Coronavirus Megathread 1

The last of the Freakout threads that spawned this thread.

Very Reddit - but sounds good.

No matter how chaotic the world is, and will continue to be, a freshly renewed sense of hope and survival for the future is long overdue, and greatly welcomed.

Well done, Sylvia !

Why didn't you call the thread 51 ?

R4 Read the end of thread 50. It was decided a change of tone was called for.

I'm thinking CV spikes around election day especially in Floriduh. Hoepfully depresses Dump's turnout.

Oh, we'll be back to freaking out pretty soon I'll bet.

From the previous thread:

[quote]I don't understand 10pm curfews the UK and other areas have: how crowded are side streets with pedestrians at that hour?

You really can't be this dense. If you are, of course, that explains a lot of the problem controlling the spread of Covid in any decent way. The curfew is to close the bars and get the drunks to go the fuck home.

I saw a medical oxygen service truck parked a few doors down from me this afternoon. Color me freaked out.

Boozers hit the town early to beat 10pm coronavirus curfew as nightclubs open their doors at 3pm

Seems appropriate that the last words on the last freakout thread is "fucking cunts!" (in reference to symptomatic people who don't isolate)

People leave bars and restaurants at closing time in Soho, London

These women look a little worse for wear, but at least they are wearing masks

The only way to end a night out - on the floor with a McDonalds

1. Why do British women wear tiny outfits in extreme cold with no jacket or sleeves?

2. Why do people get dead drunk to the point they’re throwing up and lying unconscious in the street in heaps?

3. Why do drunk women lie all over the filthy ground, wearing spike heels that are hard to walk in even if you’re not drunk?

Why does anyone think lying on the filthy ground vomiting in a fancy too short dress is “fun”? And want to do it again as often as possible?

“This royal throne of kings, this sceptered isle, This earth of majesty, this seat of Mars, This other Eden, demi-paradise..."

"...hic!"

I should say, about the no sleeves/no jacket thing, I’m not referring to the photos up above, I’m referring to the NYE photos every year that consist of British women wearing micro mini, low cut sleeveless black dresses. You might as well walk around naked in a blizzard vomiting. And this is attractive to British men? It reminds me of Mr Creosote.

I'm from the UK and the curfew isn't to get people off the streets unfortunately, just to get them out of the restaurants, pubs and bars. They gather in groups of six or less all over towns and cities and carry on drinking.

I’m pretty sure projectile vomiting is considered bodily fluids and a really good way to spread Coronavirus.

They are so classy!

What we learned in CA was that the minute you open bars at indoor places, the numbers spike. I don't know when our bars are going to open up, but most of the blue, major cities in the US do not have bars that you can hang at. You have to sit at a table and order food, no sitting at the bar, hanging out, etc.

The Brits get so fucking wasted to the next level. I tried keeping up with them and ended up passing out in a toilet in a american diner style place in SoHo for like an hour. Nobody knew where I was.

I’m in NYC and the outdoor dining is insane. Packed with people, most seated at tables very close to each other and NO ONE has masks on. Waking by these places you wouldn’t even know a pandemic is going on. Some places have tables spread out but I’m seeing a ton with tables practically on top of each other.

I’m torn because I’m glad restaurants have business but I’m unclear how COVID won’t spread through this type of interaction. It’s clear that groups of friends or couples are meeting up and no one is 6 feet apart and everyone is talking to each other without masks.

What do you all think? Is it fine because it’s outside?

I wouldn’t feel comfortable outdoor dining unless I kept a mask on the whole time and didn’t eat (which defeats the purpose).

R23: lol

New Jersey reports its highest daily increase in new Covid-19 cases since June

From CNN's Laura Ly

New Jersey reported 760 new Covid-19 cases on Saturday, marking the highest daily case count for the state since June 4, when 864 cases were reported, according to the state’s Covid-19 data dashboard.

Almost a third of the new cases were in Ocean County, which includes part of the Jersey Shore, state data showed.

New Jersey has now reported at least 202,850 total cases and at least 14,312 deaths during the pandemic, Gov. Phil Murphy tweeted Saturday.

Meanwhile, in nearby New York, Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced there were 1,005 additional cases of Covid-19 across the state. That is a slight uptick from the 908 cases reported Friday, Cuomo said.

New York's second wave is going to be fucking horrible.

For the poster 593 of thread #50, yes I am based in L.A. Also have a lot of tv/film friends in Atlanta and New York. We all heard about the British infections on productions before the general public did. Interestingly enough, Red Notice in Atlanta had a really solid NDA about their Covid protocols, which is interesting, especially since Dwayne had just got over having it.

Thank you Sylvia for starting this thread and the changed naming convention.

For posterity’s sake, such as it is on DL, I’d like to note that the term freak out wound up in the thread titles because the first thread OP thought people should stop freaking out about it. If original thread OP is still around I’d love to hear his or her thoughts eight months later.

Do we need to walk outside our doors and see bodies littering the streets for people to realize the seriousness of this pandemic?

I’m not sure even that would be enough for some of these idiots, r30

British girls make my years in college look tame. And we are talking the 80's!

I don't think the second wave in NYC will be that bad...people are generally following rules

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more cases in florida daily than most countries

I've started a new daily coronavirus update newsletter on Substack. It's basically a curated set of stats and links, somewhat U.S.-centric but also with info from other countries. You can read it without signing up and it will always remain free of charge. I welcome your feedback as to whether you find it useful and your ideas on how I can improve it.

Thanks for that r35.

In many parts of Brooklyn, they are not wearing masks. Particularly among a certain community. I don't want to say the name because I don't want to be accused of being "anti" against a certain group of people. But I've heard that they are doing everything with no masks on. Dining, religious services, school etc. Hence the uptick in NY...

The biggest mask offenders in NYC are the fucking cops.

North Dakota is reporting (and it's probably an undercount) 53 per 100K daily cases, the highest in the nation now.

Guam recently went back into almost total lockdown when that figure reached 41.

I will go with the flow. But not sure yet if I fully agree with the change of pace in terms of the thread title. Over 1M deaths now according to Worldometer and the outlook for October and November is GRIM at best based on recent trends. And DECEMBER and JANUARY??? Personally, I am still fully in the freakout mode for sure!!! We still have a LONG way to go!!!

r37, yeah, there's been a nest of libertarians in the outer boroughs for some time now.

r29 - A look back, Elderlez...

I'm legit worried about indoor dining in NYC. There is literally no way to police every restaurant in the city (particularly when the cops are too busy assaulting random pedestrians when they can't find protesters), and I know damned well that every establishment in Hell's Kitchen, the West Village, Astoria, and Greenpoint is going to packed to the gills with maskless idiots.

R40 We reserve the right to create Freakout Redux: The Re-Freakening.

Speaking of reminiscing, WHET NYCTechie?

Thanks Doris/R42

I am kind of nervous about going home to LA for the holidays. I see that back home in LA people are taking it seriously (and by what you all are posting and what my family tells me), while Romanians and other Europeans go around in groups of 20, no masks, no distancing, no worries...hell, they even voted a politician into office today who died 2 months ago from COVID!

However, the deaths are published daily and about 90 percent who die are elderly or have comorbidities (I have asthma, but not the comorbidities I read about such as cancer). I don't know if I am safer here or there, because so many younger and healthier people die in LA. My roommate and I ran out of the mall today (where masks and distancing is a must) because students came back to the city and folks in their college years just can't get it together to respect the rules no matter how much they are fined and screamed at.

R46 troll.

r47, they're also a white female who argued with me that Romanians didn't give me the very obvious stink eye when I worked in Bucharest and in the Transylvanian environs for 3 months.

[quote]How analyzing sewage helped Houston catch a COVID hot spot

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Thanks, R28. When you mentioned Tyler Perry in the last thread, I wasn't sure if you were based in Atlanta where his studio is; since he started filming long before anyone else, I think back in early July...

He started pre-production early July, and started filming late July, one of the very first productions in the U.S. to start up. He was very smart though, quarantining his crew on a closed campus of his own making. Jurassic World also started up in July, and had some crew test positive within the first 3 days of shooting (they just quarantined the foreign crew), but didn't shut down (unlike Batman), then some Malta crew tested positive weeks later (I think it was part of the production design crew), and they still didn't shut down. In L.A, Blumhouse had Songbird start filming in July as well, and my sound friend quit after 3 days because they were limiting the amount of crew that they were hiring, and he couldn't do everything himself. No infections reported.

I have some acquaintances who worked on both productions, and Perry did it right. However productions don't want to pay the entire crew to quarantine for 2 weeks, but with the new Union protocols just hammered out, it looks like they have to do it for non-local crew for at least the time from their 2nd test after landing and the results, which is around 3 days.

Marvel is really gearing up their tv productions in Atl, so get ready to be busy- I've already lost my Key to a Marvel series for a month long reshoots that I'm having there in Jan. Captain Marvel, Moon Knight, She-Hulk are the new series, I don't know if they're going to add more to WandaVision, Loki, Nick Fury, and The Falcon and the Winter Soldier.

I have another friend who is working on a Soderbergh production right now, and they said they feel incredibly safe with him, as he had to do massive research for Contagion.

"Everything he says is false," says CDC head Robert Redfield, in overheard phone call, of new Trump COVID-19 adviser Dr. Scott Atlas.

Redfield suggested in a conversation with a colleague Friday that Dr. Scott Atlas is arming Trump with misleading data about a range of issues, including questioning the efficacy of masks, whether young people are susceptible to the virus and the potential benefits of herd immunity.

"Everything he says is false," Redfield said during a phone call made in public on a commercial airline and overheard by NBC News.

Redfield acknowledged after the flight from Atlanta to Washington, D.C., that he was speaking about Atlas, a neuroradiologist with no background in infectious diseases or public health. Atlas was brought on to the White House task force in August.

I wish the productions I was scheduled to work on were still going, damn it! I need to work, as I've grown accustomed to the finer things like eating.

In the past week, seven states in the Midwest and western region have reported record one-day rises in new infections — Minnesota, Montana, Oregon, South Dakota, Utah, Wisconsin and Wyoming.

North Dakota’s positive test rate has averaged 30% over the past seven days compared with 6% the prior week. The positivity rate has risen to 26% in South Dakota, up from 17% the previous week. Minnesota and Montana are averaging 7% of tests coming back positive, but Montana’s positivity rate rose on Sunday to 20%.

The World Health Organization considers rates above 5% concerning because it suggests there are more cases in the community that have not yet been uncovered.

CNN: The mother of a South Carolina teacher who died from Covid-19 earlier this month has died after she was infected by the virus.

Shirley Bannister, 57, died from complications from Covid-19 on Sunday.

Bannister is the mother of Demetria Bannister, a 28-year-old elementary school teacher who died earlier this month, just a few days after testing positive for Covid-19. Bannister "got really sick about two, three days after her daughter died" on September 7.

This nasal spray looks promising, though the article hasn't been peer reviewed. Another brilliant idea circulating is to roll out wide distribution of instant tests, which if performed daily, or every other day could alert infected people to self isolate. Yes, I know compliance would be vital, same as masks, but this could yet be another vital tool in the shed.

People need to continue to innovate, rather than pinning all hopes on lockdowns and vaccines.

Canada's largest province reports highest number of daily cases ever reported during pandemic

From CNN’s Paula Newton

Ontario, Canada’s largest province, reported 700 new Covid-19 cases Monday, a single day record for the province since the start of the pandemic.

The figure represents a significant increase from the previous high of 640 cases reported on April 24.

“While the increase in Covid-19 cases is very unfortunate, it’s also not unexpected. We have prepared for this throughout the summer months, we knew that we were going to see an increase in cases...” Christine Elliott, Ontario’s health minister, said during a session of the Ontario Legislature Monday.

The previous record set in April came during a restrictive lockdown when stay-at-home orders were in place and most non-essential business and schools were closed.

Ontario has reopened most businesses, many with restrictions and the majority of Ontario students are now back to in-person learning.

Nearly half of all cases were reported in Toronto, Canada’s largest city. Ontario reported that nearly 60 % of all new infections Monday were detected in people under the age of 40.

Quebec is reporting a similar surge in Covid-19 cases with the province’s health minister telling a French-language broadcaster Sunday that Montreal and Quebec City will soon be subjected to tighter restrictions.

"Montreal and Quebec City are the hardest hit areas at the moment. They're very close to the red zone," he said in French to broadcaster Radio Canada.

Thirty Three states in the U.S. reporting above average increases in Coronavirus cases, which most likey means an increased death count.

What is considered "average?"

And it most likely means can increase in the stupidity factor. Everyone should go back and read the original freakout thread.

Peter Staley interviews Dr. Fauci.

This type of therapeutic based on serum antibodies hasn't had much notice or press in the States, despite Eli Lilly being headquartered in Indiana. The UK and Europe seem relatively optimistic... I notice more articles on this sort in UK papers.

The MAb studies are being run by NIAID through the ACTIV-2 network they put together utilizing existing clinical trial networks such as PEDAL, CTSN and ACTG. It is a pretty cool set-up and a credit to the NIH staff, researchers and administrators involved.

NY COVID-19 infection rate hits highest level since mid-July

New York state’s COVID-19 infection rate has hit its highest level since mid-July —with clusters in Brooklyn and Rockland and Orange counties fueling the worrisome figure, Gov. Andrew Cuomo said Monday.

Cuomo said the state is sending Health Department troops to the areas to ensure “additional testing and compliance measures’’ are occurring.

“It’s very targeted and focused on those clusters,’’ the governor said of the state’s stepped-up efforts to make sure the deadly pandemic is kept under control.

The statewide infection rate was 1.5 percent Sunday — the highest it’s been since July 13, when it was also 1.5 percent, according to New York’s Web site.

Brooklyn’s rate was nearly double that — at 2.6 percent, Cuomo said.

[quote]"Everything he says is false," Redfield said during a phone call made in public on a commercial airline and overheard by NBC News.

He just happened to be overheard by someone who works at NBC News. Love it!

R59 Despite the daily increase of new infections being quite distressing, we shouldn't necessarily take the leap in [italic] automatically [/italic] believing they WILL result in a higher death rate. The dominant mutation circulating, D614G is thought to be less lethal.

The other good news is that mutating to the "G" leaves the virus much more vulnerable to vaccine intervention. This change to the spike protein may allow us to more easily exploit pockets in the spike by deliverance of a drug therapy into them. It is best to remain cautious of alarming news that each mutation is necessarily bad. This one may create more viral load, or more infections, yet it does not appear more lethal. Evidence suggests that the D614G mutation becomes the successful or dominant variety circulating, after introduction into new regions. This mutation became the dominant variety or form in North America in a relatively quick time, from the start of March, to the end of March.

[quote]New York state’s COVID-19 infection rate has hit its highest level since mid-July —with clusters in Brooklyn and Rockland and Orange counties fueling the worrisome figure, Gov. Andrew Cuomo said Monday.

Brooklyn/Rockland/Orange Counties = Hasidim

[quote]This mutation became the dominant variety or form in North America in a relatively quick time, from the start of March, to the end of March.

There's been an awful lot of death since the end of March for a strain "thought to be less lethal."

R59 did say "likely," not "certainly," r65.

That said, we've learned a lot about various treatment options, so outcomes are likely to be better than they were 6 months ago.

R67 I'm not drawing conclusions, yet people should still remain cautious suggesting the death rate or number of deaths shall sharply increase simply because of greater spread.

I'm merely sharing the positive aspects of the dominant form in circulation here in the US and Canada. Most agree it is less lethal, and despite evolving to be more infectious, it has perhaps become more vulnerable. A similar mutation occurred in MERS.

CNBC: The CDC added shopping in crowded malls or stores before, on or after Thanksgiving to the category of higher-risk activities that could contribute to the spread of the virus that causes Covid-19. On the other hand, it said, shopping online is in its lower-risk category.

The CDC weighed in on other common holiday rituals, too. Among them, it warned of the risks of participating in Turkey Trots or other crowded races, attending crowded parades and gathering for large indoor events with extended family or friends.

Instead, it recommended safer seasonal activities — such as visiting a pumpkin patch or apple orchard has moderate risk, so long as there are plentiful masks and hand sanitizer, or having a virtual holiday recipe swap with family or friends.

[quote]D614G is thought to be less lethal.

That's not necessarily true.

[quote]MacLean described the link between D614G and lower death rates as "weak" and said rigorous analyses have failed to find any effect on mortality rates.

[quote]The combination of the amount of data coming out of the pandemic and the "constantly shifting situation" of the pandemic make it easy to compare things and find correlations "just by chance," he said.

[quote]Jones said it is "very premature" to conclude from anecdotal reports that the virus is getting weaker in patients.

[quote]"Knowledge of how to treat patients also increases with time so there could be lots of reasons why the death rate falls, including that treatments are improving," he said.

Please, R63, don't let the superspreaders be Je . . . . . D-oh!

CNN: Authorities in the Chinese capital Beijing have ordered importers to avoid frozen food from countries suffering severe coronavirus outbreaks after several incidents of imported seafood testing positive for the virus.

According to a statement from the Beijing Municipal Commerce Bureau, "customs and local governments have repeatedly detected the coronavirus in imported cold chain food, proving it risks contamination."

Health authorities have said the possibility of catching the coronavirus through food is low, but China, which has largely stamped out domestic transmission of the virus, is on high alert for possible re-contamination.

The Hasidic community outbreaks will provide important information regarding the risks of reinfection given how many in the community were tested for antibodies in order to donate plasma.

I find the frozen food thing baffling. If it weren’t for New Zealand I wouldn’t give it any credence.

Trump & Co. are currently giving a presser about the distribution of 150 million rapid coronavirus tests to states. Health-Boob-in-Chief Scott Atlas: "We really have a handle on what's going on."

Trump again says "We're rounding the corner." Doesn't take any questions.

[quote]Doesn't take any questions.

Well, he never gives any answers anyway.

Adding on to what R52 wrote, the next Thor is getting underway in Australia. I'm interested to see how it plays out given what is sure to be the atmosphere on that set, and off.

🧐 Does anyone really know anything about The Corona ?

The fact that the hasidics are spreading COVID like wildfire is so fucking disgusting.

And I’m a Jew living in Manhattan.

I feel sorry for the non-hasidics who live in those areas and are surrounded by this shit. So infuriating.

The ABC series For Life resumed production today after being shut down for two weeks. They fired the testing organization which came up with false positives.

A dozen crew members tested positive on the first post lockdown Greek cruise

Reality Check

This is the intubation, in case the surgical mask looks uncomfortable

Equinox is introducing its new outdoor gym facility called "Into the Wild" - 27,000 sq ft on the top of the parking garage at Century City mall in LA. You have to be a destination member to use this club. Is it worth reactiving my $300 all gym membership just to use this? I'm kind of leaning towards yes b/c I need a social outlet and know some of my gym friends/acquaintances will be there. Some are complaining about social distancing and I don't think you have to wear masks, but you book an allocated time. I feel like in the COVID era, you have to pay luxury prices to do basic things especially since indoor everything is still closed here.

R84, Gyms otherwise probably won't open this year in L.A. County (maybe December) , so if you can afford it, go for it. If you do, stay hydrated and be mindful since it's going to be extremely hot out this week.

Remember when they first opened up in June? Everyone was excited to be back, then within a week, the non-mask wearers started arguing with the mask wearers, etc. so the 'it's great to be back feeling' didn't last so long. People were still assholes, so nothing really changed. We certainly fucked that up.

That;s what I am worried about R85. I think I need an in person look. Even when it's 80 degrees, it's still going to be hot af on the rooftop. I'm getting desperate though mostly just for the socially distant social aspect.

Guardian-Mexico upped its estimated Covid-19 deaths to 89,612 on Monday, and boosted estimates of its total number of cases to 870,699, almost 137,000 more than it previously recognised, AP reports.

Even with the new estimated death toll, Mexico is still in fourth place world wide behind India, which has 95,542 deaths. But in the case of infections, the new estimates would boost Mexico from eighth place in total cases, to fifth place, behind Russia with about 1.15 million cases.

Mexico has about 76,600 test-confirmed deaths and 733,717 test-confirmed cases. But officials acknowledge those are significant undercounts, because the country does so little testing: only about 1.6 million tests have been done so far.

In a nation of almost 130 million, that means that only about one in 80 Mexicans has ever had a test. About 40% of all tests are positive, because only people with significant symptoms are tested.

(Reuters) - China's air force has released a video showing nuclear-capable H-6 bombers carrying out a simulated attack on what appears to be Andersen Air Force Base on the U.S. Pacific island of Guam, as regional tensions rise.

The video, released on Saturday on the People's Liberation Army Air Force Weibo account, came as China carried out a second day of drills near Chinese-claimed Taiwan, to express anger at the visit of a senior U.S. State Department official to Taipei.

Guam is home to major U.S. military facilities, including the air base, which would be key to responding to any conflict in the Asia-Pacific region

r86 I think gyms in LA will reopen sometime in Oct since there wasn't an apparent surge from Labor Day. However, unless your gym has reservation system (like Equinox), I'm not working out publicly indoors that rely on already curtailed staff to enforce the 10%/25% occupancy rate in red/orange tiers

NYT: WH Pressured CDC To Downplay Risk To Students

Top White House officials pressured the CDC this summer to play down the risk of sending children back to school, a strikingly political intervention in one of the most sensitive public health debates of the pandemic.

As part of their behind-the-scenes effort, WH officials also tried to circumvent the CDC in a search for alternate data showing that the pandemic was weakening and posed little danger to children.

The effort included Dr. Deborah L. Birx, the White House’s coronavirus response coordinator, and officials working for Vice President Mike Pence, who led the task force. It left officials at the CDC, long considered the world’s premier public health agency, alarmed at the degree of pressure from the White House.

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UK prime minister apologizes after failing to explain coronavirus restriction

From CNN's Lindsay Isaac

The British Prime Minister has apologized after failing to explain a coronavirus rule coming into effect Wednesday, in north east England.

During a press conference to announce new skills, training and education to help the economy post Covid-19, Boris Johnson was asked to explain how the "rule of six" would apply to the areas coming under stricter restrictions.

Johnson incorrectly said six people from different households could mix inside or in a hospitality setting, but not outside. He later apologized for misspeaking on his twitter account.

Johnson has come under criticism from other MPs and the press for what some say are confusing Covid-19 restrictions.

Russia signs deal to supply Sputnik-V vaccine to Nepal

From CNN's Zahra Ullah

Russia's Direct Investment Fund (RDIF) announced a deal on Tuesday with Nepal’s Trinity Pharmaceuticals to supply 25 million doses of the Sputnik-V coronavirus vaccine.

The agreement will enable 90% of Nepal’s population to get access to the Russian vaccine, according to the RDIF.

“We are excited to announce our cooperation with Russian Direct Investment Fund," Kishor Adhikari, Director of Trinity Pharmaceuticals, said.

Russia approved the controversial Sputnik-V shot before it went to crucial Phase 3 trials, and its early approval was met with widespread concern worldwide.

"Trinity is waiting for results of the final trial of Sputnik V," Adhikari said.

"As soon as the vaccine is approved by Government of Nepal we will make it available for the population of Nepal,” he added.

Dentists are seeing more cracked teeth. Pandemic stress is to blame

From CNN's Kristen Rogers

Shingles, maskne, migraines and quarantine fatigue: The stress of the pandemic has manifested in a variety of physical ailments. The latest evidence of this is a rise in cracked teeth.

"We have seen an increasing amount of fractured teeth in probably the past six months," said Dr. Paul Koshgerian, an oral surgeon with The Oral Surgery & Dental Implant Specialists of San Diego.

For Koshgerian's office, before the pandemic, treating one cracked tooth per day or every other day was normal. These days, two visits per day for fractured teeth have been the norm; on the worst days, he might see five cases.

Derek Peek -- leader of Eastern Iowa Endodontics and diplomate of the American Board of Endodontics -- found that in August and September, his office had already treated twice as many cracked teeth in comparison to those respective months last year, even with fewer patients this year.

"In the oral surgery or dental realm, often that translates to people bruxing their teeth," he added, describing the condition in which people involuntarily gnash, grind or clench their teeth. Bruxing can damage fillings or crowns, or crack teeth.

Police broke up a massive party of more than 1,000 people near Florida State University

From CNN's Rebekah Riess and Brian Ries

Florida is opening up and its students are itching to party.

Police officers in Tallahassee, home of Florida State University's sprawling campus, responded to more than a dozen calls for in reference to large crowds last weekend, according to a statement from the Tallahassee Police Department.

One gathering at an off-campus apartment complex on Dixie Drive involved more than 1,000 people gathered outside along with 700 vehicles, police said. Officers arriving just before midnight were able to safely disperse the crowds with assistance from a Leon County Sheriff's Office helicopter. The apartment complex is about two miles from the FSU campus.

The massive party came as nearly 1,500 students have tested positive for the coronavirus since testing began Aug. 2. Florida Gov. Rick DeSantis called for "some type of bill of rights for students" that would protect them from "draconian" punishments put in place to stop its spread, according to CNN affiliate WJXT.

"That's what college kids do, and they're at low risk," DeSantis said about the partying students. "And I just think that we've got to be reasonable about this and really focus the efforts on where the most significant risk is."

Coronaviruses of bats and pangolins are implicated in the origin and evolution of the pandemic SARS-CoV-2. We show that Spikes from Pangolin-CoVs, closely related to SARS-CoV-2, bind strongly to human and pangolin ACE2 receptors. We also report Cryo-EM structure of Pangolin-CoV S and show it adopts a fully-closed conformation and that, aside from the Receptor-Binding Domain, it resembles the spike of a bat coronavirus RaTG13 more than that of SARS-CoV-2.

Miami Herald's Ben Conrack:

[quote]Miami-Dade: Test positivity shoots back up. New case positivity for FL residents at nearly 7 percent for today's reported tests, the highest in some time.

No worries -- now that Gov. DeSantis has allowed bars and restaurants to reopen to full capacity, I'm sure that rate will plummet.

Is DeSantis just trying to make Florida chaotic as fuck to discourage in person voting or just make the election easier to steal? It makes no fucking sense. Their main business is tourism and their median age has to be ancient.

Had to go to the doctor today for some bloodwork. Super stressful. The place was packed, several people were wearing masks under their noses (including my own doctor, who I admonished) while I was gloved, masked and goggled. I couldn't wait to get the fuck out of there. Came home, left my clothes and shoes on the doorstep and took a Silkwood shower.

[quote]their median age has to be ancient.

Exactly. And the ancient consume a lot of public sector resources. DeSantis, like Trump, is not particularly upset at the prospect of these seniors dying.

Just wait until they see how many resources brain-damaged children use

Using this computer model, the team was able to see that a specific region on the spike protein with superantigenic features interacts with T cells. Then, they compared this region to a bacterial protein that causes toxic shock syndrome and found striking similarities in both sequence and structure. Importantly, the proposed SARS-CoV-2 superantigen showed a high affinity for binding T cell receptors—the first step toward touching off a runaway immune response.

"Everything came one after another, each time a huge surprise. The pieces of the puzzle ended up fitting extremely well," said Bahar, co-senior author on the study.

By finding protein-level similarities between SARS-CoV-2 and the bacterial structure that causes toxic shock syndrome, the researchers said they may have opened up new avenues for treating not only MIS-C patients, but also adults with COVID-19 infection experiencing cytokine storm.

The researchers also collaborated with scientists studying adult COVID-19 patients in Germany and found that those who experienced severe symptoms had a T cell response similar to what is seen in people exposed to superantigens and very different from the T cell response in patients who had only mild symptoms.

"Our research finally begins to unravel the potential mechanisms involved and raises the possibility that therapeutic options for toxic shock syndrome, such as intravenous immunoglobulin and steroids, may be effective for managing and treating MIS-C in children and hyperinflammation in adult coronavirus patients," said Arditi, professor of pediatrics and biomedical sciences at Cedars-Sinai

I remember the poster from some of the first threads recommending this and people said he was nuts! I wish he would come back! He had a lot of knowledge, whether you agree or not.

R103, it's still nuts: a worthless substack article based on junk.

Tampa International Airport says it will offer two types of Covid-19 tests to passengers

From CNN’s Rebekah Riess

Florida's Tampa International Airport today announced a new pilot program, which makes it the first airport in the country to offer two different types of Covid-19 testing, PCR tests and rapid antigen tests, for any arriving or departing passenger, John Tiliacos, executive vice president of operations and customer service for the airport said.

“We’re going to build confidence on the part of the traveling public, by giving them an opportunity to have a test done right here at the airport before they get on a flight,” TPA airport CEO Joe Lopano said during a press conference Tuesday. “This is the only airport in the whole country that is doing these tests for anybody, going to any destination, on any airline, only TPA is doing this and we hope others will follow. Testing is the key to getting people back to travel.”

According to Tiliacos, testing will be available seven days a week from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. ET. Tests will be administered by BayCare nurses and medical professionals, and passengers have the option of receiving the PCR test with results within 48 hours or the rapid antigen test that gives passengers results within 15 minutes, Tiliacos said.

“This is about taking a bold step to restarting air travel. This is about instilling even greater confidence in the flying public, and frankly it's about breathing life back into our industry that is very badly needed right now,” Tiliacos added.

Netherlands introduces stricter coronavirus measures as infections climb

From CNN’s Mick Krever

The Dutch government announced Tuesday that it is introducing stricter measures in an attempt to clamp down on the rising rate of coronavirus infections in the country. The daily rate of reported infections is now more than double the ‘first wave’ record.

The measures include:

Restaurants and bars must prevent new customers from entering at 9 p.m. and close at 10 p.m. Working from home should remain the norm, and if someone at a workplace tests positive, the office can be closed for 14 days. Visits to homes should be limited to three guests from outside the household, whether inside or outside. Children up to 12 are exempt. In buildings other than homes, the maximum gathering is four people. That means for example that a maximum of four people in one group can make a reservation at a cinema or restaurant. A maximum of 30 people total can be in any one room. No spectators for amateur and professional sports.

Coronavirus infections in the Netherlands are rising at a significant rate. There were 43% more reported coronavirus infections over the seven-day period ending Tuesday compared to the previous week-long period, according to the National Institute for Public Health and the Environment.

The R-number is 1.27, according to the RIVM, and a further 3,025 infections were reported on Tuesday. (The ‘first wave’ record for single-day reported infections was 1,335, set on April 10.)

There are a number of exceptions to the rules, including for funerals, some businesses, and education.

India's vice president tests positive for Covid-19

From CNN's Luke Henderson

India's Vice President M. Venkaiah Naidu has tested positive for Covid-19, according to a tweet posted on his official Twitter account.

The tweet went on to say that Naidu is asymptomatic and in good health after undergoing a routine Covid-19 test on Tuesday morning. He has been advised to quarantine at home.

His wife, Usha Naidu, tested negative and is in self-isolation.

CBS News: NYC to fine people who refuse to wear masks as COVID-19 positive rate tops 3% for first time in months.

"Our goal of course is to give everyone a free face mask and get them to wear one," said NYC Mayor Bill de Blasio. "We don't want to fine people. If we have to, we will. And that will be starting on a large scale today."

CNN: Biotechnology company Regeneron released some early results of tests using its antibody cocktail in coronavirus patients Tuesday, and said it seemed to reduce levels of the virus and improve symptoms in patients.

The greatest improvements were seen in patients who hadn't already mounted a natural response to the infection, the company said.

The results only involve 275 patients, but appear "very promising," Dr. Jeanne Marrazzo, the director of the division of infectious diseases at University of Alabama at Birmingham, told CNN.

The treatment also showed positive trends at reducing medical visits for the patients, none of whom were sick enough to be hospitalized.

The numbers in this early release of information were small and the data has not been peer reviewed yet. Only topline data was available in a news release from the company.

R86 - I was going to Equinox in Woodland Hills back in the states and have been a member since they opened. As a long time member, you can ask for a trial of 5 days (in fact anyone can) and see how you like it. Personally, the luxe facility was a huge draw for me but in Woodland Hills and Encino it is $170 and no way would I pay Century City prices. If you can, try, but my friend says you need to book in advance and no showers, sauna, etc....you will see if it's worth it. Don't you live near a less expensive one that has outdoor stuff?

I mean you can exercise outdoors for free in nicer parts of Century City.

Those motherfuckers on the subway who aren’t wearing masks should be fined. And the ones who aren’t wearing them correctly should be publicly admonished.

Amen R111. I was on Amtrak and the LIRR yesterday and the LIRR today and the numbers of covidiots wearing their masks on their chins was terrifying. There is zero enforcement as far as I can tell.

One more trip to the office next week and then I am back to full time wfh until maybe March.

R86, Stopped by today just to check it out, and it was fairly busy. There were two 'front desk' employees and one mentioned it was doing really well...but while just standing there chatting, one asshole came up maskless, saying his friend who was waiting near me was 'approved' to come in (this wasn't a typical guest pass situation) and he was quite impatient when he was told to wait.

I retract the asshole title; I will admit I'm not sure of the mask situation working outside here; unsure if it's required or not but it didn't seem like it, at least the brief time I was there. I just don't like the idea of working out outside (even though it's tented), same with how I feel about dining outdoors. I'll just have to wait when (if) they open their actual doors again.

Disneyland and World are laying off almost 30K people.

What the hell is going on in Missouri?

R115

Anti-maskers and people who have their fingers in their ears, pretending we’re not in a pandemic. MO is full of ignorant assholes.

Spain is on a life glug. 13k new cases today and 200 deaths. UK 7k cases today and 71 deaths.

US had another 983 deaths today. Soon you'll have nobody over 300 lbs or 80 years old left.

i saw someone on the street wearing this today...doesn't look safe to me. I don't even know what it's called. it's a kind of a face shield.

I’d stay very far away from someone wearing that mask.

I started feeling hot yesterday. Today I feel unbearably got everywhere ...like my fingers, arms, legs, feet, eyes. I took my temp it’s 99.3. I’ve been taking my temp for months - it’s 97.2 to 97.8 most of the time. I take my temp every night it because I get night sweats. I see a pulmonologist & my chest CT is not good. The radiologists think I have a non TB mycobacterium that’s very hard to get rid of. My pulmonologist doesn’t. My GP does think I have it. I traveling to the city tomorrrow to see a new pulm. It’s a 2.5 hr drive. It took me a month to get the appointment. I feel so bad I couldn’t take a shower tonight. I cleaned my stinky front loading washing machine & collected enough wet fur to slap together a litter of kittens. I used a whole peck of wet ones antibacterial wipes. Them, stupidly, I threw in an Affresh tablet. Let it “clean” the inside of the washing machine.

Opened washing machine & THE STINK WAS UNGODLY. I PUT IN A TIDE POD, MY CLOTHES & BORAX TO KILL The SMELL.

IT’S WORSE.

I’m washing again with just a pod. I need to get to sleep. I need to get up early tomorrow. I don’t want to smell like odiferous oil from cat hair.

The stench is bad.

BLEACH IT, FOOL.

Try white vinegar r120.

Try white vinegar r120.

Affresh makes it WORSE. Vinegar won't really get rid of it, either, not very thoroughly and not for long. Pour a couple cups of bleach-bleach in the drum and immediately start a heavy duty cycle. I don't know if the cycle matters but that's what I do. Pause the cycle for 20 minutes or so when the drum first fills with water, and let the bleach water just sit in there. Then start it and let if run its cycle. Do that every two weeks or so.

Not bunk.. potential, inexpensive and safe treatments for SARS-Cov2. .

Taken together these results demonstrate that ivermectin has antiviral action against the SARS-CoV-2 clinical isolate in vitro, with a single dose able to control viral replication within 24–48 h in our system.... Altogether the current report, combined with a known-safety profile, demonstrates that ivermectin is worthy of further consideration as a possible SARS-CoV-2 antiviral

Over 10K deaths now here in Belgium

Guardian-Belgium, one of the European countries hardest hit by the coronavirus, said today its death toll from the pandemic has surpassed 10,000. The country, which has a population of 11.5 million, recorded 14 more deaths over the past 24 hours, taking the total to 10,001. Reported infections rose to 117,115 from 115,353, the Sciensano research institute said. Since the start of the pandemic seven months ago, Belgian authorities have included as wide a number of cases as possible in the toll, adding fatalities in hospitals and care homes, and those people whose deaths may have been caused by the virus but were not tested. During the peak of the pandemic in April, Belgium recorded more than 250 deaths daily over about 10 days, according to Sciensano. Since the summer, testing capacity has been stepped up, leading to a sharp rise in the number of positive cases recorded, particularly in September when people returned to work and school after the summer holidays. The daily number of deaths has increased since the start of this month, going from three to an average of seven to eight in recent days, with the elderly and those in poor health increasingly among those infected. Older people in about 1,500 care homes have been particularly hard hit by the pandemic. These facilities have recorded around half of the deaths, according to official figures. This rises to around two-thirds if residents of care homes who died in hospital are included, according to Doctors Without Borders (MSF).

The problem is the rubber seal. You need to really dig in there with some disinfectant cleaner.

Is anyone else starting to feel really hopeless with the cases rising in Europe again? I knew rationally that there was a second wave coming but actually seeing it - feels like this is never going to end.

I’m in NY and I’ve seen strong mask compliance while riding the subway (could just be luck though given others’ experiences). I’m seeing people start to wear masks less outside though. And the outdoor dining is packed with no masks. All sitting on the sidewalks.

I’m single and prone to anxiety and depression. I feel like I’m going to be dealing with this isolation for 2021 too. I don’t know how people are dating/hooking up with the risk of getting COVID. I’m anxious about dating in the best of times.

Is this how it felt in the 80s/90s with AIDS? Sorry if that’s a stupid question, just looking for any guidance. It feels like this will go on indefinitely. It getting harder to cope mentally.

R128 not similar to HIV. HIV required zero social distancing and the only protective action was during sex, not daily life. You had to wear a condom too fuck. That's it. The similarity was that young and middle aged people got familiar with death and dying in their peer groups. I was in my 20s and people in their 20s died.

AIDS is a shitty disease that back in the ADIS years - ended often with a person being really sick for a couple months to a couple years to finally die. A couple years really really sick and knowing it would finally kill you. Or 6 months sick to death.

[quote] Is anyone else starting to feel really hopeless with the cases rising in Europe again?

Yes. I liked it when we had Europe to look to as an example that, yes, this virus CAN be dealt with in a sensible way. But now that's gone.

At this point I feel like humanity deserves this shit.

The WH coronavirus task force is calling for "maximal" social distancing in Wisconsin amid virus spike, according to a report obtained by WaPo.

President Trump is moving ahead with mass rallies there on Saturday.

Results from an early safety study of Moderna Inc’s coronavirus vaccine candidate in older adults showed that it produced virus-neutralizing antibodies at levels similar to those seen in younger adults, with side effects roughly on par with high-dose flu shots, researchers said on Tuesday.

The findings are reassuring because immunity tends to weaken with age, Dr. Evan Anderson, one of the study’s lead researchers from Emory University in Atlanta, said in a phone interview.

2 Italian senators test positive for coronavirus

From CNNs Hada Messia in Rome

Two Italian Five Star Movement senators have tested for positive for Covid-19, a party spokesperson told CNN.

The other senators – 93 of them in the Senate, the upper house of the Italian parliament — will now be tested as well.

The party told CNN that the two senators had met with their colleagues in the last few days, but had not attended physical senate floor gatherings.

Italy was one of the worst affect European countries during the first wave of the pandemic. The country has reported 313,011 cases and 35,875 deaths overall.

Covid-19 numbers continue to climb in Paris region

From CNNs Pierre Bairin

Data from hospitals in the Paris region is not looking positive, the head of the Paris region health authority said Wednesday on French radio France Inter.

Aurelien Rousseau said 34% of ICU beds are occupied by Covid patients in the Paris region, with 30% ICU Covid bed occupancy for the city of Paris.

He added the incidence rate is very high for 20- to 30-year-old with 450 cases per 100,000 people. Rousseau said the incidence rate for people over the age of 65 is over 100 per 100,000 inhabitants.

With worsening numbers, the government may decide that Paris, like Marseille and the overseas department of Guadeloupe, become a zone of “maximum alert,” meaning bars and restaurants close.

The French minister of Health, Olivier Veran is expected to announce an update of measures in a press conference before the end of the week. Many bars and restaurant owners in Paris fear closure and the economic impact.

Flight attendant turns to drug dealing after losing job amid pandemic

It really isn't a surprise Europe is spiking, they encouraged tourism between the countries. And I know we hear about how great Sweden is doing but they'll be spiking soon too.

[quote]I know we hear about how great Sweden is doing but they'll be spiking soon too.

They already are.

The Independent, last week: Stockholm could face new local restrictions to curb the spread of coronavirus, as health officials warned of “worrying signs" in the Swedish capital.

Sweden, which has so far chosen not to use lockdowns to tackle the virus, is also seeing early signs the number of infections is increasing nationally, experts have said.

It's gonna get worse in the winter for sure...the virus will hang in the air longer due to cold temps. Wear your face masks, wash your hands. Take care of yourselves people!

"President Trump is moving ahead with mass rallies there on Saturday."

Because of course

In Wisconsin of all places!! Total spike there.

We need to get consistent in messaging.

We need to get consistent in messaging.

WI now reporting 40 new daily cases (per 100K), one of the highest in the nation.

(SD at 47, ND at 52).

A 19-year-old Appalachian State student died from the coronavirus

You know its bad when the Nepal's famous living goddess is CANCELLED

How many cases in the midwest are due to the Sturgis Motorcycle rally?

NYT:

Hospitalizations up again in NY, to 605. This number has been steadily rising for several days.

Hospitalization had sunk to 410 in early September.

The first publicly announced positive on a U.S. production:

[quote]Belgium, one of the European countries hardest hit by the coronavirus, said today its death toll from the pandemic has surpassed 10,000. The country, which has a population of 11.5 million...

You forget how small some of these European countries are. Belgium is smaller than Illinois.

[quote]...the virus will hang in the air longer due to cold temps.

Actually, it's the opposite. Humid summer air would hold viruses aloft for a longer period of time. Cold, dry air is less dense. The difference will be in the fact that you'll be able to actually see people's breath. Can you imagine walking through someone's frosty breath cloud? We'll also be able to see that some people's masks are way too thin when we see their breath going right through them.

[quote]Many bars and restaurant owners in Paris fear closure and the economic impact.

Then maybe those bars and restaurants should have acted responsibly when they had the chance. Maybe they'll learn their lesson this time and enforce mask and distancing restrictions properly.

Trump blocks C.D.C order to keep cruise ships docked until Feb.

Heard a sobering interview on NPR with an ex-Coronavirus Task Force team member. And she's a Republican who is going to vote for Joe:

Yashar Ali:

Report on CNBC right now of a hospital in Green Bay, WI that is over 100% capacity.

The president is holding a rally in Green Bay this weekend and local officials are concerned it will be a super spreader event.

"The president is holding a rally in Green Bay this weekend and local officials are concerned it will be a super spreader event."

*sigh*

Tonight my temp is 99.6. I *never* have an elevated temp. Last night & tonight I felt feverish.I had my forehead temp taken today when I went somewhere & they were taking temps at the door. Always 97.5 -97.9. I get chills, my temp goes up but it’s not a fever.

R154 - your temperature is usually higher in the evening than during the day. At least that’s what I was always told. I wouldn’t panic unless it hit 100.4.- isn’t that officially a low grade fever? I’m not a doctor but I am sending you good thoughts and calm energy. Hang in there.

Don't expect to see KJ Apa's bare chest this fall.

🎉 Just think, in a few short months we'll be celebrating New Year's Eve, and it will be party time all around the world.

R158 Coronavirus didn't stop me in 2020 and it's NOT going to stop me in 2021!!!

No, R138 is right. Corona LIKES cool dry air, LOW HUMIDITY and winter will be a bitch.

It would appear Corona is an "all temps" kind of gal.

Study Finds ‘Single Largest Driver’ of Coronavirus Misinformation: Trump

Of the flood of misinformation, conspiracy theories and falsehoods seeding the internet on the coronavirus, one common thread stands out: President Trump.

That is the conclusion of researchers at Cornell University who analyzed 38 million articles about the pandemic in English-language media around the world. Mentions of Mr. Trump made up nearly 38 percent of the overall “misinformation conversation,” making the president the largest driver of the “infodemic” — falsehoods involving the pandemic.

[quote] The problem is the rubber seal. You need to really dig in there with some disinfectant cleaner

That’s where I dug out all the cat fur & slime with the Wet Ones antibacterial wipes. My mistake was using that Affresh garbage.

My temp went up to 100.4 last night. Back down to 97.2 this morning.

Our DL cavemaen should take extra precautions.

A ton of new information in today's latest update on the virus, including new medical and economic data.

I like this mask...people made fun of him for wearing it.

DIEGO MARADONA arrived for his Gimnasia side's clash with San Lorenzo wearing a huge visor to keep himself safe.

I don't blame Maradona for taking such precautions, he's middle aged, overweight and has a coke habit.

From R164's link. TV productions shut back down because testing is too slow.

That visor offers nearly zero protection. It's completely open on all sides. He'd have been better off tying a washcloth to his face.

This article is long but incredibly good, and really breaks down how super-spreading events are the key. It might change your perspective and offer some peace of mind.

[quote] Once we recognize super-spreading as a key lever, countries that look as if they were too relaxed in some aspects appear very different, and our usual polarized debates about the pandemic are scrambled, too. Take Sweden, an alleged example of the great success or the terrible failure of herd immunity without lockdowns, depending on whom you ask. In reality, although Sweden joins many other countries in failing to protect elderly populations in congregate-living facilities, its measures that target super-spreading have been stricter than many other European countries. Although it did not have a complete lockdown, as Kucharski pointed out to me, Sweden imposed a 50-person limit on indoor gatherings in March, and did not remove the cap even as many other European countries eased such restrictions after beating back the first wave. (Many are once again restricting gathering sizes after seeing a resurgence.) Plus, the country has a small household size and fewer multigenerational households compared with most of Europe, which further limits transmission and cluster possibilities. It kept schools fully open without distancing or masks, but only for children under 16, who are unlikely to be super-spreaders of this disease. Both transmission and illness risks go up with age, and Sweden went all online for higher-risk high-school and university students—the opposite of what we did in the United States. It also encouraged social-distancing, and closed down indoor places that failed to observe the rules. From an overdispersion and super-spreading point of view, Sweden would not necessarily be classified as among the most lax countries, but nor is it the most strict. It simply doesn’t deserve this oversize place in our debates assessing different strategies.

China, with 1 billion citizens, hardly has any active cases...cuz their government is strict and has measures in place.

They are all going on vacation soon.

[quote]He'd have been better off tying a washcloth to his face.

We'd have been better off if he tied a washcloth to his face.

R170. And because they are lying still! There is no way that China has less cases and deaths than freaking Belgium, especially as they were the epicenter for the pandemic! Sure, they shut cities, welded people in their homes, etc., But this was AFTER the virus had already been circulating for weeks. How is it possible that some poorer, rural/less well known cities there were not exposed to the virus? Not likely....especially given internal travel and the explosion in Lombardy Italy which spread throughout the world. They tried to redeem themselves by retroactively adding deaths and cases later on following immense international criticism but their reported numbers can not be trusted

China is full of malarkey! And actively torturing and trading/selling Uyghurs. The CCP Doesn’t care about human rights,or the truth.

Russians Were Urged to Return to Normal Life. Except for Putin.

The Russian leader claims to be conquering the pandemic, but he inhabits a virus-free bubble, rarely leaving home. The few people he meets must quarantine first. While fellow strongman leaders President Trump and President Jair Balsonaro of Brazil have chafed against restricting their own movements, Mr. Putin has retreated into an intricate cocoon of social distancing — even as he has allowed life in Russia to essentially return to normal.

[quote]an intricate cocoon of social distancing

Sounds heavenly.

That face covering the dictator is wearing actually looks pretty great. I wouldn't wear it without a mask as well, but it looks like a decent eye covering. Anyone know if it's available here?

There is this, r176, but the battery only lasts 4 hours:

I would also question what would happen if you're a forceful messy sneezer- you couldn't just take it off and clean the interior.

Do you mean the face shield being worn by Generalísimo Diego Maradona, Caudillo de Lanús, por la Gracia de Dios at r165? I’m pretty they’re only available to high-ranking members of Partido Gimnasia but you could always check Etsy to see if someone is selling fake documents. Just don’t get caught.

111/113 - I can't find the gym thread anymore and had it saved. I decided it was worth my sanity to do the into the wild at Equinox in CC. This is day 2. They take your temp, there are mask requirements in the common walkways but none while working out. I would say that there are people still wearing masks. Cleaners were hovering around disinfecting everything at all times - hovering almost so they clean the minute you get off equipment.. I am going during none peak times so there is a ton of space. Even today when it was boiling, there was a nice breeze on the roof. I live alone, am an avid mask wearer even just taking out the trash and I think it is worth the money for my mental health. You can use the Varris app with the outdoor equipment - it was much better than I thought. I feel good about it, but I don't won't to overly praise and then get Covid. It seems like a decent calculated risk. I don't think LA indoor gyms will open for a while and I hope this stays around when they do. When it cools down outside it will be awesome until there is a vaccine.

[quote] There is this, [R176], but the battery only lasts 4 hours:

Ooh, interesting, R177, thanks. I had been following that company back in the Spring and was VERY curious about their product, but I was reluctant to drop $179 (which was the price back then) on something that had no consumer feedback. It also had a different design in the Spring (or perhaps this is a diff model, though they only had one model) and it looked more like a beekeeper's headpiece. It looked far too large to sit on an airplane with and not encroach on the space of the person next to you.

Ok, yes, I went back and looked at the page I bookmarked. They definitely have diversified their models.

Speaking of which- if anyone is thinking about getting the O2 mask from Canada, DON'T. It's close to $100 with shipping and all their claims are bullshit. The mask is hard molded plastic and is supposed to cover your nose and mouth. Maybe if you never move your mouth. The minute you talk, the mask rides up over your bottom lip and exposes your mouth.

They also claimed it was anti-fogging. Another lie. And there's no way to adjust it to fix that. Lastly, it reeks of chemicals. I tried to get my money back and they refused. I have had to escalate the claim to my credit card and I'm waiting for the case to be resolved.

Holy shit- Biovyzr has doubled the price of their helmet since their indiegogo campaign. I guess I should have jumped on it then.

[quote] I guess I should have jumped on it then.

A timeless Datalounge mantra.

Breakimg: Trump and first lady Melania Trump test positive for Covid-19

😮 I had to do a little fact checking on the statement @ r184.

I'm pleased to report that it's absolutely, positively TRUE !

FAKING NEWS: Trump tests positive for desperation.

I don't have any glee over Orange Cancer's COVID test. Yes, it'd be wonderful if he could suffer a slow agonizing death...but that'll never happen. Instead, they'll pump him full of convalescent plasma, steroids, and every other treatment known to humanity so that he'll emerge from his bunker in two weeks saying, "SEE, I told you LOSERS that it was nothing!! Durrr..."

Or, there is the possibility that he's faking so he can hide away for two weeks then come back to do the above.

Either way, I think it's more likely to do harm (downplaying the virus even further among his idiot cultists) than good (Trump's death.) But I'll enjoy calling Melania a POZ WHORE in the meantime.

it'll be good for him to lose like 50 pounds like some people have...

New Zealand health authorities believe a person in isolation acquired the virus from the surface of a rubbish bin used by someone else presumed infectious at the isolation facility.

Guidance for all facilities has been updated and all bins in public areas must now be no-touch and all rubbish must be securely sealed in plastic bags prior to disposal.

Moderna has announced that it will not seek an emergency use authorization for its vaccine before November 25th. With the AstraZeneca vaccine trial still on hold, the only vaccine that might seek such an authorization before the election is Pfizer's.

It still isn't "just like the flu." It is:

2.9x more fatal at age 30

5.0x more fatal at 40

8.6x at 50

13.6x at 60

14.4x at 70

Masks will be mandatory outdoors in Rome region

From Hada Messia in Rome

The region of Lazio, which includes the Italian capital of Rome, has made it mandatory to wear masks outside. The measures come into force from Saturday, the regional government announced.

Exceptions will be made for people playing sport, anyone under the age of six and those with health conditions.

According to Lazio’s Health Assessor, Alessio D’Amato, the R (reproduction) number in the region is now 1.09. The R number was previously 0.85, according to Italian Health Ministry figures.

Mask wearing is currently mandatory in all indoor spaces across Italy.

Madrid prepares for a new lockdown starting tonight

The Spanish capital city is getting ready for new coronavirus restrictions to come into effect at 10 p.m. local time tonight.

People in Madrid will be required to stay at home except to go to work, classes, to sit exams, to meet legal obligations or for extreme circumstances.

Bars and restaurants will be forced to reduce their capacity by 50%, offer table service only, and will have to close at 11 p.m with the last entry one hour before closing time.

Shops will slash capacity and will be required to shut at 10 p.m. and will have to close early.

Gatherings will remain restricted to no more than six people, in both public or private spaces.

The move comes after a steady increase in the number of coronavirus infections in the Madrid area over the past couple of months.

Spain has reported 778,607 cases so far, the worst in the European Union. At 31,973 people have died of the virus in Spain.

High fever, body aches, headaches and exhaustion are some of the symptoms participants in Moderna and Pfizer’s coronavirus vaccine trials say they felt after receiving the shots.

While the symptoms were uncomfortable, and at times intense, they often went away after a day, sometimes less.

That's fairly normal, R194.

I am hearing that all of the potential vaccines have high reactogenecity (Sp?), but for no more than two days.

"Stores close at 10pm" in Spain??!! What time do they usually close?

North Carolina basketball player, 19, dies of neurological problems from COVID-19

A North Carolina teenage basketball player has died from a rare COVID-19 complication in which the virus attacked his brain, his family said.

Chad Dorrill, 19, had been living off-campus and taking classes online at Appalachian State University in Boone when he became sick earlier this month with the virus, the college said Tuesday in a statement.

“When he began feeling unwell earlier this month, his mother encouraged him to come home, quarantine, and be tested for COVID-19,” Chancellor Sheri Everts wrote to students.

His uncle, David Dorrill, said that the teen tested positive Sept. 7 and quarantined for 10 days at home in Wallburg, the New York Times reported.

But upon returning to college, he began to experience serious neurological issues, Dorril said.

“When he tried to get out of bed, his legs were not working, and my brother had to carry him to the car and take him to the emergency room,” Dorrill told the newspaper.

Doctors told the family that instead of attacking the respiratory system, the virus had been damaging his brain, the newspaper reported.

His mom, Susan Dorrill, explained the terrifying complications that killed him Monday night in a statement through Chad’s travel basketball team, the Piedmont Pacers, news station WFMY reported.

“Chad was just incredibly tired for two weeks and little did we know it was secretly attacking his body in a way they have never seen before,” she said.

“The doctors said that Chad is the rarest 1 [in] 10,000,000 case but if it can happen to a super-healthy 19-year old boy who doesn’t smoke, vape or do drugs, it can happen to anyone.”

Damn, he was a hot piece of ginge.

I think I'm going to pull my Braniff uniform out of moth balls and see if I can adapt it, r177!

Did someone say 13.6?

Humpty Dumpty sat on a wall. Humpty Dumpty had a great fall. All the king’s horses and all the king’s men, Couldn’t put Humpty together again.

They tried to push him up. They tried to pull him up. They tried to patch him up. Couldn’t put him back together again.

Is it common to start out with mild symptoms and progress to more serious ones? What is the natural progression of the disease? What is the usual timeframe until death?

it's different for everyone...

More than 700 students test positive for Covid-19 at UK university

From CNN’s Vasco Cotovio

More than 700 students from Northumbria University in Newcastle, England, have tested positive for Covid-19 and are in self-isolation, with the university saying they could be expelled if they fail to comply.

In a statement to CNN, the university said that as of Friday, at least 770 people had tested positive for Covid-19 –– 78 of them had symptoms. The students as well as their flatmates and any close contacts will now be self-isolating for 14 days.

“We are supporting all students who are self-isolating, providing them with food and other essential items, as well as welfare support including 24/7 online mental health support and one-to-one support from our wellbeing teams where required which is accessible through multiple channels,” a spokesperson for the university said.

The university also said they are providing laundry, cleaning materials and other support in partnership with campus resources.

“We are making it clear to students that if they break the rules they will be subject to fines from police and disciplinary action by the universities which may include fines, final warnings or expulsion,” the spokesperson said.

The university also said the early detection of these cases was a reflection of the “good access to and availability of testing, as well as rigorous and robust reporting systems.”

“In parts of the UK where universities started term earlier, numbers of student cases surged in induction week, and then reduced,” the spokesperson said.

R203 It's different for everyone. Some people have mild symptoms that go away after a few days and that is it. Some people have mild symptoms get a bit worse, start feeling better and then take a turn for the worse. Some people have mild symptoms get a bit worse than get better. Some people (numbers yet known) may go on to develop kidney failure, lung damage, heart damage, neurological damage, etc. This may even happen to young people who experienced mild or no symptoms at all. We are only in the very early stages of understanding the disease.

yes, I heard their sense of taste and smell can be affected for months.

A friend of mine in Toronto is preparing for a fresh, severe lockdown.

This is the poster from the approximately-titled Trump Next 48 Hours thread.

My mom just texted me an hour ago that my 70yo, obese aunt tested positive the 27th, but was cleared to go back to work today or tomorrow.

How is that possible?

Trump is old and morbidly obese and has Covid

Bump.

The "liberal elite media" isn't going to let this go. Nancy needs to start a new impeachment tomorrow.

R203, depends on the person, but it’s common for people to start out with mild symptoms and not feel too bad, then about a week in they feel much worse. That’s because it takes a while for the virus to multiply enough for the person to really get overwhelmed.

In Trump’s case, he’s probably got every comorbidity a person could have. Prediabetic (which is probably a lie, he’s probably diabetic and on meds for that), heart issues, probably had mini strokes the last few months, since he denied it, morbidly obese, high blood pressure probably managed by meds, high cholesterol, probably on blood thinners, which is actually good for COVID and might be keeping him alive. COVID patients are prone to blood clots. He’s probably got hardened arteries from all the junk he eats, so that makes blood clots worse.

They put him on Remdesivir very early, usually they wait until things are really bad. They give it to people with low oxygen. If the rumors are true, they hospitalized him because he was low oxygen. But the side affects for that are bad and the percentage of people with side effects is high, 10%+. It’s a 5-10 days dose. The longer you take it, the worse the side effects.

Remdesivir is supposed to slow down the virus from multiplying. It’s pretty likely Trump got a high viral load from exposing himself to sick people multiple times with no mask for long periods. There’s every reason to believe he’ll get a severe case. Remdesivir is not approved for the public yet, it’s still in the trial stage, and you don’t use the POTUS as a guinea pig normally.

Side effects include:

Randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial in hospitalized adults with severe COVID-19 in China: Adverse events (e.g., constipation, hypoalbuminemia, hypokalemia, anemia, thrombocytopenia, increased total bilirubin concentrations) reported in 66 or 64% of patients who received remdesivir or placebo, respectively. Serious adverse events reported in 18 or 26%, respectively, and drug discontinued because of adverse events in 12 or 5%, respectively.

Phase 3, adaptive, randomized, placebo-controlled trial in hospitalized adults with mild/moderate or severe COVID-19 (NCT04280705; ACTT-1): Serious adverse events (e.g., cardiac events, respiratory distress or failure, acute kidney injury, hypotension) reported in 21% in remdesivir group and 27% in placebo group; grade 3 or 4 adverse events occurred in 29% in remdesivir group and 33% in placebo group. Most common nonserious grade 3 or greater adverse events in remdesivir group were anemia or decreased hemoglobin concentrations (8%); acute kidney injury, decreased eGFR or Clcr, or increased Scr (7%); pyrexia (5%); hyperglycemia or increased blood glucose concentrations (4%); and increased ALT and/or AST concentrations (4%); these were reported in 3–9% of patients in placebo group.

Phase 3, randomized, open-label trial in hospitalized adults with severe COVID-19 (NCT04292899; GS-US-540-5773; SIMPLE-Severe): Adverse events reported in 70 or 74% of patients who received a 5- or 10-day remdesivir regimen, respectively; serious adverse events (e.g., respiratory distress or failure, septic shock) reported in 21 or 35%, respectively, and grade 3 or greater adverse events reported in 30 or 43%, respectively. Drug discontinued because of adverse events in 4% of patients in 5-day group and 10% of patients in 10-day group. All-cause mortality at day 28 was 10 or 13% in the 5- or 10-day group, respectively. Most common adverse events overall were nausea (10 or 9%), acute respiratory failure (6 or 11%), increased ALT concentrations (6 or 8%), and constipation (7% in both groups),

They’ve been giving it to very sick people only because of severe, dangerous side effects. Diabetics are prone to kidney damage anyway, Trump could end up in dialysis after this. They know that. It’s a last ditch effort to save him, as it was for the other patients. Normally, this drug would never be approved due to severe side effects.

I sure hope chris christie has his affairs in order...he's so fucking fat, he's probably not gonna make it.

According to a new study, "The U.S. excess mortality rate from COVID-19 is substantially worse than Europe's."

According to QAnon followers, the whole thing is a ruse, "...the president is going into quarantine while mass arrests of high-profile politicians like Trump’s former Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton are carried out....

When Hillary isn’t arrested, what will the followers think then?

This is like those cult leaders that spend years telling people the end of the world is January 1, then January 1 passes and it’s not the end of the world. What then?

They just keep moving the date.

They've already missed numerous promised dates for the mass arrests, R216, so it's apparently no problem for the cult members.

Paging the "no more lockdowns" troll!

NYC Mayor Bill DeBlasio:

Today I’m announcing a proposal to close ALL schools and nonessential businesses in these zip codes on Wednesday, October 7.

The affected zip codes are 11691, 11219, 11223, 11230, 11204, 11210, 11229, 11415 and 11367.

CNN talking about DeBlasio right now.

I feel bad for all of you New Yorkers.

Hope you guys get an awesome mayor next time around.

I'm not a concern troll, but the whole rose garden massacre is now making me a little more anxious about outdoor activities. I thought everyone on the rose garden was tested prior to going in and it's outdoors. Though they were packed shoulder to shoulder. In the photo that showed who got infected, one of them was wearing a mask! I had posted that I am paying a fortune for an outdoor gym and now I'm a little more nervous than I was in the beginning of the week.

Though not a positive politically, I think it's good that whatever that nominated Judge's name is, that she had been poz over the summer, was standing next to Trump while was presumably most infectious and is fine so far. That gives me hope that immunity is real and hopefully this is evidence of that.

R221, there was a reception held inside of the White House. It was AFTER the Rose Garden ceremony.

Tom Tillis who is wearing a mask during the first ceremony, was NOT wearing a mask in the photos for the event that occurred later.

I was confused about Tillis wearing a mask and getting sick, but the fact he took it off after going inside would seem to explain it better.

"Outside" is not a panacea. It's likely much less risky, but certainly not risk-free, especially when you're congregating closely together for a long period, and not wearing a mask. Masks are not magic, either -- they drastically reduce the likelihood of transmission, but they don't eliminate it.

As an added bonus, they were all hugging and kissing each other.

Good info R222. I think b/c we didn't really see a definitive spike after the protests, which was a mixed bag of mask/no mask, I felt pretty good about outdoor activities with the appropriate cautions. I didn't realize that there was an indoor reception as well. Does everyone think the initial infections took place on Air Force One? Hicks, Trump, etc?

[quote]I think b/c we didn't really see a definitive spike after the protests

We didn't see a spike because the protests motivated non-protestors to stay home. A friend who works at my county health dept. said there were dozens of cases they suspected were from protests -- and our protests were not large, by any means.

oh, i read somewhere that if you were wearing a mask in Trump's presence in a meeting etc, he will ask you to take if off!!!!!!!!!!!!!! WTF?

Kenzo Takada, iconic Japanese designer, dead at 81 of COVID-19 complications Kenzo Takada, the Japanese fashion designer who founded the brand Kenzo, died Sunday from COVID-19 complications. He was 81 years old.

“It is with immense sadness that the brand K-3 announces the loss of its celebrated artistic director, Kenzo Takada,” a spokesperson for K-3 told CNN in a statement. “The world-renowned designer passed away on October 4th, 2020 due to Covid-19 related complications at the age of 81 at the American Hospital, in Neuilly-sur-Seine, France.”

On Sunday, Kenzo’s official Instagram account also confirmed the news, posting a tribute to its founder.

“For half a century, Mr. Takada has been an emblematic personality in the fashion industry – always infusing creativity and color into the world. Today, his optimism, zest for life and generosity continue to be pillars of our Maison. He will be greatly missed and always remembered,” the post read.

Kenzo’s creative director, Felipe Oliveira Baptista, also memorialized Takada on Instagram.

“FAREWELL MASTER,” he began. “It is with great sadness that I have learned the passing away of Mr Kenzo Takada. His amazing energy, kindness, talent and smile were contagious. His kindred spirit will live forever.”

Takada founded Kenzo the luxury label Kenzo in 1970. He announced his retirement in 1999.

Jim Parsons and husband both had COVID-19

Jim Parsons and his husband, Todd Spiewak, contracted the novel coronavirus in mid-March, he revealed on Monday.

“Todd and I both had it early on,” the “Big Bang Theory” star, 47, shared on “The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon.” “It was like … middle of March. We didn’t know what it was. We thought we had colds. And then it seemed less likely, and then finally we lost our sense of smell and taste.”

“It defied the descriptions for me,” Parsons added. “I didn’t realize how completely taste and smell could be gone.”

According to the “Boys in the Band” star, losing his sense of taste resulted in “a lot of wasted calories” considering that, while under quarantine, “there’s really nothing to do but eat.”

He also feels like he wasted a lot of time while recovering, unable to complete several tasks he had lined up.

“I don’t know if the truth is, well, you’re just an actor and that’s what you do and that’s what you should do or if it’s just I really don’t have the see-through stick-to-itness for anything,” he explained. “It’s sort of embarrassing but, you know, here I am.”

"A friend who works at my county health dept. said there were dozens of cases they suspected were from protests -- and our protests were not large, by any means."

Suuuuuuuure

[quote] Though not a positive politically, I think it's good that whatever that nominated Judge's name is, that she had been poz over the summer, was standing next to Trump while was presumably most infectious and is fine so far. That gives me hope that immunity is real and hopefully this is evidence of that.

On the other hand, they never clarified when in summer she had it, and summer only officially ended a few days prior to the event. She may very well have been Patient Zero.

My aunt said the doctor asked her when she experienced symptoms, and counted from the days she was experiencing symptoms, not the date of diagnosis. So she tested positive on the 26th or 27th and was back to work yesterday.

Also, I have a friend who works in a restaurant, I've posted about her situation before-- she said at this point it's basically 'don't ask, don't tell' in restaurants, "and if you do tell then don't tell anyone else and you still need to cover your shift.". Most of the servers are young people who are asymptomatic or experience mild symptoms, so it doesn't stop them from doing their job for long. The restaurant demographic is higher-end, middle aged or older people.

These people are out there carrying on for a dollar, so mask up, DL.

A buddy of mine works at a restaurant and he takes temps of all customers and employees every day. some customers have very low temps. like 90 only!

Explains why old people are cold all the time.

I read that people’s temperatures in general are lower on average than they were fifty years ago. Temps in the 97 + degree range are more common now, instead of 98.6.

[quote]Also, I have a friend who works in a restaurant, I've posted about her situation before-- she said at this point it's basically 'don't ask, don't tell' in restaurants

Just like the White House!

Man, Regal Cinemas are probably going to shut until the end of the year, and not just in places where they're still forced to be.

This is the death rattle of the theater experience.

[quote]I read that people’s temperatures in general are lower on average than they were fifty years ago. Temps in the 97 + degree range are more common now, instead of 98.6.

We probably permanently lowered our metabolisms by being so sedentary and fat.

Melania Trump tweets that she is "feeling good" and will continue to rest at home

From CNN's Kate Bennett

First lady Melania Trump has tweeted she is “feeling good & will continue to rest at home” after testing positive for Covid-19 last week.

She also thanked medical staff and caretakers, and said she was praying for those affected by coronavirus. CNN has reported the first lady has no plans to leave the White House while she battles the disease.

“My family is grateful for all of the prayers & support! I am feeling good & will continue to rest at home. Thank you to medical staff & caretakers everywhere, & my continued prayers for those who are ill or have a family member impacted by the virus," the tweet said.

Regeneron president says "not appropriate" to comment about when White House asked for experimental treatment

From CNN's Naomi Thomas and Jen Christensen

Dr. George Yancopoulos, founding scientist, president and chief scientific officer of Regeneron, said that it wouldn’t be appropriate to comment on when the White House got in touch to ask for the experimental Covid-19 treatment President Trump received.

Yancopoulos said on CNN on Monday that as physician scientists, they respect patient privacy and in doing so, leave questions like this to the patient and their direct physicians. "“It’s not appropriate for us to be commenting on things like that,” Yancopoulos said. "

When asked if they had heard from the President’s team over the weekend, Yancopoulos said they hear the same thing about the President as everyone else.

“What we hear is very much, I think, what you’ve been hearing,” Yancopoulos said. “That he’s been doing exceedingly well, and that they’re very optimistic.”

Remember: The White House confirmed doctors gave President Trump a single 8-gram dose of Regeneron’s experimental antibody therapy to treat Covid-19.

Regeneron, a New York-based biotech company, confirmed that it provided the drug in what’s commonly known as a “compassionate use” request from the President’s physicians.

The therapy is known as REGN-COV2; the company calls it a “cocktail” of two monoclonal antibodies.

Polyclonal antibodies are made using several different immune cells, while monoclonal antibodies are made using identical immune cells that are clones of a specific parent cell.

To make its monoclonal antibody therapy, Regeneron scientists selected two antibodies that best neutralized a version of the novel coronavirus in the lab. They then cloned these antibodies and put it into a treatment. Regeneron is using two antibodies since they think it will work best as the virus mutates.

Trump was demanding to return to the White House Sunday, sources say

From CNN's Jim Acosta

President Donald Trump was demanding to go back to the White House on Sunday, two sources familiar with the situation told CNN.

“He is done with the hospital,” one of the sources said of Trump’s mood yesterday.

Trump is concerned the sight of him being hospitalized “makes him look weak,” the other source said.

White House chief of staff Mark Meadows said earlier this morning that a determination by Trump's doctors as to whether the President would return to the White House would be made later today.

Russian scientists behind Sputnik-V call on US to reconsider their vaccine following Trump diagnosis

From CNN's Matthew Chance in Moscow

Russian scientists responsible for creating the country's coronavirus vaccine are calling for the US to reconsider Sputnik-V following the news of US President Donald Trump’s Covid-19 diagnosis.

"Now would be a good time for the US to seriously consider the Russian vaccine to defend themselves against Covid-19," Vladimir Gushchin, head of the laboratory at the Gamaleya Institute told CNN’s Matthew Chance.

“Trump would not be in this situation if he'd been vaccinated with Sputnik-V,” Gushchin claimed.

Alexander Gintsburg, director of the institute that created Sputnik-V, told Russian state news agency RIA-Novosti that Russia was ready to help the US if they asked for support. “I think that if they officially turn to Russian authorities, we will be able to help them,” Gintsburg told RIA on Friday.

Gintsburg said he expects the US will be able to take care of their President, but it would have been good to have vaccinated Trump with the Russian vaccine, adding there are other US officials who should now consider taking Sputnik-V.

Moscow fast-tracked the approval of Sputnik-V before phase 3 human trials had started, generating criticism outside Russia.

CNN previously reported in August that Russian officials in Moscow had offered "unprecedented cooperation" with Operation Warp Speed (OWS), the US multi-agency body set up to accelerate access to effective Covid-19 vaccines and treatments.

But officials told CNN at the time that the "US is not currently open" to the Russian medical advances.

I agree. Vaccinate Trump with the Russian vaccine. Then if he starts glowing in the dark or dies, oh well.

[quote]Trump is concerned the sight of him being hospitalized “makes him look weak,” the other source said.

He didn't even need to get sick for that optic.

CNN: Covid-19 first struck Jordan Josey around St. Patrick's Day, right as social distancing guidelines were rolling out across the country.

The 29-year-old lawyer from Macon, Georgia, was sick through Easter, before eventually clearing the coronavirus, developing antibodies and gradually building up his stamina again by early May.

Life felt like it was returning to normal. He started jogging again and by late June, he felt confident enough to visit his family in South Carolina, where they played tennis and ventured out on a lake in a boat.

But then inexplicably he came down with Covid-19 symptoms again just before the Fourth of July.

Josey's second round of Covid-19 rendered him almost entirely inactive for four weeks. The disease stole his lung stamina again, but it also presented with symptoms that differed from his first case. It caused fatigue so severe his doctors tested him for mononucleosis. He lost his appetite and dropped weight.

He and his internist aren't sure whether the virus was never fully defeated or whether he may have gotten reinfected.

NYC schools in COVID-19 hotspots will close starting Tuesday: Gov. Cuomo

City schools in Brooklyn and Queens neighborhoods experiencing coronavirus outbreaks will again be closed starting Tuesday, Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced Monday.

Cuomo made the announcement in a Midtown Manhattan press briefing one day after Mayor Bill de Blasio sought his blessing to shut down nine ZIP codes in the boroughs wholesale.

“I would not send my child to a school in a hot-spot cluster,” he said. “I am not going to recommend or allow any New York City family to send their child to a school that I wouldn’t send my child.

“These clusters have to be attacked,” he continued. “New York City has clusters.”

Cuomo said that he made the decision following a “good, collaborative” conference call with de Blasio, city Comptroller Scott Stringer, City Council President Corey Johnson and Michael Mulgrew, president of the powerful United Federation of Teachers union.

Cuomo approved de Blasio’s plan less than a week after rapping the city for not doing enough to tamp down on the burgeoning outbreaks, a point he again stressed Monday without specifically naming the target of his remarks.

“Enforcement is kind. You know why? Because enforcement saves lives,” Cuomo said. “Any rule is only as good as the enforcement.

“Too many local governments are not doing enforcement,” he continued. “Warnings are not enforcement.”

The city Department of Health on Thursday empowered other municipal agencies with the authority to shutter businesses that repeatedly flout pandemic precautions, but de Blasio rolled out the plan for the wholesale shutdown on Sunday.

Nine ZIP codes were targeted by City Hall for their 3-percent coronavirus positivity rate over the past seven days.

The nine ZIP codes are:

11219: Borough Park, Brooklyn

11223: Gravesend/Homecrest, Brooklyn

11230: Midwood, Brooklyn

11204: Bensonhurst/Mapleton, Brooklyn

11210: Flatlands, Brooklyn

11691: Edgemere/Far Rockaway, Queens

11229: Gerritsen Beach/Sheepshead Bay, Brooklyn

11367: Kew Gardens Hills/Pomonok, Queens

11415: Kew Gardens, Queens

Paris bars to close as French capital placed on maximum COVID alert

PARIS – Paris is to be placed on maximum COVID-19 alert, meaning bars will be forced to close for two weeks from Tuesday and restaurants will have to put in place new sanitary protocols to stay open, the prime minister’s office said.

Prime Minister Jean Castex’s office said there had been no improvement in the Paris region since the capital passed all three of the government’s criteria for being put on the highest level of alert mid-last week.

Working from home should be prioritized “now more than ever” in the Paris area and university lecture halls should be no more than half full, Castex’s office said in a statement.

The reinforced restrictions will take effect from Tuesday.

“These measures, indispensable in the fight to curb the virus’ spread, will apply to Paris and the three departments immediately surrounding it, for a duration of two weeks,” it said.

For a city to be placed on maximum alert, the incidence rate must exceed 100 infections per 100,000 among elderly inhabitants and 250 per 100,000 among the general public, while at least 30 percent of intensive care beds are reserved for coronavirus patients.

A week ago, restaurants and bars were shut down for a fortnight in Marseille, the southern city at the epicenter of the second wave, prompting protests and an unsuccessful legal challenge.

Restaurants in Marseille will be allowed to reopen early under the same new protocols.

France on Sunday reported 12,565 new cases of coronavirus, while 893 COVID-19 patients had been admitted into intensive care over the past week.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention acknowledged Monday that people can sometimes be infected with the coronavirus through airborne transmission, especially in enclosed spaces with inadequate ventilation.

The long-awaited update to the agency Web page explaining how the virus spreads represents an official acknowledgment of growing evidence that under certain conditions, people farther than six feet apart can become infected by tiny droplets and particles that float in the air for minutes and hours, and that they play a role in the pandemic.

The update follows an embarrassing incident last month when the agency removed a draft that had not gone through proper review and was posted in error

Two White House housekeepers have tested positive and were told to use "discretion" in discussing it.

Chad Gilmartin, a member of the White House press shop, is positive.

At this afternoon's briefing, Conley refused to answer these questions:

When was Trump's last negative test?

What did Trump's lung scans look like?

What was Trump's viral load?

Will Trump be confined to the White House residence when he returns this evening? If so, for how long?

Why wasn't Trump given hydroxychloroquine, given Trump's eagerness in touting it at every opportunity?

Does he agree with Trump's claim that the public shouldn't be afraid of COVID-19?

There are more coronavirus cases in Trump's circle than there is in some countries

And we haven't listed Kayleigh McEnany yet.

And Pastor Greg Laurie, who was also at the Rose Garden event.

Related thread

Fear and anxiety among White House staffers hit a new level Monday after White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany revealed that she and two of her aides were positive for the coronavirus.

So far, ABC News has confirmed 17 individuals who have been on the White House grounds or in contact with President Trump have tested positive for the coronavirus.

Multiple White House sources told ABC News there is "a full-blown freak-out" in the administration waiting to see who will be next to test positive -- with aides not trusting each other and some trying to find ways to avoid coming into work at all. The sources added that there weren't many staffers in the West Wing Monday afternoon and there was a lot of regret for not taking the coronavirus more seriously by not wearing masks and social distancing regularly.*

*If only there had been some kind of warning!

[quote]some trying to find ways to avoid coming into work at all.

It's called don't come into work at all.

We little people have done it millions of times.

[quote] Multiple White House sources told ABC News there is "a full-blown freak-out"

White House Staffers: They're Just Like Us!!

Harris and Pence will debate on Wednesday but they'll install a plexiglass barrier between them.

Good on you, Kamala!

Separate yourself from the Typhoid MARY

Unfortunately, another teacher has died

So smaller particles of virus can linger in the air for hours or even longer. And six feet is not far enough of a distance barrier.

Great, just great.

That's why there is more attention being paid these days to ventilation updates than to disinfecting surfaces, R261. And if you're in a workspace where they brag about how often they're disinfecting but don't say shit about the ventilation, you can be pretty confident that what they are doing is little more than "hygiene theater."

Anybody who was part of Corona Virus Freak Out deduced it was aerosol/airborne from the get go. I think we were all masking it up way before they said to do anything. I always feel astonished when I read the CDC or any health updates. We already knew this.

Of course it is airborne, we saw trucks in china sanitizing the air in the streets way back in January

Goggles. Wear Goggles. The virus can come in through your eyes.

I wear a mask with an eye shield. I'm not wearing goggles just yet.

I don't go out much, so I wear a mask and gloves when I do laundry downstairs or take out the garbage or go to my office (which is only manned by two people in two rooms) but last week I had to go to the doctor and I wore goggles in addition. They were a pain in the ass. But I kept them on.

There is a city md close by my work where I pass by very often and the line was out the door today. I crossed the street to avoid it. It hasn't been that busy in a while.

Can anyone recommend some goggles that don't look completely fucking ridiculous? Why is couture not jumping on high fashion Covid stylings?

$10 goggles

Swim Goggles. Make sure the goggles you buy don't have air holes.

From the description of the $10 goggles:

[quote]a unique ventilation system

Try again. Those are splash goggles. The swim goggles might be a better idea.

lol @ the froggy goggles, yeah, those are chic

[quote] I wore goggles in addition

Hawt!

R271 You rock! So funny..

I like these goggles because they're completely clear and non-bulky so you hardly notice them. They fit well with a mask, too.

i got googles back in Feb. Haven't used them yet. I've worn face shields with masks.

Would you wear these?

I would love to find glasses that function as goggles so I only needed to wear one thing. I found a company that looked promising. They will take your existing Rx, even if it's multifocal, but I was able to see a larger set of photos and noticed there are vent holes at the top. Why would they do that? It defeats the purpose.

It looks like the Trump administration is prepared to go all in on "herd immunity," overruling its own experts. HHS Secretary Alex Azar and Scott Atlas, a health advisor to Trump, met with three doctors who are proponents of the "herd immunity" approach to dealing with the pandemic.

[quote]In the meeting, the three doctors told Azar that allowing the virus to spread uncontrolled among young, healthy people while protecting older adults and those at higher risk for serious illness would build up enough population immunity to stop it from spreading widely while avoiding lockdowns and other mitigation measures that have had a damaging impact on the economy.

Few experts buy into this theory, as the article notes. Among other reasons:

[quote]Hanage questioned the ability to successfully cordon off the most vulnerable and protect them from getting infected, noting that the White House recently became the site of a superspreading event involving the president, despite having regular access to testing that the average American does not.

DL rejected the link from The Hill, so you'll have to do a web search if you want to read the whole thing.

Not exactly a surprise:

[quote]Across the U.S., the relaxation of statewide physical distancing measures that are designed to control the COVID-19 pandemic frequently resulted in an immediate reversal of public health gains against SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes the disease, researchers from Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) and colleagues reported.

[quote]...

[quote]Looking at data from all 50 states and the District of Columbia, the researchers found a gradual but steady decline in viral transmission rates during the eight weeks immediately preceding relaxation of physical distancing rules. But almost immediately after those rules were relaxed, most states reversed course. Eight weeks after restrictions were lifted or loosened, only nine of 51 still had low rates of transmission.

Several medical and political updates at the link, along with selected stats.

No matter how many comments I've read after, this thread keeps returning to post 241 about the Russian vaccine whenever I log back on. Why is that???

PUTIN!

[quote]General Mark Milley, chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff, is self-quarantining after contact with a Coast Guard officer who tested positive for Covid-19, a military source said Tuesday.

Well, at least he has the decency to observe quarantine. Unfortunately his commander in chief thinks he's a sucker for his military service.

CBS News reports top U.S. military officials quarantined after COVID19 exposure:

Chairman of Joint Chiefs of Staff

Vice Chairman

Army Chief of staff

Naval Operations Chief

Air Force Chief of Staff

CyberCom Commander

SpaceForce Operations Chief

Also:

Chief of the National Guard

Marine Corps Deputy Commandant

Just saw this. When you think he can't go any lower ...

NBC News @NBCNews

2m

BREAKING: President Trump says he has "instructed my representatives to stop negotiating" for a new coronavirus relief bill "until after the election;" says he has asked Sen. McConnell to "focus full time on approving my outstanding nominee" to the US Supreme Court.

r279, to prevent fogging.

[quote]President Trump says he has "instructed my representatives to stop negotiating" for a new coronavirus relief bill "until after the election;"

Yesterday's Hill-Harris PollX poll finds that 74% of voters say the Senate should pass a new COVID-19 relief bill before confirming a SCOTUS nominee.

Eighty-eight percent of Democrats, 77 percent of independents and 55 percent of Republicans were in favor of the Senate passing another stimulus package first.

I used to hair a pair of prescription safety glasses, which I wore in chemistry lab. I got them through my eye doctor, so insurance covered them. I would imagine they have prescription goggles now. I know someone makes prescription scuba masks because a friend of mine had them.

I hope the White House employees who've developed Covid file an OSHA complaint.

[quote]Many people don't realize this but OSHA has jurisdiction over the White House. Employees there could file complaints against Trump for endangering them with coronavirus. One former OSHA official tells me there's a strong case to be made he's violating the general duty clause. 1/x - Dave Jamieson (HuffPost)

r288, they must have been promised a bonus if they could ram her through before the election.

It's kind of a tacit admission that they think he's going to lose.

And it's more likely to make that loss happen. It's front-page news today and stocks are down.

[quote]I used to hair

I did too. Lost it many years ago.

[quote[if they could ram her through before the election

Pics please.

[quote]they must have been promised a bonus if they could ram her through before the election.

They can also do it after the election, using the lame duck session.

Yeah, I don't understand it all -- he shoots down an overwhelmingly popular bill and ensures that he personally will take the blame for it while cratering the stock market. Quite the stable genius, that one.

To be honest, I fear it is a foregone conclusion that the economy is going to tank regardless of the outcome of the election.

Roll Call's Chris Marquette:

There are now 123 front-line workers in the Capitol complex who have have tested positive—or are presumed positive—for COVID-19, according to House Admin GOP Spokesperson Ashley Phelps.

R301 Actual footage of Lindsay Graham walking across the National Mall.

"I Broke My Promise...Won't Keep My Distance"

I wish that was Miss LuPone.

A doctor who had Covid-19 writes in WaPo about what Trump may be going through now-

[quote] Based on my experiences as both an infected person and a provider to dozens of patients fighting the infection, I would expect the president to struggle this week with waxing and waning symptoms of covid-19: paroxysms of coughing, shortness of breath after mild exertion, headaches, moments of “fuzzy thinking,” intermittent fever and profound episodes of fatigue. The fatigue is particularly vexing and is the one symptom that likely will linger for weeks after he has recovered from the others. I wouldn’t be surprised if it persisted up to Election Day.

[quote] Owing to the lack of transparency into the president’s condition, I can only speculate what his day-to-day symptoms are or how he truly is feeling moment to moment. Yet, having fought through this nightmare, I can imagine what it is like for him. The fear of the unknown, the terrifying nights when I wasn’t sure I would make it to the next morning without having to be hospitalized — that is something I never want to experience again.

[quote]I would expect the president to struggle this week with waxing

As if the fat bastard would know a can of Pledge if it hit him in the face.

Hearing rumors that Chris Christie is in ICU and on a ventilator - apparently more news is hitting media later today. Take it with a big grain of salt (but not as big as his fat ass).

Patti was otherwise occupied, r304...

Thanks, R308. May you never be infected.

I wish I could stand RR. He's so embarrassing.

You're very welcome, r309, and same to you.

I wish you could as well, r310, because he totally isn't.

The AP has a new story out on a seven-month investigation into the PPE supply chain problems the U.S. has faced.

[quote]In 2019, the Trump administration conducted an exercise dubbed “Crimson Contagion,” a pandemic flu simulation exercise involving 12 federal agencies, 74 local health departments and 87 hospitals across 12 states. Their key takeaways foreshadowed exactly what would happen less than a year later: In a pandemic, the U.S. would not have enough “on-hand stock of antiviral medications, needles, syringes, N95 respirators, ventilators, and other ancillary medical supplies.” Countries that make those supplies were going to keep them for their own citizens. And there wasn’t enough domestic manufacturing to fill that gap.

...

[quote]Experts agree that one solution is a massive investment in U.S. manufacturing that not only allows existing companies to expand, but guarantees a long-term market for medical supplies that are more expensive than those made by Asian competitors. There is no sign that this is going to happen.

...

[quote]“All of it was counterfeit, as defined by OSHA’s definition of counterfeit or fraudulently labeled,” said Clapp. Every mask. Some were less than 50% effective, about the same as a cotton T-shirt.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Tuesday issued a report backing the effectiveness of mask-wearing and social distancing. The report shows that confirmed infections increased by 151% in Arizona after the lifting of a stay-at-home order, then decreased 75% shortly after mask-wearing and limited business restrictions were imposed.

As Dr. Fauci said this morning, "It's not rocket science."

I recommend bleach bath, it worked for Chris Cuomo and out family!

USA Today:

White House coronavirus outbreak may have exposed thousands from Atlanta to Minnesota

What's that? Patti LuPone, you say?

I didn’t even have to read that list of schools that have been shut. As soon as I heard there were new outbreaks in Brooklyn & Queens I said to my husband gee, I wonder if they’re in Williamsburg, Borough Park, Kew Gardens, Far Rockaway......

AP: Wisconsin health officials announced Wednesday that a field hospital will open next week at the state fairgrounds near Milwaukee as a surge in COVID-19 cases threatens to overwhelm hospitals.

But no worries, the "it's just the flu" crowd continues to tell us that hospitalizations are going down.

These are transparent

After we posted about it a couple nights ago, I went searching and I found this place and another. I'm waiting for the 2nd place to get back to me with answers to some questions I had, but this place got back to me right away. They do progressives, too.

R307, I’ll be surprised if Chris Christie survives, or at least survives without major health problems. He is exactly what they call high risk. He’s got to be either diabetic or has heart issues or both at that weight. And diabetes weakens your kidneys. Plus they say fat interferes with breathing.

Anyone who is fat now needs to go on a diet. Every time you go outside there’s a risk.

My dream of a Fatty Arbuckle biopic starring Christie is also dying.

How does Chris Christie's ventilator work, as he is already full of so much hot air.

Pennsylvania's highest single day numbers since May.

From the editors of The New England Journal of Medicine:

Covid-19 has created a crisis throughout the world. This crisis has produced a test of leadership. With no good options to combat a novel pathogen, countries were forced to make hard choices about how to respond. Here in the United States, our leaders have failed that test. They have taken a crisis and turned it into a tragedy.

Anyone else who recklessly squandered lives and money in this way would be suffering legal consequences. Our leaders have largely claimed immunity for their actions. But this election gives us the power to render judgment. Reasonable people will certainly disagree about the many political positions taken by candidates. But truth is neither liberal nor conservative. When it comes to the response to the largest public health crisis of our time, our current political leaders have demonstrated that they are dangerously incompetent. We should not abet them and enable the deaths of thousands more Americans by allowing them to keep their jobs.

I know that some people in this thread are not freaking out anymore but things are starting to go very bad again. +3000 new cases in Belgium today and now this news from France.

Guardian-Paris hospitals move into emergency mode amid rise in Covid-19 patients. Hospitals in the Paris region have moved into emergency mode, cancelling staff holidays and postponing non-essential operations, as coronavirus patients made up close to half of all patients in intensive care units (ICUs).

A true disaster is bubbling in Spain. Despite the devastating first wave, people are unwilling to make further compromises this time. Sadly, this is the story througout Europe and the reason that this second (or whatever) wave may end up being far worse than the first. It is gaining momentum throughout Europe. Cases, deaths and hospitalizations are rising. Restaurants, bars (in most places), schools, stores, borders are open! Freeways and public transport are busy with commuters. The ski season is fast approaching again.... The fire is simmering

Guardian-Madrid court rejects partial lockdown as ‘harmful to basic rights’. Madrid’s top regional court has rejected a partial lockdown imposed on the capital and nine nearby towns to slow the rapid spread of coronavirus.A court statement said the measures “impacted on the rights and fundamental freedoms” of the 4.5 million residents affected by the closure.

Gonna be a long, cold, lonely winter.

Truly the Winter of our discontent, r329.

So Pence has suddenly canceled a trip to Indiana tomorrow. I wonder if it has anything to do with his pink eye...

Honestly R327, I'm not freaking out about Europe because at this point, if countries that managed to do the right thing and contain the virus now want to give up and take the American route because the citizens are bored and the the governments want to encourage people to go back to work and school at all cost....

well, FUCK EM.

I don't have the energy anymore.

Fuck 'em. Let them die.

The pandemic killed 107,000 oil and gas jobs. Most aren't coming back anytime soon

From CNN's Matt Egan

The oil and gas industry is laying off workers at an unprecedented pace to cope with a pandemic that crashed energy prices and raised doubts about the future of fossil fuels.

A staggering 107,000 jobs vanished from the US oil, gas and chemicals industry between March and August 2020, according to an analysis published this week by Deloitte. That's the fastest rate of layoffs in the industry's history -- and it doesn't even include the untold number of people on furlough or taking pay cuts.

The vast majority of those energy jobs are unlikely to return anytime soon.

Even if US oil prices stay at $45 a barrel until the end of 2021, 70% of the jobs lost during the pandemic in the oil, gas and chemicals industry may not come back by the end of next year, the Deloitte analysis found.

"Such large-scale layoffs are challenging the industry's reputation as a reliable employer," the Deloitte report said.

Part of the problem is that the fortunes of the notoriously boom-to-bust oil and gas industry have become even more closely tied to commodity prices than in the past.

A $1 change, up or down, in US oil prices can potentially impact 3,000 upstream and oilfield services jobs, compared with 1,500 jobs in the 1990s, Deloitte found. In other words, the link between jobs and prices is twice as powerful as it was then.

U.S. Surgeon General Jerome Adams To Face Fine And Possible Jail Time For Breaking Coronavirus Rule In Hawaii

[quote]A police officer rolling by Kualoa Regional Park in late August noticed three men near the shore, snapping photos of the jagged jungle mountains and cerulean seas on Oahu’s northeastern coast.

Three men all alone in a closed park, oohing and aahing over jagged jungle mountains and cerulean seas, letting the untamed wildness of nature stir their souls in a most hedonistic manner?

Well, imagine that!

In my home province of Quebec, Canada's most infected province, we've been having infection rates over 1000 a day, except for one low day yesterday, almost 800..

Too much, too soon. Now our bars and restaurants are closed in our red zones, Montreal, Quebec City, and La Beauce.

This is almost exclusively under 40s with a majority of them being the very young. There isn't much to be done to change this as it closely correlates with the percentages of young people who engage in any kind of risky behaviour.

R325 Illinois as well, with 3, 239 cases today. Thirty-two more deaths today, this brings the seven day average up roughly 31%. The average has been steadily rising, and 47 deaths recorded 2 October, and 42 for Wednesday.

But. but, but the virus has mutated into a weaker form!

R338 To be fair, that is believed by many. It may be more infectious to be certain, yet it is frequently reported to be less deadly.

I had posted upthread that the CFR has not increased.. The fatality rate has not increased, and the trend of number of deaths isn't rising as the number of new infections has.

I'm not an American, nor a Trumper, and I don't tweet. Let's not jump to conclusions here. It doesn't help matters.

My post may be written vaguely, the seven day average of new positive tests is increasing.

R338 To be fair, that is believed by many. It may be more infectious to be certain, yet it is frequently reported to be less deadly.

I had posted upthread that the CFR has not increased.. The fatality rate has not increased, and the trend of number of deaths isn't rising as the number of new infections has.

I'm not an American, nor a Trumper, and I don't tweet. Let's not jump to conclusions here. It doesn't help matters.

My post may be written vaguely, the seven day average of new positive tests is increasing.

Who gives a fuck about a lower percentage of deaths when the virus can leave you completely incapacitated and a ticking time bomb?

Wisconsin reporting over 3200 cases today, and sets a record for the most daily new infections recorded. Positivity rate is 17.3%, which was never nearly this high at the peak in May.

R341 Many do take comfort or gain some solace in the fact that deaths are not rising as the number of cases do. With advances in treatment, avoidance of placing patients on vents whenever possible, the death rate is NOT as high. Many cling to any hopeful or positive news during this catastrophe.

I can only speak for myself, but I'd want to live and hope for the best if I were to be infected. I think it's terrifying considering the reports of long term organ damage, reduced energy, cognitive impairment, lowered fertility in young patients, etc... any positive news is welcome however.

Everybody and their brother is cranking out PPE. It's a big 💰 money maker for everyone from Etsy Fraus to big Chinese manufacturers.

How many of you have a large assortment of fabric masks that you no longer wear? Or never wore?

REGENERON!

....

[quote] How many of you have a large assortment of fabric masks that you no longer wear? Or never wore?

I do, but only because I had to go through a lot of shit masks ordered online before I found some that fit me properly, didn't fog my glasses or bend my ears and had enough layers that I felt somewhat protected. And even now I don't have any masks I would call perfect.

[quote]How many of you have a large assortment of fabric masks that you no longer wear? Or never wore?

I do, but also because it's taken a few purchases to find a style that works for me and they usually can't be returned.

But, I have found some that work well enough and I always bring a mask with me when going anywhere. Always wear them inside and when outside, I put it on when around people, even if I seem to be the only one who has one on. I don't care who considers me a sheep. Even bought lanyards to hang it around my neck when not wearing so that I don't have to shove it in my pocket.

[quote]Etsy Fraus

A distinct humanoid subspecies to be avoided at all cost.

LA had our biggest spike since August on Wed, but they can't figure out where it came from. It's too far past to be from Labor Day and the new openings (breweries, wineries, malls) only happened a couple of days ago. They think there might be a glitch and are waiting for more evidence. We have been in the purple zone forever! The metrics for openings don't have us moving for another month at least. It's been a long treck but deaths are down.

I took my car in for service last Dec. I just realized that since then I have only driven about 1,200 miles. This is in SoCA.

That’s crazy r351. I bought a new car in March and only put three thousand miles on it—and that’s with a 600 mile round trip to visit my niece.

[post redacted because linking to dailymail.co.uk clearly indicates that the poster is either a troll or an idiot (probably both, honestly.) Our advice is that you just ignore this poster but whatever you do, don't click on any link to this putrid rag.]

Broadway suspends shows through May 2021

From CNN’s Alison Kosik

The Broadway League announced on Friday that all ticket sales for Broadway performances in New York City will be suspended through May 30, 2021.

All 41 Broadway theaters have been closed since March 12 due to the coronavirus pandemic. The Broadway League, which is the national traded association for the Broadway Industry, has repeatedly extended the suspension of shows. Most recently, the league said shows would not be returning to the stage until at least January of 2021.

“With nearly 97,000 workers who rely on Broadway for their livelihood and an annual economic impact of $14.8 billion to the city, our membership is committed to re-opening as soon as conditions permit us to do so. We are working tirelessly with multiple partners on sustaining the industry once we raise our curtains” said Charlotte St. Martin, President of the Broadway League.

The Broadway League says theatergoers holding tickets for dates through May 30, 2021 should contact their point of purchase for details about exchanges and refunds.

Europe tops global charts for new Covid-19 cases

From Niamh Kennedy in Dublin

The world recorded its highest number of daily Covid-19 cases since the pandemic began on Thursday, according to the World Health Organization, and a second wave of the virus in Europe is fueling the surge.

As a region, Europe is now reporting more daily infections than the United States, Brazil, and India -- the countries that have been driving the global case count for months.

The continent recorded 97,800 new cases on Thursday, according to WHO.

Widening outbreaks in European countries such as France, Austria, Romania and the Czech Republic are contributing to the spike.

Bars to close in four more French cities subject to tighter Covid-19 restrictions

From CNN's Pierre Bairin in Paris and Lindsay Isaac in London

Tighter restrictions are set to come into effect in four more French cities as the country reported a record 18,746 new infections on Thursday.

Lille, Lyon, Grenoble and Saint-Etienne are now under "maximum alert" along with Marseille and Paris, and all bars, gyms and sports centers are to close on Saturday, the health minister Olivier Veran ordered on Thursday.

A “maximum alert” is established when the incidence rate of the virus is over 250 cases per 100,000 people, when the incidence rate for people aged 65 or over is more than 100, and when more than 30% of ICU beds are being used by coronavirus patients.

Thursday marked a second day in a row where the number of new cases surpassed 18,000. The positivity rate amongst people getting tested is now at 9.8%, up from 7.6% on October 1. In Paris, the regional health agency told CNN today that the proportion of Covid patients in ICU remains at around 40% -- above the 30% mark.

Infection levels in Toulouse and Montpellier are also "worrying" and they could be the next cities to come under new restrictions, Veran said.

Bill Gates sees monoclonal antibodies like the treatment Trump got as the best way to treat Covid-19 infections

From CNN's Maggie Fox

Monoclonal antibody treatments like the one President Donald Trump got may be the most effective approach for treating coronavirus infections, Microsoft founder Bill Gates said Thursday.

Last Friday, Trump was given an antibody cocktail produced by biotechnology company Regeneron which included a pair of monoclonal antibodies that target the spike protein the virus uses to drill into healthy cells. Trump left the hospital and returned to the White House Monday.

Regeneron and pharmaceutical company Eli Lilly and Co. have applied to the US Food and Drug Administration for emergency use authorization for their monoclonal antibody products.

Early data from clinical trials of Eli Lilly and Co’s monoclonal antibody indicates a 60% reduction in hospitalization rates, Gates said. He said Lilly hopes to be able to treat patients with very low doses of the lab-engineered immune system proteins.

Gates said monoclonal treatments may end up being far cheaper than the formulations now used to treat cancer, rheumatoid arthritis and other conditions -- treatments than can run hundreds of thousands of dollars a year, Gates predicted.

Things are looking ominous in Spain, and for the rest of Europe.

[quote]BREAKING | All Jets players, coaches reportedly sent home after player tested positive for coronavirus

[quote]The team was in the practice facility when it was revealed one player had a positive COVID-19 test. Players and coaches were sent home immediately. - New York Daily News

[quote]Players and coaches were sent home immediately.

Yeah, that should contain it.

And here in Belgium, +5.7K new cases today compared to 3.5K cases yesterday. Sure deaths are "ok" for now. But for how long? The situation in Europe is quickly spiralling out of control. As goes Europe, so goes the rest of the modern world.

It seems we do have better treatment plans and outcomes but as hospitals are overrun again and supplies become scarce, the death rate will once again climb ... in Europe and the U.S. Milwaukee's massive new field hospital won't be the last to be hastily erected.

I have to get another covid test this weekend. Got one last weekend so I could have a dr appointment today, but they said it was no good because it was more than 5 days old (they kept saying “Some labs take 7-10 days for results to come back so make sure you go to one where the result comes back in 5 days so it will be ready in time for your appointment.” Which made me think getting the test result back before my appointment was the goal.)

I wonder where I can get antibodies done

[quote] That’s crazy [R351]. I bought a new car in March and only put three thousand miles on it—and that’s with a 600 mile round trip to visit my niece.

I've got you both beat. I got a new car in August of 2019, 7 and a half months before COVID hit. My mileage is currently 2638.

COVID is rocketing in Zurich, Geneva, Lausanne. The average age is 28 now. Young people are pretty lazy about the prevention measures. Nobody has the balls to really lock down again. "It is what it is." At least you can get a less than 1-day result test free and easy anywhere. They just announced mandatory digital contact tracing at all restaurants and cafes/bars. I wonder how that will work. I haven't been to a restaurant since January. I guess you have to show the server that your cell phone is on and the tracing programme is on. Everyone hated this idea and nobody was doing it, naturally. Prevention measures in commerce are in place but adhesion is spotty. One sees maskfree workers in small shops all the time.

One of my co-workers is taking his 2nd test now. Why? Because he continues to play stupid soccer with his mates during a pandemic! A few weeks ago, several team members were sick . All tests were negative. Last week, one of his team members tested positive and so everyone is in quarantine again and has to retake the tests And for what? Because of stupid football! This is the reason that I refuse to go back to the office despite my company's recommendation that we return for 2 days per week. Not a chance with these fucking idiots!

[quote] The AP has a new story out on a seven-month investigation into the PPE supply chain problems the U.S. has faced.

Frontline did a story on this

Cornyn is negative for covid-19. Damn it! I wanted more Republican senators out of commission.

As far as the death rate falling, don’t forget — there was a severe shortage of PPE for medical professionals. They weren’t properly protected as they improvised with garbage bags & reused equipment. Americans were told not to buy masks because they were needed in hospitals. Crooks immediately began flooding the market with counterfeit N95 masks.

We don’t have those problems now. People are not running to the store to hoard bread, meat & toilet paper, thereby exposing themselves to the virus. Hospitals have supplies now. People wear fabric masks when they go to the store. Fauci told us not to wear masks because hospitals needed them. The northeast got hit first, so the6 suffered the most deaths as, due to the Trump administration, there was no preparation & no initial response to rising infection. Many people died as a result of not being protected.

Others died because they were among the first infected & Drs had to learn by trial & error. Nobody knew it caused blood clots in some people, so they weren’t put on anticoagulants. At first, it was thought to be a respiratory virus. They didn’t know it could cause rapid kidney injury & failure.

People were intubated too quickly. Hospitals learned to put fat people on their stomachs, not on their backs & to hold off intubating.

Drs in the rest of the country learned from NY & NJ, so death rates are now significantly lower. In other words, people had to die so you could live.

Ohio Wedding Results in Two Dead Grandfathers

[quote] Most new cases of COVID-19 in Ohio are coming from “everyday activities” and slipping vigilance, Gov. Mike DeWine said Thursday afternoon. He followed the pronouncement with examples: Neighborhood BBQs, rendezvous with friends after sporting events and family birthday parties.

[quote] Weddings and funerals are major contributors, too. In one case, DeWine said, an in-person wedding led to two guests —grandfathers of the bride and groom — contracting and dying of COVID-19.

[quote] “People are not being careful,” DeWine said. “I mean, think about the tragedy — I can’t fathom this. Think about the tragedy of people getting married, and then two of the grandfathers are dead. Look, this has got to stop. This has just got to stop. These lives are valuable. These lives matter. We can do better than this.”

Today is John Lennon's birthday, so hubby and I took a walk in Central Park and passed through Strawberry Fields. It was pretty crowded, and distressingly few people were wearing their masks. We were wearing ours, and made a beeline through the people to get away as quickly as possible. Hope we didn't make a fatal mistake!

I simply can't imagine, r371.

R370 - new level of Bridezilla

Dakotans are total bug chasers: new daily are 60 per100K (North) and 55 per100K (South)--the highest in the nation.

(Maryland figure is 9).

R366 here. And this is the same co-worker who took his family to Italy for a ski trip in February when the situation was exploding there. By the time he arrived by car, the pistes were closed. But he went nevertheless with his wife and young daughter despite the danger. He also recently travelled to Spain and to the south of France for summer holidays because this is what he always does. Another co-worker recently travelled to Italy posing maskless by the pool with her daughter day after day. My boss also recently returned from Spain where he travelled by plane with his wife and four young children. And tonight another co-worker mentioned that she is going to a nightclub called the "The Club" to chill out. She has young twin daughters who spent many months in intensive care due to premature birth. If these people do not take ANY precautions for their own family and children what hope is there for the rest of us?

You must be rich if everyone you know is flying to Italy and Spain

R376. LOL. We live in Europe. These places are a short flight or long drive away. And yes, the company pay is good relative to some

That is why I envy Europeans. They can be in a several different countries in a matter of an hour or two.

So true. But not sure it is such a great thing now due to the pandemic. Every country has a different approach and the borders are open so what happens in one country impacts the entire region. Incidentally, I was born in American but moved here several decades ago with my European husband because gay marriage didn't exist in the US at the time. Glad to see the progress since then but very worried now about the future there. But that is the subject of other threads

^^Sorry. Meant to write America not American. I am losing my English

Where'd you move to r379?

The Minnesota Department of Health has identified nine coronavirus cases in people who reported attending President Donald Trump's rally in Bemidji, Minnesota, last month, with one patient currently in the intensive care unit.

While the health department cautioned it is uncertain whether those individuals contracted the virus at the rally or somewhere else, spokesperson Scott Smith told ABC News that "based on case characteristics" in Beltrami County, where Bemidji is located, the Trump rally on Sept. 18, along with a wedding that took place on Sept. 19, appears to be "likely drivers of increases in COVID-19 cases" in the county.

"We cannot definitively say for those cases who did not report either attending a political rally and/or attending a wedding where they were exposed to SARS-CoV-2," Smith said. "However, these events appear, based on case characteristics, to be likely drivers of increases in COVID-19 cases in Beltrami County."

Paul Bunyan Playground...

This is a coronavirus story, so it should not be paywalled.

[quote]White House Blocked C.D.C. From Requiring Masks on Public Transportation

. . .

[quote]The thwarting of the mask rule is the latest in a number of C.D.C. actions stalled or changed by the White House. Late last month, the coronavirus task force overruled the C.D.C. director’s order to keep cruise ships docked until mid-February. That plan was opposed by the tourism industry in Florida, an important swing state in the presidential election. Political appointees at the White House and the Department of Health and Human Services have also been involved in rewriting the agency’s guidelines on reopening schools and testing for the virus, bypassing the agency’s scientists.

more at link

Here's another reason to avoid getting infected with Covid-19, if you actually needed another one:

There's Growing Concern COVID-19 Could Spark a Wave of Parkinson's Disease

[quote] "Our best understanding is that the virus can cause insult to brain cells, with potential for neurodegeneration to follow on from there." How to measure that potential is the big question.

[quote] In a new study, Barnham and his co-authors propose that the "third wave" of the COVID-19 pandemic might not be a resurgence in coronavirus infections, but a subsequent increase in viral-associated cases of Parkinson's disease, seeded by neuroinflammation, triggered in the brain as an immune response to the virus.

[quote] There's no hard evidence yet to confirm such a surge in parkinsonism will ultimately result, it's worth noting.

[quote] But something very much like this did happen once before, during the last and most comparable pandemic to grip the world: the 1918 Spanish Flu, where a form of brain inflammation called encephalitis lethargica tied to the pandemic increased the risk of parkinsonism by two to three times.

R385.. always such great news with this virus! Just when i think it can’t do anymore, It just keeps giving.

Hey! If he gets out of prison in time, the Republicans can nominate for president in 2024!

[quote]Feds Say Coppell (Texas) Man Spent $17 Million In Fraudulently Obtained PPP Loans On Homes & Luxury Cars

I'm glad they caught that guy. I can't tell you how many people said to me- You have a business, you should apply for a PPP loan. I don't have any employees. I have independent contractors, and none of them happened to be working for me right before COVID hit. (Not that it would have mattered if they were.) I wasn't about to lie about it to take money away from some business that actually needed it.

It's good that you have enough morals as a business owner to not swindle the government and taxpayers. Maybe you can now look into hiring actual employees with benefits instead of calling everyone an independent contractor go pad the bottom line.

Cases in Italy are way up again, the highest since late March :(

Toronto and Ottawa back under tighter restrictions.

"All of us, maybe even the government, maybe we got too lackadaisical when we saw 80 cases with a population of 14.5 million people.... It came back to bite us, as we all went out there and now we have to tighten it up," he said.

North and South Dakota reporting 64 and 61 new daily cases, respectively (per 100K). Highest in the country.

UK is quadrospazzed on a life glug with between 12-22k new cases per day.

Is Chris Christie dead yet?

Christie has been released from the hospital.

Oh no. He lived.

r395, maybe he'll Herman Cain.

Prefer if he Anthony Bourdained.

In France yesterday we had over 20 000 new cases. There might be restrictions in bars and restaurants, but they're doing everything to keep schools open, so parents can go to work. That means if there are cases at school they won't test kids until there are at least 3 covid cases in a class. Also quarantine is only 7 days now.

Pretty much the definitive word on Hydroxychloroquine now: per a new study, it offers absolutely no benefit; to the contrary, patients given the drug fared worse than the control group: 27% of those given the drug died within 28 days vs. 25% in the standard care group; 59.6% of them were discharged from the hospital during that 28-day period vs. 62.9% of the control group; 30.7% of them ended up on ventilators vs. 26.9% of the control group.

Link to the study, along with daily stats and other pandemic news of interest, at the link below.

DL scientists, I don't get the difference between the European virus and the American one. In Europe if followed the typical wave surge, peak, rapid decline and then a summer of no cases, UK/Euopeans were traveling all over Europe, flying, taking their holidays, etc. No cases. All of a sudden there is a massive spike again, but the timelines don't line up for it to be a result of the traveling as everyone would have been back to daily life in late August/early September. Meanwhile in the US, we have been bobbing along on just one wave that swells and then retracts. In the US, it seems the minute we stop doing measures, the spike is immediate. The virus is always here, ready to swell again. Bottom line, how come Europe got to have a summer of fun and vacations with almost not spikes? Yes, Americans have been non compliant, but the Europeans don't seem to be better with masking it and most Americans have done staycations and basically have stayed put and at home. I don't get it.

[quote] Yes, Americans have been non compliant,

[quote]I don't get it.

What's not to get? The US lacked any strong leadership on the federal level and left the states to fend for themselves. Which left red state governors free to act however they wanted, and moved too quickly.

The UK did a half assed locked down like we did - meaning people could still come and go, go shopping, etc. Their virus pattern is more aligned with the European one. Travels, pubs, etc.

R401, we're on different timelines. America started a few months after Europe. America is in the waning days of the first wave right now. Our second wave, like the one hitting Europe now, will probably hit in December.

One interesting thing, though, is that a study in Chicago showed that across several neighborhoods, 20% of people had antibodies. They had predicted 5%. So, America may also have some combined herd shit starting to go along with the people who are actually acting responsibly. Maybe that explains our constant wave vs. Europe's ebb and flow.

R401 the cases started creeping up September 1. These things increase exponentially. People were back to work, back to school and voila - every week more and more cases. It was rainy for a week or longer. Everyone inside, this probably added to it. Everyone was lack after the summer. The restrictions tighten even week. The marjority of cases are HALF the age of the spring. Or younger. It doesn't knock them out at all.

was lax...

[quote] It's good that you have enough morals as a business owner to not swindle the government and taxpayers. Maybe you can now look into hiring actual employees with benefits instead of calling everyone an independent contractor go pad the bottom line.

But they are independent contractors. I don't employ them on a regular basis. They'll come in, do a job for me and I might not see them again for months. The work I do doesn't require actual employees with benefits.

So many did take advantage of these loans, when others legitimately needed them more for their livelihoods. Kanye West, both Jenner girls, and Khloe and Kourtney took them. Many others less notable I've read about in the Mnuchin-Pompeo orbit took them as well. I believe I read somewhere that Kushner Companies took them, which is especially shameful if true.

Hundreds of maskless persons of color appeared on the White House lawn to receive Trump's COVID-laced spittle on their upturned faces.

Yep, Candace Owens was paying people to show up

Those are ALL the black people who support Trump in the whole country...and even they had to be paid to show up.

Aside from the Hasids, I think NY is doing pretty well

What is the bandage on his hand?

I know they did git ailed his hands on the video he made in front of the white housewives the other day (was it yesterday? Every day is endless with this man). He was definitely standing in front of a green screen & his hands were digitized because one if his previous appearances, his fingertips looked slightly cyanotic & it was noticed. Look at it. Look at his fingertips. They’re colored beige & it’s obviously not real

R411, a lot of those “black people” are white. Owens probably got paid by the head and couldn’t even find enough black people who would go for pay.

London is being only minimally affected by the second wave. Deaths remain way down. 70 a day for the whole of the UK as opposted to 700 a day during the first wave. It appears to have mutated and become less lethal.

At least a decent chunk seem to be wearing masks.

It’s not less lethal. People recognize the symptoms now & seek tests & treatment earlier. Drs are better learning how to treat it. They put people on anticoagulants to stop formation of blood clots. They intubate fewer people. They give steroids now. They were afraid to give steroids because they believed steroids were contraindicated for respiratory infections because they make people more susceptible to pneumonia and they tamp down the immune system. Now we know covid causes a cytokine storm in the immune s8ystem that causes massive inflammation that kills people. The steroids help prevent that from happening.

People from areas that were hard hit before are now wearing masks & using hand sanitizer. That helps prevent people from getting it. Retards won’t wear masks, but immune compromised people who live in areas where retards live wear them & don’t get infected.

What I mean is the virus is still as lethal as it was before. We’re just better at treating it.

VOTE the maggots out of the WH!!! (Because maggots make flies)

Plus, the age group getting most infected now are way younger.

I'm a "long-hauler" and finally doing better 6 months in, but I only got better once I started daily heparin injections after finding out my blood was hypercoagulating. Heparin has antiviral activity and binds the spike protein, and my theory is that I was never able to rid myself of the initial infection which was hiding out in areas in my body where the immune system couldn't get to it. Any time I couldn't get enough sleep or had some minor stressor, I would get the symptoms back again. I think that is the only reason I feel better, the heparin is binding any virus that is still hanging out. I have to take it every day to suppress the symptoms.

Doctors claim "post-viral inflammation" but I think they will find that long haulers need antivirals to get better.

That sounds like how herpes acts, R422. I wonder if Covid is a virus that sticks around and comes back at times of stress or when immunity drops for some other reason? At least in the short term, that seems to be what it does.

The Trump administration doing its best to keep the public informed about a deadly pandemic:

Kaitlan Collins: On ABC, @jonkarl says they asked Dr. Fauci to come on to talk about coronavirus and he was willing to do so, but the White House refused to let him or any of the medical experts on the task force join.

Jonathan Swan: For months, I've been trying to book interviews with top Trump administration health officials, including Dr. Hahn and Dr. Redfield, and the interview requests keep getting rejected or slow-walked. Much harder than any other bookings with Trump administration officials.

China is back to normal. We could've been there had all states shut down and did the social distancing, and masked up.

R419 Also testing is more available than it used to be so more cases are identified, including less serious cases.

It will have to mutate into something less lethal in order to survive. Though it seems to be using mink as a backup in case it kills off all the humans.

Well, there goes MY Blackglama photo shoot!

A Major Endorsement:

Today's North Dakota daily new cases (per 100K): 71.

South Dakota: 65.

Maryland: 9.

New cases of COVID-19 in the United States hit a two-month high on Friday with over 58,000 infections of the coronavirus reported and hospitalizations in the Midwest at record levels for a fifth day in a row.

Ten of the 50 states reported record one-day rises in cases on Friday, including Indiana, Minnesota, Missouri and Ohio. Wisconsin and Illinois recorded over 3,000 new cases for a second day in a row – a two-day trend not seen even during the height of the previous outbreak in the spring.

Montana, New Mexico and Wyoming also reported their biggest one-day jumps in cases, as did Oklahoma and West Virginia. Nineteen states have seen record increases in new cases so far in October.

[quote]Also testing is more available than it used to be so more cases are identified, including less serious cases.

In Illinois, the University of Illinois has a testing program that is so ubiquitous that it alone accounts for 20% of the daily tests in Illinois. It's so many tests that when they remove the results from the university from the equation, the positivity rate of that area of the state goes from 3% to over 8%. It's skewing the numbers that much. I hate the hickabillies in Southern Illinois and all the fucking hickabilly states surrounding us.

Correction: South Dakota's daily per 100K number: 68.

In the Day of the Corona, she will be known as Bridekilla.

CNBC: The U.K.’s government is set to outline a series of restrictive measures and possible local lockdowns in England on Monday as it attempts to curb a sharp rise in coronavirus cases.

The country is braced for the introduction of a “three-tier” alert system that will classify regions in terms of the severity of their infection rate. Areas with the highest alert will see the strictest restrictions that could mean pubs, restaurants and gyms closed.

People are going to rebel. UK is lidded off. This whole thing is fucked up. WHO walking back the necessity and usefulness/benefit of lockdowns.

The Uk isn't alone in new curbs as hospital resources are becoming strained across Europe. The Czech Republic has re-close gyms, movie theaters and arts performances, and bars and restaurants must close by 8 pm. Spain has imposed a partial lockdown in Madrid. Italy is set to ban private parties and limit the numbers of guests at weddings and funerals. France is expected to announce new restrictions in the next day or so. As of today, Russia is keeping one-third of its office workers at home every day.

I'm not against targeted lock downs in areas where there are spikes...it seems that's what is recommended now.

Government mandated lockdowns, social distancing and mask wearing have been successfully undermined by right wing thin-the-herders who believe it's their right and duty to infect as many people as quickly as possible. What the Putin Internationale has wrought in the US and UK can't be undone. Which is why you need to wear a face shield now as well as a mask when you go out. So you don't get deliberately spat/sneezed/coughed on by one of the COVID deathers.

[quote] I'm not against targeted lock downs in areas where there are spikes...it seems that's what is recommended now.

It's what I'm experiencing now, in a "red zone"

NYT INTERNAL EMAIL: "July 6, 2021 is now the earliest date we will require people to return to any of our offices worldwide. Though we had hoped to begin a broader return to the office in the new year, it’s clear that the continued uncertainty…has kept such a move out of reach"

there is an AU study that says coronavirus can survive on smooth survives for 28 days...smooth surfaces like stainless steel and bank notes. conflicts with WHO info.

saw this on TV. will try to find the report online.

Here's a story on the 28-day surface findings. The big caveat is this, according to the director of the the AU study:

"This doesn't mean to say that that amount of virus would be capable of infecting someone."

Oops, here's the story:

We are still fucked

Guardian-The WHO has warned that the number of new Covid cases is at its highest level since the start of the pandemic. Speaking at the regular Monday press conference in Geneva, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, the organisation’s director general, said: “Each of the last four days has seen the highest number of cases reported so far.” He added: “Around the world, we’re now seeing an increase in the number of reported cases of Covid-19 especially in Europe and the Americas.” Tedros also warned against the idea of herd immunity. He said: Herd immunity against measles requires about 95% of a population to be vaccinated. The remaining 5% will be protected by the fact that measles will not spread among those who are vaccinated. In other words immunity is achieved by protecting people from the virus, not by exposing them to it. Never has herd immunity been been used as a strategy for responding to an outbreak, let alone a pandemic. It is scientifically and ethically problematic.

The mayor of Manchester, Tennessee just died from the coronavirus

From r446 -

Guess he wasn't able to get a helicopter ride to the best hospital in the world and a cocktail of high powered anti-viral drugs & steroids. May he rest in peace.

Oy. (Complicated by the fact that she had cancer but still...Oy.)

WSJ: Covid-19 Reinfection Documented in Nevada Adds to Questions on Virus Immunity

A Nevada man became the first published case of Covid-19 reinfection in the U.S., adding to a number of examples world-wide signaling that patients who have recovered from the viral disease might still be at risk of getting it again.

The 25-year-old suffered two bouts of Covid-19 infection, one confirmed through testing in mid-April and the second in early June. Symptoms of the second case started in late May, a month after the patient reported his initial symptoms as having resolved.

The two strains of virus were genetically distinct, signaling that it is unlikely that the man simply remained unknowingly infected with the virus in one, longer bout, the authors wrote. The paper notes that the patient’s second case of Covid-19 was more severe than his first, requiring supplemental oxygen and admission to a hospital after he suffered from shortness of breath.

Yes, I think this virus is gonna be like flu virus, every year a different strain. Never gonna disappear. The future is bleak.

Everyone is so focused on the vaccines, but I wish we'd hear more about the advances in treatment more often (if there really ARE any). That's what's going to "save" us from COVID-19, in my opinion, NOT a vaccine.

R451, I'll try to be optimistic by noting that the mortality rate seems to have improved.

But I can't ignore what appear to be permanent disabilities among survivors, especially those who are young.

Definitely think we need more focus on treatments ..

Long but worthwhile read on the possible origins of sars-cov2

Long but worthwhile read on the possible origins of sars-cov2

I really want Trump to die a painful death.

I want Trump to miraculoisly just disappear overnight. No violence, nothing. Then everyone scrambles to get a governing group together and we continue without him til January. I'm tired of all this covid jazzola.

Like The Founding Fathers in those Purge movies?

NYT: A Dose of Optimism, as the Pandemic Rages On

The months ahead will be difficult. But the medical cavalry is coming, and the rest of us know what we need to do.

"Since January, when I began covering the pandemic, I have been a consistently gloomy Cassandra, reporting on the catastrophe that experts saw coming: that the virus would go pandemic, that Americans were likely to die in large numbers, the national lockdown would last well beyond Easter and even past summer. No miracle cure was on the horizon; the record for developing a vaccine was four years.

Events have moved faster than I thought possible. I have become cautiously optimistic. Experts are saying, with genuine confidence, that the pandemic in the United States will be over far sooner than they expected, possibly by the middle of next year."

[quote]the pandemic in the United States will be over far sooner than they expected, possibly by the middle of next year.

Just in time for the next pandemic.

Houston's positivity rate is down to 5%.

South Dakota latest daily new infection rate: 72 per 100K.

Second highest in the nation!

R459 I'm hitting a paywall. Could you summarize what possible cause for optimism the author has? I'd love to know.

Here's the non-paywalled article:

The British Gov't has unveiled a new three-tier approach to curbing the rapid spread of coronavirus cases in parts of England. Areas are designated either medium, high or very high risk.

Nationwide restrictions will limit social gatherings to six people and pubs and restaurants will be forced to close at 10 p.m.

In the “high” risk areas, pubs, bars, gyms, leisure centers, betting shops and casinos will have to close with households no longer allowed to mix either outdoors and indoors. People will be asked not to travel into or out of the area as well. Only the northern city of Liverpool is currently designated as high risk, but more parts of England will move into that category this week.

Hospitalizations in NY state:

878 yesterday

820 the day before

636 on Oct. 5

410 on Sept. 6

"People don't die of this disease anymore," said Rudy Giuliani yesterday at a Trump event in Philadelphia. “Young people don’t die at all. Middle age people die very little, and even elderly people have only one percent chance of dying.”

On Saturday, former CDC director Dr. Tom Frieden claimed that a further 20,000 deaths by the end of October would be “inevitable.”

What part of NY, R466? Williamsburg, Ken Gardens, Crown Heights, Borough Park? The Hasidic neighborhoods are having a covid wildfire but I’m pretty sure everyone else is doing ok.

Ken = Kew

[quote]What part of NY

Those #s are for the entire state.

[quote]What part of NY

Those #s are for the entire state.

The Prime Minister of the Netherlands is holding a press conference soom where he’ll detail new strict measures stopping just short of a nationwide lockdown. What were they thinking opening up bars, coffee houses (pot dens), gay saunas, sex clubs and the red light district over the summer? That was nuts.

Trump is LOVING all the dire news coming out of the UK and Europe.

He thinks it makes him look good.

The only thing that could possibly make him "look good" is a sledge hammer to the face.

Minnesota connects even more cases to Trump campaign events

First person in Mexico tests positive for both Covid-19 and influenza (via CNN)

From Ana Cucalón, Jaide Garcia and Krupskaia Alís

A patient in Mexico tested positive for Covid-19 and influenza, José Luis Alomía, the health ministry's director of epidemiology, confirmed Sunday.

This is the first case in the country where a patient has tested positive for both viruses simultaneously.

Alomía, speaking during a nightly briefing in Mexico City, reported that the 54-year-old patient has a history of autoimmune disease, cancer, obesity and chronic lung disease.

Health authorities confirmed the patient remains hospitalized and in stable condition.

Soccer superstar Ronaldo tests positive for coronavirus

From CNN’s Vasco Cotovio

Soccer superstar Cristiano Ronaldo has tested positive for coronavirus, the Portuguese Football Federation said in a statement Tuesday.

“Cristiano Ronaldo has been released from working with the National Team after testing positive for Covid-19, so he will not be facing Sweden,” the statement said. “The Portuguese international is well, without symptoms, and in isolation."

“Following the positive case, the remaining players underwent new tests this Tuesday morning, all with negative results, and are available to [coach] Fernando Santos for this afternoon’s training session, at the Cidade do Futebol."

“The game, part of the qualification phase of the League of Nations, is scheduled for Wednesday, at 19:45, in Alvalade,” the statement said.

Prime Minister Rutte and Minister of Health De Jong (neither of whom I’d kick out of bed) announced contact tracing can no longer be done in the Netherlands because the number of cases is too high. As of tomorrow all bars and restaurants are only open for take-out service. And masks will have to be worn in all indoor public spaces.

The Netherlands will be imposing a “partial lockdown.” Their phrase “intelligent lockdown” is a thing of the past.

“The period of being without obligations is absolutely over...”

Names

Why is op strike out? Whet happened to Sylvia?

Mme Speaker

Go fuck yourself, Wolfie—you monotone piece of shit!

Wolfie’s numerous “uhhhhh”s in a single broadcast drive me batshit crazy. Good for Nancy Pelosu for ripping him a new asshole.

[post redacted because linking to dailymail.co.uk clearly indicates that the poster is either a troll or an idiot (probably both, honestly.) Our advice is that you just ignore this poster but whatever you do, don't click on any link to this putrid rag.]

New York governor: Covid-19 is "not going away anytime soon"

From CNN's Kristina Sgueglia

New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo said that Covid-19 is not going away any time soon, as he remarked on the state of the virus as colder months and the flu season approach. "“We’re entering a new phase with Covid that we have to understand, because this is not going away any time soon," he said while discussing his new book “American Crisis” on CNN this morning."

He said he thinks “best case scenario, we’re looking at another year…even if everything works out well.”

He said while the state’s overall infection rate is one of the lowest in the country, and the globe, what the state is still seeing is “mini clusters”

“One sweet 16 party created 40 cases, one bar that violated the rules, dozens of cases," he said.

Cuomo said the state needs sophistication in testing and contact tracing to attack that small cluster. The key is to “rush in with resources” to be sure “we stamp it out.”

Richard Quest: After recovering from Covid-19, I thought I was safe. Now my antibodies are waning

From CNN's Richard Quest

I recovered from Covid-19 back in April. I was fortunate: My symptoms, while nasty, were minor compared to others. I had the hacking dry cough and I was fatigued to the point where I would spend many hours on the sofa. But I never had breathing difficulties, nor required hospital treatment.

Whenever the question of catching it again has come up since, I airily and hubristically said, "Oh, I've had it, and have antibodies to prove it." At least I did until Friday, when my third antibody test came back negative.

I was in shock. Even though it's not clear antibodies do actually offer immunity, I had treated my previous AB positive tests as a shield I could wave, crying, "Been there. Done that. I'm OK." Rightly or wrongly. Now my precious protection had vanished.

Governments are using the pandemic to crack down on digital rights, report finds

From CNN's Eliza Mackintosh

In their fight against the coronavirus, some governments are introducing digital surveillance and data collection tools that could pose a lasting threat to citizens' rights, according to a new report by research institute Freedom House.

The Freedom on the Net 2020 report, an assessment of 65 countries released Wednesday, found that the pandemic has accelerated a decline in free speech and privacy on the internet for the tenth consecutive year, and accused some governments of using the virus as a pretext to crack down on critical speech.

"The pandemic is accelerating society's reliance on digital technologies at a time when the internet is becoming less and less free," said Michael J. Abramowitz, president of Freedom House, which is funded by the US government. "Without adequate safeguards for privacy and the rule of law, these technologies can be easily repurposed for political repression."

Amid the pandemic, internet connectivity has become a lifeline to essential information and services -- from education platforms, to health care portals, employment opportunities and social interactions. But state and nonstate actors are also exploiting the crisis to erode freedoms online.

Someone needs to tell Richard Quest that antibodies have long been dismissed. It’s the t-cells and the immune system which will provide protection against reinfection.

The French government on Wednesday declared a public health state of emergency, giving officials greater powers to impose new measures to contain the spread of COVID-19.

The government’s statement did not say what action it would take, but the adoption of the state of emergency gives the authorities statutory power to impose tough measures. French media reported that a nightly curfew between 9:00 pm and 6:00 am was one of the measures Macron would unveil.

To use a real world analogy, antibodies are the soldiers. T cells and B cells are the generals directing the response and the intelligence community gathering data on your enemies. You don't leave your soldiers on the battlefield all the time. You send them out to fight when they are needed. The generals and intelligence community parts of the immune system are keeping an eye out for a new invasion. When that happens, they'll send the soldiers out again.

Here's a good article on the different types of immune cells that play a role in immunity.

So-called “silent spreaders” of the coronavirus could be more common than previously thought, with a U.K. study finding that 86% of people who tested positive for the virus did not report “core” symptoms associated with the virus (a cough, fever or a loss of taste and/or smell) on the day they took a test.

Tennessee governor in quarantine after bodyguard test positive

North Dakotans are total slutty bug-chasers! Now 78 per 100K new daily infections!!

Maryland: 10.

NBC News' Peter Alexander:

Melania Trump reveals that Barron Trump tested positive for COVID: “Luckily he is a strong teenager and exhibited no symptoms.”

Are Mel's chain immigrant parents also poz?

Nice that Dumpf and Vairst Letty gave their kid Covid

Nick Satan tests positive!

Nick Satan tests positive!

SABAN, YOU PEA BRAIN! SABAN! SABAN! SABAN!

[quote] Melania Trump reveals that Barron Trump tested positive for COVID: “Luckily he is a strong teenager and exhibited no symptoms.”

Who?

I call him Nick Satan because I hate Alabama

Doctors around the world against government response to sars-cov2

Later that evening at the meeting in R504....

Yikes:

Reuters: UNITED AIRLINES CEO SAYS EXPECTS BUSINESS DEMAND TO RETURN TO "NORMAL" AROUND 2024

Yeah, sure UA CEO.

Sure.

Well, United still has almost $900 of my money (in "future travel vouchers" that I will probably not use), so the airline's execs are doing just fine, I'm sure.

London is to go into Tier 2 coronavirus restrictions from midnight on Friday evening, barring the capital’s 9 million residents from meeting other households in their homes or other indoor spaces.

The changes mean people must not meet with anybody outside their household or support bubble in any indoor setting, whether at home or in a public place. People should also aim to avoid public transport.

Schools, universities and places of worship can remain open and all businesses can continue to operate with Covid-secure measures, though the measure is likely to significantly affect more than 3,000 pubs and 7,000 restaurants across London.

And for me as well! Still waiting on my refund from April for a trip they cancelled!

My March trip to Antarctica next year is officially postponed until 2022. Fortunately, I only paid a 500$ deposit and the deal was amazing! But I am officially done with vacation planning for now and I normally take 2-4 big trips per year. Staying put for now

R509, I bet a lot of people will end up moving in together because of this. People are getting laid off or getting less hours of work due to cutbacks. Nobody wants to get married now unless they have to for legal reasons, because they can’t have a nice wedding. They’re going to end up moving in together just to have company.

A lot of people just go crazy if they can’t see people in person. A few months back, I saw a video of a man from the Deep South, working class guy. He was in isolation in the hospital because he had Covid. They wouldn’t let his family visit although he talked to them on the phone daily.

He was completely having a panic attack, talking to the interviewer, crying about how he’s never been without his family. He hadn’t seen them for a couple of weeks and was already on the verge of hysteria. I thought about it and realized, this guy is poor, he’s probably lived in a crowded house his whole life and never been alone. This has got to be really awful for him. It’s like kids that don’t want to sleep alone in their own rooms. They followed up on the story and later he recovered and was released and back with his family. He seemed a lot better emotionally.

I’m an introvert myself, it doesn’t bother me, but there’s got to be a lot of people like that guy. I bet if people can’t go out for another six months, a lot of them will get roommates.

NYT sends an alert at 2:15 p.m.: "U.S. virus cases are climbing toward a third peak."

Trump at 2:26 p.m.: Predicts pandemic is going to "peter out" soon.

"It affects virtually nobody! Aside from me, my kid, my wife, a bunch of my associates....but, other than that, practically nobody!"

Michigan gets swept up in the Midwest tsunami:

Michigan reported 2,030 new cases of coronavirus for Thursday, Oct. 15, a new and alarming record.

The previous record was 1,953 on April 3.

The state’s seven-day average is now 1,293 new cases a day compared to an average of 891 a week ago.

The positivity rate was 4.8%. The goal of state health officials has been to keep that number under 3%.

Hospitalizations also are trending up. There are currently 1,017 adult hospital in-patients with confirmed or suspected coronavirus. There were 592 adults hospitalized with coronavirus a month ago today.

The bug-chasing sluts of North Dakota hit 81 per 100K daily new cases!

(South Dakota: 76).

We are seriously "illin'" in Illinois: New record for new daily cases, 4,015, and 53 deaths recorded at noon. Why do I hear people still claim Illinois "isn't so bad"? Yesterday was 3,964 new cases, with 52 deaths.

I love this commentary from David Roth, where he manages to tie together Ammon Bundy, the NFL, Donald Trump, and the toxic mindset that is all too prevalent these days. There really is too much to excerpt but here are just a few paragraphs. The full article is well worth the read.

[quote]It makes sense that the NFL, like Trump’s administration, did not so much fail to plan for Covid as make a principled choice to go on misunderstanding it. There are only so many ways to try to pull off a football season in a country that’s being overrun with a pandemic. The NFL attempted zero of those. This was not just because the few options available are difficult and annoying and require massive compromises and collective action, although that surely didn’t make them more appealing. It’s because the very act of doing that work would be an admission of vulnerability; the facile conceit that makes football work is that the people who play and coach are [italic]just different[/italic], and both less human and somehow superhuman for it. Every other American sports league has had to warp and wrench itself out of order just to have some kind of season. The NFL, being the NFL, was only and always going to do it without changing a thing.

[quote]This isn’t to say that the NFL wasn’t willing to do new things to make the season work, because the NFL was and is always eager to [italic]do things[/italic]. It’s just that the things the NFL did—feats of high-tech hygiene theater, weird stagey rationalization, statements written in the league’s trademark military-adjacent syntax—reflected the extent to which the league’s power players had refused to do the single most important thing they could have done: Learn how this pandemic works and act accordingly. There was a daunting challenge buried in all that: If teams responded to clubhouse outbreaks per pandemic-management best practices, this season would quickly become untenable. But also: [bold]what if everyone involved assessed the challenge in full, weighed the various options, and [italic]just decided not to care[/italic][/bold]? How might that work? (Bold added; italics in the original.)

...

[quote]It is both much riskier and outlandishly irresponsible to go on denying and ignoring what is known and knowable about the pandemic in favor of some stern and obtuse idiocy. This approach opts for literal human sacrifices precisely because it finds smaller, more figurative sacrifices intolerably dehumanizing; some poor stranger’s death is swapped for the right to shop maskless. It’s disgusting, but day by day, and from one moment to the next, that jut-jawed denial has emerged as both the easiest and most appealing choice for many of our most powerful and least accountable Americans.

[quote] R496: Melania Trump reveals that Barron Trump tested positive for COVID: “Luckily he is a strong teenager and exhibited no symptoms.”

I despise the way Trump and his kind fetishize the idea of “strength” or “strong”. Barron might have a strong immune response, but that is no indication that he is a strong person.

Trump constantly conflates being loud, or being disagreeable, as “strong”, while he strikes me as the weakest President we’ve ever had, and may be the weakest person I’ve ever known of.

A lot of kids have no symptoms but do have heart damage or reduced lung capacity. Not being overtly sick doesn’t prove anything. If he has heart damage, he’s very young to have a damaged heart for the rest of his life. At fifty you’re not doing cartwheels anyway. It’s worse at his age.

I think he could have heart damage. He’s been experiencing big growth spurts in the past year-he’s apparently something like 6’2” by now.

Christie Says He Was ‘Wrong’ Not to Wear Masks at White House

“I believed when I entered the White House grounds, that I had entered a safe zone, due to the testing that I and many others underwent every day,” Mr. Christie said in the statement. “I was wrong. I was wrong not to wear a mask at the Amy Coney Barrett announcement and I was wrong not to wear a mask at my multiple debate prep sessions with the president and the rest of the team.”

“I hope that my experience shows my fellow citizens that you should follow C.D.C. guidelines in public no matter where you are and wear a mask to protect yourself and others,” he said.

Well, at least he admits he was wrong.

Barron has the distracted demeanor of a very unhappy child.

I can't remember ever seeing a photo of him with an exhuberant, truly happy smile. He's frequently looking away from the camera, and his family.

The Trump's are detremental to Barron's health.

And your parents were apparently detrimental to your spelling r524.

R525 Though it may be a DL tradition, does it ever become tiresome performing all the corrections?

Nope, not a bit.

And I only take credit for a few.

There's nothing like that little hit of dread one gets after posting an idea or insult or insight or perfectly witty comeback, then peeking at what you wrote, aghast at your unfixable error in spelling or grammar.

Thank you r528.

That is EXACTLY why I will never ever give you fuckers an "edit" feature.

I gotta get my laughs where I can find them.

Inside the Fall of the CDC

How the world’s greatest public health organization was brought to its knees by a virus, the president and the capitulation of its own leaders, causing damage that could last much longer than the coronavirus.

This is excellent, in-depth and really depressing reporting on the Trump administration's interference with the CDC. ETTD, indeed.

Observations and thoughts on five cases of reinfection below. Dr. Been has a brilliant mind, and I wish more doctors were thinking like him.

Meanwhile a disaster is happening here in Europe. Here in Belgium +10K new cases today and a record number of cases in many countries throughout the region. Tonight, restaurants and bars in Belgium have been ordered to shut down for 1 month. 26 employees at one of our locations have tested positive for the virus.

Wisconsin: "Hospitals across the state are at or near capacity. The number of COVID patients has tripled in a month. ICUs at some hospitals are over 90% full. Hospitals in every region of the state are reporting current or imminent staffing shortages."

And flu season hasn't even begun yet.

'Nobody has very clear answers for them': Doctors search for treatments for covid-19 long-haulers.

Covid-19 took its best shot at Edison Chiluisa in May, sending him to intensive care, but the disease is still not done with him. For the past four months, long after his release from the hospital, Chiluisa has been racked by lingering ailments: Paralyzing fatigue. Shortness of breath. A stutter he never had before.

Chiluisa seems to embody much of the worst the virus can do. His heart races. His lungs are inflamed. His chest aches and feels constricted. Even now, he coughs up a thick mucus that is becoming worse despite a variety of treatments. His sense of taste, which did not disappear as it has in some other covid-19 patients, has been altered.

Most ominously, an MRI shows that the white matter of his brain is littered with tiny lesions that may be the cause of neurological problems, including memory lapses, trouble concentrating, difficulty finding words and stuttering. He has insomnia, depression and anxiety, and other symptoms that resemble post-traumatic stress disorder.

The brain lesions are more commonly found in older people, or those with uncontrolled metabolic disorders such as diabetes or chronic high blood pressure. Chiluisa has no such underlying conditions.

Bad news.

[quote]Meanwhile a disaster is happening here in Europe.

Wow, this got out of control in a hurry:

Another new daily record for Illinois: 5,554 today. Trick or Treating still going ahead as planned however in my parther's community, where I've been living. Several nearby towns allowing business as usual.

Many stupid people putting the Ill in Illinois.

The bug-chasin' sluts of North and South Dakota: 85 and 76 per 100K daily new cases today, respectively. Highest in the nation, by far.

Maryland: 10.

Correction for Illinois: 4,554...

R531: It bugs me that I’ve had COVID symptoms starting on March 25, just like the subject at your link. But I’ve had three negative COVID tests. Also like the subject, I’ve been diagnosed with walking pneumonia. If I have COVID, it’s seems like it doesn’t want to kill me, and part of me wants to get this over with, without becoming too sick, so I wouldn’t mind if this is COVID. Also, I worry that it isn’t COVID that I have, it’s just pneumonia, but the pneumonia makes me more vulnerable to a new COVID infection, than I otherwise would be.

I’m scheduled to get another COVID test next Friday. I think I will insist that I get another CAT scan, since that was necessary to find the pneumonia. It didn’t appear on an X-ray.

R531, so it sounds like there are two or more strains of COVID circulating at the sane time, and they act like two completely different diseases. This would mean that antibodies for one virus will keep you from being reinfected with that strain; however, these antibodies are not effective against the second strain.

Remember the old days (the 50 original "freakout" threads) where sometimes a thread would get to 600 in just a day or so? Now it's taking almost a month.

Sadly, 'Merica has NO idea what's coming this winter! The impending crisis in Europe is the tip of the iceberg

Unfortunately, R542, coronavirus fatigue has set in. Lots of people don't want to hear about, talk about it or take precautions against it.

Well, R542, we’re learning to cope with the threat, or the ineffectiveness of resistance to the threat. Maybe there will be more freaking-out over the Winter, if the numbers grow exponentially? I was mourning in advance, but you can’t live like that in perpetuity.

I just can't believe that someone still hasn't come up with an anti-viral that targets this motherfucker.

R541 Yes, and it would appear many think they've somehow reinfected themselves, or that virus has been lying dormant as Herpes does, yet they've simply contracted a different strain, or mutation. I appreciate Dr. Mobeen's questioning of different possibilities, though he is very humble and honest when he often remarks we cannot be certain of some things. His illustrations are top notch as well.

I hope we’re throwing as much money as necessary for vaccine development. It just looks like it’s going to be an awful winter.

I just found out my 19 year old niece took a (100% for pleasure) trip from Chicago to Miami with her boyfriend, last week. She lives with my brother, who is the only support for our 80 year old dad, who has Parkinsons. My brother allowed her to make her own decision, but required a Covid test before she could come home.

These are educated, liberal people. The US is so fucked. I am hunkering down this winter, since I live among Deplorables. At least we have a cannabis dispensary with an outside pick up window, and the groceries deliver. Perhaps I am being ridiculous, but I am going to survive this shit. Broke as hell, but alive.

[quote]We are seriously "illin'" in Illinois: New record for new daily cases, 4,015, and 53 deaths recorded at noon. Why do I hear people still claim Illinois "isn't so bad"? Yesterday was 3,964 new cases, with 52 deaths.

We weren't so bad, compared to the assholes surrounding us, until these last few weeks. We were still at 3-4% positivity then. Now, over 5% and climbing. Look at the fucking states that surround us. We have no chance. Between the hickabillies in southern Illinois, the stupid Trumpers in the Repug-heavy collar counties around Chicago, and all the shared borders with the most irresponsible states outside the deep south and the Dakotas, we never stood a chance. Pritzker needs to stop with the "warning list" and shut these stupid fuckers down.

I come from a large family and we normally have LOTS of get-togethers between Thanksgiving and NYE sometimes with 20+ people. Thanksgiving dinner, tree decorating day, Christmas cookie making day, Christmas Eve, Christmas dinner, NY Eve, and usually just other dinner get-togethers with various siblings who don't see each other as much as we would like during the year. Nobody has raised the topic yet on what we're doing this year. I live alone (+cat) and am feeling like that's probably where I'll be. Maybe we can do Zoom dinners or something. I have been handling things ok so far (I already worked from home) but this holiday season is forcing me to face certain realities. I have never spent a Thanksgiving dinner away from family. I don't want to think about this yet.

Thanksgiving, 2020

Last week at the staff meeting (zoom) we were discussing the holiday office party and people were saying how much they were going to miss it. We were having a zoom pizza lunch after the meeting to celebrate the end of the federal fiscal and surviving October 5th. Most people weren’t having pizza however cause who has time to order pizza for lunch while working from home? Anyway I might have a restaurant ship pre-made meals that just need to be heated if I can figure out the logistics. We can still close the office for the afternoon.

There is a tremendous amount going on with the research. Fortunately or unfortunately there’s so much going on that a lot doesn’t really make the news and some promising candidates are queued up to be back ups if other vaccines and treatments fails. You can’t run all of the trials at once if you want fast enrollment and results.

Reuters: Europe crosses 150,000 daily coronavirus cases mark, a week after reporting 100,000 daily cases.

Does Trump have a death wish?

If he dies from Coronavirus before the election, he won't have to face the humiliation of losing.

His family will declare him an American Patriot, dying for his country doing what he loved best.

And we all know what Trump loved the most ......... lying, swindling, cheating, tweeting, tax evasion, and so many other things too numerous to mention.

💃 Ivana has volunteered to do the Casket Dance, without wearing a mask.

So many Wisconsinites will go to that Big Cheese Head in the Sky after that rally earlier.

[bold]A rare Covid-19 complication was reported in children. Now, it's showing up in adults.[/bold]

"This needs to be in the forefront of every intensive care unit physician's mind," said one expert.

. . .

MIS-A stands for "multi-system inflammatory syndrome in adults." When the condition was identified in children this spring, it was named MIS-C, with the C standing for "children."

Kids were developing dangerous inflammation around the heart and other organs, often weeks after their initial infections with SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes Covid-19.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention alerted physicians to MIS-C in May. As of Oct. 1, the CDC had reported 1,027 confirmed cases of MIS-C, with more cases under investigation. Twenty children have died.

In some cases, the children developed rashes like the one Femia noted in her adult patient.

. . .

Ughh R557, the brother who had it in March was just hospitalized (at not a good hospital) with everything in the above article except the rash. They refused to do cytokine testing. (I told him to ask for that right away knowing his history) When all their tests came back negative the doctors tried to tell him his issues were psychosomatic. Then his C Reactive protein came back over 70. Anyway the settled on an acute tic borne infection where the results wouldn’t come back for weeks. He did seem to improve on doxycycline and he’s home now. Oh and he never had a tic borne illness - go figure

The key to one possibility — blocking a protein that enables the virus to turn the immune system against healthy cells — has been identified in a recent study by a team of Johns Hopkins Medicine researchers.

Based on their findings, the researchers believe that inhibiting the protein, known as factor D, also will curtail the potentially deadly inflammatory reactions that many patients have to the virus.

Last Saturday, Dan Mullen, the head coach at the University of Florida insisted that the university should drop its 20% capacity restriction on fans in the stadium and that they should "pack the Swamp" [the nickname for the team's stadium] with 90,000 fans for the upcoming game with LSU.

On Wednesday, the game was postponed after 21 Florida players tested positive.

On Saturday, Mullen announced that he had tested positive.

"Atlas shrugged & people died."

"Wear a Mask," a clever takeoff of "Be Our Guest" from Disney's "Beauty and the Beast."

More daily updates at the link.

Radiologist Scott Atlas, who has replaced infectious disease specialists Anthony Fauci and Deborah Birx as Trump's go-to on the coronavirus, tweeted this yesterday:

Interesting perspective from Obama healthcare head Andy Slavitt:

If you start everyone's clock, May 10 when most countries had their first go of this and that gives everyone the benefit of the doubt for being unaware, the numbers tell a very different story. Italy is 9 deaths/100.000, the US is 36.

In fact, measuring the wealthiest 18 countries starting May 10, the US is by a large margin, the worst in the world. More than 2x the UK, 5x France, 3x Belgium.

The only other wealthy country in the world close to the US since May 10? Sweden-- the only other country not actively trying to stop the virus. Sweden is at 23/100,000, 1/3 less than the U.S.

That's a huge breakthrough, R559. Very encouraging.

I wonder if there will be a “Hold me, David” moment in Dr. Fauci’s interview on 60 Minutes.

Sweden may finally be heading towards a lockdown.

Was this posted?

*

SWAMP

Latest numbers from North Dakota: 89 bug-chasers today (out of 100K population) are now poz. Highest in the nation!

South Dakota: 78.

Matyland: 10

Trump’s den of dissent: Inside the White House task force as coronavirus surges.

As summer faded into autumn and the novel coronavirus continued to ravage the nation unabated, Scott Atlas, a neuroradiologist whose commentary on Fox News led President Trump to recruit him to the White House, consolidated his power over the government’s pandemic response.

Atlas shot down attempts to expand testing. He openly feuded with other doctors on the coronavirus task force and succeeded in largely sidelining them. He advanced fringe theories, such as that social distancing and mask-wearing were meaningless and would not have changed the course of the virus in several hard-hit areas. And he advocated allowing infections to spread naturally among most of the population while protecting the most vulnerable and those in nursing homes until the United States reaches herd immunity, which experts say would cause excess deaths.

10 months into a public health crisis that has claimed the lives of more than 219,000 people in the United States — a far higher death toll than any other nation has reported — a consensus has formed within the administration that some measures to mitigate the spread of the virus may not be worth the trouble. Trump and many of his advisers have come to believe that the key to a revived economy and a return to normality is a vaccine.

“They’ve given up on everything else,” said a senior administration official involved in the pandemic response. “It’s too hard of a slog.”

States and countries around the world are seeing if narrower restrictions will work to contain outbreaks. Restrictions have been more narrowly targeted both geographically (e.g., applying to just a single neighborhood, city, or region) and in terms of their impact (e.g., limits on social gatherings or on hours that businesses can open rather than more severe closures and lockdowns).

[quote]The concept of containing hot spots isn’t new, but it’s being tested under new pressures as authorities try to avoid a dreaded resurgence of illness and deaths, this time with economies weakened from earlier lockdowns, populations chafing at the idea of renewed restrictions and some communities complaining of unequal treatment.

I'm skeptical about some of those narrower restrictions, like Italy's new one for restaurants, which allow them to serve only six people per table and after 6 p.m., only table service is allowed. If nothing else, we'll get more data about what does and does not work.

Neighborhood lockdowns seem especially silly. What's to prevent me going a few blocks to the next neighborhood?

NYT: In a call with his campaign team Monday morning, President Donald Trump reportedly lashed out at the nation’s top infectious disease expert, Dr. Anthony Fauci, labeling him a “disaster.”

“People are tired of COVID. People are tired of hearing Fauci and all these idiots. Fauci, if you listened to him, we’d have 700,00, 800,000 deaths."

[quote]Neighborhood lockdowns seem especially silly

You have no idea. My neighborhood is in an Orange zone, so they rolled back a number of things - no indoor dining, gyms and salons closed again, etc. Across the street is a red zone, so no on-site dining at all, and no non-essential retail. But it's not like I got stopped from going into Manhattan with a bunch of coworkers on Saturday and eating at a restaurant that was CLEARLY more than 25% full.

There's also a salon near me that has brown paper over all its windows that is obviously still open. And it's right down the block from a police precinct. So clearly the cops don't care.

Rolling Stone explores the plight of long-haulers:

Sure, there’s the expected fatigue, shortness of breath, and persistent body aches, and as debilitating as these are, it’s just the starting point. And though we’re now at the stage where we’ve accepted loss of taste and smell — and even Covid toes — as both short- and long-term symptoms of the virus, the growing list of lingering effects is far more expansive. Drawing only from my interviews with other long-termers, a small sample of these more unusual symptoms include: hair loss, degenerating eyesight, changes in menstrual cycle, changes in earwax production, tinnitus, emitting a strong sulphuric odor, having graphic nightmares then waking up with unexplained bruises, a wide variety of skin rashes, sudden loss of voice, permanently blood-shot eyes, hot flashes, shivering that morphs into uncontrollable tremors, confusion, a metallic taste in the mouth, constantly smelling cigarette smoke, loss of depth perception, muscle spasms, increased sensitivity to the sun, and pain that feels like electricity somehow got trapped inside your limbs.

Neighborhood lockdowns are effective for people who have a limited number of stores and restaurants they are allowed to frequent and whose only allowable mode of transportation during their most social times is by foot.

I ordinarily agree with you, ElderLez, but last night, an illegal party at a restaurant on Queens Blvd got broken up, and the city handed out $150K in fines over the weekend.

They're out of ICU beds in Manchester (UK).

University of Utah is also over capacity.

🧟 [italic] The Nightmare Before Christmas

Where has ELEOP been? I would have thought he'd be masturbating furiously for the last six months.

Well, VON, perhaps that's exactly where he's been.

Maybe he’s Jeffrey Toobin. Explains a lot.

Is it time to re-freak out? Or are we desensitized?

R585, Dr Fauci is now saying the next six to twelve weeks are going to be really bad. Time to put some stuff in the freezer and get your last haircut, if you’re still getting them.

I’m growing my hair down to my feet at this point, although I’d like to get it cut. It’s not worth it now.

I, myself, am freaking out again, quietly.

Those were Hasids R578? Oy I’d just assumed that they were random young people. Well then I stand corrected.

Nice to see you VOTN.

Grammy-winning singer Christopher Cross tells CNN he was starting to feel better three weeks after his first Covid-19 symptoms when he suddenly became paralyzed. He was inna wheelchair for months and now walks with a cane. Docs don’t know if he will ever fully recover.

Christopher Cross had the 'rona?!

New thread....

A good Twitter thread on how California managed to contain its second outbreak.

[quote]Over past 6 weeks (since labor day), USA outside of California: cases up 68%, hospitalizations up 22%, % of tests positives: 5.6% --> 6.6%.

[quote]California: Cases down 9%, Hospitalizations down 26%, % of test positive 3.5% --> 2.4%

BAJOUR!

Well, someone had to.

Iceberg

dead

ahead!

Oh well.

......

....

My friends,

Double BAJOUR!