CR: COVID-19 --Political Talk

[Nice Guy Eddie 13418]

18 minutes ago, Loco said:

All life is sacred!   =>  If we just let 3.4% of our population die, the rest of us can be happier!

It's breathtaking hypocrisy.  Beyond stupid

Hopefully we have other options besides let the economy die or let 3.4% die/20% hospitalization.  It’s fine that we’re taking the current course but flattening the curve can also lead to other deaths (missed critical surgeries, undiagnosed issues due to fear of going to the doctor, increased suicides,etc.)

I don’t have the answer but at some point someone needs to come up with it. Eventually I think many of the 3.4% susceptible to coronavirus death will get coronavirus. Flattening the curve doesn’t claim to save their all of their lives, just spread it out.

[Loco 3752]

2 minutes ago, Nice Guy Eddie said:

I don’t have the answer but at some point someone needs to come up with it. Eventually I think many of the 3.4% susceptible to coronavirus death will get coronavirus. Flattening the curve doesn’t claim to save their all of their lives, just spread it out.

Flattening the curve does claim to save lives.  The whole point is to NOT exceed capacity for care.   ie 50 people need to be on a ventilator, but there are only 30 available = 20 deaths

[Al Bundy's Napoleon Hand 13555]

8 hours ago, FondrenRoad said:

Really @Anastasis the problem isn't bats in China or pigs in the USA and Mexico. Its the fact that the whole world is 6 degrees of Kevin Bacon.

Maybe the next pandemic starts with a sheep in College Station. 

Stop Fucking That Chicken beats the dog piss outta Make America Great as far campaign slogans go.

[Nice Guy Eddie 13418]

10 minutes ago, Loco said:

Flattening the curve does claim to save lives.  The whole point is to NOT exceed capacity for care.   ie 50 people need to be on a ventilator, but there are only 30 available = 20 deaths

Yes.  But not all lives. I imagine the death rate for this will be high regardless of how long we flatten the curve.  And I think it gets much worse if we don’t flatten the curve.

the economy point is that people have to eventually return to work. Food and supplies won’t magically just keep appearing without workers. The govt can’t print money without massive side effects.  Lower supply of goods added to massive printing of money = inflation.

i don’t know when the breaking point hits.  Can we do this for 3 months?  6?   Some argue that deficits don’t matter as long as we have a high gdp. GDP is crashing so we’re in new territory.

[Bullneck 19028]

8 hours ago, Captainant said:

Have you ever heard the tale of the tragedy of the commons? 

I've heard of it but can't figure out how it applies in this case.  Generally it's the idea that no one takes care of a common property (one without the E in DUPE in the bundle of property rights).

[Hiphopopotamos 20865]

1 hour ago, Nice Guy Eddie said:

Are there any credible reports out of China how they are doing this? I don’t mean someone reading the Chinese govt statement but on the ground, at the hospitals, etc. it seems like they’ve kicked out western reporters and everyone there is refusing to talk. It doesn’t add up.

i can buy that their strong measures have lowered the spread but zero?

I know that Italy was able to completely stop the spread in one small town (population of approx 3300) by testing everyone and isolating all who tested positive.  Seems unlikely, even for China, that they could lock down an entire country. 

[Al Bundy's Napoleon Hand 13555]

13 minutes ago, Nice Guy Eddie said:

Yes.  But not all lives. I imagine the death rate for this will be high regardless of how long we flatten the curve.  And I think it gets much worse if we don’t flatten the curve.

the economy point is that people have to eventually return to work. Food and supplies won’t magically just keep appearing without workers. The govt can’t print money without massive side effects.  Lower supply of goods added to massive printing of money = inflation.

i don’t know when the breaking point hits.  Can we do this for 3 months?  6?   Some argue that deficits don’t matter as long as we have a high gdp. GDP is crashing so we’re in new territory.

I agree with Bill Ackman's call for a 30-day nationwide shutdown. Waiting and being reactive will only prolong this crisis.

https://www.cnbc.com/2020/03/18/bill-ackman-advises-trump-to-shut-down-us-says-market-would-soar.html

[Onboard 2.0 9083]

On 3/17/2020 at 12:01 PM, Hefeweizen said:

Fuck me for being a pessimist but this all has a post WW1 feel to me.  Pandemic, market collapse, demagogues everywhere, what am I missing?

A basically 19th century medical system ??

[lemonlime 5503]

AIDS was a pretty big deal, you night have heard about it

And I think whoever’s in charge of managing that, should start referring to it as the “homosexual virus.” That would be effective strategy for managing things.

[WhatTheBuck 28721]

5 minutes ago, lemonlime said:

And I think whoever’s in charge of managing that, should start referring to it as the “homosexual virus.” That would be effective strategy for managing things.

 

Some people effectively called it that. The guy in charge of managing it just ignored it altogether. Until Rock got sick.  

[Hiphopopotamos 20865]

 

[DDD Dad 14269]

Yes.  But not all lives. I imagine the death rate for this will be high regardless of how long we flatten the curve.  And I think it gets much worse if we don’t flatten the curve.

the economy point is that people have to eventually return to work. Food and supplies won’t magically just keep appearing without workers. The govt can’t print money without massive side effects.  Lower supply of goods added to massive printing of money = inflation.

i don’t know when the breaking point hits.  Can we do this for 3 months?  6?   Some argue that deficits don’t matter as long as we have a high gdp. GDP is crashing so we’re in new territory.

Go listen to Governor Cuomo’s interview yesterday on The Daily.

 

He discussed this in very stark and bleak tones.

[Loco 3752]

 

On 3/17/2020 at 12:01 PM, Hefeweizen said:

Fuck me for being a pessimist but this all has a post WW1 feel to me.  Pandemic, market collapse, demagogues everywhere, what am I missing?

 

25 minutes ago, Onboard 2.0 said:

A basically 19th century medical system ??

Cocaine in your soda?

[Hefeweizen 5307]

10 minutes ago, Loco said:

 

 

Cocaine in your soda?

Hookers and blow would go a long way to improve things.

[Onboard 2.0 9083]

Just now, Hefeweizen said:

Hookers and blow would go a long way to improve things.

Eternal truths never cease being eternal truths.

[Nice Guy Eddie 13418]

36 minutes ago, Al Bundy's Napoleon Hand said:

I agree with Bill Ackman's call for a 30-day nationwide shutdown. Waiting and being reactive will only prolong this crisis.

https://www.cnbc.com/2020/03/18/bill-ackman-advises-trump-to-shut-down-us-says-market-would-soar.html

One issue is that even without law school training, I don't believe that the US Constitution allows for that. Do we want the Constitution to be suspended? 

I don't necessarily think Sen. Johnson's comments or ideas are correct, but we shouldn't shut down any discussion on how we can attempt to manage both health and economy.

[horn4life 3758]

Trump Administration February 1, 2020 Threat Action Report

1.) Check on Stock market, continue worrying about reelection and downplay concerns

2.) See what Fox is saying, worry about reelection

3.) Wonder what Fox News is going to say this morning. Take glee at virus deaths in CHINA!

4.) What's the weather like in Florida, looking forward to the party.

5.) Worry about reelection and market's concerns over virus, dismiss concerns, weather looks good...

And on and on and on.

 

Even today, we don't have the Corps of Engineers setting up quarantine and triage area, to assist in managing the flow of sick we know is coming.  We have not brought in the National Guard to help with these same tasks, and mobilize before the problem is already here.  Remember when it was a fucking national emergency to call out the National Guard because of brown people at our southern border. You will start to see the creaks of movement going forward, but still with little or no consideration of the enormity of how bad this is going to get, due to our lack of understanding of spread (testing).  There has to be a way to build rudimentary ventilators, we should have been looking at this two months ago, but here we are, and let's start building them.

This is going to be looked back at historically as the most epic example of failed leadership recorded in modern history.  The discard of all political, moral and legal standards by the GOP in support of a clearly unqualified and corrupt President is going to feature heavily historically. The enabling and featly to a flawed corrupt man for political power is how w arrived here.  Trump has always been Trump, this is just Trump being Trump. The bad news is we don't have a corrupt money laundering bank to bail out the U.S.A. from his leadership.

[Hiphopopotamos 20865]

 

[Fozzz 152]

This is good.  Doubt Pelosi will want to push it though.

Quote

Protect Consumers and Bolster the Economy

1.	At Least $2,000/month for all adults and $1000 for each child. The Federal Reserve would be directed through a money-financed fiscal program, to fund automatic stabilizers in the form of at least $2,000 for every adult and an additional $1000 for every child for each month of the crisis. Adults would be eligible to withdraw these funds from financial institutions or receive them directly in the mail via the IRS. This funding tool would enable the Federal Reserve to more directly stimulate the economy and provide families with the ability to purchase necessities like food and medicines. This provision would also prevent payments from going to millionaires and billionaires.
2.	Suspend all consumer and small business credit payments (mortgages, car notes, student loans, credit cards, small business loans, personal loans, etc.) during the pandemic. This bold step would enable consumers and small businesses, including small farms, to weather the crisis by eliminating debt payments for the duration of the crisis at a time when many Americans will be confined to their homes and unable to work or bring in income. Borrowers who make payments during this period, should have their payments applied to their accounts as timely. Borrowers with payment suspensions should not accrue any interest or fees during the payment suspension period, and should be provided with affordable options to repay arrearages.
3.	Establish a facility by the Federal Reserve or Treasury to reimburse creditors, and servicers for lost revenue and expenses, including payment advances. This provision would finance the suspension of the credit products listed above to ensure that financial institutions remain solvent as a result of millions of consumers not paying their bills.
4.	Suspend all negative consumer credit reporting during the pandemic. There would be a total moratorium on negative reporting during the pandemic and for 120 days thereafter. Afterwards, consumers could add their names to a database for continued protection, similar to Chairwoman Waters’ legislation related to suspending reporting during a government shutdown. In addition, consumer credit reporting agencies would be prohibited from lowering a consumer’s credit score. Rep. Sherman introduced a version of this bill last week, and the House passed similar legislation focused on consumers affected by a government shutdown as part of H.R.3621, Comprehensive CREDIT Act of 2020.
5.	Prohibit debt collection, repossession, and garnishment of wages during the pandemic. This provision would ban the collection of all consumer debt, including medical debt, and prohibit the garnishment of wages or repossession of assets during the pandemic, and for 120 days after the pandemic ends.
6.	Ensure protections for territories. This provision would ensure that persons residing in U.S. territories receive the same protections and relief of this Act as persons residing in states.

Support Renters, Homeowners, and People Experiencing Homelessness

 

7.	Provide $5 billion in emergency homeless assistance. This funding would enable state and local governments to finance housing and health related services including by paying for emergency use of hotels and motels, for the hundreds of thousands of people currently experiencing homelessness, and as a result, are at greater risk of contracting the disease.
8.	Ban all evictions, foreclosures, and repossessions--including manufactured homes, RVs, and cars-- nationwide. Because businesses are closing and many people do not have access to unemployment insurance or paid sick leave, an eviction and foreclosure ban is needed to ensure that people can safely quarantine in their homes, if necessary. Vehicles should not be repossessed during the pandemic as Americans will need their transportation in order to obtain food or medical care. A foreclosure moratorium should include a ban on initiating judicial or non-judicial foreclosures, moving for order of sale, continuing any foreclosure process, or executing foreclosure sales and post-foreclosure evictions. Los Angeles County is among several jurisdictions that have already instituted a ban on evictions.
9.	Suspend rental and utility payments for assisted renters and provide rental and utility payment assistance for non-assisted renters. The Federal government should immediately suspend rental and utility payments for Federal public and assisted housing residents to ensure they have the financial resources necessary to address the expected economic hardships of the crisis. The Federal government should provide sufficient funding for housing providers to account for this loss of revenue as well as increased administrative costs associated with mitigating COVID-19 risks in assisted housing developments. Similarly, the Federal government should provide $100 billion to help non-assisted renters who meet certain economic conditions cover their rent and utility payments.
10.	Require forbearance for mortgages on rental properties. To the extent that owners of rental properties continue to have trouble servicing their debt during the suspension of rental and payment and evictions even with the rental assistance fund, they should get forbearance on their mortgages as necessary. The National Community Stabilization Fund, National Multifamily Housing Council, and National Apartment Association support this proposal.
11.	Provide $10 billion for Community Development Block Grants. This funding will allow state and local governments to have a flexible resource to address the needs of their communities when mitigating the impacts of COVID-19, including establishing teams to perform mobile testing of vulnerable populations, such as people experiencing homelessness, delivering meals to people with mobility issues, and purchasing cleaning supplies. The federal government should waive the cap on the amount of CDBG funds that can be spent on services, including for funds that have previously been appropriated, to allow communities more flexibility to respond to COVID-19.
12.	Provide waivers and authorities to modify existing programs to respond to the crisis. The federal government should enable communities, and housing and homeless service providers to tap into current resources to quickly respond to COVID-19 by providing the necessary waivers and authorities to utilize federal funds that have previously been appropriated, including unused CDBG funds. Federal housing programs should also be modified as necessary to ensure appropriate responses to the pandemic. For example, in-person inspection requirements should be waived for the Housing Choice Voucher program, as should in-person appraisal requirements for federally backed mortgages. 13. Suspend the Work and Community Service Requirements in Federal Housing Programs.
13.	Suspend the work and community service requirements in Federal housing programs. This provision would suspend the work and community service requirements in Federal housing programs for the duration of the crisis to ensure residents do not feel compelled to go to work or participate in other activities to keep their housing.
14.	Provide $300 million for servicer coordinators to assist elderly households. The Service Coordinator Grant program funds the work of service coordinators to support seniors and people with disabilities living in HUD-assisted housing, and will need additional funding to ensure medical and other services are provided to elderly residents who are the most vulnerable to the health impacts of the virus.
15.	Provide $290 million for fair housing enforcement. $90 million to ensure that fair housing organizations as well as state and local agencies have sufficient resources to deal with an expected increase in fair housing complaints and to investigate housing discrimination, including financial scams that target protected classes, which are already starting to occur. $200 million to ensure that HUD’s Office of Fair Housing and Equal Opportunity has sufficient resources to ensure robust enforcement of the Fair Housing Act in light of the pandemic, including ensuring that funding amounts in this relief package are implemented in a way that affirmatively furthers fair housing.

 

 

Assist Small Businesses

16.	Suspension of commercial rental payments by private sector actors. This would support small businesses and non-profit organizations that are struggling with the decision to stay open in the face of significant changes in public and consumer demand and with paying their bills.
17.	Support additional grants for small businesses. This provision would support at least $50 billion in new grants for the Small Business Administration to provide to negatively affected small businesses, including minority- and women-owned small businesses. (Small Business Committee)
18.	Tax rebates for small businesses. This provision would rebate 100% of pay roll taxes paid by small businesses this year, and 200% of pay roll taxes paid by small businesses in “hot spots.” (Ways and Means Committee)
19.	Utilize the Community Development Financial Institutions (CDFI) Fund to support small businesses as well as low-income communities. This provision would provide a supplemental appropriation of $500 million for Fiscal Year (FY) 2020, and similar to the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, matching funds and limitations on awards would be waived to provide flexibility in deploying resources to vulnerable populations and impacted small businesses.

https://financialservices.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=406440

Edited March 19, 2020 by Fozzz

[Bookman 4611]

13 minutes ago, Nice Guy Eddie said:

One issue is that even without law school training, I don't believe that the US Constitution allows for that. Do we want the Constitution to be suspended? 

 

Do you even Commerce Clause bro?

[Brisketexan 104746]

13 minutes ago, horn4life said:

Remember when it was a fucking national emergency to call out the National Guard because of brown people at our southern border.

This contrast captures the current admin perfectly.

A few thousand little Hondurans running for their lives?  NATIONAL EMERGENCY, ACTIVATE THE NATIONAL GUARD!

A global pandemic threatening to take perhaps millions of American lives, and destroying our economy the longer it lasts?  The Guard and Army Corps are idle, awaiting orders.  ANY orders.

That contrast right there is why Trump and the Trumpkins should burn in hell.

[Hiphopopotamos 20865]

Heres the link to the full document:

https://financialservices.house.gov/uploadedfiles/fsc_covid-19_legislative_package_-_03.18.20.pdf

[SmokeyTheBear 5562]

11 minutes ago, Fozzz said:

This is good.  Doubt Pelosi will want to push it though.

https://financialservices.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=406440

Why wouldn't she? 

[Hiphopopotamos 20865]

2 minutes ago, SmokeyTheBear said:

Why wouldn't she? 

She apparently killed the first version of the house bill because it included 1k payments without means testing.  

[Fozzz 152]

2 minutes ago, SmokeyTheBear said:

Why wouldn't she? 

She's already stated her objections to universal relief. 

Quote

Pelosi has said the House and Senate should consider refundable tax credits, expanded unemployment insurance and direct payments. But the California Democrat has been firm that any of the proposals “MUST be targeted,” her spokesman Drew Hammill wrote on Twitter this week.

https://www.politico.com/news/2020/03/18/nancy-pelosi-coronavirus-stimulus-plan-136142

Per that politco article, apparently her and Waters also got into it on a conference call regarding the relief plan.  

[SmokeyTheBear 5562]

I agree with that. My family doesn't need that money cause we can easily wfh and keep our paychecks. Rather those resources go to those who need it more. As long as we get these bills thru with expediency in mind. 

[Fozzz 152]

With any luck, Pelosi and Schumer and people like you Smokey will finally make the Democrat party go the way of the Whigs.  

[Hiphopopotamos 20865]

1 minute ago, SmokeyTheBear said:

I agree with that. My family doesn't need that money cause we can easily wfh and keep our paychecks. Rather those resources go to those who need it more. As long as we get these bills thru with expediency in mind. 

Things like means testing are just going to slow down and complicate the process of getting money into the hands of people who need it.  The easiest way to do this is to give it to everyone and then tax appropriately on the back end.

[elfenix 34193]

Pelosi needs to GTFO. Means testing is an unnecessary complication. Oh no one of the 607 billionaires might get a check!

[Bama Chick 28596]

Some people effectively called it that. The guy in charge of managing it just ignored it altogether. Until Rock got sick.  

Yep - used to be GRID, “gay related immune deficiency”.

[SmokeyTheBear 5562]

Just now, Hiphopopotamos said:

Things like means testing are just going to slow down and complicate the process of getting money into the hands of people who need it.  The easiest way to do this is to give it to everyone and then tax appropriately on the back end.

Fair enough. I don't know the process of means testing but with everyone's recent tax filings, I don't see why it can't be an easy reference based on reported income. 

[cactusflinthead 27595]

 

[cactusflinthead 27595]

 

[DefinitelyNotHollywoodColt 12301]

“WHO IS GOING TO PAY FOR IT?!?!?”

lol

[Brisketexan 104746]

22 minutes ago, SmokeyTheBear said:

I agree with that. My family doesn't need that money cause we can easily wfh and keep our paychecks. Rather those resources go to those who need it more. As long as we get these bills thru with expediency in mind. 

I agree that I don't need it, but expediency and efficiency are most essential, so....

19 minutes ago, Hiphopopotamos said:

Things like means testing are just going to slow down and complicate the process of getting money into the hands of people who need it.  The easiest way to do this is to give it to everyone and then tax appropriately on the back end.

I agree with this.

Let's do what's needed now.  Let's clean up the mess later.

[bolverk 29449]

These are interesting findings and yet another reason why we need more widespread testing. The more data, the better.

Blood Type and COVID-19

Today I participated in another radio call in show about COVID-19. I was stumped by a question regarding ABO blood type and susceptibility to COVID-19. Did having Type A blood make you more likely to get sick when infected with SARS-CoV-2?

I was fully prepared to discuss the ibuprofen story, but this was news to me. Thanks to a long commercial break, I was able to look it up. A few days ago, Chinese researchers uploaded a pre-print to medrxiv. They looked at more than 2000 COVID-19 patients in hospitals in China, including some who had died. They found that patients with blood type A were associated with a higher risk of infection than those with blood type O. They also had a higher risk of death. Since there are more people in the general population with type O than with type A, this wasn’t simply a reflection of the population. (Types B and AB also had higher risk than O, but the difference wasn’t statistically significant.)

Does this mean that being Type A is bad? Not necessarily. First rule of epidemiology is correlation does not equal causation. Coincidence happens in science too.
SARS-CoV-2 infects the lungs, so why would blood type even matter?

Interestingly, a similar pattern was found for SARS-CoV, the virus that caused the SARS outbreak in 2003–2004. Having Type A blood means you have a molecule on the surface of your cells that Type O lacks. People with Type O blood have naturally occurring antibodies to Type A blood. This is why someone who has Type A blood can’t donate to someone with Type O. The Type O person’s immune system will recognize that A surface molecule as foreign and attack it with “Anti-A antibodies.” Researchers studying SARS-CoV hypothesized that these anti-A antibodies also recognized the spike (S) protein on the surface of the coronavirus, blocking infection, or at least providing some protection.

So that brings us back to the question, if you have Type A blood, do you need to worry? Maybe, but not necessarily. The difference (37.75% Type A vs 25.80% Type O) is statistically significant. But what this means isn’t really clear. It’s an interesting story and worthy of further research, but maybe not a determining factor in disease. There are other co-morbidities linked to higher risks.
This story does highlight the importance of understanding the scientific reports during an outbreak in context. medRxiv is an extremely useful resource for scientists. It’s a site developed by Yale and Cold Springs Harbor Laboratory for researchers to upload articles as soon as they write them, before peer-review. In a typical scientific journal, articles go through extensive review by multiple scientists who will point out weaknesses, inaccuracies, or just ask hard questions for clarity. In an outbreak situation, we need information fast, and we don’t have the months available to go through that process.
That doesn’t mean we shouldn’t trust the articles in medRxiv because they’re not peer reviewed. It means we need to understand that they are preliminary. Such research is often meant to pose more questions than it answers. This is what scientists do- we ask questions. Sometimes those questions lead to groundbreaking research. And sometimes, they don’t.

So if you have Type A blood (like me), don’t fret. Take all your usual precautions. Wash your hands. Be alert to symptoms. Practice appropriate social distancing. Review the science.

[DigglerontheHoof 21082]

If I get any funds, I'm going to donate them to my local watering hole's staff.  They're getting crushed. 

[Patrick Bateman 3903]

1 hour ago, Hiphopopotamos said:

 

That's going to be...... awkward with his constituents.  Almost 100 infected currently.  Most likely will escalate greatly.

 

[Stilicho 1397]

18 minutes ago, Brisketexan said:

I agree that I don't need it, but expediency and efficiency are most essential, so....

I agree with this.

Let's do what's needed now.  Let's clean up the mess later.

Exactly.  Fuck means testing.  Get the money in people's hands now.  If you don't need it, whether due to paid sick leave or personal savings or whatever, give yours to someone who does (like your local supermarket checkers).  This isn't difficult.

[Fozzz 152]

Interestingly, the $2k/adult, $1k/child number the House FSC proposed is in line with a recent paper Mike Konczal of the Roosevelt Institute put out.

https://rooseveltinstitute.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/RI_Working-Paper-Forward-Thinking-Policy-Response-Coronavirus-202003.pdf

I don't think many people seem to understand the kind of long-term damage that will accrue to the economy if we do not follow through on very bold demand-side stimulus.  

[Bookman 4611]

1 hour ago, Brisketexan said:

This contrast captures the current admin perfectly.

A few thousand little Hondurans running for their lives?  NATIONAL EMERGENCY, ACTIVATE THE NATIONAL GUARD!

A global pandemic threatening to take perhaps millions of American lives, and destroying our economy the longer it lasts?  The Guard and Army Corps are idle, awaiting orders.  ANY orders.

That contrast right there is why Trump and the Trumpkins should burn in hell.

The National Guard and Army Corps are idle because this administration has no idea what to do. Unlike all his other jams, Trump can't lie his way out of this one (despite trying to), take control of the narrative, or file for bankruptcy.

He put Pence in charge for fuck's sake.

[DixonHur 11240]

21 minutes ago, bolverk said:

These are interesting findings and yet another reason why we need more widespread testing. The more data, the better.

Blood Type and COVID-19

Today I participated in another radio call in show about COVID-19. I was stumped by a question regarding ABO blood type and susceptibility to COVID-19. Did having Type A blood make you more likely to get sick when infected with SARS-CoV-2?

I was fully prepared to discuss the ibuprofen story, but this was news to me. Thanks to a long commercial break, I was able to look it up. A few days ago, Chinese researchers uploaded a pre-print to medrxiv. They looked at more than 2000 COVID-19 patients in hospitals in China, including some who had died. They found that patients with blood type A were associated with a higher risk of infection than those with blood type O. They also had a higher risk of death. Since there are more people in the general population with type O than with type A, this wasn’t simply a reflection of the population. (Types B and AB also had higher risk than O, but the difference wasn’t statistically significant.)

Does this mean that being Type A is bad? Not necessarily. First rule of epidemiology is correlation does not equal causation. Coincidence happens in science too.
SARS-CoV-2 infects the lungs, so why would blood type even matter?

Interestingly, a similar pattern was found for SARS-CoV, the virus that caused the SARS outbreak in 2003–2004. Having Type A blood means you have a molecule on the surface of your cells that Type O lacks. People with Type O blood have naturally occurring antibodies to Type A blood. This is why someone who has Type A blood can’t donate to someone with Type O. The Type O person’s immune system will recognize that A surface molecule as foreign and attack it with “Anti-A antibodies.” Researchers studying SARS-CoV hypothesized that these anti-A antibodies also recognized the spike (S) protein on the surface of the coronavirus, blocking infection, or at least providing some protection.

So that brings us back to the question, if you have Type A blood, do you need to worry? Maybe, but not necessarily. The difference (37.75% Type A vs 25.80% Type O) is statistically significant. But what this means isn’t really clear. It’s an interesting story and worthy of further research, but maybe not a determining factor in disease. There are other co-morbidities linked to higher risks.
This story does highlight the importance of understanding the scientific reports during an outbreak in context. medRxiv is an extremely useful resource for scientists. It’s a site developed by Yale and Cold Springs Harbor Laboratory for researchers to upload articles as soon as they write them, before peer-review. In a typical scientific journal, articles go through extensive review by multiple scientists who will point out weaknesses, inaccuracies, or just ask hard questions for clarity. In an outbreak situation, we need information fast, and we don’t have the months available to go through that process.
That doesn’t mean we shouldn’t trust the articles in medRxiv because they’re not peer reviewed. It means we need to understand that they are preliminary. Such research is often meant to pose more questions than it answers. This is what scientists do- we ask questions. Sometimes those questions lead to groundbreaking research. And sometimes, they don’t.

So if you have Type A blood (like me), don’t fret. Take all your usual precautions. Wash your hands. Be alert to symptoms. Practice appropriate social distancing. Review the science.

Did they test reptilian blood?  Cause that could explain a lot.

['stache 21778]

16 hours ago, Pokoloco said:

'stache, I honestly don't see him not winning again unless there is complete financial ruin and a huge death toll. People are scared, most don't want to change leadership during a crisis. There are a lot of good people that don't like Trump that won't vote for Biden.

That would be true if he were being any sort of a leader or was capable of unity, but he’s not. And there are a lot of people who didn’t vote for Hillary but who will vote for Biden, that’ll be the difference. Trump has already blatantly lied multiple times about his handling of this, you’re truly an idiot if you think the average non-trumpist voter considers that leadership. 

[DixonHur 11240]

14 minutes ago, Stilicho said:

Exactly.  Fuck means testing.  Get the money in people's hands now.  If you don't need it, whether due to paid sick leave or personal savings or whatever, give yours to someone who does (like your local supermarket checkers).  This isn't difficult.

I think means testing is important because the funds could last longer.  And it's not going to slow anything down.  Congress is the bottle neck.  The IRS has the data.  Just use last year's returns. If you made less than x, you get a check.

[cactusflinthead 27595]

If y'all have some venison you'd be willing to share the critters gotta eat too.

https://www.kvue.com/article/news/community/capital-of-texas-zoo-meat-donations-coronavirus/269-99909142-63c7-4430-9c36-0421dfdc57c5

[tx 3 putt 76500]

WH news conference incoming 

Edited March 19, 2020 by tx 3 putt

[Brisketexan 104746]

3 minutes ago, tx 3 putt said:

WH news conference incoming 

Stock market plummet to follow.  It's been like clockwork.  Every time he talks, the nation and the markets lose confidence.

[Francisco 2.0 32347]

3 minutes ago, tx 3 putt said:

WH news conference incoming 

Trump can't have rallies now, so he has a news conference daily.

 

[Bama Chick 28596]

I think means testing is important because the funds could last longer.  And it's not going to slow anything down.  Congress is the bottle neck.  The IRS has the data.  Just use last year's returns. If you made less than x, you get a check.

Still won’t work for some.

Last year’s income isn’t always an accurate snapshot of current income especially for people in the service industry or on commission or who’ve lost their jobs.

Give it to everyone and when taxes roll around next year anyone who makes over the cutoff pays it back in taxes.

[lemonlime 5503]

I think means testing is important because the funds could last longer.  And it's not going to slow anything down.  Congress is the bottle neck.  The IRS has the data.  Just use last year's returns. If you made less than x, you get a check.

True in lasting longer. But irs data doesn't help much with who needs it now other than perhaps identifying the very rich. Whether you need it now has a much closer correlation to what industry you work in and the health of you and your family than how much money you took in during 2018.