Formerly DT: COVID-19 - Featuring Lots of Politics, now CR because political talk not going away

[BBQ2Bayou 807]

51 minutes ago, Newdoc said:

Actually, there has been encouraging data that Vitamin D supplementation benefits people with Covid. You need to have your levels up to at least 30 ng/ml for the best benefit. Levels above 30 do not seem to confer better protection. It seems to be a threshold. However, mortality seems to follow an inverse curve. The lower the level, the higher the mortality.

It’s hard to get insurance to pay for Vitamin D levels. I would talk to your doctor about it if you are at high risk for Covid complications. If you are young and healthy with a low Vitamin D you still aren’t in dire straits.

Thanks for that.. Yeah,she put me on it at 36 ng/ml, so that's what she called "a little low". That's why I wondering, I remember now. Because I noticed it was in the "Optimal" range >30 ng/ml, but she wasn't completely comfortable with that. It's at 57 ng/ml a year later, so I guess the supplements help show up on the test at least.

Or maybe I've just been out in the sun more, but I don't think I have. 

[atomheartbevo 89799]

Florida is opening up bars and restaurants to 100% capacity.

They've also decided not to penalize anybody for violating mask/social distancing orders, and it's apparently retroactive - if you got dinged for refusing to wear a mask somewhere that a city wanted you to, you don't have to pay the fine.

That's going to work out really well for them over the next few months.

[aggie08 21531]

Fuck it, go for it. I'm glad that there are states out there willing to volunteer to be our guinea pigs

[atomheartbevo 89799]

An Ohio woman was tasered and arrested at a middle school football game, after being told multiple times to put on a mask, or leave the game, or if she had asthma, to go get a face shield.  It was state, school, and the athletic league policy.

Now I'm not commenting on it as an example of anything, or laughing at her getting tasered when she could have just left and gotten a face shield or put on a mask, I just wanted to point out that her name was not Karen.  It was....Alecia.  

I'm sure her kids, Kayleigh but pronounced “Kay-li”, Brayden, Noah, and Hunter, were probably a little embarrassed.

Edited September 27, 2020 by atomheartbevo

[Message Board User 12396]

Bars have been open in Georgia since June; capacity 50 people.

 

[Telegraph_it 3359]

2 hours ago, atomheartbevo said:

Florida is opening up bars and restaurants to 100% capacity.

They've also decided not to penalize anybody for violating mask/social distancing orders, and it's apparently retroactive - if you got dinged for refusing to wear a mask somewhere that a city wanted you to, you don't have to pay the fine.

That's going to work out really well for them over the next few months.

I’m back in 30A right now and the restaurants are slammed. Lots of families vacationing while doing distance learning. 

[Js1 85574]

1 hour ago, atomheartbevo said:

An Ohio woman was tasered and arrested at a middle school football game, after being told multiple times to put on a mask, or leave the game, or if she had asthma, to go get a face shield.  It was state, school, and the athletic league policy.

Now I'm not commenting on it as an example of anything, or laughing at her getting tasered when she could have just left and gotten a face shield or put on a mask, I just wanted to point out that her name was not Karen.  It was....Alecia.  

I'm sure her kids, Kayleigh but pronounced “Kay-li”, Brayden, Noah, and Hunter, were probably a little embarrassed.

[Message Board User 12396]

 

[Neonmoon 38130]

I’m glad Austin is doing a good job and masking it up. But from rallies to football crowds. There’s a lot of non mask gathering. Hopefully since it’s not indoors, it will be fine. 

[RollLeft 5045]

8 hours ago, Newdoc said:

Actually, there has been encouraging data that Vitamin D supplementation benefits people with Covid. You need to have your levels up to at least 30 ng/ml for the best benefit. Levels above 30 do not seem to confer better protection. It seems to be a threshold. However, mortality seems to follow an inverse curve. The lower the level, the higher the mortality.

It’s hard to get insurance to pay for Vitamin D levels. I would talk to your doctor about it if you are at high risk for Covid complications. If you are young and healthy with a low Vitamin D you still aren’t in dire straits.

Makes sense because Diabetics often have vit D deficiencies.

Edited September 27, 2020 by RollLeft

[utee94 15862]

18 hours ago, BBQ2Bayou said:

Thanks for that.. Yeah,she put me on it at 36 ng/ml, so that's what she called "a little low". That's why I wondering, I remember now. Because I noticed it was in the "Optimal" range >30 ng/ml, but she wasn't completely comfortable with that. It's at 57 ng/ml a year later, so I guess the supplements help show up on the test at least.

Or maybe I've just been out in the sun more, but I don't think I have. 

Curious what dosage you've been taking to get up to 57?  

Also, doesn't it become detrimental/toxic at a certain level?  (something way higher than where you're at, though, I think it was in the 150s or something?)

Perhaps @Newdoc will be able to chime in on toxicity and what amount of supplement would put you there?

[atomheartbevo 89799]

So a friend of ours from Wisconsin was bitching about her daughter having to come home from school, because some students in her dorm caught it, and she went on a rant against the college kids throwing parties and stuff.

She's not a Karen, although her rant was almost Karen-esque, but I looked, and damn, Wisconsin decided to move into the big leagues, and is only trailing California, Texas, and Florida in new cases.

If you look at their stats, specifically their new cases by date graph, they are more than doubling what they were doing back in July - well over 2,000 cases a day, and looking like they will be hitting 3,000 cases a day this coming week.  And apparently they are testing less people, for whatever reason.

https://www.dhs.wisconsin.gov/covid-19/cases.htm

And yep, ages 18-24 helping drive it.  I now understand her rant about the college kids.

Congrats kids, you're going to get your schools shut down and going online again.  Well, actually you did get in-person teaching shut-down at quite a few places, along with a lot of activities.  The staff/health folks have been working to get the rates down though.

[BBQ2Bayou 807]

2 hours ago, utee94 said:

Curious what dosage you've been taking to get up to 57?  

Also, doesn't it become detrimental/toxic at a certain level?  (something way higher than where you're at, though, I think it was in the 150s or something?)

Perhaps @Newdoc will be able to chime in on toxicity and what amount of supplement would put you there?

D3

50 mcg (2000) IU.  That's the OTC stuff my doc told me to take one a day.  

I have no idea how much that level fluctuates and I've only been tested for it twice that I can find. 

 

[Buzzrock 14941]

17 hours ago, Message Board User said:

Bars have been open in Georgia since June; capacity 50 people.

 

Yeah the dire predictions when we were one of the earliest states to reopen so far have not come true. I’ve been out a few times since we reopened, and it’s nice have at least some normality. 

[South Austin 52604]

On 9/26/2020 at 2:11 PM, Newdoc said:

Actually, there has been encouraging data that Vitamin D supplementation benefits people with Covid. You need to have your levels up to at least 30 ng/ml for the best benefit. Levels above 30 do not seem to confer better protection. It seems to be a threshold. However, mortality seems to follow an inverse curve. The lower the level, the higher the mortality.

It’s hard to get insurance to pay for Vitamin D levels. I would talk to your doctor about it if you are at high risk for Covid complications. If you are young and healthy with a low Vitamin D you still aren’t in dire straits.

This is good to read. My daughter’s pre-camp physical this summer revealed a pretty big Vitamin D deficiency, so she’s been taking prescription Vitamin D, and I figured it couldn’t hurt for me and my son to get on an OTC D supplement.

[Newdoc 3453]

3 hours ago, BBQ2Bayou said:

D3

50 mcg (2000) IU.  That's the OTC stuff my doc told me to take one a day.  

I have no idea how much that level fluctuates and I've only been tested for it twice that I can find. 

 

That’s a safe dose. Most don’t need any more than that. Max recommended is 4,000 iu per day and 10,000 is the daily dose that could get you toxic (>150). Like I have said, you only need to be above 30 for COVID benefit from the studies I’ve seen.

[Hpara759 1780]

On 9/10/2020 at 10:59 AM, Hpara759 said:

I got my Pfizer vaccine (or placebo) yesterday afternoon, so far today all I have to report is a sore injection site. Scheduled for the second one in 3 weeks.

headed back for round #2 this afternoon.....wish me luck!

[Cheeseweasel 26438]

19 minutes ago, Hpara759 said:

headed back for round #2 this afternoon.....wish me luck!

Nice. How's that third arm growing? Useful?

[Buzzrock 14941]

I read a science fiction series about humans discovering a race of three-armed aliens. They were known to say, “On the one hand this, on the other hand that, but on the gripping hand...”

/csb

[Fondren & Main 6742]

Are we at 10k deaths per day yet? 

[Brisketexan 105336]

Quebec/Montreal going back into pretty close to lockdown for a month:

Quote

I’m listening to Premier Legault’s press conference. Montreal’s Covid alert is Red. Effective midnight on Wednesday all bars and restaurants will be closed. Restaurants can continue delivery service and take-out.All movie theatres will be closed. No visitors allowed in one’s home that reside at a different address. No public gatherings. Demonstrations are allowed but masks are mandatory. This will remain in effect until October 28. Stores (hair salons, businesses) will remain open. Schools will remain open (elementary, secondary).

Sigh.

This is just gonna keep being a roller coaster for quite a while.

[Dbeasy 15092]

Bars have been open in Georgia since June; capacity 50 people.
 

The concern right now is not deaths and hospitalizations. Those trends are fine because it’s mostly young people getting it. The concern is the spread during the upcoming flu season from the higher infection rates, with young people spreading it to the rest of the population. In the last week or so, the number of states with an increasing number of week over week cases has grown from 19 to 30 states. That’s the risk right now.

[dcar00 14365]

France is blowing the fuck up.  strangely Spain's cases have dropped in half over the last week.  weird curve there.

[dcar00 14365]

Yeah Canada is getting close to back to their early peak in cases.  they did pretty good on deaths the first go around.

didn't they go all in on masks?

[InkaUtexas 26108]

10 minutes ago, dcar00 said:

Yeah Canada is getting close to back to their early peak in cases.  they did pretty good on deaths the first go around.

didn't they go all in on masks?

They did, numbers went down. They opened up, numbers went up.

[rpspeed 1400]

52 minutes ago, Brisketexan said:

Quebec/Montreal going back into pretty close to lockdown for a month:

 

I see a bunch of Canadians going to Florida in the near future. I just got back from spending 8 days in the Keys, had a great time.

[dcar00 14365]

1 hour ago, InkaUtexas said:

They did, numbers went down. They opened up, numbers went up.

did they take off the mask requirement when they opened up?

[Message Board User 12396]

1 hour ago, rpspeed said:

I see a bunch of Canadians going to Florida in the near future. I just got back from spending 8 days in the Keys, had a great time.

Speaking of Florida...

And as I predicted at the beginning of the month, many parents of distance learners are now asking if they can switch to in-person.

More than half of Florida families returned their children to school in-person, state education officials said. The rest chose remote learning.

As weeks ticked by and a surge of school-linked cases did not materialize, requests to return remote learners to the classroom have surged in some places.

In Martin County, along the Atlantic Coast, the school district logged more than 160 such requests. That’s nearly four times as many as those asking to switch from in-person to remote. 

[rpspeed 1400]

5 minutes ago, Message Board User said:

Speaking of Florida...

And as I predicted at the beginning of the month, many parents of distance learners are now asking if they can switch to in-person.

More than half of Florida families returned their children to school in-person, state education officials said. The rest chose remote learning.

As weeks ticked by and a surge of school-linked cases did not materialize, requests to return remote learners to the classroom have surged in some places.

In Martin County, along the Atlantic Coast, the school district logged more than 160 such requests. That’s nearly four times as many as those asking to switch from in-person to remote. 

Schools have been open here(Texarkana) since mid August and there has been no surge, The kids had off season strength and conditioning at school  all summer, except for two weeks around July 4th.

[Message Board User 12396]

3 minutes ago, rpspeed said:

Schools have been open here(Texarkana) since mid August and there has been no surge, The kids had off season strength and conditioning at school  all summer, except for two weeks around July 4th.

Speaking of no surge...

Here was TCU exactly one month ago - "'We literally cannot keep up' Spike in Covid 19 cases prompts warning"

https://www.tcu360.com/2020/08/we-literally-cannot-keep-up-spike-in-covid-19-cases-prompts-warning/

Today from the same author - "Student Covid 19 cases near zero as semester reaches midpoint"

https://www.tcu360.com/2020/09/student-covid-19-cases-near-zero-as-semester-reaches-midpoint/

 

[atomheartbevo 89799]

South Park is doing a 1-hour pandemic special in two days

 

[Message Board User 12396]

Better late than never I guess.

But it's impossible to read this article without getting ragey at the media for promoting panic and flawed studies and ignoring data that schools were safe, at the teachers unions for doing all they can to drag their feet kicking and screaming back into the classroom, and the gutless anti-science and anti-data politicians who enabled this travesty.

Open the schools.

Edited September 29, 2020 by Message Board User

[Buzzrock 14941]

Man that’s heartbreaking.

[MNLonghornFUKM 8821]

Quebec/Montreal going back into pretty close to lockdown for a month:

I’m listening to Premier Legault’s press conference. Montreal’s Covid alert is Red. Effective midnight on Wednesday all bars and restaurants will be closed. Restaurants can continue delivery service and take-out.All movie theatres will be closed. No visitors allowed in one’s home that reside at a different address. No public gatherings. Demonstrations are allowed but masks are mandatory. This will remain in effect until October 28. Stores (hair salons, businesses) will remain open. Schools will remain open (elementary, secondary).

.

 

Is that the right move? Have they locked down once already? That could be crippling.

[MNLonghornFUKM 8821]

Does anyone know if South Africa took the Sweden approach?

[Bartles 769]

Another "speaking of Florida" post...

(Side note: some very nice scenery in here to distract you from the COVID-ing)

 

[Neonmoon 38130]

10 hours ago, Message Board User said:

Better late than never I guess.

But it's impossible to read this article without getting ragey at the media for promoting panic and flawed studies and ignoring data that schools were safe, at the teachers unions for doing all they can to drag their feet kicking and screaming back into the classroom, and the gutless anti-science and anti-data politicians who enabled this travesty.

Open the schools.

I agree that the media sensationalizes everything, but will you please tell what flawed studies they promoted?

[Liquor and Poker 3659]

35 minutes ago, Neonmoon said:

I agree that the media sensationalizes everything, but will you please tell what flawed studies they promoted?

Not sure it’s “sensationalizing” anymore as much as “we think you’re simple-minded and easily distracted so we have to say everything in short catchy hyperbole to get you to engage and understand”

And I think they’re right. 

[InkaUtexas 26108]

Hays County is pretty much wide open and the numbers are interesting. We have almost 3x the number of cases that Travis has and still trending upwards. Yay? 

Bars are packed. River is packed. Fuck yeah! 

[Neonmoon 38130]

18 minutes ago, Liquor and Poker said:

Not sure it’s “sensationalizing” anymore as much as “we think you’re simple-minded and easily distracted so we have to say everything in short catchy hyperbole to get you to engage and understand”

And I think they’re right. 

And that's fair

[Hate 20145]

Hays County is pretty much wide open and the numbers are interesting. We have almost 3x the number of cases that Travis has and still trending upwards. Yay? 
Bars are packed. River is packed. Fuck yeah! 

Are there hospitals in Hays County that have “Covid wards” or are they all sent to Travis County if they need to be hospitalized?

[BradInATX 9208]

Are there hospitals in Hays County that have “Covid wards” or are they all sent to Travis County if they need to be hospitalized?

They go to Dell Seton in Austin. They don't even like to do routine surgeries on non-critical Covid+ patients there (ie you're Covid+, asymptomatic and feeling fine but need a knee scope).

 

 

 

[InkaUtexas 26108]

No clue man, there is no news from the county level. 

[InkaUtexas 26108]

1 minute ago, BradInATX said:

They go to Dell Seton in Austin. They don't even like to do routine surgeries on non-critical Covid+ patients there.

 

Not like we have a lot of beds as it stands. 

[BradInATX 9208]

1 minute ago, InkaUtexas said:

Not like we have a lot of beds as it stands. 

That's right. And they stay pretty full at the hospitals south of Austin and north of SA. Ascension just opened a free-standing surgery center in Hays county because there's plenty of overflow from the hospitals. Lots of diabetics, olds, and people who could stand to be in better shape in the area.

[InkaUtexas 26108]

Another issue is there is an unknown if the University is reporting all their cases at the county level. But will say the county level announcements for testing have gone away. 

[Guest Lobo]

That was crazy to see last night.  There's been some folks on here that have been doing a great service and posting really good data points, but I just lost track and like many of you saw that Hays County was somehow 2.5x the amount of Travis County.  How in the fuck is that possible?  one Covid-19 denier I spoke with on my street says it's because Hays County has a large public university with kids who are transmitting the virus in social environments.  He said this to me, with a straight face, with all my UT regalia behind me.  I guess he was thinking of how small Concordia is.  UT is completely transparent with Travis County reporting BTW, and actually helps process their dashboard.  

But both Hays and Travis contain about 15-16% folks over the age of 60, so they can't hide behind the "olds" excuse.  And last I checked, despite a few large facilities, Hays County ain't exactly the retirement community/senior living center capital of Texas.  Travis obviously has way more people of color than Hays County.  You don't need a slide rule to figure that one out.  Both have bars, both have rivers (I know you don't tube on Town Lake but believe me, it has been jam packed with paddle boarders and kayakers as of late, I can barely get out on the water it's so damn crowded), both have large colleges, both have lots and lots of public schools and both are experiencing high growth.  How the fuck did Hays County get so far ahead in terms of new cases? 

We all know the reason why but we can't talk about it because that might save lives.  So despite my 93 year old uncle living out in Hays County and his kids and grandkids not giving fuck one about this virus...I guess we'll just have to chalk it up to too much tubing when he dies prematurely.  

Edited September 29, 2020 by Lobo

[InkaUtexas 26108]

2 minutes ago, Lobo said:

That was crazy to see last night.  There's been some folks on here that have been doing a great service and posting really good data points, but I just lost track and like many of you saw that Hays County was somehow 2.5x the amount of Travis County.  How in the fuck is that possible?  one Covid-19 denier I spoke with on my street says it's because Hays County has a large public university with kids who are transmitting the virus in social environments.  He said this to me, with a straight face, with all my UT regalia behind me.  I guess he was thinking of how small Concordia is.  UT is completely transparent with Travis County reporting BTW, and actually helps process their dashboard.  

But both Hays and Travis contain about 15-16% folks over the age of 60, so they can't hide behind the "olds" excuse.  And last I checked, despite a few large facilities, Hays County ain't exactly the retirement community/senior living center capital of Texas.  Travis obviously has way more people of color than Hays County.  You don't need a slide rule to figure that one out.  Both have bars, both have rivers (I know you don't tube on Town Lake but believe me, it has been jam packed with paddle boarders and kayakers as of late, I can barely get out on the water it's so damn crowded), both have large colleges, both have lots and lots of public schools and both are experiencing high growth.  How the fuck did Hays County get so far ahead in terms of new cases?  We all know the reason why but we can't talk about it because that might save lives.  So despite my 93 year old uncle living out in Hays County and his kids and grandkids not giving fuck one about this virus...I guess we'll just have to chalk it up to tubing.  

The county kind of just shrugged and said bring it on. 

[Message Board User 12396]

1 hour ago, Neonmoon said:

I agree that the media sensationalizes everything, but will you please tell what flawed studies they promoted?

The South Korea study - the article does a good job of outlining the problems with that particular study, which created headlines.

[dcar00 14365]

Spain France and Italy are interesting to look at

Spain and France are seeing massive new spikes and Italy has a bump but no real spike.  seemingly no spike in deaths for any of them though.

Germany is similar to Italy as far as the shape of the curve but much lower case and death numbers