.com/2021/05/27/politics/biden-trump-china-coronavirus-origins/index.html 

Thats why the international credibility of a state and its leaders is so important. Biden will still take time to turn the US image aground.

[BIGUN 1,317]

6 minutes ago, Phil1111 said:

Biden will still take time to turn the US image aground.

I know what you meant, but still had to chuckle. 

[TriGirl 319]

On 6/3/2021 at 6:54 AM, airdvr said:

Just booked a flight to HI to see my son.  I never figured they would want proof of a negative test 72 hours prior to arrival.

I'll be heading to Hawaii in a couple months as well, but for work.  Darn glad Papua New Guinea instituted an on-site PCR test on the day of your travel!  It went from "book your test within 3 days before your flight and pay extra for the quick results," to "get a rapid test at the airport in addition, before boarding your flight;" to now "tests at the international terminal will be PCRs and are required for all passengers -- results provided on site."  That's awesome.

Although, I'll finally get a COVID test.  I made it back to PNG before testing was a thing, and haven't left in more than a year. I'm all vaxxed with Pfizer, but have never been tested.  At least when I come back, I should only have to quarantine for 7 days instead of 14. 

[headoverheels 333]

UK cases, which were lower per capita than in the US, have tripled in the past month while US cases declined.  60% of the new UK cases are the delta variant (one of the ones from India), which is maybe 3x as contagious as the original variant.  It has estimated Ro of 6 in non-lockdown (open) conditions.  Single doses of vaccine are less effective than they were previously in preventing symptomatic cases (33%) Two doses still give good results, although not quite as good as previously (88%).  The loss of taste and smell doesn't seem to be a common feature of the delta variant.

6% of the new US cases are now the delta variant, but it will almost certainly become a higher percentage.

Edited June 11, 2021 by headoverheels

[yoink 321]

6 hours ago, headoverheels said:

UK cases, which were lower per capita than in the US, have tripled in the past month while US cases declined.  60% of the new UK cases are the delta variant (one of the ones from India), which is maybe 3x as contagious as the original variant.  It has estimated Ro of 6 in non-lockdown (open) conditions.  Single doses of vaccine are less effective than they were previously in preventing symptomatic cases (33%) Two doses still give good results, although not quite as good as previously (88%).  The loss of taste and smell doesn't seem to be a common feature of the delta variant.

6% of the new US cases are now the delta variant, but it will almost certainly become a higher percentage.

aaand now I need to check the info on receiving a 2 dose vaccine after already having the J&J 1-shot.

[BIGUN 1,317]

10 minutes ago, yoink said:

aaand now I need to check the info on receiving a 2 dose vaccine after already having the J&J 1-shot.

Start at 1:10

 

[wolfriverjoe 1,523]

9 hours ago, yoink said:

aaand now I need to check the info on receiving a 2 dose vaccine after already having the J&J 1-shot.

It probably should have been written something like 'those who received a single dose of a two dose vaccine'.

The UK prioritized first doses to as many as possible, not worrying as much about the second. There's a fair amount of debate about it, and it has downsides. But it got at least some immunity into a lot more people.

[gowlerk 2,198]

7 minutes ago, wolfriverjoe said:

The UK prioritized first doses to as many as possible, not worrying as much about the second.

We did the same thing here. Now at 70% with at least one shot and now booking appointments for the second. We are in another race with the new variant. It is just starting to show up here.

[yoink 321]

Thank you BIGUN & wolfriverjoe

[headoverheels 333]

6 hours ago, wolfriverjoe said:

The UK prioritized first doses to as many as possible, not worrying as much about the second. There's a fair amount of debate about it, and it has downsides. But it got at least some immunity into a lot more people.

They are reporting only about 33% protection from symptomatic cases in the UK with one dose against the Delta (from India) variant.  Less severe cases and less hospitalization, I would expect.

[Phil1111 1,149]

6 hours ago, headoverheels said:

They are reporting only about 33% protection from symptomatic cases in the UK with one dose against the Delta (from India) variant.  Less severe cases and less hospitalization, I would expect.

AHS breaks down vaccination data of COVID-19 Delta variant outbreak at Calgary hospital

People should not piss about on getting their second dose.

[kallend 2,027]

The bottom ten states + DC, by rate of getting at least one dose of vaccine, as of last week.  What do they have in common?

42. South Carolina
Number of people vaccinated with at least one dose: 2,146,016
Percentage of population vaccinated with at least one dose: 41.68

43. West Virginia
Number of people vaccinated with at least one dose: 741,362
Percentage of population vaccinated with at least one dose: 41.37

44. Georgia
Number of people vaccinated with at least one dose: 4,381,496
Percentage of population vaccinated with at least one dose: 41.27

45. Arkansas
Number of people vaccinated with at least one dose: 1,212,579
Percentage of population vaccinated with at least one dose: 40.18

46. Tennessee
Number of people vaccinated with at least one dose: 2,712,829
Percentage of population vaccinated with at least one dose: 39.72

47. Idaho
Number of people vaccinated with at least one dose: 681,257
Percentage of population vaccinated with at least one dose: 38.12

48. Wyoming
Number of people vaccinated with at least one dose: 218,655
Percentage of population vaccinated with at least one dose: 37.78

49. Louisiana
Number of people vaccinated with at least one dose: 1,692,663
Percentage of population vaccinated with at least one dose: 36.41

50. Alabama
Number of people vaccinated with at least one dose: 1,774,535
Percentage of population vaccinated with at least one dose: 36.19

51. Mississippi
Number of people vaccinated with at least one dose: 1,033,418
Percentage of population vaccinated with at least one dose: 34.72

[kallend 2,027]

US Life expectancy goes down - a lot.

https://www.npr.org/2021/06/23/1009611699/the-pandemic-led-to-the-biggest-drop-in-u-s-life-expectancy-since-ww-ii-study-fi

US fares poorly compared with other rich democracies (each of which has universal health care).

The study estimates that the decline in life expectancy was .22 years (or about one-fifth of a year) in a group of 16 peer countries (including Austria, Finland, France, Israel, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom) compared with the nearly two-year decline in the United States.

"The U.S. disadvantage in mortality compared with other high income democracies in 2020 is neither new nor sudden," Barbieri wrote. It appears the pandemic has magnified existing vulnerabilities in U.S. society, she added.

"The range of factors that play into this include income inequality, the social safety net, as well as racial inequality and access to health care," Duke's Curtis said.

So, what's the prognosis going forward in the United States? "I think life expectancy will rebound," Woolf of Virginia Commonwealth said.

But it's unlikely that the U.S. is on course to reverse the trend entirely.

"The U.S. has some of the best hospitals and some of the greatest scientists. But other countries do far better in getting quality medical care to their population," Woolf said. "We have big gaps in getting care to people who need it most, when they need it most."

[jakee 1,497]

On 5/23/2021 at 2:11 PM, kallend said:

Several states, including NY, Maryland and Ohio, are giving lottery tickets as incentives to holdouts to get vaccinated.

I'm all in favor of incentives that apply to all those who have been vaccinated, such as opening access to events and locations, but rewarding holdouts seems to me likely to encourage more holdouts  looking for an even bigger handout. 

Eh, I don’t really see it. Holdouts are already holdouts, right? So absent any action of some kind, what’s going to make them change their minds?

If you’ve got 10 people who can’t be bothered and you do nothing, you’ve got 10 unvaccinated people. If you offer something and 5 take it but 5 hold out for something more, then you’ve got 5 unvaccinated people. Which one is better? 
 

I know it’s in the nature of US society to favour the stick over the carrot when trying to make people do what you want but it’s a real stretch to view this as a counterproductive move.

[nwt 131]

8 hours ago, jakee said:

I'm all in favor of incentives that apply to all those who have been vaccinated,

Are you sure that isn't how it is structured?

[wolfriverjoe 1,523]

The Associated Press took some numbers from the CDC and made some rather unsurprising conclusions... 

Vaccines work. 

https://www.pbs.org/newshour/health/nearly-all-covid-deaths-in-us-are-now-among-unvaccinated

 

Of the 853000 people hospitalized with Covid, less than 1200 of those people had been vaccinated.
Of the 18000 dead, 150 were fully vaccinated

Both of those numbers are not quite valid. Not every state is separating 'breakthrough' cases and deaths. So both the 1200 and 150 are going to be a bit low. But even if they are 2/3 low (missing a third of the vaccinated cases & deaths), that's still 1800 and 225. 

Still less than one half of a percent of the hospitalizations and a bit over one percent of the deaths. 

Stupidity has consequences.