Wanker Bob

Coronavirus, and the societal damage it's causing, is taking everybody out. If Eddie Haskell and Frank Costanza gotta tap out we fucked.

On the other hand Spain just randomly antibody tested 70,000 people and found that as bad as their pandemic has been only roughly 5 % of the total population (10-14 percent of Madrid, 7% of Barcelon and lower elsewhere) has antibodies to the virus. Means lifting their very strict restrictions could mean another bad spike in cases. Also showing an infection fatality rate of 1.15 which is higher than thought. If the test is accurate and holds true for America as well we could be right at the beginning of a massive spike here in Texas. The numbers are trending down right now but that's 2-3 weeks at least behind. Since Texas doesn't report hospitalization numbers this could be difficult to track until it's too late to do much of anything. https://www.vox.com/2020/5/16/21259492/covid-antibodies-spain-serology-study-coronavirus-immunity

That testing restrictions decreased but the virus has infected a lower percentage of the population than we hoped. So it's now infecting more people with loosened social restrictions but those borderline cases are coming back negative. Probably means a larger pool of non-immune hosts on which to feast.

It won't be direct verbal pressure, it'll be peer pressure on social media and through social relationships. All it takes is having zero restrictions and seeing social media posts, pics, and vids of their friends and co-workers out before it starts to snowball. It won't be anything political at all. Will just be an insatiable thirst for socialization plus social media pressure combined with open opportunity to do so. It's inevitable

I agree that pressure will work on trumpkins. But then the trumpkins pressure on their non trumpkins friends/relatives/co-workers will work on almost everyone. Once non trumpkins start seeing all those social media posts and Instagram pics of happy hour and brunch mimosas it won't be long before it all falls back into old habits for the vast majority of the US.

This is what I see when I look ahead. Sure right now mostly people are staying out of shit but we're still in restrictions and people are still mostly in wait and see mode. Once another 2-3 or so weeks of going stir crazy is met with full on opening happening I just don't see how any sizable percentage of the population has the discipline to not rush right back into the old habits and routines they yearn for right now. The data right now is reflecting the last few weeks of cautious partial opening. Once trump political pressure forces the doors open fully in the coming weeks that data is surely to change dramatically.

I think it's that way right now only because we still have restrictions in place. I could be wrong about this but I just don't see how Americans will have any discipline whatsoever once restrictions are taken away completely. Much less Texans.

I can't believe I have even less faith in Americans than you do but somehow I think opening up America and saying fuck caution will actually be a national rallying cry. It just seems to be headed that way. Hopefully your level of cynicism is more accurate than mine.

This is what I was thinking. A lot of the projections based on even sketchy data were for an America with restrictions in place and actual care taken. America has shown it doesn't even have the stomach for 2 full months of restrictions. There's zero chance we last much longer without going full tilt open and Americans will flood places and crowd each other like crazy because they're already fatigued beyond exasperation from only 8 weeks. The virus is laying in wait and once that dam of caution and restrictions breaks open the death count surely will rise into the millions. At least that's what it looks like to me.

The fire started in China. Trump doused America in gasoline.

that's why I said there's other considerations but It's still conceivable that over three million people could die from this in the us alone. Especially since we're inching closer by the minute to just going full on wild west

So known case count to known deaths, both of which are surely well underreported, on May 15 extrapolated out to 57 percent of the population at 200,000,000 cases would be 12.1 million deaths. Of course there's other considerations but our strict testing data so far does not paint a good picture.

The shutdown was never supposed to last long. Just long enough to implement the necessary precautions like mandatory masks and ramp up testing while getting ready to open back up. Only our dear leader and his pack of cronies did everything possible to sabotage the potentially successful strategy by calling for protests and refusing to issue mask mandates. The virus caused a necessary hit to the economy and job market but Republicans have sabotaged the only realistic path to properly navigating it and limiting the damage. Since they've sabotaged it and there is no realistic way now to mitigate the damage while also not serving the vulnerable (of all ages) to the proverbial wolves it really makes no sense to take half measures. The only real option left is to go full open and try to put out fires as best as possible while taking the damage and death head on. Republican politicians and their idiot followers have done this to us.

It's not that there aren't any tests available it's that the administration was refusing to get it's employees tested after a known exposure. Yesterday many of the workers in the office went to the administration in unison and now it's in limbo as the administration "is still working up the case from Friday". If they cave and test them great, and if not hopefully she can get one through here. That should have never been a question though, especially in an oncology clinic.

It's still too early to know. There's increases to highest level yet numbers but still under the "our medical system is fucked" threshold, but we're still in the lag zone. Is anyone counting total deaths? There's bound to be a lot of people that need hospitalization but never make it because they wait too long out of fear of the cost and just die at home. We should hold off on celebration until we make it to the first weeks of June with no major spike.

People still listen to sports talk radio right now? What do they talk about? I find almost all of it a beating when sports are actually going on but I can't imagine how bad it must be now with no source material. The ones in DFW suck badly outside of the fan during the week leading up to the NFL draft. I tried the ticket when I first arrived here last year but it was just 50 somethings trying to act like they're still in their 20s with horrible dad jokes and very little actual sports talk.

It's been almost 2 weeks since things began to open up more. I saw where Texas set a record day for infections by 14 percent yesterday. I think where it will really begin to look ugly will be tied more to the 2-3 weeks from mother's day as that is likely when far more people went out and about in groups.

I let my wife know to text her and ask if she wants you to get her a test. I'll DM you if she says yes

No doubt, but if anyone is going to be strictly tested that short list should definitely include people who directly work with cancer patients. To not even test their employees after known exposure and to threaten their employees about not revealing their negligent indifference is terrible. That's going to get patients exposed and killed.

A friend of my wife's works in an oncology clinic and told her last night that yesterday they were notified a patient they came in contact with on Friday tested positive for the virus. So what was the message and protocol from the brass of this clinic? That anyone caught going to the media with this information would be fired, and that nobody is getting tested (so don't ask) and no sick time for anyone unless they are exhibiting symptoms that require hospitalization. This poor lady broke down crying on the phone and told my wife "the worst part is we are individually all alone. No one cares and we are all alone". Anyone who thinks the numbers aren't being way underreported from cases to deaths are simply wrong. Without proper governmental oversight these businesses will keep doing every unscrupulous thing they feel they need to in order to make money and cover up infections. I mean we're talking about a clinic that treats cancer patients doing this.

Every time trump speaks or tweets there needs to be a Jennifer Coolidge "ok, dumbass" immediate automated response generated.

She ran down to Walmart for some force flex heavy duty trash bags.

They always left out the "white people" after serve. Such a forgetful lot these coppers. How many unarmed non white people have been in the news for being murdered in their own home by police in the last 12 - 24 months? I know there was two in DFW and this one and I'm sure many others.

That's when they start taking

Just head up to Frisco and McKinney, the unofficial Bubbas and Karens capital of North Texas.