BLM protests have not led to a spike in coronavirus cases: study

Still too early to come to that conclusion.

Sounds like good news.

It's been over a month, r1.

Masks work.

They were outside and not shoulder to shoulder.

They were outside, and it was not humid.

Marches in LA were 3 weeks ago.

R3, the virus was circulating in Europe and probably the US for at least a couple of months before even just the first handful of cases became obvious. And it doesn't have to be a spike, it could be you infecting your grandma after you caught the virus at a protest.

I think it's possible that they haven't. We recently had a spike in my county attributed almost completely to younger people. They were asked if they'd been to protests -- most hadn't, but HAD been to bars and restaurants.

Any picture of them having a good time, enjoying their youth, looks, and stress-free lux boho lifestyle? Why do they only share such sourpuss photos? Are they trolling the public, or are they all clinically depressed?

Wow, sorry, that was meant for William O'Connor thread!

And what does that have to do with there not being a spike, r7? If we all brought it home to grandma there would still be a spike.

They are protected! They are covered by the blood of Jesus! No harm shall come to his anointed!!!

Now, let the right-wing evangelicals argue with that one.

Most of the protesters I saw were wearing mask

R8, Sylvia...i take it you're a fellow Pittsburger. Yeah, it increased again today out here and it's being attributed to the opening.

Dig a little deeper - there may not have been a spike in cases because there was increased social distancing as a result of the protests. So, for example, if there were 10,000 more infections at the protests then there were 10,000 fewer infections as a result of people making a greater effort to avoid the protestors.

[quote]In fact, researchers determined that social distancing behaviors actually went up after the protests -- as people tried to avoid the protests altogether. But obviously, these demonstrations caused a decrease in social distancing among actual protesters.

[quote]"Our findings suggest that any direct decrease in social distancing among the subset of the population participating in the protests is more than offset by increasing social distancing behavior among others who may choose to shelter-at-home and circumvent public places while the protests are underway," the report reads.

DL doesn't want to accept my link - it's at cnn dot com Black Lives Matter protests have not led to a spike in coronavirus cases, research says

By Leah Asmelash, CNN

Updated 0810 GMT (1610 HKT) June 24, 2020

What I make of it is that it’s safe to be outdoors and we don’t need social distancing if we just move indoor things outdoors.

I wasn't talking about a spike r11, even if just one person gave it to grandma and she fell ill and had to go to hospital that would be shit.

But, see at r15, it appears grandma might have been smart and avoided you.

I don’t know what to make of this. Nothing makes sense anymore.

R14 Yes. What neighborhood are you in?

R16 AND wear masks. Most protesters wore masks.

Dahntahn, r19.

We already knew that most young people are unaffected. This shows the lockdown for all was a tragic mistake. Only the elderly and infirm needed to be locked away.

Younger Black and Latinos have worked in the restaurant industry and have watched them sanitation videos over and over again. They know about how germs spread

R21 is stupid. And a trumpist.

Please explain r23. I don't agree with r21 either but you can't criticise people for not supporting the lockdown and condone the BLM protestors for breaking the lockdown.

R23 Believing there was increased social distancing due to the protest is very smart I guess.

The surge in my area was attributed to small gatherings in homes.

[Quote]But to the surprise of health officials, most of the spread is not happening at newly reopened nail salons, restaurants and barbers, or at previously hard-hit nursing and assisted care living centers. The surge also does not appear to be related to police brutality protests held in the earlier this month.

[Quote]Instead, virus trackers are finding the recent surge is happening inside homes, often among extended families and friends during events such as graduation parties. While much of the infection spread in Sacramento is among whites, recent data show an increase among Latinos as well.

Good news but this is all so confusing. Very few things about this virus make sense

I've tried to post the link for R26 a number of times but DL won't take it. It was in the Sacramento Bee two days ago. You can find it if you google "sacbee corona surge"

Just give it time. The real numbers aren't in yet...

[Quote]We already knew that most young people are unaffected.

How do we know this?

Actually, one thing we're learning that a larger proportion of young people are testing positive now than in March. And since many are asymptomatic, they're taking it home and infecting their families and neighbors. A recent Virginia outbreak of over 80 was linked to a high school trip to Myrtle Beach.

Actually, you've got it totally backwards. It's the young 'uns who need to be locked away for our safety, r21.

I don’t think much is known about the incubation period of this thing. They just pulled the two week thing out of thin air and decided that was the time frame.

Perhaps the lack of spread had to do with the lockdowns that directly preceded the protests. Everyone went from being at home for weeks and social distancing before this had happened. If it weren't for the weeks of (mostly blue state/city) lockdowns, then I bet there would have definitely been more virus circulating among the protesters. If anything, it's a testament to how some cities and regions may have curbed their spread some by implementing stay-at-home orders.

It sounds like you know better than the epidemiologists, apparently, r31.

Please tell us how you arrived at your conclusion and know better than Ph.D. level professionals and the small army of contact tracers that determine infection sources and time it takes for patients to develop symptoms?

That's one smart virus. It knows the difference between a protest, looting and a baseball game.

The other day in a restaurant, the virus knows you have to wear a mask and distance six feet, but as soon as you sit at your table you can take your mask off.

R31, no the two week period wasn't pulled out of thin air. Covid has been around long enough for somethings to be known.

[quote]It sounds like you know better than the epidemiologists, apparently,

Considering how WRONG they've been about everything, yes I question them.

The problem is two weeks is the latest they've seen cases spread and that is only a handful. Almost all are within five days. So the two weeks isn't valid just a very tiny outlier.

A quick look at the looting and protests clearly shows a large number with no masks or wearing them below the chin or below the nose.

Something is wrong and they need to address. Is it merely being outside? If so then the need to cancel sports and events, needs to be reexamined.

R36 Let's see what happens to the folks who attended Djokovic's little COVID tennis gala before we start crowding people into open air arenas again.

Asymptomatic young people may turn out not as sun shiny as we would wish. Many people who have coronavirus - even never knowing it - also now have lung damage.

Yesterday was the 2nd highest day in new covid cases in LA. The highest day recorded in LA was last Friday I believe.

Maybe they looted hydroxychloroquine and took prophylaxis doses.

Covid is an alien invasion. They want BLM to destroy more stuff so the aliens don’t target them.

cover up

For the genius at R21, from Reddit:

Things are getting bad... again. - A message from a nurse in Arizona

First Hand Account - Southwest USA

“Just got home from a shift at Northwest, I cannot stress this enough; things are about to get very, very bad. Over 3200 new cases in AZ reported today, pretty much every COVID ICU bed in Tucson is full, resources are running out. People in their 20s!!!!! with NO prexisting conditions were intubated last night.

People are getting it in bars, from their kids, at the grocery store. There is no warning, suddenly everyone in a group or family comes down with it at practically the same time. We are all tired of this and I know we have all been letting our guard down to some extent. It’s time to put our guard back up, people are going to start dying 100+ a day in AZ.

There may not be adequate resources to keep your family member, your friend or you alive in the very near future. Do not be caught in any indoor area with other people without a mask for any longer than a brief encounter. Go grocery shopping as little as possible. Do not go inside anyone’s house or let anyone in yours. Eating in a restaurant or going to a bar would be a really fucking stupid thing to do right now. THERE WILL BE NO HERD IMMUNITY, that would cost MILLIONS OF LIVES.

We are in this for the long haul, we’re maybe in the 3rd inning at this point. We opened up way too early and we are going to pay a heavy price for it. MASK THE FUCK UP!”

This was posted four days ago.

R36 is correct. Most people exhibit symptoms within a week.

[Quote]Maybe they looted hydroxychloroquine and took prophylaxis doses.

Not everyone who was out there protesting was also looting. Just ask your neice & nephew.

A lot of the population that went to these events work in support service jobs (mailmen, bus drivers, food service & retail, etc.). They were among the first to catch the virus. Could be they have been so over exposed to the virus and it's different strains that they have finally developed immunity. If so, the rest of us will not be far behind in seeing its end.

The largest demonstration in my area had 8,000 people, in a metro area of 500,000. The number of people at the protests was tiny compared to the number of people who have stopped social distancing and are going out to socialize or visit the newly opened bars and restaurants. In fact, an article in the local paper said that the biggest rise in cases was had been traced to … "family gatherings".

The number of people at protests is still statistically small, but it'd still be interesting to see how many of them have caught the virus in the last few weeks.

What part of 14 days do people not understand? It's not a magic number. It is an average with people sometimes exhibiting symptoms earlier.

We're relying on aggregate data taken from a very wide variety of patient types from the super-healthy to the very debilitated. There's no such thing as a gold standard for a virus that's only been around for eight months or so. The science of Covid is in its infancy.

Why do people expect hard answers and get dismissive when they don't receive them? I guess it's the result of our poor education in the sciences that starts in the elementary years.

[Quote] What part of 14 days do people not understand? It's not a magic number.

You're correct but 3 IS.

[quote] The number of people at the protests was tiny compared to the number of people who have stopped social distancing and are going out to socialize or visit the newly opened bars and restaurants.

Every indoor place I went to are refusing to serve people who are not wearing a mask. It's not even uncommon to see those who are outside wearing masks where I'm from. However, even those outside who are not wearing masks are not gathering in large groups or screaming.

I feel like this story died quickly.

You wouldn't happen to be in the Sacramento area, r46? I posted an excerpt from Sundays Bee upthread, though DL didn't let me post the link. Many of the new cases seem to be tied to in home graduation festivities.

I expect cases related to bars and enclosed spaces to increase shortly. In my area only one bar opened as soon as it could. It's been about two weeks since and only one other one has opened. All the otgers seem to be operating under an abundence of caution

R50 and you'll notice that where you can see someone's face they're wearing a mask.

R52 If wearing a mask is all that it takes to be safe, why not just reopen everything then and make mask wearing mandatory?

R53 Because we have yet to flatten the curve and see a marked decrease in COVID cases nationwide. When that happens, we may be able to do that.

These people could be asymptomatic and probably have not bothered to get tested. We have to wait for the ripple effect--whether we see a spike in vulnerable populations.

Most sane places are doing that R53 and it's working. It's places like restaurants and bars where it's difficult to eat and drink that are the issue.

We will be with covid for a year at least. there's no national standard, so it is gonna see- saw all the way until a vaccine is developed and determined to be safe enough. With anti-vaxxers out there making doubly sure it is safe is essential.

R53 Because too many local and state politicians are either afraid of the reaction from brain dead Deplorables, or are Deplorables themselves.

A mask really is not the answer to everything, especially on a protest where people are also shouting and sweating and masks are slipping.

And yet, R59, the protests occurred weeks ago and there's been so spike from it. So, in fact, masks and being outdoors and not touching each other without gloves all do work.

And yet it there wasn't a spike, r59. And, yet, countries that require masks are doing better. Hmmmm.

*there's been no spike from it.

Hmmm. Masks as a preventative measure actually working...hmmmmmmmmm...

Does anyone remember when Fauci finally recommended mask wearing for the general population? WHO waited until June 5.

R61, check out what researchers who have actually looked into this issue have concluded, as posted by me at r15. It's a little more complicated than you think.

[quote]In fact, researchers determined that social distancing behaviors actually went up after the protests -- as people tried to avoid the protests altogether. But obviously, these demonstrations caused a decrease in social distancing among actual protesters.

[quote]"Our findings suggest that any direct decrease in social distancing among the subset of the population participating in the protests is more than offset by increasing social distancing behavior among others who may choose to shelter-at-home and circumvent public places while the protests are underway," the report reads.

The "ripple effect" from protests that occurred 3 weeks ago, R55?

"These people could be asymptomatic" ALL of them are asymptomatic, R55?

"and probably have not bothered to get tested." Presume much, R55?

Nothing you say holds water.

R65 Any sane person would conclude that those who were protesting and not following the guidelines were not doing so anyway and would have infected their friends and family. Because this has become so politicized, it's become very difficult to find accurate information.

So what are you saying r66, that there was not a single infection on the protests?

Either masks are 100% safe according to the posters here, or there is some type of cover up happening here. Given what we know about R50, I wouldn't be surprised.

No, R66, clearly that's not what I said. At all. Did I? Reading comprehension much? I said, in response to R55, who posited that maybe an entire crowd of thousands of protesters might be asymptomatic en masse, that that could not possibly be true. And I also said that no spike after 3 weeks is a very good sign people didn't become infected or infect others from protesting.

Sorry, that was for R68.

R67, according to the researchers cited at r15, who appear neutral, the protests appear to have led to more extreme forms of social distancing being practised around the areas where there were protests in order to avoid the mass gathering and also because so many businesses closed as a result of the protests. This may have reduced infections and balanced out any infections at the protests.

I'm not American but am currently in an EU country that has had a very low infection rate and very low death without any mandatory use of masks, but the issue has become so politicised in the US, it's crazy - don't wear a mask and you support Trump, wear a mask and you can do whatever you want. Masks help, but they don't cut out the infection completely.

Also, don't rely on the 14-days thing, the virus can take a while to show up as infected cases even though it's circulating but can then continue spreading for months into a lockdown - see Italy, Spain, the UK.

R72, no one who bothers to wear a mask here in the U.S. feels they can do "whatever they want." Not sure where you got that impression.

What cases spread for months, R73? It was far quicker than that, it was my impression. And sorry, but 2 weeks is considered the standard maximum amount of time infections can occur. They don't occur over months.

R74 Let's see.

[quote] [R50] and you'll notice that where you can see someone's face they're wearing a mask.

Coronavirus cases are spiking all over the United States right now--what are they talking about?

Also: what is the National Bureau of [italic]Economic[/italic] Research doing posting a study on epidemiological effects?

What is the mortality rate? I would expect that number to decrease as we test more.

R77, coronavirus cases are spiking in the U.S., but it isn't all over. It's specifically in states where they opened too soon (Texas, Florida, etc.) or they relaxed the lockdowns (California). Look at New York state--the epicenter, and it's now the best situation as any other state in the country.

R77, that study does a lot of data analysis, it's not looking at the virus from a medical perspective.

Masks or no masks with all the spikes going on it’s wise to completely avoid large gatherings completely

There is a spike in cases and hospitalizations.

The spreading event started at these large protests. People are together for long periods of time. It is too long of a time for social distancing and facial masks to be effective. This starts another spreading event. Some people have mild symptoms, some people will get serious illness. Though, if these people are not self isolating for 14 days and getting tested, they are spreading it.

I did see the majority of protestors wearing masks.

R82, what are you talking about? The protests? If so, where is the proof of a spike specifically from protests? At any rate, it's been over 2 weeks.

R75, there's evidence that the coronavirus was in Europe from December, but even after e.g. Italy had been on lockdown for 2 months, it was still getting 100s of deaths a day and 100s of new infections.

14 days are considered the maximum for symptoms to start showing, but it's not as simple as "I go on the protest, I stand next to someone who has the virus without knowing, I start showing symptoms within 14 days". It could be "I go to the protest, I get infected, in a few days I feel like I have a bit of a bug but it's nothing to worry about, I go to work and infect my colleague, who then infects her neighbour, who then infects his grandma" and that can string out for weeks.

R75, there's evidence that the coronavirus was in Europe from December, but even after e.g. Italy had been on lockdown for 2 months, it was still getting 100s of deaths a day and 100s of new infections.

14 days are considered the maximum for symptoms to start showing, but it's not as simple as "I go on the protest, I stand next to someone who has the virus without knowing, I start showing symptoms within 14 days". It could be "I go to the protest, I get infected, in a few days I feel like I have a bit of a bug but it's nothing to worry about, I go to work and infect my colleague, who then infects her neighbour, who then infects his grandma" and that can string out for weeks.

Coronavirus was already in Italy by December, waste water study finds

Because 99% of these folks wear masks when protesting. Masks are effective at slowing the spread.

There have been no spikes from the protests. We're almost a full month out from the earliest ones and we're not seeing spikes in those cities.

R82 is entirely false. Not one word of that post is based in fact.

R82, you're also neglecting to mention being outside makes it much harder to catch it, as opposed to tightly packed stadiums or being indoors.

R85, you're presenting a dubious hypothetical of people feeling they "might" have a "bit of a bug" but feel it's "nothing to worry about," and they infect others. Not at this point--if people feel ill, they take it seriously. You're really painting a very lackadaisical picture of these protesters as being both careless and dumb--I don't buy it. And not only that, people weren't "going to work" during the protests--at least not the vast majority of them.

R89 is right. R82 is either completely ignorant or deliberately misleading. They're vague on everything and use a phrase like the "spreading event."

R82 is not credible.

Going to work is just an example of a potential human interaction, r90.

everything i wrote was epidemiological. At a large event, the likelihood that some people have active corona virus is high. The likelihood that they will infect someone else is high. This is what we mean by spread.

R93, the likelihood is high in a stadium wear people don't wear masks and are on top of each other (a football game, a Trump rally.

But if masks are being worn by the majority of people, the majority of people are not in danger, providing they're not touching each other.

"everything i wrote was epidemiological." This is what we mean by bullshit.

I took part in only one protest but one thing I can say, tons of masked people, everywhere. more than at the grocery store

What's happening is that the virus is weakening, add in the masks and the world is about to get over the worst of it.

There has been a spike in cases and hospitalization.

[quote]What's happening is that the virus is weakening, add in the masks and the world is about to get over the worst of it.

I didn't realize such low-quality intellects posted on DL.

[quote] [R67], according to the researchers cited at [R15], who appear neutral, the protests appear to have led to more extreme forms of social distancing being practised around the areas where there were protests in order to avoid the mass gathering and also because so many businesses closed as a result of the protests.

We were already under lockdown during the protests. The only businesses that were open were essential. More mental gymnastics going on here to try and show that the reopening was more dangerous than a gathering of thousands. Were any of the protestors quarantining afterwards to avoid infecting their loved ones? It's amazing to me how people think that protestors who wouldn't even obey curfew were acting in accordance with national guidelines. The derangement is real.

R98 you just stay locked in forever then, you'll be doing society a favor.

The bottom line: the vast majority of protesters wore masks, AND it has been 2-3 weeks since the protests and there is no proven spike related to the protests.

R101 Then lets reopen everything or at least all sporting events then. It shouldn't lead to any spike in cases.

[quote] the protests appear to have led to more extreme forms of social distancing being practised around the areas where there were protests in order to avoid the mass gathering and also because so many businesses closed as a result of the protests.

Many people were denied food and medication but nevermind, "extreme social distancing" that allows mass gatherings of protestors is the answer.

This is the Bottom Line:

In large gathering in US, there will be spread of corona virus. People with mild symptoms will infect someone else. Then, so on. People who feel sick and stay in bed, are less likely to spread it, especially if their caregiver uses universal precautions.

What's everything, R102? A restaurant that seats 10 people? One thing that's very important in all of this and conveniently gets forgotten: it's long been required places where people gather (grocery stores, etc.) people must be 6 feet apart.

So, no, R102--let's not reopen everything where we can't be 6 feet apart.

R105 But the protestors were shoulder to shoulder. Apparently that's fine as long as they're wearing masks.

R106, everything that I saw--protesters were not shoulder to shoulder. It was not a crowd in a football stadium.

And R106, how do you account for the spike in Florida, California, Texas, etc., etc.? Could it be from opening venues like restaurants and bars and other more frivolous establishments before the virus was truly contained? Or is it exactly that?

OK, R100, do tell us how and why the virus is "weakening." Maybe your intellectual superiors can learn something from your days of dropping acid before your high scholl biology class.

It is not the protests. It is a mass gathering of people. Lots more active corona virus to infect others Corona virus is highly infectious, easy to transmit to another and sero-convert.

But like I said. People with mild symptoms are spreading this illness to others. People who have moderate to sever illness are sick in bed. They are less likely to spread it. This is especially true f caregiver is using universal precautions.

So the problem with this virus, is not everyone is sick enough to want to stay in bed.

The people at protests, besides almost uniformly being masked and outdoors, are not in close proximity with the same people for long periods. The crowds/marches are in constant movement; they are not stationary by nature. Contrast with states that reopened and that have spikes originating from bars and restaurants; in those environments, few are masked because eating and drinking is happening, alcohol is lowering inhibitions and clouding judgment, and people are stationary for prolonged periods in enclosed spaces.

We know more about how this virus spreads. We know it doesn't spread, generally, in supermarkets or pharmacies where people are in motion and motivated to get out quickly, but that bars and restaurants are hotbeds of transmission because of the reasons I stated above. A protest is closer in similarity to a shopping trip than a drinking binge, in terms of movement and opportunities for transmission.

R111 that’s not true that they are in constant movement. They’re limited to a few city blocks at most over the course of several hours. More politicization and mental gymnastics. If I were rational, I’d assume that a lot of data is either missing or being deliberately suppressed.

"If I were rational, I’d assume that a lot of data is either missing or being deliberately suppressed."

Oh, Mary! First--I assume you mean if you weren't rational. Second, I'm not sure you are.

No, the protesters were not in constant movement, unless they were marching any significant distance. But they were not at all necessarily limited "to a few city blocks at most over the course of several hours."

R72, as someone who lives in an area where protests were daily...there was no extreme social distancing happening. Same goes for NYC. The only social distancing was waiting until the protests were over before going out and that had little to do with social distancing and more with not to get tear gassed.

Maybe being outside helped avoid transmission, maybe warmer weather, who knows? But who's to say the virus doesn't lay dormant until winter sets in and then comes back with full force? Not taking precautions when we know so little is foolhardy and short-sighted.

That study is nonsense. If that 2 week incubation period is even remotely accurate, then those who caught it are about a week into showing symptoms. How many of them are staying at home riding it out and not getting a test, just seeing if they get better in another week or two?

The virus knows who has pure and benign intent , that's why people at the protests aren't becoming ill.

it is welcome news and a relief.

but the tests are made in china and are inconsistent.

"But who's to say the virus doesn't lay dormant until winter sets in and then comes back with full force?" Oh MARY, R115! So what do you suggest people do between now and winter?

R116, it has been 4 weeks since the protests with no spike. What are you yammering on about?

There is a spike in hospitalizations and deaths in multiple states.

"So what do you suggest people do between now and winter?"

Be adults and act accordingly. Or is that beyond your ken, r119?

7,000 new cases is Ca today, r61.

R121, I've been adult for 3 months and counting, so don't tell me how to behave, cunt. I live in NYC. The protests were a month. No spike.

Some people get a real hard-on for these spikes. They want the virus to continue and to affect people whose politics they don’t like.

It’s quite evil.

And why do you think these spikes happen, R124?

I'll ask again of R124: why are these spikes happening? Forget your piousness. Answer the question: why are we seeing spikes at this late date, when other countries are seeing their way out of this thing?

Specifically, R124, why are we seeing the lowest rates in New York, which was the epicenter? Could it be there was a serious attempt on the part of that state to stay in, isolate, quarantine, wear masks, close down everything for three and a half months--and do you think maybe that made a difference?

And do you think the rush to open up other states as early as a few weeks ago, to ignore any safety precautions (Florida, Texas, California, etc, etc, etc), has made a difference in the spike?

Hmmmm, R124, what do you think?

r124 = conspiracy theorist = Rosie O

Guess there should have been protests all along!

The point is protests didn't make the virus spread any worse--not at all.

They were wearing masks and outside moving around! It’s not fucking rocket science, Deplorables! Go stand in a crowded arena shoulder to shoulder with deplorables and I’m sure it will be a different story

It has spiked into a second wave down in Melbourne Australia.

They're in winter and entering their Flu Season.

The RepubliCUNTS must be a mess over this study.....

These were careful with their mucus.

R132, the assertion of the Australian health minister is true for everywhere else? There have been protests all over the world. Where's the global spike from all of those protests?

No spike in CA? Oh, please.

And of course you missed the point entirely, r123, but no surprise there.

You have no opint, R123. You offer nothing and then say no one gets your point. WHAT is you point? State it.

"You have no point"

Fixed.

So again, what is your point?

Even if it they did make covid worse, does anyone think the NYT would admit that? Cause I don’t.

R137, what is your point? You've made no coherent remarks. Waiting to hear what they are.

Oh, R140, so the NY Times is withholding information to benefit the protesters and BLM, is that it?

Back to R137--what is your point?

Because I think you have none.

So R137 has proven herself a troll with no point to make.

As of today, New York has had twice as many infections as California yet 4 times the number of deaths. Why they feel they are in the position to brag is beyond me.

Please provide that proof, R146.

R146, there are the lowest cases of COVID today in NY than California, or just about anywhere else. So you're a liar.

And btw, if you're talking about overall cases and deaths, NYC is the largest city in the country, and Dump didn't stop air travel into NYC well into the pandemic. That's why NYC was hit so hard. Cunt.

Oh, also, stupid cunt R146? New York didn't open too soon, as CA did. Another reason to brag.

It only took you six attempts, r143. But since I have apparently touched a nerve, I'll repeat myself, since you didn't get it the first time:

No one knows anything about the parameters of this disease. Maybe it'll burn itself out of its own accord. Perhaps its transmission is less infectious outdoors. Or maybe--just maybe--the contagion lies dormant during warmer weather, as I stated above, and rears its ugly head again come the colder weather. So everyone currently in close proximity at beaches, bars, protests, etc. only begin exhibiting symptoms four, five, six months from now.

Thanks, R150:

"No one knows anything about the parameters of this disease." -- No one? LOL. Not true. It has been studied the world over.

"Maybe it'll burn itself out of its own accord." Maybe? Says you?

"Perhaps its transmission is less infectious outdoors." Perhaps? No, it is less infectious outdoors, for obvious reasons.

"Or maybe--just maybe--the contagion lies dormant during warmer weather" No proof of that.

Not R143, but are you suggesting that if I get Covid-19 now, it may not strike until four to six months from now? You are suggesting that the virus lays dormant in your body until...it gets colder in fall and winter? With all due respect, this does not sound remotely correct. Do you have any evidence, from any reputable science journal, even suggesting this? You can't be serious. This is laughable.

Either the coronavirus is nothing near as contagious as we've been told, or this is pure LIES.

Covid-19 is a proud Democrat. #BlackLivesMatter

Yes, R154. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez fully endorses this new Covid initiative!

Jeez, no wonder America is fucked if your all arguing like this about whether virus infections have spiked again or not.

[quote]Because 99% of these folks wear masks when protesting. Masks are effective at slowing the spread.

Thank you! This is the reason.

If two people wear a mask the chances of getting it from one person drop down to anywhere between 75% to 90% depending on the study you look at.

And the people I saw at the protests in my city either A.) had masks or B.) got a mask from someone handing them out because no one wanted you around them if you weren't wearing one.

The people I've seen who weren't wearing one were out drinking with their friends, eating, going to the park or hanging out at the beach. Hell, some stores that were told that everyone needed to wear a mask weren't truly enforcing it.

It's been proven that the testing people didn't want to test the BLM protesters because it would create a bad image for them. Basically you can't visit family, earn money or do anything recreational but you can destroy everything around you without any consequences despite being in the middle of a pandemic. Yeah, if you think the Dem's are winning in November then you are an idiot. BLM and the lack of push-back from the Dems on the defund the police movement have fucked up Biden's chances. So thank you for another four years of Trump, just fucking great.

These are probably the people getting coronavirus in USA:

old people - nursing homes and also difficult for many old people to isolate anywhere because family brings it to them.

prisoners

poor people who have to work in crowded work places

poor people who live in crowded housing.

______________

The USA added a layer of stupid states who didn't lock down - or barely locked down but rather late, and then opened up rather early, and got little "buy in" from the citizens for protection measures.

The US is a COMPLETELY lost cause and those lucky enough to be able to remove themselves from the viral soup, should do so. As usual, the poor, powerless and/or ignorant will suffer. The deliberately belligerent people (such as Trump and MAGAS who don't believe its an issue) - nothing can be done about them, there can be no thought or behavior modification. Other than possible states MANDATING the wearing of masks and MANDATING social distance in commerce that has reopened.

Biden won't be in office for many many many months and everything is going to run out soon for the poor and stripped in the USA. There will be nothing in place. No unemployment, no minimum monthly assistance, nothing. They will work like slaves for the wealthy can stay home and avoid this plague.

I saw BLM protests in my city immediately after the death of George Floyd and absolutely nobody was wearing a mask. The New York Times is lying.

However when the looting started, they couldn’t get those masks on fast enough.

It’s a link from the New York Post - can’t believe it.

It’s a link from the New York Post - can’t believe it.

No masks but happy

All my favorite Instahoes are still observing Black Tuesday.

They're too scared to resume their usual frivolous party-going lifestyle.

it was the positive energy for the good of all

I call bullshit. All of the social gatherings are contributing to the spike. Even the protests. This is such nonsense.

Coronavirus is not much more contagious than any run-of-the-mill virus.

If the mask-wearing protestors didn’t cause a spike in cases, we should be able to move on to the next phase, wearing masks. We should be allowed to gather en masse, outdoors, wearing masks. The protests were an experiment we had to allow, and it showed that mass gatherings in open air where people wore masks are relatively safe. Thank you, protestors.

And my point at r124 stands. There are vicious sanctimonious people here who are mad that more people aren’t dropping dead of Covid. It’s sick.

I’m not a Trump supporter, either, but anyone who disagrees with the groupthink must be.

Suer Jan, R169.

R167, it's been a month after the protests. No spike.

R170 where have you been? There is absolutely a spike. Do you read or watch the news? Because experts have even said that we will not have adequate data as to what caused the spikes because of the protests and rioting. Was it opening too soon or both? They happened at the same time in many states.

Prove a spike has occurred because of the protests, R171--that a spike is directly related. An actual link.

I'm very skeptical about this story. New York tracers were ordered specifically not to ask if sick people were at the protests. For medical professionals to sanction protests and then document them causing spikes of Chinese flu would destroy their credibility. If the virus is as infectious as they say it is there is no way mass gatherings packed together like sardines hasn't triggered outbreaks.

R172 prove what? Can you not comprehend what I said earlier? There is a spike. There is no direct evidence to say protests have contributed, but there is also no evidence to say they haven’t. Many of these protesters are young people who are likely asymptomatic or may have mild symptoms. Therefore they are likely not getting tested or part of the overall data. That means they are probably spreading it unknowingly. There is no way to know for certain, but if you think that many folks can gather WITHOUT spreading it, then you are an ignoramus.

"prove what? Can you not comprehend what I said earlier? There is a spike. There is no direct evidence to say protests have contributed, but there is also no evidence to say they haven’t."

LOL, Mary R174. You prove my point. You have "no direct evidence" the protests, after a solid month, have contributed to a spike. In fact, in NY cases are the lowest they've ever been.

R175 So what you're saying is that corona isn't as bad as everyone thinks it is and that shutting down countries was pointless?

Some things even a virus won't do.

[quote] [R8], Sylvia...i take it you're a fellow Pittsburger.

Go Stillers

They were inside, on top of each other, completely nude and it was cold.

No, stupid R176, I in no way said that.

R180 Well the only way for it to spread is close contact and for all those people to be in close contact, even with masks, that is going to cause a spike. So either you can admit that the BLM protests caused a spike which isn't being reported or that countries pointlessly shut down. Which is it?

When there's evidence of a spike directly related to the protests, then I will admit it, R181. Masks help prevent spreading. The vast majority of protesters wore them. NO SPIKE HAS OCCURRED. Sorry that doesn't work for your unproven narrative. You want me to admit to something that hasn't been reported because it's supposedly deliberately not being reported? You're a clown. LMFAO!

For R181:

I quote from the NY Post (of all right wing, Trump-loving publications to be reporting this!) at OP:

"Researchers said they observed no jump in cases in the more than three weeks after the first protests, possibly due to a “net effect.”

“While it is possible that the protests caused an increase in the spread of COVID-19 among those who attended the protests, we demonstrate that the protests had little effect on the spread of COVID-19 for the entire population of the counties with protests during the more than three weeks following protest onset,” researchers said."

Name the city, r160, so we can judge if you're a liar or an asshole.

The majority were not wearing masks. That goes for the protesters and law enforcement.

Plus many who were were wearing it incorrectly.

R184 Are you looking for photos of protestors not wearing masks? They abound. Here's one from Dallas:

R187 The one holding the sign has it under his chin

R188 ...and not on his face. The mere presence of a mask on your person does not prevent transmission.

R187, Two things...

Your example of Dallas puts you in the asshole category. Texas is having a surge in cases and they refuse to wear masks. So you're proving the point of this thread. Places like NYC and Philly wore masks and have no protest surge. That's the while point of masks are good.

The second thing, I was asking R160 what city to see if he's an asshole like you or a liar.

My particular favorite of favorites, Daniel Uhlfelder "The Grim Reaper," has been on a campaign since April in Florida to show up at beaches and in other public places dressed as the Grim Reaper in an attempt to shame Floridians into not leaving their homes.

He took a break for a couple of weeks in June to whole-heartedly participate in BLM protests in Florida- posting many pictures of himself out in public sans ensemble. He also crowd-funded water bottles which he handed out at some protests.

Here he is standing in front of a large, jammed in, crowd where about half of the people visible are not wearing masks:

R190 Can't argue with a photo can you, so you're changing your tune? Dallas doesn't count, got it 😂

Not changing my tune at all, r192. I've been very consistent that masks are the determining factor in not seeing a covid spike and what do you do...you post a picture of people not wearing masks in a city that is surging.

R182 must think BLM protestors have some special magical immunity to the coronavirus.

R194 They do, when you are woke and want to destroy the working classes buildings and livelihoods then you are immune and won't spread the virus, but if you want to work or go about a normal life then you are bad and the cause of the virus. But because New York hasn't had spike despite everyone being shoulder to shoulder during the protests and absolutely no one taking off their masks at any point because they are perfect human beings. I mean NYC and the people pushing the BLM narrative would never play dirty and fix the statistics to look better

See BLM protesters are perfect and everyone else should just accept that.

R183, that study found that more intense social distancing by those living around the protests could have reduced infections, thereby balancing out the infections caused by the protests.

This has completely become a racist troll thread. Punch and delete.

R197 This is what happens when you venture out of the Coronavirus Freakout thread. The outside world has moved on.

R197 Stating the obvious fact that protesters weren’t wearing masks is now considered racist. How about police? They weren’t wearing masks either. Is that racist? Some people are just content to live in a bubble.

They were already exposed in February-April like most people in the NYC area.

R197 You're the only person bringing up race in here. Interesting that's almost always the first thing woke people turn to when backed into a corner.

R200 Exactly, a point that Cuomo hilariously ignores when he exclaims that his city "crushed the curve". Given the lack of testing, god knows how many thousands more were infected during the early stage of the epidemic.

Yes, R197 is the first person to bring up race in a BLM thread. Sure, Jan.

Did we know this? Anyone?

R204 What's your point?

Because the types of people who would be at a BLM protest WOULD wear a mask and believe in it while deplorables show up to statehouses with guns to fight AGAINST wearing them.

R206 And yet no one died or got injured during the anti lockdown protests. There was no property damage either.

R207, and no cops tear-gassed those guys with guns who were literally screaming in their faces potentially exposing them to COVID. They prefer knocking down 75 yo men with no guns who pose no threat. Fuck. You.

Anti lockdown protestors and BLM protestors are equally idiotic and evil.

No, they're not equally evil. Taking down a statue or expecting police not to kill someone they already have handcuffed, is not the same as literally trying to kill people with your ignorance because the simple act of wearing a fucking mask or standing 6 ft away specifically to save your dumb life has you screaming in the faces of police officers who manage not to KILL you or arrest you or tear-gas you for doing that to them. All while you get to carry a fucking GUN.

Today's radio news headlines say "Virus Cases Soar!"

50,000 new cases in one day..a world record..take a bow Ameri-tards.

They weren’t touching surfaces.

Let’s say you’re in a shopping mall or an airport & you take an escalator. Hundreds of people have touched the side of the escalator. You touched the germs of many of those people.

But at a protest you’re just holding your own sign.

This proves that “studies” will show what you want them to show.

I like to think that I'm careful what I touch when I go out in to the world and catch buses and trains.

But my friend was watching me noticed 5 times when I unconsciously absentmindedly touched things which would have used by nose-pickers.

We are seeing spikes in many major cities about 21 days after the beginning of the protests. I don't think that the protests lead to the spike, but I do think they contributed to it. The protests gave everyone else the freedom to say fuck it and disregard to rules. Now the cat is out of the bag.

"Let’s say you’re in a shopping mall or an airport & you take an escalator. Hundreds of people have touched the side of the escalator. You touched the germs of many of those people." - There have been pretty much no infections through just touching a surface, r213. Infections usually take place when you're around lots of people.

What a wonderful opportunity for our nation to affirm the old adage, "you can't have it both ways." We're certainly growing as a country.

I keep coming back to us as Americans as a collective. Regardless of who is in charge, what does say about as us a nation. What kind of people are we, what do we stand for, how do we watch out for each other? It's not very encouraging.

I'm for the cause but it's the wrong time to engage is mass demonstrations.

It is counter productive to potentially pass on an infection that has hit the black and Hispanic population particularly hard.

There's clearly an uptick nationally. Could be caused by premature re-entry; protests could be a contributing cause. If you deny the possibility that protests might have an effect, you're looking for absolution.

Unarmed black citizens being tortured ,murdered and even raped by cops must end.Period.

But to engage in massive demonstrations during quarantine defies all logic.

New Zealand got rid of this shit obeying quarantine,social distancing and wearing masks in public.

New Zealanders can go on with their lives while the infection rates climb higher in this wretched country.

I’m sure those protesters are lining up for testing.

Yes, r222. Americans can't follow rules.

Lies, damned lies, and statistics.

There is a minor spike in Minneapolis among young people that just came to the light but the media have blamed the bars reopening on July 12.

Meant June 12. This lockdown has lasted so long I'm starting to lose track of time.

The media will never admit the protests are linked to any spikes in Covid infections, despite how illogical that is.

Either way they look like liars now, either the spike isn't real- meaning Covid is nothing near as dangerous as they've been saying it is- or the protests have prolonged and worsened the pandemic.

They have, of course, but the media won't report on it for fear of being cancelled on Twitter.

...............

[quote] There have been pretty much no infections through just touching a surface,

That’s a crock of shit. You have no fucking idea how many people caught the virus from touching a surface. Doors, handles, staircase railings, chairs, desks, counters, touch pads, conveyor belts...people touch these things and more every day and all are capable of being reservoirs

“So how long can SARS-CoV-2 survive on a non-living surface? Under the carefully-controlled conditions inside a laboratory, an early study found that it remains stable on metals and plastic for three days. Outside a lab, however, the virus might last considerably longer: its genetic material could be detected on surfaces 17 days after a cruise ship was empty of passengers.

The review, entitled 'Persistence of coronaviruses on inanimate surfaces and their inactivation with biocidal agents', aimed to summarize all the available data and focused on viruses that infect humans — including those behind MERS and SARS — as well as coronaviruses in other animals (dogs, pigs and mice).

According to the review, viruses can survive on surfaces for anywhere between 2 hours to over a month. It found that most data came from HCoV-229E, a strain of human coronavirus that causes the common cold. At room temperature, HCoV remains infectious on various materials — everything from metal and glass to Teflon and PVC — for up to 9 days. Generally, higher temperatures or humidity would enable coronaviruses to last longer.

What about SARS-CoV-2 specifically? Although there were no data on the Covid-19 coronavirus, its close relative SARS-CoV-1 was found to persist longer when more virus particles were present on a surface.“